DEXERTOThe Master League, Pokemon Go’s hardest PvP competition, is brimming with Legendaries and extraordinary creatures, so here are the ones you should use to build the best team in the Battle League.
The latest Tales of Transformation changed the Battle League’s meta, forcing players who want to rise to the top of the ranks to rebuild their best teams.
Unlike the Great and Ultra tiers, the Master League has no CP cap, which means any Pokemon – including the mighty Legendaries – can compete.
Given that there are over 60 Legendary creatures in Niantic’s game, here are the ones you should consider, including some other incredible fighters.
Best team for the Pokemon Go Master League
Currently, the best team that trainers can use in the League includes Crowned Sword Zacian, Origin Forme Palkia, and Lugia, as these are three of the strongest fighters, and they all offer good coverage against most of the major League opponents.
DEXERTOPOKEMON | FAST MOVE | CHARGED MOVES | TYPE | RESISTANCES | WEAKNESSES | ALTERNATIVES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crowned Sword Zacian  | Metal Claw | Close Combat & Behemoth Blade | Fairy/Steel | Dragon, Bug, Rock, Psychic, Poison, Normal, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fairy, and Dark | Fire and Ground | Crowned Shield Zamazenta / Dialga Origin Forme |
Origin Forme Palkia  | Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Spacial Rend | Water/Dragon | Water, Fire, and Steel | Dragon and Fairy | White Kyurem / Zekrom |
Lugia  | Dragon Tail | Aeroblast & Fly | Psychic/Flying | Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Psychic | Dark, Electric, Ghost, Rock, and Ice | Solgaleo / Lunala |
Zacian’s Crowned Sword form is considered almost unstoppable due to having the highest CP in the game, plenty of resistances, an outstanding Attack stat, and a potent move pool.
As a Fast Move, Metal Claw is just average, but it has good energy generation and benefits from STAB. This will allow players to reach the signature move Behemoth Blade, which is cheap and ridiculously strong.
Those who can afford a secondary Charged Move can add Close Combat to expand the coverage and deal even faster, high damage.
Palkia Origin Forme has incredible Defense and HP and an incredibly high Attack stat. This creature is a charger that works perfectly for leading or closing a battle, thanks to its powerful moveset.
Related
Dragon Breath is stronger than Dragon Tail, so go with it as a Fast Move. For Charged Moves, similar to Dialga Origin Forme, its signature move Spacial Rend is the ultimate attack to use, while also using Aqua Tail to spam.
Lugia has incredible bulk and access to some brilliant moves, making it a standout in the Battle League, mostly since the addition of the exclusive move Aeroblast.
Even though Extrasensory benefits from STAB, Dragon Tail is a better choice for Lugia’s Fast Move. For the Charges Moves, use Fly (very cheap and powerful) and combine it with Aeroblast – which deals a shocking amount of damage and has a chance to give a big buff to its Attack stat.
If you don’t have access to either of those three Pokemon or you come across an opponent that targets your team’s weaknesses, we have a long list of other powerful creatures that can help you dominate the Master League.
Best Pokemon for Pokemon Go Master League
Latios (Shadow)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aura Sphere and Luster Purge
- Type: Dragon/Psychic
- Resistances: Electric, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Psychic, and Water
- Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Ice
Shadow Latios is a solid addition to any team, as it has such a good Defense that (in its Shadow version), it can be sacrificed for 20% more Attack. Plus, it has very spammy moves that can exert shield pressure on the opponent.
For its moveset, go with Dragon Breath as the Fast Move, as it grants supreme energy gains while also dealing good damage. For the Charged Move, pick Aura Sphere (it is very cheap) to expand its coverage and to bait the enemy’s shields to leave them exposed early on.
If you can add a secondary Charged Move, go with Latio’s signature move, Luster Purge. It deals massive damage and benefits from STAB. Plus, it has a 50% chance of decreasing the target’s Defense stat by 20%.
Dusk Mane Necrozma
THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Sunsteel Strike and Dark Pulse
- Type: Psychic/Steel
- Resistances: Psychic, Poison, Steel, Rock, Normal, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fairy, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
Dusk Mane Necrozma’s dual Psychic/Steel type combination offers plenty of resistances to exploit in the Master League, as this Pokemon can take hits from fan favorites Zacian, Xerneas, Palkia, and Dialga.
