The team leaders in Pokémon GO challenge you! We will show you which Pokémon they have and how to best counter them.
You can now not only challenge your friends in Pokémon GO, but also the team leaders. We will show you how to best defeat the NPCs and which Pokémon they bring into battle.
What are team leaders? Team Valor, Wisdom, and Instinct all have team leaders. You can now challenge them in battles. The team leaders are NPCs and are divided into different difficulty levels. You can challenge each team leader in any league. They use different Pokémon for each league, but they remain the same within those leagues.
Blanche: Team Wisdom – Difficulty: Easy
Who is Blanche? Blanche is the team leader of Team Blue, or Team Wisdom. She is the easiest to defeat among all the team leaders. Beginners should therefore fight against Blanche first. Her teams for the leagues are as follows:
Super League (up to a maximum of 1500 CP):
- Magikarp: Counter: Any Grass and Electric type Pokémon
- Barboach: Counter: Any Grass and Electric type Pokémon
- Squirtle: Counter: Any Grass and Electric type Pokémon
How hard is it? No one should have problems with Blanche in the Super League. Magikarp and Barboach deal almost no damage to your Pokémon. Squirtle can also be defeated quickly. Trainers at level 10 should be able to win.
Hyper League (up to a maximum of 2500 CP):
- Alolan Ninetales: Counter: Any Steel, Fire, and Rock type Pokémon
- Walrein: Counter: Any Fighting, Rock, Fire, and Steel type Pokémon
- Lapras: Counter: Any Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Rock type Pokémon
How hard is it? The Hyper League should not be a problem for any trainer with the right counters. Rock type Pokémon are especially useful here, as they are effective against Blanche’s Pokémon.
Master League (no CP limit):
- Lapras: Counter: Electivire, Raikou, Machamp, Hariyama, Zapdos, and other Pokémon of type Grass, Electric, Fighting, Rock
- Skarmory: Counter: Snorunt, Mewtwo (with Ice Beam), Kyogre, and other Pokémon of type Ice and Water
- Articuno: Counter: Tyranitar, Rhydon, Golem, Metagross, Electivire, and other Pokémon of type Rock, Steel, Electric, and Fire
How hard is it? If you have the right counters, you can easily defeat Blanche here as well. You need to have a well-rounded team. We recommend Electivire, Snorunt, and Tyranitar for your team.
Candela: Team Valor – Difficulty: Medium
Who is Candela? Candela is the team leader of Team Red, or Team Valor. She is of medium difficulty between Blanche and Spark. If you don’t want to fight the hardest ones directly, you should challenge Candela. Her team is as follows:
Super League (up to a maximum of 1500 CP):
- Slugma: Counter: Any Rock, Ground and Water type Pokémon
- Vulpix: Counter: Any Rock, Ground and Water type Pokémon
- Charmander: Counter: Any Rock, Ground and Water type Pokémon
How hard is it? The Super League should not pose any problems for her either. Anyone with Rock, Ground, and Water type Pokémon just under 1500 CP should win here.
Hyper League (up to a maximum of 2500 CP):
- Alolan Marowak: Counter: Any Rock, Dark, Ground, Ghost, and Water type Pokémon
- Houndoom: Counter: Any Fighting, Rock, Water, and Ground type Pokémon
- Infernape: Counter: Any Flying, Psychic, Ground, and Water type Pokémon
How hard is it? If you have the right counters, you will win. It can get a bit trickier with the wrong Pokémon. We especially recommend Water and Ground type Pokémon, as they are effective against each of Candela’s Pokémon.
Master League (no CP limit):
- Infernape: Counter: Groudon, Kyogre, Mewtwo, and other Pokémon of type Ground, Water, Flying, and Psychic
- Electivire: Counter: Groudon, Rhydon, Rhyperior, and other Ground type Pokémon
- Zapdos: Counter: Tyranitar, Rhydon, Golem, Kyogre, and other Pokémon of type Rock, Electric, and Water
How hard is it? Here the first trainers face a challenge. If you don’t have the right counters, you could lose. We recommend Groudon, Tyranitar, and Kyogre for your team.
Spark: Team Instinct – Difficulty: Hard
Who is Spark? Spark is the team leader of Team Yellow, or Team Instinct. He is the hardest to defeat out of all the team leaders. You need good counters here, otherwise you will lose. He battles with the following Pokémon:
Super League (up to a maximum of 1500 CP):
- Magnemite: Counter: Any Ground, Fighting, and Fire type Pokémon
- Shinx: Counter: Any Ground type Pokémon
- Pikachu: Counter: Any Ground type Pokémon
How hard is it? If you use a Pokémon with Ground attacks, this shouldn’t be a problem. For example, evolve a Rhydon with low CP into a Rhyperior to keep it under 1500 CP.
Hyper League (up to a maximum of 2500 CP):
- Alolan Raichu: Counter: Any Dark, Ground, Bug, and Ghost type Pokémon
- Magneton: Counter: Any Ground, Fighting, and Fire type Pokémon
- Electivire: Counter: Any Ground type Pokémon
How hard is it? You will win here if you fight with Ground-type Pokémon. If you have the wrong counters, things may get a bit more difficult.
Master League (no CP limit):
- Electivire: Counter: Groudon, Rhydon, Rhyperior, and other Ground type Pokémon
- Milotic: Counter: Electivire, Venusaur, Raikou, and other Pokémon of type Grass and Electric
- Zapdos: Counter: Tyranitar, Rhydon, Golem, Snorunt, and other Pokémon of type Rock and Ice
How hard is it? This is the hardest battle among the gym leaders. Your team needs to be well-rounded. Especially the Milotic in the middle can hit your Ground-type Pokémon hard. We recommend Groudon, Electivire, and Tyranitar for your team.
Which team leader did you challenge first?
For all further information on PvP, what rewards await you, and how to fight against friends, check out our guide to PvP:
