The “Nifty Or Thrifty” article series takes a deep dive look at the meta for PvP Cup formats: the return of Retro Cup (4.0!), 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?
As I usually do, I will start with those with the cheapest second move unlock cost and steam ahead until we finally arrive at the expensive Legendaries, though there are only a couple to mention in this meta. 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.
Alright, strap in. Here we go!
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PIDGEOT
Pidgeot
Normal
Wing Attackᴸ/Gustᴸ | Feather Dance & Brave Bird
Happy to lead off with something ranked quite low that has MUCH higher potential with Brave Bird and Feather Dance to bait it out. Both Legacy fast moves (still) work well, with Wing Attack outracing Talonflame, Feraligar, and Lickilicky, and impressively Dunsparce, Abomasnow, and Walrein, while Gust instead overpowers Annihilape, Primeape, Altaria, and Clodsire even with its scariest Poison Sting/Stone Edge combo. But either way, with a TON of good Grass, Ground, Ghost, and Bug names on the winlist, along with other big names like Cresselia, Oranguru, and Toxapex, Pidgeot isn’t ready to retire just yet!
Noctowl
Normal
Comparatively, NOCTOWL is ranked higher, but puts in a much milder performance.
SWOOBAT
Swoobat
Psychic
Confusion | Psychic Fangs & Fly
Another thrifty option that I’m happy to drag into the light, though Swoobat is ranked decently high and may not be quite as overlooked, but still… it’s Swoobat. Most folks won’t may it much attention, but they should! Psychic damage is really good in this meta without Dark or Steel types around to resist it, so Confusion plus Psychic Fangs is officially scary, doing a ton on its own. Fly tacks on a couple wins like Jumpluff and Altaria, but the full and potent Psychic moveset is what makes Swoobat soar.
ALTARIA
Altaria
Dragon
Dragon Breath | Sky Attack & Moonblastᴸ
Altaria has had a rough go of it lately, but as with Pidgeot, it gets a taste of former glory in this meta. And if you haven’t sent your high rank IV one to the professor yet, it’s potentially even better here, with additional wins over Oranguru, Toxapex, and the mirror (yes, usually higher Attack is better in mirrors to win CMP, but in this case the best way is to just farm completely with fast moves), plus a tie with Goodra, while less ideal IVs lose all those but do manage to scratch out Annihilape and Cresselia more reliably.
EMOLGA
Emolga
Electric
Thunder Shock | Acrobatics & Discharge
Sticking with the Flying theme, here’s another surprisingly solid option. The standard Flying wins are there, with Fighters, Grasses, and Bugs, but the advantages of Electric damage show themselves with wins versus other Flyers, and Water types like Feraligatr and Toxapex. The cherries on top include Cresselia, Froslass, and even Abomasnow. Not bad, little guy!
TALONFLAME
Talonflame
Fire
Incinerateᴸ | Brave Bird & Fly
Yes, Talonflame is quite solid still, and is best with an emphasis on Flying charge moves (doing better in the mirror and versus Drifblim specifically… and having no Flying-resistant Steel types around helps!). Still plenty of Grass, Bug, Ice, Fighting, and/or Ground types around that it can overcome, with bonuses like Oranguru, Altaria, Cresselia, and (non-Stone Edge) Clodsire.
CHARIZARD
Charizard
Fire
Dragon Breathᴸ/Fire Spin | Dragon Claw & Blast Burnᴸ
Neither are quite as good as Talonflame, but there are two versions that still work well: non-Shadow with Fire Spin, and ShadowZard with Dragon Breath. Both have the advanatage over Talonflame of abusing Dragons like Dragonair, Dragonite, Goodra, and Arctibax thanks to Dragon Claw, while the latter specifically beats Talon head to head too. Where Talonflame is superior is in overcoming stuff like Abomasnow, Dewgong, Walrein, Clodsire (sometimes, at least), and a couple others depending on timing and IVs. Basically, if you’re more worried about Dragons, Zard may be for you. If not, Talonflame has a bit more flexibility.
