Pokemon Go Ultra League best team options and tips

(Image credit: Niantic)

The best teams in the Pokemon Go Ultra League are varied, even more so with the additions of many Alola and Galar region Pokemon.

The Ultra League allows only Pokemon with 2500 CP or less to participate, so an increase over Pokemon Great League's 1500 CP that opens up the options for Pokemon. However, trainers will slowly see which Pokemon are the most used and which Pokemon are used to counter them.

While the best advice we can give is to enter the Ultra League and play as many battles as possible, this guide will list the Pokemon that have excelled in the format in the past as well as how certain upgrades to moves have made certain species more viable this time around in Pokemon Go.

Best Pokemon Go Ultra League Pokemon

Tapu Fini

Type: Water and Fairy
Weakness: Electric, Grass, Poison

Those who play a lot of Great League know that Azumarill runs that tier, and Tapu Fini kinda fits that same mold for the Ultra League.

With a similar typing and stats, Tapu Fini can carve out a niche as a bulky attacker who can wear down opponents and their shields. Water Gun is the preferred Fast Attack for Tapu Fini while Surf and Moonblast gives the Legendary Pokemon two STAB attacks that deal with Reigrocks and Obstagoons that you’ll likely run into when battling in the Ultra League.

Gliscor

Type: Ground and Flying
Weakness: Ice, Water

Gliscor has an incredible typing and isn’t weak to many attacks which makes it a perfect lead for Ultra League teams.

Coupled with the fact that the improved Wing Attack - generates more energy - and Gliscor can give any trainer a sizeable lead at the start of a battle.

Earthquake is a powerful STAB move that will deal with Registeel and Fire types that you’ll run into and Night Slash handles Ghost types and has a chance to increase Gliscor’s attack stat by two stages.

One boost can make Gliscor sweep teams in no time.

Buzzwole

Type: Bug and Fighting
Weakness: Flying, Psychic, Fairy, Fire

Like other Fighting types, if you can get one that can use Counter as its Fast Attack they are a great option in just about any format. Buzzwole can spam Counter with its massive offensive stat to put the hurting on Normal types like Snorlax and Obstagoon, Rock types like Regirock and Steel types like Registeel.

As for its Charged Attacks, Power-Up Punch is a great option to not just wear down opponents and make them use their shields, it boosts the attack of Buzzwole by one stage. Then, trainers can use Lunge to give them a fighting chance against any Psychic types that Buzzwole would be weak to.

Trainers just need to watch out for Flying types as Buzzwole is four times weak to.

Sirfetchd

Type: Fighting
Weakness: Flying, Psychic, Fairy

Fighting types are usually a powerful attacking type and Sirfetchd really takes that and makes itself useful in the Ultra League.

Just like Buzzwole, Counter is a superb Fast Attack that Sirfetchd can use to wear down opponents. And then when it’s time to strike, trainers can use Night Slash to not only hit Psychic types super effectively but have a chance at increasing Sirfetchd’s attack stat.

The next Charged Attack option is really up to the trainer. If you want a bit more finishing power, Close Combat will be the way to go but remember that it leaves Sirfetchd vulnerable after its defense drops two stages.

Or, trainers can use Leaf Blade that helps Sirfetchd have a move to deal with Water types like Swampert and one that doesn’t need a lot of energy to use. Either way, Sirfetchd is a great option for any Ultra League team.

Trevenant - have this replace Charizard

Type: Ghost/Grass
Weakness: Ghost, Dark, Fire, Flying

This Ghost and Grass-type from the Kalos region may seem like an odd pick, but its typing and moveset make it highly desirable against a lot of what trainers will see in the Ultra League.

Shadow Claw is an incredible Fast Attack Ghost move that will help trainers deal with Ghost types like other Trevenant as well as Psychic types like Cresellia. Pair that with the Charged Attack Shadow Ball to make the most out of Trevenant’s Ghost typing. As for its secondary typing, Seed Bomb as its second Charged Attack is amazing for dealing with Rock, Ground and especially the plethora of Water types that trainers will likely encounter.

