Pokemon GO: The best Great League team for June 2021

Season 8 of Pokemon GO's Battle League is well underway, and trainers across the world are looking for any edge possible to best their opponents and reap the rewards.

With so many team combinations for Battle League, Pokemon GO's committed community are always applying different Pokemon to their lineups in an attempt to get on that coveted win streak. Though there is no definitively superior team in any Pokemon GO season's meta, the current Great League landscape certainly has its heavy hitters. Players can mix and match these top Pokemon with the hopes that they find the right combination to carry them to victory.

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Pokemon GO: Top Pokemon in each team role

Image via Niantic

Since Pokemon GO's Battle League has no perfect team, players will need to break down which Pokemon suit certain roles in the team composition. Since only three Pokemon are on any given team, Pokemon choice is absolutely vital. With many Pokemon excelling at certain roles, building the right team for the job can be made slightly easier. The roles for a Pokemon GO Battle League team are as follows:

• Leads: As the name implies, these Pokemon are ideal at the very beginning of battle and are often placed in the first slot on a trainer's team. These are some of Pokemon GO's most rounded and flexible fighters.
• Closers: These Pokemon are vital when players have run out of shields to protect from charged moves. They often have exceptional defense and stamina stats compared to the rest of Pokemon GO's roster.
• Attackers: Put plainly, Attackers thrive when the opponent still has their shields. Typically these Pokemon apply heavy shield pressure with their charged moves, potentially setting up the opponent to waste them early to the detriment of the rest of their team.
• Defenders: When the player's opponent is shieldless, but the player themselves have their shields still, these Pokemon are great picks to stand their ground. They are some of Pokemon GO's most self-sufficient battlers.
• Switches: In the event a player's Lead Pokemon is in a bad matchup, a well-placed Switch Pokemon can turn the momentum of the fight.
• Chargers: As expected, Chargers are at their best when they are either building up charged move energy or when they have a significant amount of it stocked. Charged moves are heavily relied upon when it comes to Pokemon GO's combat, so using them as much as possible is vital.

The Pokemon GO community has compiled a list of top picks for each role. This allows players some flexibility regarding which Pokemon they bring to battle. The top picks for each role and their ideal moves, according to Pokemon GO Battle League site PvPoke, are as follows:

Leads

• Jellicent using Hex, Bubble Beam and Shadow Ball.
• XL Medicham using Counter, Ice Punch and Psychic.
• Scrafty using Counter, Foul Play and Power-Up Punch.
• Drifblim using Hex, Icy Wind and Shadow Ball.
• Pidgeot using Gust, Feather Dance and Brave Bird.
• Shadow Machamp using Counter, Cross Chop and Rock Slide.
• Galarian Stunfisk using Mud Shot, Rock Slide and Earthquake.
• XL Azumarill using Bubble, Ice Beam and Hydro Pump.
• Swampert using Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon and Sludge Wave.
• Medicham using Counter, Ice Punch and Psychic.

Closers

• Registeel using Lock On, Focus Blast and Flash Cannon.
• XL Azumarill using Bubble, Ice Beam and Hydro Pump.
• Regice using Lock On, Blizzard and Earthquake.
• Shadow Electivire using Thunder Shock, Ice Punch and Wild Charge.
• Azumarill using Bubble, Ice Beam and Hydro Pump.
• Altaria using Dragon Breath, Sky Attack and Moonblast.
• Skarmory using Air Slash, Brave Bird and Sky Attack.
• Deoxys (Defense Form) using Counter, Psycho Boost and Thunderbolt.
• Galarian Stunfisk using Mud Shot, Rock Slide and Earthquake.
• Hitmontop using Counter, Close Combat and Stone Edge.

Attackers

• Jellicent using Hex, Bubble Beam and Shadow Ball.
• XL Bastiodon using Smack Down, Stone Edge and Flamethrower.
• XL Wobbuffet using Counter, Return and Mirror Coat.
• Bastiodon using Smack Down, Stone Edge and Flamethrower.
• XL Diggersby using Mud Shot, Earthquake and Fire Punch.
• XL Azumarill using Bubble, Ice Beam and Hydro Pump.
• XL Medicham using Counter, Ice Punch and Psychic.
• XL Chansey using Pound, Psychic and Hyper Beam.
• Altaria using Dragon Breath, Sky Attack and Moonblast.
• Mandibuzz using Snarl, Foul Play and Aerial Ace.

Defenders

• Lanturn using Spark, Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump.
• Forretress using Bug Bite, Earthquake and Mirror Move.
• Vigoroth using Counter, Body Slam and Bulldoze.
• Galarian Stunfisk using Mud Shot, Rock Slide and Earthquake.
• XL Bastiodon using Smack Down, Stone Edge and Flamethrower.
• Regirock using Lock On, Stone Edge and Focus Blast.
• XL Sableye using Shadow Claw, Foul Play and Return.
• Chesnaught using Vine Whip, Superpower and Energy Ball.

Switches

• Galarian Stunfisk using Mud Shot, Rock Slide and Earthquake.
• XL Sableye using Shadow Claw, Foul Play and Return.
• Mew using Shadow Claw, Wild Charge and Surf.
• XL Medicham using Counter, Ice Punch and Psychic.
• Cresselia using Psycho Cut, Grass Knot and Moonblast.
• Shadow Drapion using Poison Sting, Aqua Tail and Sludge Bomb.
• Sableye using Shadow Claw, Foul Play and Return.
• Vigoroth using Counter, Body Slam and Bulldoze.
• Froslass using Powder Snow, Avalanche and Shadow Ball.
• Galvantula using Volt Switch, Discharge and Lunge.

Chargers

• Shadow Swampert using Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon and Sludge Wave.
• Shadow Politoed using Mud Shot, Weather Ball and Earthquake/
• Swampert using Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon and Sludge Wave.
• Drifblim using Hex, Icy Wind and Shadow Ball.
• Shadow Flygon using Mud Shot, Dragon Claw and Earth Power.
• Jellicent using Hex, Bubble Beam and Shadow Ball.
• Shadow Golbat using Wing Attack, Poison Fang and Shadow Ball.
• Shadow Nidoqueen using Poison Jab, Poison Fang and Earth Power.
• Shadow Abomasnow using Powder Snow, Weather Ball and Energy Ball.
• Lucario using Counter, Power-Up Punch and Shadow Ball.

This list is by no means permanent, as Pokemon GO's PvP meta is always fluctuating. However, this list of Pokemon should allow Pokemon GO's faithful to construct the best team for them that gives them the best chance at starting a winning streak and collecting the rewards.