Best Pokemon Go Master League team for Shared Skies

Pokemon Go PvP players are fired up to win the grueling Master League matches of the Shared Skies Season. But achieving this is easier said than done, as most teams are full of powerful Legendaries.

Also, unlike the Great and Ultra League, this format calls for using plenty of in-game resources such as Stardust and Candies to power up Pokemon to their highest CP.

To help you pick the best species to invest in, here are the top recommendations and teams to use in the Master tier of the Go Battle League.

Best team for Master League

The best team for the Master League should include Mewtwo, Dialga, and Groudon. You can also consider using Melmetal, Togekiss, and Garchomp to create a powerful core.

Of course, remember that there’s no ultimate team in Pokemon Go and every battle can go very differently depending on your opponent’s choices.

Best Master League Pokemon for Shared Skies

Zygarde (Complete Forme)

• Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy
• Resistances: Fire, Electric, Rock, Poison
• Best moveset: Dragon Tail and Crunch/Earthquake

With a whopping HP stat of 389, Zygarde (Complete Forme) is one of the bulkiest species ever in the meta, being able to tank super-effective hits from the likes of Dialga and other powerful Dragon types.

Additionally, it even impresses on offense by being able to go square off against both Lugia and Dialga, and can even counter future powerhouses such as Black and White Kyurem, and Eternatus. Dragon Tail is a hard-hitting Fast Move that goes well with Crunch to bait shields and Earthquake to score a nuke.

With only a limited number of trainers having Zygarde (Complete Forme), this powerful Legendary is the leading match-winner in this PvP format.

Groudon

• Weaknesses: Grass, Ice, Water
• Resistances: Electric, Rock, Poison
• Best moveset: Mud Shot and Precipice Blades/Fire Punch

Groudon is a great asset for any team in the Master League. Its massive bulk and extremely powerful attacks that benefit from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) are perfect for dealing with powerful Steel and Fire types.

Mud Shot should be your Fast Move choice thanks to its power and quick energy generation. Precipice Blades is extremely powerful as a Charged Move and should be reserved for the end of the battle when there are no shields left. Fire Punch is ideal for spamming and provides good coverage. With this arsenal, Groudon is perfect as both lead or closer in any battle.

Lugia

• Weaknesses: Rock, Ghost, Electric, Ice, Dark
• Resistances: Ground, Fighting, Grass, Psychic
• Best moveset: Dragon Tail and Sky Attack/Aeroblast

Lugia has outstanding bulk and superb STAB moves. While it has many weaknesses, it can tank a lot of damage as well. It also works very well with most of the entries listed in this guide, so it can be a great addition to your Pokemon Go team.

With Dragon Tail as Fast Move, Lugia will be able to deal massive damage with any Charged Move you choose. We recommend Sky Attack as a default for great STAB damage. Aeroblast is its strongest move, but if you’re looking for a coverage move, Hydro Pump is your best choice.

Dawn Wings Necrozma

• Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost
• Resistances: Fighting, Normal, Poison, Psychic
• Best moveset: Shadow Claw and Moongeist Beam/Dark Pulse

Dawn Wings Necrozma is incredibly powerful, with a staggering 277 Attack stat as well as good bulk, taking the fight to almost any opponent. While it’s double-weak to Dark and Ghost types, there aren’t too many premier threats in this format to trouble it.

Moongeist Beam can take out the best, doing quite a number even to those that resist it. Due to its exceptional offensive and defensive profile, it’s pretty easy to accommodate Dawn Wings Necrozma in any team. It’s best to use this powerhouse when the opponent has a single or no shield left to use.

Dusk Mane Necrozma

• Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ground
• Resistances: Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel
• Best moveset: Shadow Claw and Sunsteel Strike/Dark Pulse

While the Dawn Wings form is a deadlier force, Dusk Mane Necrozma is nothing to sneeze at, dethroning Metagross to become the top Steel type in Pokemon Go. Boasting 10 resistances and the same stats as Dawn Wings, it is a top counter to Fairy, Ice, and Rock types, while also being able to comfortably tank hits from numerous Master League heavyweights.

