DEXERTOThe extra fun Fantasy Cup is back in Pokemon Go‘s Battle League, so check out its particular set of rules and restrictions, as well as the best team to vanquish the competition.
Besides the very well-known Great, Ultra, and Master League competitions, Niantic regularly introduces new and remixed Cups to the Battle League to offer trainers fresh challenges.
As part of the current Tales of Transformation season, the Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition is being celebrated, which is good news for fans of Dragon, Fairy, or Steel-type Pokemon.
Whether you’re a Turtonator destroyer, a Florges fan, or a Steelix rocker, it’s time to prove your mettle. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the best Pokemon and their top moves for the Fantasy Cup.
Best team for the Pokemon Go Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition
One of the best team combinations for the Fantasy Cup includes Galarian Stunfisk, Shadow Galarian Weezing, and Corviknight, as they are some of the strongest Pokemon with wide coverage.
However, as with the rest of the Go Battle League, it’s hard to say what a ‘best team’ looks like because you’ll never know what Pokemon you’re going up against. You can have a very solid team, but a lot of it comes down to type combinations.
Still, there are a few that can perform well in most situations, which we’ve listed below alongside their optimal movesets and weaknesses.
Best Pokemon for the Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition
Heatran
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Fire Spin
- Charged Moves: Magma Storm and Stone Edge
- Type: Fire/Steel
- Resistances: Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ice, Poison, Steel, Dragon, Flying, Normal, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Ground, Fighting, and Water
offers elite-level bulk, typing, and raw firepower, making it one of the strongest Fire/Steel creatures in the Fantasy Cup.
Out of its two Fast Moves, Bug Bite is just useless, while Fire Spin offers greater damage and energy. Plus, it benefits from STAB. As for the Charged Moves, Magma Storm is cheap, also has STAB, and pairs nicely with Fire Spin. On the other hand, Stone Edge gives Heatran the most overall coverage.
Related
Bastiodon
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Smack Down
- Charged Moves: Stone Edge and Flamethrower
- Type: Rock/Steel
- Resistances: Dragon, Ice, Psychic, Fairy, Bug, Rock, Flying, Normal, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Ground, Fighting, and Water
Even when compared to Legendaries and other powerful Pokemon, Bastiodon still has one of the best Defense stats in Pokemon Go. Its Attack stat pales in comparison, but that doesn’t stop it from excelling in the Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition.
Smack Down as a Fast Move hits hard, while Stone Edge is a powerful Rock-type Charged Move that takes advantage of Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), and Flamethrower can be used against other Steel-types.
Florges
NIANTIC/THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Moonblast and Trailblaze
- Type: Fairy
- Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Dark, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Poison and Steel
This Pokemon is not only bulky, but it has only two weaknesses, making it a prime choice for any team in the Fantasy Cup when properly used and paired.
For the Fast Move, go with Fairy Wind, as it has fast charge and deals pretty good damage despite being a little expensive. For the Charged Move, pick Trailbraze to boost your Attack stat 25% and then – if you can afford a secondary Charged Move – use Moonblast to finish off your opponent. Plus, it will decrease your target’s Attack by 20%, too.
Alolan Sandslash (Shadow)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Ice Punch and Drill Run
- Type: Ice/Steel
- Strong against: Dragon, Psychic, Normal, Grass, Bug, Flying, Fairy, Ice, and Poison
- Weak against: Fire, Fighting, and Ground
The dual Ice/Steel-type Alolan Sandslash is another defensively strong Pokémon for the Fantasy Cup. It has resistances against two of the three mainly featured types in the cup – Fairy and Dragon.
As for its moveset, Shadow Claw is the best Fast Move to use, as it expands the Pokemon’s coverage and works perfectly with Ice Punch, its main Charged Move.
Both Ice Punch and Drill Run are very spammable. The first one can be used to bait the opponent’s shields, and the second to target specific enemies.
Jirachi
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Confusion
- Charged Moves: Doom Desire and Aura Sphere
- Type: Steel/Psychic
- Resistances: Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
The Mythical Jirachi might be tricky to get, but those who have one can take advantage of its good stats, many resistances, and incredible move pool.
