Dazzling Dream Event: GO Battle League Review

G’day PoGO lovers! The Dazzling Dream event is next up in January, celebrating a range of Fairy type Pokémon! Unlike the Lustrous Odyssey event, this is one you really don’t want to miss! Featuring 2x stardust for catching and hatching, plus a range of meta-relevant mons, this is an excellent event from a PvP perspective.

GBL Event Rating: 9.5/10

B.L.U.F.

• This is one of the best opportunities to gather the resources you need to fill out your Fairy PvP roster, and the best part is that most of them will be wild spawns!
• 2x stardust is an opportunity that you don’t want to miss, and although the below have been split between priority orders, both the ‘highest’ and ‘medium’ priorities are realistically interchangeable. 
• Most of the featured mons need to be maxed out or a heavy XL candy investment for their various leagues – so make sure you’re using your Fairy Mega Pokémon throughout the event to support your grind. Mega Gardevoir and Altaria are 2 decent options to help out here.
• Highest priority: Carbink, Flabébé, Jigglypuff, Clefairy, Swirlix
• Medium priority: Cottonee, Snubbull, Togetic, Marill, Spritzee, Hisuian Typhlosion
• Lowest priority: Morelul, Cutiefly, Mawile, Vulpix, Tornadus

Highest Priority

Why You Should Grind for These

The high priority list includes either new or rare mons, or those that are now meta relevant with a recently updated moveset.

Carbink, Flabébé, Jigglypuff, Clefairy and Swirlix are all in the high priority list for PvP for very good reasons. The latter 3 are potentially already in your roster given their relatively high availability in the wild, but now is the time to grind for the XL candy you may need for the higher CP leagues, and the search for some with the right IV’s for you!

Carbink

Spawn / Raid	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Carbink	GL	Yes	Field Research

Carbink is one of the best recently released mons in the Great League. It plays as a Rock type that rivals fellow tank Bastiodon for bulk, but resists Fighting type damage instead. It basically cannot be one-shot by anything, and even in losing matchups it puts in a incredible amount of work, only really being seriously troubled by bulky Ground and Steel types such as Clodsire and Stunfisk.

Getting into the stats a little bit more, and anticipating the frequency of the mirror situation playing out, it can definitely help to have a bit more bulk to your Carbink. That’s going to be tricky with this event, because the jewel is only going to be available through research tasks, not in the wild. Therefore you will need to trade with friends for more optimal IV’s, or instead just use the time to invest in working towards the XL candy you need for a future build.

The below demonstrates the difference in various shielding scenarios between having an attack weighted Carbink (below is 10-15-15) vs the max bulk rank 1 (5-15-15). What does this tell us? Overall, that it’s worth powering up multiple variants if at all possible, and bringing the one that you think is most appropriate for the scenario you’re facing. 

• In the more common 1v1 and 2v2 shield scenarios, the rank 1 Carbink beats the less bulky variant, but starts beating things like Lanturn in the 1s and Trevenant and Alolan Sandslash in the 2s. 
• With shields down, the attack weighted Carbink picks up wins against the rank 1 Carbink, Lanturn, A-Slash and Shadow Venusaur, but its (comparative) lack of bulk means it can’t hold on as long against Azu and Cresselia.

At the end of the day, the best Bink for you is likely to be the one you have in your inventory, so if now’s your time to build one up, it’s worth checking out pvpoke.com and playing with the stat spread options to see which one works for you (you can see results specific to your available IV spreads compared to the meta using the matrix option).

Florges

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Flabebe	Florges	GL, UL, ML	Yes	Wild spawn

Florges is in the high priority list for 3 reasons:

1. It’s really good in the Master League, which requires 296 XL candy to max out the hundo; and
2. It’s also very decent in the Ultra League; and
3. Flabébé hasn’t been seen in the wild en masse since its initial release.

