Top 50 ranked Pokemon for Ultra League PvP with best movesets, win rates, and ideal IVs.
The Ultra League tier list ranks the top 50 Pokemon for GO Battle League PvP in 2026 with a CP cap of 2500. Rankings are based on win rates across the current meta, optimal movesets, and overall versatility. Each Pokemon links to its full stats page with detailed PvP analysis.
Ultra League rewards patience and XL Candy. Build a bulky defensive anchor (Registeel or Cresselia), a Giratina or Dragon for spam pressure, and a fast Flying or Water closer. This is the format where powered-up legendaries shine, so if you have XL Candy sitting around, this is where to spend it. Don't sleep on non-legendary bulk — Talonflame and Swampert punch well above their rarity here.
Our Ultra League rankings evaluate every released Pokemon using four factors derived from the actual Pokemon GO game data, including the real PvP damage formula and type effectiveness multipliers from the game master file.
We brute-force every IV combination (0–15 for ATK/DEF/STA across all levels) to find the spread that maximizes Attack × Defense × HP under the 2500 CP cap. In capped leagues, low Attack with high Defense and Stamina (e.g. 0/15/15) often wins because CP weighs Attack more heavily, letting bulkier spreads squeeze in more total stats.
Every fast + charged move combination is simulated using the actual PvP damage formula: floor(0.5 × Power × Atk/Def × STAB × TypeEff) + 1. We compute a full attack cycle (N fast moves to charge one charged move) to get Damage Per Turn. Energy generation rate is also factored in, rewarding fast moves that reach charged moves quickly for shield pressure. Moves with buff/debuff effects get a 5% bonus.
Each move's type effectiveness is averaged across all 18 Pokemon types using the multipliers from the game master (1.6× super effective, 0.625× not very effective, 0.391× double-resisted). This means a Fighting-type move (super effective against 5 types) scores higher than a Normal-type move (super effective against nothing). The coverage is baked directly into the damage calculation, not applied as a separate bonus.
We calculate how much damage each Pokemon's type(s) receive on average from all 18 attacking types. For dual types, both multipliers compound (e.g. Steel/Fairy resists 10 types). This defensive score adjusts the Pokemon's effective bulk — a Steel-type with the same DEF/HP as a Normal-type will rank higher because it takes less damage from the average opponent.
Score = Offense × Survivability0.5, where Offense is the cycle DPT (with type coverage baked in), and Survivability is DEF × HP adjusted for defensive typing. The square root on survivability gives diminishing returns to pure bulk — a Pokemon needs strong moves to rank high, not just tankiness.
Pokemon are placed into tiers based on how their score compares to the #1 ranked Pokemon:
Shadow Pokemon receive a 20% Attack boost but suffer a ~17% Defense penalty. Both adjustments flow through the full damage and survivability calculations, so the ranking naturally captures whether the offensive gain outweighs the defensive loss for each specific Pokemon.
Our rankings evaluate Pokemon against the average meta, not specific matchups. This means we don't simulate:
Win rates shown are estimated from the Pokemon's score percentile and ranking position. Rankings are recalculated after every game master update to reflect the latest move changes and balance patches from Niantic.
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Ultra League (2,500 CP cap) sits between Great League's spam-fest and Master League's legendary slugfest. The higher cap lets more Pokemon reach their full stats, which opens the door to bulky legendaries and pseudo-legendaries that can't fit under 1,500 CP. Matches last longer and lean more on shield management and safe pivoting than pure spam. Bulk is still king, but coverage moves and typing flexibility matter more here than in Great League.
Ultra League's staples blend accessible bulk with premium legendaries: Registeel and Cresselia are perennial defensive anchors; Giratina (Altered) is a spam-pressure monster; Talonflame, Pyroar, and Gyarados bring fast Flying/Fire offense; Swampert and Walrein hold down the Water/Ice slots. Cobalion, Trevenant, and Poliwrath show up as reliable spice. Powered-up Community-Day picks and event legendaries rotate through the top tier, but a bulky Steel plus a Ghost/Dragon spam pick is a timeless Ultra core.
The lead / safe-swap / closer framework still applies, but Ultra rewards a bulkier, more defensive posture. Lead with something that doesn't lose hard to Registeel or Giratina. Your safe swap should cover Fire and Fighting damage aimed at your Steel. Closers with fast, spammy charged moves (Talonflame, Gyarados) clean up shieldless endgames. Because Ultra Pokemon are expensive to build, plan your team around what you can actually afford to power to the cap — a half-leveled legendary loses to a maxed common.
Under the 2,500 cap, IV priorities are more nuanced than in Great League. Many top picks still want low-Attack, high-bulk spreads to maximise stat product, but a growing number — especially legendaries that reach the cap comfortably — prefer higher Attack or even a 15/15/15 spread to close games. XL Candy is the real gatekeeper: reaching the cap on Registeel, Cresselia, or Giratina often requires level 50+, which means a heavy XL investment. Check each Pokemon's ideal rank-1 spread and confirm you have the resources before committing.
Ultra's biggest threats are the bulky legendaries that resist your damage while spamming their own — Giratina, Registeel, and the season's featured legendary can wall an unprepared team. Fire and Fighting coverage handles the Steels; Dark and Fairy handle the Ghosts and Dragons. Watch for shield-baiting: many Ultra matches are decided by whether you correctly read the opponent's low-energy charged move. A team with no answer to Giratina will simply lose to it.
The top 3 Ultra League Pokemon are Shadow Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, Turtonator. These consistently perform well with high win rates across the meta. Check the full tier list above for the top 50 ranked Pokemon with optimal movesets.
A strong Ultra League team combines Pokemon that cover each other's weaknesses. Start with a top-tier pick like Shadow Talonflame, add a Pokemon that counters its weaknesses, and finish with a safe swap. Use the tier list above to find S-tier and A-tier Pokemon with complementary types.
For Ultra League (CP cap 2500), you generally want low Attack with high Defense and Stamina (e.g., 0/15/15). This maximizes stat product within the CP cap. However, some Pokemon like Medicham and Sableye want higher Attack IVs because they max out below the cap.
The Ultra League meta shifts whenever Niantic releases move updates, new Pokemon, or balance changes — typically every 1-2 months. Community Days and events can also introduce new threats. We update our rankings daily to reflect the latest data.
Shadow Pokemon deal 20% more damage but take 20% more damage in return. This makes them glass cannons — great for closing games or shield pressure, but risky as leads or safe swaps. Check the individual ranking above to see if Shadow Shadow Talonflame is ranked and how it compares to the regular form.
Each Pokemon in the tier list shows its optimal PvP moveset. Generally, you want a fast-charging fast move and at least one low-energy charged move for shield pressure. The moveset column in our rankings shows the highest win-rate combination for each Pokemon.
