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Size matters not in this adorable competition
Niantic
Size matters not in this adorable competition
A wise Jedi Master once asked their young apprentice if they judged him by his size alone and then blew them away by showing powers they couldn’t have imagined. That’s precisely the spirit of this upcoming Pokémon Go Battle League tournament – Little Cup.
Little Cup will run from March 29 to April 5, 2023. This is the perfect timeframe to be active in Go Battle League, as every win will net you triple the usual reward in Stardust.
This Go Battle League competition runs on a special ruleset limiting participating Pokémon to a maximum amount of 500 competition points (CP). In addition, you may only field Pokémon that are able to evolve into another creature, but haven’t evolved yet. In other words: only base forms are allowed.
Show your opponents that size matters not with the best Pokémon for Little Cup in Pokémon Go based on statistics and simulations provided by PvPoke.com.
Little Cup: Best Leads
These Pokémon aggressively apply pressure on your opponent right from the start of a duel and can survive even tough battles for a long time – they are perfect to open a match up, enabling you to score an early knockout or set up a strong counter play.
- Bronzor(XL) (Confusion, Psyshock, Payback)
- Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Wynaut(XL) (Counter, Mirror Coat)
- Shadow Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Deino (Dragon Breath, Body Slam, Crunch)
- Shelmet (Infestation, Body Slam, Bug Buzz)
- Shadow Stunky (Bite, Crunch, Sludge Bomb)
- Jangmo-o (Dragon Tail, Dragon Claw, Brick Break)
- Galarian Zigzagoon(XL) (Tackle, Body Slam, Dig)
- Onix (Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Sand Tomb)
(XL) = The Pokémon requires Candy XL to reach its optimal power level.
Little Cup: Best Safe Switches
If the opening pairing is to your disadvantage, you should consider switching out your lead for another Pokémon. This is where this category comes into play. They are either strong leads themselves or are specialized in countering some of the most popular leads. In any case, a switch will preserve your original lead to fight later on in the battle and perhaps force your opponent to also adapt their strategy on the fly.
- Bronzor(XL) (Confusion, Psyshock, Payback)
- Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Wynaut(XL) (Counter, Mirror Coat)
- Shadow Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Eevee (Quick Attack, Body Slam, Dig)
- Galarian Zigzagoon(XL) (Tackle, Body Slam, Dig)
- Gligar (Wing Attack, Night Slash, Aerial Ace)
- Lickitung (Lick, Body Slam, Power Whip)
- Shelmet (Infestation, Body Slam, Bug Buzz)
- Skorupi(S) (Poison Sting, Cross Poison, Aqua Tail)
(S) = Regular form and Shadow form perform comparably.
Little Cup: Best Closers
These Pokémon are particularly useful when there are no shields left in play on either side – they are incredibly tough themselves or end battles quickly thanks to powerful charge attacks.
- Bronzor(XL) (Confusion, Psyshock, Payback)
- Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Wynaut(XL) (Counter, Mirror Coat)
- Spearow (Quick Attack, Drill Peck, Sky Attack)
- Doduo (Quick Attack, Brave Bird, Drill Peck)
- Shadow Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Magnemite(S) (Thunder Shock, Magnet Bomb, Discharge)
- Natu(S) (Quick Attack, Drill Peck, Psyshock)
- Deino (Dragon Breath, Body Slam, Crunch)
- Pawniard (Fury Cutter, Night Slash, Iron Head)
Little Cup: Best Attackers
These Pokémon perform best when fighting a trainer who still has shields, while you no longer have shields yourself. They combine important resistances and strong fast attacks to compensate for this disadvantage. For this reason, you rarely see Shadow forms in this role – they take more damage than their regular counterparts, making them a risky card to put on the table.
- Bronzor(XL) (Confusion, Psyshock, Payback)
- Wynaut(XL) (Counter, Mirror Coat)
- Ducklett (Wing Attack, Bubble Beam, Brave Bird)
- Cottonee (Charm, Grass Knot, Seed Bomb)
- Shadow Stunky (Bite, Crunch, Sludge Bomb)
- Spritzee (Charm, Thunderbolt, Draining Kiss)
- Shadow Oddish (Razor Leaf, Seed Bomb, Sludge Bomb)
- Pumpkaboo (Large)/(Super) (Razor Leaf, Grass Knot, Foul Play)
- Rowlet (Razor Leaf, Seed Bomb, Energy Ball)
- Onix (Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Sand Tomb)
Little Cup’s meta is a pretty set affair, as you can see in these rankings: Bronzor, Wynaut, and Ducklett are absolutely dominating most of the categories, which is why some of them actually were banned in previous editions of this tournament. While buffs to Quick Attack somewhat changed the rankings behind these meta-defining Pokémon, that balance adjustment has not allowed anyone to attack their position.
