Pokemon GO: The 18 Strongest Pokemon In Great League PVP

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Pokemon GO features several competitive battle leagues, and the Great League is a favorite among players because it’s more affordable – it costs less to train Pokemon for this league. The Great League has a CP limit of 1500, so figuring out the best Pokemon to use each season can be challenging.

In Pokémon GO’s Great League, battles are best-of-three rounds. Players choose a team of three Pokémon that meet the CP limit and compete against other trainers. Winning requires quick thinking, smart strategy, and a good understanding of how the game works. This guide features some of the most effective Pokémon for the Great League, but ultimately, players can build teams that suit their preferred playstyle and favorite Pokémon.

Jellicent

  • Type: Water/Ghost
  • Weaknesses: Dark, Electric, Ghost, Grass
  • Resistances: Fighting, Normal, Bug, Fire, Ice, Poison, Steel, Water

Jellicent is currently performing very well in Great League battles, consistently ranking high thanks to its impressive stats and moves. It’s a tough opponent for other top Pokémon like Annihilape and Azumarill.

As a fan, I’ve found Jellicent is seriously annoying to play against! With moves like Hex, Surf, and Shadow Ball, it can just constantly attack, making opponents either switch Pokemon or waste their shields. It really throws off their whole battle plan! But honestly, Furret is its biggest problem – that Pokemon, with Sucker Punch and Trailblaze, can shut Jellicent down pretty quickly. You definitely need to watch out for that combo!

Altaria

  • Type: Dragon/Flying
  • Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy, Rock
  • Resistances: Fighting, Grass, Bug, Fire, Ground, Water

I absolutely love using Altaria! It’s super speedy and surprisingly tough, which makes it perfect for a defensive strategy. I often lead with it because it can take a hit and then I can switch it out when needed, really messing with my opponent’s plans early on. It’s amazing how easily it can force them into making bad moves!

This Pokémon boasts excellent coverage thanks to moves like Dazzling Gleam and Flamethrower. A strong moveset includes Dragon Breath, Sky Attack, and Flamethrower. While it costs a bit to power it up to 1497 CP, the effort is well worth it.

Furret

  • Type: Normal
  • Weaknesses: Fighting
  • Resistances: Ghost

Okay, so I’ve been playing Furret, and honestly, it’s like the new Vigoroth. It’s got a surprising amount of moves it can learn, and it can seriously swing a battle around fast. I’ve found it’s best to just spam quick moves like Swift – that’s where it really shines. It’s all about keeping the pressure on!

This Pokémon does best with the moves Sucker Punch, Swift, and Trailblaze. Trailblaze is particularly useful because it adds grass-type attacks, making it strong against Water-type Pokémon like Galarian Corsola, Jellicent, and Empoleon. Trailblaze also boosts Furret’s attack power, letting it quickly overwhelm opponents if they don’t defeat it quickly.

Azumarill

  • Type: Water/Fairy
  • Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, Poison
  • Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Dark, Fighting, Fire, Ice, Water

Azumarill, with its moves Bubble, Ice Beam, and Play Rough, is a top pick in Pokémon GO’s Great League, especially when battling Dragon-type Pokémon like Altaria. It’s incredibly effective, and skilled players often find that having Azumarill on their team significantly increases their chances of winning.

Azumarill’s high defense and HP allow it to withstand a lot of damage, giving players more opportunities to defeat powerful opponents like Corviknight, Altaria, and Talonflame.

Empoleon

  • Type: Water/Steel
  • Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Ground
  • Resistances: Ice, Poison, Steel, Dragon, Bug, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Water

Empoleon is a powerful Pokémon thanks to its excellent type matchups. It resists a lot of damage, is weak to only a few types, and can put opponents on the defensive with consistent attacks, often forcing them to use shields.

This Pokémon is strong thanks to its versatile moves and high damage output. Competitive players often equip it with Metal Sound—a very quick charge move—along with Hydro Cannon, which is only available during special events, and Drill Peck for broader coverage. Players frequently use Hydro Cannon and Drill Peck to trick their opponents into wasting energy.

Corviknight

  • Type: Flying/Steel
  • Weaknesses: Electric, Fire
  • Resistances: Grass, Poison, Steel, Flying, Dragon, Bug, Fairy, Normal, Psychic, Ground

Corviknight is now a leading Pokémon in the Great League thanks to its excellent coverage, speed, and ability to withstand many different attack types. Its frequent use of Sand Attack and Air Cutter can quickly give it an advantage, making it particularly dangerous against opponents who switch Pokémon often or lack a clear battle plan.

While Skarmory’s dominance in Great League has faded, Corviknight has proven to be a lasting threat. It’s an excellent counter to many top Pokémon like Empoleon, Wigglytuff, Annihilape, Jellicent, Shadow Feraligatr, and Furret. With strong defense and diverse moves like Sand Attack, Air Cutter, and Payback, Corviknight can draw attacks and then knock out opponents with Payback once their shields are down.

