Best Team For The Halloween Cup Little Edition In Pokémon GO

Things are getting spooky in Pokémon GO, with the Halloween Cup sneaking its way back into the GO Battle League for not one, but two weeks of competitive fun. There will be two versions to take part in: the Little Edition and the Great League Edition. First up is the Little Edition, where only Bug, Dark, Fairy, Ghost, and Poison-type Pokémon that are 500 CP or under can take part.

The limited selection of Pokémon types that can enter means putting a 'best team' together is going to be quite tricky, while the 500 CP limit will stop most of your usual GO Battle League favorites from taking part. On a positive note, though, the low CP limit does make it slightly more accessible, as you won't need any Legendaries or super-powerful Pokémon on your team for a chance of winning.

Best Team For The Halloween Cup: Little Edition

Shuckle Is The Star Of The Show, But You'll Need Some Backup

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One of the best teams you can use for the Halloween Cup: Little Edition is Shuckle, Marill, and Clodsire. With this team, you should be able to take on anything that comes your way, for one very specific reason.

That reason? Shuckle. This little Bug/Rock-type creature might look cute and unassuming, but it's going to be an absolute menace in the Halloween Cup: Little Edition. Despite its pitiful 17 Attack and 85 Stamina stats, Shuckle boasts a whopping 396 Defense stat. It also has a max CP of just 458 CP, which means it reaches its full potential while still being eligible for the Little Cup format.

Powering up Shuckle to its full CP requires a lot of Stardust and Candy, so I'd recommend only putting the time and resources into the process if you know you're going to battle frequently during the Halloween Cup: Little Edition's run.

A quick look at PvPoke's current rankings shows us that Shuckle can win almost every single matchup it could have in the Halloween Cup: Little Edition, so you can expect it to dominate the meta. The good news is that there are two Pokémon that can comfortably counter Shuckle, and one of those is a Pokémon that you might already have in your collection: Marill.

Like Shuckle, getting Marill as close to the 500 CP limit as possible will be quite expensive in terms of Candy and Stardust, but if you want to score victories in the Halloween Cup: Little Edition, it's pretty much a necessity. This is because Marill has a Water-type moveset that can target Shuckle's vulnerabilities, while also having enough bulk to outlast it on the battlefield.

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The second Pokémon that can comfortably defeat Shuckle is Clodsire, although getting one that's below the 500 CP limit may prove difficult, especially as it's an evolution. If you're lucky enough to have one that's eligible, it's good news, as Clodsire doesn't require many resources at all to meet the 500 CP limit, and most of its attacks are set up to target Shuckle's weaknesses, so you don't need to worry about wasting TMs.

If you don't have access to an eligible Clodsire, your next best option is going to be a Pokémon that can defeat either Marill or Clodsire, as a backup option for your Shuckle. You probably won't need it, but as you can't have three Shuckle on your team, you may as well include something useful in our third slot. You can see many of these Pokémon in the next section's table.

Best Pokémon For The Halloween Cup: Little Edition

These Are The Top Pokémon & Their Optimal Movesets

Shuckle is without a doubt the best Pokémon for the Halloween Cup: Little Edition, but if you're interested to know which other Pokémon can put up a fight, check them out in the table below:

Pokémon Fast Attack Charged Attacks Shuckle Rock Throw Stone Edge and Rock Blast Marill Bubble Aqua Tail and Body Slam Clodsire Poison Sting Stone Edge and Earthquake Galarian Zigzagoon Tackle Swift and Dig Qwilfish Poison Sting Aqua Tail and Ice Beam Skorupi Poison Sting Aqua Tail and Cross Poison Tentacool Poiso Sting Water Pulse and Wrap Skrelp Water Gun Aqua Tail and Sludge Bomb Inkay Psywave Night Slash and Psybeam Purrloin Sucker Punch Night Slash and Play Rough

It's hard to overstate the difference between Shuckle and the rest of the Pokémon in the table above when it comes to success in this cup. If you don't have one in your collection (and sadly, there's no easy way to obtain one right now), it might be a good idea to sit the Halloween Cup: Little Edition out. Chances are, you'll struggle to get many wins, especially if the teams you're up against feature Shuckle.

Shuckle has frequently appeared as a wild spawn during special events, as a potential Egg hatch, as a Rocket Grunt reward, and as a One-Star Raid Boss in recent years. None of these are available at the moment. The main way to get it now would be to explore grassy/forest areas and find one, but it's not guaranteed that you'll encounter one.

If you don't have a Shuckle and you still want to compete in the Halloween Cup: Little Edition, your best bet would be to feature both Marill and Clodsire on your team, and then include a third Pokémon that can counter Marill. Your best options are Foongus, Skorupi, Skrelp, or Tentacool, but you can also take a look at PvPoke's rankings to see which other Pokémon you have that could defeat Marill.

As with any limited-time themed cup, the Halloween Cup: Little Edition is only around for a short while and likely won't return again until October 2025. If you aren't close to having the optimal team, it might be better to use your resources to power up Pokémon for the Great League or the Ultra League, as they return every few weeks, and you'll get more use out of them.

When Does The Halloween Cup Start & End?

One Week To Compete Until The Great League Edition Takes Over

The Halloween Cup: Little Edition kicks off on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST and runs until Tuesday, October 23, 2024. At that point, it will be replaced by the Halloween Cup: Great League Edition for just one week.

If you're after a bigger challenge, why not take part in the traditional Master League? This is the highest tier competition in the Pokémon GO Battle League, with no CP limits meaning only the strongest Pokémon and Trainers will have a chance of winning. It's not for the faint of heart, and will require plenty of resources and practice to reach the upper tiers.

Source: PvPoke