Pokémon Go Master League: Best Pokémon

Dominate the competition with these Pokémon

Niantic

It’s time for the heavy weights! The Master League is ready to roar in Pokémon Go, running from August 9 to September 3, 2024. This is the heaviest weight class the mobile game has to offer in its competitive PvP portion, which means you’ll need to bring all those Legendary and Mythical Pokémon as well as Ultra Beasts to the table to have a shot at victory.

Table of Contents

1. Pokémon Go Master League: Best Leads
2. Pokémon Go Master League: Best Safe Switches
3. Pokémon Go Master League: Best Closers
4. Pokémon Go Master League: Best Attackers

Rewards for wins are quadrupled in the entire time frame from August 9 to September 3, 2024, so make sure to give each match your best shot.

There are no limits whatsoever, when it comes to which Pokémon are allowed to take part. That can be quite overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list of the best Pokémon for Master League to get you started on your team building process. Our choices are based on statistics and simulations provided by PvPoke.com.

You’ll want to make sure to pump each of your participating Pokémon full of XL Candy before sending them out to battle in this league, which is why you won't see our usual [XL] markers in this guide. Pokémon boosted with XL Candy are the default here.

Pokémon Go Master League: Best Leads

You’ll want one of these Pokémon to open up the battle on your side. Their aggressiveness puts pressure on your opponent right from the beginning, while they are tough enough to survive a bit of punishment. This gives you time to think over your next steps and might give you an advantage in a battle of attrition. Ideally, of course, you achieve a quick first knockout.

1. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
2. Zygarde (Complete Forme) (Dragon Tail, Crunch, Earthquake)
3. Palkia (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)
4. Dragonite (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Superpower)
5. Groudon [S] (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
6. Necrozma (Dawn Wings) (Shadow Claw, Dark Pulse, Moongeist Beam)
7. Giratina (Altered Forme) (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power)
8. Landorus (Therian Forme) (Mud Shot, Sandsear Storm, Stone Edge)
9. Solgaleo (Fire Spin, Psychic Fangs, Iron Head)
10. Giratina (Origin Forme) (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Ominous Wind)

Pokémon marked with [S] perform comparably well in both their regular and Shadow forms.

Pokémon Go Master League: Best Safe Switches

Should the initial pairing be to your disadvantage, you need to consider switching out your lead monster for another Pokémon. This is where Safe Switches come into play. They are either strong leads themselves or are specialized in countering some of the more popular members of that category. In any case, a switch will preserve your original lead to fight later on in the battle and perhaps force your opponent to also adapt their strategy on the fly, equalizing the battle once again.

1. Landorus (Therian Forme) (Mud Shot, Sandsear Storm, Stone Edge)
2. Shadow Mewtwo (Psycho Cut, Psystrike, Shadow Ball)
3. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
4. Necrozma (Dawn Wings) (Shadow Claw, Dark Pulse, Moongeist Beam)
5. Kyurem (Dragon Breath, Glaciate, Dragon Claw)
6. Giratina (Altered Forme) (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power)
7. Zygarde (Complete Forme) (Dragon Tail, Crunch, Earthquake)
8. Palkia (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)
9. Groudon [S] (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
10. Meloetta (Aria Forme) (Quick Attack, Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam)

Pokémon Go Master League: Best Closers

Once no shields are left in play on either side, you’ll want to use one of these Pokémon. They are incredibly tough thanks to their high defense and plenty of useful resistances or can knock out an opponent in one blow with their powerful Charged Attack.

1. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
2. Ho-Oh (Incinerate, Brave Bird, Sacred Fire)
3. Groudon [S] (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
4. Shadow Ho-Oh (Incinerate, Brave Bird, Sacred Fire)
5. Giratina (Origin Forme) (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Ominous Wind)
6. Necrozma (Dawn Wings) (Shadow Claw, Dark Pulse, Moongeist Beam)
7. Zygarde (Complete Forme) (Dragon Tail, Crunch, Earthquake)
8. Reshiram (Dragon Breath, Fusion Flare, Draco Meteor)
9. Xerneas (Geomancy, Close Combat, Moonblast)
10. Zekrom (Dragon Breath, Crunch, Wild Charge)

Pokémon Go Master League: Best Attackers

If you’re left without shields while facing an opponent who still has that option available, these Pokémon are your best friends. They combine important resistances and powerful Fast Attacks to compensate for this disadvantage. For this reason, you rarely see Shadow forms in this role – they take more damage than their regular counterparts, making them a risky card to pull out at this stage of a match.

1. Zygarde (Complete Forme) (Dragon Tail, Crunch, Earthquake)
2. Solgaleo (Fire Spin, Psychic Fangs, Iron Head)
3. Giratina (Altered Forme) (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power)
4. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
5. Palkia (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)
6. Dragonite (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Superpower)
7. Giratina (Origin Forme) (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Ominous Wind)
8. Landorus (Therian Forme) (Mud Shot, Sandsear Storm, Stone Edge)
9. Kyurem (Dragon Breath, Glaciate, Dragon Claw)
10. Goodra (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)

Stable as always, the Master League's biggest shake-up this season comes in the form of Necrozma (Dawn Wing). Available for the first time during Pokémon Go Fest 2024, the newcomer joins the top ranks of this competition in three of four categories.

For more Pokémon Go, check out the overviews of the monthly Spotlight Hours and 5-Star Raids.