DEXERTOPlayers looking to participate in the 2025 Championship Series Cup will need to adapt to this year’s restricted ruleset, which reshapes the usual Pokemon Go Battle League meta.
Unlike standard Great, Ultra, and Master League formats, the Championship Series Cup uses curated competitive rules, with specific typings and removing several top threats, which forces a more strategic team-building.
With only a select group of Pokemon rising above the rest, knowing the strongest options is key. So here are the best picks for the Pokemon Go Battle League 2025 Championship Series Cup.
Best team for the Pokemon Go 2025 Championship Series Cup
One of the best teams you can use in Pokemon Go’s Championship Series Cup for this year includes Oranguru, Gyarados, and Alolan Marowak. These are some of the strongest creatures in the meta, and together will provide wide coverage against most opposing types.
Another team that players could try out includes Oranguru, Runerigus, and Walrein.
As with any League or Cup, it’s impossible to say what a true “best” team looks like, 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 2025 Championship Series Cup Pokemon
Goodra
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Thunder Punch
- Type: Dragon
- Resistances: Electric, Fire, Grass, and Water
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, and Ice
This slimy Dragon from Gen 6 has an outstanding bulk, which is a big factor in its success in the Championship Series Cup, alongside its spammy moves. Plus, it has great type coverage in its move pool.
With five different types across both Fast and Charged Moves, it can counter many different Pokemon, making it useful for almost all scenarios.
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Out of both Fast Moves, Dragon Breath is the stronger choice as it benefits from STAB. For the Charged Move, Aqua Tail can expand your coverage while baiting the enemy shields and dealing decent damage. Use Thunder Punch to target Flying-type opponents.
Arctibax
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Avalanche and Dragon Claw
- Type: Dragon/Ice
- Resistances: Water, Grass, and Electric
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, and Steel
Arctibax is a nightmare for those in a mirror match against fellow Ice and Dragon-type Pokemon. That’s because it has Ice/Dragon-type, has access to both types of moves, and is not weak to Ice-types.
Dragon Breath is a quick and brilliant Fast Move that works great with the chosen Charged Moves, giving Arctibax a moveset that fully exploits STAB. Avalanche and Dragon Claw are the best Charged Moves to pound against Flying-types or fellow Dragon-type opponents, respectively.
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 Championship Series 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.
Alolan Marowak
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Hex
- Charged Moves: Flame Wheel and Shadow Ball
- Type: Fire/Ghost
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Bug, Steel, Poison, Ice, Grass, Fire, and Fairy
- Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Ground, Rock, and Water
Alolan Marowak is an outstanding fighter thanks to its great stats and incredibly versatile and strong move pool. It basically works well no matter how you play it, so it’s a secure choice for inexperienced players.
While Fire Spin is a solid choice for the Fast Move due to its good damage, it’s better to go with Hex as it also benefits from STAB and has high energy gain.
For the Charged Move, Flame Wheel can deal great Fire-type damage at a very low cost, while Shadow Ball works as a Ghost-type nuke that can obliterate Psychic and Ghost enemies.
Dusknoir
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Astonish
- Charged Moves: Dynamic Punch and Shadow Punch
- Type: Ghost
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Poison, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost
This Pokemon works best as the lead or charger of a team. Plus, it has the necessary Defense to stand its ground while dealing good damage.
Astonish is a very spammy move that will allow it to access its Charged Moves fast while also getting rid of the opponent’s shields. The key to Dusknoir making it into the Cup is mainly because of Shadow Punch, an excellent Ghost-type move, and Dynamic Punch, a Fighting-type attack that expands its coverage.
Claydol
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Mud Slap
- Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Ice Beam
- Type: Ground/Psychic
- Resistances: Electric, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, and Rock
- Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water
Claydol may have more weaknesses than any other Pokemon on our list, but it still gets a chance to shine with an impressive Defense stat and a moveset that’s surprisingly well-optimized for this meta.
Mud Slap is a decent Fast Move that can dish out solid damage, increased by STAB. As for Charged Moves, Rock Tomb expands the coverage and delivers a guaranteed Attack debuff, which could be a dealbreaker in a close battle. Use Ice Beam as a high-energy coverage move.
Gyarados
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Aqua Tail and Crunch
- Type: Water/Flying
- Resistances: Ground, Bug, Fighting, Fire, Steel, Water
- Weaknesses: Electric and Rock
The tried and true Gyarados is a strong contender in the Cup thanks to its versatile moveset, which can take down top-tier contenders such as Turtonator.
Its move pool includes fantastic Water, Dark, and Dragon-type attacks. However, due to its regular Defense stat, you might want to save a shield to protect Gyarados from an incoming attack.
Use Dragon Breath as a Fast Move to take advantage of its high damage and decent energy generation. Pair it with a cheap Charged Move like Aqua Tail to get rid of your opponent’s shields. You can add Crunch as a secondary Charged Move to expand Gyarados’s coverage.
Bronzong
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Metal Sound
- Charged Moves: Psyshock and Payback
- Type: Steel/Psychic
- Resistances: Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
Bronzong has a long list of resistances that can come in handy in the Championship Series Cup, but perhaps most importantly, it can use a three-type moveset that greatly expands its coverage.
The Fast Move Metal Sound not only benefits from STAB, but it also offers fast charge, which is key to access the strongest attacks Bronzong has. Pair this with Psyshock for strong (and cheap) Psychic-type damage and end this winning build with Payback – a coverage nuke.
