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 current Precious Paths season 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
DEXERTOCurrently, the best team that trainers can use in the League includes Crowned Sword Zacian, Origin Forme Palkia, and Zekrom, as these are three of the strongest fighters, and they all offer good coverage against most of the major League opponents.
POKEMON | FAST MOVE | CHARGED MOVES | TYPE | RESISTANCES | WEAKNESSES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Origin Forme Palkia  | Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Spacial Rend | Water Dragon | Water, Fire, and Steel | Dragon and Fairy |
Zekrom  | Dragon Breath | Outrage & Fusion Bolt | Dragon Electric | Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Steel, and Water | Dragon, Fairy, Ground, and Ice |
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.
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.
Alternatives
If you don’t have access to either of those three Pokemon you can switch them:
- Crowned Sword Zacian: switch it for Crowned Shield Zamazenta or Origin Forme Dialga.
- Origin Forme Palkia: switch it for White Kyurem or Latios.
- Zekrom: switch it for White Kyurem or Reshiram.
In case 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
Dawn Wings Necrozma (XL)
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.
Yveltal (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Sucker Punch
- Charged Moves: Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing
- Type: Dark/Flying
- Resistances: Psychic, Ground, Grass, Ghost, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock
The Pokemon Y mascot, the Legendary Yveltal, made a comeback to the Master League ranking due to a shift in the meta.
With extremely high Attack and Stamina stats, Yveltal is the ideal switch-in on a team. It can come in and deal plenty of damage while taking a punch without dying. As a dual Dark/Flying-type Pokemon, the best moveset to use benefits from STAB.
Sucker Punch is cheap and helps boost the energy to use either Charged Move. Both Dark Pulse and Oblivion Wing have the same energy and deal almost the same damage, so the one you use as a primary will depend on your target.
Eternatus (XL)
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.
Lugia (XL)
The Pokemon Company / Niantic- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Aeroblast and Fly
- Type: Psychic/Flying
- Resistances: Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Dark, Electric, Ghost, Rock, and Ice
Lugia has incredible bulk and access to some brilliant moves, making it a standout in the Battle League with wins against the likes of Landorus Therian Forme, Eternatus, and Zamazenta. The addition of the exclusive move Aeroblast only elevated Lugia’s performance.
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.
Black Kyurem (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Tail
- Charged Moves: Freeze Shock and Fusion Bolt
- Type: Dragon/Ice
- Resistances: Water, Grass, and Electric
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, and Steel
Black Kyurem is one of the most powerful creatures in Pokemon Go, which is why it has taken the Master League by surprise with its dual Dragon/Ice typing.
This Legendary is a great attacker and, due to its other solid stats, can perform well in any position – lead, switch, or closer.
Dragon Tail has high energy generation, so you’ll reach your Charged Moves sooner. As for the Charged Moves, Fusion Bolt is the cheapest choice, and it widens Black Kyurem’s coverage. Freeze Shock, on the other hand, is an outstanding nuke.
Lunala (XL)
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.
Reshiram (XL)
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.
Dialga Origin Forme (XL)
- 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.
White Kyurem (XL)
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.
Crowned Shield Zamazenta (XL)
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).
Xerneas (XL)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Geomancy
- Charged Moves: Close Combat and Moonblast
- Type: Fairy
- Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Dark, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
The incorporation of Xerneas’ signature move – Geomancy – turned this Legendary into the top Fairy-type Pokemon in the game.
Xerneas can work either as a lead or a closer, as it has good bulk and an even better Attack stat. Like most of the top-ranking competitive Pokemon, it can reach its Charged Moves fast, putting extra pressure on the opponent and forcing them to use their shields.
Geomancy deals great damage for a fair amount of energy. And while all the Charged Moves cost the same, Moonblast is the one with more serious damage, plus it benefits from STAB. Close Combat is ideal as a secondary Charged Move because it targets Xerneas’ greatest weakness: the Steel type.
Metagross (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Bullet Punch
- Charged Move: Meteor Mash and Earthquake
- Type: Steel/Psychic
- Resistances: Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel, Poison, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
The Steel/Psychic-type Metagross has great stats and a whopping 10 type resistances, which will help it stay alive for a very long time during a battle. While it is mostly used as a defender, Meagross can also be useful as an attacker thanks to its well-rounded stats and strong move pool.
Out of all the Fast Moves, Bullet Punch offers solid damage and great energy gain, so go with it. As for the Charged Moves, Meteor Mash might be expensive, but it is incredibly powerful. It pairs nicely with Bullet Punch and offers double STAB.
To expand the coverage, you can go with Earthquake as your secondary Charged Move. It is an outstanding nuke that can take care of Steel and Fire types.
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Pokemon Go Master League start & end date
The latest Battle League season is underway, running from December 2, 2025, until March 3, 2025. For the rest of its run, the Master League will appear on:
- December 16 – December 23: Along with the Holiday Cup: Great League Edition*
- December 30 – January 6: Along with the Great League* and Ultra League*
- January 27 – February 3: Along with the Great League* and Ultra League*
- February 10 – February 17: Along with the 2026 Championship Series Cup*
- February 24 – March 3: Along with the Great League* and Ultra 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.