Pokémon Go Great League team recommendations

The Great League is the focus of every Go Battle League season for two weeks in Pokémon Go, which measn you have to come up with the most effective team possible at under 1500 CP.

The Great League is one of the most accessible leagues in in Pokémon Go because of this low CP requirement. This rules out almost all of the commonly known best Pokémon, which only come in their own because of later evolutions or higher CPs, giving otherwise overlooked creatures some time to shine. And thanks to the recent move shake-up, the meta going into the next Master League season is all to play for!

Of course, you have to consider specific types and moves that will work effectively against other Pokémon, and this page explains our Great League recommendations based on the current Great League meta, allowing you to piece together an effective Great League team.

If you're looking for other Go Battle League recommendations, see our Ultra League page.

On this page:

Things to know about putting together a Great League team in Pokémon Go

A side benefit of the Great League is putting a team together is cheaper and easier than other leagues, meaning if you want to make inroads through the Go Battle League ranks without spending a lot of Stardust, you can.

Though there are fewer Legendaries and Mythicals to consider (though one or two are worth exploring, as your list below explains) you'll be leaning on more common catches which, given the restrictions, start to shine.

And if you don't have our recommended Great League choices, chances are you can find them pretty easily in the wild. It also makes Community Day, which offers an easy source of strong Pokémon that fare well at lower CP levels, a more attractive proposition.

No matter which League you participate in, remember you are after Pokémon with a decent amount of bulk (the ability to survive charged moves - type weakness depending - so you can fire off a few of your own) and those that best counter or expose weaknesses in the current meta (which is a term for what the community is using at present).

Though there are specific Pokémon and types that dominate the meta, remember with the Go Battle League (and player versus player battles in general) you'll be going in blind; so even if you cover yourself with a wide range of offence and defence options, no team is invincible.

Still - even with a few of the below Pokémon in your team, you should be able to fare better than if you just selected those as close to the 1500 CP cap as possible.

Our Pokémon Go Great League recommendations, from Altaria to Kommo-o

There is no one 'best' team you can choose - since, as mentioned previously, you don't know what you are up against - and not everyone has access to every type of Pokémon.

Instead, here is a general list of recommended Great League Pokémon to build a team from, with a wide range of sources that should suit all players, whether you've been collecting creatures since day one or just started playing. If it's been a while since you checked in with our recommendations, make sure you check that your Pokémon still has the best moves for Great League, because the summer 2022 move shake-up has really affected the meta. The top dog (rabbit?) Azumarill, for example, has tumbled down the rankings because of this, which means what you're coming out swinging with will likely have changed, too.

Remember you are only allowed one of each in the Go Battle League, and ideally you'd want to build a team with different type strengths and defense. For example, if you build a team with Altaria, Skarmory and Azumarill, you'll be especially open to electric-types.

It’s also worth noting that if you want to really compete, each of your Pokémon need two Charged moves. If you want to skimp on Stardust and only run the one move, do so at your own peril; you have been warned.

Our Pokémon Go Great Team recommendations, as of December 2022, in order of their appearance in the National Pokédex:

Venusaur

Type: Grass / Poison
Perfect IVs: 0/14/11
Recommended moves: Vine Whip (Fast), Frenzy Plant (Community Day only), Sludge Bomb (Charged)
Venusaur Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Ice, Psychic

Many starter evolutions are recommended for the Great League - they're common, are the subject of Community Days (with often improved moves) and usually rank on the upper end for their type.

As a result, Venusaur comes recommended, especially as it can help counter the likes of Azumarill and Whiscash.

It has a few meta weaknesses of its own - such as flying and psychic - to be wary of, but it's otherwise strong enough to seriously consider. Also, if you don't have the Community Day-only Frenzy Plant, Solar Beam and Sludge Bomb are good alternatives for Charged moves.

Nidoqueen

Type: Poison / Ground
Perfect IVs: 0/15/12
Recommended moves: Poison Jab (Fast), Poison Fang (Charged), Earth Power (Charged)
Venusaur Weaknesses: Ground, Ice, Psychic, Water

Nidoqueen has been making waves in the Great League, and is a common choice among the very best players on the world stage — partly because other than a couple of adverse match-ups, it doesn't really have a downside.

Plus, it has Poison Jab – the second-best fast move in the game (after Counter). This means that you can not only jab in for some great fast move pressure, you can also apply shield pressure with Poison Fang – a move that drops your opponent's defence by one stage. And if they have something that's weak to ground-type attacks? Earth Power has you covered.

Obviously, there's no dancing around the rock-paper-scissors gameplay, and for all its upsides, Nidoqueen tends to lose pretty fast to Galarian Stunfisk, Skarmory and Medicham, and will lose to Altaria and Trevenant in a fair fight.

Alolan Marowak

Type: Fire / Ghost
Perfect IVs: 0/14/14
Recommended moves: Fire Spin (Fast), Shadow Bone (Community Day) Bone Club (Charged)
Alolan Marowak Weaknesses: Water, Ghost, Ground, Dark, Rock

As a Pokémon that is normally raid exclusive, this is another hard one to come by, but with its previous Community Day and presence in Research Breakthroughs, it’s far from impossible to get hold of.

Its good stats, access to powerful ghost moves and unusual dual typing that makes harder to take down, and Alolan Marawak can really surprise the common match-ups you’re bound to come up against.

It’s particularly useful against fighting (Medicham, Shadow Machamp and Hariyama) and psychic (Deoxys Defence).

Azumarill

Type: Water / Fairy
Perfect IVs: 0/15/15
Recommended moves: Bubble (Fast), Ice Beam(Charged), Play Rough (Charged)
Azumarill Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, Poison

If everyone has an Altaria in their team, then you'd want a strong counter, and Azumarill's Ice Beam fits that bill. Azumarill has been heavily represented in the meta for a long time, so if you’re not running it, make sure you know how to beat it. Depending on the rest of your team, however, there is an agreement for Play Rough and Hydro Pump as the charged moves instead.

Its power and popularity mean that it’s not cheap. Additionally, because it has a low max CP, you need to put a lot of Stardust into it - but it's also effective against other meta popular types, such as Deoxys Defence, Alolan Marawak, and flying-types in general.

But be aware it's got several common weaknesses, such as poison – something that is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with thanks to the popularity of Nidoqueen and the newly added Toxapex.

Swampert

Type: Water / Ground
Perfect IVs: 0/14/14
Recommended: Mud Shot (Fast), Hydro Cannon (Community Day exclusive) and Earthquake (Charged)
Swampert Weaknesses: Grass

Swampert is currently one of the most powerful starter evolutions in Pokémon Go, which also makes it a good choice for both your Ultra and Master League teams. And thanks to the recent Community Day Classic, a lot more people have access to Hydro Cannon Swamperts, along with the Candy and Candy XL to pump into all three leagues.

So, not only are Swampert and Shadow Swampert two of the most powerful Pokémon in the Great League, they’re now showing up in greater numbers.

Thanks to being a dual-type, water and ground, Pokémon, this not only decreases the amount of Pokémon Swampert is weak too, but it increases the amount of Pokémon it can have an advantage over. This includes fire and steel-type Pokémon, which is great for taking out Great League favourites like Registeel and Skarmory.

Pelipper

Type: Water / Flying
Perfect IVs: 0/12/15
Recommended: Wing Attack (Fast), Weather Ball (Water) (Charged), Hurricane (Charged)
Pelipper Weaknesses: Electric, Rock

Abomasnow fans will know how much fun it is to use a hard-hitting, fast-charging Fast move so you can fire off Weather Balls left, right and centre. This bird fits that bill nicely.

Pelipper also has the bonus of only having two weaknesses that aren't particularly meta-relevant, making it a very attractive pick for those who want something spammy and flexible that also applies a lot of shield pressure.

If this is sounds like your cup of tea, you can look forward to wins against Swampert, Galarian Stunfisk, Medicham, Azumarill and Sableye (and as runners of three of those in one team, we are cringing massively). However, you do lose to Registeel, Skarmry, Tevenant, Altaria and Noctowl, so keep that in mind.

Hariyama

Type: Fighting
Perfect IVs: 0/14/14
Recommended: Counter (Fast), Close Combat (Charged), Heavy Slam (Charged)
Hariyama Weaknesses: Flying, Psychic, Fairy

Hariyama is an easy to get and reasonably powerful fighting-type, allowing you to beat Registeel with ease - just be careful when coming up against flying moves (of which steel-type Skarmory will come packing with) and psychic-types.

It’s worth saying that there are a lot of other fighting-types that are better alternatives if you can afford to build them, however, including Shadow Machamp and Medicham, which are frequently ranked in the top-10 Pokémon for the Great League.

