Pokémon GO Halloween Cup – Great League Edition: Best Pokémon

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Pokémon GO is celebrating spooky season with the return of the Halloween Cup: Great League Edition to GO Battle League, its player-versus-player battle mode. The event will take place from October 28th to November 4th, 2025.

This GO Battle League event has unique rules: Pokémon can only have up to 1,500 CP. To fit the Halloween theme, only Poison, Bug, Ghost, Dark, and Fairy-type Pokémon are allowed in battles.

Dominate your rivals this Halloween in Pokémon GO’s Great League with the top Pokémon, carefully chosen using stats and battle simulations from PvPoke.com. These Pokémon are sure to give your opponents a scary challenge!

Pokémon GO Halloween Cup – Great League Edition: Best Leads

These Pokémon start battles strong, immediately putting pressure on your opponent. They’re also durable enough to stay in the fight for a long time, making them ideal for leading your team. This allows you to either quickly knock out an opponent’s Pokémon or create a favorable situation for later in the battle.

  1. Clodsire (Poison Sting, Earthquake, Stone Edge)
  2. Nidoqueen (Mud Slap, Stone Edge, Poison Fang)
  3. Scizor [S] (Bullet Punch, Night Slash, Trailblaze)
  4. Runerigus (Shadow Claw, Rock Tomb, Brutal Swing)
  5. Shadow Dusclops [XL] (Hex, Ice Punch, Shadow Punch)
  6. Morpeko (Full Belly) (Thunder Shock, Aura Wheel, Psychic Fangs)
  7. Klefki (Astonish, Foul Play, Play Rough)
  8. Shadow Sableye [XL] (Shadow Claw, Foul Play, Power Gem)
  9. Dusknoir (Astonish, Dynamic Punch, Shadow Punch)
  10. Jellicent (Hex, Surf, Shadow Ball)

Pokémon with an [S] symbol have almost identical stats whether they are in their normal or Shadow form. Pokémon with an [XL] symbol need to be powered up with XL Candy to perform at their best.

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

If your starting Pokémon puts you at a disadvantage, it’s a good idea to switch it out for another one. This lesson focuses on Pokémon that are either strong leads themselves or are specifically good at countering common opening Pokémon. Switching allows you to save your original lead for later in the battle and might even make your opponent change their plans.

  1. Clodsire (Poison Sting, Earthquake, Stone Edge)
  2. Drapion [S] (Poison Sting, Crunch, Aqua Tail)
  3. Shadow Qwilfish (Poison Sting, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam)
  4. Crustle (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, Rock Wrecker)
  5. Runerigus (Shadow Claw, Rock Tomb, Brutal Swing)
  6. Shadow Dusclops [XL] (Hex, Ice Punch, Shadow Punch)
  7. Golisopod (Shadow Claw, Aqua Jet, X-Scissor)
  8. Swalot (Mud Shot, Sludge, Ice Beam)
  9. Qwilfish (Poison Sting, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam)
  10. Shadow Sableye [XL] (Shadow Claw, Foul Play, Power Gem)

Pokémon GO Halloween Cup – Great League Edition: Best Closers

These Pokémon really shine when shields are gone, because they’re either very durable or can win battles fast with strong charge attacks that can’t be blocked without a shield.

  1. Aegislash (Shield) [XL] (Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, Gyro Ball)
  2. Clodsire (Poison Sting, Earthquake, Stone Edge)
  3. Galarian Moltres (Sucker Punch, Fly, Brave Bird)
  4. Carbink [XL] (Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Moonblast)
  5. Tentacruel (Acid, Scald, Sludge Wave)
  6. Galarian Corsola [XL] (Astonish, Night Shade, Power Gem)
  7. Klefki (Astonish, Foul Play, Play Rough)
  8. Azumarill [XL] (Bubble, Ice Beam, Play Rough)
  9. Tinkaton (Fairy Wind, Play Rough, Flash Cannon)
  10. Crustle (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, Rock Wrecker)

Pokémon GO Halloween Cup – Great League Edition: Best Attackers

Certain Pokémon excel when battling opponents who still have shields, even though you’ve already lost yours. They’re built with helpful defenses and powerful quick attacks to make up for this. That’s why you don’t often see Shadow Pokémon used in this way – they’re more vulnerable to damage, making them a less reliable choice.

  1. Carbink [XL] (Rock Throw, Rock Slide, Moonblast)
  2. Clodsire (Poison Sting, Earthquake, Stone Edge)
  3. Nidoqueen (Mud Slap, Stone Edge, Poison Fang)
  4. Galarian Corsola [XL] (Astonish, Night Shade, Power Gem)
  5. Tinkaton (Fairy Wind, Play Rough, Flash Cannon)
  6. Mandibuzz (Air Slash, Foul Play, Aerial Ace)
  7. Klefki (Astonish, Foul Play, Play Rough)
  8. Kingambit (Metal Sound, Foul Play, Iron Head)
  9. Dusclops [XL] (Hex, Ice Punch, Shadow Punch)
  10. Azumarill [XL] (Bubble, Ice Beam, Play Rough)

Clodsire is still the dominant Pokémon in this format, which hasn’t changed much from previous versions. However, we’re seeing more players successfully use Nidoqueen and Scizor.

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2025-10-29 16:47