Pokémon GO Fossil Cup – Great League Edition: Best Pokémon

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Prepare yourself after a long rest, polish up those worn-out skills: The upcoming Pokémon GO event, Fossil Cup – Great League Edition, is the next tournament on our calendar.

From June 10th through June 17th, 2025, this tournament operates on a unique rule system where competing Pokémon are capped at 1,500 competition points (CP). Moreover, only Pokémon of the Water-, Rock-, and Steel-types can be included in your team during gameplay.

Demonstrate to your rivals that size isn’t everything, as you bring out the top-notch Pokémon for the Fossil Cup – Great League Edition in Pokémon GO, backed by data and simulations from PvPoke.com.

Fossil Cup – GL Edition: Best Leads

In a duel, these Pokemon quickly impose their strength from the get-go, enduring harsh fights for extended periods. They’re ideal for starting off a match, as they allow for swift early victories or effective counterattacks setup.

  1. Gastrodon (Mud Slap, Body Slam, Earth Power)
  2. Togedemaru (Thunder Shock, Fell Stinger, Wild Charge)
  3. Scizor [S] (Fury Cutter, Night Slash, Trailblaze)
  4. Jellicent (Hex, Surf, Shadow Ball)
  5. Ferrothorn [S] (Bullet Seed, Power Whip, Thunder)
  6. Magnezone (Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Mirror Shot)
  7. Poliwrath (Counter, Scald, Icy Wind)
  8. Steelix [S] (Thunder Fang, Psychic Fangs, Breaking Swipe)
  9. Paldean Tauros (Aqua) (Double Kick, Aqua Jet, Trailblaze)
  10. Shadow Quagsire (Mud Shot, Aqua Tail, Stone Edge)

Pokémon marked with [S] perform similarly in their regular and Shadow forms.

Fossil Cup – GL Edition: Best Safe Switches

If the starting Pokémon you chose isn’t working well for you, think about swapping it with another one. This section provides suggestions for strong initial Pokémon or those that can effectively counter common leads. Making a switch keeps your original Pokémon available for later in the fight and may compel your opponent to adjust their strategy immediately too.

  1. Gastrodon (Mud Slap, Body Slam, Earth Power)
  2. Scizor [S] (Fury Cutter, Night Slash, Trailblaze)
  3. Golisopod (Shadow Claw, X-Scissor, Aqua Jet)
  4. Shadow Samurott (Fury Cutter, Hydro Cannon, Megahorn)
  5. Poliwrath (Counter, Scald, Icy Wind)
  6. Barbaracle (Fury Cutter, Cross Chop, Gross Knot)
  7. Feraligatr [S] (Shadow Claw, Hydro Cannon, Ice Beam)
  8. Jellicent (Hex, Surf, Shadow Ball)
  9. Lapras (Psywave, Sparkling Aria, Skull Bash)
  10. Shadow Politoed (Mud Shot, Weather Ball (Water), Earthquake)

Fossil Cup – GL Edition: Best Closers

In situations where both sides have exhausted their protective shields, these Pokémon prove exceptionally beneficial. They are extremely durable themselves or can swiftly conclude battles using potent charge attacks.

  1. Registeel [S] (Lock On, Focus Blast, Zap Cannon)
  2. Togedemaru (Thunder Shock, Fell Stinger, Wild Charge)
  3. Ferrothorn [S] (Bullet Seed, Power Whip, Thunder)
  4. Magnezone [S] (Volt Switch, Wild Charge, Mirror Shot)
  5. Jellicent (Hex, Surf, Shadow Ball)
  6. Forretress (Bug Bite, Rock Tomb, Earthquake)
  7. Perrserker (Shadow Claw, Close Combat, Trailblaze)
  8. Lanturn (Spark, Surf, Thunderbolt)
  9. Whiscash [S] (Mud Shot, Mud Bomb, Scald)
  10. Lucario (Force Palm, Thunder Punch, Shadow Ball)

Fossil Cup – GL Edition: Best Attackers

In battles, Pokémon are most effective against trainers who still have protection shields left, but if you don’t have any shields yourself. They possess crucial resistances and powerful quick attacks to offset this situation. Consequently, Shadow forms seldom appear in such roles because they sustain more damage than their standard counterparts, making them a potentially dangerous card to play on the field.

  1. Ludicolo (Razor Leaf, Scald, Leaf Storm)
  2. Ferrothorn (Bullet Seed, Power Whip, Thunder)
  3. Gastrodon (Mud Slap, Body Slam, Earth Power)
  4. Araquanid (Bug Bite, Bubble Beam, Bug Buzz)
  5. Poliwrath (Counter, Scald, Icy Wind)
  6. Jellicent (Hex, Surf, Shadow Ball)
  7. Kartana (Razor Leaf, Leaf Blade, Night Slash)
  8. Shadow Ferrothorn (Bullet Seed, Power Whip, Thunder)
  9. Steelix (Thunder Fang, Psychic Fangs, Breaking Swipe)
  10. Forretress (Bug Bite, Rock Tomb, Earthquake)

As a devoted fan, it’s disheartening to see another Fossil Cup without any fossil Pokémon in sight, leaving Rock-types at a significant disadvantage against other types allowed in this format. Compared to the last time it was in rotation, there have been some tweaks, but many of its mainstays have managed to adapt and remain top choices, such as Ferrothorn, Gastrodon, Togedemaru, and Jellicent. Among these, Ludicolo stands out as a rare sight in any Battle League format, yet it continues to hold the number one spot among attackers. This is largely due to its strategic replacement of Icy Wind with Scald, which has received a boost in power since then.

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2025-06-10 17:46