Confusion is the best Fast Move Jirachi has due to its high damage and good energy gains to unlock the Charged Moves. As for those, Doom Desire is key as it is cheap and spammy. This way, you can quickly get rid of your opponent’s shield, leaving them defenseless.
For the secondary Charged Move, use Aura Sphere to expand its coverage and mainly target Dark and Steel enemies.
Forretress
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Volt Switch
- Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Sand Tomb
- Type: Bug/Steel
- Resistances: Poison, Grass, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Ice, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Fire
Forretress is a solid choice for any team as it boasts numerous useful resistances, and it’s only weak to one type (Fire), which is not being played a lot during this season. Plus, it has a great Defense stat.
Bug-type moves are not good at all in Pokemon Go, so use Volt Switch as the Fast Move to expand the coverage and deal decent damage.
For the Charged Move, use Rock Tomb to decrease your opponent’s Attack stat and bait their shields. Then you can use the low-cost Sand Tomb to debuff the enemy’s Defense stat by 20%.
Excadrill (Shadow)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Mud Slap
- Charged Moves: Drill Run and Rock Slide
- Type: Ground/Steel
- Resistances: Bug, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water
With an incredible amount of type resistances, a huge Attack stat, and the ability to take down the likes of Dedenne, Empoleon, and Galarian Weezing, the Ground/Steel-type Excadrill remains a solid choice for the Fantasy Cup.
Mud Slap has massive damage output, so go with that as Excadrill’s Fast Move. When it comes to Charged Moves, pair Drill Run with Rock Slide to give yourself two brilliant low-cost attacks that offer some impressive coverage.
Alolan Dugtrio
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Mud Slap
- Charged Moves: Mud Bomb and Iron Head
- Type: Ground/Steel
- Resistances: Poison, Electric, Rock, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water
The blonde version of the iconic Kanto Pokemon has a solid bulk and great type combination that allows it to excel in the Fantasy Cup. Plus, it can resist the three main types used in the tournament – Dragon, Fairy, and Steel.
Similar to Excadrill, Mud Slap is Alolan Dugtrio’s best Fast Move thanks to its massive damage output. Plus, it pairs nicely with Iron Head, and they both benefit from STAB.
Mud Bomb is the cheapest Charged Move and is very spammy, so it can be used constantly to leave your opponent defenseless early on.
Steelix
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Thunder Fang
- Charged Moves: Psychic Fangs and Crunch
- Type: Steel/Ground
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Electric, Steel, Psychic, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water
Steelix, like every other Steel-type Pokemon, has an incredible amount of resistances, which is always wonderful to have. It also has a really good Defense, so it can be either used as a lead or a switch, as it will endure the damage.
As a lead, Steelix can push the enemies’ shields by spamming Thunder Fang, a very fast move with heavy damage. Moreover, both Charged Moves are very cheap and fast, and while Psychic Fangs decreases the target’s Defense stat by 20%, Crunch has a 20% chance of decreasing it by another 20%.
Empoleon
THE POKEMON COMPANY- Fast Move: Metal Sound
- Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Drill Peck
- Type: Water/Steel
- Resistances: Steel, Poison, Ice, Water, Rock, Psychic, Normal, Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, and Ground
This dual Water/Steel-type Pokemon has climbed the ranks in the League and sits at the top thanks to its powerful Attack and formidable Defenses. It serves as a great counter to Pokemon like Florges, Togekiss, and Galarian Weezing.
Metal Sound is a good, fast charge move, which makes it very spammy. As for the Charged Move, Hydro Cannon is the way to go due to its high damage and very low cost. Plus, it’s one of the best Water-type moves in the whole game. If you can afford a secondary Charged Move, Drill Peck can help you expand your coverage.
Dedenne
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Thunder Shock
- Charged Moves: Parabolic Charge and Play Rough
- Type: Electric/Fairy
- Resistances: Dragon, Bug, Dark, Electric, Fighting, and Flying
- Weaknesses: Ground and Poison
Its unique type combination makes Dedenne an interesting Pokemon to use in the Battle League, mainly because it leaves this tiny mouse with a good set of resistances and just two weaknesses to keep an eye out.