The only thing holding it back when compared to Dawn Wings Necrozma is its offensive coverage and lack of STAB on Shadow Claw, but its defensive prowess makes it an asset. You can add both Necrozma fusions to your team despite them sharing a couple of weaknesses. If you do, be sure to add a Dark-type teammate.

Xerneas

• Weaknesses: Poison, Steel
• Resistances: Dragon, Fighting, Bug, Dark
• Best moveset: Geomancy and Moonblast/Close Combat

Xerneas is a top-notch pick thanks to having the best Fairy-type Fast Move in the game, Geomancy. It is pretty tanky while also being able to threaten Dragon-types with the powerful Moonblast.

Close Combat is a great second Charged Move that can counter its biggest weakness, Steel types. Xerneas works best as a Lead or a surprise switch-in as it doesn’t risk getting walled by something like Ho-Oh.

Garchomp

• Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy
• Resistances: Fire, Electric, Rock, Poison
• Best moveset: Mud Shot/Dragon Tail and Outrage/Earth Power/Sand Tomb

Garchomp is one of the most versatile species in Pokemon Go PvP as there are two ways you can use this powerful Dragon. The choice of Charged Moves depends entirely on which Fast Move you decide to go with.

Mud Shot gives fast energy gains, helping you reach Garchomp’s Charged Move quickly. So, you can pair Outrage and Earth Power to give Garchomp nuking potential and use it as a closer when the opponent no longer has shields left.

Dragon Tail is one of the strongest Fast Moves and Garchomp can take advantage of the opponent’s Defense stat debuff by using Sand Tomb along with it. These two moves make Garchomp one of the most fearsome leads and switch-ins during battles. You can add Earth Power as the second Charged Move in this case.

Metagross

• Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ground
• Resistances: Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel
• Best moveset: Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash/Earthquake

Boasting a whopping 10 resistances, excellent offense, bulk, and a great moveset, Metagross is one of the best you can use in this meta. It can tank hits and dish out massive damage with its Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash combo, cementing itself as the top counter for Fairy and Ice types.

Earthquake gives it extra coverage and helps it tackle mirror matches with other Metagross, as well as powerful Steel types like Dialga, Excadrill, and Melmetal. Try to use it as a safe switch-in and farm energy for its powerful Charged Moves.

Ho-Oh

• Weaknesses: Rock, Electric, Water
• Resistances: Bug, Grass, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel
• Best moveset: Incinerate and Sacred Fire/Brave Bird

Incinerate has an extremely high damage output and energy gain, and despite the long cooldown, it sets up Ho-Oh to fire off two of the strongest Charged Moves in the meta: Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, both gaining STAB.

Sacred Fire deals an exceptional 130 damage at just 65 energy, and also has a 50% chance to debuff the opponent’s Attack stat. This powerful move can eliminate Steel-types and also dish out high neutral damage to those that resist it.

Brave Bird deals the same 130 damage but at an even lower energy cost of 55. That said, it severely debuffs Ho-Oh’s Defense in three stages. So, this move should be used only when shields are down or you are ready to switch out.

Dragonite

• Weaknesses: Rock, Ice, Dragon, Fairy
• Resistances: Ground, Fighting, Bug, Fire, Water, Grass
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw/Superpower

Dragonite is another Dragon type that has been leading the Pokemon Go competitive scene since its early days and that hasn’t changed much even with big meta changes. It’s a great option for dealing with other Dragon-types and can prove extremely useful for Steel types as well.

Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw are the best options for Fast and Charged Moves, respectively, thanks to the STAB. These attacks will deal tons of damage at quick intervals. If you have the chance to add another Charged Move, Superpower is a Steel-type destroyer that provides good coverage as well.

Kyurem

• Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, Steel
• Resistances: Electric, Grass, Water
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw/Glaciate

Kyurem surprised many players when it became popular in the Master League after getting access to Glaciate. It has good Attack and HP stats, along with an impressive moveset that makes it very useful in PvP battles.

Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw help Kyurem in spamming shields and dealing STAB damage. Glaciate is an excellent secondary Charged Move, as it offers great coverage and also debuffs the opponent’s Attack stat by one stage. This makes Kyurem easy to fit into almost any team.

Mewtwo

• Weaknesses: Bug, Ghost, Dark
• Resistances: Fighting, Psychic
• Best moveset: Psycho Cut and Psystrike/Shadow Ball

Mewtwo works like magic in the Master League. Not only does it have powerful stats, but it can also learn a huge variety of attacks to keep opponents on their toes. That said, you might want to reserve Mewtwo for the final stages of the fight since it’s not the bulkiest Pokemon on this list.

Psycho Cut is the ideal Fast Move for Mewtwo thanks to its fast energy generation. From there, we recommend using Psystrike, the strongest Psychic-type move, and/or Shadow Ball as Charged Moves. The first deals great STAB damage, while the second is perfect for coverage from other Ghost types.

Zacian

• Weaknesses: Poison, Steel
• Resistances: Dragon, Fighting, Bug, Dark
• Best moveset: Snarl and Close Combat/Play Rough

The legendary Zacian is a top-tier PvP pick and its type combo makes it a great asset for dealing with Dragon types.

Zacian’s moveset should have Snarl as its Fast Move to take advantage of its quick energy generation. Play Rough is a great Charged Move that can deal STAB damage and Close Combat provides coverage while also exerting tons of damage. But you should keep in mind that Close Combat debuffs Zacian’s Defense stat by two stages, so use it only when the opponent no longer has shields.

Melmetal

• Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Fire
• Resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Fairy
• Best moveset: Thunder Shock and Superpower/Double Iron Bash

Melmetal isn’t as formidable as it once was, but can still be a tough challenge in battles. While Thunder Shock is the only choice for Fast Move, Melmetal can learn a wide variety of Charged Moves from different types. We recommend the powerful Double Iron Bash for spamming STAB damage, and Superpower for some coverage. But players can also skip Double Iron Bash for Rock Slide to threaten opponents like Dragonite, Yveltal, and Gyarados.

Dialga

• Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground
• Resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Iron Head/Draco Meteor

Dialga is another species that has seen better days in the Master League. However, it’s still a great asset because it is one of the few Dragons that isn’t weak against Fairy, Ice, or Dragon-type attacks.

You can’t go wrong with Dialga’s moveset because it has very limited but good options. Dragon Breath should be its Fast Move and Iron Head its Charged Move. If you have room and Candy for one more Charged Move, Draco Meteor will deal massive amounts of damage, but keep in mind that it will also debuff Dialga’s Attack stat by two stages. So, it’s best to use Draco Meteor when Dialga is used at the end of the battle.

Dialga Origin

• Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground
• Resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Iron Head/Roar of Time

Dialga Origin functions more or less similar to the regular form in battle, except for a few notable differences. For starters, it has its signature move, Roar of Time, that has the same stats as Draco Meteor, but without the drawback of losing Defense in the process.

The extra bulk in the Origin forme helps it stand stronger against the likes of powerful Ground and Fighting types it is weak to while cutting them down to size with Dragon Breath. That said, remember that in a face-off against regular Dialga, the Origin form loses CMP (Charge Move Priority) due to a lower Attack stat.

Palkia Origin

• Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy
• Resistances: Fire, Water, Steel
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Aqua Tail/Spacial Rend

Unlike Dialga Origin, Palkia Origin is a direct upgrade over its regular form, with better stats all across the board.

The combination of Water and Dragon types is one of the best in the meta, making it take no super-effective damage from Ice, Grass, or Electric-type attacks and also resist Steel-type damage. With Aqua Tail, it can even trouble the Fairy-types it is weak to.

Dragon Breath and its signature move, Spacial Rend, form a deadly pair as it dishes out an impressive 95 damage at just 50 energy, threatening other Dragon Pokemon while also being able to burn through shields. Palkia Origin is one of the strongest additions to the Master League meta and is easy to fit into teams.