Trevenant can handle Swamperts and Tapu Fini and even Walrein to an extent.

Walrein

Walrein has the perfect mix of defensive and offensive typing. Water types are weak to just two types, and in the Ultra League only one of them is prevalent. While Ice-type attacks deal a lot of damage to common types trainers will find including Grass and Dragon types.

While it may be tempting to use Walrein as a Water-type attacker, there are better options in the format but if trainers want to just use its Ice moves for attack and its Water typing as purely defensive they can excel in the Ultra League.

Powder Snow is a great Ice-type Fast Attack that can fill up the Charged Move gauge very quickly. Pair that with Icicle Spear to get the most out of Walrein’s Ice typing.

Investing in a second Charged Attack will do Walrein a lot of good as it gets access to Earthquake, which can help it deal with any Rock and Electric Pokemon that can give it problems as well as a lot of Steel types you’ll likely come up against.

Obstagoon

Type: Dark/Normal
Weakness: Fighting, Bug, Fairy

This Pokemon from the Galar region may seem like a surprise pick for the Ultra League, but its various attack types make it a great choice to go up against just about any Pokemon you may come across.

Counter is an amazing Fast attack and gives Obstagoon an option to take on Steel, Rock and other Dark types. Facing a Registeel or Melmetal? Obstagoon with Counter can help you take it out.

As for its Charged attack, trainers will want to invest in two moves with the first being Night Slash. Not only does it give Obstagoon a move with STAB, but it raises the attack of the Pokemon using it by one stage after use even if it’s blocked. Trainers can do round out their moveset with either Gunk Shot to take on Fairy types or Hyper Beam to deliver maximum damage. If you choose Hyper Beam, know that it takes a bit to gather the energy needed to use it but it’ll be worth it...as long as you don’t use it against Rock, Steel or Ghost types.

Registeel

Type: Steel
Weakness: Fire, Ground, Fighting

While Registeel is a popular choice in Great League, its max CP of 2449 makes it a fantastic choice in Ultra League too. The best move combination for Registeel is Lock On (fast) and Flash Cannon (charged) and since it's a Steel-type Pokemon, it can withstand most other popular Ultra League choices easily. Unfortunately though, it is a legendary Pokemon, so finding enough candy to power it up or even getting one in the first place is tricky if you don't have one already.

Giratina (Origin or Altered)

Pokemon Go Ultra League Giratina — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Type: Ghost/Dragon
Weakness: Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Ice, Fairy

Giratina has two forms – Origin and Altered – and both are excellent choices for use in Ultra League. Altered tends to be the more popular choice, but since both are Dragon/Ghost-type, both forms of Giratina are equally viable. It will see off most opposing Pokemon as long as there isn't a direct counter to it and honestly, if you don't have a Giratina in your team, you'll struggle to progress in Ultra League. The best fast move is either Shadow Claw or Dragon Claw, followed by Dragon Breath or Ancient Power for the charged move.

Regirock

Type: Rock
Weakness: Grass, Water, Ground, Steel, Fighting

It may seem unusual, but Regirock is a great option in the Ultra League. While it doesn’t have the survivability as its brother Registeel, Regirock can still give certain Pokemon fits in this format.

While it has a lot of weaknesses, Rock is a great offensive typing that can deal super-effective damage to Flying, Fire, Bug, and Ice-type Pokemon. Like Registeel, Lock On is a great Fast Attack that will fill up the Charged gauge very fast.

Stone Edge will be Regirock’s main STAB attack that can take down Walrein and deal neutral damage to anything that’s not a Steel or Ground type. Focus Blast gives Regirock some more coverage and can handle some of your opponent’s Steel and Dark types.

Cresselia

Type: Psychic
Weakness: Bug, Dark, Ghost

Cresselia is one of the bulkiest Legendaries in all of Pokemon Go, which makes it a perfect choice to deal with other Legendaries in the Ultra League. Its Psychic typing is only weak to Bug, Dark and Ghost types. However, Giratina is the only real threat to Cresslia, but the Psychic-type has a way to counter it.

