Pokemon GO Kanto Cup Best Team | Kanto Cup Rules And Recommendations

Pokemon GO's Interlude Season is on in the GO Battle League, and it's bringing back a few special tournaments, including the Kanto Cup. If you're hoping to participate in this special cup and make it far, you'll want the best possible Pokemon GO team. 

As always, let's take a look at the restrictions of this format and then the best Pokemon for the job. 

• If you're interested in more open formats, check out our guide to the best Pokemon in the Pokemon GO Ultra League.

Pokemon GO Kanto Cup Best Team: Rules

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The rules for the Kanto Cup are as follows: 

• Pokemon must be CP 1,500 or lower
• Pokemon must have a Pokedex number between 1 and 151

Interestingly, the Kanto Cup requirements do not bar regional variants of Pokemon that fall in that Pokedex range. That means Alolan forms, Galarian forms, and even Hisuian forms (Voltorb and Electrode) are permitted. 

• Need to brush up on your type matchups? Check out our Pokemon GO type chart to refresh yourself.

Pokemon GO Kanto Cup Best Team: Pokemon

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As with any other Pokemon GO Battle League format, a meta develops, with some Pokemon rising to the top, and others rising to serve as counters to the first group. With that in mind, it's best to formulate a team around lasting long enough to win, hitting hard enough to eliminate the opponents, and ensuring you have a counter to the popular top 'mons.

Of course, you should also seek to have synergy between the three members of your team. Try to have as many different types as possible, and consider who to place in each slot. A typical strategy is to bait out shields with your first Pokemon, put out a tank or heavy hitter second to whittle down the opponent, then place a powerful offensive attacker last to close out the victory. There are many strategies, though, so find what works for you! 

With that, here are the Pokemon that are taking the top spots in the Pokemon GO Kanto Cup. Opt for Shadow Pokemon in most situations, if you have them. 

Nidoqueen

Type: Poison/Ground

Moves: Poison Jab | Poison Fang/Earth Power

Weaknesses: Ice, Psychic, Water, Ground

Lickitung

Type: Normal

Moves: Lick | Body Slam (Elite)/Power Whip

Weaknesses: Fighting

Alolan Sandslash

Type: Steel/Ice

Moves: Shadow Claw (Elite) | Ice Punch/Bulldoze

Weaknesses: Fighting (x2), Fire (x2), Ground

Beedrill

Type: Bug/Poison

Moves: Poison Jab | X-Scissor/Drill Run (Elite)

Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Psychic, Rock

Hypno

Type: Psychic

Moves: Confusion | Fire Punch/Shadow Ball

Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost, Bug

Alolan Raticate

Type: Dark/Normal

Moves: Quick Attack | Crunch/Return (Purified from Shadow only)

Weaknesses: Fighting (x2), Bug, Fairy

Lapras

Type: Ice/Water

Moves: Ice Shard (Elite)/Frost Breath | Surf/Skull Bash

Weaknesses: Electric, Fighting, Grass, Rock

Pidgeot

Type: Normal/Flying

Moves: Gust (Elite)/Air Slash | Brave Bird/Feather Dance

Weaknesses: Electric, Ice, Rock

Machamp

Type: Fighting

Moves: Counter | Cross Chop/Rock Slide

That's it for our guide on Pokemon GO Kanto cup best team!