Best teams for the Ultra Premier in Pokémon Go

The Ultra Premier competition has arrived in Pokémon Go, meaning you must create a suitable team to take on other players. You have to follow a handful of rules and several team combinations we want to recommend to you for these battles.

The teams require you to have three unique Pokémon. You want to create a reliable team that can counter an opponent and protect your team from potentially having too many weaknesses. It’s a delicate balance in Pokémon Go, but we’ll be able to identify some of the best teams you should use for the Ultra Premier cup.

Best Pokémon teams to use in Pokémon Go‘s Ultra Premier

There are two rules every player in Pokémon Go‘s Ultra Premier Cup needs to follow: ensure your Pokémon do not exceed 2,500, and you cannot use any Legendary, Mythical, or Ultra Beast Pokémon in these battles. These are the only blocked Pokémon for the entire competition; the others are free game.

Without worrying about Legendary, Mythical, or Ultra Beast Pokémon, your choices open up more to give you some flexibility with your teams. Many Pokémon Go teams for the traditional Ultra League use Legendary Pokémon, which means this is a great chance to use some of your other underutilized Pokémon. We have some choices we think you’re going to like trying out.

Feraligatr (Shadow), Dragalge, and Talonflame

For our first team, I want to highlight Shadow Feraligatr, a powerful Water-type rising through the Great and Ultra League ranks. If you want more damage, keep Shadow Feraligatr, but if you wish to more defensive power, feel free to swap it out for the regular version in Pokémon Go. To help support it, team it up with Dragalge and Talonflame. These Pokémon make for excellent choices and can be swapped out for Feraligatr when it takes too much damage.

You want to teach Shadow Feraligatr to use Shadow Claw, Hydro Cannon, and Ice Beam. For Dragalge, ensure it knows how to use Dragon Tail, Aqua Tail, and Outrage. Finally, teach Talonflame to use Incinerate, Fly, and Flame Charge.

Mandibuzz, Tentacruel, and Serperior

Next, we have Mandibuzz as the primary Pokémon. Mandibuzz has always been a solid Flying and Dark-type Pokémon to use, and it can shine in Pokémon Go‘s Ultra Premier cup. To help support it, I recommend using Tentacruel and Serperior. Tentacruel is ideal at taking out other Water and Fighting-type Pokémon that are bound to show up while acting as your team’s final Pokémon. You want to treat Serperior to act as your team’s damage dealer.

The best moveset to teach Mandibuzz is Snarl, Dark Pulse, and Aerial Ace. You want to teach Tentacruel to use Poison Jab, Scald, and Sludge Wave. For Serperior, I would teach it Vine Whip, Frenzy Plant, and Aerial Ace.

Poliwrath, Annihilape, and Steelix

For this team, we have two Fighting-types, Poliwrath and Annihilape. Poliwrath has received far more attention these past few months, making it a worthwhile Pokémon to add to your team, and it will be difficult for Annihilape to drop any rankings. Putting these two together on a team can be risky in Pokémon Go, but there are a lot of benefits for doing so, and you want to have Steelix as your final Pokémon to defend you.

I would teach Poliwrath to use Counter, Icy Wind, and Scald. The best moveset to teach Annihilape is Counter, Ice Punch, and Shadow Ball. Finally, you can teach Steelix to use Dragon Tail, Psychic Fangs, and Earthquake.

Pidgeot (Shadow), Aurorus, and Galarian Stunfisk

Another Shadow Pokémon I want to highlight is Shadow Pidgeot in Pokémon Go. You can expect to see several trainers going out of their way to grab Shadow Pidgeot, and for good reason. However, the downside is that it only has Flying-type moves, which means your other choices have a lot to cover. I believe Aurorus and Galarian Stunfisk are perfect choices for a balanced team, and you can take advantage of Shadow Pidgeot’s increased Attack power stat.

For Shadow Pidgeot, teach it to use Wing Attack, Feather Dance, and Brave Bird. You want to teach Aurorus to use Powder Snow, Weather Ball (Ice-type), and Meteor Beam. For Galarian Stunfisk, teach it to use Mud Shot, Rock Slide, and Earthquake.

Skarmory, Obstagoon, and Lanturn

The final team I want to highlight brings in Skarmory, a reliable Pokémon regularly seen in Pokémon Go‘s Great and Ultra Leagues. It’s a steadfast choice that you should always consider using, and Obstagoon and Lanturn are excellent choices to aid it. Obstagoon is the more defensive Pokémon that you likely want to hold onto as your last choice, and you can use Lanturn as a more aggressive option to help protect against any Flying and Water-types that could attempt to fight against Skarmory.

Skarmory can learn to use Steel Wing, Brave Bird, and Sky Attack. For Obstagoon, teach it to use Counter, Night Slash, and Cross Chop. Finally, teach Lanturn to use Spark, Surf, and Thunderbolt.