What is the best team for Holiday Cup Great League edition in Pokemon GO? (December 2022) 

Pokemon GO's Holiday Cup arrives on December 22, 2022. Trainers can participate in the returning PvP cup in both Great League and Ultra League formats.

There are a few rules to keep in mind for the Great League iteration of the Holiday Cup. Like the traditional Great League, trainers can only use Pokemon with a CP of 1,500 or lower. Furthermore, only Normal, Grass, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Ghost-type Pokemon are eligible to be entered into battle.

There are several options for trainers to choose from when formulating a team in Pokemon GO. While there's no perfect PvP team, many excellent options should help Holiday Cup participants go on a winning streak.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Shadow Magnezone, Regice, and Shadow Charizard form a great team For Pokemon GO's Holiday Cup Great League edition

Magnezone's bulk and offensive options make it an excellent lead in Pokemon GO's Holiday Cup (Image via Niantic)

Even with the Holiday Cup's restrictions, Pokemon GO trainers still have a large variety of Pokemon that they can use to very good effect. This is especially true when players pick Pocket Monsters who each fulfill a certain role, such as a lead, a switch, or a closer.

Even with the elemental type restrictions, the massive number of usable Pokemon in-game ensures high team flexibility, depending on what a trainer has available.

For a great starting team that should create early success, Pokemon GO trainers can try using Shadow Magnezone as a lead, Regice as a closer, and Shadow Charizard as a switch.

This team makeup provides plenty of damage durability, primarily through Shadow Magnezone and Regice. It also offers a bevy of elemental type coverage, thanks to each combatant possessing different types (Electric/Steel, Ice, Fire/Flying).

As a lead, Shadow Magnezone may not be as durable as its standard counterpart, but its 20% increase in damage is well worth the reduction. However, if trainers need a little more bulk, the standard Magnezone also works perfectly fine.

Thanks to versatile moves like Spark, Wild Charge, and Mirror Shot, Shadow Magnezone can keep heavy shield pressure on opponents while reaching enough energy to receive its Charged Moves quickly. Trainers are unlikely to see Ground, Fire, or Fighting-type opponents that Shadow Magnezone is weak to (unless they're a dual-type, which are permitted in the format).

If things get ugly for Magnezone and it is in an unfavorable position, trainers can tag in their switch Shadow Charizard. While Fire-types may not be permitted in the Holiday Cup format, Charizard's status as a partial Flying-type allows it to enter the PvP cup despite being partially Fire-type.

As a Shadow Pokemon, Shadow Charizard receives an excellent 20% damage boost to already impressive moves like Wing Attack, Blast Burn, and Dragon Claw. It performs particularly well against popular meta picks like Froslass and Abomasnow.

Once an opponent's shields are down and they're on their back foot, Pokemon GO trainers can call in Regice for cleanup duty. Its exceedingly high defense means enemies will have a difficult time removing it from the arena. The move, Lock On, gives it the ability to spam Charged Moves like Blizzard and Earthquake with ease.

In addition, Regice still generates excellent shield pressure if an opponent hasn't expended all shields. It utilizes short animations that allow it to dodge an opponent's attacks effectively.

Given its durability and flexibility, Regice can shut down the battle before it drags out for too long. It may not be the easiest creature to obtain in Pokemon GO, but there's no denying that Regice can produce results.