The competition in Pokémon Go is about to get a lot fiercer with the introduction of the Battle League. Players have the chance to compete against other Pokémon Go trainers to test their teams against one another, fighting in similar battles they have already fought against Team Go Rocket, gymnastics battles and friendly skirmishes with friends. An essential aspect of developing your skills for the Battle League is learning the requirements for entering the Great League, but you also need to figure out who you want for an attacker. Here are a handful of optimal choices you can choose from to fulfill this role.
It is important to note that the max Pokémon CP allowed in the Big Cap league is 1. The Ultra League goes up to 500. The Master League allows any Pokémon of any CP value.
Medicham
Medicham is a Fighting type Psychic type Pokémon that can do substantial damage for this league set. He has a max CP of 1431, which makes him an ideal candidate to help you in the Great League. He has a weakness for Fairy, Flying, and Ghost-type moves, so you'll need to use them strategically during combat.
To help diversify Medicham's use in combat, you might want to have one with the Psycho Cut quick attack then the Dynamic Punch charge attack, or have one with Counter and Psychic. You have the option of giving Medicham two psychic moves or two combat moves, but to help you meet any opponent your enemy throws at you, you had better have two different attack types.
Swampert ou Marshtomp
For an attacker, Swampert is a great option. The immediate downside of potentially having one with too much power. The max CP of a Swampert is set at 2, which means you can easily have one in your collection, but it can be too high. It would help if you tried to choose Marshtomp instead, the second evolution of this Pokémon. Either way, it's a great option. These are Water and Ground-type Pokémon that make it weak at nothing except the Grass-types, and it's extremely weak against these attacks, another downside.
If you have Swampert, you need to use one that can spam Hydro Cannon for its charge attack, then choose to either slam or squirt it with a water gun. You'll probably want to provide him with Mud Shot to disperse the types of attacks he uses. For Marshtomp, you want to have one that can use Mud Shot and Surf or Water Gun and Mud Bomb. These two don't have as much defense as Medicham, so make sure you're prepared to meet your foe by using both of these two's full combat strength in one encounter.
Skarmory
Now, for those who want to bring out a solid striker with a tough defense, Skarmory is a great option. It is Steel and Flying type, which makes it weak to Fighting and Electric type attacks, but resistant to many others. Your opponent will have a hard time trying to make a successful hit against that pick, but Skarmory's overall offense, at 148, means he's lacking in this department a bit.
However, the sturdy defenses of a solid 226 make up for it, and you want to bring it into battle with Steel Wing and Sky Attack, or Steel Wing and Brave Bird. Of the two choices, the latter does not do as much damage. You can go with Steel Wing and Flash Cannon, but having two moves of the same type can limit Skarmory's effective damage range. A Skarmory's overall maximum CP reaches 2108, so you shouldn't have a hard time bringing one into the Great League below 1500.
Gengar or Haunter
For those looking for a unique type to bring into battle, Gengar or Haunter are optimal choices for direct damage. These Phantom and Poison-type Pokémon are glass cannons, weak to Dark, Phantom, Ground, and Psychic-type attacks. If you use either of these, you need to make sure you reserve a shield or two for them as their inferior defenses will require you to sacrifice one of them to deal a lot of damage to your opponent.
Gengar's max CP is at 2, so you need to have an extremely low one to get there. Haunter, on the other hand, has a max CP of 878, which makes him a much more natural choice to enter the Big League. No shame in counting a Gengar, as it has higher defenses than its lower morph. If you're using Gengar, try to get one with the Lick and Sludge Bomb, or if you're trying to deal the most damage, be sure to bring Shadow Ball. For Haunter, you want to use one with Lick and Sludge Bomb, but he can also know Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
Bastiodon
When you need a strong fighter in the Big League, look no further than Bastiodon. You can be careful placing it against any Fighting, Ground, or Water-type Pokémon, but this Rock-and-Steel-type Fossil Pokémon is great where it counts. He's a fantastic defender, and while he can only cap his CP at 1, he's perfect for use in the Big League.
For attacks, you have a handful of options. You can choose to give him Smack Down or Iron Tail for his fast attack, but for his charged attack you have to choose between Stone Edge, Flash Cannon, and Flamethrower. The choice is yours, but we recommend that you don't go for the same type of moves due to Bastiodan's variety of options. Stone Edge and Flash Cannon cost a considerable amount of energy, but Bastiodan's sturdy defenses should stay the course and keep repelling attacks.
