Pokémon GO Master League: Best Pokémon

Bring out the big guns! The Master League is ready to roar in Pokémon GO and will be running from October 21 to 28, 2025. This is the heaviest weight class the mobile game’s PvP mode is offering, giving an arena to all those Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in your arsenal. All the Stardust rewards for wins are quadrupled for this entire period 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 in this format. As such, note that all Pokémon will perform best after being upgraded with Candy XL.

That can be quite overwhelming, so we’ve put together a list of the best Pokémon for Master League in Pokémon GO to get you started on your team building process. Our choices are based on statistics and simulations provided by PvPoke.com.

Pokémon GO Master League: Best Leads

These Pokémon are ideal when it comes to firing the opening salvo in a bout. They are able to apply pressure on your opponent right from the start, while they are tough enough to take a bit of a beating. 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. Groudon (Dragon Tail, Fire Punch, Precipice Blades)
3. Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) (Ice Fang, Close Combat, Behemoth Bash)
4. Dialga (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Iron Head, Roar of Time)
5. Kyurem (White Forme) (Dragon Breath, Fusion Flare, Ice Burn)
6. Lugia (Dragon Tail, Fly, Aeroblast)
7. Shadow Palkia (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)
8. Shadow Hydreigon (Dragon Breath, Brutal Swing, Dragon Pulse)
9. Latios [S] (Dragon Breath, Aura Sphere, Luster Purge)
10. Shadow Latias (Dragon Breath, Aura Sphere, Mist Ball)

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. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
2. Zekrom (Dragon Breath, Outrage, Fusion Bolt)
3. Dialga (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Iron Head, Roar of Time)
4. Shadow Palkia (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Draco Meteor)
5. Reshiram (Dragon Breath, Draco Meteor, Fusion Flare)
6. Kyurem (White Forme) (Dragon Breath, Fusion Flare, Ice Burn)
7. Groudon (Dragon Tail, Fire Punch, Precipice Blades)
8. Shadow Metagross (Shadow Claw, Meteor Mash, Earthquake)
9. Kyurem (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Glaciate)
10. Shadow Latios (Dragon Breath, Aura Sphere, Luster Purge)

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. Zacian (Crowned Sword) (Metal Claw, Close Combat, Behemoth Blade)
2. Groudon [S] (Dragon Tail, Fire Punch, Precipice Blades)
3. Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) (Metal Claw, Close Combat, Behemoth Bash)
4. Eternatus (Dragon Tail, Dynamax Cannon, Flamethrower)
5. Metagross (Shadow Claw, Meteor Mash, Earthquake)
6. Lunala (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Moonblast)
7. Lugia [S] (Dragon Tail, Fly, Aeroblast)
8. Necrozma (Dusk Mane) (Shadow Claw, Dark Pulse, Sunsteel Strike)
9. Necrozma (Dawn Wings) (Shadow Claw, Dark Pulse, Moongeist Beam)
10. Dialga (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Iron Head, Roar of Time)

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. Lugia [S] (Dragon Tail, Aeroblast, Fly)
2. Zacian (Crowned Sword) (Metal Claw, Close Combat, Behemoth Blade)
3. Solgaleo (Fire Spin, Psychic Fangs, Iron Head)
4. Florges (Fairy Wind, Moonblast, Trailblaze)
5. Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) (Metal Claw, Close Combat, Behemoth Bash)
6. Palkia (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Spacial Rend)
7. Zygarde (Complete Forme) (Dragon Tail, Crunch, Earthquake)
8. Dialga (Origin Forme) (Dragon Breath, Iron Head, Roar of Time)
9. Togekiss (Peck, Dazzling Gleam, Aura Sphere)
10. Jirachi (Confusion, Doom Desire, Aura Sphere)

If PvP battles aren’t your favorite activity and you’d rather style on Team GO Rocket instead, check out our complete guides with the best counters to Giovanni, Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra.