The “Nifty Or Thrifty” article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for PvP Cup formats: the surprisingly long-awaited return of Little Element Cup, in this case. As is typical for the NoT series, I’ll cover not only the top meta picks, but also some mons where you can save some dust with cheaper second move unlock costs or less powering up. Because for those on a stardust budget — and/or folks trying to save up some dust for the future — it can be daunting trying to figure out where to spend or not spend it.
We all want to field competitive teams, but where can we get the best bang for our buck and where should we perhaps channel our inner scrooge?
Would you believe it’s been over TWO YEARS since we last visited Little Element Cup? We had a Remix version back in September 2023 (Ducklett, Chinchou, Cottonee, and Salandit were banned), but the last time we had regular old Element Cup in Little League was Season 15 (Hidden Gems) in June of 2023. This after it debuted in Season 11 and featured (remixed or not) each season from then until Season 16 except for Season 13. It was a GBL fixture, and then just vanished for a couple years.
Obviously a LOT has changed since then, not least of which was the massive move rebalance in Season 20 (the one that required four separate analysis articles just to cover it all!), so while the old staples you love/hate are all still here and mostly rocking as of old, there are a lot of intriguing new options to play with too.
Just a quick reminder about what Little Element Cup is:
- Little League, 500 CP limit.
- Only Grass-, Fire-, and Water- type Pokémon are eligible.
- Only Pokémon that are able to evolve and have not ever been evolved are eligible.
As I try to usually do, I will start with those with the cheapest second move unlock cost and steam ahead until we finally arrive at the most expensive (75,000 dust in this case, since no Legendaries or Mythicals are eligible) I am going to try to be comprehensive with this, but can’t go into detail on everything I want to… it’s a massive meta and Reddit only allows me 40,000 characters. 😬 To that end, I will also only be highlighting Shadow versions when they’re particularly relevant… many are worse, and that’s what you can infer if I don’t talk about them.
That all out of the way, let’s goooooo!
10,000 Dust/25 Candy
SEWADDLE
Bug Bite | Seed Bomb & Silver Wind
Kicking things off with one of the few instances of this season’s Bug buffs impacting this meta. Sewaddle has always hung around at the edge of relevance with Bug Bite, but its long-overdue buff now makes it easily one of the best Grasses in this meta. Even with the only actual Grass damage coming from Seed Bomb, it still deals with nearly all relevant Water types (aside from a couple that specifically resist Bug, like Tentacool and Frillish, along with Skrelp that beats nearly all other Grass types anyway), but of course, Bug damage means it also handles most opposing Grasses, with Ferroseed, Fomantis, and Foongus being particular highlights. (And many that don’t start with ‘F’ 🙃, like Cottonee and basically all the Grasses listed below.) The downside is that it is lethally double weak to Fire (and Flying, which is bad when Ducklett is still a major presence), and has other holes that most Grasses don’t like a weakness to Rock. But there’s a lot more to like here than not, and this little guy should be waddling across Little battlefields everywhere now.
Surskit
WaterBug
There’s also SURSKIT which is half-Water instead, giving it some nice wins over Tentacool and Dewpider since it’s not lugging around Sewaddle’s weaknesses to Poison and Bug. But it’s not as good overall, giving away things like Cottonee, Foongus, Oddish, and Binacle that Sewaddle can overcome. Still viable though, and really for the first time.
BULBASAUR
Vine Whip | Seed Bomb & Sludge Bomb
Venusaur’s baby bro is a little lessened from where it used to be, but there are still some very nice things about Bulba. It can get some rare-for-Grasses wins over Ducklett, Pumpkaboo, and of course Cottonee, for starters. Its Poison subtyping can be useful, such as fending off the rising Acid Lileep far more easily than other Grasses, and of course it can outlast many of its fellow Grasses in general.
CHIKORITA
Vine Whip | Body Slam & Grass Knot
While it fails to beat Ducklett, Chika does more easily take down Shadow Ducklett than Bulba, and outbulks things Bulbasaur cannot like Frillish, Shellos, and even Poisonour Tentacool, that last one being particularly notable as it’s usually Bulba that has the advantage in anti-Poison matchups (such as versus Lileep). Not only is Chikorita notably bulkier, but Chika also benefits from NOT being part Poison, most notably by beating Slowpoke while Bulbasaur normally cannot (as Poison is weak to Psychic). Body Slam is quite good in this format and Chika makes great use of it, and will surely remain a popular pick in this meta.
BUDEW
Razor Leaf | Grass Knot (& Energy Ball?)
Razor Leaf is not quite a potent in this evolved format as it used to be, but if you’re going to run one, then maybe this Bud’s for you! The Poison side comes in clutch again with wins over Tentacool, Oddish, and Lileep, and unlike Bulbasaur, it can shake off its weakness to Psychic long enough to still take out Slowpoke (and Frillish as another bonus Bulba cannot handle). The issue is that with nothing but Grass damage, others like Cottonee and even Ducklett escape.
Turtwig
Grass
There’s also TURTWIG as a cheap Razor Leafer, and it can at least sneak away with a win over Skrelp that the other Grasses above all fall short against, and much more easily chews through stuff like Slowpoke. But it also loses to things like Lileep, Tentacool, Oddish, and of course Ducklett and Cottonee that at least one or two of the other Grasses can handle. It’s not terrible, but you can usually do better.
COTTONEE
Charm | Seed Bomb & Grass Knot
With the rising Poisons, Cottonball faces more of an uphill battle than ever, but it still has a place in the meta that originally made it famous. It’s still the only Fairy in the entire format, and STAB Charm makes mincemeat out of most things that don’t outright resist it, and even a few things that do! (Like Shadow Oddish.) Notable exceptions include Ducklett, Frillish, and Dewpider, but most everything else that doesn’t resist Charm and/or deal super effective damage to Cottonee are still fair game.
So moving on to Fire types. It is overall the weakest of the three in this Cup, as its only role is to handle Grass, and as we’ve seen above there are Grasses that can also handle the anti-Grass role pretty well, and as we’ll see shortly below, even many Waters can do the same. (And not just The Duck of Doom!) But there ARE some standouts you may want to consider, and while most will show up in the 50k section, there are a couple real gems here too….
CYNDAQUIL
Ember | Swift & Flame Charge
Never really much of an option in the past, but now it IS an option for the same reason it used to be held back: Swift as its coverage move, a move which used to be lousy but is quite awesome now. What sets Cyndaquil apart from other Fires is that Swift allows it to actually outslug Shadow Ducklett (at least, ShadowQuil can), as well as fellow Fire types like Litleo and Vulpix. Of course, it torches most opposing Grasses (Lileep being a notable exception) and even Dewpider, though loses to nearly all other Water types. It’s arguably a better TEPIG now, who used to be my top recommendation in this meta, but now ShadowQuil does all the same things PLUS that win over ShadowDuck.
FENNEKIN
Ember | Psyshock & Flame Charge
Also improved now, thanks to the most recent buff to Ember. That allows it to more effectively race to Psyshock, which means that Fennekin is now another rare Fire type that can take down Shadow Ducklett. Other special wins include Litleo and Lileep, the latter being truly unique among Fire starters. (Remember that Lileep takes only neutral from Fire damage and actually resists the Normal-type moves that several other Fire starters rely on… but it doesn’t resist Psyshock!)
LITLEO
Incinerate | Crunch & Flame Charge
Litleo’s special power: as a half-Normal type, resisting Ghost damage, which means easy wins over Litwick (regular and Shadow) and Frillish, with that last one being unique among 10k Little Element Cup Fire types. The bad news? As good as Incinerate can be in Little League, it does mean that Litleo loses to most other Fires.
FUECOCO
Incinerate | Crunch & Disarming Voice
Also takes out the Litwicks (though not Frillish) thanks to Crunch, with Slowpoke being the main standout (and unique) win. Needs high rank IVs to take out Dewpider, though.
SLUGMA
Rock Throw | Flame Charge & Rock Slide
Okay, admittedly, Slugma kinda cheats. Yes, it’s a Fire type, but it really plays like a Rock. As the pre-evolution of personal favorite Magcargo, Slugma has faster but weaker charge moves (Flame Charge rather than Cargo’s Overheat and Rock Slide instead of Rock Tomb), but those are just fine under the 500 CP cap… and really, Slugma lives or dies by Rock Throw anyway. Obviously it’s a fantastic counter to other Fires, and even manages to beat several Waters, including convincing wins over Ducklett and Dewpider. (Even Bubble Beam Duck can’t reach a second charge move in time.) The downside is that it at least partially gives up the standard Fire role of toasting Grasses, still resisting their Grass moves but, being somewhat fragile, still losing to many of them anyway, to include Chikorita, Budew, and even Cottonee. So yes, technically a Fire, but doesn’t really behave like one.
BARBOACH
Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Ice Beam/Aqua Tail
I’ve gone back and forth over the second move to pair with Mud Bomb (because that alone does quite a bit, burying all major Fire types and all non-Grass Poison types, plus Binacle, Ferroseed, and Shadow Slowpoke), but I think Ice Beam is really the best way to go, tacking on Wooper, Lileep, and in one of my long-time favorite surprises through many seasons of Little League formats (and it seems like it ALWAYS gets through shields!): Cottonee!
SHADOW WAILMER
Rollout | Body Slam & Heavy Slam
Well even as a Shadow, its whopping 140 HP allows it to hang in there for a while and spam out some Body Slams and, yes, Heavy Slam, my recommendation over either Water charge move because of how it can overcome Foongus. Meanwhile, Rollout not only keeps up the pressure on Fire types and hits most things here for neutral, but it obviously rips down Ducklett too, and you even beat Lileep as a very nice bonus. The overall numbers aren’t great, but the quality of those wins is much higher.
50,000 Dust/50 Candy
DUCKLETT
Wing Attack | Aerial Ace & Bubble Beam/Brave Bird
Ah yes, everyone’s favorite Little Leaguer. 😤 Even with Wing Attack facing a nerf a little while back, the Duck Of Doom is still nothing short of a terror. And yes, I DO recommend Bubble Beam. Even though it’s obviously low damage, it represents key Water-type damage, and it’s far more than just a bait move… look at Ducklett with JUST Bubble Beam, for crying out loud! I get the case for Brave Bird as the second move, but honestly, I lean towards Aerial Ace, the eventual buffs to it being part of what keeps Ducklett super powerful in these metas despite the Wing Attack slide. Ace is a bit more consistent and can better do in things like Foongus, Slowpoke, and Shadow Litwick (whereas Brave Bird is needed to punch out Lileep and outrace Tentacool). Brave Bird is obviously better if it gets past shields, but Ace, again, is much more consistent when shields are in the equation, and blows Brave Bird away in 2v2 shielding in particular. Oh, and yeah, ShadowDuck is very good too, though trails in 2shield as well.
WINGULL
Quick Attack | Air Cutter & Ice Beam
Well, it’s NO Ducklett, but the format’s other Flying Water is certainly still viable. It does at least usually beat Ducklett in the head-to-head, and Lileep that the Duck Of Doom struggles with as well thanks to Ice Beam. But it drops a ton of things Ducklett can beat instead, including Litwick, Dewpider, Skrelp, Frillish, Slowpoke, Pumpkaboo, Oddish, Ferroseed, Cottonee and more. I mean, if you want to run TWO Flyers, I guess…?
SKRELP
Acid | Aqua Tail & Sludge Bomb
Our first real look at the now-awesome Acid in this meta, and it really improves Skrelp’s performance. It was always fine enough with Water Gun, but a bit awkward, but now? Acid fits it like a glove, bringing with it new wins like Lileep, Foongus, Pumpkaboo, Carvanha, Dewpider, and yes, Ducklett (regular and Shadow).
TENTACOOL
Poison Sting | Wrap & Water Pulse
It can beat Skrelp head to head, but honestly this is just a worse Skrelp, missing out on stuff like Foongus, Pumpkaboo, Carvanha, and Ducklett. I wouldn’t bother personally, but being ranked inside the Top 20, plenty of people will, so be ready for it.
MAREANIE
Poison Sting | Brine & Sludge Wave
Also basically a lesser Skrelp, though at least, unlike Tentacool, Mareanie manages to at least beat Ducklett. It drops Dewpirder and Litwick instead.
DEWPIDER
Bug Bite | Bubble Beam & Mirror Coat
Good with buffed Bug Bite, but absolutely insane with high rank IVs, which can add on Tentacool and Foongus to a winlist that already includes all other Grasses but Pumpkaboo, all Water types but Chinchou, Skrelp, and Ducklett, and even the majority of Fire types. It is very quietly one of the best things you can use here… do you have a good one to deploy?
FRILLISH
Hex | Ice Beam & Night Shade
The Ghost/Water combo gives it very handy resistances to Fire, Water, Bug, and Poison, and the widely unresisted Ghost damage plus Ice Beam mean that Frillish can even beat a number of big Grasses like Cottonee, Lileep, Ferroseed, and with high rank IVs, Foongus. Other big wins include Skrelp, Binacle, Slowpoke, and even Shadow Ducklett! There’s a lot to like here, much more than in the past before Hex and Night Shade were both buffed.
SEEL
Lick/Ice Shard | Icy Wind & Aqua Tail/Aqua Jetᴸ
Also best running with Ghost damage, this time from Lick, which just performs better overall than Ice Shard, the latter freezing out Foongus, Lileep, and Ducklett — so definitely still value there! — but Lick instead slobbering all over (hey, gotta keep the readers’ attention somehow! 😋) Frillish, Litwick (normal and Shadow), Slowpoke (again, regular and Shadow), Tentacool, and Binacle. Lick is much more impressive in 2v2 shielding, however, with wins that Ice Shard can’t match like Ducklett, Shellos, Frillish, Litwick, Cottonee, Binacle, Slowpoke, and Lileep (whereas Ice Shard only shines versus Fomantis, Foongus, and Litleo).
CARVANHA
Bite | Poison Fang & Aqua Jet
Few things terrify those Ghosts more than Carvanha with Bite. You basically HAVE to use a shield, as without one, it doesn’t go so well. But with a shield, totally different story, particularly Shadow Carvanha which can overpower Ducklett too. Besides Ghosts and Psychics that are critically weak to Dark damage, other standout wins include Vulpix, Litleo, Barboach, Wooper, Tentacool, and even Grassy Foongus.
SLOWPOKE
Confusion | Psyshock & Water Pulse
Not quite as impressive as it’s been in the past, but particularly with high rank IVs which can overpower Shadow Barboach and Shadow Ducklett in addition to the Poisons, Grounds, and Vulpix and Cottonee that Slowpoke blows away normally. I’m less of a fan of the Shadow version, which can power through things like Oddish and Litleo, but drops Cotton, Shellos, S-Barboach, and S-Ducklett.
WOOPER
Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Returnᴸ/Dig
Dig (beats Frillish, Shadow Foongus and Shadow Slowpoke) or Return (reaches out to take down Shadow Ducklett and the mirror), regular or Shadow (overpowers Foongus and Wooper, but drops Frillish, Shellos, and Shadow Barboach), Wooper remains a solid performance in yet another Little League format. You can expect to see it everywhere… will that include your own team?
Similar but slightly worse off is Shadow POLIWAG, though it really is basically strictly worse. Used to be a recommendation, but it’s hard to recommend it these days.
SHELLOS
Mud Slap/Hidden Power | Body Slam & Mud Bomb
So in the past I recommended Shellos with the tricky secret sauce of Electric-type Hidden Power, and while that could still be a sneaky surprise for Ducklett, the buffs to Mud Slap since then make it the new de facto in this and other metas. In that way, in exchange for Ducklett, Shellos gains Ferroseed, Litwick, Skrelp, Binacle, and Barboach, while still handling Fires and stuff like Slowpoke and Carvanha too.
BINACLE
Mud Slap | Cross Chop & Ancient Power
Remember when Mud Slap was so bad that Binacle actually ran in Little League with Scratch? Yeah… fun times. So good is it now that it can tie or even outright beat Ducklett (thanks to Mud Slap now having the energy gains sufficient to make Ancient Power a potent weapon), as well as Foongus (regular and Shadow) and even Lileep. It DOES lose to Shellos, as well as a couple things Shellos can beat like Frillish and Shadow Barboach, but Binacle is right there on the same level, or perhaps even a touch higher!
CHINCHOU
Bubble/Spark | Bubble Beam & Thunderbolt
Yep, still good here, with either Bubble or Spark. Spark is obviously better versus Waters, but not as much as you may think… it beats Carvanha in all even shield scenarios, and Skrelp, Tentacool, and Slowpoke… but only in 2shield. It is actually Bubble that does in Skrelp (and Binacle) with shields down (thanks to superior energy generation, AND damage in neutral matchups), and beats Litwick across all even shield scenarios, and Litleo in 2shield. Both have merit, so which one fits YOUR team better, dear reader?
LOTAD
Water Gun/Razor Leaf | Bubble Beam & Energy Ball
Here again there is merit for both fast moves, though somewhat surprisingly, Razor Leaf (shreds Slowpoke and Carvanha) takes a backseat to Water Gun (washes away Litwick, Vulpix, Litleo), and still takes out many opposing Water types like Wooper, Barboach, Shellos, Frillish, and Binacle either way.
LILEEP
Acid | Ancient Power & Power Whip
It’s very good now, another beneficiary of the big buff to Acid. But it’s even better with high rank IVs, gaining Binacle, Pumpkaboo, and the mirror. That last one is an odd case, as higher Attack usually wins mirror matches thanks to winning Charge Move Priority (CMP), but not here… the higher bulk of the high rank IVs allows it to limp away while the lower bulk opponent loses out. That bulk is important for Lileep, and it’s one of the big reasons I don’t like Shadow as much here. But I LOVE Lileep in general. It should make one of the biggest new splashes in Little Element Cup this time around.
FOONGUS
Astonish | Body Slam & Grass Knot
The Astonish buff makes this one tick now, both in Shadow and non-Shadow form. Shadow can outslug things like Shadow Ducklett, Skrelp, and Ferroseed, while non-Shadow outlasts Lileep, Shellos, Dewpider, and Shadow Barboach instead. Nothing fancy here, but Gus is nice and bulky and hits nearly everything for steady neutral damage, if not better. It’s a great little generalist here that mains nearly everything (even Fire types) even in losses.
MORELULL
Astonish | Seed Bomb & Dazzling Gleam
Not quite as good as fellow Astonish user Foongus, but more than decent enough if you like it and want to take it for a spin instead. The lack of the resistances that come with the Poison of Foongus, however, means losses to Skrelp, Tentacool, Cottonee, and Fomantis, however. (Morelull gains Slowpoke, Barboach, and Binacle instead.)
ODDISH
Razor Leaf | Seed Bomb & Sludge Bomb
Meh, it’s another Razor Leaf option, probably most notable for being able to take out Shadow Ducklett and Skrelp when in Shadow form itself. But otherwise, it’s really a (slightly) worse Budew, losing to Tentacool, Shadow Slowpoke, and Budew itself, as well as things Budew can beat with shields down like Lileep, Shellos, and ShadowPoke again, and things Budew can take out in 2shield like ShadowPoke, Fomantis, and now Ducklett (and loses the head-to-head again). Easier to acquire than Budew, so there’s that, but it’s hardly a super exciting option. And no, sorry… for once, Acid isn’t the way to go here.
EXEGGCUTE
Confusion | Seed Bomb & Ancient Power
Another option that was once top tier, but has fallen a bit behind the evolving meta. It’s still a holy terror to Poison types with all that Confusion damage, and keep a number of Waters (and even Ducklett and Fire types) honest with its combination of Grass and Rock charge moves. It HAS to be respected with shields in ways that few other things do. But again, it finds itself in a meta now where a lot of things have gotten better and it has stood firmly rooted with no marked improvement. Use it if you have it, sure, but probably not time to build a new one now.
SHADOW SEEDOT
Quick Attack | Grass Knot & Foul Play
One that Exeggcute really doesn’t want to see, Seedot may not be a actual Dark type like its later evolutions, but it does carry Foul Play along with widely unresisted Quick Attack and sufficient Grass damage whrn you need it with Grass Knot, which makes for a a really solid performance. Don’t overlook this little guy!
HOPPIP
Bullet Seed | Seed Bomb & Return/Dazzling Gleam
Whenever I write one of these, I start with a spreadsheet of all the Pokémon I want to look at (broken in 10k, 50k, etc. categories), running some quick, high-level sims to determine what makes my initial list. These usually end up making 90% of what I end up writing about, and a good 20-30% of my initial list often ends up not making the final cut. Then I dig deeper into the rankings with some stuff I expected to be better, and start playing around with odd movesets to see if that makes them better, and couple of those usually get pulled up in the end too. I say all this because Hoppip here is a perfect case study of this process. I had it on my initial list, then ended up dismissing it because with all Grass moves (the default PvPoke recommendation) or Dazzling Gleam for coverage, it just looked rather dull, even as a Shadow. But purified Hoppip with Return may have the secret sauce, beating everything the other closing moves can plus Tentacool and Shadow Foongus. These are the kind of things I LOVE to dig up for you, dear readers. Use that knowledge to carve out wins the opponent won’t expect!
FOMANTIS
Fury Cutter | Leaf Blade & Trailblaze
It lacks the Fighting damage that its later evolution can put out, but with numbers like these, who cares? Not only is Fury Cutter fantastic versus opposing Grasses, but its very powerful Grass charge moves ensure it still nails most Water types (Dewpider and sometimes Ducklett are the only really notable ones that can escape). With the buffs to Firy Cutter and addition of Trailblaze since the last time we had Little Element Cup, Fomantis is WAY up this time, sitting pretty within the Top 5!
PARAS
Bug Bite | Cross Poison & Seed Bomb/X-Scissor
A nice alternative to Sewaddle, having lower bulk but quite a bit more Attack, allowing it to chew through Pumpkaboo and Shadow Foongus that Sewaddle cannot, but losing to Cottonee and non-Shadow Foongus in return, and Paras holds up well in protracted, multi-shield battles as well. And of course, if the +2 Attack buff of Cross Poison ever triggers… watch out!
NUMEL
Ember | Stomp & Bulldoze
Several interesting 50k Fire types to cover, but let’s start with one of the most unique: half-Ground Numel, who in Shadow form can put on a shockingly good showing here, particularly with a higher Attack stat that allows it to potentially even slay Ducklett! Despite taking neutral damage from Grass, Numel does still manage to beat basically all of them with Ember and Stomp (Exeggcute, a couple Razor Leafers, and of course Lotad being the only exceptions) while also taking out Shadow Ducklett, Dewpider, and Litleo as bonuses. Camerupt may still be on the outside looking in on most formats, but Numel may do the family proud here.
VULPIX
Ember/Quick Attack | Weather Ball (Fire) & Body Slam
Quick Attack has always been my recommendation in this format, as it tended to just perform better, especially versus opposing Fire types. But with Ember not only benefitting from STAB but also now being buffed… I’m not sure that’s true any longer. While Quick Attack does still allow Vulpix to quench Litleo in 1shield, Ember is clearly better in other shielding scenarios by uniquely burning through Dewpider with shields down, Lileep, Fomantis, Oddish, and even Ducklett in 2v2 shielding, and Pumpkaboo in both scenarios; by contrast, Quick Attack’s only special win is the mirror match. Ember also seems better now for Shadow Vulpix, adding on Lileep in 1shield as well as Pumpkaboo, Oddish, Fomantis, Shadow Foongus, Lileep again, and even Frillish in 2v2 shielding, while Quick Attack’s only standout is ekeing by Shadow Ducklett in 2shield. Shadow Vulpix beats non-Shadow Duck with either fast move in that same 2shield scenario, which is a nice improvement from non-Shadow Vulpix, and also flexes wins over Litleo in 1shield, and Dewpider in 0shield and 2shield that non-Shadow Vulpix struggles (and often fails entirely) to match.
GROWLITHE
Ember | Body Slam & Flamethrower
In the past, Growlie has played second fiddle to the superior Vulpix, but those tides may be changing as well with Ember‘s buff… Growlithe looks a bit better than Vulpix now overall. It more consistently beats Dewpider in 1shield, Dewpider again plus Lileep, Fomantis, Pumpkaboo, and Oddish in 2shield. There is a case for Shadow Growlithe too, of course, adding on Shadow Ducklett in 1shield, Slowpoke and Litleo in 0shield, and Ducklett and Tentacool in 2shield, though I lean towards non-Shadow for its own unique wins versus Dewpider, Carvanha, and Shadow Vulpix with shields down, and Dewpider, Shadow Vulpix, and Shadow Ducklett with both shields up.
SALANDIT
Ember/Poison Jab | Poison Fang & Flamethrower/Dragon Pulse
Available the last couple months at research level from the GO Pass, you can probably expect to see a few more of these this time around. Poison Fang is a must, and I think Flamethrower is usually a tad better than Dragon Pulse just because it’s cheaper (and that seems to matter a little more than the wider neutral coverage of Pulse), but what of the fast move? Ember is more reliable versus Grass types Foongus, Pumpkaboo, and Ferroseed due to them having a subtyping that neutralized Poison, but Poison Jab is obviously better against things that resist Fire like Vulpix and Carvanha across all even shield scenarios, Litleo with shields down, and Ducklett in 1shield and 2shield. Do YOU now have one you plan to try out? Which fast move suits YOUR team better?
75,000 Dust/75 Candy
PUMPKABOO
Astonish | Foul Play & Grass Knot
Pumpkaboo has the Astonish buff of Season 20 to thank for newfound relevance. Keep in mind that each size comes with slightly different stats, and while “Super” is the default in sims (and probably slightly best overall, with special wins like Dewpider in 1shield and Shadow Foongus with shields down), your mileage may vary… Super tends to lose to Large and Average sizes, for example. Recommend checking your best specimens out on PvPoke ahead of time to see what moves on or off the win column, but generally you can expect to topple enemy Waters (and/or Grounds), Poisons (though Foongus is inconsistent at best), and consistently Frillish and Slowpoke, and usually Ferroseed as a nice bonus. You have perhaps heard of Christmas in July… why not Halloween in July this year? 🎃
LITWICK
Astonish | Mystical Fire & Flame Charge
Another Ghost, another Astonish user, but as a Fire type rather than a Grass like Boo up above, obviously the winlist looks quite different. Shared wins include Frillish, Ferroseed, Slowpoke, and Dewpider… and that’s where the similarities end. Litwick is obviously best at toasting Grass types (though Lileep is a little problematic sometimes… non-Shadow handles it a bit more reliably than ShadoWick does, as well as better outlasting Shadow Ducklett), pretty good at snuffing out Fires (aside from Ghost-resistant Litleo), and wants to avoid most Water types (Dewpider, Slowpoke, and sometimes Ducklett being notable exceptions) like the plague. Interestingly, Foongus pretty consistently outraces it as well… a Grass beating a Fire! Weird things like that happen in Little League. 🤷♂️
FERROSEED
Tackle | Iron Head & Flash Cannon
The Grass type without a single Grass move means that this is really just an oddball Steel type. That actually makes it really good versus other Grasses (though those with Bug moves can get scary) while still clamping down on most Waters despite their resistance to Steel damage, though muddy ones (Barboach, Wooper, even Shellos) and Frillish turn the tables. Ferroseed isn’t the best at any one thing (well, aside from slugging Cottonee, I guess), but it can do a lot of little things well… provided you can keep it away from anything Fire. Poor little Ferro is highly flammable! 🥵
And there we are… a pretty comprehensive review of this returning meta! Hopefully this gives you some ideas for teambuilding. Good luck!
Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter for regular GO analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I’ll try to get back to you!
Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope this helps you master Little Element Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, Pokéfriends, and catch you next time!
