Pokemon Go Battle League – Best Ultra Premier team

The Ultra Premier Cup in Pokémon Go’s Battle League is a competitive format with stricter rules than usual, designed to create a more diverse battling environment. Here’s a look at the top Pokémon and team strategies to help you succeed.

The main PvP leagues – Great, Ultra, and Master – are always available, but Niantic keeps things interesting by offering new, limited-time competitions each week.

Ultra Premier is similar to the regular Ultra League, with a CP limit of 2500. However, it excludes Legendary, Mythical, and Ultra Beast Pokémon, encouraging players to use a wider variety of creatures and giving less common Pokémon a chance to excel. Here’s a look at the best Pokémon to use in this Cup.

Best team for the Pokemon Go Ultra Premier

For the Ultra Premier Cup, a team consisting of Ludicolo, Lapras, and Cradily is a great choice. These three Pokémon are very powerful and will help you perform well against most opponents you’ll encounter.

Another team that players could try out is Corviknight, Runerigus, and Oranguru.

Just like in any competition, it’s hard to say which team is truly the best. It all comes down to what Pokémon your opponent uses, and you won’t find that out until the battle starts.

However, some Pokémon are consistently effective in many battles. We’ve included a list of these, along with the best moves for them and what they’re weak against.

Best Ultra Premier Pokemon

Runerigus (XL)

Fast Move: Shadow Claw
Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Shadow Ball
Type: Ground/Ghost
Resistances: Poison, Normal, Fighting, Electric, Rock, and Bug
Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water

Runerigus is a surprisingly effective Pokémon, largely due to its unique Ground and Ghost typing and its naturally high Defense.

If you want to get the most out of this Pokémon, definitely give it the Fast Move Shadow Claw. It’s a Same-type attack bonus move, which is awesome, and it hits a sweet spot – it does good damage and builds up energy quickly, letting you use your Charge Moves more often.

While Shadow Claw doesn’t get a STAB bonus, it’s a great choice alongside Rock Tomb. Rock Tomb provides wider coverage, can draw out your opponent’s shields, and lowers the opposing Pokémon’s Attack by 20%. For your second Charged Attack, Shadow Ball is excellent – it deals a lot of damage without costing much energy.

Cradily (XL)

Fast Move: Acid
Charged Moves: Grass Knot and Rock Tomb
Type: Rock/Grass
Resistances: Electric and Normal
Weaknesses: Bug, Fighting, Ice, and Steel

Cradily is unexpectedly performing well in the Pokemon Go Battle League. It hadn’t been a strong contender previously, but is now ranking highly on PvPoke, likely due to a powerful combination of moves and its high durability.

Bullet Seed and Infestation quickly build up energy, while Acid is a solid choice for dealing with Grass-type Pokémon, especially for Cradily. Rock Tomb is great against Fire types and also lowers the opponent’s Attack power. Grass Knot is effective against Water-type Pokémon. Both Rock Tomb and Grass Knot get a damage boost because they match Cradily’s type.

Feraligatr (Shadow)

Fast Move: Shadow Claw
Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Ice Beam
Type: Water
Resistances: Steel, Fire, Water, and Ice
Weaknesses: Grass and Electric

This cheerful crocodile Pokémon is great for either starting a battle or finishing one, due to its abilities and moves. Even though it has some vulnerabilities, it can effectively defend against common types like Steel and Fire, which is a significant advantage.

Shadow Claw is a fantastic Fast Move for Feraligatr, letting it use a wider variety of attacks and charge up its powerful Charged Moves more quickly. Hydro Cannon is essential because it doesn’t cost much energy, deals significant damage, and benefits from STAB. This allows you to quickly deplete your opponent’s shields, giving you an advantage with the rest of your Pokémon team.

You can also add Ice Beam as a second Charged Move to exploit this Pokémon’s weakness to Grass-type attacks.

Steelix (XL)

Fast Move: Thunder Fang
Charged Moves: Psychic Fangs and Crunch
Type: Steel/Ground
Resistances: Poison, Rock, Electric, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water

Steelix, being a Steel-type Pokémon, is very resistant to many different attacks, which is a huge advantage in battle. It also boasts excellent Defense, allowing it to either start a battle or be brought in later to withstand incoming damage.

Steelix excels as a lead Pokémon by quickly breaking down opponents’ shields with Thunder Fang, a rapid and powerful attack. Its Charged Moves are also quick and inexpensive to use, and they can lower the opposing Pokémon’s Defense by 20% while hitting different types.

Bellibolt

Fast Move: Sucker Punch
Charged Moves: Parabolic Charge and Zap Cannon
Type: Electric
Resistances: Steel, Flying, and Electric
Weaknesses: Ground

Bellibolt, a purely Electric-type Pokémon, is a great choice against the many Water-types that are popular right now. It also has solid stats, especially high Stamina, and access to a strong selection of moves.

Thunder Shock creates a lot of energy, but Sucker Punch offers more versatile attacks, good damage, and also helps build energy.

The Pokémon should learn the Charged Moves Parabolic Charge, which boosts its own Defense by 25%, and Zap Cannon, which lowers the opponent’s Attack by 20%.

Dusknoir (Shadow XL)

Fast Move: Astonish
Charged Moves: Shadow Punch and Dynamic Punch
Type: Ghost
Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug
Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost

This Pokémon is most effective when used at the start of a battle or as a powerful attacker. It’s also durable enough to withstand hits while dishing out solid damage.

Astonish is a move that quickly charges up special attacks and weakens the opponent’s defenses. Dusknoir is a strong contender thanks to its powerful Ghost-type move, Shadow Punch, and Dynamic Punch, which gives it a wider range of attack types.

Lickilicky (XL)

Fast Move: Rollout
Charged Moves: Body Slam and Shadow Ball
Type: Normal
Resistances: Ghost
Weaknesses: Fighting

Lickilicky is a strong contender for the League because it only has one type weakness and can effectively battle many different Pokémon thanks to its diverse moves, including Normal, Shadow, and Rock type attacks.

Rollout lets Lickilicky charge up its powerful moves faster. Body Slam can draw out opponents’ shields, and Shadow Ball is a strong attack that’s particularly effective against common Pokémon like Jellicent, Runerigus, Feraligatr, and Lapras.

Oranguru (XL)

Fast Move: Confusion
Charged Moves: Brutal Swing and Trailblaze
Type: Normal/Psychic
Resistances: Psychic and Ghost
Weaknesses: Bug and Dark

Oranguru, a Normal and Psychic-type Pokémon, isn’t usually the first choice for competitive battling in the Go Battle League. But its unique type combination, versatile moves, durability, and ability to repeatedly use moves have proven surprisingly effective, earning it a spot among the better fighters.

All of this Pokémon’s quick attacks work well with its type, but Confusion is the best choice for dealing strong damage. For powerful charged attacks, use Trailblaze first to boost your attack power by 25%, then follow up with Brutal Swing.

Ludicolo (XL)

Fast Move: Astonish
Charged Moves: Weather Ball (Water) and Leaf Storm
Type: Water/Grass
Resistances: Water, Ground, and Steel
Weaknesses: Bug, Flying, and Poison

Ludicolo is a surprisingly effective Pokémon to use when you want to disrupt your opponent. It can learn a variety of moves to hit many different types, and it’s tough enough to take a few hits in return.

Astonish, its quick attack, builds up energy efficiently, allowing it to use its stronger moves more often, and it also offers some unique Ghost-type damage.

Weather Ball (Water) is the main attack in this strategy, providing quick, strong damage of Ludicolo’s type to wear down opponents’ shields. Leaf Storm then acts as a finishing move, dealing significant damage to Water, Ground, and Rock-type Pokémon when shields are gone.

Empoleon

Fast Move: Metal Sound
Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Drill Peck
Type: Water/Steel
Resistances: Steel, Poison, Ice, Water, Rock, Psychic, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, and Ground

As a fan, I’ve been watching this Water/Steel type really dominate the League! It’s seriously become one of the best because of its incredible attack power and how tough it is to take down. It’s a total game-changer against Pokemon like Florges, Togekiss, and Clefable – it really shuts them down!

Metal Sound is a strong, quick charge move, letting you use it frequently. For a powerful Charged Move, Hydro Cannon is the best choice because of its high damage and low energy cost – it’s one of the top Water-type attacks in the game. If you have the resources, adding Drill Peck as a second Charged Move can broaden your attack options.

Forretress (XL)

Fast Move: Volt Switch
Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Earthquake
Type: Bug/Steel
Resistances: Poison, Grass, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Ice, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
Weaknesses: Fire

Okay, so Forretress is seriously a great Pokémon to have on your team. It resists a ton of different types, which is awesome, and right now, Fire-type attacks aren’t super common, so that one weakness isn’t a huge deal. Plus, its Defense stat is just really high, making it super tanky!

Bug-type attacks aren’t very effective in Pokémon Go. Instead of using them, choose Volt Switch as your Fast Move to get a good amount of damage in at the beginning of battles.

