Best Pokémon trainers

Cynthia wins 79% of her duels and tops the Pokémon master ranking ahead of Iris.

The 125 ELO points separating Cynthia from Iris mark the sharpest divide in this ranking. Cynthia dominates with 1432 points earned over 173 duels, while Iris holds second place at 1307 points after 248 duels. Brock secures the third spot with 1294 points and a 59% win rate across 223 duels, just ahead of Koga at 1270 points. The top five closes with Brawly at 1258 points after 257 duels. At the bottom, Trace struggles with only 952 ELO points and a 20% win rate over 158 duels, trailing Marlon at 1069 points and Alisma at 1077 points by significant margins. The gap between the podium and the lower ranks reveals a clear preference among voters for the series' most iconic trainers, with Cynthia's commanding lead reflecting her status in the community.

This ranking draws from 1521 duels submitted by 47 players, comparing all 13 contenders in the list. The data was updated on 12 October 2026. To shape this ranking further, cast your votes in head-to-head duels and decide which Pokémon master deserves the top spot. Every duel shifts the standings and reveals new patterns in community preferences.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →