Pokemon Go Willpower Cup and the best Pokemon to use

The Pokemon Go Willpower Cup is a battle format for the Go Battle League during the Season of Light. Only Martial, Psychic, and Dark-type Pokemon will be suitable, giving trainers a large pool of options to choose from. However, this Pokemon must have 1500 CP or less to enter. This is the same restriction as any Major League you might be used to.

While this particular trophy will focus on specific types of Pokemon, there are limitations trainers should be aware of before getting into the ultimate battle format. The Willpower Cup will start on Thursday, November 3 at 16:00 (EDT) and will run until Thursday, November 10.

There is one caveat though. Gardevoir is not allowed in this trophy. So if you intend to use your own team, you will need to find a different team.

Now that the rules are set, here are some of the best choices for the Willpower Cup.

Galarian Rapidash

Genre: Psychic/Fairy
Weaknesses: Poison, Ghost, Steel

Gardevoir was banned because writing Fairy and accessing the Charm would make him a threat to teams in the Willpower Cup. Anyone who can use Fairy-type attacks will benefit from this format as it is strong against both Dark and Fighting types, and Galarian Rapidash can do just that.

Now, Galarian Rapidash is not as powerful as Gardevoir and does not have access to the Talisman, but with the start of the Season of Light, he now has access to the Fairy Wind. As for his Charged Attacks, Play Rough is his only Fairy-type move while having access to Psychic if trainers want a strong STAB attack against Martial types. Body Slam is another decent Charged Attack. While not strong against any type, it doesn’t require much energy to use, so it’s a great move to burn off your opponent’s shields.

umbrella

Type: Dark
Weaknesses: Bug, Fairy, Fighting

Umbreon is probably the most used Eevee-lution due to its natural volume. While it doesn’t have the move pool to really deal with various opponents, the trick is to outlast most of your opponent’s Pokemon and burn as many shields as possible.

Snarl is your only real Quick Attack option, whereas Foul Play (another Dark-type STAB move) and Last Resort, a Community Day-only move, are things trainers will really want to use. The psychic was also recently added to Umbreon’s movement pool and can be useful in a pinch against Fight types that would otherwise have a hard time.

Combat types with Martial-type attacks like Medicham are what trainers need to be mindful of when using Umbreon in the Willpower Cup.

sable

Genre: Ghost/Darkness
Weakness: Fairy

Sableye’s writing is why it can be really useful in the Willpower Cup. Weak only against Fairy-type attacks, Sableye may be another tank that outlasts its opponents like Umbreon and pierces shields.

Shadow Claw is the best Quick Attack for Sableye to use, as it is not resisted by many Pokemon and gains plenty of energy. Shadow Sneak and Foul Play are great Charged Attacks that don’t need a lot of energy storage to use. While they don’t do much damage, trainers should use them to remove shields.

health

Genre: Fighting/Psychic
Weaknesses: Flying, Fairy, Ghost

Medicham will probably be the most commonly seen Fighting type trainers in the Willpower Cup.

Counter is one of the best Quick Attacks in all of Pokemon Go and will spell doom for most Dark types, as well as Pokemon like Sableye and Mandibuzz.

As for Charged Attacks, Power-Up Punch is a Combat-type attack that increases his Attack by one stage even when blocked and allows Medicham to steam-roll other Pokemon.

Psychic is another powerful STAB attack that lowers the opponent’s defense, but Ice Punch might be a better option as it gives Medicham some protection against Flying types like the aforementioned Mandibuzz.

victini

Type: Psychic/Fire
Weaknesses: Water, Dark, Ghost, Rock, Ground

Victini was a threat in the Psychic Cup and Major League because he has access to some powerful and fast moves.

Quick Attack is the most suitable Quick Attack option. Prior to this season, Quick Attack was a joke move, but his buffs now give Victini a move that can give him faster access to V-Create.

V-Create will be the main attack option for Victini as it will defeat shields or deal massive damage. The only downside is it weakens Victini a lot, but coaches who can take it in the middle or end of the game will dominate their opponents.