DEXERTOThe Holiday Cup: Great League Edition is part of Pokemon Go‘s Battle League during the Precious Paths season, so here is the best team and top fighters to rise in this festive competitive challenge.
Alongside the traditional trio of the Great, Ultra, and Master Leagues, Niantic regularly introduces limited-time Cups with unique rules to the Go Battle League to switch things up and keep trainers on their toes.
As expected, the Christmas-themed Holiday Cup is back, but here, only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost-type Pokemon at or below 1,500 CP can compete, so if you’re struggling with building a team, here are the best fighters available.
Best team for the Pokemon Go Holiday Cup: Great League Edition
DEXERTOThe best team you can take into the Holiday Cup includes Spiritomb, Lickilicky, and Aurorus, as these are three of the strongest Pokemon that should give you coverage against the most common opponents.
Another team that players could try out includes Doublade, Dunsparce, and Furret.
As with any League or cup, it’s impossible to say what a true ‘best’ team looks like in the Holiday Cup, as it really depends on the Pokemon your opponent sends out – and you won’t know that until the battle begins.
Still, there are a few Pokemon that can perform well in most situations, which we’ve listed below alongside their optimal movesets and weaknesses.
Best Holiday Cup: Great League Edition Pokemon
Walrein
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- Charged Moves: Icicle Spear and Earthquake
- Type: Ice/Water
- Resistances: Ice and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock
Ever since it got access to a good moveset during the January 2022 Community Day, Walrein has risen to the top tier of various formats in the Go Battle League, and this year’s Holiday Cup is arguably where it shines the brightest.
To use this strong beast, you’ll need Powder Snow as a Fast Move, as this gives Walrein quick enough energy to access two powerful Charged Moves: Icicle Spear, which can be spammed to take down shields, and Earthquake for huge damage and extra coverage.
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Miltank
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Rollout
- Charged Moves: Body Slam and Thunderbolt
- Type: Normal
- Resistances: Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fighting
Miltank used to be useless in the Battle League until it got access to Rollout, a pretty good Fast Move that provides fast energy generation to access Charged Moves earlier.
For the Charged Moves, use Body Slam, as it benefits from STAB and is the cheapest choice. It is very spammy, so you’ll be able to destroy your target’s shields early on. Pair it with Thunderbolt to expand Miltank’s coverage.
Lapras
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Psywave
- Charged Moves: Sparkling Aria and Ice Beam
- Type: Water/Ice
- Resistances: Ice and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock
Besides its great bulk, Lapras has an impressive move pool, with four Fast Moves and seven Charged Moves to pick from.
Even though focusing only on Water and Ice moves to benefit from STAB would be the logical thing to do, for the Fast Move, it is best to go with Psywave. It offers the most energy generation out of all the options, and it expands Lapras’s coverage.
Skull Bash, Blizzard, and Hydro Pump are quite expensive moves, and with a few other options available, they are just not worth it. Instead, use Sparkling Aria for a solid Charged Move with STAB. It costs the same as Surf but does five more damage.
As for the secondary Charged Move, Ice Beam will offer more coverage against Grass, Dragon, and Flying opponents while also benefiting from STAB.
Alolan Sandslash
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- 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 Pokemon for this Cup – If you avoid its double weaknesses of Fighting and Fire.
Powder Snow is Alolan Sandslash’s obvious Fast Move choice. It may not hit hard, but it generates good energy per turn, allowing you to get those Charge Moves out with decent regularity.
One of those is Ice Punch, a very cheap as spammy move that can help you get rid of your opponent’s shields to then hit them with full force. If you can afford a secondary Charged Move, go with Drill Run to expand your coverage.
Corviknight
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Sand Attack
- Charged Moves: Air Cutter and Iron Head
- 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%. Iron Head, on the other hand, is a good general Steel-type attack that balances your moveset.
Sableye (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Foul Play and Power Gem
- Type: Dark/Ghost
- Resistances: Psychic, Normal, Poison, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Fairy
The tiny Sableye can be deceitful, as it looks kind of weak and not threatening at all. However, its good type combination leaves it with only one weakness. Plus, it has a pretty solid move pool trainers can play with.
Even though both Fast Moves benefit from STAB and deal the same damage, Shadow Claw is much better due to its coverage and higher energy generation.
For the Charged Move, Foul Play is the best way to go as it benefits from STAB, is cheap, has great coverage, and is spammy. This way, players can take down the opponent’s shields to then hit them full-on or switch to the coverage move, Power Gem.
Sealeo
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- Charged Moves: Surf and Body Slam
- Type: Ice/Water
- Resistances: Ice and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock
Sealeo is a solid choice in the tournament because of its bulk and spammy moves that let it outlast opponents and apply constant pressure in limited metas.
For the Fast Move, players can use Powder Snow to build energy quickly while applying steady pressure (with STAB). Fire off the Charged Move Body Slam whenever possible to force your opponent’s shields or secure momentum, and rely on Surf for stronger, more threatening coverage when you need to push through bulkier targets.
Doublade
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Sacred Sword and Gyro Ball
- Type: Steel/Ghost
- Resistances: Normal, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
Doublade has one of the best type combinations by boasting the Steel typing, as it gives this strange-looking Pokemon twelve resistances.
