The Great League is the focus of every Go Battle League season for two weeks in Pokémon Go, which means 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 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.

Things to know about putting together a Great League team in Pokémon GoOur Pokémon Go Great League recommendations, from Lickitung to Kommo-oTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

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 Lickitung 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 2023 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 July 2023, in order of their appearance in the National Pokédex:

Lickitung

Type: NormalPerfect IVs: 8/14/15Recommended: Lick (Fast), Body Slam (Community Day exclusive) and Power Whip (Charged)Weaknesses: Fighting

Normal types take up an interesting part of the PVP meta, especially when, like Lickitung, they offer extreme bulk, the ability to lay down spammy attacks, and have a single weakness in the form of Fighting-type attacks.

Lickitung runs Lick as a Fast attack to help get around said Fighting-types, Body Slam as a spammy shield-bait attack and Power Whip as coverage should the occasion call for it. And with the Perfect IVs above, you can get a Level 50 Lickitung into Great League at CP 1499, meaning that you can absolutely dominate other Pokémon with your formidable stats.

So, how does Lickitung perform in terms of match-ups? You can expect wins against Trevenant, Swampert, Sableye, Lanturn and Alolan Ninetails. Expect to get licked by Noctowl, Galarian Stunfisk, Medicham, Bastiodon and Registeel.

Swampert

Type: Water / GroundPerfect IVs: 0/14/14Recommended: 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 last a 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.

This means that Swampert and Shadow Swampert — two of the most powerful Pokémon in the Great League — are showing up in force.

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. You can look forward to wins against Registeel, Galarian Stunfisk, Lanturn, Sableye and Alolan Ninetails. Still, it’s not all upside: you will lose to Trevenant, Medicham, Umbreon, Noctowl and Walrein.

Pelipper

Type: Water / FlyingPerfect IVs: 0/12/15Recommended: 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, Skarmory, Trevenant, Altaria and Noctowl, so keep that in mind.

Medicham

Type: Fighting / PsychicPerfect IVs: 5/15/15Recommended: 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, Skarmory and Deoxys (Defense), so make sure you know when to switch out!

The Season of Adventures Abound is here! The Halloween event has returned, bringing with it Greavard and Houndstone.Party Play - Pokémon Go's multiplayer feature - is here, along with the Welcome Party quest.You can also work on the Timed Investigation: Master Ball quest and compete in the Go Battle League.Be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, complete Routes, 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 / FlyingPerfect IVs: 0/14/15Recommended 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, GroundPerfect IVs: 0/14/13Recommended: 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 Marowak 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 Whiscash easily, an alternative is the harder to get Toxicroak - a fighting-type which also packs a punch with Mud Shot.

Registeel

Type: SteelPerfect IVs: 2/13/14Recommended 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: PsychicPerfect IVs: 10/15/13Recommended 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 / SteelPerfect IVs: 0/15/14Recommended 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 FightingPerfect IVs: 0/8/15Recommended 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 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, Lanturn and Registeel will have you beat, so make sure you know when to switch out.

Galarian Stunfisk

Type: Ground and SteelPerfect IVs: 0/12/15Recommended 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.

Carbink

Type: Rock / FairyPerfect IVs: 5/15/15Recommended: Rock Throw (Fast), Rock Slide (Charged) and Moonblast (Charged)Swampert Weaknesses: Steel (2x), Grass, Ground and Water

With Carbink’s extreme bulk, we expect this unassuming Pokémon to make a decent splash in the Great League meta. While it’s not particularly useful anywhere else in the game, the fact that it gets to Level 49.5 at CP 1498 while also having an incredible defense stat makes it an interesting proposition.

Rock Throw is a great Fast attack, offering heavy damage. Rock Slide is an ok Charged attack and Moonblast is a nuke you have for coverage, should the situation call for it. Carbink has two main downsides though — the first being that while Moonblast can debuff the opponent’s attack, it only does so 10% of the time. While that’s not a huge problem, the other issue is that both charged moves are fairly slow, meaning Carbink can’t apply much shield pressure.

So how does this incredibly bulky entry into the Great League stack up? It beats Noctowl, Alolan Ninetails, Sableye, Medicham and Lanturn, but loses to Galarian Stunfisk, Swampert, Registeel, Azumarill and Trevenant.

Kommo-o

Type: Dragon / FightingPerfect IVs: 0/14/14Recommended: 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.

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