Medicham

Type: Fighting / Psychic
Perfect IVs: 5/15/15
Recommended: Counter (Fast), Psychic, and Ice Punch (Charged)
Medicham Weaknesses: Flying, Ghost, Fairy

Medicham is a powerhouse in the Great League, thanks to both its bulk and its spammy fast move.

Running Medicham as your lead is often the way to go, and it partners very well with Azumarill and Galarian Stunfisk – both of which it often wins against. It’s also great at beating down on Umbreon.

However, it does poorly against Altaria, Skarmoty and Deoxys (Defense), so make sure you know when to switch out!

The Season of Hidden Gems has arrived, bringing with it a new Go Battle League season. Depending on your region, you can currently battle Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf in five-star raids. Elsewhere, be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

Altaria

Type: Dragon / Flying
Perfect IVs: 0/14/15
Recommended moves: Dragon Breath (Fast), Sky Attack (Charged), Moonblast (Community Day)
Altaria Weaknesses: Ice (x2), Dragon, Rock, Fairy, Electric

If there is one Pokémon you probably should have in your Great League team, it's Altaria. Dragon-types are among the most powerful in Pokémon, and this two-evolution creature means it performs incredibly well at lower CPs, and can steamroll a lot of Pokémon (unless, of course, they have good counters - which this list also covers).

It's worth saying though Swablu is fairly common, evolving it into Altaria requires 400 Candy to evolve - so it doesn't come without some work.

Whiscash

Type: Water, Ground
Perfect IVs: 0/14/13
Recommended: Mud Shot (Fast), Mud Bomb (Charged), Blizzard (Charged)
Whiscash Weaknesses: Grass (x2)

Charged move Mud Bomb is fast and devastating in the right situation, allowing it to take down meta popular types such as Altaria, Deoxys Defence, Alolan Marawak and Registeel with ease.

Blizzard is a welcome second move if you can spare it, to help you defend against grass-types, which Whiscash is doubly weak against (though it's worth saying grass being the only real weakness makes Whiscash all the more an attractive choice).

Though you hopefully have enough Barboach to get a Wishcash easily, an alternative is the harder to get Toxicroak - a fighting-type which also packs a punch with Mud Shot.

Registeel

Type: Steel
Perfect IVs: 2/13/14
Recommended moves: Lock On (Fast), Focus Blast (Charged), Zap Cannon (Event exclusive move)
Registeel Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Fire

Legendaries are harder to catch than most - and unlocking a second charge move for them is very expensive - but between the many opportunities players have had to get a Registeel, and Steel coming highly recommended in the Great League thanks to few meta weaknesses and staying in fights for longer, it's well worth investing in. Thanks to its extreme bulk and agility, it’s widely believed to be the best Pokémon in the Great League.

Though it's a good counter against Altaria in particular, it's otherwise a good way to balance out your team defensively.

Deoxys (Defence)

Type: Psychic
Perfect IVs: 10/15/13
Recommended moves: Counter (Fast), Psycho Boost (Charged), Thunderbolt (Charged)
Deoxys (Defence) Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost

Probably the hardest Pokémon to get on this list, since it was originally one of four EX Raid forms that came and went with little warning (and, as a Mythical, cannot be traded). While it has returned in five-star raids since then, Defence Deoxys continues to only stick around for short periods of time.

But if you have a Deoxys (Defence), the stats at lower levels are excellent and unusual move combination for its type (its fast move Counter is fighting) makes it a winner - especially when it's not weak against much in the current meta.

Bastiodon

Type: Rock / Steel
Perfect IVs: 0/15/14
Recommended moves: Smack Down (Fast), Stone Edge (Charged), Flamethrower (Charged)
Deoxys (Defence) Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Water

Nothing quite says bulk like a walking bastion revived from an Armor Fossil, does it?

Bastiodon has long been a staple in the Great League, though its popularity tends to wax and wane. Right now, it's a top-10 pick, pulling in wins against Skarmory, Altaria and Azumarill. However, for all its extreme bulk, it has double weakness against both fighting and ground-type attacks, making it lose very quickly to the likes of Medicham, Nidoqueen and anyone else that can exploit this weakness.

If your team needs a strong defensive line, Bastiodon is a good choice, but just be aware that it is very slow and to use and has a couple of matchups it loses very quickly to!

