The Great League's best Pokémon Go teams

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The Great League's best Pokémon Go teams

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The Big league is the perfect place to start with Go Battle League if you haven't tried your hand at competitive fighting yet Pokémon Go.

While the other leagues have their thrills, they can get bogged down with rare Legendary Pokemon, XL Candy requirements, and lots of exclusive Community Day moves.

The Great League comes closest Pokémon Go There needs to be a level playing field, and while it still has its bits and pieces, it's a great place to learn the basics of competition, try out a few Pokemon, and enjoy a few battles with friends.

We'll break down the best team in the Great League to get you started Pokémon Goand where the Great League meta is right now.

What is the Great League meta currently?

Pokémon Go Dual Destinies promo art

The current Dual Destinies season (pictured) is a good time to grab some useful Legendaries for this league.
Image: Niantic / The Pokémon Company

While there haven't been many new Pokémon in the Ultra League and Master League for quite some time, the Great League's lower cap means that every new entry has a chance. And boy, did some new Pokémon really make an impression.

Despite being a recent addition, Galarian Corsola is taking the Great League by storm and has most recently been a mainstay in the Toronto Regionals. Additionally, another new addition, Morpeko, was originally so powerful that he had to be banned from competition, although he has now returned after some tweaks.

Eventually, Starmie learned Psywave and Surf, rounding out the Pokémon's movepool and adding to the Pokémon's already impressive resume.

While the Great League is all about Pokémon under 1,500 CP and is a free, pint-sized game for all, there are also several different versions of the Great League in the upcoming calendar. For the sake of brevity, this guide is just a general Great League guide for the Standard format for the foreseeable future.

Finally, when it comes to the move for both the Great League and the Go Battle League as a whole, there were some big changes to the competition in Season 20 and Season 21 Pokémon Gospecifically some move buffs – with increased damage for Thunder Punch, Ice Punch and Fire Punch. Meanwhile, some move additions have made a big impact, such as Bibarel learning Rollout and Gliscor learning Sand Attack if one of them is on your team.

Suggestions for the Great League's best teams

With the lower CP limit of 1,500, you should be able to get most of these Pokémon without any problems. Here are our top Great League team picks:

  • Clodsire, Galarian Corsola, Pangoro
  • Mandibuzz, Diggersby and Primeape

Let's go through them separately.

Clodsire, Galarian Corsola, Pangoro

Clodsire, Pangoro and Galarian Corsola.

Our top Pokémon suggestions for the Big League, from left to right: Clodsire, Pangoro, and Galarian Corsola.
Image: Niantic / The Pokémon Company via Polygon

Oh ClodsireFirst in most rankings and first in our hearts. While Paldean Wooper's new development appears humble in their eyes, it is actually a major threat. This is mainly due to the fantastic defensive typings and stats, as well as access to some pretty handy moves. The dual Poison and Ground type makes Clodsire a threat to many common threats like Azumarill and Drapion.

You want to do Poison Sting as a quick attack to generate energy quickly, then follow up with the charged attacks Mud Bomb and Earthquake. Just like in the mainline games, Earthquake is one of the best attack moves ever, only supported here by the STAB bonus. However, if you're having trouble with Pokemon like Talonflame, you can run Clodsire with Stone Edge instead of Sludge Bomb, but Earthquake has to stay.

The introduction of the regional form in Pokémon Sun and Moon has firmly established itself as a popular feature in the community, and perhaps no other Pokémon has used this feature as skillfully as Galar Corsola. Drawing inspiration from the bleached corals found on the coasts of Australia and other real-world locations, Galarian Corsola adopts a ghostly white complexion and the Ghost type.

Yes, you may also be wondering why Galarian Corsola is here and not its evolution Cursola, and that has to do with the way the stats are distributed. Since Galarian Corsola has high defense and stamina but low attack, it can level up quite a bit before reaching the 1,500 CP cap. However, Cursola trades its mass for attack, ultimately making it much more frail.

Galarian Corsola is a pure Ghost-type Pokémon that unfortunately has some glaring weaknesses against Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon, which is where counters like Mandibuzz, Morpeko, and Pangoro come into play. But STAB moves like Astonishment and Nightshade take out some enemies like Gallade, and the second Charged Move Power Gem is there for flying threats like Jumpluff, Talonflame, and Mandibuzz.

After all, how many teams, On the shopping cart is here to deal with a teammate as it will help you take down any opposing Galar Corsola. Mighty Pangoro is both Fighting- and Dark-type, giving it resistance to Ghost, Psychic, Dark, and Stone-type Pokémon. STAB-Boosted Fast Move Karate Chop quickly builds up energy and causes problems for other Dark-type Pokémon like Malamar.

Then, a mix of charged moves with melee and night slashes apply pressure to common enemies like Diggersby, Dunsparce, and Bibarel. Your main problem will be finding a Pancham with the ideal IV spread of 0/15/15, as it currently only hatches from eggs.

This team's best moves, IVs and alternative suggestions:

Pokémon

type

Fast movement

Charged movements

IVs

Clodsire Poison/soil Poison sting Mud Bomb/Earthquake 00/15/15
Galar Corsola Spirit Amazement Nightshade/Power Gem 00/15/15
On the shopping cart Fighting/Dark Karate chop Melee/Night Slash 00/15/15

  • Clodsire Alternatives: Drapion (Shadow), Toxapex and Nidoqueen
  • Galarian Corsola Alternatives: Decidueye, Drifblim and Dragapult
  • Pango alternatives: Machamp (shadow), Primeape (shadow) and Greninja

Mandibuzz, Diggersby and Primeape

Primeape, Diggersby and Mandibuzz.

Our top Great League Pokémon suggestions, from left to right: Primeape, Diggersby, and Mandibuzz.
Image: Niantic / The Pokémon Company via Polygon

Dark And Flying type competitor Mandibuzz has great coverage and solid attack stats to back it up. STAB Snarl and Dark Pulse are a big problem for Galarian Corsola, while Aerial Ace helps counter some Grass-type threats like Jumpluff.

Many people might be tempted to swap Mandibuzz for Pangoro, and they occupy very similar roles, so it's largely up to you which role you want to choose. For this team, Primeape is a good teammate, filling the offensive Fighting-type role left by Pangoro and helping to take down bulky Normal-type threats like Dunsparce and Diggersby.

Speaking of which Diggersbythe Normal and Ground-type Rabbit Pokémon, has been rising in the rankings recently thanks to the increased power of moves like Fire Blast. If you use Quick Attack to gain energy quickly, then fortunately Diggersby has a pretty impressive Attack stat to deal with some of the bulkier enemies.

Charged Move Fire Punch helps with some Great League Steel and Grass-type threats like Steelix and Jumpluff, while Scorching Steps is a fantastic choice for the second Charged Move. This ground move is fantastic and helps Diggersby score some important wins against Pokemon like Drapion, Clodsire, and Morpeko. Be careful because it has a whopping four weaknesses.

Ultimately, this team is rounded off by humility First. Another choice where you want the lesser form rather than an evolution. The reason for Primeape over Annihilape is that while the former can learn Karate Chop, the latter cannot. This powerful move, Fast Move, generates energy quickly and really helps take down bulky Normal-type threats. However, if you don't have a Primeape yet, this move will cost you an Elite TM.

To round out this package, Primeape also has the charged moves Rage Fist and Close Combat, which are probably the best options. However, if you want to outsmart your opponent, Ice Punch can occasionally be a viable option. Still, the STAB melee combat power is phenomenal when it comes to taking out enemies like Mandibuzz, Dunsparce, and Diggersby.

This team's best moves, IVs and alternative suggestions:

Pokémon

type

Fast movement

Charged movements

IVs

Mandibuzz Dark/Flying Growl Dark Pulese/Aerial Ace 00/15/15
Diggersby Normal/Mass Quick attack Fire Blast/Scorching Sand 00/15/15
First Battle Karate chop Rage Fist/Melee 00/15/15

  • Mandibuzz alternatives: Umbreon, Galarian Moltres. and Honchkrow (shadow)
  • Diggersby alternatives: Clodsire, Lickitung and Hippowdon (Shadow)
  • Primeape alternatives: Pangoro, Machamp (Shadow) and Gallade (Shadow)

In summary, one of the most exciting things about the Great League is that there are just so many viable options. We've picked a select few here, but there are still some massive threats like Malamar, Bibarel, Starmie and even Miltank. This means you can experiment without spending too much candy to get it as close to the 1,500 CP cap as possible.

While the Master League requires the most perfect IVs possible, as mentioned, here you want to find Pokemon with 0 Attack IVs and high Defense and Stamina to get your Pokemon as high as possible before you hit the CP limit.

Finally, keep an eye on the new additions to the Pokédex, as this league is the most malleable in the league and each new addition has the chance to shake up the rankings even more.

If you want more Go Battle League tips, we also have some recommendations for the best Ultra League teams.

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