DEXERTOPokemon Go‘s Master Premier requires competitive trainers to bring their strongest team to the table, though there are some key restrictions. Here’s our list of the best Pokemon in this Battle League tier.
Players looking to compete against one another can find no better place than the Battle League. There are three main leagues: the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League. However, they can have different modifiers, such as the Master Premier League.
In Master Premier, there’s no CP limit, but trainers are not allowed to use Legendaries, Mythicals, or Ultra Beasts.
So, for those wondering which of their strongest Pokemon to bring into Master Premier now that it’s back in the Might and Mastery season, we’ve got a list that should help you narrow down the best team.
Best team for the Pokemon Go Master Premier League
One of the best teams you can use in Pokemon Go’s Master Premier League is Florges, Goodra, and Gyarados. These are three of the strongest Pokemon in the current meta that will provide wide coverage against most types while meeting the League requirements, too.
Of course, it’s impossible to say what the “ultimate team” will be with so many strong choices available. There will always be Pokemon your opponent sends out that can counter your team that may simply blindside you after getting into battle.
Having said that, we’ve listed several Pokemon (along with their weaknesses and optimal movesets) that should serve you well in most battles. However, they’ll require XL Candy to reach their full potential, as the Master Premier League is one of the most expensive leagues out there.
Best Master Premier Pokemon
Rhyperior (XL)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Mud-Slap
- Charged Moves: Rock Wrecker and Breaking Swipe
- Resistances: Poison, Electric, Rock, Normal, Flying, and Fire
- Weaknesses: Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel
The bulky Rhyperior is a great Pokemon to lead a team, thanks to its high Stamina stat that allows it to take hits well.
Mud-Slap deals heavy damage for a Fast Move and can also be spammed to access the Charged Moves faster and to force opponents to waste their shields early on in the battle.
The Charged Move Rock Wrecker is one of the best in the game, as it has a very low energy cost and deals massive damage, while Breaking Swipe has great power, low cost, and can decrease the target’s Attack stat by 20%.
Dragapult (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Astonish
- Charged Moves: Breaking Swipe and Shadow Ball
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Water, Poison, Grass, Fire, Electric, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Ice
The Gen 8 Dragapult became one of the most popular Pokemon from its generation, mainly due to its type combination, as well as its Attack and Speed stats.
For the Master Premier, the Fast Move Astonish is the way to go, as it offers better energy generation. This will allow players to access the Charged Moves sooner to take down the enemy shields.
The Charged Move Breaking Swipe should be the first choice as it is very cheap and has a high chance of debuffing the opponent’s Attack stat by 20%. Then, the nuke Shadow Ball can be used as a secondary Charged Move that also benefits from STAB.
Primarina (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Waterfall
- Charged Moves: Disarming Voice and Hydro Cannon
- Resistances: Dragon, Water, Ice, Fire, Fighting, Dark, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, and Poison
Primarina’s type combination offers the Water Starter from the Alola region many useful resistances for this League, including Dragon, Water, and even Bug.
Both Fast Moves – Waterfall and Charm – are incredibly good choices with high STAB damage, though low energy generation. The only difference between them is their coverage.
For the Charged Move, Hydro Cannon is the way to go for a cheap option to bait the target’s shields while also making up for the low energy generation from the Fast Moves. For more coverage, use Disarming Voice, as it benefits from STAB too and is relatively cheap.
Ursaluna (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Tackle
- Charged Moves: Swift and High Horsepower
- Resistances: Electric, Ghost, Poison, and Rock
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Grass, Ice, and Water
One of the best Ground-type Pokemon fans can bring into the Master Premier is Ursaluna. This sturdy creature from the Hisui region can take hits and deal out damage in many different types, thanks to its high Attack and Stamina stats, as well as good Charged Moves.
The buff the Fast Move Tackle received makes it a good option for this League, as it benefits from STAB and offers decent damage output and energy generation.
For the Charged Moves, a combination of the low-cost Swift with the powerful High Horsepower is the way to go. They benefit from STAB, have great synergy, and complement each other’s coverage.
Feraligatr (XL)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Ice Beam
- Resistances: Fire, Ice, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric and Water
Another top-tier Water-type to bring into Master Premier is the Gen 2 starter, Feraligatr. This intimidating gator packs a punch thanks to strong moves and good type coverage. Additionally, it’ll probably be fairly easy to raise one up to the maximum rank.
Feraligatr’s ideal moveset consists of Shadow Claw as its Fast Move – to take advantage of its high energy generation and coverage – and Hydro Cannon as its main Charged Move due to its strong STAB damage and low cost.
For a secondary Charged Move, use Ice Beam. It has a low cost and can target Feraligatr’s weakness to Grass-type opponents.
Golisopod (XL)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Aqua Jet and Aerial Ace
- Resistances: Fighting, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Flying, and Rock
Another Pokemon with excellent type coverage is Golisopod, who serves as a great all-rounder in the Master Premier.
