The best Ultra League Team in Pokemon GO (May 2022)

The official logo for Pokemon GO's Ultra League (Image via Niantic)
The official logo for Pokemon GO's Ultra League (Image via Niantic)

There are many types of players who play Pokemon GO. Some players play the game to fill the Pokedex, others play the game to collect Shiny Pokemon, and the rest play the game to participate in the challenging Raid Battles the game has to offer. However, there is another large community of players quickly gaining traction in the game.

The community of trainers who play the game for its competitive Battle League is expanding. With Niantic giving players new moves to work with and new variations in each of their League tiers, the competitive Pokemon GO community has a lot of support behind it. However, each League comes with restrictions.

Each standard League in the mobile game's Battle League has its own restrictions on the Pokemon that can participate. And while many variations of the Battle League like the Jungle or Element Cup are a lot more strict, the standard Leagues only limit the combat power of each Pokemon that participate.


Pokemon GO Ultra League's best Pokemon

Official artwork for Pokemon GO's Battle League (Image via Niantic)
Official artwork for Pokemon GO's Battle League (Image via Niantic)

Ultra League is one of the three standard Leagues that players can participate in. In this League, trainers can use any Pokemon they like as long as it has a combat power of 2,499 or lower. This restriction lets almost every Pokemon in the game participate in this League, making it the most popular of the game's Battle tiers.

In any competitive metagame, there are some characters that just perform better than others; this Pokemon game is no different. With a team-building mechanic as free as the game allows, players can construct a team of three using their strongest Pokemon. But which three Pokemon perform the best in Ultra League?

Registeel

Registeel as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Registeel as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

As many players are aware, Steel-type Pokemon are exceptionally great performers in Pokemon GO's Battle League. This is due to Pokemon of this type having incredibly high defense potential paired with great resistance. Moreover, since Registeel is a Legendary Pokemon, it has high stats.

With high Defense and Stamina stats, opponents will have a difficult time trying to cleave through this Pokemon's defenses without advantageous moves. Its defenses also give it a lot of time to charge up and fire multiple charged attacks, making Registeel a great choice for baiting out shields from opponents.


Cresselia

Cresselia as it appears in Pokemon BDSP (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Cresselia as it appears in Pokemon BDSP (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Cresselia is another great defensive Pokemon that also offers the benefit of great offensive utility. Psychic-type Pokemon are known for their offensive utility in every iteration of the Pokemon franchise; this truly comes through in Pokemon GO. In a battle system where Pokemon are guaranteed to take damage, defense matters.

Cresselia has a wide movepool with a lot of coverage options and is a Pokemon that can take damage and deal it out as well. Cresselia's high usage rate can be attributed to its Defense and Stamina stats, which are both close to 300.

One thing to keep in mind is that Darkrai and Giratina are Cresselia's biggest weaknesses in the game.


Swampert

Swampert as it appears in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)
Swampert as it appears in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Swampert is a notoriously popular Pokemon that players can use in every tier in Pokemon GO. This is due to Swampert's exceptional Stamina paired with it having the best type combination in the franchise: Water, Ground. The type combination of Water and Ground only has one weakness: Grass-type attacks.

As Swampert is a fully evolved starter Pokemon, it has access to the best Water-type attack in the franchise: Hydro Cannon. With the recent conclusion of the Mudkip Classic Community Day, many players have access to a Swampert with this powerful attack that can yield great results in the Ultra League.