This strong attacker checks all the boxes a player needs to add a Pokemon to their team, as Dusk Mane Necrozma is both bulky and strong, with a great move pool that can benefit from STAB and force opponents to use their shields early.
As for the moves per se, Shadow Claw offers coverage, hits hard, and helps access the Charged Moves quickly. Sunsteel Strike is its signature move, and it’s a powerful Steel-type nuke, while Dark Pulse is another strong move that offers even more coverage.
Lunala
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Shadow Ball and Moonblast
- Type: Psychic/Ghost
- Resistances: Fighting, Normal, Psychic, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost
Gen 7’s Legendary, Lunala, is an incredibly powerful addition to any Go Battle team, as it is extremely bulky. But that’s not all, as it has a very high Attack stat as well as a strong and versatile move pool to deal plenty of damage.
Teach the Moone Pokemon Shadow Claw as its Fast Move for energy generation. Lunala recently gained access to it, and thanks to that, it can reach its expensive Charged Moves earlier. Mooblast is a nuke that also decreases the target’s Attack stat by 20%, while Shadow Ball has high power.
The whole moveset benefits from STAB. Plus, it offers the Legendary near-flawless coverage.
Eternatus
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Dynamax Cannon and Flamethrower
- Type: Poison/Dragon
- Resistances: Grass, Bug, Electric, Fighting, Fire, Poison, and Water
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Ground, Ice, and Psychic
This Legendary is set to become one of the most prolific fighters in the Battle League, not just because of its impressive Dyanmax Cannon attack, but also its massive stats and good set of resistances.
Despite being a dual-type, Eternatus works best as a full-on Dragon-type attacker. Dragon Tail hits hard and offers consistent energy gain, allowing trainers to unlock its Charged Moves faster.
As for those, Dynamax Cannon (its signature move) has great balance between its damage and energy efficiency. It will allow Eternatus to dish out heavy blows more frequently than other Dragon-type nukes such as Draco Meteor. Add Flamethrower as a secondary Charged Move just for extra coverage.
Dawn Wings Necrozma
THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Moongeist Beam and Dark Pulse
- Type: Psychic/Ghost
- Resistances: Fighting, Normal, Psychic, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost
As soon as it debuted, Dawn Wings Necrozma took a spot in the top 10 due to its Psychic/Ghost-type combination, which gives it key resistances to the many Psychic Pokemon on the Master League ranking.
Dawn Wings Necrozma is a bulky creature that can be used as a lead or charger, as it excels at pressuring opponents to waste their shields early on, thanks to its strong and rapid attack, Shadow Claw.
For the Charged Moves, its signature attack, Moongesit Beam, is a wonderful nuke, while Dark Pulse gives it wider coverage.
Florges
NIANTIC/THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Moonblast and Trailblaze
- Type: Fairy
- Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Dark, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
With so many Dragon types present, Florges is a secure choice to stand strong against all of them. Palkia, Zekrom, and Kyurem are all prime targets. Additionally, strong picks like Groudon and Landorus will also struggle against it.
This Pokemon is not only bulky, but it has only two weaknesses, making it a prime choice for any team.
For the Fast Move, go with Fairy Wind, as it has fast charge and deals pretty good damage despite being a little expensive. For the Charged Move, pick Trailbraze to boost your Attack stat 25% and then – if you can afford a secondary Charged Move – use Moonblast to finish off your opponent. Plus, it will decrease your target’s Attack by 20%, too.
Reshiram
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Fusion Flare and Draco Meteor
- Type: Dragon/Fire
- Resistances: Grass, Fire, Steel, Electric, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Ground, and Rock
The Gen 5 Legendary, Reshiram, boasts incredible stats, similar to other mighty Pokemon, such as its counterpart Zekrom and fan favorite Dialga. Plus, its secondary typing (Fire) gives it solid coverage against most threats.
As for its moves, Dragon Breath is very powerful and increases its damage with STAB, while Fusion Flare has incredible DPE for a very low cost. Draco Meteor is best used as a secondary Charged Move because it has a self-debuff that players must take into consideration when using it.
