Best team for the Little Cup in Pokemon Go (2023)
NianticThe Little Cup is returning to the Pokemon Go Battle League to offer a unique challenge with some teeny-tiny restrictions, so here are our best team recommendations to help you win.
Alongside the traditional Great League, Ultra League, and Master League competitions, Niantic regularly features a variety of themed cups in each Go Battle League season to provide Trainers with new challenges to enjoy.
One of the most popular cups is the Little Cup, which is finally returning to play. In this unusual cup, only Pokemon under 500 CP are eligible to enter, which means most of the usual top-tier Pokemon you’ll see in PvP Battles aren’t allowed.
To help you figure out which Pokemon are worth taking into battle, we’ve put together our best team recommendations for the Little Cup in 2023, as well as details about the rules and restrictions.
Contents
- Best team for the Little Cup
- Best Pokemon for the Little Cup
- Little Cup rules & restrictions explained
- Little Cup start & end date
Best team for the Little Cup in Pokemon Go
One of the best teams for the Little Cup in Pokemon Go is Bronzor, Ducklett, and Deino, as these are three of the strongest eligible contenders for this cup and they have excellent coverage between them.
It’s impossible to say what a single ‘best’ team for any league or cup in the Go Battle League is, as it depends on what your opponent sends out into battle – and you simply can’t predict that in advance.
Having said that, there are several Pokemon that rise to the top of the ranks in the Little Cup with key wins and great movesets. Using any of these should give you a good chance of success.
Best Pokemon for the Little Cup in Pokemon Go
Bronzor
- Fast Move: Confusion
- Charged Moves: Heavy Slam and Payback
- Resistances: Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
The undeniable standout in the Little Cup is once again Bronzor, which has a huge amount of resistances and is capable of defeating almost any opponent that challenges it. It’s an expensive investment to reach that 500 CP limit, but definitely worth it for this cup.
Confusion is the only viable Fast Move here, as it has much better damage and energy generation than Tackle. Heavy Slam and Pyshock are both solid Charged Moves with similar stats, so choose one and pair it with Payback to deal with any other Bronzor you come up against.
Deino
- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Body Slam and Crunch
- Resistances: Water, Grass, Fighting, Electric, Ground, Dark, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Fire, Poison, Steel, Flying, and Ice
Zweilous and Hydreigon may get most of the attention in Pokemon Go, but their pre-evolution Deino gets a chance to shine in the Little Cup. With a huge Attack stat and some powerful moves, it can keep big names like Ducklett, Growlithe, and even Bronzor in check.
Dragon Breath is the only Fast Move you should consider for Deino, as the alternative option, Tackle, is pretty useless. For Charged Moves, you’ll want a combination of Body Slam and Crunch for optimal coverage. Both are relatively cheap attacks, too, which helps.
Ducklett
- Fast Move: Wing Attack
- Charged Move: Bubble Beam and Brave Bird
- Resistances: Ground, Steel, Fire, Bug, Water, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Electric and Rock
It’s pretty much guaranteed that Ducklett will make an appearance in any sub-500 CP cup, and the 2023 edition of the Little Cup is no exception. Being a Water/Flying-type means it has very few weaknesses and can wipe out both Fire and Grass-type opponents easily.
The main use for Ducklett is to take down Cottonee, but it can also be used against Wynaut, Wooper, and both regional forms of Vulpix. Wing Attack is the best Fast Move here, with Bubble Beam and Brave Bird providing two great STAB-boosted Charged Moves.
Wynaut
- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Move: Mirror Coat
- Resistances: Fighting and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, and Ghost
Even with just one Charged Move at its disposal, Wynaut is still one of the top-ranking Pokemon in the Little Cup meta. This makes it a relatively cheap option – and one that’s also surprisingly bulky!
Counter is one of the best Fast Moves in Pokemon Go, so make sure your Wynaut has it. Mirror Coat is your only Charged Move option, but that pairing will still give you plenty of wins against big names like Deino, Vulpix, and Cottonee.
Seel
- Fast Move: Lick
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Icy Wind
- Resistances: Fire, Ice, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric and Grass
Seel appears to have dropped down the Little Cup rankings this time around, but a strong Ice and Water-type moveset still gives it plenty of opportunities to make a splash with key wins over the likes of Vulpix, Cottonee, Growlithe, and Wynaut.
All of Seel’s potential Fast Moves are decent, but Lick has the best performance against the Little Cup meta, so choose that if possible. As for Charged Moves, go with Aqua Tail for quick Water-type damage and Icy Wind for a powerful blast that also deals an Attack debuff.
Cottonee
- Fast Move: Charm
- Charged Moves: Grass Knot and Seed Bomb
- Resistances: Water, Grass, Fighting, Electric, Ground, Dark, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Fire, Poison, Steel, Flying, and Ice
Cottonee was the main event in the recent Little Jungle Cup, and that power translates well into the regular Little Cup where its unique Grass/Fairy-typing gives it key wins against the likes of Deino, Vullaby, Stunky, and Wooper.
With Fast Moves likely playing a big part in the Little Cup, having the powerful Charm is a huge advantage. It doesn’t have the best energy generation, so you might not get many Charged Move attempts, but go with Grass Knot or Seed Bomb just in case.
Pokemon Go Little Cup rules & restrictions explained
The main rule of the Little Cup (and the most obvious one) is that only Pokemon that are below the max 500 CP limit are able to enter, but that’s not the only restriction you’ll need to be aware of.
As well as being under the CP limit, only Pokemon that are able to evolve and have not evolved even once are eligible to enter this cup, which puts quite a heavy limit on the species that can be used.
Pokemon Go Little Cup start & end date
The Little Cup returns to the Pokemon Go Battle League on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 9PM BST and runs until Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at 1PM PST.
It will appear alongside the traditional Master League, and we’ve got a best team guide for that right here.
That’s everything you need to know about the Little Cup! Check out some of our other Pokemon Go guides below:
Pokemon Go type chart | How to catch Ditto | Best Eeveelutions | Current Field research rewards and tasks | Promo Codes | How to get Pinap Berries | Spotlight Hour schedule | Current Raid Bosses | How to beat Giovanni | How to get free Remote Raid Passes | Best moves to learn with Elite Fast TM | Best moves to learn with Elite Charged TM