GYARADOS
Gyarados
Water
Dragon Breath | Aqua Tailᴸ & Crunch
Yep, it’s that kind of weird meta where Gyarados is legit good. Much of that is thanks again to Dragon damage with Dragon Breath, with which it can beat EVERY Dragon type in the meta, along with (not surprisingly) Charizard with its own Dragon Breath, thanks in large part to Aqua Tail, with which it also washes away Talonflame, Aurorus, Diggersby, Marowak, Gastrodon and others. And finally, Crunch is good coverage in a Ghost- and Psychic-heavy meta like this, adding on stuff like Cresselia, Oranguru, and Drifblim. Add others that struggle versus Flyers like Ariados, Gastrodon, Trevenant, and the Apes, and yeah… Gary is really, really good here.
MANTINE (Baby Discount™)
Mantine
Water
Bubble/Wing Attack | Aerial Ace & Ice Beam
Honestly, it’s just okay, with either Bubble or the nerfed Wing Attack, the former overcoming Talonflame, Cresselia, and Froslass, while Wing Attack instead gets Oranguru and Grass types Jumpluff and Abomasnow. But overall, Mantine is definitely diminished from past performances.
FERALIGATR
Feraligatr
Water
Shadow Claw | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Ice Beam
Okay, now transitioning (finally) from Flyers to the potent Water category, with a starter that — as in many revisited metas — has gone from former afterthought to now top meta option. Top 5, in fact! With Darks out of the meta, Gatr and the Shadow Claw that made it an overnight star are one of the best ways to slap down Ghosts in this meta, seeing as how it takes only neutral damage back, and conveniently also dominates the potent Psychic types, with really only the Ghost-resistant Normal ones (Oranguru and Geoffamarig) fending it off. And of course, Hydro Cannon washes away things you’d expect like Aurorus, Talonflame, Marowak, Diggersby, and yes, big bad Clodsire. And Gatr chomps through a ton of other big names like Altaria, Goodra, and Shadow Dragonite (Ice Beam FTW), and Walrein and Dewgong for good measure. Or run with Crunch, which gives up a few Dragons at times (usually Altaria), but gains Dragonair in 1shield, Walrein and Cresselia with shields down, and the mirror match across all even shield matchups. Feraligatr earns every bit of that high rating, and will surely see one of the highest usage rates as well. (I don’t recommend Shadow as strongly though, as it just does a bit worse across the board.)
SAMUROTT
Samurott
Water
Fury Cutter | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Megahorn
Another unusual Water starter, as Sammie works best as a quasi-Bug with Fury Cutter and Megahorn, excellent for shredding Psychic types (even the Normal ones, unlike Gatr) and other Waters like Dewgong, Walrein, and Feraligatr itself, as well as the same big targets you want Hydro Cannon to take down (Clodsire, Aurorus, Talonflame, Diggersby, Marowak, and so forth). As a bonus, Sammie can also turn the tables on Grasses like Trevenant and Abomasnow too, with bonuses like Dunsparce, Goodra, and Dragonair.
GOLISOPOD
Golisopod
BugWater
Shadow Claw | Liquidation & X-Scissor
Sort of a best of both worlds? You get Shadow Claw of Gatr (and lots of associated Ghost and Psychic wins… basically all of them but Haunter and Gengar, and Oranguru), wins over Fires and Grounds and Rocks thanks to Liquidation, and the Bug damage of Sammie to take out Abomasnow and Feraligatr. Add it all together to also beat stuff like Primeape, Walrein, Dewgong, and both Dragonair and Dragonite too! This might be the best meta yet for Golisopod to strut.
SWAMPERT
Swampert
WaterGround
Mud Shot | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Sludge Wave/Earthquake
On the flipside, this remains just a so-so meta for Swampy… even without Grasses in much of the equation, it has to be wary of all the Ices here, and falters against most of the Flyers, Dragons, and many Psychics too, and doesn’t even hold up versus most other Water types. Other than clearing out opposing Poisons, Rocks, and other obvious Water/Ground targets like Talonflame and Rollout users, Swampy and the Mud Boys will absolutely still see play, but their luster is a bit duller.
WHISCASH
Whiscash
WaterGround
Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Scald
Slightly better than Swampert, at least, but still not all that impressive. Whiscash at least has the bulk to outlast things Swampert cannot like Froslass, Primeape, and Goodra, but it remains more of a niche with a little upside than a big time meta threat.
DIGGERSBY
Diggersby
NormalGround
Mud Shot | Fire Punch & Hyper Beam
Quick Attack | Fire Punch & Earthquake
A couple of odd duck moveset recommendations there, I know, but hear me out. The typical Scorching Sands doesn’t do as much as you’d like, just lacking the knockout power to be effective enough. If you want to go that route, with the standard Quick Attack/Fire Punch/Ground combo, I recommend Earthquake instead, which does give up a couple things like Gastrodon and Dragonair (and has Toxapex drop from a win to a nail-biting tie), but gains a ton, including Aurorus, Cresselia, Feraligatr, Ariados, Goodra, Marowak, and typically the mirror match as well. OR abandon Ground damage charge moves entirely, shift the Ground damage to the fast move with Mud Shot, and unleash STAB Hyper Beam to re-gain Toxapex, plus Talonflame and Gastrodon, though you do abandon wins that Earthquake can get over Cress, Aurorus, and Lickitung to get there. Pick your pleasure, but those two unusual movesets DO seem to be the best overall in this meta.
DUBWOOL
Dubwool
Normal
Double Kick | Body Slam & Payback
Many other Normal standouts of the past like Greedent and Munchlax have fallen off a bit (though you may still see them here and there, especially Greedent, which retains a niche in being able to at least sometimes take down Toxapex and Clodsire), but if I were to pick a thrifty Normal to go with here, it would have to be Dubwool. For one thing, it beats the other Normals (including usually Diggersby) thanks to Double Kick, along with other Fighting-weak things like Abomasnow, Aurorus, and Arctibax), but there’s also Payback to slap down stuff like Drifblim and Trevenant out of nowhere.
SERPERIOR
Serperior
Grass
Vine Whip | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Aerial Ace
I’ve mentioned a couple times about Grasses being rather meh here, but if you’re going to run one that indeed deals primarily Grass damage, then as in Open play, Serperior is just the overall best now. While it does struggle versus heavy Poison attacks like that of Toxapex and (Sludge Bomb) Clodsire, Serp otherwise leaves other Grass starters in the dust with wins they can’t replicate like Oranguru, Cresselia, Walrein, and the Apes.
DECIDUEYE
Decidueye
GrassGhost
Astonish | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Spirit Shackle
I mean, it might be a bit better (and certainly thriftier!) than Trevenant, so there’s that. Its solid Ghost moveset will take it a long way, and then Frenzy Plant can pick off things like Gastrodon, Dewgong, Marowak, Quagsire, and usually Clodsire on top of that, but its Grass side may be more liability than anything with the weaknesses to Ice, Flying, Fire, and somewhat even Poison that it brings with it. Some teams will love it, but others should be wary about relying on it too much.
I’ll go ahead and give a shout-out to Shadow Claw LEAVANNY here too. It looks good, but I dunno. It relies on the awesome but risky Leaf Storm for many of its bigger wins, and has an uncomfortably low floor to go with that higher ceiling. Your call… do you feel lucky?
CHESNAUGHT
Chesnaught
GrassFighting
Vine Whip | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Superpower
Chesnaught at least comes with a decent niche, namely being able to beat stuff down with Superpower. So while it’s no Serperior, it does well enough to work with unique wins of its own like Dragonair and Arctibax. Or go for broke on the spiciness with the bet-you-forgot-it-even-had-it-now Thunder Punch too. 🤪
RAICHU
Raichu
Electric
Volt Switch | Brick Break & Wild Charge
Speaking of unexpected Electric damage, nobody expects the Raichu Inquisition, but that’s fine… Raichu has made a living overperforming expectations. Because while it does standard Electric stuff like bringing down Talonflame, Drifblim, Feraligatr, Dewgong, Walrein, Toxapex, and even Electric-neutral Jumpluff and Altaria, it is Brick Break that makes it special, allowing Raichu to reach for other stuff like Aurorus (which it can beat without needing any other charge moves!), Lickilicky (which it only beats with Brick Break in the mix), Froslass, Oranguru, Ariados, Annihilape, Cresselia and more.
Raichu (Alola)
ElectricPsychic
ALOLAN RAICHU works well enough too, but overall it’s slightly worse than the OG, with its Psychic subtyping being more curse than blessing in this meta that has a lot of things specifically seeking out Psychic types to pick off.
ARIADOS
Ariados
BugPoison
Poison Sting | Lunge & Trailblaze/Megahorn
Two viable varieties, both good. Trailblaze is the new hotness, and for good reason, with unique wins over stuff like Diggersby, Gastrodon, Quagsire, Lickitung, and Annihilape. But Megahorn remains good too, with its own special wins that include Oranguru, Walrein, Trevenant, Froslass, Arctibax, and the mirror match.
TYPHLOSION
Typhlosion
Fire
Incinerate/Shadow Claw | Thunder Punch & Blast Burnᴸ
Okay, yes, Incinerate still sims slightly better (at least on Shadow Typh), but this is finally a meta where Shadow Claw is straight fire as well, slashing through unique wins like Aurorus and Oranguru (and scares the pants off Ghost and Psychic types in general), while Incinerate instead outraces roasts Dewgong and Clodsire. Either way, this is one of few Fires that really cook in this meta.
50,000 Dust/50 Candy
TOXAPEX
Toxapex
PoisonWater
Poison Jab | Brine & Gunk Shot/Sludge Wave
The next Poison type on our list is ranked higher, but I wanted to highlight Toxapex first because I have another one of those zany JRE moveset recommendations: Gunk Shot rather than Sludge Wave, as the former beats everything the latter can PLUS Dunsparce and the mirror match, both of which are pretty important in this meta.
CLODSIRE
Clodsire
PoisonGround
Poison Sting | Earthquake & Stone Edge/Sludge Bomb
#1 in the rankings, though by now probably NOT #1 in most of your hearts. If you’re sick of Clod by now, I regret to inform you that, yeah, it’s set to be everywhere in another meta. If you’re more worried about Grasses, run with Sludge Bomb (beats Trevenant and Serperior), though the Stone Edge simmed earlier is better overall, with its own unique wins that include Dewgong, Drifblim, and stuff like Cofagrigus. Either way, it is Earthquake that is the key, as that’s necessary to beat things like Toxapex, Dunsparce, Shadow Feraligatr, and the Apes. Short of very heavy Water, Ground, or Ice damage, there is little that Clodsire cannot tangle with, and even many of those it’ll last long enough to force a shield along the way. It’s the very definition of “safe swap” in this meta, even with all the Psychics and Ghosts around that should beat it more soundly.
QUAGSIRE
Quagsire
WaterGround
Water Gun/Mud Shot | Aqua Tailᴸ & Stone Edge
The standard Mud Shot/Aqua Tail/Stone Edge moveset is, like the other Mud Boys so far, rather lackluster. But you have options! Replacing Stone Edge with Earthquake does mean giving up Rock-vulnerable Ariados, Walrein, and Dewgong, but the gains seem worth it: Feraligatr, Goodra, Lickilicky, and Annihilape. Or REALLY mess with the opponent’s head by running Water Gun (and swapping back to Stone Edge) to get Ariados, Dewgong, and Walrein back, along with Primeape and Altaria, giving up only Anni, Arctibax, and sometimes Gatr to do it. I know giving up Mud Shot sounds insane, but just for this week at least, give it a shot. You may actually like it!
