The “Nifty Or Thrifty” article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for upcoming Cup formats… this time, it’s Little Cup Remix. As is typical for the 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 not needing to unlock a second move at all! We’ll dive right in on Pokémon with the cheapest second move unlock cost (10,000 dust) and work our way through from there until finally concluding with the most expensive unlocks, but before even THAT there are a few that don’t need (or can’t even get) a second move. Let’s check them out!
WHO NEEDS A SECOND MOVE?
When I first started the ‘Nifty Or Thrifty’ series, literally over three and a half years ago (how time flies!), I focused on things with cheap second move unlocks and, as I used to describe it, Pokémon that “would probably work out fine without a second charge move at all”. I eventually moved away from that aspect of defining “thriftiness” as second moving things became second nature for even the more casual players. But in this age of formats lasting literally just one week, with no guarantees of being relevant again in the future, paying for second moves is something we really may not want to do at all. Thankfully, in this format, there are several Pokémon where you really don’t need that second move, so consider these their own subset of “thrifty” options in that regard!
WYNAUT
Wynaut
Psychic
Counter | Mirror Coat
What’s cheaper than buying a “thrifty” 10,000 stardust second move? Not buying a second move at all! (Of course, Wynaut can very quickly slip into deep XL territory, so it may not be as “thrifty” as it appears… but just go with me here!) Wynaut lacks a second move, but doesn’t really need one anyway. Much of that success comes from its insane bulk (right up there with Chansey) and the best fast move in the game (Counter). But even though it’s a pretty lousy move on paper, Mirror Coat puts in a LOT of work too, necessary to beat a wide swath of things like Jangmo-O, Spritzee, Chikorita, Hoothoot, and a glut of Poisons (Croagunk, Oddish, Skorupi, Skrelp, Salandit, etc.). With Bronzor and crew removed, Wynaut has the look of the new nucleus in this remixed meta. So… why not give it a chance? 😏
One final note: that sim above is with high rank, Level 50 Wynaut. Thankfully, you can still easily hit 500 CP without any XL candy at all, but using 10 as an IV floor (for hatched Wynauts, for example), a Level 42ish Wynaut performs nearly as well, missing out on just a couple of close wins from before like Zubat, Shadow Stunky, Hoothoot, and Gligar… but on the plus side, it wins the important mirror match, so take that for what it’s worth. Long story short: low (or no) XL Wynaut is less ideal, but still very, very good here. You don’t have to break the bank unless you really want to.
RIOLU
Riolu
Fighting
Counter | Cross Chop
Not much of a cost savings, granted, since Riolu’s second move would cost only 10k dust, but there is literally NO reason to run anything but Cross Chop, as Brick Break deals 10 less damage for the same cost, and Low Sweep deals 10 less damage for an even higher cost. Whether or not you want to run Riolu at all is your call, of course, but it’s the ONLY Fighting type here that actually has Counter, and that counts for something.
SPRITZEE
Spritzee
Fairy
Charm | Thunderbolt
No Cottonee, no problem… say hello to the Charmer of Remix. And as is standard with Charm, the charge moves almost don’t matter at all, but at least Thunderbolt provides some decent coverage. The issues with Draining Kiss — and the reasons you don’t need it — are having the same typing as Charm, and the same cost as Bolt while dealing significantly less damage, despite having what should be an advantage with STAB! That’s what happens when you have two moves with the same cost but a difference of 30 damage between them (Bolt deals 90, Kiss deals only 60 on paper). That all said… Charm alone is usually all you’ll need anyway (including a win versus Dewpider that Spritz can actually miss out on if it tries to force a charge move).
(MOST) RAZOR LEAFERS
Razor Leaf | Various
Along the same vein as Charm, things that run Razor Leaf often don’t have much use for charge moves, much less two of them. There’s certainly no harm in having multiple moves, especially in cases like SHADOW ODDISH where you have an inexpensive STAB move (Seed Bomb, in this case) and a good coverage move or two (Sludge Bomb or Moonblast) that could be key late in a game. But in the end, again, Razor Leaf is all they usually need. Same goes for SHADOW TURTWIG, PUMPKABOO, BUDEW and so on, though there ARE a couple exceptions that I’ll specifically cover later on.
SHADOW STUNKY
Stunky (Shadow)
PoisonDark
Bite | Crunch, Sludge Bomb, or Flamethrower
Yeah, with Bite chomping through a bunch of things (including Ducklett as long as you don’t try to sneak in any charge moves), it almost doesn’t matter what charge move you run with, but you very likely don’t need two. Pick your favorite coverage… and expect to almost never have it matter anyway. Just bite, bite, bite!
10,000 Dust/25 Candy
ROWLET
Rowlet
Grass
Razor Leaf | Seed Bomb & Energy Ball
So here’s the odd Razor Leafer that actually wants both of its charge moves. Most importantly, it needs both to have a path to victory over Wynaut, as well as fellow Flying Grass Hoppip. Beyond that, it puts in an okay performance overall, made a bit better by additional wins it gets with Razor Leaf alone versus Nosepass, Spritzee, and even Seel. Overall, record-wise, it then slots right between Shadow and non-Shadow Hoppip. Decidueye may be a bust in PvP, but at least Rowlet is doing its part!
BULBASAUR
Bulbasaur
GrassPoison
Vine Whip | Seed Bomb & Sludge Bomb
May as well stick with the Grasses for now, and Bulba remains one of the best. Like its big bro Venusaur, its biggest advantage remains its ability to beat down other Grasses (and Fairies like Spritzee) with Sludge Bomb, while Seed Bomb is more than enough to shred the Waters, Rocks, and most Grounds (Nincada and Swinub being unfortunate exceptions) you’d expect. Add to that big wins like Lickitung, Igglybuff, and Bulbasaur remains a Little League superstar. (Shadow is a small step backwards, gaining Nincada but losing Duckett and Dewpider.)
CHIKORITA
Chikorita
Grass
Vine Whip | Body Slam & Grass Knot
Another very potent Grass starter, Chicky is better in the pure Grass role (beating things Bulba cannot like Swinub, Nincada, Riolu, and Dratini), but unsurprisingly struggles more versus opposing Grasses (losing to Hoppip and Bulbasaur itself) and can’t overcome Dewpider as Bulba can. Pick your pleasure, basically.
Chespin
Grass
CHESPIN is a step down from there, but carries the intrigue of Gyro Ball, which gives it some interesting wins like Jangmo-O, Oddish, and a big win over Igglybuff. It could be a fun alternative on some teams.
TEPIG
Tepig
Fire
Ember | Body Slam & Flame Charge
With no Vulpix, Tepig looks like the next best thing. Unlike a (theoretical here) Vulpix, Tepig can actually overpower Hoothoot and Dewpider, but cannot beat some key things Vulpix could (Drifloon, Zubat, Spheal, and Tepig itself). Still, in this meta, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better (and cheaper!) fill-in. Others like FENNEKIN and even LITLEO just don’t quite measure up to what Body Slam can do for Tepig.
BARBOACH
Barboach
WaterGround
Mud Shot | Aqua Tail & Ice Beam/Mud Bomb
One of my favorite secret weapons in past Little Cups was Barboach with Ice Beam, because with the right IVs it could surprise the heck out of Cottonee. Obviously there’s no Cottonee to shock here, but Ice Beam is still a nasty surprise to things like Jangmo-O, Drifloon, Hoppip, Exeggcute, and enemy Barboaches, all of which it can beat outright. The only real downsides to NOT running Mud Bomb instead are losses to Riolu and Skrelp. The Ice Beam surprise is still my recommendation here, and really helps separate Boach from other similar options.
WAILMER
Wailmer
Water
Water Gun | Body Slam & Heavy Slam
Yes, surely I AM serious (and stop calling me Shirley!)… Wailmer is a truly legit Water option in this format, particularly if you hit the right sweet spot in IVs and gain things like Alolan Vulpix on top of what it can already do. It could round out (haha puns so funny) a lot of teams.
Not much to pick from among the Water starters, but OSHAWATT at least has the most interesting moves, with spammy Aqua Tail and Night Slash. If I HAD to pick a Water starter, that would be my choice. Even my little pengie pal PIPLUP will likely let you down in this meta.
DWEBBLE
Dwebble
BugRock
Smack Down | X-Scissor & Rock Blast
This isn’t a fantabulous meta for Smack Down, but it still does some good, like smashing Bugs (Dewpider, Skorupi), Flyers (Ducklett, Vullaby, Drifloon), Ices and Fires, as well as conveniently resisting damage from Lickitung (Body Slam) and Nidoran♀ (Poison AND Body Slam) and… well, smacking them aside as well. It’s a surprisingly solid little niche.
HOOTHOOT
Hoothoot
Normal
Feint Attack | Sky Attack & Night Shade
Like Noctowl, Hoothoot is an airborne tank that can take a lot of punishment and just wear stuff down, including the Grasses, Bugs, and Grounds you’d expect (not even fearing Barboach’s Ice Beam), but also stuff like Drifloon, Lickitung, Nidoran♀, and the scary Shadow Stunky too. Flying. Tank.
LEDYBA
Ledyba
Bug
Bug Bite | Aerial Ace & Silver Wind
Nearly as tanky as Hoothoot, Ledyba puts in a good performance as well, particularly with good PvP IVs with which it can outtank Spritzee as well. Its real standout win, however, is over Wynaut, thanks to double resisting Counter and dealing super effective damage with its own Bug moves. Not even Hootie can match that.
ZUBAT
Zubat
Poison
Quick Attack | Poison Fang & Sludge Bombᴸ/Returnᴸ
So here’s a fun one. Zubat comes with Poison Fang, but then it can get a little tricky on the second move. Return shuts the door on Vullaby, while Sludge Bomb (plus decent IVs) can instead beat Wynaut, though it’s a Legacy move. Otherwise it behaves pretty similarly to the other Flyers, though it struggles with the Mini Mud Boys and Lickitung and beats stuff like Tepig and Dratini and dominates Spritzee instead.
50,000 Dust/50 Candy
DUCKLETT
Ducklett
Water
Wing Attack | Bubble Beam & Brave Bird/Aerial Ace
I mean… dayum. Yes yes, those sort of results are with the big bomb of Brave Bird crashing in after perfect Bubble Beam baits, and is liable to all fall apart if the opponent makes the right calls. But the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle, and Duck does fine even without being so bait reliant. I don’t imagine I have to tell you about the menace it’s been in Little League and likely will be here as well, do I? Instead, I WILL just remind you that Shadow Duck is now a thing too, which can beat Wynaut and Seel but does lose quite a bit as compared to non-Shadow (like Drifloon, Nidoran♀, Spritzee, Rowlet, Shadow Stunky and more).
GALARIAN FARFETCH’D
Farfetch'd (Galarian)
Fighting
Fury Cutter | Leaf Blade & Brave Bird
Another Bird that doesn’t fully act like one, and a Fighter that doesn’t use either of its (subpar) Fighting moves, G-Fetch’d is an odd one, but has some good potential. Brave Bird still blows up a LOT, and Leaf Blade not only sets it up but is a huge threat in its own right. Put it all together and you get a Fighter that can beat stuff like Vullaby and Drifloon, while also slashing many Waters and other notables like Shelmet Nosepass, and Lickitung. This is a nice little wild card.
FOMANTIS
Fomantis
Grass
Fury Cutter | Leaf Blade & Grass Knot
Also relying on Fury Cutter and Leaf Blade just like G-Fetch’d, but obviously goes about things much differently, being a Grass type with Grass Knot as its closer. The end result is rather impressive, with the majority of big name Waters and Grasses going down, but also Lickitung, Nosepass, and even Vullaby and Alolan Vulpix.
DEWPIDER
Dewpider
WaterBug
Bug Bite | Bubble Beam & Mirror Coat/Water Pulse
More Bug damage, but at least now it’s from a Bug. Combine that with Wynaut’s Mirror Coat and Ducklett’s Bubble Beam and you get Dewpider, quietly a solid performer in this meta, very effectively chewing through Wynaut and a wide range of Grasses, Waters, Ices, Poisons, and fellow Bugs. I recommend Mirror Coat for how it beats Nidoran♀ and forces a tie with Spritzee, but worth noting is that Water Pulse, bad move that it is, is still enough to uniquely overpower Lickitung.
CHINCHOU
Chinchou
WaterElectric
Spark | Bubble Beam & Thunderbolt
I know, I know… more Bubble Beam. But Chinchou operates quite differently from the rest, with primarily Electric damage and all that goes with that, of course including most Waters and Flyers. (And Chinchou is still THE best way to bully Ducklett.) More surprising are wins versus things like Spritzee, Croagunk, Skorupi, and the Alolan Ices. Chou is a tad less potent than it is in Element Cup, but still very viable if you’ve got one ready to go!
WOOPER
Wooper
WaterGround
Mud Shot | Body Slam & Return/Mud Bomb
The primary Mud Boy alternative to Barboach. The natural inclination is to run it with Mud Bomb (alongside the basically-required Body Slam), but remember this is a meta lacking Bronzor, Bomb’s primary target in “Open” Little Cup. With that gone, Return is a better option here in Remix if you can manage it, able to add on wins against Spritzee and both Barboach and Wooper (for the low cost of giving up Dratini). Even with its purified aura, many opponents likely won’t see Return coming until it’s too late!
SEEL
Seel
Water
Ice Shard/Water Gunᴸ | Aqua Tail & Icy Wind
Not quite the standout it is when Deino, Cottonee, and Vulpix are in the meta, Seel is nonetheless still a contender, particularly with its own Legacy move Water Gun, with which it trades Dratini, Ducklett, and Rowlet that Ice Shard can beat to instead wash away Wooper, Skorupi, the mirror, and Wynaut! IMO, Lick isn’t really the way to go (with no Bronzor to exploit with it this time)… it does beat Wynaut. but so does Water Gun, and Lick loses things like Vullaby and Wooper that Water Gun can take down as well. Pass.
LOTAD
Lotad
WaterGrass
Razor Leaf | Bubble Beam & Energy Ball
Yet another Razor Leaf option, and one with rare neutrality to Ice and Fire damage coming back its way, as well as DOUBLE resisting Water. In the end, that looks like this… except it’s even a tad better, as straight Razor Leaf can add on Dewpider and tie Spritzee too. The entire Lotad family is quite popular, and you can expect to see a lot of the little lilypad.
SNOVER
Snover
GrassIce
Powder Snow | Energy Ball & Stomp
Little League’s Abomasnow lacks Weather Ball, seemingly doing best here with Stomp instead. In addition to beating the Waters, Grasses, and Flyers you’d expect, Lickitung is a nice bonus. One Flyer that eludes Snover is Ducklett… but ShadShover beats it, trading in Dratini in the process.
HOPPIP
Hoppip
Grass
Bullet Seed | Seed Bomb & Grass Knot
Just to real quick give it a shout-out, as I know folks will ask, here is the last Grass that you’ll see in this article, and it’s alright, but only really in Shadow form as a more expensive Rowlet. For what it’s worth, Hoppip beats Rowlet head to head and has an easier time handling Wynaut and beating Dewpider and Shadow Stunky, while Rowlet can beat Spritzee instead.
