DEXERTOThe Precious Paths season is celebrating the Scroll Cup: Great League Edition in Pokemon Go‘s Battle League, so here are our recommended picks to build the best team.
Besides the usual Great, Ultra, and Master League competitions, Niantic regularly introduces new and remixed Cups to the Pokemon Go Battle League to offer trainers fresh challenges.
This limited-time event only allows Water, Fighting, and Dark-type Pokemon below 1,500 CP to compete, so if you’re struggling with building a team, here are the best fighters available.
Best team for the Pokemon Go Scroll Cup: Great League Edition
The best team you can take into the Scroll Cup includes Toxapex, Sableye, and Annihilape, as these are three of the strongest Pokemon that should give you coverage against the most common opponents.
As with any league or cup, it’s impossible to say what a true ‘best’ team looks like in the Scroll 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 Scroll Cup: Great League Edition Pokemon
Chesnaught
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Vine Whip
- Charged Moves: Frenzy Plant and Superpower
- Type: Grass/Fighting
- Resistances: Water, Rock, Ground, Grass, Electric, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Flying, Fairy, Fire, Ice, Poison, and Psychic
The Grass/Fighting-type combo Chesnaught has gives a different perspective, and while not unique, its moves have great synergy. Plus, it can resist two of the three types allowed in the competition.
Chesnaught’s Fast Move Vine Whip has significantly faster energy generation, so go for it, without a doubt. Smack Down might be equally good but doesn’t benefit from STAB, and Low Kick is just bad.
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As for the Charged Move, Frenzy Plant is one of the best options in the whole game thanks to its incredibly high damage and STAB for a very low cost. Superpower can be used as a secondary Charged Move because, even though it is very strong and cheap, its seld-debuff may pose a risk.
Jellicent
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Hex
- Charged Moves: Surf and Shadow Ball
- Type: Water/Ghost
- Resistances: Normal, Fighting, Water, Steel, Poison, Ice, Fire, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass
This gigantic jellyfish offers trainers an incredible bulk, along with a vast list of resistances that will keep it alive during an encounter.
Both of Jellicent’s Fast Moves are great options that benefit from STAB. While Bubble offers stronger Water-type coverage, Hex has slightly faster energy generation, as well as Ghost-type coverage.
To balance Hex, go with Surf as your Charged Move. It is not only really cheap, but it also deals great damage and benefits from STAB. As your secondary option, use the nuke Shadow Ball. If you need a different type of coverage, you can switch Shadow Ball for Ice Beam.
Zweilous
- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Move: Body Slam and Dark Pulse
- Type: Dark/Dragon
- Resistances: Dark, Electric, Fire, Ghost, Grass, Psychic, and Water
- Weaknesses: Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, and Ice
This Dark/Dragon-type Pokemon is already a standout in other tiers of the Battle League, and it performs even better in this cup.
The combination of the excellent Fast Move Dragon Breath and the low-cost Charged Move Body Slam means Zweilous can dish out plenty of damage, while Dark Pulse gives it a secondary attack that gets STAB and provides extra coverage.
Morpeko (Full Belly)
NIANTIC/DEXERTO- Fast Move: Thunder Shock
- Charged Moves: Aura Wheel and Psychic Fangs
- Type: Electric/Dark
- Resistances: Psychic, Steel, Ghost, Flying, Electric, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Ground
Despite its tiny size and disappointing defense, Morpeko (Full Belly) is an outstanding Pokemon to use in this particular cup, mostly due to its Aura Wheel move.
When in combat, the Fast Move Thunder Shock will allow Morpeko to quickly access its Charged Move Aura Wheel. It is not only extremely powerful and cheap, but it also increases the user’s Attack stat by 25% every time, making Morpeko an unstoppable machine.
Combine it with Psychic Fangs for more coverage, and you’ll secure a win in most of your encounters.
Lanturn
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Spark
- Charged Moves: Surf and Thunderbolt
- Type: Water/Electric
- Resistances: Fire, Flying, Ice, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Grass and Ground
Lanturn is definitely one to watch in the Scroll Cup, as its Water/Electric typing means it can easily take down fellow Water types while resisting them.
Spark as a Fast Move and Thunderbolt as a Charged Move will help when facing off against other Water-type opponents, while Surf will give you that extra coverage against other participants with different secondary types. Even better, all of these moves benefit from STAB.
Annihilape
Nianitc / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Moves: Rage Fist and Ice Punch
- Type: Fighting/Ghost
- Resistances: Poison, Rock, Normal, Fighting, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Flying, Ghost, Psychic, and Fairy
Annihilape has taken a seat in a lot of Battle League competitions since its debut. With Marshadow, these are the only two Fighting/Ghost creatures in the franchise, so this is a type to exploit.
Counter is a great Fast Move in Pokemon Go thanks to its high damage and decent energy generation, so make sure you have that.
When it comes to Charged Moves, you’ll want Rage Fist – Annihilape’s signature move – for big Ghost-type damage. Besides its low cost, good DPE, and attack boosts, when paired with Counter, it provides nearly unresisted damage.
If you need extra coverage, use Ice Punch as the secondary Charged Move.
Galarian Moltres
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Sucker Punch
- Charged Moves: Fly and Brave Bird
- Type: Dark/Flying
- Resistances: Psychic, Ground, Grass, Ghost, and Dark
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock
Galarian Moltres is one solid choice to target some League champions like Gastrodon, Mandibuzz, and Chesnaught. Plus, its bulky Defense stat can help it lead any team.
Sucker Punch is a little faster and cheaper than the other Fast Move, so go with it and spam it all you can to waste the enemy shields and build up your Charged Moves.
