Pokémon Go Holiday Cup: Little Edition best team recommendations

Holiday Cup: Little Edition restrictions in Pokémon Go explained

Despite the name, it's easier to think of this Cup as a Little Cup first and foremost, with the Holiday flavour being a secondary consideration.

For those new to Pokémon Go, or its PVP modes, Little Cup asks you to put together a team of three 'little' Pokémon. In this case, little means that all Pokémon must be at or below 500 CP to be eligible. This severely limits the pool in terms of what's viable.

And now for the Holiday flare — in this cup, only Normal-, Grass-, Electric-, Ice-, Flying- and Ghost-type Pokémon are eligible. So, this means that Charmander and Shuckle are no longer eligible. Instead, we're looking at the likes of Alolan Vulpix, costumed Pikachus and... oh Arceus no... is that Smeargle?

Well, this is going to be fun.

Like with the Great League, there's a huge upside to playing Little Cup in that the 500 CP limit makes putting a team together extremely cheap and easy – particularly in terms of Stardust.

This also means that you don't need to worry about Mythical and Legendary Pokémon coming to ruin your day as they're generally caught at much higher CPs, making them ineligible for Little Cup and Little Cup Remix. There are a few eligible options, like Raikou and Shaymin but there are significantly better options with far fewer hoops to jump through. This is a cup where you should chuckle if you see these Pokémon, rather than worry.

The downside, of course, is that we're picking from a fairly shallow pool of Pokémon, and for some Pokémon (such as Smeargle), you have to jump through expensive hoops like getting them to Level 50 in order to make them eligible. Still, while everything is weaker at 500 CP, those that are standout are obviously narrower than if the CP cap was higher or if evolved Pokémon were eligible.

If you don't have our recommended Holiday Cup choices, the chances are you can find them pretty easily in the wild before the next Cup. It also makes Community Day, which offers an easy source of strong Pokémon that fare well at lower CP levels, a more attractive proposition.

No matter which League you participate in, remember you are after Pokémon with a decent amount of bulk (the ability to survive charged moves - type weakness depending - so you can fire off a few of your own) and those that best counter or expose weaknesses in the current meta (which is a term for what the community is using at present).

Though there are specific Pokémon and types that dominate the meta, remember with the Go Battle League (and PVP battles in general) you'll be going in blind; so even if you cover yourself with a wide range of offence and defence options, no team is invincible. Ultimately, there is an element of Rockruff-paper-Scizor to this.

Still - even with a few of the below Pokémon in your team, you should be able to fare better than if you just selected those as close to the 500 CP cap as possible.

The Dual Destiny Season is here! It brings the Holiday Part 1 event with it. 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.

Our Holiday Cup: Little Edition recommendations from Pikachu Libre to Amaura

There is no one 'best' team you can choose since, as mentioned previously, you don't know what you are up against and not everyone has access to every type of Pokémon.

Instead, here is a general list of recommended Pokémon to build a team from, with a wide range of sources that should suit all players, whether you've been collecting creatures since day one or just started playing.

Remember you want to build a team with different type strengths and defences. For example, if you build a team with all Grass-types, you'll be especially open to Flying-types – a single Pokémon can wreck your squad.

As always, it's also worth noting that if you want to really compete, each of your Pokémon (with one notable exception) need two Charged moves. This not only allows you options, but in some cases allows you to run an attack that beats the Pokémon yours is weak against. If you want to skimp on Stardust and only run the one move, do so at your own peril – you have been warned.

Our recommendations in National Pokédex order:

Pikachu Libre

Type: Electric
Recommended IVs: 1/15/15
Recommended moves: Thunder Shock (Fast), Flying Press (Charged), Thunder Punch (Charged)
Pikachu Libre weaknesses: Ground

This is one of the rare times that having a costumed variant actually makes a difference. This PVP reward Pokémon has access to the Charged move Flying Press, which is huge against most of the Normal types in the meta. Sadly however, it doesn't win against the monster of the meta, Smeargle.

All in all, this is a spammy move set that offers decent shield pressure. Thunder Shock is fast-charging, while both Charged moves are cheap to fire off. The downside is that this Pokémon is less bulky than is ideal – though the biggest downside of course is that it is only available to those who have already played a bunch of PVP, catching it as a reward. This isn't a Pokémon you can catch in the wild.

When it comes to match-ups, you can look forward to wins against Miltank, Amaura, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Vulpix and Wigglytuff. This is a good chunk of the top of the meta, which is good to see. Losses will come from Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Togedemaru, Cottonee, Smeargle and Litwick.

Alolan Sandslash

Type: Ice/Steel
Recommended IVs: 0/15/11
Recommended moves: Powder Snow (Fast), Ice Punch (Charged), Drill Run (Charged)
Alolan Sandslash weaknesses: Ground

Alolan Sandslash (and its Shadow variant to a lesser degree) is an excellent choice in this meta, offering a consistent, spammy and flexible Pokémon to take down your opponents with.

Powder Snow is fast-charging, Ice Punch is a spammy move to bait out shields and Drill Run provides decent coverage. The issue, really, is that it is double-weak to Fighting and Fire, and weak to Ground. This is a meta with a good few incidental Fire types, so be aware of that.

