Pokemon Go Premier Cup best team: The best Pokemon to choose for this non-legendary meta

(Image credit: Niantic)

After a delayed start, this new mode is finally underway so if you're looking for the Pokemon go Premier Cup best team to use in the Battle League, let us help. This alternate format forbids the use of any legendary or mythical Pokemon you may have in Pokemon Go so as a result, the Giratina and Zekron-heavy meta is no longer. Instead, powerful beasts that are slightly more common for the average player like Metagross and Dragonite are leading the charge. Here are our top choices for the top Pokemon to use in your Pokemon Go Premier Cup best team.

Best Pokemon Go Premier Cup Pokemon

Metagross

Type: Steel/Psychic
Weakness: Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ground

Expect Metagross to be the most common Pokemon you face off against in the Pokemon Go Premier Cup, because it's arguably the strongest non-legendary in the game. It has quite a few weaknesses so isn't impossible to counter, but is also resistant to a lot of different types.

When it comes to moves, you must be using Bullet Punch as the fast attack. It generates 3.5 energy per turn (EPT) while also dealing 3 damage per turn (DPT), which simply blows the other option, Zen Headbutt, out of the water. For your charged move, there's a lot of options, but Meteor Mash is the way forward. If you've got a second option, go for Psychic.

Garchomp

Type: Dragon/Ground
Weakness: Ice (x2), Dragon, Fairy

Since Metagross will feature so heavily, you need a Metagross counter. For that, our top recommendation is Garchomp. Not as easy to obtain since you need to get a lot of Gible candy, but worth it if you can afford the investment. It's got some pretty handy resistances too, fending off Electric-types especially well.

Again, there's only one choice for the fast move: Mud Shot. 4.5 EPT makes it one of the fastest energy generating moves in the game so you can dish out charged attacks rapidly. For your charged move, Sand Tomb should be the first choice, although Earthquake can also work. If you're lucky enough to have the candy for two charged moves, go for one of those plus Outrage for the Dragon-type advantage.

Swampert

Type: Water/Ground
Weakness: Grass (x2)

Another excellent Metagross counter here if you can't afford a strong Garchomp, Swampert is solely weak to Grass-type Pokemon. The Water/Ground-type combo means Electric-types aren't as good here as they would be against solely Water-types.

Once again, Mud Shot is the best fast move for the same reasons as outlined above. When it comes to the charged move, since Mudkip has been around for ages and you should have a healthy stock of candy, you'll want to prioritise Hydro Cannon then add in Earthquake for the second move. Unfortunately, Hydro Cannon can only be obtained now via Elite Charged TM if your Swampert doesn't already have it.

Togekiss

Type: Fairy/Flying
Weakness: Electric, Ice, Poison, Rock, Steel

Guess what? Togekiss is absolutely excellent at taking down the aforementioned Metagross counters, especially Garchomp. As you'd expect, it then struggles against Metagross and Magnezone (who is further down the list) but Togekiss should be high on your list to consider.

Charm is the reason Togekiss excels so much, because it has a DPT of 5.33, one of the highest in the game. This is its key move, and while the charged moves are useful, don't rely on them as much as you would with other Pokemon. The lower EPT on Charm means Togekiss is best used when your opponent is out of shields too. Go for Aerial Ace and/or Ancient Power for the charged move.

Dragonite

Type: Dragon/Flying
Weakness: Ice (x2), Dragon, Fairy, Rock

Ah, everyone's favourite pseudo-legendary. Dragonite may have a friendly face but it's a hard-hitting Dragon-type beast in the Pokemon Go Premier Cup, with its main weakness being Ice-type Pokemon, of which there aren't many. Dragonite is another one that can deal with popular choices like Swampert and Garchomp.

Dragon Breath should always be your fast move, with 4 DPT and 3 EPT. Don't give Steel Wing or Dragon Tail the time of day. Dragon Claw should then be the charged move of choice, because it has such a low energy requirement, you can pop it off repeatedly and burn through shields without a problem.

Magnezone

Type: Electric/Steel
Weakness: Ground (x2), Fighting, Fire

The first Electric-type to feature, Magnezone is excellent against Pokemon like Togekiss, Gyarados, and Gallade, all of which are fairly common to come up against. If you're against a Pokemon that knows Ground-type moves then switch out as quickly as you can, but otherwise Magnezone is a solid option.

Don't bother with Charge Beam; Spark needs to be your fast move thanks to its 4 EPT. It only has 2 DPT though so focus on using Wild Charge as your charged move as much as you can, then combine that with Flash Cannon. Mirror Shot can also be an option but it's another low energy requirement like Wild Charge, so you can save Flash Cannon to be your heavy hitter.

Mamoswine

Type: Ice/Ground
Weakness: Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, Water

Enter Mamoswine. This hulking Ice-type will see off Magnezone, Garchomp and the like with ease. It is weak to five different types though so at best, Mamoswine should be used as a tech and not your first choice.

For once, there are two fast move options; Powder Snow has 2 DPT but 4 EPT and is an Ice-type move, while the Ground-type move Mud Slap offers 3.66 DPT but just 2.66 EPT. Decide whether you want energy generation or direct damage and make your choice. Charged moves on the other hand, there's just one choice; Avalanche. It only requires 45 energy to use so can be pulled off frequently and if you've got a second charged move, support it with Stone Edge.

Snorlax

Type: Normal
Weakness: Fighting

The big beefy boi is back! Snorlax doesn't have many type advantages but is also only weak to Fighting-type moves, of which there aren't many in the Premier Cup meta, so it can be an excellent shout who can deal with most Pokemon equally as well.

As is the case whenever you're using Snorlax in any PvP situation, Lick must be your fast move. It's very well balanced with an EPT and DPT of 3. For the charged move, Superpower would be our first choice, but you have a decision to make here; is the -1 debuff to both attack and defence worth it every time you use it? You'll only be using it a few times each match at best, but it can prove to be an annoyance. If you don't want that, go for Hyper Beam and Earthquake as a combo if you can afford two charged moves on Snorlax.

Escavalier

Type: Bug/Steel
Weakness: Fire (x2)

As long as you don't come up against any Fire-type Pokemon — which is unlikely in this meta — Escavalier is a solid pick. It can perform well against a number of the top picks like Metagross and Mamoswine, and is even good against Snorlax because it has a Fighting-type move.

That Fighting-type move is the only viable fast move, Counter. 4 DPT and 3.5 EPT make it a top choice, especially due to its typing. Drill Run is the best charged move for Escavalier, and if you've somehow got enough Karrablast candy for a second, pick between either Megahorn or Aerial Ace.

Electivire

Type: Electric
Weakness: Ground

Electivire is another Pokemon without many weaknesses since it's just an Electric-type and it can defeat Pokemon like Dragonite, Togekiss, and Gyarados. It can also learn a very useful Ice-type move to help against other type matchups.

Thunder Shock needs to always be the fast move for Electivire thanks to the 4.5 EPT. This will allow you to frequently use both Wild Charge and Ice Punch, the two-move charged combo you should be going for. This covers a lot of bases depending on the Pokemon you're up against, or if you don't like Wild Charge, Thunder Punch is another option for that dual-punch action.

Honorable Mentions

The following Pokemon and movesets are also strong, but didn't quite make it into the top 10:

Glaceon (Ice Shard & Icy Wind/Avalanche)
Gyarados (Dragon Breath & Crunch/Outrage)
Machamp (Counter & Cross Chop/Stone Edge)
Scizor (Bullet Punch/Fury Cutter & Night Slash/X-Scissor/Return)
Gardevoir (Confusion & Synchronoise/Shadow Ball)