Pokémon GO Kanto Cup - Best Picks, Rules, And More

June is over and that means it's back to the basics with the Kanto Cup in the Pokémon GO Battle League for the first part of July. Trainers had one week with the Retro Cup to close out the first month of the Season of GO, and there will be another week to master the Kanto region.

This isn't the first time that the Kanto Cup has gone live in Pokémon GO, so there are plenty of Trainers who have had the time to build their own teams to perfection. Luckily, you probably have most of the best picks available in your inventory, and switching around their moves can make for some strong team compositions.

Kanto Cup rules in Pokémon GO?

When Niantic decided to start experimenting with new themed Cups aside from the base three leagues, the Kanto Cup was one of the most obvious choices for the game. The region is popular, most players can join in, and the rules are fairly simple to follow.

One of the core rules for the Cup is the CP limit on your Pokémon. As a technical branch of the Great League, all of the Pokémon that you use must be 1,500 CP or under. This is always the most competitive CP because of the options available and the wide range of players. Most Cups will be a branch of the Great League.

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Next is the rule geared towards the Kanto Region. All of your Pokémon must be registered as the original 151 in one way or another. That last part is important because Alolan Marowak and Hisuian Electrode are both examples of Pokémon that are allowed on your team.

As long as any of your Kanto region Pokémon fit the criteria listed above, you can use them on your team. But some of them will be far more effective than others in this specific Cup.

Best picks for Kanto Cup in Pokémon GO

There are plenty of picks that work well on a Kanto Cup team in the Pokémon GO Battle League, but there is a handful that will clearly dominate. Below you will find eight of the best choices with the moves that make them the most effective on any given team.

• Lickitung XL - Lick (Fast) and Body Slam/Power Whip (Charged)
• Chansey XL - Zen Headbutt (Fast) and Psychic/Hyper Beam (Charged)
• Nidoqueen - Poison Jab (Fast) and Poison Fang/Earth Power (Charged)
• Snorlax - Lick (Fast) and Body Slam/Superpower (Charged)
• Lapras - Ice Shard (Fast) and Surf/Skull Bash (Charged)
• Alolan Sandslash - Shadow Claw (Fast) and Ice Punch/Bulldoze (Charged)
• Pidgeot - Gust (Fast) and Feather Dance/Brave Bird (Charged)
• Beedrill - Poison Jab (Fast) and Drill Run/X-Scissor (Charged)

You'll notice on the listed Pokémon that the XL versions are at the top. Without XL candy, you should avoid using these as they will not have nearly enough CP to be competitive in the Kanto Cup. Shadow versions of Pokémon don't follow that same rule though, and they can still be great with a normal version. Pick a team that meshes well together and make sure to use the right moves.

And that's all. For more awesome content, check out our section dedicated to Pokémon GO news, guides, updates, and more!

Featured image courtesy of Niantic.