Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League Edition: Best Pokémon

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2025’s Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League version runs from September 9 to 16. This smaller sibling of the Ultra League Edition has been creating just as much excitement!

In this GO Battle League tournament, there’s a unique rule set that restricts the participating Pokemon to a maximum CP (Combat Power) of 1,500. Furthermore, only Pokemon belonging to the Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, or Bug types are allowed in battle.

Demonstrate to your rivals that dimension isn’t everything important, as we present the top-performing Pokémon for the Summer Cup – Great League Edition in Pokémon GO, backed by data and simulations from PvPoke.com.

Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League Edition: Best Leads

In a fight, these Pokemon immediately apply intense pressure on your opponent at the start, and they’re incredibly durable, making it through grueling encounters for extended periods. They’re ideal for starting off matches, as they can help you secure an early victory or establish a solid strategy for a comeback.

  1. Toxtricity (Acid, Wild Charge, Power-Up Punch)
  2. Shadow Kingdra (Dragon Breath, Swift, Outrage)
  3. Cradily (Acid, Rock Tomb, Grass Knot)
  4. Togedemaru (Thunder Shock, Fell Stinger, Wild Charge)
  5. Shadow Ursaring (Shadow Claw, Close Combat, Swift)
  6. Kingdra (Dragon Breath, Swift, Outrage)
  7. Morpeko (Full Belly) (Thunder Shock, Aura Wheel, Psychic Fangs)
  8. Drampa (Dragon Breath, Swift, Dragon Pulse)
  9. Roserade (Poison Sting, Weather Ball (Fire), Leaf Storm)
  10. Magnezone (Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Mirror Shot)

Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League Edition: Best Safe Switches

If you find yourself at a disadvantage with your initial Pokémon pairing, it might be beneficial to swap out your lead Pokémon for another one. This is where these particular classes can be helpful. They are either powerful enough to act as good leads or specialized in countering common popular leads. By making this switch, you keep your original starter Pokémon available for later in the battle. Additionally, it might even compel your opponent to adjust their strategy on-the-fly too.

  1. Shadow Kingdra (Dragon Breath, Swift, Outrage)
  2. Crustle [S] (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, Rock Wrecker)
  3. Shadow Charizard (Dragon Breath, Blast Burn, Air Cutter)
  4. Drampa (Dragon Breath, Swift, Dragon Pulse)
  5. Shadow Ursaring (Shadow Claw, Close Combat, Swift)
  6. Kingdra (Dragon Breath, Swift, Outrage)
  7. Shadow Empoleon (Metal Sound, Hydro Cannon, Drill Peck)
  8. Samurott [S] (Fury Cutter, Hydro Cannon, Megahorn)
  9. Cradily (Acid, Rock Tomb, Grass Knot)
  10. Empoleon (Metal Sound, Hydro Cannon, Drill Peck)

Pokémon marked with [S] deliver similar performances in their regular and Shadow forms.

Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League Edition: Best Closers

In such situations where neither side has remaining shields, these Pokémon prove exceptionally beneficial. They exhibit remarkable durability or swiftly conclude battles using potent charge attacks, which are almost impossible to dodge without a shield.

  1. Shadow Electivire (Thunder Shock, Ice Punch, Wild Charge)
  2. Empoleon [S] (Metal Sound, Hydro Cannon, Drill Peck)
  3. Shadow Raikou (Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Aura Sphere)
  4. Cradily (Acid, Rock Tomb, Grass Knot)
  5. Crustle (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, Rock Wrecker)
  6. Togedemaru (Thunder Shock, Fell Stinger, Wild Charge)
  7. Raikou (Thunder Shock, Wild Charge, Aura Sphere)
  8. Shadow Venusaur (Vine Whip, Frenzy Plant, Sludge)
  9. Shadow Samurott (Fury Cutter, Hydro Cannon, Megahorn)
  10. Shadow Magnezone (Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Mirror Shot)

Pokémon GO Summer Cup – Great League Edition: Best Attackers

In battles against trainers who still have their shields, these Pokemon excel due to their strategic combinations of resistance and powerful quick attacks. However, since you’re out of shields yourself, this is a disadvantage. You don’t often see Shadow forms in this role because they sustain more damage than regular versions, making them potentially risky to use. However, Razor Leaf users are somewhat an exception; the rapid attack speed of the move justifies the risk of using glass cannons.

  1. Forretress (Bug Bite, Sand Tomb, Rock Tomb)
  2. Cradily (Acid, Rock Tomb, Grass Knot)
  3. Shadow Forretress (Bug Bite, Sand Tomb, Rock Tomb)
  4. Gastrodon (Mud Slap, Body Slam, Water Pulse)
  5. Toxapex (Poison Jab, Brine, Sludge Wave)
  6. Kingdra (Dragon Breath, Swift, Outrage)
  7. Diggersby [XL] (Quick Attack, Fire Punch, Scorching Sands)
  8. Toedscruel (Mud Slap, Seed Bomb, Wrap)
  9. Araquanid (Bug Bite, Water Pulse, Bubble Beam)
  10. Magcargo (Ember, Rock Tomb, Overheat)

In this contest, creatures known as Pokémon with an ‘XL’ symbol require special upgrades using Candy XL to achieve their peak performance levels.

In recent times, Flying-type Pokémon have lost popularity compared to when the last tournament edition was played. However, Electric-types remain strong and continue to shine, while Pokémon equipped with Dragon-type abilities are on the rise, a trend that’s also noticeable in other formats.

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2025-09-09 13:19