Solgaleo
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Fire Spin
- Charged Moves: Psychic Fangs and Iron Head
- Type: Psychic/Steel
- Resistances: Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
As a half-Steel-type Pokemon, Solgaleo has a huge amount of type resistances that combine well with its extreme bulk and varied move pool to make it very difficult to take down.
It’s also one incredible counter for Black and White Kyurem, Zacian, Dialga, and even Zamazenta, which is something every Master League team needs.
Solgaleo’s Fast Moves are not that great, but Fire Spin can help expand the coverage and has superior energy gain. As for the Charged Moves, Psychic Fangs is very spammable and can be used to bait shields, while Iron Head can be used to counter Zacian.
White Kyurem
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Fusion Flare and Ice Burn
- Type: Dragon/Ice
- Resistances: Water, Grass, and Electric
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, and Steel
Just like its counterpart, Black Kyurem, White Kyurem came to dominate the Battle League with its outstanding stats and great move pool – especially its Ice-type attacks.
Dragon Breath has good damage for a Fast Move and pairs nicely with the Charged Move Ice Burn, which is basically a nuke. They both benefit from STAB and can target different opponents.
To expand its coverage and mainly to keep itself safe from Steel-type opponents, White Kyurem can use Fusion Flare, a very cheap option to take into consideration.
Dialga Origin Forme
- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Roar of Time and Iron Head
- Type: Steel/Dragon
- Resistances: Poison, Grass, Bug, Electric, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Fighting and Ground
Dialga has long been considered one of the biggest threats in the Master League, and its Origin Forme is even more powerful. Additionally, it also has the incredible advantage of being a Dragon-type that’s not weak to Fairy-type attacks or Dragon-type attacks.
Dragon Breath is Dialga’s optimal Fast Move, so make sure you have it. As for Charged Moves, its special move, Roar of Time, is the one to use, as it is an incredible nuke that can take down any opponent while also spamming Iron Head.
Zekrom
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Outrage and Fusion Bolt
- Type: Dragon/Electric
- Resistances: Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Ground, and Ice
Zekrom has the same stats as Dialga, including that huge Attack stat, which is enough to put it on the radar. It has a resistance to Steel types, which is unusual for Dragons, and key wins against Dusk Mane Necrozma, Giratina (Origin Forme), and even Palkia Origin Forme.
Go with Dragon Breath as Zekrom’s Fast Move, as it has good balance between cost and damage. Plus, it is quite fast. When it comes to Charged Moves, choose Fusion Bolt and pair it with Outrage for a good variety of coverage and STAB damage.
Crowned Shield Zamazenta
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Ice Fang
- Charged Moves: Close Combat and Behemoth Bash
- Type: Fighting/Steel
- Resistances: Bug, Poison, Rock, Dark, Dragon, Grass, Ice, Normal, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, and Ground
Crowned Shield Zamazenta has an incredible total damage output thanks to its signature move, Behemoth Bash, and can stand strong in battle due to its massive Defense stat. Plus, it benefits from a good amount of resistances and just needs to look out for three weaknesses.
Unlike its counterpart – Zacian – the best moveset for PvP consists of Ice Fang (for high power and coverage), Close Combat (cheap move with good coverage), and Behemoth Bash (cheap signature move with outstanding damage).
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Pokemon Go Master League start & end date
The latest Battle League season is underway, running from September 2, 2025, until December 2, 2025. For the rest of its run, the Master League will appear on:
- September 16 – September 23: Master League: Mega Edition* & Willpower Cup: Great League Edition*
- September 23 – September 30: Great League*, Ultra League* & Master League*
- October 21 – October 28: Great League*, Ultra League* & Master League*
- November 11 – November 18: Great League*, Ultra League* & Master League*
- November 18 – November 25: 2025 Championship Series Cup* & Master League: Mega Edition*
- November 25 – December 2: Catch Cup: Great League Edition*, Ultra League* & Master League*
Every Master League week will offer x4 Stardust from win rewards.
Those are the best Pokemon you can use to build your Master League team during this Pokemon Go season. For more content, check our guide with the Battle League schedule and rewards, as well as all the best attackers, defenders, and PvP champions.