NOSEPASS
Nosepass
Rock
Rock Throw/Spark | Rock Slide & Rock Blast
Lacking the Steel subtyping of its marvelously mustachioed evolution, Nosepass still does plenty of good in this meta. Among the good deeds that it does: crushing Bugs, smashing Ices, knocking out Flyers, putting out Fires, and smothering Poisons. I generally recommend Rock Throw, as it takes down Chunchou and most other Nosepass variants, but worth noting that Spark is better for consistent Seel wins and is obviously better versus Waters in general. Shadow is good as well, better covering Seel and adding on Dratini, though at the cost of losing Chinchou and Spritzee. Either way, this is an underrated option in Remix.
ALOLAN SANDSHREW
Sandshrew (Alola)
IceSteel
Powder Snow | Night Slash & Blizzard/Gyro Ball
So far it seems like Alolan Vulpix is getting all the good press, but for my money, it’s the other chilly Alolan, hands down. With Bronzor out of the mix, A-Shrew doesn’t have to watch over its shoulder for Fires and Grounds quite as much, so its Steel typing is much more blessing than curse, holding out well versus Poisons, Bugs, Flyers, Ices, Grasses (of course), Charm (hey there, Spritzee), and even Rocks (actually beating Nosepass as a shining example). I do generally recommend Blizzard over Gyro Ball due largely to an important win over Ducklett, but it’s worth noting that if you run Shadow A-Shrew, it’s much better with Ball, trading in the Duck to outrace Lickitung instead.
ALOLAN VULPIX
Vulpix (Alola)
Ice
Powder Snow | Weather Ball (Ice) & Dark Pulse
More celebrated than A-Shrew, which makes sense on the surface when you consider Weather Ball spam. But Dark Pulse is no substitute for the spammy Night Slash A-Shrew utilizes, and trying to force Pulse leads mostly to disappointment. You’re actually better off with the slightly more expensive but harder hitting Ice Beam instead, which provides no coverage but nonetheless brings in new win potential versus Nidoran♀, Skorupi, AND Lickitung. Beam gets my vote.
SNORUNT
Snorunt
Ice
Powder Snow | Icy Wind & Shadow Ball/Avalanche
There are cases to be made for both Icy Wind (more consistent wins over Grasses like Chikorita and Oddish) and Avalanche (closing power to finish off things like Lickitung). Honestly I don’t like the Runt as much as the preceding two Ice types, but it’s a fun option with a major closer in Shadow Ball. Somebody will wreck face with Snorunt as their Ice of choice, I’m sure of it.
NIDORAN♀
Nidoran (F)
Poison
Poison Sting | Poison Fang & Body Slam
Regular or Shadow, both are nasty with Poison Sting powering out super quick Body Slams and Poison Fangs. Shadow has a slidge edge for how it beats Lickitung, Dewpider, Ducklett, and Dratini, while non-Shadow holds up long enough to instead take down Wynaut, Alolan Vulpix, and Chinchou. Beyond that, Grasses and Bugs and Spritzee obviously want nothing to do with this poisonous femme fatale.
Ekans
Poison
EKANS is a decent little fill-in if you somehow don’t have a good Nidoran♀ (or just want to be contrarian), and while its wins still include Dewpider, Ducklett, but obviously it’s not as potent.
GRIMER
Grimer
Poison
Poison Jab | Mud Bomb & Sludge Bomb
No Poison Fang, no problem? Grimer is a potent Poison threat without needing to debuff the opponent, bombing them with Mud and Sludge that give it not just good utility versus Grasses and Spritzee, but also Fires and other Poisons as well. (Beating Tepig and Nidoran♀, for example.)
CROAGUNK
Croagunk
PoisonFighting
Poison Jab | Brick Break & Sludge Bomb
Got one with good PvP IVs, perhaps even that hatted version that frustratingly can’t be evolved? This may be your chance to use it. Lacking the Counter that makes its big bro Toxicroak so amazing, Gunkie is nonetheless a formidible foe with the Fighting damage instead shifting to charge moves with Brick Break, making this a Poison that can take out things like Nosepass, Stunky, and Lickitung too.
VENONAT
Venonat
BugPoison
Bug Bite/Confusion | Poison Fang & Signal Beam
I get the feeling Venonat is way under the radar, so allow me to put it front and center on your viewscreen. With Bug Bite, it has the advantages that come with Bugs: beating Wynaut first and foremost, but also Darks like Stunky and Vullaby (and Barboach for good measure). With Confusion, it instead slays Poisons (Nidoran, Skorupi) and overpowers things like A-Vulpix and Dewpider. With either, it spams out Poison Fang and conquers the Grasses, Bugs, and Fairies you’d expect, with the bonuses of Seel and Lickitung too. And there’s the Shadow version to consider too — best run with Bug Bite — which drops Stunky to gain Dewpider instead. Don’t overlook the ‘Nat! Lots of players do.
SHELMET
Shelmet
Bug
Infestation | Body Slam & Bug Buzz
Nobody who has played in Little League overlooks Shelmet anymore, though. And it’s easy to see why. 👀 Beats Grasses and Wynaut, yeah yeah, all expected. Beating Grounds like Wooper and Barboach, not unexpected for a Bug. Also beating Seel, Chinchou, Stunky, Lickitung, Dratini, AND Alolan Vulpix? Okay, now you have my attention! Shelmet is a super bulky little Bug, and that carries it quite a long way.
GROWLITHE
Growlithe
Fire
Ember | Body Slam & Flamethrower
If you’re not going to use Tepig but still want a Fire, Growlie is your best bet. Beyond the obvious Bugs, Ices, and Grasses, Growlithe beats Tepig head to head and also beats Lickitung and Drifloon, while Tepig instead takes down Dewpider and Skorupi. I generally don’t recommend Shadow Growlie though, as it loses things like Shelmet, Spritzee, and Nidoran♀.
LICKITUNG
Lickitung
Normal
Lick | Body Slamᴸ & Grass Knot
Not the all-powerful force it can be in Great League formats, but yes, Licki is still very strong. I’ve spent much of the article so far highlighting things that CAN beat it, but generally it overcomes Seel, Skorupi, Nosepass, Alolan Sandshrew, Spritzee, Shadow Stunky, and the notable Fires, Ghosts, and Mud Boys, among others. I don’t know that I’ve burn an Elite TM on a smol Lickitung for Little League, but if you do happen to have one with Body Slam, it’s a very safe option to roll with here.
75,000 Dust/75 Candy
I am going to try to cover these a bit more succinctly, as I have a Reddit character limit to account for AND these are obviously not thrifty picks anymore. So strap in for the final push!
DRIFLOON
Drifloon
Ghost
Hex | Icy Wind & Shadow Ball
Baby Drifblim (even the same moveset!) gets a boost in Remix thanks to the removal of Deino, but more important, thanks to the rise of Wynaut, as Loon is a premiere counter to the soon-to-be-hated little blue… thing. But outside of that, it beats Bugs and Grasses as you’d expect a Flyer to do, and Poisons as you’d expect a Ghost to do, plus Tepig and Wooper and (non-Ice Beam) Barboach that you’ll see around. So yes, bring it for Wynaut, but keep it for being… well-rounded. 🎈🙃 (Please, JRE… no more puns!)
VULLABY
Vullaby
Dark
Air Slash| Foul Play & Brave Bird
I’ve tried to avoid writing about things only achieveable with shenanigans (trading hatches from low level accounts and such), but thankfully Vullaby was a research breakthrough reward late last year, so you could get it at Level 15 and, upon trading, easily end up with one that fits under 500 CP. And yes, it’s worth the trouble. Taking out Grasses, Grounds, Ghosts (and things that deal Ghost damage, like Lickitung), prominent Poisons and Bugs, AND Wynaut… yeah, very worth it. Good luck in your search! (Note that, with no more Bronzor to worry about, Air Slash is now more preferred over Feint Attack, a change from non-Remixed Little Cup.)
NINCADA
Nincada
BugGround
Bug Bite | Night Slash & Bug Buzz
I’m including it because several Nincada fans have specifically inquired, but honestly, it’s kind of a worse Shelmet. But it still checks off important boxes like Wynaut, Nidoran, Mini Mud Boys, and Shelmet itself, and somehow outduels Chinchou and Stunky and even Nosepass. (Thanks, Ground sub-typing!) So yeah, it’s fine, and certainly viable if you like it and/or have one ready to go. Just has its limits, is all.
JANGMO-O
Jangmo-o
Dragon
Dragon Tail | Brick Break & Dragon Claw
If you’ve been wondering why you might want to bring an Ice type in this meta, then perhaps more than any other reason, this is why. Janga is shaping up to be a massive threat this time around. Hopefully you’ve been able to find one you can double move and get to 500ish CP while, like 90% of us, you slowly accumulate the candy necessary to build up an eventual Kommo-O. Ices handle it, and Spritzee of course, but beyond them you’re hard-pressed to find anything that it can’t scrap with. Drifloon, bulky Shelmet, hard-hitting Shadow Stunky, and of course the tank known as Wynaut… that’s really about it. Good luck, intrepid players!
DRATINI
Dratini
Dragon
Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Wrap?
Not as explosive as Janga, but still more than viable. It DOES manage to overcome Drifloon and sometimes Seel like Jangmo-O cannot… though conversely, Janga beats several things Dratini struggles with (Dewpider, Chikorita, Muds). The Shadow variant drops Nidoran, Nosepass, and Skorupi to pick up wins versus Barboach and Chikorita and force a tie with Dewpider, so there’s that option too., for what that’s worth.
ONIX
Onix
RockGround
Rock Throw | Sand Tomb & Rock Slideᴸ/Stone Edge/Heavy Slam
I gotta admit, Onix holds up much better in this meta than I imagined, what with Grasses and Waters rising up more than in Open Little Cup. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised, what with there also being so many Bugs, Poisons, and Flyers to squash, plus Fires, Electrics, Ices, and prominent target Spritzee (AND fellow Rock chucker Nosepass). Most any charge move works alongside Sand Tomb, but notably only Legacy Rock Slide beats A-Vulpix with shields down, and Bulbasaur in the 2v2 shielding matchup, and thus is gets my vote IF you’re able to swing that. Otherwise, the others work fine.
EEVEE
Eevee
Normal
Quick Attack | Body Slamᴸ/Last Resortᴸ
Want the ultimate showoff that also happens to be very solid in this meta? Consider Eevee. No, really! Yes yes, it requires an Elite TM (for Body Slam), unless you ALSO lack Last Resort from the original Eevolution Community Day (in which case you’ll need TWO Elite TMs!), but just look at the potential in that sim. Such wide an unpredicatble success that will drive opponents mad. Looks like a lot of fun to me!
SKORUPI
Skorupi
PoisonBug
Poison Sting | Sludge Bomb & Aqua Tail/Cross Poison
Not a huge difference, but Cross Poison is very slightly superior to the Aqua Tail that Skorupi is more known for, with Cross beating Seel and A-Vulpix, while Tail is better at taking out enemy Skorupis. (“Skorupies?” “Skorupi”, like the plural of “deer”? 🤔) The decision is a bit easier with Shadow, where Shadow with Cross Poison beats everything Shadow with Aqua Tail can, PLUS the mirror, Dewpider, Seel, and for the first time, Wynaut!
FERROSEED
Ferroseed
GrassSteel
Metal Claw | Iron Head & Flash Cannon
Say hello to what I believe is the only Grass type in the game without a single Grass move (aside from the JUST released Rotom Mow, at least). With its all-Steel moveset, Ferroseed is actually a top notch sniper of Poisons, Fairies, Bugs, other Grasses, and stuff like Drifloon and Nosepass. But its weakness to Wynaut cannot be understated. This is fun spice, but nothing more.
KLINK
Klink
Steel
Volt Switch | Discharge & Zap Cannon
This Steel, however, may be a bit more legit. Obviously Waters and Flyers detest it, but it also shocks most of the major Poisons, Bugs, Ices, Spritzee, Nosepass, and even Electric-resistant Bulbasaur! Even this humble writer has overlooked Klink in the past… don’t make my same mistake!
Meltan
Steel
And while I don’t know that I solidly recommend it, if you’ve ever wanted to use MELTAN in battle, this may be your best shot. Overall it’s a worse Klink, but it does check off a lot of notable names and will probably freeze your opponent in place for a second. I mean, how often can we sneak a freaking Mythical into Little League?
MAREEP
Mareep
Electric
Thunder Shock | Body Slam & Discharge
And finally, another surprisingly decent Electric. It helps that Mareep is armed with Body Slam for wide neutral coverage, making this an Electric that can handle stuff like Nidoran, Skorupi, Tepig, and Shadow Stunky in addition to its standard Electric role. I do NOT really recommend Shadow Mareep, however.
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. Just a couple to mention this time around (other than the obvious Wynaut that led off the whole article)….
IGGLYBUFF
Igglybuff
NormalFairy
Feint Attack | Body Slamᴸ & Shadow Ball/Wild Charge
Warning up front: the success of Wigglytuff’s ancestor revolves in large part around a Legacy move, Body Slam, which likely means an Elite TM. Igglybuff with Shadow Ball is actually sneaky good in Open Little Cup (beating up on Bronzor, for example), but here I think it’s Wild Charge you want. And yes, you can still beat Wynaut that way too. And if you’ve somehow managed to land a crazy good IV Iggly via trading or something, the sky’s the limit with potentially three new wins (Chinchou, Rowlet, Barboach).
Folks have asked me about maxed out AZURILL, but that’s a no from me, dawg.
I CALL SHENANIGANS!
And kind of the opposite end of the spectrum from high XL stuff, below are a few things that technically shouldn’t be possible in Little League, as they’re all (at the time of this writing, at least) hatch exclusives, meaning Level 20, and none fit under 500 CP at Level 20. There ARE ways to go about getting them anyway, usually involving trading with a low level (under Level 20) account that has somehow hatched them (keeping them also under Level 20), but it’s a major chore. That said, having seen even crazy stuff like Mandibuzz in Little League before myself (twice!), players… uh… find a way. Be prepared to see one or more of these at some point!
Salandit
PoisonFire
- Yeah, in case you haven’t heard, Salazzle is awesome in PvP for the 10% of players that have successfully found and built a female one. For the rest of us, there’s SALANDIT, equally awesome and able to be male, which is great! But it has to be somewhere around Level 17 or 18 to fit under 500 CP… hence, shenanigans.
Pawniard
DarkSteel
- I mean, it’s not great, but PAWNIARD is viable enough, and extremely popular. But this one has to be below even Level 15, much less 20.
Bonsly
Rock
- Uh… honestly, you can basically just copy and paste the bullet above for BONSLY too.
Munchlax
Normal
- And copy-paste a third time for MUNCHLAX? The winrate continues to dip, as does the level (we’re talking like a Level 10 Munchie now), but… well, there it is.
Tyrunt
RockDragon
- Okay, yes, you COULD catch a sub-500 CP TYRUNT during the two hours it was in the wild during Adventure Week… no shenanigans required. Many probably didn’t keep them, but if you did, it’s actually okay-ish here, yeah!
And I could cover EVEN MORE (like SHADOW SWINUB, MEDITITE, SHADOW CARVANHA, SKRELP, ALOLAN GEODUDE and more!), but I have to stop sometime, especially as we’re right up against Little Cup’s return! So I’ll end it here and let you get to prepping!
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 very much appreciate you taking the time, and sincerely hope this helps you master the Remixed Little Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time!
