Niantic’sPokemon Gohas now introduced a Battle League, where trainers can battle in random pair-ups (usually) and compete to rank up in the league. Depending on a Trainer’s rank, they can battle in a league with a CP limit per Pokemon or the Master League, which has no limit and allows any Pokemon in. Obviously, this is the hardest league of all, unless Trainers are Level 40 with Pokemon at the highest CP they possibly can be.
Since the Battle League is filled with power-hungry Trainers furiously tapping at their screens, it can be difficult. But bearing some tips in mind will help Trainers dominatePokemon Gobattles.
Updated on August 02, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:WithPokemon GOFest 2024 activities giving players access to experiences such as the chance of getting Special Backgrounds from Ultra Beasts and Necrozma alongside various bonuses and Field Researches, fans may also be encouraged to get the game’s special Pokemon offerings to train them for the game’s riveting PVP mode. However, players may soon realize that just because they have powerful Pokemon doesn’t necessarily mean they’re equipped to handle PVP. On top of having decent Pokemon, Trainers may want to try tips on approaching thePokemon GOBattle League properly. These include paying close attention to one’s choice of Charged Attacks, being mindful of Energy consumption, testing their Pokemon’s mettle in other Battle Leagues, and maximizing rewards through specific playing styles.
Remember The Basics
Get The Right Foundation To Know How To Improve
Before players get into the Pokemon GO Battle League, they need to remember the basics of the AR game’s PVP modes to have foundational knowledge on how to improve all aspects of their gameplay. In a nutshell:
How To Win Pokemon Go Battles
In aPokemon Gobattle, players are given three Pokemon to fight against someone else. Once each of these three Pokemon has fainted, a player loses. Here are other things to consider:
Train In Specific Leagues
Consider Building A Roster Via Great League And Ultra League
Similar to weight divisions, the GO Battle League inPokemon GOseparates teams of Pokemon according to their specific roster:
Players who want to take on tougher PVP fights inPokemon GOgameplay should ideally shoot for Master League match-ups. However, players who simply put a team of three 2,500 CP Pokemon would be surprised to find that even their best three-star units are no match for regular Master League participants. This is often because Combat Power can only be powered up to 10 levels above a player’s current Level - which means a Pokemon can reach up to Level 50 (or upgrades) when their Trainer reaches Level 40.
For a no-cap Battle League like the Master League, this means players utilizing the meta are likely not only Level 40 and above but likely have gone in-depthwith their Pokemon’s stats. In turn, players should ideally only venture into Master League by the time they’ve developed a reliable roster in the Great and Ultra Leagues, and especially if they haven’t reached Level 40.
Tank For Easy Wins
Start From Scratch For More Casual Fights
While players who want to get intoPokemon GO’s more intense gameplay mechanicsby jumping right into Ultra League or even Master League, the possibility of constantly losing to extreme meta builds can turn off players from PVP entirely. A possible alternative to this would be players venturing into more “casual” play viatanking, or deliberately starting from a much lower rank. This can be done through the following rotation:
Due to the streak-based system ofPokemon GO’s PVP rewards, deiveloping a reliable team to “climb the ranks” can net better rewards. Lastly,tanking is ideally done during the latter part of the season, that way players won’t encounter extremely strong players as they climb the ranks considering those Trainers have likely earned their top spots much earlier.
Remember Type Advantages
More Damage Based On Type Means Defeating Enemies Faster
Similar to the core games, it helps to remember thatPokemon Goalso has itsfair share of advantages and disadvantageswhen Pokemon of a certain type fight other Pokemon. It also helps to remember that since Pokemon may have two types, their strengths and weaknesses may add up.
In a general sense,a Pokemon of a type stronger than their enemy will likely deal double damage to that Pokemon. This happens on the opposite side as well. Perhaps more dangerous is when double Typing affects types in general, where strengths and weaknesses can cancel each other out. However, a Pokemon of two types that have the same weakness can take four times as much damage from said type.
Be Careful With Energy
Conserve Energy Whenever Possible
Building up for Charged Attacks is a vital part of PVPinPokemon GOgameplay, especially when the aforementioned Moves form the crux of damage-dealing combos in fights. While it’s a common trend for players to dish out their Charged Attacks as soon as they’re prepared, there are actually ways of launching these Moves that work to a player’s advantage. Ideally, players should take note of their Moves’ and Pokemon’s Types before engaging specific Pokemon.
If they know their Pokemon can already counter the opponent’s Type, there’s no immediate need to hit them with a Charged Attack. Instead, players can keep their Charged Attack prepared and dish it out as soon as the enemy release their next Pokemon. If players start to understand how fast a Charged Attack can be prepared, they can strategize whether preserving their Charged Attack is the right call or if they can dish one now and preserve their next Charged Attack for later.
Get Another Charged Attack
More Charged Attacks Ensures Counters Against Opponents
Unlike in otherPokemongames,Pokemon Gowill have each Pokemon learn aQuick Attackand aCharged Attack, with the latter charging up slower but dealing more damage. For Trainers who want to keep a competitive edge in combat, perhaps they should take advantage of the ability to learn another Charged Attack.
Given how expensive Charged Attacks are, it’s important to be strategic as to which Pokemon should learn them. It’s recommended toteach a second Charged Attack of a type that matches their chosen Pokemon. Moreover, it helps to prioritize a Pokemon players would use in a lot of battles, such as Trainer Battles, Gyms, and Raids.
Charged Attack Choice Matters
Find Charged Attacks That Build Up Faster
While usualPokemonmatches will have IVs and Types indicate how strong Moves are,Pokemon GOalso relies on timing. While all Pokemon can usually only bring one Fast Attack anda Charged Attack(or even two Charged Attacks), not all of these Moves are built equal. In fact, players who want a competitive edge in PVP should equip their Pokemon withCharged Attacks that build up faster than usual.
