Pokemon Go best Great League team | Go Battle League Season 15

Mastering the Great League in the competitive Pokemon Go Battle League is no easy feat, but a team that brings together these Pokemon could be the recipe for success.

The Go Battle League is Pokemon Go’s PvP mode that allows you to compete with Trainers from all across the globe. Through the course of Season 15, players rise through the ranks and earn some great rewards along the way.

It’s not as simple as taking your most powerful Pokemon into each battle, though. There are three main leagues to compete in – Great League, Ultra League, and Master League – and each one has its own rules and optimal teams.

The Great League differs from the Ultra League and Master League because of one simple rule: Only Pokemon lower than 1500 CP can enter, which rules out many of the most powerful Pokemon from the competition.

So let’s take a look at the best Pokemon to take into the Great League. This is typically the first league of each season, and it usually appears again later down the line, so there are plenty of chances to take part.

Best team for Pokemon Go Great League

One of the best teams Trainers can use in the Great League is Azumarill, Galarian Stunfisk, and Walrein, as these are three of the strongest fighters and they’ll offer good coverage against most of the major Great League opponents.

It’s hard to say what a definitive ‘best’ team for the Great League looks like, though, as you’ll never know what types you’ll be up against. For example, a strong Azumarill can make light work of Bastiodon, but it will likely fall down against Venusaur.

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Despite this, there are some Pokemon that are solid options in almost any situation. Choose a few different types from our recommendations below for optimal coverage, and you should be on your way to victory.

Best Pokemon for Pokemon Go Great League

Galarian Stunfisk

• Fast Move: Mud Shot
• Charged Moves: Rock Slide and Earthquake
• Resistances: Dragon, Psychic, Normal, Steel, Bug, Flying, Fairy, Electric, Rock, and Poison
• Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water

Galarian Stunfisk is quite a difficult Pokemon to get hold of in Pokemon Go, but if you’re able to get your hands on this regional variant and power it up enough, it is – in our humble opinion – the number one choice for the Great League.

A unique Ground/Steel-typing means it’s resistant to most major Great League types, and is particularly good at taking down Fairy-types. With Mud Shot as a Fast Move alongside Rock Slide and Earthquake as Charged Moves, Galarian Stunfisk is a winner.

Carbink

• Fast Move: Rock Throw
• Charged Moves: Rock Slide and Moonblast
• Resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fire, Flying, and Normal
• Weaknesses: Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water

A brand-new addition to this list is Carbink, which has quickly shot straight to the top of the Great League rankings. Only Trainers who purchased a Go Fest 2023 ticket before July 5, 2023, will have access to this Pokemon, though, so it’s going to be a fairly rare encounter for now.

Carbink’s best Fast Move is Rock Throw. When it comes to Charged Moves, go with Rock Slide for a relatively cheap Rock-type attack and Moonblast for some huge (albeit expensive) Fairy-type damage. This entire moveset has STAB, which makes it extra powerful.

Azumarill

• Fast Move: Bubble
• Charged Moves: Hydro Pump and Ice Beam
• Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Water, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Dragon
• Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, and Poison

It’s fair to say the dual Water/Fairy-type Azumarill is probably a Pokemon you wouldn’t expect to see near the top of this list. However, its impressive bulk and diverse moveset make it one of the best options for the Great League.

Azumarill’s best Fast Move is Bubble. As for Charged Moves, Hydro Pump hits hardest while Ice Beam will help negate its weakness against Grass. Azumarill can be quite costly to power up, but it’s worth it.

Registeel

• Fast Move: Lock-On
• Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon
• Resistances: Dragon, Ice, Psychic, Normal, Grass, Bug, Steel, Rock, Flying, Fairy, and Poison
• Weaknesses: Fire, Ground, and Fighting

The Steel-type Legendary titan Registeel is an interesting choice for PvP. Its incredible Defense stat makes it very durable, and its type means it has a ridiculous amount of resistances, so it can take plenty of hits.

Registeel should have Lock-On as its Fast Move, as it has a very high Energy-per-Second (EPS) of 16.67 which is required to break out its powerful (and expensive) Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon.

Scrafty

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• Fast Move: Counter
• Charged Moves: Foul Play and Power-Up Punch
• Resistances: Dark, Ghost, Psychic, and Rock
• Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, and Flying

Scrafty is capable of taking down a huge chunk of the Great League’s biggest hitters including Galarian Stunfisk, Swampert, Trevenant, and Walrein. Being part Dark-type also lets it take on Ghosts and Psychic-types, which Fighting-types normally struggle against.

Counter is a great Fast Move in Pokemon Go, so make sure you have that. When it comes to Charged Moves, you’ll want Foul Play for big Dark-type damage, and Power-Up Punch as a cheap alternative to bait shields with the added bonus of an Attack boost.

Swampert

• Fast Move: Mud Shot
• Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Earthquake
• Resistances: Electric, Steel, Rock, Poison, and Fire
• Weaknesses: Grass

Swampert is a well-rounded Water/Ground-type, meaning it only has one weakness and is a great counter for the Fire and Steel-types that dominate the Great League. It is doubly weak to Grass, though, which can be dangerous.

Mud Shot is the best Fast Move here, but where Swampert really excels is when it has access to Hydro Cannon, a deadly Community Day Charged Move that can quickly be charged and spammed. Earthquake is a good second choice for massive damage.

Walrein

• Fast Move: Powder Snow
• Charged Moves: Icicle Spear and Earthquake
• Resistances: Fighting, Water, Electric, Fairy, and Grass
• Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Ice, and Psychic

The latest addition to this list is Walrein, which may come as a surprise to some Trainers – but following the arrival of Community Day-exclusive moves Powder Snow and Icicle Spear, it’s a massive threat in the Great League.

You’ll need these two moves to stand a chance with Walrein, though, as Powder Snow finally gives it a Fast Move that can generate energy quick enough, while Icicle Spear is a low-cost Charged Move that benefits from STAB.

Bastiodon

• Fast Move: Smack Down
• Charged Moves: Stone Edge and Flamethrower
• Resistances: Dragon, Ice, Psychic, Fairy, Bug, Rock, Flying, Normal, and Poison
• Weaknesses: Ground, Fighting, and Water

Even when compared to Legendaries and other powerful Pokemon, Bastiodon still has one of the best Defense stats in Pokemon Go. Its Attack stat pales in comparison, but that doesn’t stop it from excelling in the Great League.

Smack Down as a Fast Move hits hard, while Stone Edge is a powerful Rock-type Charged Move that takes advantage of same type attack bonus (STAB), and Flamethrower can be used against other Steel-types.

Skarmory

• Fast Move: Air Slash
• Charged Moves: Sky Attack and Flash Cannon
• Resistances: Ground, Dragon, Psychic, Normal, Steel, Flying, Fairy, Grass, Bug, and Poison
• Weaknesses: Fire and Electric

Skarmory is a Pokemon you’ll be seeing a lot of in the Great League. It’s fairly well-rounded and its typing makes it resistant to several others. Its only real weaknesses are Electric, Fire, and other Steel-types.

Air Slash is Skarmory’s preferred Fast Move, as it has better energy generation and is effective against more types. Sky Attack and Flash Cannon are clearly its best Charged Moves, as Brave Bird isn’t that great.

Altaria

• Fast Move: Dragon Breath
• Charged Moves: Sky Attack and Dragon Pulse
• Resistances: Fighting, Water, Bug, Fire, Grass, and Ground
• Weaknesses: Ice, Fairy, Dragon, and Rock

It takes 400 Candy to evolve Swablu into Altaria, but it’s definitely worth the effort, as it’s got bulk and impressive damage capability. Altaria’s only major flaw here is its double weakness to Ice-type attacks.

Dragon Breath is one of the best Fast Moves in Pokemon Go, so definitely use that. As for Charged Moves, Sky Attack is relatively quick to generate and does decent damage, while Dragon Pulse benefits from STAB.

