Little Cup, Big World: A Guide to Little Cup
IntroductionLittle Cup was spawned in Pokémon Stadium 2. The idea was that you bred to achieve the perfect baby Pokémon to battle. It was later reintroduced for Advance, and now Little Cup is back for the 4th Generation. The metagame is generally faster-paced than the standard OU metagame, which results in a speed-centered environment where Pokémon rely on their resistances and immunities to counter the opponent's team and from there, execute their own team's strategy. Rules
Item ClauseIn the earlier stages of Little Cup, it was thought necessary that Item Clause should be in effect, the main reason being the propensity of players to put the item Focus Sash on multiple Pokémon and allow the Pokémon to survive what should be an OHKO and perhaps kill its counter. Since then, there has been a shift of thinking and Item Clause is widely thought to be unneeded. One of the main reasons for this is the prominence of Stealth Rock, which when laid early will nullify Focus Sash unless it is removed by Rapid Spin. Furthermore, D/P brought Little Cup two new auto-weather inducers in the forms of Snover and Hippopotas, so a Focus Sash user will die at the end of the turn should it use its item and take damage from hail or the sandstorm. Finally, the addition of Life Orb means that the typical Focus Sash users, frail but fast Pokémon, are forced to give up the extra damage output afforded by Life Orb over the ability to potentially survive a hit that would normally kill it. Banned Pokémon
DeepSeaToothClamperl is not banned, but the DeepSeaTooth item is. DeepSeaTooth can give Clamperl up to 36 Special Attack, more than a Modest Choice Specs Abra, whilst still retaining freedom to switch attacks. Surf, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric or Hidden Power Grass provide good coverage, and not even Munchlax, the Pokémon widely considered to be the best Special wall in Little Cup, can switch in on Surf, being 2HKOed, even taking Oran Berry into account. Its low Speed is a problem but if it is Baton Passed an Agility then it will be incredibly dominant over an opponent's team. Without DeepSeaTooth, however, Clamperl is much more manageable. Eligible PokémonRBY Pokémon
GSC Pokémon
RSE Pokémon
D/P Pokémon
Move LegalitySince Little Cup is played with Level 5 Pokémon there can be discrepancies with Level 100 play in the OU metagame with regards to what moves certain Pokémon can or cannot learn at that level. It is important to check whether or not certain Pokémon can legitimately learn the move(s) at Level 5 since it is forbidden to use moves that cannot be learnt by the Pokémon by said level. This section will guide you through the ways in which certain moves and move combinations are illegal. Note that impossible breeding combinations such as Hypnosis + Nasty Plot Zubat are already assumed illegal. Genderless PokémonGenderless Pokémon lack the ability to breed unless it is with a Ditto. Thus, they do not have egg moves and lack the ability to pass on level-up moves to their offspring. As a consequence, genderless Pokémon in Little Cup cannot have any level-up move that is learned beyond Level 5. Take for example a Porygon. Its staple move is Tri Attack. However, it learns it at a higher level than 5 and is genderless. Thus, Tri Attack Porygon is illegal at Level 5. Bronzor is in the same boat: its evolution, Bronzong is often seen with Hypnosis, which Bronzor learns at Level 7 and thus is illegal in Little Cup. D/P Introduced MovesBoth egg and level-up moves that were introduced in the fourth generation and are learned after Level 5 are illegal together with third generation Move Tutor moves. For example, Body Slam + Fire Fang Houndour is illegal, since Fire Fang is learned after level 5, and is thus not compatible with Body Slam, a 3rd generation move tutor attack. Third Generation Move Tutor / Other Game Special MovesThese moves are illegal together with any move introduced in D/P that is an egg move or is learned after Level 5. An example of this would be Body Slam (third generation tutor move) + Cross Chop (egg move) Elekid. They are also illegal with any new ability introduced in D/P, since the ability change only occurs during evolution. For example, Pickup Meowth with Double-edge is legal, but Technician Double-edge Meowth is not. Little Cup Pokémon that can use a move that comes from Pokémon XD and are caught in that game at a level higher than 5 are illegal with that move. In the event they are able to use it, it will be illegal together with any egg or level-up move. Special moves from Pokémon Box eggs are illegal with any level-up or egg move, as they come from a pre-made egg that hatches at Level 5. This is the reason why Belly Drum + ExtremeSpeed Zigzagoon is illegal; as ExtremeSpeed comes from an egg from Pokémon Box, and it hatches at Level 5. For Belly Drum to be available to that Zigzagoon, it would be needed for two Linoone with Belly Drum to breed, but that egg cannot hatch with ExtremeSpeed. Event MovesEvent moves are illegal together with any Egg Move or Level-up move learned after Level 5. If said event took place in D/P, they are also illegal with any 3rd generation move. EV Distribution in Little CupLittle Cup is a metagame that is played at Level 5. As such, the stats are calculated in a different way. To be efficient with EVs and not miss out on free stat points, Pokémon at Level 5 need a type of EV spreads different from Level 100 Pokemon. This guide will attempt to explain how to achieve the maximum potential of the 510 EV points you have at your disposal. At Level 100 each 4 EVs give a single stat point for every Pokemon and every stat, but because Little Cup is played at Level 5 this in not the case. Depending on the number that the base stat for that Pokemon finishes in, your investment for a single point may be as high as 76, or a low as 4. Once you have boosted that stat by a single point each successive point requires an extra 80 EVs. The necessary investment for extra points is as follows: Number the base stat ends in - First extra point/Second extra point/Third extra point/Fourth extra point (if applicable).
