Pokemon Go Master League: Date & time, best team to use, more

The Master League is the most difficult challenge for Pokemon Go PvP players so they need to be well-prepared for this Go Battle League format. Here are the best Pokemon to use to get more victories in these battles.

Pokemon Go fans are always eager to take on other players in the highly competitive PvP battles of the Go Battle League. Among the three available PvP leagues, the Master League has the most powerful Pokemon as there is no limit to the CP (Combat Power) of the eligible species. In addition, you can also grab the best rewards from this format.

The first Master League tournament of the Adventures Abound Season has got the excitement of players soaring as they try to increase their Go Battle League Rank while also earning special rewards such as Elite Fast TMs and Elite Charged TMs.

But unlike Great League and Ultra League, you would need to prepare the best PvP Pokemon by maxing them out to the highest level for the Master League.

Now, players are desperate to find out about the best species to pick as maxing out Pokemon requires a lot of in-game resources such as Stardust and Candies.

So here are the top recommendations for the Pokemon you can use in the Pokemon Go Master League.

• Pokemon Go Master League date & time
• Best Pokemon Go Master League species
• Best team for Pokemon Go Master League

Pokemon Go Master League date & time

Pokemon Go Master League will run from September 15, 2023, until September 22, 2023.

Best Pokemon Go Master League species

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 Pokemon Go team in the Master League especially if you caught it during a special event. Its massive bulk and extremely powerful attacks that benefit from STAB are perfect for dealing with powerful Steel and Fire-type Pokemon.

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. Lugia also works very well with most of the Pokemon 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.

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 the Pokemon Go Master League meta as there are two ways you can use this powerful Dragon Pokemon. 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.

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 Master League 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.

Meloetta

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

Kyurem surprised many Pokemon Go 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 (Same Type Attack Bonus) damage. Glaciate is an excellent second 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 Master League team in Pokemon Go.

Mewtwo

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

Mewtwo works like magic in Pokemon Go 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 and/or Shadow Ball as Charged Moves. The first one deals great STAB damage, while the second one is perfect for coverage from other Ghost-type Pokemon.

Zacian

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

Zacian has been a great addition to Pokemon Go Master League since its first appearance in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The legendary Pokemon is now a top-tier PvP pick and its type makes it a great asset for dealing with Dragon-type Pokemon.

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 players 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 what it once was, but can still be a tough challenge in the Pokemon Go Master League. It’s currently the best Steel-type Pokemon to use surpassing past top picks like Metagross.

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 Pokemon 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 Pokemon Go Master League. However, it’s still a great asset because it is one of the few Dragon-type Pokemon 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 debuffs 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.

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 legendary Pokemon. Having a Fairy type in your team can come in handy since there are a lot of Dragon-types in Pokemon Go Master League.

For Togekiss’ 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 Pokemon Go seasons and can be a powerful ally both in the Master League. It’s also one of the few Pokemon that has consistently been a top pick even though it is not a Dragon, Ghost, or Fairy-type.

Gyarados’ 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.

Best team for Pokemon Go Master League

With the above list of Pokemon in mind, the best team for the Pokemon Go Master League should include Mewtwo, Dialga, and Groudon. Players can also consider using Melmetal, Togekiss, and Garchomp to create the popular Steel-Fairy-Dragon core.

Of course, including any of the Pokemon listed above will be great for your team composition. Keep in mind that there’s no ultimate team in Pokemon Go and every battle can go very differently depending on your opponent’s choices.

And there you have it. This is all you need to know about the best species to use in the Pokemon Go Master League format. For more Pokemon Go content, check out our other guides:

How to connect Pokemon Go to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | How to heal Pokemon in Pokemon Go | How many Pokemon are there? | Best Pokemon for PvP battles in Pokemon Go | How to get revives in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go best attackers ranked | How to get the Master Ball in Pokemon Go | How to get different Vivillion patterns in Pokemon Go & Scarlet and Violet