Umbreon

• Fast Move: Snarl
• Charged Moves: Last Resort and Dark Pulse
• Resistances: Ghost, Dark, and Psychic
• Weaknesses: Fairy, Fighting, and Bug

Umbreon doesn’t have a great selection of moves, and it has fewer resistances than other Great League recommendations, but it does make up for that with a very high Defense stat and a solid Stamina stat.

Snarl has quicker energy generation than Feint, so we’d recommend using that Fast Move. Umbreon’s best Charged Move is the Community Day special Last Resort, but if you don’t have that, both Foul Play and Dark Pulse are decent – and they have STAB.

Deoxys (Defense Forme)

• Fast Move: Counter
• Charged Moves: Pyscho Boost and Rock Slide
• Resistances: Fighting and Psychic
• Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, and Ghost

The chances of you having the Mythical Deoxys (Defense) are slim, as it’s not often available in the game and it can’t be traded. Still, it’s worth mentioning, as it has incredible bulk and isn’t weak to many of the major Great League players.

A combination of the Fast Move Counter (Fighting) and the Charged Moves Pyscho Boost (Psychic) and Rock Slide (Rock) gives Deoxys great coverage, meaning it’s capable of taking on the most popular types in the Great League.

Whiscash

• Fast Move: Mud Shot
• Charged Moves: Mud Bomb and Blizzard
• Resistances: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, and Steel
• Weaknesses: Grass

Whiscash is a really solid choice for the Great League, as it’s resistant to common types including Steel, Fire, and Rock, and only has one weakness: Grass. As a result, it can take down big players like Galarian Stunfisk, Altaria, and Bastiodon.

Mud Shot has incredible energy generation, so you’ll want that as your Fast Move. This will then give you access to two great Charged Moves: Mud Bomb, which is cheap and can be spammed, and Blizzard, which deals huge damage.

Machamp

• Fast Move: Counter
• Charged Moves: Dynamic Punch and Close Combat
• Resistances: Bug, Rock, and Dark
• Weaknesses: Fairy, Flying, and Psychic

It’s definitely not the best Pokemon for the Great League, especially since new generations have been added to the game, but there’s still a place for Machamp on your team, and it’s a lot easier to get than others on this list.

With Counter as its Fast Move, and Dynamic Punch and Close Combat as its Charged Moves, a powered-up Machamp is a perfect choice to take down Steel-types like Registeel. Be particularly wary of its weakness to Fairy and Flying-types, though.

Venusaur

• Fast Move: Vine Whip
• Charged Moves: Frenzy Plant and Sludge Bomb
• Resistances: Fighting, Water, Electric, Fairy, and Grass
• Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Ice, and Psychic

If you have a Venusaur still under 1500 CP, then it’s a superb tank for the Great League. Weaknesses to Flying and Psychic-types can be dangerous, but it’s still a great counter against the likes of Azumarill and Swampert.

Vine Whip is the best Fast Move here. Combined with Venusaur’s Community Day move Frenzy Plant, it easily becomes the best Grass-type in the Great League. If you don’t have that, Sludge Bomb and Solar Beam are still decent Charged Moves.

Trevenant

• Fast Move: Shadow Claw
• Charged Moves: Seed Bomb and Shadow Ball
• Resistances: Electric, Fighting, Grass, Ground, Normal, and Water
• Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Ice

It’s not often that a new Pokemon has a significant impact on the Go Battle League, but Trevenant’s arrival during the 2021 Halloween event really shook things up. It’s not quite as useful as it once was in 2023, but it’s still a solid choice for your team.

Shadow Claw is one of the best Fast Moves in the game, so make sure you have it. As for Charged Moves, Seed Bomb is perfect for taking out shields while Shadow Ball is a devastating finisher. This entire moveset benefits from STAB, too.

Pokemon Go Great League start & end date

The Great League returns to the Pokemon Go Battle League on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 9PM GMT and runs until Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 1PM PT.

It will appear alongside the Great League Remix in the first week of its run and then the Fossil Cup: Great League Edition in the second week of its run.

You can see the current Pokemon Go Battle League Season schedule and rewards here.

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