Okay, so when it comes to Charged Moves, I always lead with Rock Tomb. It’s amazing for weakening the other Pokémon’s attack power and getting them to use their shields! Then, I hit them with Earthquake – seriously, it’s a powerhouse and one of the best moves out there. The best part is, this combo gives you awesome coverage with Electric, Rock, and Ground-type attacks!

Jellicent (XL)

Fast Move: Hex
Charged Moves: Surf and Shadow Ball
Type: Water/Ghost
Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Water, Steel, Poison, Ice, Fire, and Bug
Weaknesses: Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass

This huge jellyfish provides trainers with a lot of defensive power and numerous resistances, helping it withstand attacks in battle.

Jellicent has two excellent Fast Moves, both of which benefit from STAB (Same-type attack bonus). Bubble is a powerful Water-type attack, but Hex generates energy a bit faster and also provides Ghost-type coverage.

For the best Hex performance, use Surf as your Charged Move. It’s low-cost and deals significant damage, plus it gets a STAB bonus. Shadow Ball is a great secondary Charged Move for powerful attacks. If you need to hit different types of Pokémon, you can swap Shadow Ball for Ice Beam.

Grumpig (XL)

Fast Move: Psywave
Charged Moves: Dynamic Punch and Shadow Ball
Type: Psychic
Resistances: Psychic and Fighting
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, and Ghost

While Grumpig isn’t known for its powerful physical strength, it’s a strong contender in the Ultra Premier Cup thanks to its diverse movepool and reliable stats.

Charge Beam is a decent quick-charging Fast Move, but Psywave is a stronger choice because it gets a damage boost from STAB. Combine it with the Charged Move Dynamic Punch, which is low-cost and significantly broadens this Pokémon’s attack options.

For a second Charged Attack, Shadow Ball is a great choice. It doesn’t cost much energy, and it’s a powerful Ghost-type move that gives Grumpig good coverage against many different Pokémon.

Corviknight (XL)

Fast Move: Sand Attack
Charged Moves: Air Cutter and Payback
Type: Flying/Steel
Resistances: Bug, Grass, Poison, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Steel, and Ground
Weaknesses: Electric and Fire

Corviknight, like many Steel-type Pokémon, is hard to defeat because it resists a lot of different attacks. Combined with its high Defense and Stamina, it’s a very durable opponent.

Despite not being boosted by STAB, Sand Attack is a useful move because it covers a lot of types and builds up energy quickly.

Air Cutter is a fast, repeatedly usable move that’s great for breaking through your opponent’s shields. It also gets a damage boost because it matches Corviknight’s type, and has a 30% chance to raise your Attack power. Payback is a powerful, versatile move that all Corviknight users should have as a backup option.

Lapras

Fast Move: Psywave
Charged Moves: Sparkling Aria and Ice Beam
Type: Water/Ice
Resistances: Ice and Water
Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock

Lapras is a large Pokémon, and it’s also versatile in battle, with four different Fast Moves and seven different Charged Moves trainers can choose from.

While it makes sense to focus on Water and Ice attacks to maximize damage, Psywave is the best choice for Lapras’s Fast Move. It generates energy faster than other options and gives Lapras more diverse attack types.

Moves like Skull Bash, Blizzard, and Hydro Pump are costly to use, and there are better alternatives. Sparkling Aria is a strong Charged Move that deals significant damage – it’s as affordable as Surf but packs an extra five damage points.

For a second Charged Move, Ice Beam is a good choice because it’s effective against Grass, Dragon, and Flying-type Pokémon, and it also gets a damage boost when used by Ice-type Pokémon.

Pokemon Go Ultra Premier rules & restrictions explained

The Ultra Premier Cup in Pokémon Go Battle League is unique because almost any Pokémon can be used – the only ones excluded are Legendary, Mythical, and Ultra Beast Pokémon.

Additionally, they must be at or below the 2,500 CP limit to be eligible.

Ultra Premier start & end date

The newest season of Battle League has begun and will last from December 2, 2025, to March 3, 2026. During this time, you can find the Ultra Premier featuring on:

January 20, 2026 – January 27, 2026: along with the Great League.

You’ll have just one week to excel in this Go Battle League competition and climb the ranks.

Here are the top Pokémon to use for your Ultra Premier team this season in Pokémon Go. You can find more helpful information in our guide to the Battle League schedule and rewards, which also includes details on the best attackers, defenders, and PvP players.

2026-01-21 00:24