Pokemon Go Battle League – Best Ultra Premier team

In Pokemon Go‘s Battle League, the Ultra Premier Cup builds on the standard rulesets, but with even tighter restrictions to shake up the meta. So, if you want to compete, here are the best Pokemon and team combinations.

While Great, Ultra, and Master Leagues remain the core PvP formats, Niantic keeps things fresh by rotating different limited-time competitions every week.

Similar to the Ultra tier, in Ultra Premier Pokemon must be at or below 2500 CP to be eligible. However, Legendary, Mythical, and Ultra Beasts are banned, which forcs creative picks and gives often under-utilized creatures a chance to shine. So, here are the strongest fighters to bring into this Cup.

Best team for the Pokemon Go Ultra Premier

The best team you can take into the Ultra Premier Cup is made up of Ludicolo, Lapras, and Cradily. These are three of the strongest Pokemon that should give you coverage against the most common opponents.

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

As with any League or Cup, it’s impossible to say what a true ‘best’ team looks like, as it really depends on the Pokemon your opponent sends out – and you won’t know that until the battle begins.

Still, there are a few Pokemon that can perform well in most situations, which we’ve listed below alongside their optimal movesets and weaknesses.

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

The very strange-looking Runerigus is a great choice, thanks to its particular dual Ground/Ghost type combination and high Defense stat.

To play this Pokemon correctly, you should teach it the Fast Move Shadow Claw. It benefits from STAB and has a good balance between damage and energy generation.

Even though it doesn’t benefit from STAB, pair Shadow Claw with Rock Tomb. It expands coverage and can be used to bait shields while it decreases your target’s Attack stat by 20%. For the secondary Charged Move, go with Shadow Ball to deal massive damage at a very low cost.

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

The surprise star of this cup is Cradily, which has never really had any viability in the Pokemon Go Battle League before but is currently ranking high on PvPoke. This is most likely thanks to a very strong moveset and bulkiness.

While Bullet Seed and Infestation have fast energy generation, Acid is pretty decent and can help Cradily mainly against Grass-type opponents. Meanwhile, Rock Tomb is effective against Fire types and decreases the target’s Attack stat by 20%, and Grass Knot can take care of Water enemies. Plus, both benefit from STAB.

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 happy crocodile works perfectly as a charger or closer, thanks to its stats and moves. Despite its weaknesses, it can resist very used Pokemon types such as Steel and Fire, which is very handy.

Shadow Claw is an excellent Fast Move that helps Feraligatr expand its coverage while accessing its Charged Moves faster, as it has very high energy generation. Hydro Cannon is mandatory, as it is very cheap, has STAB, deals good damage, and can be spammed. With it, the opponent is forced to use their shields early on, leaving them defenseless for the rest of your team.

Then, you can add Ice Beam as the secondary Charged Move to target this Pokemon’s Grass-type weakness.

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, like every other Steel-type Pokemon, has an incredible amount of resistances, which is always wonderful to have. It also has a really good Defense, so it can be either used as a lead or a switch, as it will endure the damage.

As a lead, Steelix can push the enemies’ shields by spamming Thunder Fang, a very fast move with heavy damage. Moreover, both Charged Moves are very cheap and fast, and can decrease the opponent’s Defense stat by 20% while targeting different types.

Bellibolt

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

The pure Electric-type from Bellibolt is ideal to face the many Water-types in the current meta. Plus, it has pretty good stats – with a lot of Stamina – and a very powerful move pool players can work with.

While Thunder Shock provides maximum energy generation, Sucker Punch can expand Bellibolt’s coverage while also dealing good damage and energy generation.

The Charged Moves should be Parabolic Charge to increase the user’s Defense stat by 25%, and the nuke Zap Cannon to decrease the target’s Attack stat 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 Pokemon works best as the lead or charger of a team. Plus, it has the necessary Defense to stand its ground while dealing good damage.

Astonish is a very spammy move that will allow it to access its Charged Moves fast while also getting rid of the opponent’s shields. The key to Dusknoir making it into the League is mainly because of Shadow Punch, an excellent Ghost-type move, and Dynamic Punch, a Fighting-type attack that expands its coverage.

Lickilicky (XL)

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

The bulky Lickilicky is a very solid choice for the League, as it only has one weakness, and its move pool allows it to hit a wide range of types with Normal, Shadow, and Rock attacks.

Rollout is a move that offers fast charge, allowing Lickilicky to access Charged Moves more quickly. Body Slam can be used as shield bait, while Shadow Ball works as a coverage nuke to target league favorites 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

Dual Normal/Psychic-type Oranguru might not be the first Pokemon that comes to mind when thinking about great fighters for the Go Battle League. However, thanks to its type combination, coverage, bulkiness, and spammy moves, Oranguru earned a solid place on our list.