LICKILICKY
Lickilicky
Normal
Rollout | Body Slamᴸ & Solar Beam/Shadow Ball
Also throwing out Rock damage and perhaps some unexpected move recommendations, we have the now-awesome Rollout Lickilicky. Lickitung was a beast in Retro Cups of the past, and while it’s still fine if you still have one sitting around and want to try and get another week of return on your investment, Big Bro is just better now. And here’s the oddball move recommendation: instead of running it with Shadow Ball (which IS still good with unique wins like Ariados, Goodra, Arctibax, and Annihilape), give serious consideration to Solar Beam, which instead quite literally nukes Dunspace, Aurorus, Gastrodon, Marowak, and the mirror match from orbit and also really drives home its superiority over Lickitung and its comparatively tame Power Whip.
DUNSPARCE
Dunsparce
Normal
Rollout | Drill Run & Rock Slide
Yep, the other prominent Rollout user is really, really good here too. It takes down some things that even Solar Beam Licky cannot like Toxapex, Ariados, Arctibax, Goodra, and Jumpluff, though it does take a back seat to Lickilicky in other ways (Gastrodon, Dewgong, Quagsire, Marowak, and losing to Licky in the head to head). Still, it’s a VERY potent Pokémon in this meta that can put the hurt on nearly anything but Fighters and a few Rock-resistant Ground types. And of course, there’s nothing to hold you back from running it and Licky together… mwahaha.
URSARING
Ursaring
Normal
Shadow Claw | Swift & Close Combat
Trading the plodding, bulky nature of Licky and Dundun for pure speed, yes, Ursaring is finally full-on meta, with this season’s big buff to Swift being the final piece it needed. It IS squishy, so even some matches you’d expect it to dominate (like versus many of the format’s Ghosts), it wins but limps away. In fact, in many of its wins it ends up with only a quarter or a fifth of its starting 125ish HP, and often hobbled by use of self-nerfing Close Combat. But that shouldn’t take away from all the good it CAN do on its way. I’d recommend it as a lead that can beat down many frontline opposing Pokémon and win you advantages for the rest of the match, but that’s your call. Godspeed, my high-risk/high-reward friend.
GIRAFARIG
Girafarig
PsychicNormal
Confusion | Psychic Fangs & Trailblaze
So you know how I’ve teased that Psychic damage is really good in this meta without any Darks or Steels around to resist it? Yeah, this is the best example yet of what I mean. Shadow Farigamariff is downright beastly here, dominating all the format’s Poison types expect Galarian Slowbro, all Fighting types but Psycho Cut Gallade, and nearly all the format’s Ghosts for good measure, as a Psychic type that actually resists Ghost damage thanks to the Normal subtyping (and so the only Ghosts it can’t beat are Golurk, Alolan Marowak, and Dragaput, who all deal a lot of non-Ghost damage in short order). Add on wins like Aurorus, Talonflame, Abomasnow, Dunsparce, and a heap of Dragons including Altaria, Dragonite, Goodra, and Arctibax, and yeah: Giffamathig is no mere meme anymore, folks! It’s one of the strongest monsters in Retro Cup now. No cap!
Bruxish
WaterPsychic
This is as good a place as any to also briefly highlight fellow Confusion/Psychic Fangs user BRUXISH, which is not as impressive as Firifarag, but also ratchets up some pressure very rapidly and, with its Water typing, may work better on some teams. Don’t forget about it! And now some more Water types….
DEWGONG
Dewgong
WaterIce
Ice Shardᴸ | Icy Windᴸ & Drill Run/Water Pulse
Not many mysteries left to Dewgong and its persistent usefulness in basically every meta it appears in, this one included, but there IS one kind of big deal I want to point out: the sims shortchange it. Water Pulse shows extra wins that Drill Run, on the surface, misses out on… but that’s not the whole story. While it’s true that Pulse does uniquely beat Talonflame (no big shock there), it also shows unique wins over Feraligatr and Lickitung that are NOT, in fact, unique. The key is using a couple Icy Winds to soften them up and then finish them off with Drill Run, as the sims instead like to go Drill Run crazy and just spam that and lose, whereas with Water Pulse they correctly use Icy Wind first and then Pulse only at the end. Keep that in mind and probably just stick with Drill Run as the second move and don’t look back. Unless Talonflame scares you THAT much!
WALREIN
Walrein
IceWater
Powder Snowᴸ | Icicle Spearᴸ & Earthquake/Water Pulse
Here, however, Water Pulse IS a legit alternative, especially on Shadow Wally, where it can wash away Clodsire, Ariados, Cresselia, Shadow Quagsire, and Talonflame, as opposed to Earthquake‘s wins over Feraligatr, Oranguru, Cofagrigus, and the mirror instead. Quake is much better on non-Shadow Walrein, however, with Water Pulse again only getting Talonflame of note, and Quake instead burying Dewgong, Gatr, and the mirror again.
ARAQUANID
Araquanid
BugWater
Bug Bite | Bubble Beam & Bug Buzz
Nothing fancy here, just a slayer of the Icy Waters above, Psychics and Grasses galore, Grounds that bore, and much, much more. (Are my rhymes a chore? 😛) Araquanid is not everyone’s cup of tea, but its grindy nature takes it a good long way in this meta. YOU may not want to use it, but be ready to face a few!
JUMPLUFF
Jumpluff
Grass
Fairy Wind | Aerial Ace & Energy Ball
One of few Grass types that Araquanid wants no parts of is Jumpluff. And it does a lot more than just rake Bugs, also reigning death from above on Grasses, Fighters, Dragons, and of course Ground and/or Water types, while also handling stuff like Oranguru, Cresselia, and both Lickis. I think it could find a spot in a lot of teams, actually! And don’t forget ShadowPluff, which does suffer an unfortunate loss to Lickilicky’s Rollouts, but gains Altaria and Ariados as very nice consolation prizes.
CRADILY
Cradily
RockGrass
Bullet Seed | Rock Slide & Grass Knot
One Grass that CAN take down Jumpluff is the Rocky one, who also has the advantages against other Flyers. Other than that, though, it really just does the standard Grass stuff, though a little less efficiently than others due to taking neutral (rather than resisted) damage from the Waters and Grounds it wants to take on. Use it if you like it, and there’s nothing wrong with that, just don’t expect to dominate a lot of matchups as much as you instead just kind of squeak by.
ABOMASNOW
Abomasnow
GrassIce
Powder Snow | Icy Wind & Energy Ball
Yep, Aboma gonna Aboma. Dragons, Flyers, Grasses, and Grounds (even Clodsire) beware, and even many Waters, Cresselia, Oranguru, and more. Shadow Aboma now looks like a downgrade in Retro, adding on Walrein but dropping Clodsire, Quagsire, and sometimes Feraligatr… not worth it, IMO.
FROSLASS
Froslass
IceGhost
Powder Snow | Avalanche & Shadow Ball
No, sorry, I’m still an Avalanche guy… gimme the knockout blow rather than buffing with Triple Axel on this glassy ‘mon. But that is admittedly more of a personal choice, so do your thing, dear reader. I won’t say you’re wrong if you choose Axel (but hot take: you are 😉).
DUSKNOIR
Dusknoir
Ghost
Shadow Claw | Shadow Punchᴸ & Shadow Ball
When you gotta beat a lot of things up and don’t care if you’re stuck with all Ghost damage, who you gonna call? The Ghost Buster. With Darks out of the meta, only Normals resist Ghost damage here (and make up nearly half of its losses in the core meta), making that far less of a liability than it would normally be. Duskie can go ham on Retro Cup now if you don’t mind its glassiness.
RUNERIGUS
Runerigus
GroundGhost
Shadow Claw | Brutal Swing & Shadow Ball
Out with the old, in with the new. Cofagrigus was a one-time beast in this meta, but Runie is just a (much!) better Cofagrigus since it gained Brutal Swing. Yes yes, it loses to a handful of things that Cofag doesn’t have to worry about like Serperior, Walrein, and Dewgong, but beyond that it’s no contest, with Runie adding wins versus all of the following and more: Clodsire, Primeape, Trevenant, Froslass, Talonflame, Marowak, Altaria, Dragonite, Arctibax, and Cofagrigus itself. Sorry, Cofagrigus, but this is Runerigus’ world now… you’re just unliving in it.