When it comes to match-ups, Alolan Sandslash pulls in wins against Amaura, Alolan Vulpix, Cottonee, Wigglytuff and Shadow Alolan Ninetales. It loses to fire types plus Smeargle.

Shadow Alolan Marowak

Type: Fire/Ghost
Recommended IVs: 1/15/14
Recommended moves: Fire Spin (Fast), Shadow Bone (Legacy Charged), Bone Club (Charged)
Shadow Alolan Marowak weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Ground, Rock, Water

Shadow Alolan Marowak (and its regular variant to a lesser degree) once again shines in PVP – this spammy and flexible Pokémon has long been a demon in Go Battle League, applying fantastic Fast move pressure with Fire Spin, occasionally debuffing the opponent's defence with Shadow Bone, and otherwise just bludgeoning enemies into submission with Bone Club.

And in this cup, the incidental Fire typing does not go amiss.

So, what does Shadow Alolan Marowak net you? Wins against Litwick, Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Cottonee, Wigglytuff and, importantly, Smeagle. Losses will come from Aerodactyl, Stunfisk, Amaura, Fletchling and Pikachu Libre, so if you see them, swap out and keep your anti-Smeargle tech safe.

Smeargle

Type: Normal
Recommended IVs: 15/15/15
Recommended moves: Incinerate (Fast), Flying Press (Charged)
Smeargle weaknesses: Fighting

A lot has been written about painted devils. The issue here is that Smeargle is the opposite – it's a devil that paints. It's so annoying, a cursory glance online will show that it's single-handedly ruining the meta for many people before the cup has even begun.

There's a few reasons for this. Despite this Pokémon only being able to learn two moves, it can always learn the most obnoxious ones. More importantly, however, is that this is Little Cup, and we're looking at a Level 50 15/15/15 at CP 487. Smeargle is an absolute unit, a tank or, as we put it above, a devil with a paintbrush. We don't need to cover what it beats — it's easily the best Pokémon in the meta, in a league of its own.

So how do you take down the biggest nuisance of the meta? Talonflame, Litwick, Annihilape, Shadow Alolan Marowak or Skeledirge. The fact that only one of those is on this list suggests how annoying this will be to beat.

Miltank

Type: Normal
Recommended IVs: 0/10/6
Recommended moves: Rollout (Fast), Body Slam (Charged), Ice Beam (Charged)
Miltank weaknesses: Fighting

Talking of tanks, we present Miltank – a tank full of milk. Fun fact, military tanks are so called because their designer was trying to disguise their true purpose, describing them as water carriers, or water tanks.

The difference between this and the previous tank on the list, Smeargle, is that Smeargle is level 50. A perfect Miltank is Level 8.5 in this cup. That's a huge difference.

If this spammy and dynamic Pokémon tickles your fancy, you can look forward to wins against Litwick, Alolan Vulpix, Wigglytuff, Amaura and Cottonee.

However, it quickly loses to the real tank of the meta, Smeargle, along with Pikachu Libre, Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Alolan Sandslash and Shadow Alolan Marowak.

Joltik

Type: Bug/Electric
Recommended IVs: 0/15/14
Recommended moves: Sucker Punch (Fast), Cross Poison (Charged), Discharge (Charged)
Joltik weaknesses: Fire, Rock

Bug-types' signature weakness, lack of bulk, is far less of an issue when everything lacks bulk. It's still not a massively bulky Pokémon, but it is spammy and dynamic.

Sucker Punch is a great Fast move, powering into Cross Poison, which has a 12.5% chance of boosting your attack by two stages. If you need to use it, Discharge is there as Electric-type coverage.

In terms of match-ups, you can look forward to wins against anti-Smeargle tech Annihilape, along with Pikachu Libre, Cottonee, Alolan Vulpix and Skeledirge. Losses will come from Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Wigglytuff, Smeargle, Amaura and Alolan Sandslash.

Amaura

Type: Rock/Ice
Recommended IVs: 0/13/15
Recommended moves: Powder Snow (Fast), Weather Ball (Ice; Charged), Ancient Power (Charged)
Joltik weaknesses: Fighting (2x), Steel (2x), Grass, Ground, Rock and Water

Sure, Amaura has two double-weaknesses, but are either of them main types in this meta? No. So instead let's look at what Amaura has to offer. If you saw Powder Snow and Weather Ball, and then grinned, well done, young padawan, we have no more to teach you.

This combo has long been a stunner, propelling the likes of Abomasnow into the top of the bigger leagues. Ancient Power is also nifty in that it gives a 10% chance to boost your attack and defence by a stage each. This really is a very good Pokémon.

So what does Amaura beat? Talonflame, Alolan Vulpix, Litwick, Cottonee and Wigglytuff are all easy wins. It's not all smooth sailing though, with losses from Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Alolan Sandslash, Pikachu Libre, Smeargle and Miltank.

Holiday Cup: Little Edition end date in Pokémon Go

The Holiday Cup: Little Edition will run from 17th December until 24th December with 4× Stardust from win rewards, before having a week off. The cup will return on 31st December 31st and finish on January 7th.

In each instance, the cup will and finish at the following times:

• UK – 9pm (BST)
• Europe – 10pm (CEST)
• East Coast US – 4pm (EDT)
• West Coast US – 1pm (PDT)

Good luck in the Holiday Cup: Little Edition!