As for its moveset, Thunder Shock is Dedenne’s best Fast Move. Even though it has low damage output, it offers very high energy generation, which is very useful. For the Charged Moves, go with Parabolic Charge for good DPE and a 25% Defense stat buff. Use Play Rough as your secondary option to expand your coverage.
Turtonator
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Incinerate
- Charged Moves: Dragon Claw and Overheat
- Type: Fire/Dragon
- Resistances: Fire, Grass, Bug, Electric, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Ground, and Rock
Turtonator thrives in the Fantasy Cup thanks to its dual typing, which hard counters popular choices like Forretress, Dedenne, Togekiss, and Corviknight. Plus, it has access to incredible Charged Moves that target both Fairy and Dragon enemies.
Incinerate has high power and good energy generation, so use it as your Fast Move. Then, add Overheat as your Charged Move – It is a very cheap nuke. Finish up your moveset with Dragon Claw, a strong and fast move that benefits from STAB.
Corviknight
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Sand Attack
- Charged Moves: Air Cutter and Payback
- Type: Flying/Steel
- Resistances: Bug, Grass, Poison, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Steel, and Ground
- Weaknesses: Electric and Fire
Like most Steel-type Pokemon, one of Corviknight’s advantages is the many resistances it has. That, along with its very good Defense and Stamina stats, makes this a very difficult creature to take down.
Even though it’s the only Fast Move that doesn’t benefit from STAB, Sand Attack offers great coverage and has a very fast energy gain.
As for the Charged Moves, Air Cutter is quite spammy, so it can help you take down the opponent’s shields. Plus, it benefits from STAB and has a 30% chance of boosting your Attack stat by 25%. Payback, on the other hand, is a coverage nuke all trainers using Corviknight should have as a secondary choice.
Galarian Weezing (Shadow)
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Fairy Wind
- Charged Moves: Sludge and Overheat
- Type: Poison/Fairy
- Resistances: Fighting, Dragon, Bug, Grass, Fairy, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Ground, Psychic, and Steel
Galarian Weezing not only sports a unique dual Poison/Fairy type combination but also has access to a versatile move pool that includes Dark and Fire attacks. This way, it can target Fighting, Dragon, Dark, Psychic, Ghost, Grass, Ice, Bug, and even Steel, which Galarian Weezing is weak against.
Fairy Wind is a great Fast Move to use, mainly due to its incredibly high energy generation, which will allow players to reach their Charged Moves sooner in the battle.
Pair it with the Charged Move Sludge to benefit from even more STAB damage while baiting your opponent’s shields. Add Overheat as your secondary Charged Move to target the Grass types, such as Ferrothorn, Abomasnow, Amoonguss, and Venusaur.
Galarian Stunfisk
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Mud Shot
- Charged Moves: Rock Slide and Earthquake
- Type: Ground/Steel
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Electric, Fairy, Flying, Bug, Steel, Normal, Psychic, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Fire, Water, Ground, and Fighting
Galarian Stunfisk has always been a standout in the Battle League meta (mainly the Great League tier), and now it gets a chance to shine in the Fantasy Cup, too.
Mud Shot is the best Fast Move to use with Galarian Stunfisk, as its fast energy gain will help you save up for some powerful Charged Moves: Rock Slide provides some extra coverage while Earthquake deals massive damage.
Pokemon Go Fantasy Cup rules & restrictions explained
The Fantasy Cup is one of the most unique challenges in the Go Battle League, as only Dragon, Steel, and Fairy-type Pokemon at or below 1,500 CP can enter.
While this does severely limit your options when compared to the open League tiers, remember that dual types like the Ground/Steel-type Galarian Stunfisk can take part, which does make forming a team a little bit easier.
Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition start & end date
The latest Pokemon Go Battle League season will run from September 2, 2025, until December 2, 2025.
During those three months, the Fantasy Cup will run from September 30, 2025, until October 7, 2025, along with the regular Great League.
This means you’ll have just one week to dominate this Go Battle League cup and work your way to the top.
Those are the best Pokemon you can add to your Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition team during this Pokemon Go season. For more content, check our guide with the Battle League schedule and rewards, as well as all the best attackers, defenders, and PvP champions.