Wigglytuff

  • Type: Normal/Fairy
  • Weaknesses: Poison, Steel
  • Resistances: Ghost, Dragon, Bug, Dark

Wigglytuff is proving to be a difficult opponent for Annihilape players, largely due to its strong Charm move which can significantly weaken and damage enemies. Many players are now adding moves like Icy Wind – to lure opponents in and reduce their damage output – and Swift, which allows for frequent attacks and can draw out defensive moves.

This Pokémon is generally excellent, boasting solid stats and a diverse movepool. While Drapion and Empoleon can pose a challenge to this Normal/Fairy type, it usually excels at weakening opponents and leading a team.

Lickylicky

  • Type: Normal
  • Weaknesses: Fighting
  • Resistances: Ghost

Lickitung evolves into a strong, Normal-type Pokémon that can be a real threat to Ghost-types like Jellicent, Annihilape, and Galarian Corsola, thanks to its diverse move set. Lickylicky has three different Fast Moves – Rollout, Lick, and Zen Headbutt – which give it excellent coverage and allow it to deal significant damage.

When choosing moves for this Pokémon, Body Slam and Shadow Ball are highly recommended. Body Slam is great for quickly attacking and drawing out your opponent’s moves, while Shadow Ball is very effective against Ghost-type Pokémon. With a CP of 1500 at level 23.5 (with no Attack or Defense IVs), it’s become a unique choice for battles in the Great League.

Annihilape

  • Type: Fighting/Ghost
  • Weaknesses: Fairy, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic
  • Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Normal, Poison, Rock

Annihilape is a strong Fighting and Ghost-type Pokémon that’s become incredibly effective in Pokémon Go thanks to its move, Rage Fist. This move allows Annihilape to quickly gain power and defeat opponents, but it can be stopped by Pokémon like Jellicent.

For Annihilape, Counter is the most effective Fast Move, while Rage First and Shadow Ball are the best Charged Moves. This combination is particularly useful when battling Ghost and Psychic-type Pokémon.

Shadow Feraligatr

  • Type: Water
  • Weaknesses: Electric, Grass
  • Resistances: Fire, Ice, Steel, Water

I’ve been noticing this Shadow Pokémon is getting really popular lately, even though it wasn’t considered top-tier for a while. It’s all about how much pressure it puts on opponents with its moves! I’ve been using Shadow Claw, Hydro Cannon, and Ice Beam, and it’s amazing. It lets you cover so many different types, and you can basically trick your opponent into thinking they’re safe before hitting them with a powerful Charged Move. It’s a really smart way to play!

While Shadow Feraligatr isn’t the strongest Water-type attacker compared to Pokémon like Jellicent or Empoleon (especially Shadow Empoleon), it still packs a powerful punch. Its great moves and high damage force opponents to quickly switch to Pokémon that can withstand it—be careful of Furret using Trailblaze!

Shadow Quagsire

  • Type: Water/Ground
  • Weaknesses: Grass
  • Resistances: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel

Shadow Quagsire remains a difficult Pokémon to battle against, largely due to its diverse movepool including attacks like Mud Shot, Aqua Tail, and Stone Edge. It effectively counters popular top-tier Pokémon such as Drapion, Corviknight, and Empoleon. It can even handle its regional variant, Clodsire, but Furret using Trailblaze poses the biggest threat to it.

Quagsire stands out with powerful Charged Moves and a diverse range of attacks, including Sludge Bomb, Drain Punch, Earthquake, and Acid Spray. Drain Punch boosts Quagsire’s own stats, while Acid Spray weakens opponents. While it’s a bit of a wildcard compared to common team setups, Quagsire can be very effective if you’re willing to try something different.

Forretress

  • Type: Bug/Steel-type
  • Weaknesses: Fire
  • Resistances: Grass, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Steel

Foretress excels at defense thanks to its high HP and defense stats, making it a reliable Pokémon to switch into attacks. It also boasts a diverse movepool that can effectively counter common threats like Empoleon, Azumarill, and Wigglytuff. A strong moveset for Foretress includes Volt Switch, Sand Tomb, and Rock Tomb.

Volt Switch is a powerful electric-type attack, especially effective against Pokémon like Jellicent. Sand Tomb is another useful move that repeatedly lowers an opponent’s defense. While some players use Forretress with Bug Bite to gain speed, it’s generally not a good strategy in the current competitive scene.

Shadow Swampert

  • Type: Water/Ground
  • Weaknesses: Grass
  • Resistances: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel

While other strong Pokémon like Jellicent and Azumarill have started challenging it, Shadow Swampert remains a very powerful choice in Great League battles. Its high Attack (208), Defense (175), and Stamina (225) let it quickly defeat opponents who aren’t ready to face it.

The best moves for Shadow Swampert are Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, and Earthquake. Hydro Cannon is a special move from older versions of Pokemon GO that requires an Elite Charge TM to unlock, so you’ll need to obtain one to use it. This combination of moves lets Shadow Swampert deal significant damage and quickly deplete opponents’ shields, potentially forcing them to use shields sooner than they’d like.

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2026-03-23 00:00