The GO Battle League is Pokémon GO’s competitive mode: online battles against other Trainers from around the world, organized in seasons, with a ranking and rewards. Good news for beginners: here, CP isn’t everything, and a modest Pokémon used well can beat a monster.

The three leagues

  • Great League: 1,500 CP maximum. The most played, and the most accessible.
  • Ultra League: 2,500 CP maximum.
  • Master League: no limit, the playground of Legendary Pokémon.

Themed cups regularly round out the schedule, and since the September 2026 season, “Mega editions” even welcome Mega Evolutions.

How a battle works

  1. Each player picks three Pokémon.
  2. Tap the screen to use your Fast Attack: it deals little damage, but charges your energy.
  3. When you have enough energy, use a Charged Attack, which is much more powerful.
  4. Each player has two shields to block the opponent’s Charged Attacks.
  5. You can switch Pokémon, with a cooldown before the next switch.

Attacks in battle

In the GO Battle League, attacks don’t have the same values as in Raids. Our Pokémon GO Pokédex entries list, for each attack, its power and energy in battle. Remember two bonuses: an attack of the same type as the Pokémon deals 20% more damage, and a super effective attack deals 1.6 times more.

IVs: the Great League paradox

In a league with a CP cap, a Pokémon with a low Attack but good Defense and HP can climb higher in level without going over the limit. The result: it takes hits better. That’s why Great League players often look for low-Attack Pokémon, the opposite of Raids, where you want 15 across the board.

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Their full Pokédex entries: Azumarill, Medicham and Skarmory.

Ranks and rewards

Battles are played in sets of five. Each set earns rewards, including Pokémon encounters. You climb from rank 1 to rank 20, then through the elite ranks up to the Legend rank, reserved for the best players of the season.

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What is the CP limit in the Great League?

1,500 CP.

How many shields does each player have?

Two shields per battle.

Why look for a low Attack in the Great League?

A low Attack lets you climb higher in level under the CP limit, and so get more Defense and HP.