Best team for the Premier Cup in Pokemon Go’s Battle League

The Premier Cup (Ultra League) is back in Pokemon Go’s Battle League, and with Legendaries and Mythics banned, you’ll need to find a new best team to take you to victory.

Season 8 of the Pokemon Go Battle League is slowly coming to an end, with Season 9 expected to arrive at the beginning og September. Before then, though, the iconic Master League and Master League Classic have rotated back into play.

Running alongside them is the Premier Cup. This time, it’s following the Ultra League ruleset, which means there’s a cap of 2,500 for any Pokemon that enters. Additionally, XL-boosted fighters are allowed, but Legendaries and Mythics are banned.

These restrictions mean some players will be left wondering what they should take into battle, especially without their trusty Legendaries. Below, we’ll present our ‘best team’ as well as individual suggestions for the best Pokemon to use in the Premier Cup.

Best team for the Premier Cup in Pokemon Go

For the best chance at success in the Premier Cup, we’d recommend a team consisting of Galarian Stunfisk, Abomasnow, and Swampert. They’re all incredibly strong, and will provide coverage against some of the most common opponents you’ll face.

As with any league or cup in the Go Battle League, the concept of a ‘best team’ is a tricky one, as it really depends on the Pokemon your opponent brings into battle, and you’ll never know that until you’ve already chosen your team.

There are, however, a few excellent fighters that will perform well in almost any situation. Lots of these require XL Candy to reach their full potential, but not everyone is at that level yet, so there’s a mix of the best XL and non-XL Pokemon below.

Best Pokemon for the Pokemon Go Premier Cup

Galarian Stunfisk (XL)

• 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 already excels in the Great League and the Ultra League Remix, and it rises to the top in the Premier Cup, too. With an XL Candy boost, it can reach 2445 CP, which is just under the cap required to enter, and it has an incredible amount of type resistances.

Mud Shot is the best Fast Move to have under your belt as it has fast energy gain, which will help you save up for some great (but expensive) Charged Moves: Rock Slide provides extra coverage with a lower cost, while Earthquake deals massive STAB damage.

Jellicent (XL)

• Fast Move: Hex
• Charged Moves: Bubble Beam and Shadow Ball
• Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Water, Fire, and Ice
• Weaknesses: Grass, Dark, Ghost, and Electric

With Galarian Stunfisk reigning supreme in the Premier Cup, you’ll need something to counter it, and that’s where Jellicent comes in. Alongside that, an XL-boosted Jellicent can also take down the likes of Swampert, Machamp, and Empoleon.

Hex has the best energy gain of Jellicent’s Fast Moves, so go with that. Then, for Charged Moves, you’ll want Bubble Beam as a low-cost choice to wear your opponents down before bringing out Shadow Ball for some huge STAB damage.

Abomasnow (XL)

• Fast Move: Powder Snow
• Charged Moves: Weather Ball (Ice) and Energy Ball
• Resistances: Electric, Grass, Water, and Ground
• Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Poison, Rock, Bug, Steel, and Fighting

Abomasnow performs best in the Ultra League, so it makes sense that it’s also one of the top Premier Cup contenders. It does have a lot of weaknesses, but it makes up for that with great bulk and plenty of moves that can be spammed.

Powder Snow is the optimal Fast Move thanks to its fast energy generation. When it comes to Charged Moves, you’ll want Weather Ball (Ice) for its low cost and ability to be spammed, while Energy Ball benefits from STAB and increases coverage.

Swampert

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

Mudkip’s final evolution, Swampert, has always been a PvP favorite, and it really excels as the best non-XL Pokemon in the Premier Cup. With only one major weakness, Grass, the majority of teams will struggle against Swampert.

Mud Shot has great energy generation, so you’ll want that Fast Move to get access to some huge Charged Moves: The deadly Community Day-exclusive Hydro Cannon that can be spammed, and Earthquake as a backup for massive damage.

Sirfetch’d

• Fast Move: Counter
• Charged Moves: Leaf Blade and Brave Bird
• Resistances: Bug, Dark, and Rock
• Weaknesses: Fairy, Psychic, and Flying

Sirfetch’d may be ignored by many Trainers in the Go Battle League, but this Fighting-type bird is actually an incredible choice for the Premier Cup. It has great Attack and coverage, and can easily take on big hitters like Swampert and Abomasnow.

Counter is a great Fast Move that benefits from STAB damage. Leaf Blade should be your first Charged Move, as it has low cost and can be spammed. If you can afford a second, Brave Bird increases coverage and deals a good amount of damage.

Pokemon Go Premier Cup date & time

The Pokemon Go Battle League’s Premier Cup will begin on Monday, August 9, at 1PM PDT (4PM EDT/9PM BST) and run until Monday, August 23, at 1PM PDT.

Choose a varied selection of the above Pokemon, making sure you have good coverage against all types, and you’ll be able to rack up the wins and work your way up through the Battle League ranks.

You can see the current Go Battle League Season 8 schedule and rewards here.