Instead of using this table and looking up each Pokemon's stats you can download This Program which gives you a readout of EVs requited for extra points, along with several other useful features. It is highly recommended that if you intend to make Little Cup teams you download this program; it will save you time. One thing to remember is that simply maxing out two stats is often a waste in Little Cup. After investing heavily in two stats you can often get free points in others, for example a Totodile with 252 Atk / 252 Spe would have 21/16/12/9/11/15, while a player who made a more careful spread of 236 Atk / 12 Def / 252 would end up with 21/16/13/9/11/15. The extra defene point may not look like much, but it means that Totodile will take Physical hits 8% better. A more extreme example is Drifloon. It could use a basic 252 SpA / 252 Spe spread,; however, if you look at its stats in more detail you can make the following spread: 36 HP / 36 Atk / 4 Def / 196 SpA / 4 SpD / 36 Spe. That may seem complicated, but on a Hasty Explosion Drifloon, look at the difference:
The second spread gives significantly better defenses on both sides, and an extra Attack point for Explosion. So if you want to max out two stats, don't put 252 in both (unless both end in three). Just use as many EVs as are needed to reach its maximum, and then look for other stats that you have enough spare EVs to get an extra point in. Special CasesOften when using Hidden Power you will lower your IVs, to compensate for this you will need to add an extra 4 Evs for each IV you drop in order to reach the same stat (assuming you are investing in that stat, if you are not the IV drop will rarely affect your stats). Nature boosts are applied after EVs, so the table remains the same. However if you are trying to reach 10 in a stat and have a negative nature you will need 76 EVs more than normal, similarly going to 10 or 20 with a positive nature grants two extra points rather than one. Stat FormulaIf you like to do things by hand, then there are equations in which you can find the stat of any Level 5 Pokemon: For HP(((2 x Base + IV + (EV / 4)) x 5 / 100 + 10) If the stat is not HP:(((2 x Base + IV + (EV / 4)) x 5 / 100 + 5) x Nature)
Round down the answer to the nearest whole number, and if the stat is HP simply add 10 points to the end result. Some fun facts about stats at Lv. 5:76 EVs = 1 Stat point 1 Base stat Point = 8 EVs 1 IV = 4 EVs StandardsThis is quick sample of common Pokemon and their likely movesets. It is important to remember that this list is not exhaustive; you will likely encounter Pokemon not listed here. Therefore, it is recommended that you read the full list of eligible Pokemon. Notable WallsBronzor @ Oran Berry / Shed Shell Levitate 220 HP / 48 Atk / 68 Def / 148 SpD IVs: 0 Spe Relaxed nature ~ Stealth Rock ~ Gyro Ball ~ Earthquake ~ Reflect / Light Screen Bronzor is the most prominent defensive Pokemon in Little Cup thanks to its wide array of resistances coupled with two further immunities. This allows it to take on powerful threats on both sides of the spectrum, such as Teddiursa, Gligar, Larvitar, and Abra. Bronzor plays in a similar fashion to Bronzong in the OU metagame, being an equally reliable Stealth Rock user as its evolution. Hypnosis is absent as Bronzor is genderless and it thus cannot learn it at Level 5. In its place, either Reflect or Light Screen can be used for team support. Shed Shell is a viable option on Bronzor, as Magnet Rise allows Magnemite to beat it one on one. Using Flash Cannon or Psychic as an alternate STAB on Bronzor would also be acceptable. Chinchou @ Oran Berry / Shed Shell Volt Absorb 156 HP / 52 Def / 228 SpD / 60 Spe Calm nature ~ Surf ~ Thunderbolt ~ Thunderwave ~ Confuse Ray Although Chinchou's 75 HP / 38 Def / 56 SpD defensive stats may seem lacking, its resistances certainly are not; Chinchou enjoys resistances to Water, Ice and Fire as well as healing 25% should an Electric attack be directed at it. These are common attack types used by special attackers which makes Chinchou worthy of a slot in your team should you want extra protection from the likes of Porygon, Houndour, Staryu, and others. Surf and Thunderbolt takes advantage of Chinchou's unique dual-STAB to provide good type coverage (as such, an Agility sweeper set is very viable) and in addition, Chinchou can make use of Parafusion to slow your opponent's momentum. Chinchou is very vulnerable to Diglett and so again, Shed Shell is an option. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Chinchou is the fact that many Water and Fire types carry Hidden Power Grass. Gligar @ Oran Berry Sand Veil 236 HP / 236 Def Impish nature ~ Earthquake ~ Roost ~ Stealth Rock ~ Stone Edge / Taunt Gligar makes an almost impervious physical wall with 105 base Defense and access to Roost. Consequently, Gligar is one of the best users of Stealth Rock as well as being a great switch into Fighting-type attacks but must be wary of Ice Punch, which both Mankey and Machop have access to. Despite this, it is one of the best switches into Cranidos, Larvitar, Rhyhorn, and Croagunk. Munchlax @ Oran Berry / Leftovers / Chesto Berry Thick Fat 76 HP / 156 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD Careful / Sassy nature ~ Return ~ Earthquake / Seed Bomb ~ Pursuit ~ Fire Punch/ Protect / Fire Blast / Rest Munchlax is a top tier Little Cup pokemon, being both an offensive juggernaut as well as an effective special wall. Munchlax's massive 135 base HP and 85 base Special Defense turns it into a one-stop counter for all but the most powerful special attackers with Thick Fat only serving to further emphasize its credentials. On the offensive side of things, Munchlax's Return from 85 base Attack is one of the most powerful physical moves around and in combination with Earthquake, a fire-type attack of choice and Pursuit for Gastly and Misdreavus, Munchlax achieves perfect coverage. With regards to item choice, Munchlax's massive HP means that an Oran Berry heals around 30% of maximum HP and so the option of Rest and Chesto Berry is very viable. Leftovers restores 2 HP on Munchlax, making it a viable option when compared with other Little Cup Pokemon. If one can stall out five turns with Munchlax (not a difficult task against most Special Sweepers when using Protect), then it will achieve the same healing as an Oran Berry. Rest isn't as effective as it once was. With the rise of Substitute Shadow Sneak Misdreavus it can rarely find the turns it needs to use Rest. Hippopotas @ Oran Berry Sand Stream 212 HP / 20 Atk / 212 Def / 20 SpD / 20 Spe Impish nature ~ Stealth Rock ~ Earthquake ~ Rock Slide ~ Slack Off / Yawn Hippopotas is one of the elite band of Pokemon in the metagame that can set up Stealth Rock reliably and is also one of two physical walls -- the other being Gligar -- that has access to a reliable recovery move. With these EVs, Hippopotas generates 26 HP and 18 Defense which combined with its Ground typing allows it to be an effective counter to Cranidos, Larvitar, and Rhyhorn amongst others. Despite this, Hippopotas's premier attraction is its Sand Stream trait, which makes it essential for sandstorm-based teams. Common SweepersDratini @ Life Orb Shed Skin 84 Atk / 196 SpA / 196 Spe IVs: 0 HP Rash nature ~ Dragon Dance ~ Outrage ~ Fire Blast ~ Draco Meteor The Mixed-Dancer Dratini is one of the most potentially destructive sweepers in the metagame. After one Dragon Dance, Dratini will reach the magical 21 Speed mark which allows it to outpace all Pokemon without a Speed Boost (with the exception of the banned Sneasel and Scyther). A +1 Life Orbed Outrage will tear through anything without a gargantuan Defense stat that isn't of the Steel type, and most Pokemon that can withstand Outrage will get roasted by Draco Meteor. For example, Gligar (with Max HP / Max Def+) which takes around 70% on average from a boosted Outrage, has a chance of being OHKOed by Draco Meteor and is OHKOed on average with Stealth Rock down. Fire Blast is almost the perfect move to round off the set, being another high base power move and completing the Dragon/Fire attacking combination which is unresisted. The most common Steel type, Bronzor, takes around 90% damage from Fire Blast. Shieldon (particularly in the sand) is the only Pokemon that can reliably take on and beat Dratini, although smart playing to lure out Outrage or Draco Meteor will help immensely when trying to stop it. You can use Waterfall to deal a lot of damage Shieldon because of its Rock-typing. However, do not be intimidated by Dratini; it is relatively slow before a Dragon Dance at 14 Speed, so you can usually hit it hard before it sets up. It is also quite easily revenge killed with any moderately fast Pokemon with Choice Scarf and is weak to Ice Shard. Note: The 0 HP IV is to lower its HP stat to 19, meaning that Life Orb recoil is 1 HP or approximately 5% instead of taking twice that amount. Gligar @ Oran Berry / Yache Berry Sand Veil 236 Atk / 236 Spe Jolly nature ~ Swords Dance ~ Earthquake ~ Stone Edge / Aqua Tail ~ Quick Attack / Brick Break / Baton Pass Gligar can also function as a semi-bulky Swords Dancer and a very good one at that. Its defenses, typing, and Oran Berry mean that a Swords Dance, or even two, is not hard to come by, after which it can hit very hard, OHKOing common Pokemon like Munchlax with Earthquake and dealing upwards of 80% damage to even Hippopotas, a physical wall. All this comes off the back of a Speed stat of 19, which places it in the second highest bracket of unboosted speeds. Stone Edge hits Flying-types, but Aqua Tail has the bonus of OHKOing outright opposing Gligar and Hippopotas after a Swords Dance With regards to the last slot, Quick Attack is useful for preventing revenge-kills whilst Brick Break is Gligar's best chance of beating Bronzor (it will nullify Reflect). Baton Pass can be used to bail out if Gligar faces a Pokemon it cannot beat with Buizel in particular making a good recipient of Swords Dance due to its complementary typing and access to priority attacks. Gligar @ Life Orb Sand Veil 156 HP / 236 Atk / 76 Spe Adamant nature ~ Agility ~ Earthquake ~ Stone Edge / Aqua Tail ~ Brick Break / Roost / Baton Pass Agility Gligar functions more as a cleaner rather than a brute attacker like the Swords Dancer. Before an Agility, Gligar has a respectable 16 Speed which in the space of one turn doubles into 32 Speed, at which point you outspeed all Pokemon, even with Choice Scarf. Even without Swords Dance, a STAB Life Orbed Earthquake from 18 Attack is not to be underestimated; the same Hippopotas mentioned in the Swords Dance set comments takes over 60% on average from Earthquake, and the same Munchlax takes 87% on average. Stone Edge or Aqua Tail again supplements Earthquake's coverage. In the last slot, Roost can help to preserve Gligar, taking advantage of the more defensive EV spread and recovering off Life Orb recoil. Gligar can also make a potent Agility-passer with Baton Pass an ever credible option. This set has more troubles with traditional Gligar counters such as Bronzor and bulky Grass- and Water-types but also punishes opponents who rely on revenge killers such as Elekid or Choice Scarfers to beat Gligar. Misdreavus @ Oran Berry / Salac Berry / Life Orb Levitate 240 SpA / 240 Spe Timid nature ~ Calm Mind ~ Shadow Ball ~ Hidden Power Fighting / Thunderbolt ~ Destiny Bond / Substitute Misdreavus is a top-tier Little Cup Pokemon. Its three immunities - all of which are common types - allow it to come in often unscathed and its 19 Speed stat means it will more often that not attack first. Misdreavus is most commonly seen as Calm Mind user and with just two attacks, it can gain complete type coverage. Its STAB Shadow Ball will hit hard after a Calm Mind, and Thunderbolt hits Mantyke and other Waters whilst Hidden Power Fighting helps it beat Munchlax rather easily. Despite Misdreavus's offensive nature, Oran Berry is a good item choice for it as after a Calm Mind, Misdreavus will have 22 HP / 22 SpDef defenses and can function as a special wall of sorts. Salac Berry, on the other hand, works well with Substitute and allows Misdreavus to outspeed most Scarfers after a boost. Misdreavus @ Oran Berry / Life Orb Levitate 240 SpA / 240 Spe Hasty nature ~ Shadow Ball ~ Hidden Power Fighting ~ Substitute ~ Shadow Sneak Misdreavus can also make use of a Sub-abusing set. With a Substitute up, Misdreavus is extremely difficult to take down, due to its high number of immunities and ability to stall out Sucker Punch. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting let it hit everything neutral, while Shadow Sneak allows it to effectively finish off sashed Pokemon as well as scarfed Pokemon that have the audacity to try and scape by with two or three HP left after Shadow Ball. Because Munchlax and Elekid both fail to defeat this set one-on-one, it is considered one of the most effective in the game. Croagunk @ Life Orb / Focus Sash Dry Skin 188 Atk / 108 SpA / 196 Spe Rash ~ Nasty Plot ~ Vacuum Wave ~ Ice Punch/Dark Pulse ~ Sucker Punch / Hidden Power Psychic Croagunk has the right stat values in the right areas, allowing it to effectively make use of the majority of its EVs, making it an excellent mixed attacker. Croagunk’s access to Priority is also impressive, allowing it to ignore its subpar Speed in many circumstances. With Platinum, it gained access to Ice Punch, allowing it to deal with Gligar switch-ins quite handily as well as a variety of other threats. Hidden Power Psychic gives it the ability to hit other Croagunk as well as Gastly hard. Croagunk @ Life Orb / Focus Sash Dry Skin 188 Atk / 108 SpA / 196 Spe Rash ~ Fake Out / Cross Chop ~ Vacuum Wave ~ Bullet Punch / Cross Chop ~ Sucker Punch Croagunk can also effectively abuse priority with its large movepool and good stats. Even without Nasty Plot, Vacuum Wave can tear holes in an unprepared team. Sucker Punch takes offensive Ghosts down without a problem, while Bullet Punch lets Croagunk deal with Ghosts who try to set up. If you fear Munchlax, Cross Chop lets Croagunk net an easy KO. Croagunk @ Life Orb Dry Skin 52 HP / 188 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SDef / 196 Spe Adamant ~ Cross Chop ~ Earthquake ~ Bullet Punch / Sucker Punch / Fake Out ~ Ice Punch Of course, Croagunk can also take advantage of its excellent physical movepool to deal with a different array of threats. Cross Chop hits extremely hard, dealing with a variety of Pokemon and providing fantastic coverage. Earthquake easily dispatches other Croagunk, as well as the numerous Pokemon weak to Ground. For Croagunk’s choice of priority, Bullet Punch can be used for reliability, Sucker Punch for Ghosts, and Fake Out for free damage, while Ice Punch OHKOs Gligar switch-ins. This set is particularly effective due to the fact that many Croagunk do not carry Cross Chop and are subsequently walled by Munchlax, while this one can safely KO it. Houndour @ Life Orb / Shed Shell Flash Fire 200 SpA / 40 SpD / 244 Spe Timid nature ~ Nasty Plot / Sucker Punch / Substitute ~ Fire Blast / Flamethrower ~ Dark Pulse ~ Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fighting Houndour serves as a very powerful Sweeper or revenge killer, easily dealing with many threats. STAB Fire Blast hits even Pokemon that resist it, such as Chinchou (around 30%), and OHKOs a good number of Pokemon that don't. Nasty Plot allows Houndour a Special Attack boost, letting it tear through anything slower that lacks priority. Dark Pulse complements Fire Blast well, hitting a good number of threats hard. HP Ground OHKOs Croagunk switch-ins and when paired with Sash is a nasty surprise. Sucker Punch lets Houndour get the jump on Gastly, while Pursuit lets it beat a fleeing one. Alternatively, Substitute allows Houndour to beat most of its checks safely, save for Specially Defensive Munchlax. Houndour @ Life Orb Flash Fire Lonely / Mild nature 196 Atk / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 76 Spe ~ Sucker Punch ~ Fire Blast ~ Crunch / Dark Pulse ~ Pursuit / Nasty Plot Mixed Houndour is an incredible wall breaker along with the ability to beat frail Choice Scarf sweepers before they can OHKO you. Sucker Punch scores some useful OHKOes, but the largest one may be on Diglett, who often comes in after Houndour has fainted a pokemon for a revenge kill. Munchlax, who often switches in without fear of special attacks, gets 2HKOed by STAB Crunch. Pursuit may be helpful if you would like to trap Ghost-type pokemon, such as Gastly and score a OHKO. Rhyhorn @ Life Orb / Oran Berry Rock Head / Lightningrod 38 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe Adamant / Jolly nature ~ Rock Polish ~ Earthquake ~ Stone Edge ~ Megahorn / Fire Fang Rhyhorn is a bulky and powerful Pokemon, hindered only by its Speed and weakness to priority. At least one of these, however, is easily rectified due to Little Cup’s low stat values. After a Rock Polish, Rhyhorn easily outspeeds all non-Scarfed Pokemon and can deal a hefty blow to many of them with its nearly-unresisted dual STAB. Megahorn allows it to hit Bronzor (the only LC Pokemon to resist Rock/Ground) neutrally, while providing overall excellent coverage. Fire Fang hits Bronzor at 10 more BP, but loses out in BP more often than not. Abra @ Choice Specs Synchronize 78 HP / 236 SpA / 196 Spe Modest / Timid nature ~ Psychic ~ Hidden Power Fire ~ Signal Beam ~ Energy Ball Abra with Choice Specs has been compared to Specs Deoxys-F in Ubers: If you do not predict perfectly, you will lose at least one Pokemon every time. Munchlax is 2HKO’d through Oran by Psychic, and Hidden Power Fire 2HKOs Bronzor. Signal Beam OHKOs Houndour, while Energy Ball OHKOs Chinchou. Abra’s main fault is that once it has killed a Pokemon, it is vulnerable to literally any Pursuit. It also does not handle priority well due to its paper defenses. Staryu @ Life Orb Natural Cure 196 SpA / 76 SpD / 236 Spe Timid nature ~ Surf ~ Ice Beam ~ Thunderbolt ~ Hidden Power Grass Staryu is one of the best late-game cleaners, in part due to it reaching 19 Speed and not being weak to any priority moves but also due to the fantastic type coverage these 4 attacks afford it. Surf will 2HKO or threaten to OHKO to anything that doesn't resist it and that does not have significant investment in Special Defense. Staryu, unlike most other Water-types, has the ability to make use of Electric- and Grass-type attacks on the same set; Thunderbolt will OHKO Mantyke whilst Chinchou takes in the region of 70% from Hidden Power Grass. Porygon @ Oran Berry / Life Orb Download 120 Def / 240 SpA / 80 SpD IVs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 2 Spe Quiet nature ~ Trick Room ~ Ice Beam ~ Thunderbolt ~ Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fighting Porygon under Trick Room is a fearsome force. Unfortunately, due to its genderlessness, it does not have access to its level-up moves, which include the valuable Tri Attack and Recover. However, its movepool and stats still contain the necessary elements for a bulky TR set-up sweeper. With a Download boost, Bolt/Beam, and Shadow Ball, Porygon can very easily sweep entire teams if they are unprepared. With an Oran Berry, Porygon is able to survive and set-up, letting it or a team-mate sweep. Gastly @ Leftovers Levitate 116 HP / 196 SpA / 196 Spe Timid / Naive nature ~ Sludge Bomb ~ Shadow Ball ~ Substitute ~ Hypnosis / Explosion Gastly is outclassd by Misdreavus in most areas; however, Gastly can take advantage of the many switches it causes by Substituting as the opposing pokemon switches out. Once there opponent has brought in their Gastly counter, you can proceed to sleep it with Hypnosis and then hit with your STAB attacks. Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Sludge Bomb, but the difference in damage is almost completely negligible. A Naive Nature would be run if you decide that Substitute isn't needed and you want Gastly to be able to take a Pokemon out, along with itself. Bellsprout @ Oran / Life Orb Chlorophyll Adamant nature 236 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spe - Swords Dance - Sleep Powder - Seed Bomb - Sucker Punch Bellsprout can take advantage of its above average Attack stat without the sun in effect. Bellsprout can come in on something it is faster than and use Sleep Powder as the opponent goes to their Bellsprout counter. After the pokemon is out cold you can use Swords Dance to boost your Attack even higher. Seed Bomb is your main attacking STAB move, not many pokemon can switch into Bellsprout after a Swords Dance. If a faster pokemon comes into revenge kill, you can say no and take them out with Sucker Punch before they take you out. Buizel @ Life Orb Swift Swim 236 Atk / 36 SpD / 236 Spe Jolly nature ~ Bulk Up ~ Aqua Jet ~ Waterfall ~ Return Buizel can take advantage of the defensive prowess of the pure Water typing to squeeze in some Bulk Ups to aid a sweep. It can set up easily on physical Water-types as well as weak physical-based walls like Bronzor and then use Waterfall and Return to gain perfect coverage. Aqua Jet seals the deal in a way, making Buizel tough to stop with its Speed stat of 19 and good defensive typing combining with STAB priority to limit the number of effective revenge killers. Elekid @ Life Orb Static 252 Atk / 236 Spe IVs: 0 HP Mild / Hasty nature ~ Thunderpunch ~ Ice Punch ~ Cross Chop ~ Quick Attack Physical Elekid is among the most fearsome sweepers in the game. With nearly unparalleled coverage and 20 Speed, it tears through unprepared teams. Ice Punch will OHKO Gligar and Cross Chop OHKOs all but the most physically defensive Munchlax and hits Chinchou hard. Quick Attack allows Elekid to beat Sucker Punchers and finish off sashed Pokemon or weakened Scarfers. ThunderPunch hits everything else hard. Elekid @ Life Orb / Petaya Berry Static 176 Atk / 80 SpA / 236 Spe IVs: 3 HP / 30 Atk / 30 SpA Hasty / Mild Nature ~ Thunderbolt ~ Ice Punch ~ Cross Chop / Focus Punch ~ Hidden Power Grass / Substitute Elekid can also use a mixed set quite effectively. Thunderbolt’s higher BP lets it hit harder on myriad threats. Ice Punch, again, beats Gligar while Cross Chop deals with pesky Munchlax. Hidden Power Grass offers Elekid another option for dealing with Chinchou. Substitute lets Elekid beat Sucker Punchers and punish them with a powerful Focus Punch. If Elekid can get the Petaya boost and maintain its sub, it can be nearly unstoppable. Magby @ Expert Belt / Shed Shell Flame Body 236 Atk / 252 Spe Hasty nature ~ Flare Blitz ~ Cross Chop ~ ThunderPunch ~ Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice / Overheat Magby can make good use of a physical-based set thanks to its ability to reach the 19 Speed tier and formidable Attack. Flare Blitz slams hard into anything that doesn't resist it and has the added bonus of OHKOing Bronzor, a prominent wall. Cross Chop dismantles any Munchlax silly enough to flaunt Thick Fat and has a chance to OHKO offensive Rhyhorn as well as any Rock-types less defensive than it. ThunderPunch will keep the Water-types at bay. In the last slot, Hidden Power Grass is usually the best option to ensure an OHKO on defensive Rhyhorn, Onix and other Rock/Ground types in addition to deterring Chinchou whereas Hidden Power Ice is a clean OHKO on Gligar. Overheat is alternative attack against Fire weak Pokemon which deals huge damage without the