Who needs dust anyways…
After what seemed like a very short foray in Go Battle League with the Great League being opened up first, trainers were now thrust into the second level of competition and what was arguably the most expensive on, the Ultra League! Pokemon up to the 2500 CP mark were allowed to be used which really changed the dynamic of battles. That extra bulk made a huge difference in the way matches play out. For most of us who are used to Great league especially with the Silph Arena, this didmake a nice change. However, the cost of preparing Pokemon for this league was steep… very steep.
The meta in Ultra league ultimately revolved around Giratina Altered form, the Dragon Ghost having a lot of Neutral match ups while sporting some decent resistances make it a force to be reckoned with. However with a single Pokemon showing so much dominance, it didn’t taken long for people to start bringing hard counters to it and even forgoing bringing it all together.
This has opened up the Meta quite noticeably but at the core of it all, it still evolved because of Giratina. Togekiss and Aloan Muk have both secured spots in most teams along side Swampert, Snorlax and Registeel (which needs to be maxed out). Other picks are also starting to creep into play as well such as Lapras (another expensive pick), Venusaur (a very powerful pick), Meganium, Gyrados and more recently Articuno (thanks for cluing everyone onto that pick Kieng!). Towards the end Poliwrath and Cresalia also became common picks.
For my own battles, I started off using a mix of Giratina, Swampert and Aloan Muk, however I just couldn’t get anything going with that line up and ended up doing terribly. I decided to switch my team up completely and eventually settled on a single line up with a couple of change options that mostly proved to be very effective and helped even out what was looking to be a dismal win percentage for Ultra League.
Team 1 – Lead: Venusaur (Vine Whip, Frenzy Plant, Sludge Bomb) with Aloan Muk (Snarl, Dark Pulse, Sludge Wave) and Charizard (Fire Spin, Blast Burn, Dragon Claw) .
Alternate:
Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earth Quake) can be easily swapped in for Charizard substituting in as a different typing while still acting in a similar role.
Giratina Altered (Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power) can also be swapped in for Charizard and acts as a safe swap thanks to its Bulk. Even against its counters, it can still weaken them significantly. However, it is more risky with a lot of people looking to counter it.
Togekiss (Charm, Ancient Power, Flamthrower) can be swapped in for Aloan Muk and can run riot if it gets the boost.
Go Battle League Results – Ultra League
Wins: 70 Battles: 135 Win Rate: 52% Longest streak: 9 Wins
Rank: 9
Battle Points: 3355
akadjblaze 