The Flying Cup has returned to the Pokemon Go Battle League for July 2022, and we’ve got the best team recommendations to take you straight to victory.
While the Great League, Ultra League, and Master League are the backbone of the Pokemon Go Battle League, Niantic often runs special limited-time cups with unique rules to switch things up for trainers.
The latest cup to arrive in Season 11 of the Go Battle League is the Flying Cup, which only allows Flying-type Pokemon to enter – meaning it has one of the smallest lineups in any cup or league.
If you’re struggling to choose the best Pokemon to take into the Flying Cup, we’ve got suggestions below, as well as details on the rules, restrictions, and end date.
Contents
- Best team for the Flying Cup
- Best Pokemon for the Flying Cup
- Flying Cup rules & restrictions
- Flying Cup start & end date
Best team for the Flying Cup in Pokemon Go
One of the best teams you can use in the Flying Cup is Aerodactyl, Emolga, and Skarmory, as these are three of the strongest eligible Pokemon that will give you coverage against most opponents.
With this specific cup, it’s more important than ever to take dual-type Pokemon into consideration, as they’ll often have the advantage of a second typing that can give you the edge you need in battle.
Below, you’ll find more details about some of the best Pokemon to use in the Flying Cup.
Best Pokemon for the Flying Cup in Pokemon Go
Aerodactyl
- Fast Move: Rock Throw
- Charged Moves: Rock Slide and Ancient Power
- Resistances: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ground, Normal, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Water
Aerodactly has never been a PvP standout, but it’s actually one of the top recommendations for the Flying Cup, especially as it has access to strong Rock-type moves that can target most of the Flying and Electric-type Pokemon in this cup.
Make sure you have Rock Throw as Aerodactyl’s Fast Move, as it’s the only one that benefits from STAB. When it comes to Charged Moves, you only really need Rock Slide, but Ancient Power is a good secondary option if you want it.
Emolga
- Fast Move: Thunder Shock
- Charged Moves: Discharge and Thunderbolt
- Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Flying, Grass, Ground, and Steel
- Weaknesses: Rock and Ice
Emolga is another Pokemon that becomes an unexpected PvP star in the Flying Cup, where having quick access to solid Electric-type moves and only two vulnerabilities (Rock and Ice) gives it a real chance to shine.
Thunder Shock is pretty much essential, as it has the best energy generation and STAB damage, while Discharge and Thunderbolt are both great Electric-type Charged Moves – one cheaper and the other more powerful.
Skarmory
- Fast Move: Steel Wing
- Charged Moves: Brave Bird and Sky Attack
- Resistances: Ground, Dragon, Psychic, Normal, Steel, Flying, Fairy, Grass, Bug, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Fire and Electric
Skarmory has proven itself to be a huge threat in the Great League, so it’s no surprise to see it rise to the top ranks here in the Flying Cup, where it can take down most non-Electric-type Pokemon such as Togekiss, Aerodactyl, and Altaria.
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We’d usually recommend Air Slash as a Fast Move for Skarmory, but Steel Wing finds a niche in the Flying Cup. When it comes to Charged Moves, Sky Attack is great for low cost STAB damage, while Brave Bird is an incredibly powerful backup.
Altaria
- Fast Move: Dragon Breath
- Charged Moves: Sky Attack and Moonblast
- Resistances: Fighting, Water, Bug, Fire, Grass, and Ground
- Weaknesses: Ice, Fairy, Dragon, and Rock
Altaria is one of the most expensive and time-consuming Pokemon to evolve, costing a huge 400 Candy, but once you’ve got one it’s very versatile – as well as being a standout in the Great League, it transfers well to the Flying Cup.
Dragon Breath is one of the best Fast Moves in Pokemon Go full stop, so make sure Altaria has it. Then, go with Sky Attack for a fast and powerful Charged Move, and if you can afford a second option, Moonblast offers extra coverage.
Mantine
- Fast Move: Bubble
- Charged Moves: Bubble Beam and Ice Beam
- Resistances: Bug, Fire, Fighting, Ground, Steel, and Water
- Weaknesses: Electric and Rock
A more interesting pick for the Flying Cup is Mantine. As long as you watch out for its double weakness to Electric-type attacks, this Water/Flying-type creature can be a brilliant asset capable of taking down big names like Togekiss, Altaria, and Aerodactyl.
Go with Bubble as a Fast Move and Bubble Beam as your primary Charged Move for a brilliant STAB duo, with the latter lowering your opponent’s Attack stat. Then, add Ice Beam as a secondary Charged Move for taking down Flying-types.
Mandibuzz
- Fast Move: Snarl
- Charged Moves: Foul Play and Shadow Ball
- Resistances: Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ground, and Psychic
- Weaknesses: Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock
A slightly unexpected choice that might catch your opponents off guard in the Flying Cup is Mandibuzz. The Dark/Flying-type vulture has a lot of bulk and potential wins over the likes of Skarmory, Aerodactyl, and Gligar.
Snarl is the recommended Fast Move for Mandibuzz, as it has high energy generation which gives it quick access to its Charged Moves: Foul Play for baiting shields and Shadow Ball for dishing out some huge damage.
Pokemon Go Flying Cup rules & restrictions
As the name suggests, the main rule of the Flying Cup is that only Flying-type Pokemon are eligible. There’s also a max 1,500 CP limit for any Pokemon you want to enter.
Pokemon Go Flying Cup start & end date
The Flying Cup will appear in the Pokemon Go Battle League from Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 9PM BST until Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at 1PM PT.
It will run alongside the traditional Great League – and you can see our best team recommendations for the Great League here.
Good luck with the Flying Cup! While you’re here, check out some of our other Pokemon Go guides below:
Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Type chart | How to catch Ditto | Best Eeveelutions | Field research rewards and tasks | Promo Codes | How to get Pinap Berries | Spotlight Hour schedule | Current Raid bosses
