Pokémon Go Master League Mega Edition: Best Pokémon

Unleash the power of mega evolutions in PvP

Contents

1. Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Leads
2. Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Safe Switches
3. Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Closers
4. Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Attackers

It’s time to unleash the ultimate power in the Pokémon world with Master League: Mega Edition in Pokémon Go, running from February 23 to March 1, 2023, starting and ending at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm GMT / 10pm CET.

Master League: Mega Edition offers even less restrictions as to which Pokémon you may field than the regular edition of this format, which is already the most open one in GO Battle League. Types don’t matter, competition points (CP) don’t matter, and the Mega Edition even lets you field mega evolutions in combat – a very rare opportunity to unleash their power on other trainers.

We’ve put together a list of the best Pokémon for Master League: Mega Edition to get you started on your team building process. Our choices are based on statistics and simulations provided by PvPoke.com.

As you'd expect, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre dominate this competition.

Niantic

Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Leads

The Pokémon in this class are aggressors, able to apply pressure on your opponent right from the start of a battle. They can also drag out tough battles for a long time thanks to their bulk. This allround effectiveness makes them perfect to open a match up, enabling you to score an early knockout or set up a strong counter play.

Before we begin: Every Pokémon listed in this guide should be powered up with Candy XL as much as you can to achieve the best results. We haven’t marked them with (XL) as usual, since there are no exceptions in this format.

1. Primal Groudon (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
2. Mega Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake)
3. Mega Gyarados (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Crunch)
4. Mega Latios (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Luster Purge)
5. Primal Kyogre (Waterfall, Surf, Thunder)
6. Mega Y Charizard (Wing Attack, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw)
7. Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Shadow Punch)
8. Dargonite (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Superpower)
9. Giratina (Altered Forme) (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power)
10. Rayquaza (Dragon Tail, Breaking Swipe, Hurricane)

Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Safe Switches

If you’re not happy with the initial pairing, you should consider switching out your lead for another Pokémon. That’s the role of a Safe Switch. They are either strong leads themselves or are specialized in countering some of the most popular leads. Putting them in will let you score an elimination, disrupt your opponent’s game plan, or at least preserve your lead for the later stage of the match.

1. Mega Gyarados (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Crunch)
2. Mega Latios (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Luster Purge)
3. Primal Kyogre (Waterfall, Surf, Thunder)
4. Mega Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake)
5. Mega Y Charizard (Wing Attack, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw)
6. Primal Groudon (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
7. Mega X Charizard (Dragon Breath, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw)
8. Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Shadow Punch)
9. Kyurem (Dragon Breath, Glaciate, Dragon Claw)
10. Lugia (Dragon Tail, Sky Attack, Aeroblast)

Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Closers

These Pokémon come in quite handy when there are no shields left in play on either side – they are incredibly tough thanks to their high bulk and many resistances or they can end battles quickly due to their access to powerful charge attacks.

1. Primal Groudon (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
2. Primal Kyogre (Waterfall, Surf, Thunder)
3. Mega Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake)
4. Mega Latios (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Luster Purge)
5. Mega Gyarados (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Crunch)
6. Mega Salamence (Dragon Tail, Outrage, Fire Blast)
7. Mega Latias (Dragon Breath, Mist Ball, Outrage)
8. Zekrom (Dragon Breath, Crunch, Wild Charge)
9. Mega Y Charizard (Wing Attack, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw)
10. Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Shadow Punch)

Pokémon Go Master League Mega: Best Attackers

This class is specialized in fighting an opponent who still has shields, while you no longer have any yourself. They combine strong resistances and potent fast attacks to compensate for this disadvantage. For that reason, you rarely see Shadow forms in this role – they take more damage than their regular counterparts, making them a risky card to pull out at this stage of a match.

1. Primal Groudon (Mud Shot, Precipice Blades, Fire Punch)
2. Primal Kyogre (Waterfall, Surf, Thunder)
3. Mega Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake)
4. Mega Gyarados (Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, Crunch)
5. Mega Latios (Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Luster Purge)
6. Mega Gardevoir (Charm, Synchronoise, Shadow Ball)
7. Giratina (Altered Forme) (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power)
8. Mega Latias (Dragon Breath, Mist Ball, Outrage)
9. Mega Y Charizard (Wing Attack, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw)
10. Mega Salamence (Dragon Tail, Outrage, Fire Blast)

As you can see from the rankings, there is a very hard core of Pokémon that dominate this meta with very little variety at the top – once you can use Protomorphosis on Groudon and Kyogre you are able to compete here.

Master League is not a format for beginners in the first place, and this Mega Edition of the discipline makes things even harder. If you’ve not already invested Candy XL into your Master League Pokémon and worked on getting your initial mega evolutions, then you shouldn’t think twice about skipping this one.

For more Pokémon Go, check our overviews for the weekly Spotlight Hours, all 5-Star Raids, and this month’s Field Research Tasks.