ALOLAN MAROWAK
Marowak (Alola)
FireGhost
Fire Spin | Bone Club & Shadow Boneᴸ
This was a LONG section in the past, as Hex was legitimately a thing (sometimes with Shadow Ball or even Fire Blast). But the buffs to Fire Spin have mostly put that discussion to bed. It’s probably THE way to go here, Shadow or no Shadow. This is one of those unusual metas where if I’m going to run a Fiery Ghost, it’s A-Wak over Skeledirge. A lack of Dark types to hit with Disarming Voice will do that, I guess!
MAROWAK
Marowak
Ground
Mud Slap | Bone Club & Rock Slide/Dig
Yeah, the other one, best utilized here in Shadow form. No frills, just effective Mud Slaping and Bone Clubbing goodness. Rock Slide is at least theoretically better coverage, but worth noting that Dig can add on the occasional win like Oranguru.
GASTRODON
Gastrodon
WaterGround
Mud Slap | Body Slam & Earth Power
Again, nothing fancy, just Slap and Slam away. Remember when Gastrodon was a complete afterthought among Mud Boys? It’s the overall best one in Retro Cup these days. Let that sink in!
PRIMEAPE & ANNIHILAPE
Karate Chopᴸ | Rage Fistᴸ & Close Combat/Shadow Ball
PRIMEAPE is now the undisputed FIghting King of Retro Cup. While its big veiny (and deceased) bro ANNIHILAPE comes with extra resistances to Poison that proves helpful with wins versus Toxapex, Clodsire, and Ariados, and it also outpunches Froslass, it is Primeape alone that can beat down Feraligatr, Lickilicky, Oranguru, Talonflame, Drifblim, ShadoWak, Shadow Dragonite/nair and others. Both are viable, but Primeape is more flexible while Anni is more of an anti-Poison specialist… not that that’s a bad thing!
MACHAMP
Machamp
Fighting
Karate Chopᴸ | Cross Chop & Stone Edgeᴸ/Paybackᴸ
Overall it’s also a lesser Primeape, but Stone Edge is at least really good for bringing down Rock-weak things that Primeape can’t quite reach like Altaria, Ariados, and Froslass, so there’s that. I have Payback listed as well for at least theoretical anti-Ghost/Psychic tech, though it doesn’t seem to work all that well in practice, at least against opponents that are paying attention. Champ is fine, but can’t match the effectiveness of Primeape versus things like Gastrodon, Marowak, Oranguru, Dragonite and others.
75,000 Dust/75 Candy
Time and Reddit characters are short to wrap up this massive meta, so switching to rapid fire mode to bring it home with the more expensive picks. Here we go!
Oranguru
NormalPsychic
- ORANGURU is really just a different flavor of Garifirag, but a very good one. Worth its #3 ranking? Hmmm, that’s worthy of a debate, but I won’t disparage it here. Heavy Psychic damage with Confusion is good, Trailblaze is good, Brutal Swing is excellent, spammy coverage. Doesn’t want to face Grasses, at least some Fighters and Dragons, and interestingly, most of its fellow, big name Normal types. But Oranguru can put up a good fight versus just about everything save for heavy Bug damage. It’s a great build-around piece in Retro Cup.
Aurorus
RockIce
- AURORUS has the looks of the best thing in the whole meta at first glance. Very impressive. But there are cracks, starting with not always landing Meteor Beam at just the right time, of course. Then there are very real flaws versus Fighters, Waters, Rocks, and even many Grasses and Grounds that will be pervasive throughout the meta. It LOOKS great, and I indeed have no trouble recommending it. Aurorus certainly appreciates the lack of Steel! But I do recommend you only rely on it if you’ve gotten in some practice time. The timing of when to race to Meteor Beam or just spam Weather Ball is critical. Good luck!