However, you must use the right moveset to exploit its advantages, and that includes teaching it Shadow Claw as its Fast Move. It will generate a lot of energy early on, unlocking your Charged Moves. Use Sacred Sword to expand your coverage and bait the opponent’s shields to leave them defenseless, and Gyro Ball to deal good Steel-type damage.
Spiritomb
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Sucker Punch
- Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Shadow Ball
- Type: Ghost/Dark
- Resistances: Normal, Psychic, Poison, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Fairy
For those who don’t have a Sableye (or at least not a strong one), Spiritomb is a great alternative, featuring the same type combination, as well as similar stats and coverage.
As for the moveset, players should go for Sucker Punch as the Fast Move, as it outclasses the other option (Feint Attack) by far. For the Charged Moves, Shadow Ball is Spiritomb’s main threat, while Rock Tomb can be used to expand the coverage and decrease the target’s Attack stat by 20%.
Cetitan
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- Charged Moves: Icicle Spear and Superpower
- Type: Ice
- Resistances: Ice
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel
Boasting a single typing is not ideal in this kind of limited Cups. However, Cetitan’s incredible move pool can actually make it work.
To power up this chunky beast, teach it Powder Snow as its Fast Move. It will provide high energy generation while dealing good damage.
As for the Charged Moves, use Icicle Spear to bait your opponent’s shields and Superpower to deal super effective damage to Normal and Ice-type targets. Be careful, though, as Superpower can decrease your Attack and Defense stats.
Aegislash (Shield XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Psycho Cut
- Charged Moves: Shadow Ball and Gyro Ball
- Type: Steel/Ghost
- Resistances: Normal, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Fighting
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
Even though it has an odd behaviour during battle, switching between its Shield and Blade forms, Aegislash is an outstanding choice for the Battle League due to its moveset and resistances.
Psycho Cut has good energy generation, which is key for using this particular Pokemon, as it will remain in its Shield form until its time to use a Charged Move. As for those, Shadow Ball deals serious damage for a very low cost, so take advantage of that. Plus, it benefits from STAB. Then, use Gyro Ball for more coverage and STAB.
Aurorus
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Powder Snow
- Charged Moves: Weather Ball (Ice) and Meteor Beam
- Type: Rock/Ice
- Resistances: Poison, Normal, Ice, and Flying
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Steel, Grass, Ground, Rock, and Water
Aurorus made it to the list mainly because of its outstanding Stamina (214) and Ice typing, which is offensively valuable as it hits a specific niche.
This dual Rock/Ice-type Pokemon works ideally as a lead as it can push the enemy shields with its spammy Fast Move Powder Snow and then devastate them with Weather Ball or the nuke Meteor Beam, depending on the coverage.
Furret
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Sucker Punch
- Charged Moves: Swift and Trailblaze
- Type: Normal
- Resistances: Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fighting
The tiny Furret from Gen 2 might not seem like a threat to any opponent. However, its very high Stamina stat and single weakness can help it survive a very long time, serving as a good switcher.
Thanks to the addition of Swift and Trailblaze, Furret can now be a useful teammate. First, use Sucker Punch as your Fast Move to benefit from its very serious damage and reduce the enemy’s HP.
Then, set Swift as your main Charged Move, as it is incredibly spammy and cheap. Use Trailblaze as your secondary Charged Move to boost your Attack stat by 25%, expand your coverage, and sweep every opponent.
Dunsparce
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Rollout
- Charged Move: Drill Run and Rock Slide
- Type: Normal
- Resistances: Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fighting
Even though it looks harmless, Dunsparce has incredible bulk, only one weakness, and a solid move pool to pick from.
Rollout is a very good Fast Move, so go with it to benefit from its high energy gains, STAB, and good synergy with the Charged Moves. As for those, Drill Run and Rock Slide offer good damage for a fair price, and combined, they offer solid coverage.
Lickilicky
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Rollout
- Charged Moves: Body Slam and Shadow Ball
- Type: Normal
- Resistances: Ghost
- Weaknesses: Fighting
The bulky Lickilicky is a very solid choice for the Cup, as it only has one weakness, and its move pool allows it to hit a wide range of types with Normal, Shadow, and Rock attacks.
Rollout is a move that offers fast charge, so Lickilicky can access both Charged Moves faster. Body Slam can be used as shield bait, while Shadow Ball works as a coverage nuke to target league favorites Sealeo and Dunsparce.
Pokemon Go Holiday Cup rules & restrictions explained
The Holiday Cup is one of the most unique challenges in the Pokemon Go Battle League, as only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost-type Pokemon are allowed to enter. Plus, they must also be at or below the 1,500 CP limit to qualify.
Remember that, even though the mentioned types limit your options when compared to the open League tiers, dual types like the Rock/Ice Aurorus can take part, which does make forming a team a little bit easier.
Holiday Cup: Great League Edition start & end date
The latest Battle League season is underway, running from December 2, 2025, until March 3, 2025. For the rest of its run, the Holiday Cup will appear on:
- December 16, 2025 – December 23, 2025: along with the Master League and x4 Stardust from win rewards (not including end-of-set rewards).
This means you’ll only have 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 Holiday 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.