The Fast Move Shadow Claw has excellent stats and offers wider coverage, while Aqua Jet is a strong Charged Move that benefits from STAB.
Use Aerial Ace as a secondary Charged Move to expand Golisopod’s coverage.
Annihilape (Shadow XL)
Nianitc / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Moves: Rage Fist and Ice Punch
- Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Normal, Poison, and Rock
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic
Annihilape has taken a sit in a lot of Battle League competitions since its debut. With Marshadow, these are the only two Fighting/Ghost creatures in the franchise, so this is a type to exploit.
Counter is a great Fast Move in Pokemon Go, thanks to its high damage and decent energy generation, so make sure you have that.
When it comes to Charged Moves, you’ll want Rage Fist – Annihilape’s signature move – for big Ghost-type damage. Besides its low cost, good DPE, and attack boosts, when paired with Counter, it provides nearly unresisted damage.
If you need extra coverage, use Ice Punch as the secondary Charged Move.
Dragonite (Shadow XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Dragon Claw and Superpower
- Resistances: Grass, Ground, Bug, Fighting, Fire, and Water
- Weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock
Dragonite has always been a good choice for any League, but following the addition of Superpower to its moveset, it has the ability to take down meta-ruling Steel types like Metagross and Gholdengo.
Dragon Breath is the winner when it comes to Fast Moves, so pair this with the Charged Move Dragon Claw for some huge STAB power that will let you take down other Dragon types.
Finally, you’ll want Superpower as your secondary Charged Move to target those tricky Steel-type Pokemon.
Gholdengo (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Hex
- Charged Moves: Shadow Ball and Focus Blast
- Resistances: Poison, Normal, Bug, Steel, Rock, Psychic, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fighting, Fairy, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
Gholdengo is an outstanding closer that any trainer should consider adding to their team. This singular Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon has an incredibly high Attack stat, decent stamina, and 12 resistances.
The strategy is pretty simple. Start with the Fast Move Hex to quickly charge your stronger moves while dealing some damage. Then, hit enemies with the nuke Shadow Ball – which is cheap and has solid DPE – and use Focus Blast as a powerful coverage attack.
Gyarados (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Crunch
- Resistances: Ground, Bug, Fighting, Fire, Steel, Water
- Weaknesses: Electric and Rock
The tried and true Gyarados is a strong contender in the Master Premier League thanks to its versatile moveset, which can take down Rhyperior, Dragonite, and even Feraligatr.
Its move pool includes fantastic Water, Dark, and Dragon-type attacks. However, due to its regular Defense stat, you might want to save a shield to protect Gyarados from an incoming attack.
Use Dragon Breath as a Fast Move to take advantage of its high damage and decent energy generation. Pair it with a cheap Charged Move like Aqua Tail to get rid of your opponent’s shields. You can add Crunch as a secondary Charged Move to expand Gyarados’s coverage.
Goodra (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Thunder Punch
- Resistances: Electric, Fire, Grass, and Water
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, and Ice
This slimy Dragon from Gen 6 has an outstanding bulk, which is a big factor in its success in the Master Premier, alongside its spammy moves. Plus, it has great type coverage in its movepool.
With five different types across both Fast and Charged Moves, it can counter many different Pokemon, making it useful for almost all scenarios.
Out of both Fast Moves, Dragon Breath is the stronger choice as it benefits from STAB. For the Charged Move, Aqua Tail can expand your coverage while baiting the enemy shields and dealing decent damage. Use Thunder Punch to target Water-type opponents.
Florges (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Trailblaze and Moonblast
- Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Dark, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
With so many Dragon types present, Florges is a secure choice to stand strong against all of them. Dragonite, Goodra, Dragapult, and Baxcalibur are all prime targets. Additionally, strong picks like Ursaluna, Feraligatr, and Gyarados will also struggle against it.
This Pokemon is not only bulky, but it only has two weaknesses, making it a prime choice for any team.
For the Fast Move, go with Fairy Wind, as it has fast charge and deals pretty good damage despite being a little expensive. For the Charged Move, pick Trailbraze to boost your Attack stat 25% and then – if you can afford a secondary Charged Move – use Moonblast to finish off your opponent. Plus, it will decrease your target’s Attack by 20%, too.
Pokemon Go Master Premier rules & restrictions
The Master Premier is one of the most unique challenges in the Pokemon Go Battle League, as the Pokemon who fight in it don’t have a CP limit. This means that any creature with any combat power can join your dream team.
However, no Legendaries, Mythicals, or Ultra Beasts can participate in it.
Master Premier start & end date
The latest Pokemon Go Battle League season will run from March 4, 2025, until June 3, 2025.
During that time window, the Master Premier League will take place from April 1, 2025, until April 8, 2025, along with the Great League.
This means you’ll have only one week to dominate this Go Battle League tier and work your way to the top.
Those are the best Pokemon you can add to your Master Premier team during this Pokemon Go season. For more content, check our guide with the Battle League schedule and rewards, as well as all the best attackers, defenders, and PvP champions.
