Pokemon with only one Charged Attack may potentially ruin Pokemon GO's Little Holiday Cup meta, players speculate

Pokemon GO's Battle League is known for its occasional release of special formats. While the Premier Cups are typically the most exciting, the Little Cup has become a community favorite. Only featuring unevolved creatures under a certain combat power level, the Little Cup is host to some creative team compositions.

However, some Pocket Monsters can become too powerful for the metagame, as noted by Content-Departure374 on the Silph Road subreddit.

This cup is doomed byu/Content-Departure374 inTheSilphRoad

The original poster used the popular PvPoke website to analyze the metagame for the Little Holiday Cup, set to begin on December 17, 2024.

The site reports that Smeargle will be the top Pokemon for this competitive format, which is unusual as the creature cannot learn two Charged Attacks like other contenders.

Comment byu/Content-Departure374 from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Smeargle in the Little Cup is not a new concept to many players. User Qoppa_Guy shared their efforts in finding a competitive-ready Smeargle. Given how rarely the creature makes an appearance, grinding for one with an optimal build takes a lot of time and consistent effort.

Comment byu/Content-Departure374 from discussion inTheSilphRoad

Many players, such as Fu1337k, have prepared their Smeargles with Flying Press for this competition. Flying Press is favored due to its low energy cost, high base power, and no self-debuffs. Some trainers use Smeargle with Lock-On for energy generation, though, as it generates the most energy of any Fast Attack.

Also check: Pokemon GO CP calculator

PvPoke recommends Incinerate for Smeargle's Fast Attack in the Little Cup. Lock-On is less effective against Ghosts and other resistant types, whereas Incinerate offers great energy generation, decent base damage, and pairs well with Flying Press' Fighting type.

Many users may want to try getting one of these optimized Smeargles for themselves (Image via Reddit)

Users like SilentKiller2809 might wonder how to obtain an Incinerate-Flying Press Smeargle in time for the Holiday Little Cup. Acquiring one requires finding the right Shadow Pokemon with the desired moves.

Also check: Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator

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How to get a competitive Smeargle in Pokemon GO

Finding the right Smeargle can take some time since they cannot be farmed traditionally (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The process of encountering Smeargle is unique; it only appears when players take snapshots with their Buddy Pokemon. This feature is accessible from the Buddy menu.

A great way to check for Smeargle is to spam the camera button to take multiple snapshots and check them in the app rather than saving them to the user's device.

Smeargle copies the first two moves of the Buddy Pokemon unless the Buddy is a Shadow Pokemon with Frustration, in which case the Charged Attack is randomized.

Using one of the three Shadow Regis in Pokemon GO can yield a Smeargle with Lock-On and Flying Press. However, for an optimal Smeargle, trainers need Shadow Pokemon with Incinerate as a Fast Attack.

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For more information on the game, check out the articles below:

• Ditto disguises
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts