How to prepare your Pokémon for the upcoming Pokémon Go Battle League

With the upcoming Pokémon Go Battle League, you may be wondering how to build a strong and versatile team. Here’s how!

Niantic recently announced a new feature coming to Pokémon Go: the Pokémon Go Battle League! While this feature will not be released until early next year and many of the details have yet to be released, there’s still plenty players can do to prepare their roster for the League and we’re here to help you do just that!

Which Pokémon should you focus on catching and powering up?

Which Pokémon are the best in Pokémon Go? With nearly 500 Pokémon available and more being added often, even seasoned players can find themselves struggling to answer this question. Each new Pokémon, move, or rebalance to come to the game has the potential to be a game changer (or to not matter at all!). Lucky for you, we’ve done the work in our own labs and are constantly updating our lists with each addition and alteration to the game.

While CP, IVs, and moves are all important in determining the value of a Pokémon in battle, some species of Pokémon are just better at their base. After all, the very best Pidgey with perfect IVs, high CP, and the best potential move set won’t be able to hold its own against even a low-level Gyarados. So what makes any particular species battle-worthy? Three basic things: max potential stats, move pool and versatility. That can be a lot to go through for even a handful of Pokémon, so we have a cheat sheet for you:

• Machamp – The best Fighting type currently in the game and one of the best attackers in the game, Machamp is the final evolution of Machop.
• Rayquaza – A Legendary Dragon and Flying type, this one cannot currently be caught but if you already have one, it’s definitely worth investing in this powerhouse.
• Rampardos – The Rock type final evolution of Cranidos, this Gen 4 Pokémon hasn’t been avaible for long but if you happen to have one, it’s well worth investing time and resources into building it up.
• Chandelure – The strongest Fire and Ghost type in the game, Chandelure is the final evolution of Litwick. It requires many candies and an Unova Stone to acquire and has only just been introduced so many players do not have this awesome Pokémon.
• Mewtwo – The iconic Psychic type Legendary from Gen 1, Mewtwo was the first EX Raid Pokémon but has since been rereleased in multiple forms. Still one of the strongest Pokémon, you’ll definitely want it on your team.
• Salamence – Another Dragon and Flying type, Salamence is the final evolution of Bagon. While it isn’t quite as strong as Rayquaza, it is much more readily available and was featured in April 2019’s Community Day so chances are you have this one already.
• Metagross – Another Community Day Pokémon, the Psychic and Steel type Metagross is the final evolution of Beldum. If you have one with Meteor Mash from October 2018’s Community Day, it will be an invaluable addition to your roster.
• Kyogre – A Legendary Water type, Kyogre cannot currently be caught but if you already have one, it’s the strongest Water type in the game and definitely worth powering up.
• Giratina (Origin forme) – A Legendary Ghost and Dragon type, Giratina is one of a select few Pokémon with multiple formes. In this case, the Origin forme is the one you want to focus on. While not currently available to catch, if you have one, build it up!
• Gengar – The Gen 1 Ghost and Poison type, Gengar has remained one of the strongest Ghost types in Pokémon Go. It is the final evolution of Gastly, a Pokémon you can catch all year round but which gets boosted spawn rates for the Halloween events.
• Kingler– The Gen 1 evolution of Krabby, this Water type boasts an even higher Attack stat than Gyarados and, since the introduction of its signature move, Crabhammer, it is an invaluable addition to any trainer’s roster, especially for those who missed out on Kyogre.
• Raikou – The Legendary Electric type, Raikou’s potential move set makes it the best Electric Pokémon in the game. It is not currently available to catch but if you have one, it is well worth your resources to boost up.
• Electivire – The final evolution of Electabuzz, this Gen 4 Electric type can be only be obtained with a Sinnoh Stone. However, if you missed out on Raikou, it is a solid alternative.
• Mamoswine – Another Pokémon to get the Community Day treatment, Mamoswine is the Ground and Ice type final evolution of Swinub. Although it requires a Sinnoh Stone to evolve, during the February 2019 Community Day, trainers could earn up to 10 Sinnoh Stones. If you participated or have since evolved this Pokémon, you definitely should power up your Mamoswines.
• Moltres – The Gen 1 Legenday Fire and Flying type, Moltres has been in Raids and Research rewards multiple times so many players will have at least one. It remains one of the strongest Fire types in the game and is worth your attention.
• Dialga – The Gen 4 Legendary Dragon and Steel type, Dialga is the only Dragon type in the game who doesn’t take Super Effective damage from other Dragon types and is the second strongest Steel types available. However, like most Legendaries, it has only been available in limited Raids so many do not have one to power up.
• Palkia – The counterpart to Dialga, this Dragon and Water type is a solid choice for your roster. While it’s not nearly as powerful as Rayquaza and lacks the necessary moves to be used as a primarily Water type attacker, it can more than hold its own as a Dragon type.
• Roserade – Another Sinnoh Stone evolution, Roserade is one of the best Grass and Poison types in the game. If you happen to have one or a strong Roselia and a Sinnoh Stone, it is definitely worth building up.
• Excadrill – The final evolution of the newly introduced Gen 5 Drillbur, this Ground and Steel type is one of the best Ground type attackers. It is still very new so many players do not have one yet but it fortunately only requires 50 candies to evolve so keep an eye out for those Drillburs.
• Dragonite – The Gen 1 Pseudo-Legendary Dragon and Flying type, Dragonite is the final evolution of Dratini. Having been featured in the second Community Day, as a reward for Special Research and one of the possible Shadow Pokémon featured in the Team Go Rocket’s arsenal, most players have at least one.
• Tyranitar – Another Pokémon to get the Community Day treatment as well as having been a common Raid boss, Tyranitar is the Dark and Rock type final evolution of Larvitar. It boasts very high stats and is readily available so you probably already have at least one that you’ve invested resources in.
• Blaziken – The Fire and Fighting type starter Pokémon, Blaziken is the final evolution of Torchic. Blaziken is easy to get and was featured in May 2019’s Community Day. While not the absolute best Fire or Fighting type, it is certainly one of the best that is readily available and its Community Day exclusive move Blast Burn make it a solid substitute for the stronger Fire types.
• Swampert – Another starter, Swampert is the Ground and Water type final evolution of Mudkip. Featured in July 2019’s Community Day, its limited move Hydro Cannon makes it a solid replacement for players who missed out on the Legendary Kyogre.
• Breloom – Evolution of the readily available Shroomish, this Fighting and Grass type Pokémon only costs 50 Candies to evolve and boasts the highest Attack stat of all the Fighting types. It has both excellent Fighting and Grass type moves, making it a versatile addition to your roster.
• Garchomp – The final evolution of Gen 4’s Gible, this Psuedo-Legendary Dragon and Ground type Pokémon doesn’t really compare to the Legendary Dragon types currently in the game but for players who missed out on the Legendaries, it can be a decent substitute.

These are certainly not the only options by far but they are the top 25 so if you’re hoping to achieve a high rank in the Pokémon Go Battle League, you should definitely focus on powering up Pokémon from this list. That having been said, we still don’t know what teams for the Pokémon Go Battle League will look like. They could be set up like the current PvP battles and Team Go Rocket Battles, in which players can only choose three Pokémon or they could be set up like Gym and Raid Battles, in which players can choose six Pokémon. What’s more, we don’t know if players will get to build a new team for each battle or must use the same team for several battles. Even if players can choose their team each time, unless they see their opponent’s team beforehand, the selection process could still prove quite challenging. However, these are the top 25 attackers, so if you work on them, you’re bound to have the best to choose from when the Pokémon Go Battle League begins.

How do types factor into building a team?

Something else that any Pokémon trainer worth their salt must know is the various Pokémon types and how to use types to their advantage. In Gen 1, Pokémon had 15 types but 3 more have been introduced since. Having to keep track of 18 different types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, is challenging enough but many Pokémon have two different types making it even more complicated. Fortunately, we’ve summed up each type in this straight forward chart:

Type	Super Effective Against	Resistant to	Not Very Effective Against	Weak to
Normal	None	Ghost	Rock, Steel, Ghost	Fighting
Fire	Bug Grass Ice Steel	Bug Fire Fairy Grass Ice Steel	Dragon Fire Rock Water	Ground Rock Water
Fighting	Dark Ice Normal Rock Steel	Bug Dark Rock	Bug Fairy Flying Poison Psychic Ghost	Fairy Flying Psychic
Water	Fire Ground Rock	Fire Ice Steel Water	Dragon Grass Water	Electric Grass
Flying	Bug Fighting Grass	Bug Fighting Grass Ground	Electric Rock Steel	Electric Ice Rock
Grass	Ground Rock Water	Electric Grass Ground Water	Bug Dragon Fire Flying Grass Poison Steel	Bug Fire Flying Ice Poison
Poison	Grass Fairy	Bug Fighting Fairy Grass Poison	Ghost Ground Poison Rock Steel	Ground Psychic
Electric	Flying Water	Electric Flying Steel	Dragon Electric Grass Ground	Ground
Ground	Electric Fire Poison Rock Steel	Poison Rock Electric	Bug Grass Flying	Grass Ice Water
Psychic	Fighting Poison	Fighting Psychic	Psychic Steel Dark	Bug Dark Ghost
Rock	Bug Fire Flying Ice	Fire Flying Normal Poison	Fighting Ground Steel	Fighting Grass Ground Steel Water
Ice	Dragon Flying Grass Ground	Ice	Fire Ice Steel Water	Fighting Fire Rock Steel
Bug	Dark Grass Psychic	Fighting Grass Ground	Fighting Fire Flying Fairy Ghost Poison Steel	Fire Flying Rock
Dragon	Dragon	Electric Fire Grass Water	Steel Fairy	Dragon Fairy Ice
Ghost	Ghost Psychic	Bug Poison Fighting Normal	Dark Normal	Dark Ghost
Dark	Ghost Psychic	Dark Ghost Psychic	Dark Fighting Fairy	Bug Fighting Fairy
Steel	Fairy Ice Rock	Bug Dragon Flying Fairy Grass Ice Normal Psychic Rock Steel Poison	Electric Fire Steel Water	Fighting Fire Ground
Fairy	Dark Dragon Fighting	Bug Dark Fighting Dragon	Fire Poison Steel	Poison Steel

If a type is Super Effective against another, that means it will do more damage. If a type is Resistant to another, that means it will receive less damage. Likewise, if a type is Not Very Effective against another, that means it does less damage and if a type is Weak to another, it takes more damage. While preparing your roster for the Pokémon Go Battle League, make sure you have Pokémon with a variety of types and move sets that are also varied. The more of the different types you are able to build up, the better chance you will have at being able to effectively counter your opponent’s team.