Dusclops (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Hex
- Charged Move: Ice Punch and Shadow Punch
- Type: Ghost
- Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Normal, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Dark and Ghost
Dusclops is arguably one of the best Ghost-type options for this League tier, as it has access to an Ice-type Charged Move and key wins over the likes of Metang, Claydol, Runerigus, and Bronzong.
Hex is the best Fast Move for energy generation (and it also gets STAB). As for Charged Moves, you’ll want the aforementioned Ice-type attack, Ice Punch, for dealing with Grass, Ground, Flying, and Dragon-type opponents.
As for your secondary Charged Move, Shadow Punch is a cheap STAB attack that’s great for spamming, too.
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.
Dewgong
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Ice Shard
- Charged Moves: Icy Wind and Drill Run
- Type: Water/Ice
- Resistances: Ice and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock
Even though it looks cuter than stronger, Dewgong should be respected, as its bulk and debuff pressure let it outlast many top threats in the meta, making it one of the most reliable safe switches in this event.
To exploit its power, use Ice Shard as your Fast Move for steady energy gain and strong chip damage. Then, spam Icy Wind to debuff opponents and force awkward shield usage.
If you can afford a secondary Charged Move, go for Drill Run, as it gives Dewgong crucial coverage to pressure Steel, Rock, and Electric-type opponents that normally wall Ice damage. This makes it far more flexible and threatening across the board.
Glalie
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Rollout
- Charged Moves: Avalanche and Shadow Ball
- Type: Ice
- Resistances: Ice
- Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel
The pure Ice-type Glalie is a beast thanks to the great synergy between all of its move pool.
Glalie becomes an energy-generating machine with Rollout as its Fast Move, letting it reach its hard-hitting Charged Moves early on. This makes it a dangerous closer in the Cup, capable of overwhelming bulky opponents like Claydol or Walrein with relentless pressure.
Avalanche remains Glalie’s main weapon, delivering massive Ice-type damage that forces shields or secures quick knockouts. Meanwhile, Shadow Ball adds crucial neutral coverage, helping Glalie threaten Psychic and Ghost Pokemon that resist Ice.
Runerigus
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Rock Tomb and Brutal Swing
- Type: Ground/Ghost
- Resistances: Poison, Normal, Fighting, Electric, Rock, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water
The very strange-looking Runerigus is a great choice, thanks to its particular dual Ground/Ghost type combination and high Defense stat.
To play this Pokemon correctly, you should teach it the Fast Move Shadow Claw. It benefits from STAB and has a good balance between damage and energy generation.
Even though it doesn’t benefit from STAB, pair Shadow Claw with Brutal Swing. It expands coverage, but mainly can help you bait enemy shields to leave them defenseless early on. For the secondary Charged Move, go with Rock Tomb to decrease the target’s Attack stat by 20%.
Turtonator
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Incinerate
- Charged Moves: Brutal Swing and Dragon Claw
- Type: Fire/Dragon
- Resistances: Fire, Grass, Bug, Electric, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dragon, Ground, and Rock
Turtonator thrives in this Cup thanks to its dual typing, which hard counters popular choices like Bronzong, Oranguru, Glalie, and Dusknoir. Plus, it has access to incredible Charged Moves that target Ghost, Ice, Psychic, and Dragon enemies.
Incinerate has STAB, high power, and good energy generation, so use it as your Fast Move. Then, add Brutal Swing as your Charged Move – it expands your coverage and can be used to bait shields. Finish up your moveset with Dragon Claw, a strong and fast move that benefits from STAB.
Oranguru
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Confusion
- Charged Moves: Brutal Swing and Trailblaze
- Type: Normal/Psychic
- Resistances: Psychic and Ghost
- Weaknesses: Bug and Dark
Dual Normal/Psychic-type Oranguru might not be the first Pokemon that comes to mind when thinking about great fighters for the Go Battle League. However, thanks to its type combination, coverage, bulkiness, and spammy moves, Oranguru earned a solid place on our list.
While all of its Fast Moves benefit from STAB, Zen Headbutt and Yawn are really low-quality options, so go with Confusion for good damage output. Then, for the Charged Moves, use Trailblaze to increase your Attack stat by 25% and then hit hard with Brutal Swing.
Pokemon Go 2025 Championship Series Cup rules & restrictions explained
The Championship Series Cup is one of the most exclusive tournaments in the Go Battle League, as it doesn’t happen very often. In it, the Pokemon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
Moreover, only Ice, Flying, Psychic, Ghost, and Dragon-type creatures are allowed to take part in the competition. While this does limit your options when compared to the open League tiers, remember that dual types like the Normal/Psychic Oranguru can take part.
Keep in mind that besides Legendary, Mythical, Shadow Pokemon, and Ultra Beasts, both Dark and Rock-type creatures are prohibited, along with a very specific group of Pokemon.
Bannned Pokemon
Alolan Sandshrew | Alolan Sandslash | Alolan Ninetales | Lapras |
Galarian Corsola | Kingdra | Jellicent | Honedge |
Doublade | Corviknight | – | – |
2025 Championship Series Cup start & end date
The latest Battle League season is underway, running from September 2, 2025, until December 2, 2025. For the rest of its run, this year’s Championship Series Cup will appear on:
- November 18 – November 25: along with the Master League: Mega Edition
During it, players will get x4 Stardust from win rewards.
Those are the best Pokemon you can add to your Championship Series Cup team during this Pokemon Go season. For more content, check out the best attackers, defenders, and PvP champions, and stay updated with the latest Pokemon Go events, including the current Community Day and Spotlight Hours.