Brave Bird is very expensive and has a self-debuff, but it deals outstanding damage and has STAB, while Fly is relatively cheap and has good DPE.
Gastrodon
NIANTIC- Fast Move: Mud-Slap
- Charged Moves: Body Slam and Earth Power
- Type: Water/Ground
- Resistances: Steel, Rock, Poison, Fire, and Electric
- Weaknesses: Grass
Gastrodon’s appearance in the League happened mainly due to Mud-Slap’s buff and its very high Stamina. Having only one weakness makes the water slug an even better choice.
Out of both Fast Moves, Mud-Slap is stronger, cheaper, and benefits from STAB. Body Slam is Gastrodon’s cheapest Charged Move, and due to how fast it is, it can be used to force the enemy shields while Earth Power hits extremely hard.
Sableye (XL)
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Shadow Claw
- Charged Moves: Foul Play and Dazzling Gleam
- 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 with the nuke Dazzling Gleam.
If you need a different type of coverage, you can always switch from Dazzling Gleam to Power Gem.
Murkrow (Shadow XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Peck
- Charged Moves: Drill Peck and Foul Play
- Type: Dark/Flying
- Resistances: Ground, Psychic, Dark, Ghost, and Grass
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock
The small and innocuous-looking Murkrow might be a glass cannon in the Battle League, but when well used, this bird can benefit from very spammy moves that leave the opponent defenseless.
To do that, players must teach Murkrow Peck (a well-rounded attack that got buffed) as its Fast Move. It is quite fast and definitely better than Feint Attack. For the Charged Moves, go with Drill Peck for solid DPE at a low cost and Foul Play for more coverage at also very low cost. Keep in mind that both Charged Moves can be spammed to bait the opponent’s shields early on.
Azumarill (XL)
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Bubble
- Charged Moves: Play Rough and Ice Beam
- Type: Water/Fairy
- Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Water, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Dragon
- Weaknesses: Electric, Grass, and Poison
Azumarill is, without a doubt, one of the best Fairy-type Pokemon ever. This is mainly due to its solid moveset, great coverage, and massive bulk that allows it to take down and outlast most other opponents.
Bubble is the best Fast Move to use, with a good balance between damage and energy generation. Play Rough is the Charged Move you need, as it’s cheap and powerful. Plus, it benefits from STAB and will target Dark and Poison-type opponents. For some extra coverage, use Ice Beam.
Araquanid
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Bug Bite
- Charged Moves: Bubble Beam and Bug Buzz
- Type: Water/Bug
- Resistances: Fighting, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric, Flying, and Rock
Araquanid is a tanky creature that is brilliant for the Scroll Cup. With resistances to both Water and Fighting-types, it’s a huge threat to most of the meta.
A combination of Bug Bite as a Fast Move and Bubble Beam as a primary Charged Move to decrease your opponent’s Attack stat by 20% is the way to exploit this spider. Throw in Bug Buzz for an incredibly powerful (yet cheap) attack that can also decrease the target’s Defense by 20%.
Kingdra
DEXERTO- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Swift and Outrage
- Type: Water/Dragon
- Resistances: Fire, Water, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Dragon and Fairy
Kingdra has really well-balanced stats, a good move pool, but mainly has a great type combination that leaves it with few weaknesses (not used in the current meta) and can key resistances that are actually being exploited this season – Water and Steel.
Dragon Breath is the best Fast Move for Kingdra as it benefits from STAB, is fast, and strong. Pair it with Swift as the Charged Move to expand your coverage and bait enemy shields. Then, add the nuke Outrage as your secondary Charged Move to deal massive Dragon-type damage at a very low cost.
Mandibuzz
Niantic / The Pokemon Company- Fast Move: Air Slash
- Charged Moves: Dark Pulse and Aerial Ace
- Type: Dark/Flying
- Resistances: Ghost, Grass, Dark, Ground, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Rock, Electric, Ice, and Fairy
Despite its lack of outstanding moves and having fewer resistances than other League recommendations, Mandibuzz does make up for that with a very high Defense stat and a solid Stamina stat.
Snarl has quicker energy generation than Air Slash. However, the Flying-type Fast Move has greater damage output, so better to go with it.
Mandibuzz’s best Charged Move is Dark Pulse, as it deals good damage and benefits from STAB. In case you’re looking for more coverage, Aerial Ace is a good, cheap choice.
Toxapex
Niantic- Fast Move: Poison Jab
- Charged Moves: Brine and Sludge Wave
- Type: Poison/Water
- Resistances: Water, Steel, Poison, Ice, Fire, Fighting, Fairy, and Bug
- Weaknesses: Electric, Ground, and Psychic
Toxapex might not seem like much, but this small creature boasts a ridiculously high Defense stat and a great type combination that gives it 8 resistances, including Water and Fighting types.
The STAB combo Poison Jab and Sludge Wave works smoothly, plus Sludge Wave has a massive damage of 110. Brine, on the other hand, doesn’t deal that much damage, but it is very cheap and benefits from STAB, too.
Pokemon Go Scroll Cup rules & restrictions explained
The Scroll Cup is one of the most unique challenges in the Pokemon Go Battle League, as only Water, Fighting, and Dark Pokemon are allowed to enter. Plus, they must also be below the 1,500 CP limit to qualify.
This time around – and even though it’s a Water-type – Primarina is banned from the competition.
Remember that, even though the three types allowed limit your options when compared to the open League tiers, dual types like the Poison/Water Toxapex can take part, which does make forming a team a little bit easier.
Scroll 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 Scroll Cup will appear on:
December 9 – December 16: Along with the Ultra League
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 Scroll 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.