Which moves are the best for PvP battles?

Now that you know which Pokémon are the best to build up, you need to determine which move sets are best and if those move sets are even an option. While there are many moves that are either Legacy Moves (meaning they have been removed from a Pokémon’s potential move pool) or were limited to special events like Community Day or Legendary Raids, each Pokémon has a pool of potential moves that it can be assigned. If a move is currently in a Pokémon’s pool but your particular Pokémon doesn’t have that move, you can use Technical Machines or TMs to change your Pokémon’s move. TMs are single use and change to a random move from the potential pool so be careful before using them. Be extra careful if you have a Pokémon with a legacy or limited move because once you change its moves, you cannot get those back.

Players may also consider paying the sizable Stardust and Candy cost to add an additional attack to their top Pokémon. While the cost can be as much as 100K Stardust and 100 Candies for a Legendary Pokémon, having a second Charged move can make your Pokémon more versatile and give you a better chance of being able to take down your opponent. If you do decide to add a second move, make sure the Pokémon you’re considering has another strong charged move in its pool that is of a different type than the one it already has. While you may not get the move you want on the first try, using a Charged TM, you can select one of the moves to swap it out.

For more information on selecting the best possible moves for your Pokémon, see our Move Set Guide.

What are IVs and how do they impact the value of a Pokémon?

Another important factor to consider before building up any Pokémon is the Pokémon’s Individual Values or IVs. Unlike CP and HP, which are visible, IVs are hidden and can only be determined by having your Team Leader appraise your Pokémon. While appraisals used to be far more complicated requiring players to interpret a list of possible phrases along with doing a fair bit of math, the appraisal system is much more straight forward now.

1. Click on the Pokémon you wish to appraise.
2. Select the menu icon at the bottom right corner of the Pokémon’s screen.
3. Select Appraise.

It’s just that easy! Your Team Leader will show up and provide a chart with three stats (Attack, Defense and HP,) each consisting of three bars and an over all rating of 1, 2, or 3 stars. Ranging from 0 (the worst) up to 15 (perfect), the more of a stat’s bar is filled-in, the better that Pokémon’s base IV is. Having great IVs alone won’t make your Pokémon battle ready, but those IVs do determine the maximum Attack, Defense, and HP a Pokémon can have as you power it up. Ideally, you want those IVs to be as close to perfect as possible, but keep in mind that you’ll still need to spend Stardust and Candy to reach that max. The lower a Pokémon’s CP is, the more you’ll have to spend to get it ready for the League. Because very few players have huge stockpiles of Candy and Stardust lying around, it’s important to balance high CP with high IVs. After all, a lower IV Gyarados with CP in the 3000’s is going to perform better than a perfect 100% Gyarados with CP in the low 2000’s.

What will battles in the League look like?

As of right now, we don’t know what these League battles will look like. They could be three-on-three or six-on-six. They could be set up like PvP battles with CP limits or they could implement a new feature that automatically adjusts every Pokémon’s level to the same level, like the core Pokémon games use. Niantic already has a variety of options in Pokémon Go and the core games. Or it’s possible they could implement something entirely new.

Is there anything else you can do to prepare?

In addition to building up your existing Pokémon, you can practice battling in the various methods that already exist within Pokémon Go. Challenging Raid bosses, especially the 4 and 5 star Raids, not only gives you the chance to catch a new, strong Pokémon but also give practice attacking and dodging. Likewise, Team Go Rocket Grunts provide the chance to practice other battle mechanics, while also giving you the chance to catch and purify a Shadow Pokémon. Battling opposing Team’s Gyms is also great practice, as well as providing its own share of rewards. Doing Trainer Battles against the Team Leaders and your Pokémon Go friends can give you practice using Shields and the new motions for Charged Attacks, as well as grant rewards.

It is also probably a good idea to stock up on Potions and Revives. While battles against Team Leaders automatically heal and revive your Pokémon afterward, most other types of Battles leave your Pokémon injured or fainted. We don’t know for sure which way the League will operate but it’s never a bad idea to have a healthy supply of Potions and Revives just in case.

So, get out there and play, Trainers! Catch as many Pokémon as you can, appraise each one and spin every Pokéstop and Gym you come across. Expand your inventory to hold all those Potions and Revives. Practice every type of battle you can. And, most important, power up your best Pokémon! While January might be a few months away, the Pokémon Go Battle League will be here before you know it!

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