Miltank
Normal
- MILTANK is a fine alternative to Dunsparce and Lickilicky, rolling with the same Rollout, and spammy Body Slam. As for a closer, several have merit, but I think I lean Thunderbolt for how it can finish off Toxapex, Dewgong, and Froslass.
Arctibax
DragonIce
- ARCTIBAX is easily one of the best Dragons in this meta, outracing not only most other Dragons in the meta, but also most Ice and Ground types, while also flexing Dragon’s resistances to elemental typings to beat things like Talonflame, Serperior, Feraligatr, Trevenant and others, with Oranguru and Ariados just being icing on the cake. If you have one, I LOVE it here, unshackled from the Steel and Fairy types it normally has to dread.
- There are other Dragons I like, but they really do pale in comparison to Arctibax. GOODRA is better than the numbers show, with a number of very close losses… but they are usually losses nonetheless. The Shadow versions of DRAGONAIR and DRAGONITE are fine enough generalists that can round out a team, but don’t do anything super special. KOMMO-O puts up good numbers but I’m not sure what you really want to be doing with it that a Fighter like Primeape can’t do already. It’s the one on this list that I’d give a good thumbs up to if you have one, but on what kind of team, I’m not quite sure.
Drifblim
Ghost
- DRIFBLIM leans slightly towards Icy Wind over Mystical Fire here (with Icy having more roads to victory over things like Talonflame and some Dragons like Goodra), though both have plenty of merit. Either can beat Clodsire, for example, though the key is to get them to bite on one of those debuffing bait moves and then finish up not with another, but with Shadow Ball instead. Good luck!
Golurk
GroundGhost
- I love me some GOLURK in this meta! Mud Slap to bury the Poisons, Dynamic Punch to knock out stuff like Dewgong, Diggersby, and Lickitung, and Shadow Punch to overpower a ton of Ghosts, Dragons, Grounds and others. There is a LOT to like about Lurking in Retro Cup!
Gallade
PsychicFighting
- GALLADE is quite a wild card here, particularly in Shadow form, racing to Leaf Blade and Close Combat now thanks to Psycho Cut. Ironically, it struggles versus Poison types and most opposing Psychics, but this is a disruptive presence for anyone willing to take the plunge!
100,000 Dust/100 Candy
Cresselia
Psychic
- The biggest Legendary to mention has to be CRESSELIA. Interestingly, Shadow Cress earns a rare recommendation over non-Shadow, sometime whiffing on Clodsire but gaining Feraligatr, Marowak, and Dunsparce. Both are pretty safe options that can work on a variety of teams and in a variety of team slots, if you have one to trot out there.
- Earning a rare shoutout as the best Regi, REGICE is exactly that in Retro Cup. The combination of Blizzard and Thunder is uniquely potent in this meta, able to take down things like Feraligatr, Serperior, Drifblim, Marowak, Trevenant, and many Dragons in equal measure, as well as things like Oranguru and Cresselia as very nice bonuses. I like it better than REGIROCK, who can outrace a few things Regice can’t like Aurorus, Lickilicky, Talonflame, Arctibax, and Ariados, but Regice beats a TON more (Cresselia, Drifblim, Feraligatr, Goodra, Oranguru, Trevenant, Marowak, and Serperior for a start).
Mewtwo (Shadow)
Psychic
- I’m not saying I would, but if you ever wanted to use SHADOW MEWTWO in Great League, this may be the time!
And that’s it! As I said at the beginning, this is not fully comprehensive… there’s just too much to cover! I tried to hit the highlights and some of the better spice, but there are other Pokémon out there that folks will make work for them, and that’s great! Hopefully this DOES help you start to balance the cost of where to save yourself some hard-earned dust (and candy!) and form the framework of your team. Best of luck!
Thanks as always to the awesome PvPoke for the framework of this analysis, and to you, dear reader, for reading through it all! Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP 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!
I sincerely hope this helps you master Retro Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Catch you next time, Pokéfriends!
