Best team for the Psychic Cup in Pokemon Go

❘ Published: 2023-03-15T15:54:00

Malamar appearing in the Pokemon Go Psychic Cup

Niantic

The Psychic Cup has returned to the Pokemon Go Battle League in March 2023, so we’ve put together some of the best teams and Pokemon to help you Zen Headbutt the competition away.

Alongside the traditional Great League, Ultra League, and Master League competitions, Pokemon Go often introduces themed cups to the Go Battle League to give well-practiced trainers a fresh challenge to enjoy.

This time around you’ll need to break out your best Psychic-types as the Psychic Cup is coming to the Pokemon Go Battle League. As the name suggests, only one type is allowed, making choosing a team quite tricky.

To help you figure out which Pokemon are worth powering up for battle, we’ve listed some of the best Psychic-type creatures below, as well as the movesets that will help them reach their full potential.

A poster for the Psychic Cup in Pokemon Go

Best team for the Psychic Cup in Pokemon Go

One of the best teams you can use in the Psychic Cup is Victini, Malamar, and Bronzong.

Victini is expected to be the top Pokemon when it comes to wins, according to PvPoke, while the Dark/Psychic-type Malamar and Steel/Psychic-type Bronzong are able to take down most of Victini’s biggest threats between them.

We’ve gone into more detail about some of the best Pokemon you can use for the Psychic Cup below, where you’ll also find details of their weaknesses, resistances, and the best movesets for them to learn.

Best Pokemon for the Psychic Cup

Victini

Fast Move: Quick Attack
Charged Moves: V-Create and Psychic
Resistances: Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Ice, Psychic, and Steel
Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Ground, Rock, and Water

If you’re lucky enough to have a Victini under 1500 CP in your collection then you’ve already got a huge advantage here, as this Mythical Pokemon is looking like the one to beat in the Psychic Cup meta.

Thanks to the recent Quick Attack energy generation buff, you’ll be able to access the brilliant Charged Moves Psychic and V-Create much earlier – but be careful of that Defense self-debuff.

Galarian Rapidash

Fast Move: Fairy Wind
Charged Moves: Megahorn and Body Slam
Resistances: Dragon, Fighting, and Psychic
Weaknesses: Ghost, Poison, and Steel

A high Attack stat combined with the Psychic-type destroying Megahorn and the spammable Body Slam gives Galarian Rapidash major wins over the likes of Malamar, Wobbuffet, Galarian Slowking, and Claydol.

Fairy Wind is the best Fast Move for the Psychic Cup meta, while the aforementioned Megahorn and Body Slam give Galarian Rapidash some real power. Just watch out for its lack of bulk.

Malamar

Fast Move: Psycho Cut
Charged Moves: Foul Play and Superpower
Resistances: Psychic
Weaknesses: Bug and Fairy

Being a dual Dark/Psychic-type means that Malamar has extra resistance to Psychic-type attacks, very few weaknesses, and access to Dark-type attacks that can obliterate other Psychic-type Pokemon.

As you’ve probably guessed, it’s going to be a nightmare to deal with in the Psychic Cup. Psycho Cut has quick energy generation, which you’ll need to access the powerful Dark-type Charged Move Foul Play.

Bronzong

Fast Move: Feint Attack
Charged Moves: Payback and Heavy Slam
Resistances: Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, and Steel
Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground

Bronzong has a long list of resistances that can come in handy in the Psychic Cup, but perhaps most importantly, it has access to a complete Dark-type moveset, which even Malamar doesn’t have.

Feint Attack is the best Fast Move for the Psychic Cup, as it can dish out some essential Dark-type damage to other Psychic-types. Pair this with Payback and you’ve got a winning Bronzong build.

Bruxish

Fast Move: Bite
Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Psychic Fangs
Resistances: Fighting, Fire, Ice, Psychic, Steel, and Water
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass

A brand new addition to this list for 2023 is Bruxish, which only just made its Pokemon Go debut. While Bruxish is a disappointment in regular leagues, it finds a niche in the Psychic Cup with big wins over Victini, Claydol, Bronzong, and more.

Considering the amount of Psychic-type opponents you’ll face in this cup, Bite is your best Fast Move option. As for Charged Moves, Aqua Tail can dish out some big damage for a relatively low cost, while Psychic Fangs offers a guaranteed debuff to your opponent’s Defense.

Claydol

Fast Move: Mud Slap
Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Shadow Ball
Resistances: Electric, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, and Rock
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water

Claydol may have more weaknesses than any other Pokemon on our list, but it still gets a chance to shine in the Psychic Cup with an impressive Defense stat and a moveset that’s surprisingly well-optimized for this meta.

Mud Slap is a decent Fast Move that can dish out solid damage to Victini, Bronzong, and Metagross. As for Charged Moves, Rock Tomb is expensive but delivers a guaranteed Attack debuff, which could be a dealbreaker in a close battle.

Pokemon Go Psychic Cup rules & restrictions

The main rule of the Psychic Cup is that only Psychic-type Pokemon under the 1,500 CP limit are allowed on your team. Despite being Psychic-type, the Mythical Mew is also banned from entering.

While this does limit your options quite heavily, it’s worth pointing out that dual-types are eligible, so a Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon like Bronzong is allowed to enter.

Pokemon Go Psychic Cup start & end date

The Psychic Cup will appear in the Pokemon Go Battle League from Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 8PM GMT until Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 1PM PT.

It will run alongside the traditional Ultra League. We’ve got a best Ultra League team guide to help you rise to the top in that competition as well.