Pokemon GO: Best team to use in the Element Cup

Pokemon GO's eighth season of Battle League is underway, and the all-new Element Cup will arrive for aspiring trainers on June 28th, 2021 and last until July 12th, 2021.

This PvP cup will require plenty of type advantage knowledge and low CP strategy, as the only Pokemon that are permitted:

• Must be either Water-, Fire-, or Grass-type.
• Must be capable of evolving, and must be in the first stage of their evolutionary line.
• Must have a total CP of 500 or less.

Given these constraints, a Pokemon's stats, moves, and advantages take center stage even more so than usual, as the CP difference will be effectively nullified by and large in this Pokemon GO cup.

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Pokemon GO: Top Pokemon to pick for an Element Cup team

Image via Niantic

Though picking the definitive best team for Pokemon GO's Element Cup is a pipe dream at the moment given this all new meta landscape, community sites such as PvPoke have already compiled some forecasted top picks for trainers' teams.

In order to break down which Pokemon excel at which role in a Pokemon GO PvP battle team, it's important to examine the vital functions that each role serves:

• Leads - As the name implies, these Pokemon perform best at the outset of battle and at the front of a player's Pokemon GO team. They apply terrific shield pressure and are able to fight for a protracted amount of time without needing to switch.
• Closers - The opposite of Lead Pokemon, Closers are meant to close out fights, as their hard-hitting moves provide them with the firepower to take down even higher-HP opponents.
• Switches - If a trainer's Lead Pokemon is in a bad type-matchup or CP disadvantage, Switch Pokemon can come in and save the day and help players recover from a bad lead. Even if they are also in an unfavorable position, these Pokemon can deal good damage and apply solid shield pressure.
• Chargers - Since charged moves are so important in Pokemon GO, having a Pokemon with a savagely powerful charged move can be helpful. Ideally, a Charger will be able to quickly power up and use their charged move as often as possible.
• Attackers - There's no particular secret to these Pokemon, as their role is all in the name. Their bulk and resistances, coupled with their attack power, make them fantastic attackers even when the player is out of shields. In addition, they can absolutely wreck a Pokemon GO opponent with shield pressure.

Pokemon GO players can try out these Pokemon and moves:

Leads

• Ducklett using Wing Attack, Aerial Ace and Brave Bird.
• Shadow Growlithe using Ember, Body Slam and Flamethrower.
• Chikorita using Vine Whip, Body Slam and Grass Knot.
• Shadow Vulpix using Ember, Weather Ball (Fire) and Body Slam.
• Chinchou using Spark, Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam.

Closers

• Shadow Bulbasaur using Vine Whip, Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb.
• Chinchou using Spark, Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam.
• Ducklett using Wing Attack, Aerial Ace and Brave Bird.
• Shadow Growlithe using Ember, Body Slam and Flamethrower.
• Shadow Snover using Powder Snow, Energy Ball and Ice Beam.

Switches

• Ducklett using Wing Attack, Aerial Ace and Brave Bird.
• Chikorita using Vine Whip, Body Slam and Grass Knot.
• Tentacool using Poison Sting, Wrap and Bubble Beam.
• Cottonee using Charm, Grass Knot and Seed Bomb.
• Foongus using Feint Attack, Body Slam and Grass Knot.

Chargers

• Ducklett using Wing Attack, Aerial Ace and Brave Bird.
• Chikorita using Vine Whip, Body Slam and Grass Knot.
• Bulbasaur using Vine Whip, Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb.
• XL Hoppip using Bullet Seed, Seed Bomb and Return.
• Shadow Bulbasaur using Vine Whip, Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb.

Attackers

• Shadow Oddish using Razor Leaf, Sludge Bomb and Seed Bomb.
• Cottonee using Charm, Grass Knot and Seed Bomb.
• Shadow Turtwig using Razor Leaf, Body Slam and Seed Bomb.
• Budew using Razor Leaf, Grass Knot and Energy Ball.
• Oddish using Razor Leaf, Sludge Bomb and Seed Bomb.

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