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The Great League is the lower of the three Battle Leagues in Pokemon Go PvP, restricting players to using Pokemon with a maximum of just 1,500 CP. This means you likely won't come across some of the heavier hitters, but it also means you'll need to be more creative when it comes to building a team.
You're not bound by any specific types, as with the likes of the Halloween Cup, so anything below 1,500 CP is viable. This is a challenge for trainers who want the strongest possible team, as the number of type counters is significant. Here are our suggestions for best leads, switches and closers, as well as team comp recommendations.
Be mindful of levelling Pokemon before evolving them — it could take their CP past the 1,500 limit for the Great League.
When you click the 'evolve' button, you'll be able to see the CP level post-evolution before confirming.
Best Great League Lead Pokemon
A good lead Pokemon is one that will hit the ground running, and more importantly, baiting out your opponent's shields early. Ideally you'll want Pokemon with a lot of pressure, and which charge their stronger attacks much faster, while being able to handle what the enemy throws at them.
It's almost impossible to consistently guess type advantage when there's no restrictions in place other than CP level. so focus on overall effectiveness. We think these four are solid choices.
Fast Moves are in normal text, Charge Moves in italic.
Resistant means that the Pokemon takes less damage from moves of that type.
Weak means that the Pokemon takes more damage from moves of that type.
|
Pokemon |
Best Moves |
Resistant |
Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
Trevenant (Ghost/Grass) |
Shadow Claw Seed Bomb Shadow Ball |
Normal Fighting Water Ground Grass Electric |
Dark Fire Flying Ghost Ice |
Jellicent (Water/Ghost) |
Hex Bubble Beam Shadow Ball |
Normal Fighting Water Steel Poison Ice Fire Bug |
Dark Electric Ghost Grass |
Medicham (Fighting/Psychic) |
Counter Ice Punch Psychic |
Rock Fighting |
Fairy Flying Ghost |
Scrafty (Dark/Fighting) |
Counter Foul Play Power-Up Punch |
Dark Rock Psychic Ghost |
Fairy Fighting Flying |
Best Great League Switches
Now that the real damage is hopefully done, you'll want to take full advantage by having exceptionally strong second Pokemon. The best switches keep up the pressure, have fast attacks and rapid charging, and ensure you're in the best position going into the final stretch.
Whether you're all about securing the win, or covering a deficiency that your lead Pokemon may have, these are great options.
Often, Shadow forms of Pokemon rescued from Team Rocket are stronger than their regular counterparts. If you have them, such as Walrein below, it's worth employing them in your battles.
|
Pokemon |
Best Moves |
Resistant |
Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
Walrein (Ice/Water) |
Powder Snow Icicle Spear Earthquake |
Ice Water |
Electric Fighting Grass Rock |
Beedrill (Bug/Poison) |
Poison Jab X-Scissor Drill Run |
Grass Fighting Poison Fairy Bug |
Fire Flying Psychic Rock |
Sableye (Dark/Ghost) |
Shadow Claw Foul Play Return |
Psychic Normal Poison Fighting |
Fairy |
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Galarian Stunfisk (Ground/Steel) |
Mud Shot Rock Slide Earthquake |
Poison Rock Electric Steel Psychic Normal Flying Fairy Dragon Bug |
Fighting Fire Ground Water |
Both Powder Snow and Icicle Spear for Walrein are event moves, and unobtainable through normal means. You'll need Elite TMs to teach Walrein these moves. The same applies to Beedrill's Drill Run.
Sableye's Return requires you to have purified a Shadow Sableye obtained from Team Rocket.
Best Great League Closers
Sometimes, you'll come across an opponent who rips through your team, leaving victory dependent on your closing Pokemon. They're also good to switch in if you need some survivability in the middle of your battles.
These four are all very dependable choices for the rearguard of your team, offering bulk, power, and resistances.
|
Pokemon |
Best Moves |
Resistant |
Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
Azumarill (Water/Fairy) |
Bubble Play Rough Hydro Pump |
Dragon Water Ice Fire Fighting Dark Bug |
Electric Grass Poison |
Skarmory (Steel/Flying) |
Air Slash Brave Bird Sky Attack |
Poison Grass Bug Steel Psychic Normal Ground Flying Fairy Dragon |
Electric Fire |
Registeel (Steel) |
Lock On Focus Blast Zap Cannon |
Poison Steel Rock Psychic Normal Ice Grass Flying Fairy Dragon Bug |
Fighting Fire Ground |
Altaria (Dragon/Flying) |
Dragon Breath Sky Attack Moonblast |
Ground Grass Water Fire Fighting Bug |
Ice Dragon Fairy Rock |
Registeel's Zap Cannon is an event-exclusive move, and can only be learned after the fact through the use of an Elite TM.
The same applies for Altaria's Moonblast.
Pokemon Go Great League: Recommended Team Comps
When it comes to climbing the Pokemon Go PvP ranks, you'll want a team that can bring home victories on a consistent basis. We've put together some recommendations that can help.
Taking advantage of STAB - Same Type Attack Bonus - can be the difference between winning and losing. Using a Fire-type move on a Fire-type Pokemon, for example, boosts its damage - and if this is a weakness for your opponent, it could be even worse for your opponent!
Trevenant - Galarian Stunfisk - Azumarill
Simply put, this team is made up of devastating pressure and incredible bulk. Starting off with Trevenant gives you a spammy shield baiter, one with a great typing and quite a few resistances.
Galarian Stunfisk adds immense tankiness, as it's resistant to no less than ten different types. However, despite this it's still spammy, and great at mopping up any remaining shields. Azumarill builds on this, for a team that has powerful move types and is very, very difficult to beat.
Jellicent - Walrein - Skarmory
This team leads with the bulk, aiming to last long enough to see your opponent's team exhausted before your switch and closer sweep in to win the day.
Jellicent has exceptional typing and great tankiness, resistant to plenty. Then, Walrein comes in with the powerful Ice typing and even more shield baiting. And if you need a wall to round things off, Skarmory is ideal.
Scrafty - Beedrill - Registeel
Leading with Scrafty is a recipe for victory, and you'll see it a lot in PvP battles. It has good typing, bulk, and is very rapid — ideal for baiting shields quickly.
Beedrill builds on this pressure, and spamming Poison is always a useful tactic. And if you need a safe pair of hands for the final stretch, Registeel is the best closer in the business.