Nifty Or Thrifty: Great League Remix 3.0

Well, for better or for worse, here we go… the unranked Interlude Season behind us, and back to ranked play in the new GBL Season 11. Personally, I’m still more than a bit uneasy with the lag and bugs that still plague the game, but read or not, here we GO!

The “Nifty Or Thrifty” article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for PvP Cup formats: Great League Remix 3.0, 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.

As per usual, we’ll start with Pokémon with the cheapest second move unlock cost and steam ahead until we finally arrive at the most expensive (Legendaries). I will also only be highlighting Shadow versions when they’re particularly relevant… many are worse, and that’s what you can generally infer if I don’t talk about them.

Banned Pokémon

One more quick thing – here’s the ban list for the meta:

NEW IN SEASON 11: Last time we had Vigoroth, Politoed, Pelipper, Galvantula, and Alolan Marowak all banned, but they’re all OFF the ban list this time around and here for your use, as needed. Trevenant and new-and-improved Walrein land on the ban list in what would have been their first shot in GL Remix… no surprises there. Also new to the ban list are Nidoqueen, Drapion, and Obstagoon. Everything new since last time I wrote about GL Remix will be marked with a 💥, so be on the lookout for those as you scroll!

Alright, with all that out of the way, let’s get into what IS in the format that you may want to use!

10,000 Dust/25 Candy

PIDGEOT 💥

Pidgeot NormalFlying

Gustᴸ/Wing Attackᴸ | Feather Dance & Brave Bird

If you remember last time, the #FreePidgeot party was raging as Bird Jesus was still banned from all of GBL. But it’s back with a vengeance, flying high again like returned Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Short of a dedicated counter (like a Rock, Ice, or Electric-type), there’s not much it has to fear… just a few random things like Golbat, Charizard, Registeel of course, a little bit of Charm, and the new Kommo-O. (Wing Attack can beat Golbat, but loses Machamp and Toxicroak, so….) Fly right into the danger zone without fear!

NOCTOWL

Noctowl NormalFlying

Wing Attack | Sky Attack & Shadow Ball

Well, it’s no Pidgeot, but Noctowl does just fine for itself too. It struggles versus Charmers a bit more than Pidgeot, losing Wiggly and Clefable (though interestingly, beating Shadow Granbull that beats Pidgeot), and fails to consistently take down Shadow Machamp, Toxicroak, Ninetales, or Golbat, but unlike Pidgeot, Noctowl DOES manage to outtank Kommo-O and even Abomasnow. It may fit your team better than Bird Jesus… give it a look!

MANTINE

Mantine WaterFlying

Wing Attack | Bubble Beam & Ice Beam

Fitting in this category thanks to the Baby Discount™, as giving a Mantyke a second move costs only 10k dust, and then evolve and it’s only about another 30k to build up to a right sized Mantine from there. Anyway, Mantine can perform well, though it’s obviously rather dependent on Bubble Beam to work right. But IF it all works out, you can beat ALL Fighters, and nearly all Grounds, Fires, Bugs, Flyers, and even Grasses, plus stuff like Zweilous and Lickitung as bonuses. I do NOT necessarily recommend Mantine to those unfamiliar with it — the timing of baits is very key and takes some practice to get the hang of — but the ceiling is encouragingly high here.

GOLBAT

Golbat PoisonFlying

Wing Attack | Poison Fang & Shadow Ball

Sticking with the Flyers for now, Golbat has long been a budget player’s hero in The Silph Arena, and with the buff to Poison Fang has finally broken out in GBL as well. And GL Remix is no exception, where Bat holds down Fairies, Fighters, Bugs, Grasses, and some key Psychics and Ghosts (thanks to the looming threat of Shadow Ball), and even outlasts Diggersby, A-Wak, and Kommo-O, among others. Shadow Bat presents an intriguing alternative that can knock out Cresselia and Whiscash, giving up A-Wak and Diggersby in the process.

CHARIZARD

Charizard FireFlying

Fire Spin | Dragon Claw & Blast Burnᴸ

No Talonflame, no problem? I don’t know that Zard will end up being quite THAT dominant, but it does have a good package for success in this meta. First off, no Azu, Swampert, Altaria, DD, Bastiodon, Talonflame, AT Drap, OR G-Fisk to cause problems. Second, plenty of good Steels, Fairies, Grasses, Bugs, Ices, and even Fighters to roast. Add to that big bonuses like Diggersby, Greedent, Lickitung, Pidgeot, Noctowl, Cofagrigus, Drifblim, and Hypno (even with Thunder Punch), and yeah, maybe it WILL end up that dominant after all! Time will tell, but Zard continues to really appreciate what is banned from participating in this meta.

MAGCARGO 💥

Magcargo FireRock

Incinerate | Rock Tomb & Overheat

So yes, this is a pretty Fire-friendly meta, which means Fire itself can do well, and crafty players will be pulling their own Fire types out of mothballs to take advantage. So you can play right into BOTH of those by deploying the ol’ toasted escargot. 🐌🔥 Mags can burn through Steels (even Regi), Flyers and other Fires of course, and also big Normals (Greedent, Lickitung), Charmers, Ices, and then stuff like Hypno, Cresselia, and Cofagrigus too. Get some more use out of your old Love Cup specialist!

MEGANIUM 💥

Meganium Grass

Vine Whip | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Earthquake

Grass is always a consideration for many teams, and with Venusaur remaining banned, Meganium is where most players will naturally turn next, though the overall performance is a little lacklustre. Not Meg’s fault, per se… this just isn’t a fantastic meta for Grasses in general. One big thing going for it that most Grasses cannot replicate: a big win over Registeel thanks to Earthquake.

SERPERIOR

Serperior Grass

Vine Whip | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Leaf Tornado/Aerial Ace

To me, a little less exciting than Meg due to the lack of Earthquake, but the Grass pickings are somewhat slim, and Serperior does fine for itself… and it does beat Meg head to head, so there’s that.

WHISCASH

Whiscash WaterGround

Mud Shot/Water Gun | Mud Bomb & Blizzard

Good old Mud Shot Whiscash is a pretty known commodity by now, but crazy as it might sound, even Water Gun isn’t a bad pick here if you want to spice it up, performing better versus Flyers and certain other oddballs, beating Noctowl (and unlisted-but-still-strong Mandibuzz) and Escavalier specifically, while Mud Shot instead outraces Kommo-O, Cofagrigus, and Wigglytuff. When you play a staple like Cash, there can be real value in a surprise like Water Gun. Just sayin’.

BLASTOISE

Blastoise Water

Water Gun | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Ice Beam/Skull Bash

Would you believe Blastoise is actually one of the top Water options (in this meta)? While Blastie doesn’t have the flashiest moves, thanks in part to its high bulk, it gets the job done not just against Fires and Grounds and such, but also against Steels, Charmers, and things like Noctowl, Drifblim, Froslass, Beedrill. Escavalier, and Charmers. I like Skull Bash but, even with Grasses somewhat suppressed in this meta, Ice Beam has value for sniping Flyers, beating Pidgeot in particular.

EMPOLEON

Empoleon WaterSteel

Waterfall | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Drill Peck

Yes, it’s viable enough, but Empie is just okay here. It represents a very hard counter to Charmers, and its Steel typing also blunts the attacks of things like Ices, Flyers, and things like Hypno, and it does still manage to usually extinguish Fires. But Empoleon is more of a specialist while Blastoise actually has more widespread usage, at least versus the core meta.

RAICHUS

Volt Switch | Wild Charge & Brick Break/Thunder Punch

Overall, both Raichus are rather similar. The key differences? Alolan Raichu resists Psychic and Fighting and has clear advantages versus opponents that rely on that type of damage, leading specifically to wins versus Hypno, Shadow Machamp, and Registeel (resisting Focus Blast). Original Recipe Raichu’s advantage is Brick Break, which is awesome for baiting and for chipping in enough Fighting damage spam to make it feel almost like a Fighter. End of the day that plus Wild Charge brings in wins AhChu struggles to match, like Beedrill, Ninetales, and even Wigglytuff and Clefable. Also not being vulnerable to Ghost and Dark damage (as AhChu is) means KayChu can also beat Mandibuzz much more easily than its Alolan cousin. Either way, both Raichus have solid value and have already proven themselves even in open PvP formats. They’re well worth your consideration here.

CHARMERS

Charm | …does it really matter?

Several cheap options here, though WIGGLYTUFF remains the best, what with its handy Ghost resistance leading to unique wins over Drifblim, Lickitung, Mew, and Hypno, among others. CLEFABLE and even WHIMSICOTT are okay too, but generally fall behind Wiggly overall. In one form or another, however, Charm will likely have a big impact in this meta… for better or for worse.

ARIADOS 💥

Ariados BugPoison

Poison Sting | Lunge & Megahorn

A few ways to go, and I can understand arguments for Cross Poison, but I continue to be more enamoured with the potential of Lunge and Megahorn and its ability to take out big targets like Dewgong and Hypno. But whatever floats your boat!

BEEDRILL

Beedrill BugPoison

Poison Jab | Fell Stinger/X-Scissor & Drill Runᴸ

Wrapping up the 10ks with The Bee, who I finally saw starting to pop up in GBL last season after far too long being underrated. This is a Bug that’s always been able to handle things like Registeel, Cresselia, Escavalier, and even Sunny Castform thanks to Drill Run, as well as still doing standard Bug/Poison things like beating the Charmers, handling Fighters, eating through Grasses, and even stinging most Darks. And combining high-pressure Poison Jab with Fell Stinger can potentially dust off Melmetal and Alolan Marowak and win the mirror match, though X-Scissor is perhaps still slightly better and more reliable overall for at least dealing decent Bug-type damage when unblocked (beating Cresselia and Lickitung specifically). Shadow Bee is an interesting alternative to screw with the opponent’s expectations, beating things like Froslass and Stunfisk, but as the cost of losing to others like Melmetal, Perrserker, and Lickitung.

And there are cheapo Fighters that can be had cheaply thanks to the Baby Discount™, including Medicham Junior HITMONCHAN and LUCARIO, though they mostly pale in comparison to other Fighters we’ll look at later. You may see them here and there but I have trouble really recommending them.

50,000 Dust/50 Candy

ALOLAN MAROWAK 💥

Marowak (Alola) FireGhost

Fire Spin | Bone CLub & Shadow Boneᴸ/Shadow Ball

Now that everyone that wanted one has been able to get a good A-Wak after the Alola To Alola event allowed evolving your own for the first time, Alolan Marowak is ready to make GL Remix pay for being banned all this time. 🔥 Just avoid Normals, Waters, Grounds, and a couple of others like Kommo-O, Golbat, and Drifblim, and A-Wak can torch most of what remains. If you were fortunate enough to get a non-Frustrated, double moved one, Shadow A-Wak is even scarier, losing to Dewgong but gaining Hypno and the Golbat and Drifblim I just mentioned. Get boned, GL Remix! ☠️

GALVANTULA 💥

Galvantula BugElectric

Volt Switch | Lunge & Discharge/Bug Buzz

The Galv hype has died down a bit, hence it being freed from the ban list, but make no mistake: it is still dangerous. The standard Lunge/Discharge is probably still the best way to go for how it can overpower stuff like Golbat, Froslass, and Toxicroak, but Bug Buzz does present an underrated alternative that instead can take out Greedent and dominate Psychics (with a new, convincing win over Hypno, for example).

POLITOED 💥

Politoed Water

Mud Shot | Weather Ball (Water) & Earthquakeᴸ

Unbanned thanks to the nerf to Weather Ball and a slight dropoff in performance from its original lofty heights, but make no mistake: Politoed is still dangerous. I do generally prefer non-Shadow over Shadow Toed, but the latter does manage to beat Dewgong and Registeel (though it fails versus Beedrill, Toxicroak, Greedent, and Charmers).

PELIPPER 💥

Pelipper WaterFlying

Wing Attack | Weather Ball (Water) & Hurricane

And uh… ditto here. Pelipper doesn’t really seem ban-worthy, but it’s happy to be back in the meta and ready to do some work. It’s much tougher on Fighters than Politoed thanks to its Flying side, as well as Bugs (Beedrill, Araquanid) and, interestingly, Golbat. The downside is falling to things that main Flyers like Stunfisk, Froslass, Dewgong, Registeel, and even Magcargo.

ARAQUANID 💥

Araquanid WaterBug

Bug Bite | Bubble Beam & Bug Buzz

Munches on Grasses, Ices, Psychics, Fighters, and much more besides, to include stuff like Kommo-O, Ninetales, Beedrill, Diggersby, Greedent, Whiscash, Escavalier and more. This is a great format for it to stretch its spindly legs.

EXCADRILL

Excadrill GroundSteel

Mud Shot | Rock Slide & Drill Run

With G-Fisk banned, Excadrill basically is G-Fisk here… as close as you can get, at least. It’s obviously not as good, but it DOES fill mostly the same roles: holding down Charm and Psychics, rolling over Steels and Poisons, still handing U-Fisk, extinguishing most Fires, bringing down (most) Flyers with Rock Slide, and even besting Froslass and Stunfisk and Kommo-O and such too. This is its best chance to shine out bright without Fisky around, and it looks ready to make the most of it.

PROBOPASS

Probopass RockSteel

Rock Throw/Spark | Rock Slide & Thunderbolt/Magnet Bomb

We have our G-Fisk replacement, and now here is our Bastiodon fill-in. Obviously, Probo is not QUITE that good, but it IS close, losing only to Ferrothorn, Meganium, and Alolan Marowak out of all the core wins a (theoretical) Bastie could beat in this meta. Probo is FAR cheaper too, which is good since you may not have one built yet (but should have, if you followed my past advice! 😉). If Bastie poundings are your thing, you’ll like Probo. There’s even Shadow Probo if you wanna mix things up, which does lose Cofagrigus and Lickitung, but gains A-Wak.

MAGNEZONE

Magnezone ElectricSteel

Spark | Mirror Shot & Wild Charge

Not one you typically see down here in Great League, but maybe Remix is when it’s time to get in the ‘Zone, especially if you have a good Shadow ‘Zone (losing Escavalier but gaining Lickitung and even Alolan Marowak and Ninetales!). Electric is a pretty good typing here overall, but Magnezone is a potentially high reward option, albeit obviously high risk as well, with a goodly number of Fires and Fighters and Grounds likely to be out and about. That all said, there are plenty of Fairies and Waters and Flyers and Grasses and even Bugs that want nothing to do with it. If you like piloting ‘Zone in UL and/or ML, while I don’t usually recommend it in Great League, several of its scarier counters remain on the ban list, and so this would be the time if ever there was one!

ESCAVALIER

Escavalier BugSteel

Counter | Megahorn & Drill Run

You likely already know all the good that Escavalier can do by now — I’ve mentioned it quite a bit throughout this article already — but here’s a reminder. Not every day you run across a “Fighter” that can also handle Charmers and Psychics, but that’s Escav in a nutshell. If you like it, you’ll likely continue to like it here, despite it taking a small hit with the addition of things like A-Wak, Araquanid, and Magcargo to the meta this time around.

ROSERADE

Roserade GrassPoison

Bullet Seedᴸ | Weather Ball (Fire)ᴸ & Leaf Storm

Two very different flavors here depending on fast move. Bullet Seed is mostly used to just outrace things like Dewgong and Diggersby, but also things that are NOT inherently weak to Grass-like Froslass, Abomasnow, and Toxicroak (those last two actually resisting Grass damage). Poison Jab instead piles on enough damage to fell stuff like Shadow Machamp, Shadow Granbull, and Araquanid, and even things that the opponent would probably expect to win with but doesn’t, like Magcargo, Beedrill, and Noctowl.

What you do NOT want to do is run Roserade with Razor Leaf. Grassholes in general really struggle here and are all (rightly) ranked far outside the Top 100. Shadow VICTREEBEL and VILEPLUME are okay-ish role players, hard on Fighters and Charmers and of course, most anything Water or Ground, but they’re rather middling here and don’t have their customary Bastiodon or G-Fisk protective detail. For the sake of all… I recommend NOT trying it.

ABOMASNOW

Abomasnow IceGrass

Powder Snow | Weather Ball (Ice) & Blizzard/Energy Ball

The secret is long out now: Aboma is good in basically every format where it’s eligible, and Remix is no exception. Other than my customary heads up that Aboma can actually beat Shadow Machamp AND Sirfetch’d (those are leads Aboma CAN win with 2x Weather Ball… don’t auto swap out!), there’s not much to point out that you don’t already know. So how about this, then: consider Blizzard instead of Energy Ball. Obviously, you become impotent against things like Froslass and Dewgong, but you potentially gain Cofagrigus, Hypno, Sirfetch’d, AND the mirror.Blizzard Aboma is an overlooked stud too, especially in this meta with no Azu and Swampert and such to throw Energy Balls at. Shadow Aboma is also slightly better with Blizzard, needing it to close out Lickitung and enemy Abomas, though note that Energy Ball is useful for outracing Charmers Wigglytuff and Clefable (whereas Blizzard is just too slow).

