Pokemon GO Battle League: Best Retro Cup - Great League team recommendations

The Great League's Retro Cup in Pokemon GO makes things interesting for competitive players. In this format, you will only get to use beasts that are part of the first-generation Pocket Monsters. Retro Cup also administers a strict Combat Power (CP) cap that makes building a good team a nightmare for trainers. This becomes particularly hard if you do not grind too much to catch creatures that fit the criteria of content like the Great League.

Furthermore, certain types of Pokemon, like Dark, Steel, and Fairy, are not eligible to take part in the Retro Cup in Season 15 of Pokemon GO. This article will offer the best teams to use in it.

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The best teams for The Retro Cup: Great League in Pokemon GO

These are the beasts that were at the top of the Great League meta before the balance changes took effect post-Season 15:

• Lickitung
• Aurorus
• Pidgeot
• Noctowl
• Froslass
• Altaria
• Jellicent
• Pelipper
• Mantine
• Golbat (Shadow Form)
• Regirock
• Golbat
• Lanturn
• Dubwool

The Hidden Gems update altered a few moves of these entities, including Poison Fang and Icicle Spear. This greatly changed the viability of many beasts that previously ranked in the top 10. After the balance changes, the following are the best options in Great League's metagame:

• Golbat (Shadow Form)
• Golbat
• Dewgong
• Walrein
• Walrein (Shadow Form)
• Trevenant
• Miltank
• Emolga
• Cardily
• Cradily (Shadow Form)
• Quagsire (Shadow Form)
• Whiscash
• Golisopod
• Dunsparce

Most of these creatures either have the ability to learn one of the newly buffed moves, or they have been given a fresh attack called Liquidation, which is also decent in Great League's current metagame.

It is possible to form a few good teams with the beasts from the list above in conjunction with creatures that synergize well with them.

You can run one of the following three parties and expect to see good results in this title's Retro Cup of Great League:

Aurorus is really powerful in the current meta (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Team 1: Medicham, Walrein, and Aurorus

Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move 1	Charged Move 2
Medicham	Counter	Ice Punch	Psychic
Walrein	Powder Snow*	Icicle Spear*	Earthquake
Aurorus	Powder Snow	Weather Ball (Ice)	Meteor Beam

Note: Moves that have an asterisk (*) next to them mean that they are exclusive moves. You will need to teach these moves to your critter with the help of an Elite TM.

Team breakdown

• Medicham serves as a lead in this team as it is good against other Aurorus. You can use a good Grass-type beast like Trevenant or Lurantis as a substitute for it.
• Dewgong, Walrein, or Regirock can act as a reliable safe swap.
• Aurorus or Dewgong can clean things up for you at the back.

This team might struggle a bit against Froslass, but you can expect Aurorus or Walrein to stand up against it.

Froslass with Avalanche can be a menace for your enemies (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Team 2: Froslass, Cradily, and Lickitung

Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move 1	Charged Move 2
Froslass	Powder Snow	Avalanche	Shadow Ball
Cradily	Bullet Seed	Rock Slide	Grass Knot
Lickitung	Lick	Body Slam*	Power Whip

Team breakdown

• Froslass is one of the strongest attackers in the current meta of Pokemon GO PvP when it comes to the Great League. Your opponent will surely struggle if they do not have a proper answer to this beast. If you catch them lacking an ineffective lead, you can force them to get swap-locked, as they will have to instantly resort to their safe swap to deal with Froslass.
• Cradily serves as a good safe swap as it provides good coverage against Grass-type beasts. You can also use Dubwool as a substitute if you feel that you do not have a Cradily that is strong enough for your roster.
• Lickitung can close things up for you at the back. You could also use a Lanturn, which complements Froslass.

Abomasnow finesses Lanturn in the current Great League metagame (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Team 3: Toxapex, Froslass, and Abomasnow

Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move 1	Charged Move 2
Toxapex	Poison Jab	Brine	Sludge Wave
Froslass	Powder Snow	Avalanche	Shadow Ball
Abomasnow	Powder Snow	Weather Ball (Ice)	Energy Ball

Team breakdown

• Toxapex is a really bulky critter, and it performs well against unexpected Steel-type beasts. Froslass would be crushed in such a scenario. But since Steel-type Pokemon are not that popular in the current meta, Toxapex — with its bulk and Poison typing — can be a great lead for the team.
• Froslass or Dubwool can again be great as a safe swap.
• Having Abomasnow in the back is necessary to whittle the Lanturns, which would otherwise be very problematic for you.

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Retro Cup Great League Edition Pokemon GO PvP: Schedule, how to take part, and more

The Retro Cup: Great League has been running since July 6, 2023, at 1 pm Pacific Time, and will end on July 13, 2023, at 1 pm Pacific Time.

You can take part in the Pokemon GO Retro Cup by:

• Clicking on the Pokeball icon at the bottom of the screen
• Clicking on Battle after that
• Selecting "Battle" from the third screen that opens

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Upcoming Cups in Pokemon GO Battle League:

• Ultra League and Fossil Cup: Great League Edition starts on July 27, 2023, at 1 pm PT.
• Ultra League and Jungle Cup: Little Edition starts on August 3, 2023, at 1 pm PT.

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That brings us to the end of this Pokemon GO guide. Here's hoping you achieve great success in Retro Cup, and feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below.