The season of spooks is here in Pokemon GO, and the Halloween Cup kicks off the celebrations on October 21. This format of GO Battle League will follow the Great League structure but with additional restrictions. Only creatures with Ghost, Dark, Bug, Poison, and Fairy as at least one of their types are allowed to participate in this Cup.
The Halloween Cup will be available from 1 pm PT on October 20 to 1 pm PT on November 3. It will be accompanied by the Ultra League for the first week and the Master League for the second. Those looking for team recommendations for this special Pokemon GO PvP format can refer to the lineups listed below.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions. Attacks marked with * are Legacy Moves and require an Elite TM.
Top Halloween Cup: Great League edition teams in Pokemon GO Battle League
1) Carbink, Greninja, and Galarian Moltres
| Pokemon | Role | Fast Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Carbink | Lead | Rock Throw | Moonblast and Rock Slide |
| Greninja | Switch | Water Shuriken | Hydro Cannon* and Night Slash |
| Galarian Moltres | Closer | WIng Attack | Brave Bird and Ancient Power |
Carbink is a fantastic Great League pick in Pokemon GO, thanks to its massive bulk. With Rock and Fairy-type coverage, it can hit most meta picks in the Halloween Cup for at least neutral damage.
Greninja and Galarian Moltres are glassy sweepers. They have high damage output and shine when the team has a shield advantage. Therefore, depending on your opponent's Lead and Switch, try to save shields for the back end so that the attack-heavy critters can thrive in the end-game.
2) Mawile, Drapion, and Shadow Alolan Marowak
| Pokemon | Role | Fast Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Mawile | Lead | Fairy Wind | Play Rough and Iron Head |
| Drapion | Switch | Poison Sting | Crunch and Sludge Bomb |
| Shadow Alolan Marowak | Closer | Fire Spin | Fire Blast and Shadow Bone* |
Mawile is rarely seen in Pokemon GO, but with the Steel and Fairy-type combination, it thrives in the Halloween Cup. It can dish out severe chip damage with Play Roughs or Iron Head in the early game, leaving the opponent's team vulnerable to an Alolan Marowak sweep.
Drapion is an excellent offensive Safe Switch as it deals big chunks of damage between Crunch and Sludge Bomb. When using this composition, try to save shields for Alolan Marowak, as it has great potential to win you battles in the late-game phase.
3) Mandibuzz, Golbat, and Nidoqueen
| Pokemon | Role | Fast Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Mandibuzz | Lead | Snarl | Aerial Ace and Dark Pulse |
| Golbat | Switch | Wing Attack | Poison Fang and Shadow Ball |
| Nidoqueen | Closer | Poison Jab | Poison Fang and Earth Power |
Mandibuzz got a buff in the Adventures Abound season of Pokemon GO Battle League, thanks to the increased damage of Aerial Ace. It has always been tanky, and the absence of many Electric-types from the format lets it thrive even more.
Both Golbat and Nidoqueen have a strong Poison-type presence to save Mandibuzz from a potential Fairy overhaul. Thanks to its secondary Ground-typing and access to Earth Power, the latter can also decimate spicy picks like Mawile and Alolan Marowak.
4) Froslass, Charjabug, and Toxapex
| Pokemon | Role | Fast Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Froslass | Lead | Powder Snow | Shadow Ball and Avalanche |
| Charjabug | Switch | Volt Switch* | X-Scissors and Discharge |
| Toxapex | Closer | Poison Jab | Sludge Wave and Brine |
Frosslass is a strong pick in the open Great League and can thrive even more in the Halloween Cup since there aren't many Rock-type critters serving as threats. The recent Grubbin Community Day in Pokemon GO has also made Charjabug a highly favorable safe switch pick to deal with Dark-type Pocket Monsters.
Toxapex is the epitome of bulk, and with no bait moves in its kitty, this critter promises to hit hard with every Charged Attack. Overall, each member of this team covers others' weaknesses.
5) Shadow Scizor, Hisuian Qwilfish, and Carbink
| Pokemon | Role | Fast Attack | Charged Attacks |
| Shadow Scizor | Lead | Bullet Punch | Iron Head and Night Slash |
| Hisuian Qwilfish | Switch | Poison Jab | Shadow Ball and Aqua Tail |
| Carbink | Closer | Rock Throw | Moonblast and Rock Slide |
Shadow Scizor is a glass cannon in Pokemon GO, which means it hits very hard but cannot take much damage in return. Combining Bullet Punch, Iron Head, and Night Slash is enough to take down at least one enemy. Scizor's only weakness is Fire, so protect it from those Pocket Monsters.
Hisuian Qwilfish and Carbink cover for this weakness. The former is an offensive powerhouse, while Carbink can take hits for days, making it great for late-game scenarios where both teams have run out of shields.
More from Sportskeeda
" modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false; modalPopup.setHeader("Why did you not like this content?"); modalPopup.setContentText(modalText); modalPopup.addCancelOkButton("Submit", resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating); modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon(); modalPopup.disableDismissPopup(); modalPopup.open(); } else { sendRating(index); } } function sendRating() { var requestPayload = { "post_id": 1707007, "rating_value": ratingValue } if (ratingValue > 3) { requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null; requestPayload.rating_feedback = null; } else { if (!$('input[name="drone"]:checked') || !$('input[name="drone"]:checked').value) { showErrorMessage('option'); return; } if (!$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea") || !$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value) { showErrorMessage('note'); return; } var selectedOption = $('input[name="drone"]:checked').value; var feedbackNote = $(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value; requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption; requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote; } pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true); } function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() { var activeStars = Array.from($all('.rating span.rating-star.active')); for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) { activeStars[i].classList.remove("active"); } if ($('input[name="drone"]:checked')) { $('input[name="drone"]:checked').checked = false; } var userNote = document.querySelector(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea"); userNote.value = ''; modalPopup.close(); } function onsaveRatingSuccess() { modalPopup.close(); savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie(); $("#post-rating-layout").classList.add("hidden"); $("#post-rating-message").classList.remove("hidden"); window.setInterval(function showMessage() { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.add("hidden"); }, 3000); } function onsaveRatingFail() { console.error('Saving post rating failed!'); modalPopup.close(); } function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() { userRatedPostIds.push(1707007); var expiryTime = new Date(); expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 year setCookie("user_rated_post_ids", JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime); } function isPostRatedByUser() { var userRatedPostIds = getCookie('user_rated_post_ids'); if (userRatedPostIds) { try { userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds); } catch (err) { console.error(err); return false; } } else { return false; } if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1707007) >= 0) { return true; } else { return false; } } function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) { return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) { pureJSAjaxGet( getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + '/rating/count', function(data) { try { data = JSON.parse(data); if (data.meta_value) { resolve(data.meta_value); } reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } catch (err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } }, function(err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); }, true); }); } function showErrorMessage(messageType) { var messageContainerId = '#' + messageType + '-error'; $(messageContainerId).classList.remove('hidden'); window.setInterval(function () { $(messageContainerId).classList.add("hidden"); }, 5000); } (function() { var callFired = false; function lazyLoadPostRating() { if (callFired) return; callFired = true; if (!isPostRatedByUser()) { getRatingCountByPostId(1707007) .then(function(ratingCount) { if (ratingCount < 10) { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.remove("hidden"); } }) .catch(function(err){ console.error(err); }); } } document.addEventListener("scroll", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("mousemove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("touchmove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); })();
