Pokemon GO Evolution Cup: Best Teams

Pokemon GO's Season of Rising Heroes continues to provide players with new events, Pokemon, and of course, cups. This week's cup is the Evolution Cup, something of a sequel to the Little Cup from several weeks ago. With this cup, players face a new set of restrictions to challenge the way they play. This cup doesn't discriminate based on type, so there are plenty of options for players to work with. Here's everything prospective trainers need to know about the Evolution Cup in Pokemon GO.

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How to Enter the Evolution Cup

Players that want to enter the Evolution Cup in Pokemon GO should follow these steps:

• Click the Pokeball in the bottom center of the Home screen
• Select the 'Battle' option
• Select either Basic or Premium Rewards (Premium Rewards are more valuable, but selecting them uses up one Premium Battle Pass)
• Select 'Evolution Cup'

From there, players will select their party and begin the Pokemon battle.

Evolution Cup Rules

As a sort of continuation of the Little Cup, the Evolution Cup has the following rules:

• Great League rules, meaning no Pokemon above 1500CP
• Only Pokemon that have evolved once and can still evolve again are eligible
• No Pokemon are banned

When Does the Evolution Cup Start and End?

The Evolution Cup starts Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 8 PM GMT and lasts a full week until Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 8 PM GMT.

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Best Pokemon For The Evolution Cup

In Pokemon GO, as opposed to other Pokemon games, it is difficult to recommend specific teams as player access to specific Pokemon is especially varied due to level, playtime, and region. Instead, here are five potential candidates for any great Evolution Cup team. Players should keep type coverage in mind when selecting Pokemon to battle with:

Dragonair

The middle-stage evolution of Dragonite is a great option for the Evolution Cup, as Dragonair provides consistent Fast Move pressure. Not only does Dragon Tail deal a lot of damage, but it's also incredibly spammy, meaning the attack animation is fast enough to ensure consistent strikes. It also charges its Charged Moves quickly, and the neutral-type coverage that Body Slam offers is a major plus.

Machoke

Machoke boasts wins against some of the major players in the Evolution Cup, specifically Dragonair, Vigoroth, and Zweilous. This formidable Fighting-type is a great lead for most teams. Players may want to watch out for its inflexibility, as all of its best moves are Fighting-type, meaning it doesn't offer the best type coverage. It's still incredibly viable due to its spammy Fast Moves and the shield pressure that it offers.

Hakamo-o

Hakamo-o takes its place in the Evolution Cup meta as a consistent attacker and charger. It will do well in match-ups against Vigoroth, Graveler, and Machoke. Thanks to Dragon Tail, it has the potential to do a lot of damage with just its Fast Move. Unfortunately, it has a particularly tough time against Fairy-type moves, but they don't seem particularly popular in the Evolution Cup meta.

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Zweilous

As a Dark/Dragon-type, Zweilous has a double weakness to Fairy-types. However, that seems to be Zweilous' only downside. It reaches Charged Moves quickly, applies solid shield pressure, has access to a wide variety of moves, uses short animations, and resists attacks from a wide variety of types.

Vigoroth

Vigoroth is the most promising Pokemon in the Evolution Cup meta. It boasts access to a wide variety of move types, as well as wins against Chansey, Zweilous, and Haunter. It applies solid shield pressure against opponents with spammy, dynamic moves and reaches Charged Moves quickly.

Pokemon GO is available on PC and Mobile.

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