recoil damage of Flare Blitz. Expert Belt is chosen over Life Orb due to the propensity for Flare Blitz recoil to combine with a Stealth Rock weakness to result in residual damage building up quickly. Shed Shell can be used to punish teams reliant on stopping it with Diglett. Mantyke @ Life Orb Water Absorb 76 HP / 36 Def / 200 SpA / 196 Spe Modest / Timid nature ~ Agility ~ Hydro Pump ~ Ice Beam ~ Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Flying Mantyke has a decent Speed stat along with a above average Special Attack stat. Mantyke will outspeed practically any pokemon after it has used Agility, and with the boost from Life Orb, Mantyke can 2HKO a max Special Defense, max HP Munchlax with Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is mainly in this set as a filler, but it can hit almost the exact same pokemon as Hydro Pump, bar Steel-types, if you do not feel the need to waste Hydro Pump's PP right away. The last move slot is a difficult choice, Hidden Power Grass allows you to hit other Water-type pokemon, such as Chinchou, for heavy damage; Hidden Power Flying allows you to hit Croagunk, a common switch-in to Mantyke as it can absorb Water-type attacks. If you do want to hit Croagunk, then moving 4 EVs from Defence and putting them into Speed will cover the IV loss. Machop @ Oran Berry No Guard Careful / Adamant nature 196 HP / 196 Atk / 76 SpD / 36 Def ~ Bulk Up ~ DynamicPunch ~ Ice Punch ~ Bullet Punch / Payback Machop can make great use of Bulk Up thanks to being fairly bulky by itself. After Machop is allowed to use Bulk Up once or twice, it laughs at any non boosted attack that is aimed at it. DynamicPunch hurts a lot after Machop has boosted its Attack stat, and Bullet Punch can help greatly by negating Machop's poor Speed, thanks to priority. Rock Slide can be run in the fourth slot for Mantyke, who walls this set completely, but otherwise Rock Slide gives poor coverage on this set. Tailow @ Toxic Orb Jolly nature 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe ~ Protect ~ Facade ~ Brave Bird ~ U-turn / Quick Attack / Pursuit Tailow, much like its evolution, Swellow, can take advantage of using a Toxic Orb to activate its Guts ability. Tailow has an average Attack stat of 15, but after Toxic Orb and Guts are activated Tailow's Attack reaches a shocking 22. Protect is on this set to ensure that Toxic Orb is activated, while Facade and Brave Bird are your main forms of STAB and attack. Brave Bird should not be used often though, as recoil can end Tailow's sweep very quickly. U-turn allows Tailow to scout for your team, while dealing damage to your opponent's pokemon. If you feel that Protect is unneeded on this set, then you can replace it with Quick Attack or Pursuit. Revenge KillersMankey @ Choice Scarf Vital Spirit 36 HP / 200 Atk / 240 Spe Jolly nature ~ Close Combat ~ Ice Punch ~ Punishment ~ U-turn Mankey’s high Speed and Attack combined with its access to power STAB makes it an ideal Choice Scarf user. The most common use of Scarf Mankey is as a revenge killer. Its STAB Close Combat is both extremely fast and powerful, 2HKOing many Pokemon. U-Turn lets Mankey repeatedly bring in a suitable check to whatever Pokemon the opponent brings in to beat Mankey. Ice Punch is for Gligar, and Punishment is for Ghost-types. Psyduck @ Choice Scarf Cloud Nine 24 Atk / 240 SpA / 236 Spe Naive nature ~ Surf ~ Ice Beam ~ Hidden Power Grass ~ Cross Chop Psyduck’s ability to nullify weather makes it an ideal switch-in to Sunny Day sweepers, coming in for free on Solarbeam and OHKOing with Ice Beam. With a Scarf it is able to outspeed all non-Scarfed Pokemon. Surf hits most things hard, while Ice Beam deals with Grassers and Gligar. Hidden Power Grass is for Chinchou, while Cross Chop is for Munchlax. Machop @ Choice Scarf No Guard / Guts Jolly nature 36 HP / 196 Atk / 236 Spd / 36 Def ~ DynamicPunch ~ Payback ~ Ice Punch ~ Rock Slide Machop is one of the slower pokemon in the Little Cup metagame, but thankfully with max Speed, Machop reaches the magic Speed number of 14, which means that when given a Choice Scarf, Machop will outspeed all other non-Choice Scarf pokemon. No Guard and DynamicPunch both have merits. No Guard allows DynamicPunch to hit 100% of the time, making use of Machop's powerful Attack stat and confusion. Rock Slide is a nice move on this set as it will help take down Mantyke, who won't fall to an Ice Punch or DynamicPunch anytime soon. Carvanha @ Life Orb / Choice Scarf / Focus Sash Rough Skin 36 Atk / 236 SpA / 236 Spe IVs: 0 HP (if Life Orb) Naive / Rash nature ~ Aqua Jet ~ Hydro Pump / Surf / Zen Headbutt ~ Ice Beam / Zen Headbutt ~ Crunch Carvanha’s massive offensive stats allow it to be a potent sweeper. STAB Hydro Pump and Crunch rip holes in virtually everything. Aqua Jet 2HKOs Gligar and hits everything that doesn’t resist it hard. Ice Beam hits Gligar and Grasses. Zen Headbutt allows Carvanha to beat its biggest counter, Croagunk, on the switch-in. LO boosts Carvanha’s offensive power, while Scarf lets it outspeed most threats. Sash is a one-off, usually to Zen Headbutt Croagunk. Diglett @ Choice Scarf / Focus Sash / Life Orb Arena Trap 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe Lonely / Hasty nature ~ Earthquake ~ Sucker Punch ~ Hidden Power Ice ~ Pursuit / Shadow Claw / Aerial Ace Diglett is among the best revenge killers in the game. Arena Trap allows it to prevent a weakened foe from fleeing. STAB Earthquake allows it to hit almost every Pokemon for 50% or more. Hidden Power Ice does away with Gligar handily. Sucker Punch lets Diglett beat Scarfed Ghosts if it elects to leave off Scarf, while Pursuit lets it hit them as they flee. If it holds a Scarf, it will reach 28 or 30 Speed, outspeeding all scarfers. LO lets it hit harder, while Sash lets it deal with a surprise Scarf. Houndour @ Choice Scarf Flash Fire 