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You never know what to expect with Pokemon Go's Go Battle League, constantly introducing new competitions into the PvP portion of their game. The most recent competition, the Evolution Cup, places very strict and unique requirements on the Pokemon that are used, forcing players to go outside their "comfort zone" when it comes to assembling their team.
As the name implies, this competition is centered around Pokemon evolutions, requiring the use of Pokemon that are in the second stage of a three-stage evolution tree. Proving to exclude the majority of popular choices in the Go Battle League, we've put together some of the best choices and team compositions to go with when seeking victory in the Evolution Cup.
Pokemon Go Evolution Cup Restrictions
Like many other competitions in the Go Battle League, the Evolution Cup places a restriction on the CP of the Pokemon on your team. For this one, you can only use Pokemon that have a CP of 1,500 or less. This forces you to leave out some of your more powerful Pokemon when assembling your team.
Be careful when evolving your Pokemon, as it may increase their CP over 1,500. You will be shown what their new CP will be prior to evolving a Pokemon, so take note of this.
The second set of restrictions proves to be more limiting, having to do with the Pokemon's specific evolutions. For this competition, you can only use Pokemon that have evolved at least once, prohibiting the use of Pokemon in their first evolution stage. Additionally, eligible Pokemon must also be able to evolve again, excluding those in their final evolution stage.
Essentially, this requires that you use Pokemon to be in the middle stage of their specific evolution tree. This not only places strict requirements on your Pokemon, but also may make it difficult for you to assemble a team. This is due to this competition prohibiting all Pokemon that either only have one evolution, or no evolutions at all.
Best Evolution Cup Leads
With no restriction on the type of Pokemon that you use in this cup, there isn't necessarily a "go-to" type that you want for your lead. For this reason, you will want to focus on picking a lead that can quickly use Charged Attacks on your opponent. This will either lead to dealing significant damage, or at the very least, force the enemy to use their shields.
Additionally, you will want a lead that can withstand a good amount of damage. They don't need to be the bulkiest member of your team, but you will still want one with the ability to tank Charged Attacks from the opposition. This will allow you to save your shields, giving you a sizable advantage late on in the match.
Fast Moves are in normal text, Charge Moves in italics.
Resistant means that the Pokemon takes less damage from moves of that type.
Weak means that the Pokemon takes more damage from moves of that type.
| Pokemon | Best Moves | Resistant | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg){kind=icon} Hakamo-o (Dragon/Fighting) | Dragon Tail Dragon Claw Brick Break | Water Rock Grass Dark Fire Electric Bug | Fairy Dragon Flying Ice Psychic |
.jpg){kind=icon} Machoke (Fighting) | Karate Chop *Cross Chop Dynamic Punch | Rock Dark Bug | Fairy Flying Psychic |
.jpg){kind=icon} Alolan Graveler (Rock/Electric) | Volt Switch Stone Edge Rock Blast | Flying Poison Normal Fire Electric | Ground Fighting Grass Water |
.jpg){kind=icon} Nidorina (Poison) | Poison Sting Poison Fang Thunderbolt | Poison Grass Fighting Fairy Bug | Ground Psychic |
You will need to use an Elite Charged TM on Machoke to acquire the Charged Attack Cross Chop.
Best Evolution Cup Switches
For your switch Pokemon, you'll want one that can deal significant damage through the spamming of their attacks. This will give you the best chance to finish off the enemy's lead if they didn't already get knocked out and use up any of their remaining shields.
It is also helpful if your switch is resistant to multiple types, especially those that your lead is vulnerable to. This will allow you quickly switch and use this Pokemon to cover your lead if they're matched up against a tough opponent.
| Pokemon | Best Moves | Resistant | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg){kind=icon} Vigoroth (Normal) | Counter Body Slam Bulldoze | Ghost | Fighting |
.jpg){kind=icon} Zweilous (Dark/Dragon) | Dragon Breath Body Slam Dark Pulse | Psychic Water Grass Ghost Fire Electric Dark | Fairy Bug Dragon Fighting Ice |
.jpg){kind=icon} Dragonair (Dragon) | Dragon Breath Body Slam Aqua Tail | Water Grass Fire Electric | Dragon Fairy Ice |
.jpg){kind=icon} Sealeo (Ice/Water) | Powder Snow Body Slam Aurora Beam | Ice Water | Electric Fighting Grass Rock |
Best Evolution Cup Closers
As the name implies, you will want a closer with the ability to finish off any of your opponent's remaining Pokemon. This requires a Pokemon with strong attacks, dealing significant damage due to your enemy's lack of shields at this point in the match.
You will also want to make sure that this is a Pokemon that is relatively bulky. This will allow you to withstand any Charged Attacks that they may use because you, too, will have no shields remaining at this point in the match typically.
| Pokemon | Best Moves | Resistant | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg){kind=icon} Piloswine (Ice/Ground) | Powder Snow Avalanche Bulldoze | Electric Poison | Fighting Fire Grass Steel Water |
.jpg){kind=icon} Staravia (Normal/Flying) | Quick Attack Brave Bird Aerial Ace | Ground Ghost Grass Bug | Electric Ice Rock |
.jpg){kind=icon} Charjabug (Bug/Electric) | Spark X-Scissor Discharge | Steel Grass Fighting Electric | Fire Rock |
.jpg){kind=icon} Chansey (Normal) | Zen Headbutt Psychic Dazzling Gleam | Ghost | Fighting |
Evolution Cup Recommended Team Comps
Now that we have the best Pokemon for each role, it's time to put them together and assemble possible team compositions. We have put together a mix of our recommended leads, switches, and closers to give you three possible teams that will perform well when entered into the Evolution Cup.
Hakamo-o - Vigoroth - Charjabug
This team is very "spammy" with their attacks overall, allowing you to deal significant damage to the opponent. Keep the pressure on with these three, punishing the enemy for any mistakes or keeping in a vulnerable Pokemon in for too long.
Hakamo-o has several resistances, giving you significant security at the start of the match. If you are matched up with a tough opponent, don't be afraid to switch to either Vigoroth or Charjabug; possessing the ability to keep the pressure on without missing a beat.
Machoke - Zweilous - Chansey
This proves to be a very well-rounded team, giving you both great offense and defense. Start off with Machoke, using your Charged Attacks to put on a great deal of shield pressure, forcing your opponent to use their shields early on in the match.
Follow this with the use of Zweilous, taking out opposing Pokemon quickly with its fast moves and good defensive stats. Chansey serves as a great closer for this team, not necessarily excelling with their attacking stats, but making up for it with its extreme bulkiness.
Alolan Graveler - Dragonair - Piloswine
This team is all about shield pressure, allowing you to force your opponent into quickly using up their shields early on in the match. Start with Alolan Graveler to either use up your opponent's shields or deal significant damage if they choose to save their shields.
Dragonair doesn't have as much shield pressure as the other two Pokemon on this team but makes up for it in its ability to spam high-damage Fast Attacks. Finish off with Piloswine, again, possessing great shield pressure. At this point in the match, your opponent will have most likely used all of their shields, so take out any remaining Pokemon through the use of your Charged Attacks.