Psycho Cut is the best fast attack for Cresselia to build up energy the fastest, while Aurora Beam is an Ice-type attack that allows it to hit Dragon types. Moonblast is also a powerful attack that can hurt Dragon types and any Dark types the opposing team might be using.

Swampert

Type: Water/Ground
Weakness: Grass

Swampert is one of the most used Pokemon in the Ultra League thanks to its incredible typing and moveset. Since Swampert is the best Pokemon to use in Ultra League that isn't a Legendary, you'll be coming up against it frequently and would be foolish to not include it unless you have the three legendaries mentioned above. Mud Shot isn't a particularly damaging fast attack but it is the quickest energy generator making it the optimal choice. If you got Hydro Cannon during the Mudkip Community Day or used an Elite Charged TM it’s the best choice for the charged move, otherwise, go with Earthquake. Sludge Wave can also be considered to counter Grass-type Pokemon, which are Swampert’s only weakness.

Scrafty

Type: Fighting/Dark
Weakness: Fighting, Fairy, Flying

Scrafty is a unique Pokemon with a typing that can give some teams the coverage and firepower they need. Fighting moves are strong against just about any Pokemon and can help deal with the hard-to-defeat Steel types in the Ultra League.

And any Pokemon that can have Counter as its Fast Attack should be considered. Pair that with Power-Up Punch to increase the attack stat of Scrafty and your Pokemon will be ready to steamroll anything that your trainer dishes out.

Foul Play is a Charged Dark-type attack that has a gauge that is easily filled and can deal with Pokemon like Trevenant and Cresselia.

Snorlax

Type: Normal
Weakness: Fighting

Normal-type Pokemon usually aren't a great choice because they're not strong against much and are extremely weak to Fighting-types, but the current Ultra League meta thankfully doesn't have any Fighting-type Pokemon in. As you'd expect from Snorlax due to just how damn large it is, it has high defensive stats, and there's one key element that makes it a great choice for Ultra League; Outrage. If you have the Outrage charge move, it is one of the most viable Giratina counters you can use. Combine that with Lick for its fast attack and you've got yourself a beast. If you've got two charge moves, either pick Earthquake or Body Slam for the second.

Togekiss

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

Like Snorlax, Togekiss will rarely face off against a Pokemon strong against it thanks to the current Ultra League meta. Steel types give Togekiss the biggest problems in the Ultra League, but trainers only have to worry about Registeel or Melmetal to counter it. Poison types can also put a stop to Togekiss, but they aren’t used often in this format.

Togekiss’ Charm fast attack is the best option against Dragon types like Giratina while Ancient Power, Flamethrower, or both, are Togekiss’ optimal charged attacks.

Charizard

Type: Fire/Flying
Weakness: Water, Electric, Rock

Charizard may be a fan favourite Pokemon worldwide, but it hasn't seen too much use in PvP until now. Long time players should have so much Charmander candy they don't know what to do with it all, so spend that on getting the Fire Spin fast move and Overheat charged move. Unless you have Blast Burn from community day that is, because Blast Burn is by far the best option.

Alolan Muk

Type: Poison/Dark
Weakness: Ground

Somewhat of an unexpected choice here, Alolan Muk is another great Giratina counter. The only caveat is that it's strongly recommended you obtain the Dark Pulse charged move, because it's the strongest Dark-type charged move in the game and the only non-Poison-type charged move Alolan Muk can learn. Go for Snarl as your fast move and you'll get some serious energy gains.

Pokemon Go Battle League Ultra League Remix

The Ultra League Remix offers trainers another way to battle in this format. However, the top 10 Pokemon used in the last season by Trainers Ace rank and up will not be allowed in the Ultra League Remix.

If you’re still looking for Pokemon to bring into the Ultra League, take a look at these 10 Pokemon. These are the most popular picks and can help you in battle:

Clefable
Alolan Muk
Swampert
Empoleon
Togekiss
Giratina
Cresselia
Talonflame
Melmetal
Obstagoon