The main point of relying on a fast-building Charged Attack is to scare opponents into using their Shields against a spammable Charged Attack that deals little damage. It’s for this reason that Mud Shot (Fast Attack) into Muddy Water (Charged Attack) by the likes of Stunfisk are often used to render enemies defenseless before nuking combos such as Mud Shot (Fast Attack) into Hydro Cannon (Charged Attack) are used to finish them off. Players who want to dominate PVP should check which of their Pokemon pull off their combos the fastest and consider how they work into their synergies.
Both Attack And Defense Matter
Timing The Activation Of Shields Can Secure A Player’s Survival
While the essence of aPokemon Gobattle is tooutlast the opponent’s Pokemon, there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes – particularly with how each player prioritizes their defensive and offensive elements. Aside from Attacks,players need to take note how many Protect Shields they have and how often their Charged Attacks arrive.
For instance, limited Protect Shields exist that can defend a Pokemon from a Charged Attack. However, it helps to only use Protect Shields for Pokemon vital to the player’s success. Likewise, it helps to force opponents to use their own Protect Shields by using as many Charged Attacks as possible.
Pay Attention To Other Stats
Compute Hidden Stats To Get Better Insights
At its core,a Pokemon inPokemon Gohas their Combat Power or CP as probably the best stat to determine their overall prowess, especially against other Pokemon andeven Raid Bosses. However, it’s important to remember that CP combines the basic characteristics of a Pokemon – Attack, Defense, and HP/Stamina. Thing is, players need to take note of a few hidden stats as well.
For instance, Pokemon have a “level” that appears as a white semicircle above their icon in the stats page. This bar progresses and slowly improves CP whenever the Pokemon powers up and can only exceed its limit whenever players level up. There are also ways to manually backtrack the computation for a Pokemon’s Attack, Defense, and Stamina, but the consensus here is that a higher-CP Pokemon is likely superior in these hidden stats compared to others.
Switching Out Has Benefits
Create A Roster Based On Switch Out Potential
Some players might think that needing to switch out a Pokemonputs them at an advantageas this essentially encourages the opponent to attack them further. However, when used strategically, switching out Pokemon can give players the time they need to pull off a counter-attack to win the match.
Players who know their Pokemon is weak to the opponent’s should switch out to a neutral type or a type stronger than the opponent’s.A good way to time switch-outs is to switch just before the opponent’s Charged Attack is full, making sure that the player’s Pokemon won’t receive the brunt of the damage.
Tap As Fast As You Can
Fast Fingers Launch More Charged Attacks
The Fast Attack is going to be the Trainer’s best friend in a battle.Tapping the screen will make the Pokemon attack using their Fast Attack, and it’ll power up their Charged Attack. Tapping rapidly means more damage and your Pokemon’s Charged Attack powering up faster, so it can be used much sooner.
People often make the mistake of thinking damage taken is what’s powering up the Charged Attack, but it’s not.
Don’t Use Protect Shields Right Away
Save Up Shields For Clinchers
Trainers get Protect Shields to use that will nullify the opponent’s Charged Attack. Although most trainers will use these right away to block the first two Charged Attack, it’s worth considering if that’s a wise move. For example — would players want to use a Shield to protect a Pokemon that has one HP left from a Charged Attack, when the next Fast Attack would force it to faint anyway? Is it worth protecting their Gyrados from a Vaporeon’s Aqua Tail that wouldn’t do too much damage anyway?
Use TMs Until Satisfied With Your Attacks
Create The Best Combination That Works For The Pokemon
Before players even enter the battle, pick a Pokemon anduse TMsover and over until they are satisfied with the attacks they have. For example, Tyranitar can have Crunch that’s only a 70 for power. But it can also have Stone Edge which is 100, and even Fire Blast which is a whopping 140. It’s worth cycling through the attacks if players have the TMs to do so until they have the most powerful attack they prefer.
Multiple Moves Are Worth It
If players are willing to spend the stardust and candy, Pokemon can have multiple Charged Attacks. Although when one is used, they both power back down to zero and have to recharge, it’s really worth having two because of type advantages.
For example, Gyarados can have Hydro Cannon which is aWater-typemove, but also a Dragon-type such as Dragon Rage. Players can pick which move to use based on your opponent, which might come in real handy later.
Time Your Charged Attacks
Look For Openings
It’s also worth timing Charged Attacks. If players aim a Charged Attack at a trainer who has no Protect Shields left, why use it on their current Pokemon who would die in a couple more Fast Attacks anyway?
Unless they’re about to fire their own Charged Attack,the best strategy is usually to wait until the next Pokemon is released, because by then players will have the ability to take out more HP.
Train With The Leaders If You Need Practice
Test Combinations Against Leaders
If players are really struggling, they can scroll down to the bottom of the battle page and train with the team leaders. This is a good idea because it lets players practice Charged Attacks (since they require a mini game to see how effective they are).
It also lets a player’s team learn about type advantages you may not have thought about.
Power Up Your Friendships
Reap Friendship Benefits
Players can power up their friendships to battle with Ultra and Best Friends without being anywhere near them!
This is great practice and will definitely feel like a more personal version of battling next to battling random people. The final two levels of friendship are the ones that allow this.
Don’t Overpower Pokemon
Check If A Pokemon Over 2500CP Fits The Meta
If Trainers have an awesome Pokemon that has 2499 CP, maybe it’s best not to power them up. They’ll only be able to compete in the Master League and if they were their favorite Pokemon to use in the Ultra League.
As such, players should think twice before powering them up.Once a Pokemon is above 2500, however, go nuts— there are no limits above this, so from there on in, it’s a good idea to just spend all stardust on repeat powering.