Scrafty

Type: Dark and Fighting
Perfect IVs: 0/8/15
Recommended moves: Counter (Fast), Foul Play (Charged), Power-Up Punch (Charged)
Galarian Stunfisk Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, Flying

Second only to Medicham as a fighting-type and easily the best dark-type, Scrafty is an easy pick for Great League.

It has an excellent set of stats which make it very bulky. Counter into Power-Up Punch allows you to be both spammy, applying a lot of Fast move pressure, and a growing threat as your Scrafty gains momentum over the course of the battle. Think Talonflame in Ultra League — that’s the sort of pressure we’re looking to apply. Foul Play works as a a great coverage move, too.

While Scrafty is very weak to fairy-types, Azumarill’s nerfing has made it less popular, helping this Pokémon climb the tables. You can expect sins against some truly meta Pokémon, including Galarian Stunfisk, Bastiodon, Umbreon, Trevenant and Swampert. However, Medicham, Lanuten and Regiseel will have you beat, so make sure you know when to switch out.

Galarian Stunfisk

Type: Ground and Steel
Perfect IVs: 0/12/15
Recommended moves: Mud Shot (Fast), Rock Slide and Earthquake (Charged)
Galarian Stunfisk Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground and Water

Though Galarian Stunfisk might be hard to find outside of an event in Pokémon Go, it's quickly becoming one of the best Pokémon to use in the Great League.

Thanks to being a ground and steel-type Pokémon, the Galarian Stunfisk is resistant to the majority of the other Pokémon types, which means that, compared to other Pokémon, it can last longer in battles.

What makes Galarian Stunfisk really useful, however, is that it's steel-typing give it an advantage over fairy-type Pokémon. This means that it's a great counter for Great League favourite Azumarill (although, with its weakness to water, you’ll need to watch out for the possibility of a Charged water attack). You can also use it to take care of electric and poison-type Pokémon quite easily.

Trevenant

Type: Ghost / Grass
Perfect IVs: 0/15/15
Recommended: Shadow Claw (Fast), Seed Bomb (Charged) and Shadow Ball (Charged)
Trevenant Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Ice

Trevenant is one of the more recent additions to the Great League roster, having only recently been released into the game. Its spamminess and flexibility are great draws for this Pokémon, but its low bulk and high number of weaknesses are worth noting – it’s especially weak to Umbreon and Altaria from this list.

However, Trevenant frequently destroys Deoxys (Defense), Medicham, Azumarill and Galarian Stunfisk, so if you find yourself fighting those more often than not, Trevenant suddenly becomes a lot more attractive.

Toxapex

Type: Poison / Water
Perfect IVs: 0/15/15
Recommended: Poison Jab (Fast), Brine (Charged) and Sludge Wave (Charged)
Trevenant Weaknesses: Electric, Ground, Psychic

The recent addition of Toxapex to the game is expected to really shake up the Great League meta. This extremely bulky Pokémon even outstrips the likes of Defense-form Deoxys — there's nothing in the league that can currently take hits quite like Toxapex.

The good news keeps coming. Thanks to Poison Jab, the second-best fast move in the game, Toxapex is able to pull in some pretty important wins, including against Azumarill, Scrafty, Trevenant, Medicham and Altaria.

Brine is a pretty awful move in Go Battle League, but Toxapex will undoubtedly get something better in time, and the water coverage is nice at the moment. Sludge Wave is there to nuke your oponenets in the mean time.

One last point about Toxapex - you'll need a lot of candy for it to truly perform well in this League, as it hits 1499 CP at Level 40.5. This means that it will vastly outlevel a lot of the meta, of course, which is a nice silver lining.

Kommo-o

Type: Dragon / Fighting
Perfect IVs: 0/14/14
Recommended: Shadow Tail (Fast), Close Combat (Charged) and Dragon Claw (Charged)
Trevenant Weaknesses: Fairy, Dragon, Flying, Ice, Psychic

The Alolan fighting dragon Kommo-o has shot up the rankings lately, pulling in some key wins against Stunfisk, Swampert and the top dragon, Altaria. This is thanks mostly to its combination of being both a spammy attacker and having a sizeable bulk, making it a suitably defensive Pokémon.

However, having Close Combat is always a blessing and a curse – sure it hits hard, but it comes with the hefty penalty of dropping your defense by two stages, meaning that bulk won't last long if you fire this off too early.

If this is the kind of risk/reward that you go in for, be aware that Kommo-o loses to Azumarill, Trevenant and Medicham, as well as Skarmory and Nidoqueen.