Released in 2016, the augmented reality mobile video game Pokemon Go is still going strong to this day. Developed and published by Niantic with assistance from Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, the game only had the first 150 Pokemon available in the beginning. Now, however, players have access to over 600 to find, catch, and train.
Since December 2018, Pokemon Go players have been able to battle other players in the PvP feature called the GO Battle League. These are three-on-three PvP battles and take place in one of three different leagues: the Great League, the Ultra League, and the Master League. While the Great League contains Pokemon at 1500 CP or less and the Ultra League holds Pokemon at 2500 CP or less, the Master League allows any Pokemon above 2500 CP. That means the best of the best come to this competition to duke it out for ultimate glory.
Updated on October 26, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: Each pokemon has its own lore and unique traits, some of which shine the most when in battle. This is as true in the main series Pokemon games as it is in Pokemon GO, for without the former there would not be the latter.
The legendary and mythic Pokemon have the most powerful traits, which makes many of them the best suited for the intense PVP battles of Pokemon GO's Master League. Fans of these mighty pocket monsters might enjoy remembering or learning about some of their lore.
10 Kyogre
Kyogre is a Water-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,652, an Attack of 270, a Defense of 228, and a Stamina of 205.
The best Quick move for Kyogre is Waterfall (Water). And the best Charge moves for it are Surf (Water), Blizzard (Ice), and Thunder (Electric).
Kyogre is a beast of a Pokemon in the Master League. Not only can it tank most moves thrown, Kyogre rips opponents apart right back. On top of that, it has all the coverage needed with its pool of moves.
Kyogre is the embodiment of the oceans of the world, and, as such, possesses some of the most powerful Water-type attacks in the franchise. This beast from below is likely also a reference to the massive primordial sea monster from Abrahamic mythology known as Leviathan.
9 Groudon
Groudon is a Ground-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,652, an Attack of 270, a Defense of 228, and a Stamina of 205.
The best Quick move for Groudon is Mud Shot (Ground). And the best Charge moves for it are Fire Punch (Fire), Earthquake (Ground), and Solar Beam (Grass).
Groudon has a lot of firepower when it comes to the Master League PvP (pun intended). That being said, it is hit or miss. When up against Pokemon with Water-, Grass-, or Ice-type moves, Groudon will have it rough. Other than that though, it will destroy its opponent.
The eternal opponent of Kyogre, Groudon embodies the land and this causes it to be in frequent conflict with Kyogre, who can both only usually be quelled by Rayquaza. Like Kyogre, Groudon also seems to be based on a primordial beast from Abrahamic mythology: Behemoth.
8 Dialga
Dialga is a Dragon- and Steel-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,565, an Attack of 275, a Defense of 211, and a Stamina of 205.
The best Quick move for Dialga is Dragon Breath (Dragon). And the best Charge moves for it are Iron Head (Steel), Draco Meteor (Dragon), Iron Head (Steel), and Thunder (Electric).
Dragon and Steel typing on a Pokemon together is no joke in the Master League (and beyond). While Dialga should be scared while up against Fighting- and Ground-type Pokemon, that is not common enough to take it out of the running of being one of the best choices around in this competition.
Dialga seems to be partially based on sauropod dinosaurs due to its body plan. Its neck is much shorter than that of most sauropods, however, the rest of its features are in line with the morphology of such ancient creatures. This theory is further strengthened by the fact that dinosaurs and dragons often share parallels both in the Pokemon universe as well as in the real world.
7 Togekiss
Togekiss is a Fairy- and Flying-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 3,767, an Attack of 225, a Defense of 217, and a Stamina of 198. Togekiss evolves from Togetic with a Sinnoh Stone and 100 Candy; Togetic evolves from Togepi with 25 Candy.
The best Quick move for it is Charm (Fairy). And the best Charge moves for Togekiss are Aerial Ace (Flying), Flamethrower (Fire), and Ancient Power (Rock).
The only reason Togekiss shines in the Master League is due to the abundance of Dragon-type Pokemon used. It eats them up for breakfast. Aside from Pokemon with the Dragon typing though, Togekiss is not that scary.
Currently, this is the only Pokemon that is both Fairy and Flying-type (excluding its previous evolutionary forms). Togekiss holds a unique niche--they're great to counter Dragon-types and are also immune to Ground-type moves, which allows them to hard-counter many foes. The immunities to a couple of the most common attacking types also grant easy switch-ins.
6 Snorlax
Snorlax is a Normal-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 3,647, an Attack of 190, a Defense of 169, and a Stamina of 330. Snorlax evolves from Munchlax with 50 Candy.
The best Quick move for it is Lick (Ghost). And the best Charge moves for Snorlax are Body Slam (Normal), Earthquake (Ground), Outrage (Dragon), and Superpower (Fighting).
Besides the fantastic pool of moves it gets, Snorlax can fire them off over and over without having to recharge much. While Fighting-type Pokemon will beat it up, Snorlax is a useful Pokemon in most other matchups in the Master League.
