Pokémon Go Fossil Cup team recommendations, restrictions and dates explained

Fossil Cup restrictions in Pokémon Go explained

There are two restrictions you need to keep in mind when choosing your team for the Fossil Cup in Pokémon Go.

The first is that we're following Great League rules, meaning the CP limit is 1500 -- make sure your choices are 1500 CP or under!

Secondly, only Water-, Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon are eligible. Remember, this can be their secondary type, opening up the playing field to a total 243 Pokémon.

Our Pokémon Go Fossil Cup recommendations from Swampert to Kartana

Just like with every League or Cup in the Go Battle League, there is no single 'best' team for the Fossil Cup, because you'll never know which Pokémon are in your opponent's team.

The restriction does mean, however, that there is a limited pool of Pokémon for you to choose from, which does help you choose your team.

Before making your selection though, it's a good idea to review the restriction for the Fossil Cup, so you know exactly which Pokémon are available to you.

You should also ensure you have a selection of Pokémon types and have one Pokémon who's Charged attack can be built up quickly, so you force your opponent to use one of their shields early on.

Our Pokémon Go Fossil Cup recommendations in National Pokédex order:

Shadow Swampert

Type: Water / Ground
Perfect IVs: 0/14/14
Recommended: Mud Shot (Fast), Hydro Cannon (Community Day exclusive) and Earthquake (Charged)
Weaknesses: Grass

Swampert is one of the most powerful starter evolutions in Pokémon Go, both in raids as Mega Swampert and in Go Battle League across Great, Ultra and Master League teams. This list starts with the cardinal rule of limited metas: if it's powerful in the open league, it's probably at least good in the limited meta.

Shadow Swampert and Swampert, as it happens, are pretty good in Fossil Cup (though the Shadow version performs slightly better).

Thanks to being a dual Water and Ground-type Pokémon, this not only decreases the amount of Pokémon Swampert is weak too, but it increases the amount of Pokémon it can have an advantage over. You can look forward to wins against Registeel, Escavalier, Lanturn, Ferrothorn and Lucario. Still, it's not all upside: you will lose to Golisopod, Pelipper, Araquanid, Poliwrath and Jellicent.

Pelipper

Type: Water / Flying
Perfect IVs: 0/12/15
Recommended: Wing Attack (Fast), Weather Ball (Water) (Charged), Hurricane (Charged)
Weaknesses: Electric, Rock

Pelipper is well known for its billing in Great League. Like with the open league, it's a very attractive pick for those who want something spammy and flexible that also applies a lot of shield pressure.

If this is sounds like your cup of tea, you can look forward to wins against Swampert, Escavalier, Araquanid and Jellicent.

However, Pelipper's strength in Great League comes from the fact that Rock-types are under-represented, which isn't necessarily the case here, so if you're used to this bird crushing the competition, know you might have a bit more of a fight on your hands (wings?) here. You should expect losses from Lanturn, Registeel, Alolan Sandslash, Quagsire and Ferrothorn.

Registeel

Type: Steel
Perfect IVs: 2/13/14
Recommended moves: Lock On (Fast), Focus Blast (Charged), Zap Cannon (Legacy Charged)
Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire Ground

Legendaries are harder to catch than most -- and unlocking a second charge move for them is very expensive -- but between the many opportunities players have had to get a Registeel, and Steel coming highly recommended in the Great League thanks to few meta weaknesses and staying in fights for longer, it's well worth investing in.

Thanks to its extreme bulk and agility, it's widely believed to be one of the best Pokémon in both the Great League and the Fossil Cup.

In terms of match-ups, you should expect wins against Ferrothorn, Jellicent, Pelipper, Araquanid and Lanturn. Swampert, however, is a pesky ground type, so you should expect losses there, with Escavalier, Galarian Stunfisk and Mawile providing similar defeats.

Lucario

Type: Fighting / Steel
Perfect IVs: 1/15/15
Recommended moves: Counter (Fast), Power-Up Punch (Charged), Shadow Ball (Legacy Charged)
Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground

Lucario has long been a fan favourite -- not only for being one of the first mega-evolutions introduced in the main series, but also because it's just a really cool Pokémon. The fact that it's pretty powerful doesn't hurt, of course.

In Pokémon Go, Lucario's moveset offers something spammy and dynamic, applying both Fast move and shield pressure, gaining momentum in the process with Power-Up Punch. The only downside is that with its stats, it's a bit of a glass cannon.

So how does it perform in terms of match-ups? You 're favoured against Ferrothorn, Registeel, Alolan Sandslash and Araquanid. However, you should swap out or expect losses against Jellicent, Swampert, Escavalier or Lanturn.

Escavalier

Type: Fighting / Steel
Perfect IVs: 1/15/15
Recommended moves: Counter (Fast), Drill Run (Charged), Megahorn (Charged)
Weaknesses: Fire (2x)

Escavalier is a reasonable Pokémon in Go Battle League, with a decent performance in both Great and Ultra League.

Counter is easily the best Fighting-type Fast move, and one of the best Fast moves in the game. Drill Run offers coverage, with Megahorn being a slightly more expensive nuke, but one that offers STAB.

With its only weakness (Fire) being irrelevant in this cup, you can expect wins against Ferrothorn, Registeel Alolan Sandslash, Lucario and Lanturn. Losses will come from Jellicent, Pelipper, Swampert and Araquanid.

Ferrothorn

Type: Grass / Steel
Perfect IVs: 0/13/13
Recommended moves: Bullet Seed (Fast), Power Whip (Charged), Thunder (Charged)
Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Fighting

In a meta dominated by Water types, having access to a strong Grass type is extremely useful -- and if you don't have access to Kartana, this is the best bet.

Bullet Seed is a great, fast-charging move, and Power Whip is just an all-rounder. If you come across anything not weak to Grass (like Pelipper), Thunder is there as coverage.

So how does this shake out in terms of match-ups? You beat most of the Water-types, including Lanturn, Quagsire, Jellicent, Swampert and Pelipper. You should expect losses from Escavalier, Registeel, Shadow Swampert, Alolan Sandslash and Araquanid.

Kartana

Type: Fighting / Steel
Perfect IVs: 0/13/13
Recommended moves: Bullet Seed (Fast), Power Whip (Charged), Thunder (Charged)
Weaknesses: Fire (2x), Fighting

Kartana is usually reserved for Raids, thanks to its high attack and low defense, but as long as you don't mind a glass cannon, Kartana can make short work of most of the Water-type Pokémon in this meta.

Razor Leaf applies heavy damage, while Leaf Blade is a great spam move thanks to how cheap it is. Night Slash is there as coverage should you need it, but it's so cheap it's just as spammy.

Expect wins against both Swamperts, Quagsire, Lanturn and Jellicent. Registeel, meanwhile, will make short work of Kartana, as will Araquanid, Ferrothorn, Pelipper and Golisopod.

The Max Out Season is here. The new global event, Wild Area, is nearly here and In the Wild is our lead-up event, which includes the global release of Toxel. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Fossil Cup dates and times in Pokémon Go explained

The Fossil Cup is running alongside the Great League, from Thursday, 20th July to Thursday 27th July, with the following end times depending on your region:

• UK - 9pm (GMT)
• Europe - 10pm (CEST)
• East Coast USA - 4pm (EDT)
• West Coast USA - 1pm (PDT)

Have fun competing in the Fossil Cup!