In the Great League, there’s a lot more competition amongst Fairy types. Even though Florges has decent stat product in the lower CP league, it tends to struggle a bit more due to its lack of coverage moves. In the Ultra League and Master League, Florges can shine brighter with the increased number of Dragon types, and less Poison and Steel types resisting all of its Fairy damage.

For the Master League, Florges competes for the Fairy role with the likes of Zacian, Xerneas and Togekiss. How does it compare?

• Zacian and Xerneas are now the primary fairies seen in the meta due to their flexibility and ability to rapidly throw out Close Combats at any Steel types. They are often seen in the same team due to their similar functionality and play style and ability to handle most Steel counters really well. They are the primary fairies seen running around the Master League, with good reason.
• Togekiss has fallen from grace a bit in recent times through its lack of versatility compared to the others, and to a lesser extent the damage nerf to Charm. Unless it’s facing down Garchomp, Toge struggles to throw multiple charge moves, even coming out of winning matchups.
• Florges is an excellent alternative option to Zacian / Xerneas core, and it’s a non-legendary, meaning it’s not locked behind raid passes. Now is THE time to grind for the XL candy you need for your Master League build.

Wigglytuff

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Jigglypuff	Wigglytuff	GL	No	Wild spawn

Wigglytuff was given access to Icy Wind this season, and Disarming Voice last season, and is now the ultimate Charmer in the Great League.

Don’t sleep on this opportunity to get a decent Wiggly – I would definitely recommend building one for the Great League. In terms of the stat product you want to try and target, there are again pros and cons with having different attack or bulk weights. Going with greater bulk can net narrow wins in the 1v1 and 2v2 shield scenario against Shadow A-Tales that the higher attack versions can’t, while a slightly higher attack weight can net a win against non-shadow A-Slash in the 1s. I personally don’t see a massive difference between the max stat product and a slight attack weight, but as always it’s important to build the one that works best for you. The low cost to unlock the second move means this is one that you can fairly easily build multiple versions of in need.

In the Ultra League it’s a bit of a different story, as Wiggly caps out at 2178 CP at L50, and doesn’t have the bulk or flexibility to compete against the increased number of bulky mons in the higher CP meta. Its Charm damage isn’t able to hit hard enough in the neutral or losing matchups to swing things in its favour. It’s nice to be able to destroy Giratina, but that isn’t quite enough to make it a ‘must build’ for the higher leagues.

Clefable

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Clefairy	Clefable	GL, UL	Yes	Wild spawn

Clefable is a personal favourite of mine. It has always had a really good selection of Charged moves at its disposal, but stuck historically with the high damage but slow energy generation of Charm, Clefable just couldn’t reach its charged moves more than once often enough before running out of HP. Enter Fairy Wind, and Clefable now has a completely different (and more potent) style of play. Acting as a Mud Shot clone, Clefable’s fast move damage output is now very low, but it can now access Meteor Mash in 6 moves, and Moonblast in 7. These charged moves hit hard, and allow Clefable to be one of the premier fairies in the open Great League and Ultra League today.

What’s the catch? For Ultra League, you will need to get Clefable all the way up to at least level 48 for the rank 1, and around level 45-46 for a more attack weighted variant (which in the 1 shield scenario has the same results as the rank 1). This means you’re going to require a healthy XL candy investment to power up your UL Clefable. Is it worth it? In my opinion, it’s a strong yes – even though there are other fairies such as Tapu Fini and Galarian Weezing competing for that spot in your roster, the amount of Poliwrath, Giratina and Virizion centred cores in the open meta mean that Clefable has a lot of play in both open and limited formats.

Slurpuff

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Swirlix	Slurpuff	GL, UL	Yes	Wild spawn Field Research Eggs

I must admit, Slurpuff is a fairy that has snuck under the radar a bit for me. It has a very similar stat product in the Great League to Clefable and Wigglytuff – not super bulky, but pretty decent overall. Slurpuff was also granted access to Fairy Wind in recent seasons, which lets it get to its fairly expensive charged moves quickly. Where Clefable shines as a fairy that can counter other fairies and destroy Fighting types, Slurpuff has less consistent access to Fairy type power, stuck with the more expensive Play Rough rather than Moonblast. You can run it with the more Fairy oriented moveset of Fairy Wind, Play Rough and the coverage of Energy Ball, or you can go a little bit left field and sub in Flamethrower instead for some different results.

If you get your hands on the hundo, Slurpuff can also be maxed out to L50 and be more than viable in the Ultra League. Clefable starts to edge ahead in terms of stat product in the higher CP format, but I can absolutely see a time and place for Slurpuff to shine in the Ultra League meta, likely in a limited meta. This means a pretty big grind – you’ll need all 296XL candies to max out your Slurpuff build. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it’s a priority for you to build, but getting the candy just in case is a reasonable goal to aim for during this event.

Medium Priority

Why You Should Grind for These

The medium priority picks are all meta relevant in their own right, but have either been common spawns or are more relevant in limited metas.

Whimsicott

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Cottonee	Cottonee Whimsicott	Cottonee: LL Whimsicott: GL	No	Wild spawn

A controversial start, as this could easily sit in the highest priority bucket. Whimsicott was another beneficiary of the recent introduction of Fairy Wind into its movepool, and boy did that help it out! This turned the windveiled mon from just another Charmer to a spammy dealer of Grass and Fairy damage. Cottonee is a fairly common spawn so you might already have a Whimsicott built, but given its relative cheapness in unlocking its 2nd move, this could be a decent opportunity to pick up some with different stat product based on your needs. For instance, you might want to pick up a slightly attack weighted variant to be able to win the CMP tie in mirror matches, and potentially pick up wins against the likes of Pelipper in the 1v1 shield scenario. The rank 1 is going to have a better time outlasting the likes of Carbink and Jellicent in the 2v2 shield scenario, and in general lasting longer in battle can help it potentially pump out one last gasp charge attack, while the more attack weighted builds will run out of HP. Overall, I would aim for the rank 1 if possible as it seems to have the best overall performance, but don’t let that dissuade you from building the best one you have.

Cottonee is still really good (although a little toxic) in the Little Cup as a bulky Charmer. The bulkier the better!

Granbull

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Snubbull	Granbull	GL, UL	Yes (but not many)	Wild spawn

Ever wondered why your opponent is keeping all its shields for whatever it has in the back? How often has that turned out to be a Granbull waiting to Charm your team into oblivion? Granbull has a pretty insane win-loss ratio in the Great League when given a shield advantage (even better when a shadow) and while I wouldn’t necessarily advocate for it in the open meta, it can be a real pest in certain limited metas, or in certain double Fairy team lines. If you’re wondering, Granbull plays a similar role in the Ultra League (again preferring to be a shadow) but again really needs to have a shield advantage and playing a sweeping role to be at its most optimal. I wouldn’t necessarily tell you to go and spend all your stardust immediately building one, but it would be handy to have your Granbull ready to go in the right limited format.

Togetic & Togekiss

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Togetic	Togetic Togekiss	Togetic: GL Togekiss: ML	Yes (ML)	Wild spawn Eggs

Would you believe that Togetic is now pretty damn good in the Great League? Did you know that Togetic has access (albeit through an Elite Fast TM) to the newly buffed Steel Wing? You don’t need to run Steel Wing to get good results, though it is a fun new tool in its arsenal! Togetic recently had its community day, and so you may already have one ready to go for the Great League, and you could be forgiven for thinking it is mostly a spice pick or for limited metas. Time will tell whether it will break out in the open meta, but it’s definitely worth your while to get one with a decent stat product while they’re around again.