While all of its Fast Moves benefit from STAB, Zen Headbutt and Yawn are really low-quality options, so go with Confusion for good damage output. Then, for the Charged Moves, use Trailblaze to increase your Attack stat by 25% and then hit hard 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

The crazy-looking Ludicolo works best as a flexible pressure pick thanks to its wide coverage and strong bulk.

Its Fast Move, Astonish, provides decent energy gain, helping it reach its Charged Moves quickly while adding niche Ghost-type coverage.

The Charged Move Weather Ball (Water) is the core of the set, offering cheap, STAB damage to pressure shields consistently. Then, Leaf Storm rounds things out as a powerful finisher, letting Ludicolo punish Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types hard if shields are down.

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

This dual Water/Steel-type Pokemon has climbed the ranks in the League and sits at the top thanks to its powerful Attack and formidable Defenses. It serves as a great counter to Pokemon like Florges, Togekiss, and Clefable.

Metal Sound is a good, fast charge move, which makes it very spammy. As for the Charged Move, Hydro Cannon is the way to go due to its high damage and very low cost. Plus, it’s one of the best Water-type moves in the whole game. If you can afford a secondary Charged Move, Drill Peck can help you expand your coverage.

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

Forretress is one solid choice for any team as it boasts a ton of useful resistances, and it’s only weak to one type (Fire), which is not being played a lot during this season. Plus, it has a great Defense stat.

Bug-type moves are not good at all in Pokemon Go, so instead, go with Volt Switch as your Fast Move to deal decent damage early on.

For the Charged Moves, use Rock Tomb to decrease your opponent’s Attack stat and bait their shields. Then you can finish them up with the nuke Earthquake, one of the best moves in the entire game. Plus, it leaves you with triple coverage – Electric, Rock, and Ground.

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 gigantic jellyfish offers trainers an incredible bulk, along with a vast list of resistances that will keep it alive during an encounter.

Both of Jellicent’s Fast Moves are great options that benefit from STAB. While Bubble offers stronger Water-type coverage, Hex has slightly faster energy generation, as well as Ghost-type coverage.

To balance Hex, go with Surf as your Charged Move. It is not only really cheap, but it also deals great damage and benefits from STAB. As your secondary option, use the nuke Shadow Ball. If you need a different type of coverage, you can switch 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

Even though Grumpig doesn’t have others’ impressive bulk, this Pokemon is a great choice for the Ultra Premier Cup as it offers wide coverage and decent, solid stats.

While Charge Beam is a good fast-charge Fast Move, Psywave is way better, as it also benefits from STAB. Pair it with the Charged Move Dynamic Punch. It is cheap and can expand – even more – this Pokemon’s coverage.

As a secondary Charged Move, go for Shadow Ball. It is actually not expensive at all, and it is a Ghost-type nuke that will leave your Grumpig protected against several opponents.

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

Like most Steel-type Pokemon, one of Corviknight’s advantages is the many resistances it has. That, along with its very good Defense and Stamina stats, makes this a very difficult creature to take down.

Even though it’s the only Fast Move that doesn’t benefit from STAB, Sand Attack offers great coverage and has a very fast energy gain.

As for the Charged Moves, Air Cutter is quite spammy, so it can help you take down the opponent’s shields. Plus, it benefits from STAB and has a 30% chance of boosting your Attack stat by 25%. Payback, on the other hand, is a coverage nuke all trainers using Corviknight should have as a secondary choice.

Lapras

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

Besides its great bulk, Lapras has an impressive move pool, with four Fast Moves and seven Charged Moves to pick from.

Even though focusing only on Water and Ice moves to benefit from STAB would be the logical thing to do, for the Fast Move, it is best to go with Psywave. It offers the most energy generation out of all the options, and it expands Lapras’s coverage.

Skull Bash, Blizzard, and Hydro Pump are quite expensive moves, and with a few other options available, they are just not worth it. Instead, use Sparkling Aria for a solid Charged Move with STAB. It costs the same as Surf but does five more damage.

As for the secondary Charged Move, Ice Beam will offer more coverage against Grass, Dragon, and Flying opponents while also benefiting from STAB.

Pokemon Go Ultra Premier rules & restrictions explained

As mentioned before, the Ultra Premier Cup is quite a special challenge in the Pokemon Go Battle League, as all creatures can participate, except Legendaries, Mythicals, and Ultra Beasts.

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

The latest Battle League season is underway, running from December 2, 2025, until March 3, 2025. For the rest of its run, the Ultra Premier will appear on:

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

This means you’ll only have one week to dominate this Go Battle League competition and work your way to the top.