Landorus Therian

• Weaknesses: Water, Ice
• Resistances: Ground, Bug, Electric, Fighting, Poison
• Best moveset: Mud Shot and Sandsear Storm/Stone Edge

With a staggering Attack stat of 289, Landorus Therian is a dire threat to its opponents, boasting Mud Shot’s quick energy gains and its signature move, Sandsear Storm. Not only is this move inexpensive to use, but it also guarantees an Attack drop for the opponent, often forcing switchouts.

Stone Edge is a fabulous secondary Charged Move to deal with powerhouses like Togekiss, Dragonite, Yveltal, Gyarados, Ho-Oh, and Lugia, making Landorus Therian a great fit for any team.

Togekiss

• Weaknesses: Poison, Rock, Steel, Electric, Ice
• Resistances: Ground, Dragon, Fighting, Bug, Grass, Dark
• Best moveset: Charm and Ancient Power/Flamethrower

Togekiss is a great alternative to Zacian for those who couldn’t get their hands on the Gen 8 Legendary. Having a Fairy type in your team can come in handy since there are a lot of Dragons in Pokemon Go PvP.

For the moveset, you’ll want Charm as its Fast Move. While Togekiss has many different alternatives for that slot, no other attack will do much in battle. With the STAB damage covered there, Ancient Power and Flamethrower are great Charged Moves that provide coverage.

Gyarados

• Weaknesses: Rock, Electric
• Resistances: Ground, Fighting, Bug, Steel, Fire, Water
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Aqua Tail/Crunch

Gyarados has climbed the ranks in the last few Seasons and can be a powerful ally in the Master League. It’s also one of the few species that has consistently been a top pick even though it is not a Dragon, Ghost, or Fairy-type.

Its moveset should have Dragon Breath as Fast Move and Aqua Tail as Charged Move for dealing great STAB damage. Crunch is a great option as a second Charged Move both for coverage and a 30% chance to debuff the Defense stat of its opponents.

Zekrom

• Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Ground, Ice
• Resistances: Electric, Fire, Flying, Grass, Steel, Water
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Outrage/Fusion Bolt

Sporting the same stats as Dialga, Zekrom is a formidable force. With its signature move Fusion Bolt, it can wipe out the dreaded Togekiss and Kyogre core. It can also deal heavy damage to threats like Zacian and Metagross, but keep in mind that Zekrom is at its deadliest when shields are down.

Outrage is its go-to Charged Move against Ground and Dragon types. That said, try to eliminate Garchomp first as Zekrom struggles against it even when used as a closer. It’s a great idea to pair it with teammates like Togekiss or Mamoswine.

Baxcalibur

• Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, Steel
• Resistances: Electric, Grass, Water
• Best moveset: Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw/Avalanche

Baxcalibur makes its chilling presence known in the Master League meta with an impressive 254 Attack stat, decent bulk, strong offensive coverage, and finally, a powerful set of moves to boot.

Though it has five weaknesses and struggles against Steel types, Baxcalibur can punish fellow Dragon types with the ever-reliable Dragon Breath, the spammy Dragon Claw to bait shields, and Avalanche, one of the most feared Charged Moves in the meta.

Unlike other Dragons, Baxcalibur can also beat the dreaded Togekiss, making it a great fit in teams that require Pokemon to counter Togekiss as well as other Dragon types.

The best team for the Master League should include Mewtwo, Dialga, and Groudon. Players can also consider using Melmetal, Togekiss, and Garchomp to create a powerful core.

Of course, remember that there’s no ultimate team in Pokemon Go and every battle can go very differently depending on your opponent’s choices.

Pokemon Go Master League dates

The next leg of the Master League runs until September 4, 2024. With no limit on the CP, you should ideally use teams with perfect IVs that are maxed out to level 50.

If you want to spice up your Master League teams with some fun picks, check out how to get Hydreigon, Milotic, and Volcarona in Pokemon Go.