200 SpA / 40 SpD / 244 Spe Timid nature ~ Sucker Punch ~ Fire Blast / Flamethrower ~ Dark Pulse ~ Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fighting Houndour is a very good revenge killer and Choice Scarf sweeper. With its valuable Dark-typing it can revenge kill Shadow Sneak Misdreavus with Dark Pulse as long as it isn't behind a Substitute. Having a priority move may seem rather redundant on a Choice Scarf pokemon, but if Houdour is face to face with another, faster Choice Scarf Pokemon, then the priority may just save you the game. Houdour's Fire-type STAB also is very hard to resist in the Little Cup metagame; the most common answers to Houndoom are Flash Fire pokemon, Mantyke, or Munchlax. Munchlax will not enjoy taking a Hidden Power Fighting on the switch in, while other Fire-types will dislike Hidden Power Ground. Flamethrower can be chosen over Fire Blast if you dislike the accuracy, but Houndour does need all the power it can get. Cranidos @ Choice Scarf Mold Breaker 236 Atk / 36 SpA / 212 Spe Naughty nature ~ Stone Edge / Head Smash ~ Earthquake ~ Ice Beam ~ Superpower / Pursuit / Zen Headbutt Cranidos’s absolutely massive attack allows it to crush most opposing Pokemon. Scarf rectifies its abysmal Speed while Mold Breaker lets it get unresisted coverage in Rock/Ground. Ice Beam kills audacious Gligar switch-ins. The last slot is based entirely on preference. Superpower lets it beat other Rock/Grounds, Pursuit lets it beat fleeing Ghosts, and Zen Headbutt beats Croagunk switch-ins. Gastly @ Choice Scarf Levitate 116 HP / 196 SpA / 196 Spe Hasty / Naive nature ~ Shadow Ball ~ Sludge Bomb ~ Thunderbolt ~ Explosion / Energy Ball Thanks to Gastly's above average Special Attack stat, and already being extremely fast, Gastly can become one of the best revenge killers in the game. With amazing coverage along with Explosion, one should always be wary of what set Gastly will be running. With Gastly you can pick whichever move you want, and you will most likely hit something for neutral damage. Useful LeadsMeowth @ Focus Sash / Life Orb Technician 236 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spe IVs: 0 HP Jolly nature ~ Hypnosis ~ Fake Out ~ U-turn ~ Bite / Return Meowth functions as a useful lead as well as a potent revenge killer later on in the match. Technician boosts Fake Out to 60 base power, which, combined with STAB and Life Orb, will put a sizeable dent into any opposing lead that doesn't resist Normal. Should the opponent be wary of this tactic and switch in a suitable Pokemon to sponge the Fake Out, Meowth can then proceed to Hypnosis the next switch in and U-turn out, without having taken damage from the opponent. Bite is Technician boosted and hits Ghost-types whilst Return is the most reliable damage-inflicting attack that Meowth possesses. Meowth's high Speed is what makes it able to make full use of this set, reaching 19 Speed, which only Elekid, Diglett, and Voltorb can beat without a Speed Boost. Note: The 0 HP IV reduces Meowth's HP stat to 19 and so reduces Life Orb recoil. Drifloon @ Choice Scarf / Wide Lens / Petaya Berry Unburden 196 HP / 4 Def / 36 SpA / 4 SpD / 196 Spe Timid nature ~ Hypnosis ~ Hidden Power Fighting / Substitute ~ Trick / Baton Pass ~ Shadow Ball Drifloom is a perfectly capable lead. It can elect to either set itself up for a sweep or to set up for another Pokemon. Tricking its Scarf away allows it to instantly boost its Speed while crippling its target. Hypnosis allows it to put an enemy to sleep, letting it set up a Sub if it is a Baton Pass variant. HP Fight/Shadow Ball is totally unresisted and lets Drifloon sweep with its insanely high Speed. Baton Passing away its Sub after Petaya has activated lets another Special Attacker on the team sweep much, much more easily at the cost of Drifloon’s own effectiveness. Phanpy @ Oran Berry 196 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def Impish nature ~ Protect / Counter ~ Ice Shard ~ Earthquake ~ Stealth Rock Phanpy comes with many useful things as a lead, but the dominant ones are that if you cannot OHKO Phanpy, then Phanpy will beat you. On top of performing well against leads such as Meowth, Phanpy also works well outside of the lead role and can tank hits easily. Phanpy is a surefire Cranidos counter, never 2HKOed by Ice Beam through Oran Berry, and Earthquake almost never a 3HKO, unlike other Ground-types such as Gligar. On top of all this, Phanphy's Ice Shard can break a standard Misdreavus's Substitute. Item AnalysisJust like in OU, there are specific items in Little Cup which are more useful than others. It is very important to know when to use a specific item over another one in such a fast paced metagame, and it is vital to know when an item is going to hurt you, rather than help you. The Most Effective Items in Little Cup
Items that are good in OU but not in Little Cup
The Right Item for your PokémonWith the diverse metagame of Little Cup and all the strategies that can be used effectively, it can be difficult to decide what the correct item to assign your Pokémon is. This section will break down some general guidelines regarding the qualities a specific Pokémon should have for each item. Choice Band or Choice Specs
Choice Scarf
Life Orb
Focus Sash
A Pokémon can also generally lead quite well when it is equipped with Focus Sash. It allows a Pokémon to nearly always beat another Pokémon without Focus Sash, but there are no requirements for this. Generally faster Pokémon or Pokémon with priority will do this better. Oran BerryThere aren’t any specific requirements for an Oran Berry user. Usually the item is put on walls to add to their staying power, but this isn't necessary one bit. I personally run a Belly Drum Poliwag with an Oran Berry to heal the damage. Just keep several things in mind about the item itself. Many Pokémon such as Natu and Paras carry the attack Pluck or Bug Bite (respectively) to deal with the bulky Pokémon who switch in with Oran Berry. This is something to keep in mind when switching Bronzor into any of these two Pokémon. Liechi / Petaya / Salac Berry
