Best Pokemon GO Holiday Cup Little Edition Teams

After two weeks of the Fantasy League, the Pokemon GO Battle League is ready for its next challenge. The Holiday Cup: Little Edition will bring a new set of rules, requiring Pokemon GO players to mix up their strategy to build the best possible team.

Holiday Cup: Little Edition Rules for Pokemon GO: Dual Destiny Season

The Holiday Cup: Little Edition in the GO Battle League runs from December 17, 2024, to December 24, 2024.

As a Little Edition, this contest caps Pokemon CP at just 500. In addition, the Holiday Cup has type limitations, letting players bring only Electric, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Normal types.

The combination of a lower CP cap and restricted typing means many trainers will need to build new teams to take on the Holiday Cup in Pokemon GO.

Related: Best Pokemon GO Fantasy Cup Teams

Best Holiday Cup Teams for Pokemon GO

In terms of typing, six options aren’t quite as limiting as the Fantasy Cup was, but will still pose challenges for players who favor other types in their typical battle strategy.

The real task here, however, will be finding suitable Pokemon with a CP below 500. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at some strategies to help you build your best Holiday Cup: Little Edition team in Pokemon GO.

How to Build a Strong Holiday Cup Team in Pokemon GO

First things first, you’re going to want to sort by CP to find your pool of cup-eligible Pokemon. From there, it’s all about thinking through the most likely PvP contenders that fit within the type requirements of Electric, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Normal.

Some fan favorites may be tricky to come by, as evolved forms of Pokemon tend to have higher CPs even in the wild, so the typical meta may not always apply here.

Smeargle, which was banned in 2023 but doesn’t seem to be excluded this year, is emerging as the favorite for this Cup. Many players are concerned there are no good strategies to combat its potential to learn moves like Incinerate and Flying Press. That means that planning to combat one as best you can may be in your best interest.

Suggested Holiday Cup Team Combos for Pokemon GO

With Smeargle allowed this time around, many players will be leaning into its ability to copy moves. However, there are some options to combat this powerhouse, depending on which Pokemon below 500 CP you have available. Here are our team suggestions this time around:

Pokemon	Type
Pikachu Libre	Electric/Fighting
Ducklett	Flying/Water
Alolan Marowak	Fire/Ghost

This team brings in a few different types thanks to dual typing, while also planning a few contingencies for Smeargle with Incinerate and Flying Press. Pikachu Libre’s fighting subtype means it can use Fighting-type moves to take down Normal-type Smeargle quickly, while Ducklett and Alolan Marowak offer additional type strengths to content with Grass types and Fighting sub-types. If you’re lacking in a low CP Alolan Marowak, Skeledirge has similar typing and would make a good substitute here.

Pokemon	Type
Smeargle	Normal
Amaura	Rock/Ice
Ducklett	Flying/Water

We’ve taken a “can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach to the Smeargle meta with this Pokemon GO Holiday Cup team. Bringing Ducklett with a Flying-type move can help counteract anyone bringing Fighting subtypes to the field to take down your Smeargle, while Amaura adds some solid Rock-type coverage for those Ice and Flying-type opponents.

Gligar	Flying/Ground
Cottonee	Fairy/Grass
Litwick	Fire/Ghost

This brings some lesser-used Pokemon into the mix while still offering good type coverage. Litwick’s Ghost/Fire typing helps out with taking down Ghost Pokemon as well as Grass and Ice types. Cottonee is a strong Grass-type contender with some powerful Fairy-type moves. Meanwhile, Gligar brings in advantages against Electric Pokemon, plus resistance to strong Fire-type moves.

As always, these teams are just suggestions, and what works for you will depend on the Pokemon at your disposal and your preferred playstyle. Good luck with the Holiday Cup: Little Edition, trainers!

And those are the best Pokemon GO Holiday Cup Little Edition teams.

Pokemon GO is available to play now.