Best Teams for the Catch Cup: Great League Edition in Pokémon Go

You only have a handful of options when participating in Pokémon Go‘s Catch Cup for the Great League. The team you make won’t be as powerful as the traditional Great League, but there are some solid choices you can pick from, depending on your luck.

The problem with the Catch Cup is it all comes down to what Pokémon you’ve caught during the Timeless Travels season, which began in December 2023. Any Pokémon you caught throughout this timeline is viable, but if you haven’t been catching too much, there’s a good chance you might be out of luck. This guide covers the best Pokémon teams to use in Pokémon Go‘s Catch Cup: Great League edition.

Best Pokémon teams to use in Pokémon Go‘s Catch Cup: Great League

You need to follow several rules to ensure your Pokémon team can be used in Pokémon Go‘s Catch Cup: Great League. The most important rule is that any Pokémon your team must have been caught from Dec. 1, 2023, to March 1, 2024. Any Pokémon caught before Dec. 1 is unavailable.

On top of this, the Pokémon must be under 1,500 CP. However, this is a standard rule for any Pokémon Go Great League competition and shouldn’t be too new for anyone, especially those who were in the Evolution Cup. So long as your Pokémon meet these requirements, they can join your team and participate in the Catch Cup. Let’s focus on some of the best Pokémon you can use during this competition and highlight the teams you should consider creating.

Lickitung, Skarmory, and Whiscash

The first team I want to highlight features Lickitung at the head of the pack. You can never go wrong with Lickitung; its overall bulk makes it a great choice. It takes a lot of effort for opponents to take it out in Pokémon Go battles, making it a great final Pokémon to use in your roster. For your first Pokémon, Skarmory is a solid choice, capable of landing solid attacks as a Steel and Flying type. Then you can use Whiscash as your wild card, capable of switching out if Lickitung or Skarmory runs into trouble.

You need to teach Lickitung to use Lick, Power Whip, and Body Slam. For Skarmory, make sure it knows Steel Wing, Brave Bird, and Sky Attack. Finally, you need to teach Whiscash to use Mud Shot, Mud Bomb, and Scald.

Swampert, Bastiodon, and Mandibuzz

This next team has the popular Pokémon Swampert as the primary option. Swampert is a fantastic Pokémon because it’s only weak against Grass types, and it has great attacks to fight several regular meta choices that appear throughout the Great League. You need to make sure to protect against Grass types, which is why I put Mandibuzz on this team. Although it only has one Flying-type move, it should be enough to knock out any potential Grass-type adversaries, and you can always put Bastiodon out as your final option.

Swampert needs to learn Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, and Earthquake. When using Bastiodon, make sure it knows to use Smack Down, Stone Edge, and Flamethrower. Finally, teach Mandibuzz Snarl, Dark Pulse, and Aerial Ace.

Gligar, Medicham, and Serperior

Gligar is a main stand-out choice for this next team, and you can use the regular or Shadow version. For many Pokémon Go players, the Shadow version of Gligar might be a better option, but it depends on whether you want more damage or defense. However, the Pokémon you might want to use first on your team could be Medicham, capable of being a heavy hitter at the start of a fight. I always use Medicham first during a fight and swap to another choice after I catch my opponent off-balance. I like having Serperior on this team to help round everything out as my last defense.

It would be best to teach Gligar to use Wind Attack, Aerial Ace, and Dig. Medicham needs to learn Counter, Ice Punch, and Dynamic Punch. Regarding Serperior, teach it to use Vine Whip, Frenzy Plant, and Aerial Ace.

Lanturn, Galarian Stunfisk, and Vigoroth

This next team has several Pokémon Go Great League favorites: Galarian Stunfisk and Vigoroth. Galarian Stunfisk typically appears in these battles because of how difficult it is to counter, and the same goes for Vigoroth. Using both of these Pokémon on the same team is a great option, and you can use Lanturn to help protect against notably Water types that usually appear throughout the Great League, such as Swampert, Azumarill, and Mantine.

You need to teach Lanturn to use Spark, Surf, and Thunderbolt. Galarian Stunfisk must learn to use Mud Shot, Rock Slide, and Earthquake. The last Pokemon, Vigoroth, needs to learn to use Counter, Body Slam, and Rock Slide.

Azumarill, Annihilape, and Clodsire

This final team features another infamous Great League choice, Azumarill. A Pokémon with great defenses and health, Azumarill is challenging to defeat, but it does lack any attacks that can pressure an opponent to use their shields. If you run into trouble, switch Azumarill out for the heavy-hitting Annihilape, and you can force an opponent to use both of their shields pretty fast. However, to help round things out, I recommend using Clodsire as a final defense.

Teach Azumarill to use Bubble, Ice Beam, and Play Rough. Next, you need to teach Annihilape to use Counter, Ice Punch, and Shadow Ball. Finally, teach Clodsire to use Poison Sting, Earthquake, and Sludge Bomb.