There have been a lot of debates about the origin of Snorlax and what it's actually based on. Some say a bear that is hibernating while others claim it is more of a representation of the concept of gluttony, however, there is a much more unexpected answer. Snorlax, as stated by Ken Sugimori (who is responsible for almost every Pokemon design to date), was inspired in design by longtime Game Freak programmer Koji Nishino due to the gentleman's relaxed nature and love of food.
5 Palkia
Palkia is a Dragon- and Water-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,512, an Attack of 280, a Defense of 215, and a Stamina of 189.
The best Quick move for Palkia is Dragon Breath (Dragon). And the best Charge moves for it are Aqua Tail (Water), Draco Meteor (Dragon), and Fire Blast (Fire).
Not only is Palkia only weak to Dragon- and Fairy-type moves, it has an incredible pool of moves leading to fantastic coverage all around. Unfortunately, the Master League is filled with Pokemon with the Dragon typing. But it does okay in those battles and shines in all the others.
Palkia is one of the more oddly designed Pokemon in that it possesses many typical traits of dragons in western mythology, such as the wings and general body plan, however, its bipedal nature and stylized appearance make it stand out as truly unique. The traits that seem to tie it most to its Water typing are the large pearls that adorn its shoulders.
4 Giratina (Altered And Origin Formes)
Giratina is a Dragon- and Ghost-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 3,820, an Attack of 187, a Defense of 225, and a Stamina of 284 (when in Altered Forme). On the other hand, in Origin Forme, Giratina has a Max CP of 4,164, an Attack of 225, a Defense of 187, and a Stamina of 284.
The best Quick moves for the Altered Forme are Shadow Claw (Ghost) and Dragon Breath (Dragon). The Origin Forme does best with just Shadow Claw. And the best Charge moves for the Altered Forme are Dragon Claw (Dragon) and Shadow Sneak (Ghost). The Origin Forme does best with Shadow Ball (Ghost), Dragon Pulse (Dragon), and Ominous Wind (Ghost).
Both the Altered Forme and Origin Forme of Giratina excel in the Master League. The Altered Forme is bulky and has a decent pool of moves for coverage. Whereas the Origin Forme is strong beyond belief, surpassing most when it comes to matchups that are both in its favor and not.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to Giratina's lore and origin. Its spooky nature and the fact that it resides in a sinister alternate dimension make it seem like the closest thing the Pokemon franchise will get to depicting the devil. This would be consistent with the series designing Pokemon based on Abrahamic lore, however, Giratina also bears a striking resemblance to centipedes, which may be a reference to the Japanese fairytale "My Lord Bag of Rice" where a monstrously huge centipede terrorized the countryside and also preyed upon dragons.
3 Melmetal
Melmetal is a Steel-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,069, an Attack of 226, a Defense of 190, and a Stamina of 264. Melmetal evolves from Meltan with 400 Candy.
The best Quick move for it is Thunder Shock (Electric). And the best Charge moves for Melmetal are Rock Slide (Rock), Superpower (Fighting), and Thunderbolt (Electric).
Why is it a part of the Master League meta? How is it not? The attacking power of Melmetal is immense and the pool of moves it has access to poses a threat to much of the common Pokemon used in the competition.
Based on much more inorganic concepts than many others, Melmetal seems to be a golem made from liquid metal, such as mercury. There are also parts of its body that looks like man-made mechanical nuts, indicating that this Pokemon could have been artificially created by humans.
2 Zekrom
Zekrom is a Dragon- and Electric-type Pokemon. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,565, an Attack of 275, a Defense of 211, and a Stamina of 205.
The best Quick move for Zekrom is Dragon Breath (Dragon). And the best Charge moves for it are Wild Charge (Electric), Crunch (Dark), and Outrage (Dragon).
Zekrom's Dragon typing both helps and hinders it against the other Dragon-type Pokemon in the Master League--but the Electric typing has given it the edge. Against Fairy-type Pokemon though, Zekrom should run.
This black dragon represents the Yin portion of the "Tao Trio" (the fan-made term for Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem). Yin, in Taoism, represents darkness and many other concepts, though is not representative of evil--just the other side of light and compliments it.
1 Dragonite
Dragonite is a Dragon-type Pokemon, of course. At Level 50, it has a Max CP of 4,287, an Attack of 263, a Defense of 198, and a Stamina of 209. Dragonite evolves from Dragonair with 100 Candy; Dragonair evolves from Dratini with 25 Candy.
The best Quick move for it is Dragon Breath (Dragon). And the best Charge moves for Dragonite are Dragon Claw (Dragon), Draco Meteor (Dragon), Hurricane (Flying), and Outrage (Dragon).
As another Dragon-type Pokemon in the Master League, this Pokemon does struggle against opponents with the Dragon typing--and Dragonite will disintegrate against Fairy-type Pokemon, but, besides that, it holds its own.
Dragonite is the first fully-evolved Dragon-type Pokemon in the franchise as well as the first pseudo-legendary Pokemon. As such, this pocket monster is responsible for setting multiple important trends in the main series of Pokemon games that resonated well with fans since the concepts were implemented in Generation 1.
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.