The Hoenn Cup is a fresh challenge for the Pokemon Go Battle League, so we’ve got the best team recommendations to give you a headstart on the path to victory.
To celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited Pokemon Go Tour Hoenn event, a brand new challenge called the Hoenn Cup is making its debut in the Pokemon Go Battle League, following in the footsteps of the Kanto Cup and the Johto Cup before it.
As you might have guessed, only Pokemon that first appeared in the Hoenn region are eligible to take part in the Hoenn Cup, which really narrows down your options. To help you out, we’ve put together our best team recommendations below.
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Best team for the Hoenn Cup in Pokemon Go
One of the best teams you can use in the Hoenn Cup is Registeel, Medicham, and Swampert.
These are three of the strongest eligible Pokemon you can use within the Hoenn Cup’s restrictions, and they should provide you with a good range of coverage for most of the opponents that you’ll face.
As always, it’s impossible to say what a true ‘best team’ looks like as it really depends on the Pokemon your opponent sends out. For example, Registeel will always be vulnerable against a strong Walrein.
Having said that, there are some Pokemon that should perform well in most scenarios. We’ve highlighted five of the best Pokemon for the Hoenn Cup below, alongside their best movesets and weaknesses.
Best Pokemon for the Hoenn Cup
Registeel
- Fast Move: Lock-On
- Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon
- Resistances: Dragon, Ice, Psychic, Normal, Grass, Bug, Steel, Rock, Flying, Fairy, and Poison
- Weaknesses: Fire, Ground, and Fighting
A quick look at PvPoke will tell you that Registeel is the one to watch in the Hoenn Cup, meaning you’ll want one of these Steel-type Legendaries on your team – but also something to counter it. If you don’t have a Registeel yet, check out these promo codes to get a free encounter.
Registeel’s best Fast Move is Lock-On, with quick enough energy gains to be able to access its brilliant Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon. While none of these moves have STAB, they’re powerful enough to take on most opponents even without that damage boost.
Medicham (XL)
- Fast Move: Counter
- Charged Move: Power-Up Punch and Ice Punch
- Resistances: Fighting and Rock
- Weaknesses: Fairy, Flying, and Ghost
Medicham is one of the few Pokemon that needs XL Candy to become viable in cups with a 1500 CP limit, but it’s definitely worth investing in as Medicham has usability across multiple areas of the Go Battle League like the Love Cup, the Great League, and right here in the Hoenn Cup.
Counter is one of the top Fast Moves in Pokemon Go with a good mix of damage output and energy generation, so it’s important to have this in Medicham’s arsenal. Pair this with the Charged Moves Power-Up Punch and Ice Punch and you’ve got a brilliant moveset with plenty of coverage.
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Swampert
- Fast Move: Mud Shot
- Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Earthquake
- Resistances: Electric, Steel, Rock, Poison, and Fire
- Weaknesses: Grass
Swampert has always been a brilliant choice for the Great League, so it’s not too surprising to see it make an appearance in the top ranks of the Hoenn Cup. With only one weakness (Grass) and key wins over the two big Legendaries – Regirock and Registeel – it’s a great option for your team.
Mud Shot is the optimal Fast Move here, but where Swampert really excels is when it has access to Hydro Cannon, a deadly Community Day Charged Move that can be easily charged and spammed. Earthquake is a good second choice for massive STAB damage.
Regirock
- Fast Move: Lock On
- Charged Moves: Stone Edge and Focus Blast
- Resistances: Normal, Poison, Flying, and Fire
- Weaknesses: Steel, Ground, Fighting, Water, and Grass
Registeel might have taken the top spot in the Hoenn Cup, but its Legendary titan sibling Regirock isn’t far behind. With key wins over big hitters like Altaria, Sableye, Pelipper, and Gardevoir, it’s a force to be reckoned with – and just like Registeel, you can get one for free with these promo codes.
Lock On is Registeel’s best Fast Move for quick energy generation, so make sure you have it. As for Charged Moves, Stone Edge has a reasonable energy cost with decent STAB damage, while Focus Blast is your go-to option for dishing out some huge Fighting-type damage.
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 time-consuming evolutions in Pokemon Go. It costs a whopping 400 Candy and its pre-evolution, Swablu, isn’t exactly a common spawn. But if you’re lucky enough to have one under 1500 CP, you should definitely consider giving it a spot on your Hoenn Cup team.
When it comes to Altaria’s moveset, you’ll want Dragon Breath as a Fast Move for its big damage potential, followed up with Sky Attack as a low-cost shield baiting Charged Move and the Community Day-exclusive Moonblast to give yourself coverage against Dark-types and Dragon-types.
Pokemon Go Hoenn Cup rules & restrictions
The main rule of the Hoenn Cup is that only Pokemon originally discovered in the Hoenn region are allowed to take part. This means any Pokemon numbered between #252 to #386 in the Pokedex.
This cup uses the Great League format, so any Pokemon you want to feature on your team will also need to be below the 1500 CP limit.
Pokemon Go Hoenn Cup start & end date
The Hoenn Cup begins on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 9PM GMT and ends on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
It will run alongside the Master League: Mega Edition which is one of the only times you’ll be allowed to use Mega-Evolved Pokemon in the Go Battle League.