DEWGONG

Dewgong WaterIce

Ice Shardᴸ | Icy Windᴸ & Blizzard/Water Pulse

Here’s another one where I recommend Blizzard rather than the second move more commonly used… Water Pulse, in this case. Pulse is a BAD PvP move, and while it does allow wins at times versus stuff like Magcargo and Shadow A-Wak, Blizzard flips regular A-Wak, Ferrothorn, and Cofagrigus, among others. Expect to see a LOT more of these than you may be used to, since everyone had the opportunity to build double Legacy from scratch early in the Interlude Season.

FROSLASS

Froslass IceGhost

Powder Snow | Avalanche & Shadow Ball

The Ice princess that can beat most Fighters… and Psychics and many other Ghosts, of course, and even stuff like Dewgong and Escavalier thanks to Shadow Ball. But keep far, FAR away from most Charmers, Fire, Waters, Normals, Steels, most Darks… as good as Lass is (and she really can be in experienced hands), she’s got some exploitable vulnerabilities too.

GENGAR/HAUNTER

Shadow Claw | Shadow Punchᴸ & Shadow Ball

Eligible and still just fine as generalists, yep!

QUAGSIRE

Quagsire WaterGround

Mud Shot | Stone Edge & Earthquake

The oft-forgotten member of the OG Mud Boy trio, Lord Quag does okay work here, but it really takes off with good PvP IVs. 👀 Those new wins are against (most) Charmers, Escavalier, Drifblim, Golbat, Diggersby, and Toxicroak, so no slouches! Got a really good Quag? Here’s your chance to smash face with it.

LANTURN

Lanturn WaterElectric

Spark | Thunderbolt & Hydro Pump

While it’s in direct competition with Rainy Castform for the same slot/role and is perhaps slightly worse, there is no doubt Lanturn is sold. The advantage is has over Rainy is higher Electric damage output, giving it wins Rainy cannot match like Dewgong, Golbat, and Araquanid (while Rainy instead chunks down Beedrill, Diggersby, Escavalier, Stunfisk, Toxicroak, and Whiscash).

NINETALES

Ninetales Fire

Fire Spin/Emberᴸ | Weather Ball (Fire) & Overheat

So last time the debate was on which closing move to run, but with things like Jellicent (which Solar Beam could beat) out of the meta, I think we’re pretty well settled on Overheat now. So NOW the question becomes: which fast move? After Ember Shadow Ninetales put on a clinic in Vancouver Regionals this past weekend (taking PoGO Kieng’s significant other hsineerg to the top), it certainly bears consideration here, and DOES look like it may be the favorite over Fire Spin. (Ember toasts Dewgong, Golbat, A-Wak, and FS Ninetales, while Fire Spin instead manages Shadow A-Wak, Toxicroak, and Cofag.) Ember keeps up with Fire Spin for non-Shadow Tails too, with Ember beating Shadow A-Wak and Hypno, while Fire Spin again beats Cofag and Beedrill instead. Decisions, decisions!

MACHAMP

Machamp (Shadow) Fighting

Counter | Rock Slide & Cross Chop

It’s really Shadow Champ you want for its unique wins over Ninetales, Tropius, Sirfetch’d, and Froslass, thanks mostly to Rock Slide. Put simply, it’s the best Fighter here, bar none. I’m a little surprised Champ wasn’t on the ban list, actually.

Others like SIRFETCH’D and especially PRIMEAPE do a lot of good things too (beating Stunfisk, and Ape can also most easily beat Aboma and also Champ head to head) and are worthy of consideration. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have Cross Chop Ape, as it typically fails to overcome Meganium, Noctowl, Stunfisk, Toxicroak, or Whiscash as Close Combat potentially can.

HYPNO

Hypno Psychic

Confusion | Ice Punch & Shadow Ball (non-Shadow)/Fire Punch (Shadow)

A staple of so many past metas I really don’t feel you need me to say much, but here’s what I can offer. Ice Punch is important in nearly any moveset configuration here, and I think with non-Shadow Hypno you pair it with Shadow Ball and don’t look back, nailing Cress, Castforms, and Ninetales that way. With Shadow Hypno, I think the coverage of Fire Punch (paired with Ice) may be best (burning Steels and Wigglytuff and others), but there are lots of ways you can go with Hypno’s moves and few “wrong” ways to go about it. Hypno is not this meta’s nucleus, but it’s in orbit.

75,000 Dust/75 Candy

It’s not that the 75k and 100k Pokémon aren’t good, it’s just that I’m running out of space (and your brain likely is too!), so I’ll go through these expensive options in rapid-fire style!

Vigoroth Normal
  • Fresh off the ban list for the first time, VIGOROTH 💥 comes in hot as a “Fighter” that can take on things old (Ninetales, Whiscash, Meganium, Noctowl, Clefable) and new (Araquanid, Kommo-O) that can give true Fighters fits. It’s not overpowered, but it should definitely shine in its first crack at Great League Remix.
  • Brand new this time through, here comes KOMMO-O 💥. While it’s not wholly dominant or anything, it IS a nasty curveball to throw at this meta, along with pre-evolution HAKAMO-O, for the few that have a good specimen to toss into the mix. I have just a single Jangmo-o myself, so for those lacking, I acutely feel your pain. But have a good game plan to take down the ones opponents will be rubbing in our faces showing off. 😒
Zweilous DarkDragon
  • Yep, ZWEILOUS is still here too, eyeing Kommo-O and Hakamo-O suspiciously. It’s already starting to miss being the weirdly unique Dragon everybody talks about. Don’t YOU forget about Zweil, though!
  • Other Dragons like SHADOW DRAGONITEGOODRA, and even DRAGONAIR are alright too, with Shadow ‘Nite especially looking more and more like a potentially disruptive presense with solid wins over newcomers like Araquanid, Magcargo, A-Wak, and Cofagrigus. 🐲
Mandibuzz DarkFlying
  • MANDIBUZZ is its usual potent self here, but another moveset curveball I want to lob your way. Rather than the standard Foul Play/Aerial Ace, consider throwing Shadow Ball into the mix, with which you can beat Castform, Ninetales, and even Froslass! (Aerial Ace is better for Fighters like Sirfetch’d and Kommo-O.)
Drifblim GhostFlying
  • Yes, DRIFBLIM wreaks its usual havoc on Grounds, Grasses, Psychics, Bugs, Fighters and more. Unlike last year, though, it can no longer beat Registeel, which is sad. Stupid OP Zap Cannon. 😢
  • Don’t be shocked to see GLISCOR or GLIGAR! They’re sneaky good in holding down Fighters, Fires, Bugs, Steels, Grounds, Electrics, and a decently wide smattering of others. Study those win/loss lists!
Stunfisk GroundElectric
  • Its Galarian cousin is banned, but that won’t stop Original Recipe STUNFISK from showing up. Fires, Flying, and especially Steels fear few things less here, and it conveniently blunts Machamp’s Rock Slide and can beat it too, among others. I slightly lean Thunder Shock, by the way, for more consistent wins over Charizard, Drifblim, and Araquanid.
Lapras WaterIce
  • LAPRAS works fine, but is really no better than cheaper Dewgong or even Sealeo. Perhaps then you may want to consider running Water Gun for a more unique threat that much better handles Fires and fellow Ices and can beat Registeel! 💦
Tropius GrassFlying
  • Definitely a meta that more favors Air Slash TROPIUS (beats Escav, Ferro, Zweil, Bee) more than Razor Leaf, but if you HAVE to run a Razor Leafer, Trop is probably your best bet.
Snorlax (Shadow) Normal
  • Got a good SNORLAX left over from Retro Cup? Good… deploy! Regular Lax uses its bulk to outlast Registeel, Hypno, Perrserker and such, while Shadow Lax sheds those wins to instead outrace Charizard, Escavalier, Stunfisk, Whiscash, and Rainy Castform.
  • I’ve brought up the CASTFORMS several times because they’re ALL good here. SNOWY overpowers a ton of things despite having no coverage. SUNNY is basically Ninetales with slightly more bulk. RAINY is a slightly better Lanturn, as detailed up in Lanturn’s section. And yes, that NORMAL Castform you have left from Retro is viable too if you want to spice things up!

100,000 Dust/100 Candy

  • Oh yes, REGISTEEL is quite good, though perhaps not as much as you’d expect. Even with many of its harder counters banned, there are still lots of things that are gunning for it, from Fires to Fighters to the Grounds and Waters that remain. Perhaps a slightly better bet is actually REGIROCK, who does lose to Cresselia and Lickitung that ‘Steel can beat, but turns the tables on Fires and the few Flyers (Mantine, Drifblim) that do beat ‘Steel, as well as stuff like Beedrill and Melmetal. ‘Rock actually seems like the best Regi here, to my eyes.
Melmetal Steel
  • If you want a big expensive Steel anyway, might I suggest MELMETAL?
Cresselia Psychic
  • I made the same recommendation in Retro Cup but didn’t see it have much of an effect, so I am once again asking for you to consider Confusion on your CRESSELIA. It gains potential wins against Beedrill, Aboma, Greedent, Ninetales, Noctowl, and A-Wak as compared to Psycho Cut Cress, which outraces Araquanid and Dewgong but loses all those others I listed. There’s nothing WRONG with Psycho Cut, don’t get me wrong, but there is nothing wrong with Confusion in this meta either. It warrants your consideration, so consider this your (third now) wake-up call.
Zapdos ElectricFlying
  • Other Electrics have looked good so far, and so does ZAPDOS, particularly as a Shadow, where it really gets to flex its uniqueness as a Flyer by beating Ferrothorn and Abomasnow in addition to already handling the major Fighters, Bugs, and most other Grasses utilizing Drill Peck. If you have a good GL Zappy (with Thunder Shock, of course), go nuts!
Tapu Fini WaterFairy
  • No Azumarill, but if you’ve been fortunate enough to trade for a sub-1500 TAPU FINI 💥, here’s your first big chance to sub it in as Azu Lite.

FEELIN’ LUCKY?

Here I cover ‘mons that are no less “nifty” than those in the main article above, but require maxing or at least almost maxing out, so they are FAR from “thrifty”! Best acquired in a Lucky trade for good IVs and less investment. I’ll also cover these in bulletized format to bring this article home!

Diggersby NormalGround
  • Don’t mistake the lateness of DIGGERSBY appearing in this article as an indication it is not good… quite the contrary! Even with all the meta changes, it is still comfortably in the Top 5 in Remix, and while it puts up good but not mind-blowing numbers overall, it’s hard to argue with the ranking when you look at all that it can handily beat. I’ll let you look over that fine list yourself, but it’s a juicy one.
Lickitung Normal
  • LICKITUNG remains great if you have one, but thankfully not as wholly dominant as in past metas for those who don’t. There are a goodly number of hard counters here… much moreso than we’ve had in past metas like Retro Cup, for instance. Licki is still a force to be reckoned with, but you have a few more answers to call upon this time around, and a even a number of its listed wins (Fires, Grasses, and stuff like Zweilous and Stunfisk) are close and within the IV and/or lag margin of error.
Wobbuffet Psychic
  • WOBBUFFET has to be maxed, hundo, AND purified, but we all know that one guy or gal that’s actually made that investment, right? And they’ll surely want to use it here. It’s not out of control or anything, but Wobb is definitely scary and well worth bringing… for the 1% of you out there lucky enough to have one ready to go. (Darn you to heck, by the way. 🤪)
Wormadam (Trash) BugSteel
  • It’s no secret at this point, but just a reminder that TRASH WORMADAM 💥 is still out there and still doing good things, even in a meta like this where Fires may be more frequent encounters.
Pachirisu Electric
  • I’m reluctant to even point this one out, as it will give many (myself included!) renewed hatred for regionals, but for those that have access to it, PACHIRISU is good. Like, really, REALLY good. It’s super bulky, especially for an Electric, and thus can do silly things like out bulk Charmers and Fighters in addition to being a top-flight Electric doing standard Electric things. Stupid regionals. 😒

And 60+ Pokémon later, we’re done! Yes, in a massive format like this, there are surely other viable options I didn’t even cover (LuxrayLycanrocPerrserker and ZangooseLucarioGourgeistAlolan SandslashBewear, and many, MANY more) that are on the cusp of potential greatness too. But I had to cut off somewhere, and hopefully, this is sufficient to hit most of the highlights and help you balance the cost of where to save yourself some hard-earned dust (and candy!).

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!

Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope this helps you master Great League Remix, in the most affordable way possible, and kick off this new GBL season on the right foot. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

Author & tags

JRE47
JRE47
PoGO/PvP Investigative Journalist, GO Hub and Silph Arena/Road Contributor, amateur cook, author of 'Nifty Or Thrifty' and 'Under The Lights' article series and #PvPfacts!

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