As mentioned above, Togekiss has absolutely fallen from grace in recent times, although it still can play a Fairy type role in the Master League. It’s better suited to the (now defunct?) Premier Cup where it feasts on Garchomp, but it can still be handy in the right team comps in wiping out many of the Dragon types that proliferate the highest CP leagues. It’s just not as potent in the open meta now that Ho-Oh has been buffed, Dialga is still a thing, and other fairies like Xerneas and Zacian are overall more flexible to use.

Azumarill

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Marill	Azumarill	GL	Yes	Wild spawn

Azumarill got its own buff this season with the buff to Fire types and the increased damage of Bubble. Azu’s win-loss record in the 1v1 shield scenario is, quite frankly, a little ridiculous. It’s just so tanky and has pretty amazing coverage with its moveset dealing out Water, Ice and Fairy type damage, meaning it can hit pretty much everything for at worst neutral damage (only the likes of Tentacruel and Toxipex resist all its moves). If you don’t have one built yet, now could be a good time to hunt down one with decent bulk.

In terms of the IV’s, it’s worth playing around with pvpoke.com to see the different outcomes you get based on building the rank 1, versus something with a bit more of an attack weight. Winning the mirror is important, but sacrificing too much attack or bulk can flip certain matchups in different shield scenarios. For example, comparing the default IV Azu (4-14-11) to the rank 1 (0-15-15) shows there are a range of matchups that get flipped depending on your shield scenario and IVs, where the rank 1 can just outbulk a few mons with that extra sliver of HP. Note: the moveset below is running Bubble, Ice Beam and Play Rough – this will change if you substitute in the harder hitting Hydro Pump.

As always, the choice is yours whether you go hunting for the rank 1, as you might find that your slightly attack weighted Azu serves you just fine.

Aromatisse

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Spritzee	Aromatisse	GL, UL	Yes	Wild spawn Eggs Field Research

Aromatisse is a fairly so-so Charmer at present. My thoughts on this mon are:

1. Let’s hope Niantic gives it a moveset shakeup (now this looks a bit better!);
2. Grind for the XL candy to build one for Ultra League in the future (pending step 1)

The fragrance pokémon doesn’t have loads of alternative options from the MSG to choose from for a movepool shakeup, but who knows what Niantic have in store! Plenty of mons have gone from zero to hero overnight based on new moves being introduced to their movepool and tweaks to existing moves. Aromatisse has decent enough stats so it could have more viability in the future, so it’s worth holding onto one for each league and waiting for the right time to build.

Hisuian Typhlosion

Spawn / Raid	League/s	XL Candy?	Availability
Typhlosion (Hisuian)	UL (spice)	No	Raids

Hisuian Typhlosion is really only here because it’s a one-off raid day, and who knows when Niantic will make it available again? Its moveset is fairly meh right now and it doesn’t have access to Blast Burn yet, so it’s not a big PvP priority right now, but it’s worth getting one for the dex today and seeing what tomorrow has in store.

Low / No Priority

I won’t go into the below into too much detail. Potentially on the controversial side to be sitting here is Vulpix, as it is definitely meta relevant in the Little Cup on its own, and A-Ninetales is fantastic in the Great and Ultra Leagues, however it’s only available in research and will be tough to grind, and has already been featured quite a lot throughout December. Hunt down Cutiefly for the shiny, but not for PvP. Mawile is better as a shadow and isn’t a wild spawn, and Tornadus is pretty much a dex entry. Morelull is good for stardust at least!

Spawn / Raid	PvP Evolution	League/s	Availability
Morelull	Shiinotic	GL (spice)	Raids Eggs Field Research
Cutiefly	Ribombee	GL (spice)	Raids Eggs Field Research
Mawile	Mawile	GL	Field Research
Vulpix (Alola)	Vulpix (Alola) Ninetales (Alola)	Vulpix: LL Ninetales: GL, UL	Field Research
Tornadus		NA	Raids

Summary

I hope this guide has helped you prioritise your PvP grinding for this event, and as always, you can find me on Twitter or Instagram for more analysis. Good luck with your XL grinding and the shiny hunt!

See ya later,

JTizzle