The Pokemon GO Mountain Cup is a brand-new addition to the Battle League roster, with rules that have never been seen before. This isn't the only new addition to the format and it certainly won't be the last. With all these new rules floating around, it can be hard for players to ascertain which Pokemon will make up the meta - especially as these cups only last a week. Here is everything a Trainer needs to know for Pokemon GO's Mountain Cup.
How to Enter the Mountain Cup
Players can take the following steps to enter the Pokemon GO Mountain Cup:
- Clicking the Pokeball in the bottom center of the Home/Map screen
- Selecting 'Battle'
- Choosing either Basic or Premium Rewards (Premium Rewards are better, but selecting them uses up one Premium Battle Pass)
- Selecting 'Mountain Cup'
From there, players can choose their team and get to battling!
Pokemon GO: Mountain Cup Rules
The rules for the Mountain Cup are as follows:
- All Great League rules, meaning no Pokemon above 1500CP can compete.
- Only Ice-, Ground-, Rock, and Steel-type Pokemon can compete (dual-types are allowed).
- Swampert is banned.
When Does the Mountain Cup Start and End?
The Psychic Cup starts Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 8PM GMT and lasts a full week until Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 8PM GMT
Tips for Winning Mountain Cup Battles
The usual tactics for the Pokemon GO Battle League apply here. Opt for spammy moves that charge fast, and make sure to have two Charged Moves where possible. There is one thing, however, that is especially important to consider when battling in the Mountain Cup.
Focus on Type Coverage
Type coverage is going to be very important in the Mountain Cup, as it encompasses a relatively broad range of types for a cup like this. Because of this, there is going to be a lot of variation in the Pokemon used, especially considering dual types are permitted for entry. In order to get the most type coverage players will want to:
- Have varied types of Pokemon on their team.
- Have those Pokemon learn moves that aren't their type.
- Have more than one Charged Move per Pokemon.
Best Pokemon for the Mountain Cup
As usual, recommending specific teams for Pokemon GO PvP isn't the best idea, as players around the world have significantly different access to different Pokemon. Here are some Pokemon that will do well in the Mountain Cup, and should be considered when building a team.
Lucario
Move | Move Type | Base Damage | Effective vs. | Weak vs. |
Counter (Fast) | Fighting | 12 | Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark | Flying, Psychic, Bug, Poison, Fairy. Ghost (immune) |
Shadow Ball (Charged) | Ghost | 100 | Ghost, Psychic | Dark, Normal (immune) |
Power-Up Punch (Charged) | Fighting | 50 | Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark | Flying, Psychic, Bug, Poison, Fairy, Ghost (immune) |
Lucario is going to be a powerhouse in this meta. The most important thing it has going for it is the fast-charging Charged Moves, which allow it to apply lots of shield pressure. As for type coverage, Lucario's Fighting-type moves Counter and Power-Up Punch will do super-effective damage against Rock-, Steel-, and Ice-types.
Diggersby
Move | Move Type | Base Damage | Effective vs. | Weak vs. |
Mud Shot (Fast) | Ground | 5 | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass, Flying (immune) |
Fire Punch (Charged) | Fire | 55 | Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice | Fire, Rock, Water, Dragon |
Earthquake (Charged) | Ground | 140 | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass, Flying (immune) |
While not the most popular Pokemon, Diggersby is going to be a big help in the Mountain Cup. Its access to Fire Punch is invaluable, as it's super-effective against Steel- and Ice-types as well as Grass-types, which aren't included in the rules, but will see a lot of play as a secondary typing. Its Ground-type moves round out the type coverage nicely.
Whiscash
Move | Move Type | Base Damage | Effective vs. | Weak vs. |
Mud Shot (Fast) | Ground | 5 | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass, Flying (immune) |
Mud Bomb (Charged) | Ground | 55 | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass, Flying (immune) |
Blizzard (Charged) | Ice | 130 | Flying, Ground, Grass, Dragon | Steel, Fire, Water, Ice |
While Swampert is banned, players can still turn to Whiscash for a similar Water/Ground-type coverage. With this set of moves, Whiscash is covered for the majority of match-ups in the Mountain Cup. Mud Shot and Mud Bomb provide coverage against Rock- and Steel-types, and Blizzard covers Ground. When using Whiscash, it's best to bring a Fighting-type too, so Ice-types are covered.
Ferrothorn
Move | Move Type | Base Damage | Effective vs. | Weak vs. |
Bullet Seed (Fast) | Grass | 8 | Ground, Rock, Water | Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Dragon |
Power Whip (Charged) | Grass | 90 | Ground, Rock, Water | Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Dragon |
Thunder (Charged) | Electric | 100 | Flying, Water | Grass, Electric, Dragon |
Ferrothorn might be a surprising choice for the Mountain Cup given that so many moves will be effective against it. Despite this, however, it rounds out most teams nicely and has decent type coverage with its access to Grass-type moves. Bullet Seed is also a good spammy Fast Move, which means Charged Moves will power up more quickly.
Escavalier
Move | Move Type | Base Damage | Effective vs. | Weak vs. |
Counter (Fast) | Fighting | 12 | Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark | Flying, Psychic, Bug, Poison, Fairy, Ghost (immune) |
Megahorn (Charged) | Bug | 110 | Grass, Psychic, Dark | Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Fire, Fairy |
Drill Run (Charged) | Ground | 80 | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass, Flying (immune) |
With access to the Fast Move Counter, Escavalier is an excellent choice for the Mountain Cup. Counter charges up Charged Moves quickly, putting shield pressure on the opponent. Its access to moves of other types is also a valuable asset - while Megahorn isn't super-effective against any of the core Mountain Cup types, it will do good neutral damage to all of them (apart from Steel).
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