Best Pokémon for the Little Jungle Cup

The Little Jungle Cup has started in Pokemon Go with some very specific criteria. So what’s the best team to take into battle?

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Trainers last got to play in the Little Jungle Cup at the end of 2021 when new Pokémon Zarude and the Secrets of the Jungle movie were released. Now, the Little Jungle Cup is back thanks to the Season of Alola and, more specifically, its Lush Jungle event, celebrating the debuts of Fomantis and Lurantis in Pokémon GO.

Pokémon Go Little Jungle Cup Requirements

The most crucial, and challenging, requirement of the Little Jungle Cup is that Pokémon are restricted to a maximum CP of just 500! This is the same as the Little Jungle Cup’s big sister League, the Little Cup, so if you participated in that, you should already be familiar with this tiny CP limit. What this means is that, even if you have some of the recommended Pokémon below, you need to double check they haven’t got a CP higher than 500 already or you won’t be allowed to take them into battle.

If you do have some Pokémon lined up, or are gathering some of those below, that are under the 500 CP limit, you can also make use of a great game mechanic, and make sure they’re as powered up as they can be. If you go to power up a Pokémon in-game, you will be told before you commit what the new CP of that Pokémon will be. So make sure to double check, and power your team up as close to 500 as possible.

With the CP being so low in the Little Jungle Cup, it means you don’t have to worry too much about charged moves, as they’re less likely to get used. The other main requirement of the Little Jungle Cup, which makes it different from the Little Cup, is types. Therefore, you’re going to want to make sure you go in with a team with well-rounded Fast Moves, taking strengths and weaknesses into consideration.

The types allowed into the Little Jungle Cup are Normal, Grass, Electric, Poison, Ground, Flying, Bug and Dark. A Pokémon will be allowed on your team if it is a dual-type Pokémon, and one of its types is in the aforementioned list. This is going to be key to our choices below. So what are the best Pokémon to take into the Little Jungle Cup?

Best Pokémon for the Little Jungle Cup – 2022

Cottonee – Grass/Fairy

Cottonee is going to be the biggest player in the Little Jungle Cup. Cottonee’s Fairy type means it will not only be resistant to any Dark types you encounter (as well as Fire types, which we’ll get to shortly), but has very few weaknesses. Take a good Cottonee out with Charm as its Fast Move, and your opponent is unlikely to get many hits against you at all. To round out your Cottonee, you’ll want a decent Grass-type Charged move, so either Grass Knot or Seed Bomb (or both) will do a good job. What’s more, Cottonee is one of the stars of the Lush Jungle event, so you can really show off if you have managed to find yourself a new shiny Cottonee.

If you’ve got a small enough Cottonee, you may even be able to go into battle with its evolved form Whimsicott instead. However, Whimsicott doesn’t actually perform as well against the opponents you’re likely to see in the Little Jungle Cup, so you’re probably best to just leave it as Cottonee.

Wigglytuff – Normal/Fairy

Wigglytuff works in much the same way as Cottonee, with its Fairy typing providing good defence. However, you might find it harder to find one small enough to keep below the 500CP limit and still hit hard. Though Wiggly is a Normal type in contrast to Cottonee’s Grass so has slightly fewer weaknesses, it’s by no means as good as Cottonee, so might just be worth considering as a filler if you haven’t got a small enough Cottonee. Take it into battle with Charm as its Fast Move, but you can actually use Ice Beam as a Charged Move, here, giving Wiggly advantage over the Flying, Ground and Grass types you’ll encounter – provided you get as far as using it.

Galarian Stunfisk – Ground/Steel

Galarian Stunfisk is another big hitter in the Little Jungle Cup, its Steel typing making it resistant to most types in the Cup, including those pesky Cottonee. So you can either decide to take it in with you as well, or consider what you might want to use to counter your opponent’s ‘Fisk. If you do take this sturdy Ground and Steel type into battle, utilise its Ground-type moves Mud Shot and Earthquake to make it a significant contender.

Litleo – Normal/Fire

Now we’re going to want to start thinking about counters for the previous guys because, well, most people will be using them. Fire types are going to provide a great counter to Cottonee due to its Grass typing, and fire is also going to be super-effective against Bug and Steel types as well. Be careful, though, because while Fire types are effective against Steel, Galarian Stunfisk’s Ground and possible water moves will make it super-effective in return.

If you can find a small enough Litleo, or even a small enough Pyroar, take it in with all fire-type moves, and be sure to save your shields in case you do come up against a Galarian Stunfisk.

Talonflame  – Flying/Fire

Another great Fire type to take into the Little Jungle Cup is Talonflame, again provided you can find one with a low enough CP. Talonflame’s Flying typing will make it both resistant and effective against any Bug and Grass types you encounter, whilst still having the Fire-type advantages as well.

Bulbasaur – Grass/Poison

Poison moves are also going to be good to take into consideration here due to their effectiveness against both Grass and Fairy types. Therefore, Bulbasaur could be a good filler Pokémon. Bulbasaur might not stand up for too long, but it can get a good few hits in while it’s there, and Vine Whip is a fairly decent Fast Move to be able to charge up Sludge Bomb. Maybe save it for when your opponent has used up their shields, and also consider a secondary Charged Move so you can take Seed Bomb or Power Whip in as well.

Ducklett – Water/Flying

Finally, it’s definitely worth getting Water in your team. Though we have got Galarian Stunfisk with Muddy Water, Ducklett might also be another consideration for a Water type, allowed in due to being a Flying type as well. Water Gun is therefore a fantastic Fast Move to take in to counter Galarian Stunfisk’s Ground typing, as well as any Fire types you might come up against. Remember Flying types are resistant to Bug and Grass as well, so Ducklett has strong defence here. Any of Ducklett’s Water or Flying Charged Attacks are worth using, but Brave Bird and Aerial Ace provide a great back-up to Water Gun to give you effectiveness against more opponents.

Little Jungle Cup – Dark types

It’s probably best not to bother too much with any Dark types given their weakness to Cottonee. Their only strengths are against Ghost and Psychic, both types which are restricted in this cup so less likely to appear in your opponent’s team. If you really want to take a Dark type into the Little Jungle Cup, Scrafty is the best way to go. You’re unlikely to have one small enough, though, as it’s fairly rare in the wild. If you do, give it a shot with Counter and Foul Play.

Little Jungle Cup – Other team players

Of course there are plenty of other options along these same lines if you don’t have any of these in your arsenal. Small Charmanders can work in a similar way to Litleo or Talonflame. You could also consider other Water types such as Chinchou and Barboach. Remember Water is restricted in this Cup, so these two have secondary types Electric and Ground, respectively, that are permitted entry.

Pokémon Go Battle League – Secondary Charged Move

Though you won’t get the chance to use many Charged Moves in the Little Jungle Cup, it’s still something to think about. It’s always worth giving your Battle League Pokémon an extra Charged Move since most opponents you come up against probably will have too. The bonus of the second Charged Move is that you can truly utilize your type advantages and build Pokémon that are ready to take on any opponent.