Common Mistakes Regarding ItemsWhy Oran Berry over Sitrus Berry?Sitrus Berry is a better choice when playing competitive OU, because 25% recovery is much more useful than a measly 10 HP. But, in Little Cup, 10 HP will always be more than what 25% would give you. For Sitrus Berry to be as effective as Oran, you'd need a Pokémon with 40 HP, of which there are none. Common StrategiesWhen it comes to Little Cup, there are a handful of strategies that are effective. Immunity, weather, and Trick Room teams are the most common and the most effective kinds of teams in the metagame. Immunity TeamsImmunity teams are teams that run off of coming in on resisted or immune attacks. A common example is bringing a Paras, Croagunk, or Poliwag in on a Wailmer’s Water Spout, a very deadly move in Little Cup. Pokémon with Levitate are also very common on immunity teams, as they can switch in on an Earthquake, and in most cases, cause the opposing Pokémon to switch out. A common example is bringing a Paras or Croagunk in on a Wailmer’s Water Spout, a very deadly move in Little Cup. There are a total of nine immunities in Little Cup: Electric-, Fighting-, Psychic-, Water-, Fire-, Ghost-, Electric-, Normal-, and Ground-type attacks can all be absorbed for nothing, and the best immunity team in Little Cup has eight of the nine immunities. These kinds of teams do not come without fault, though; Elekid, Misdreavus and Diglett all cause issues. Elekid and Misdreavus have unresisted type coverage, making them extremely hard to switch into and counter. Diglett can remove key members of your team thanks to its ability, Arena Trap, which locks in your Pokémon to get hit with a STAB Earthquake. Field effect teams were very common strategies in Little Cup, but the advent of them has died out. By rule of thumb, rain teams are the best field effect teams in Little Cup. Trick Room comes next, followed by sun teams. Sandstorm teams are only run if you decide to run stall, and hail is rarely ever seen. Rain Dance TeamsRain teams are commonly lead by a Voltorb lead, who sets up rain extremely fast and then obtains a 100% accurate STAB Thunder. Bronzor is also very common as it has no weaknesses under rain and can also help the rain abusers by setting up Stealth Rock. As for the common rain abusers, Kabuto, Omanyte, Buizel, Mantyke, Chinchou, and Croagunk are seen on almost all rain teams. Kabuto is the main rain sweeper, with Rock Slide, Aqua Jet, Waterfall, and Return boasting unresisted coverage and STAB boosted priority, which is a godsend in Little Cup. Omanyte, Mantyke, and Chinchou are very deadly special sweepers in rain, as they can abuse STAB boosted Hydro Pump, which almost forces people to carry immunities in their team. Chinchou is especially dangerous as it can also carry STAB Thunder in the rain, making it extremely hard to switch in. Croagunk is deadly in the rain as, with Dry Skin, Croagunk will heal damage taken from it using Life Orb, making it get the boost practically for free. When it comes to countering rain teams, there are few options. Croagunk, Chinchou, and Munchlax are the main answer to counter the team. Though Croagunk and Chinchou are both commonly used on rain teams, they both can come in on the boosted Water-type attacks and threaten the sweepers away with either priority attacks in Croagunk’s case, or STAB Electric-type attacks in Chinchou’s case. Munchlax is mainly just extremely bulky enough to sustain a hit from a sweeper or two, and hit back with anyone of its moves, though it is important that special sweepers can smash through Munchlax with their STAB Hydro Pump. Trick Room TeamsTrick Room comes with a few more set up Pokémon than most other field effect based teams. Porygon, Shuppet, Duskull, Gastly, Bronzor, Smoochum, and Slowpoke are all very good at setting up Trick Room for other Pokémon. Gastly sets up Trick Room and then Explodes, while Shuppet can set it up and use Destiny Bond to remove another Pokémon from play, at the cost of itself. Smoochum can use Fake Out to remove Focus Sash off of lead Pokémon and then set up Trick Room. Porygon can set up Trick Room well, and attempt to sweep while under the effect of it as well; Slowpoke, on the other hand, can set up Trick Room and then sweep rather easily while it is up. Bronzor plays the same under Trick Room than it does rain; it can help set up Stealth Rock and Trick Room, and if things get dicey, then it can Explode. When it comes to abusing Trick Room, there are a handful of Pokémon which have the raw enough power to abuse it fully. Mixed Porygon, Lickitung, Krabby, Cubone, Munchlax, and Cranidos are the most common sweepers to use under the effects of Trick Room. Porygon, if you are not using it to set up, can use Download and hit everything in Little Cup for massive damage with Return, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Shadow Ball. Munchlax is one of the slowest Pokémon in the metagame and can abuse its high base Attack stat along with its wide variety of moves to "put the hurt" on almost anything that switches in. Cranidos has the very important ability, Mold Breaker, which nullifies any ability that hinders attacks, and because of this, Cranidos can hit Pokémon with the Levitate ability with a powerful Earthquake and hit Flying-types with STAB Head Smash. Cubone comes with its unique item, Thick Club, which boosts its Attack stat extremely high. When given the moves Earthquake, Fire Punch, and Rock Slide, Cubone can 2HKO everything; if it is also given Swords Dance, it can OHKO everything but Duskull. Lickitung runs a mixed set much like our friend, Porygon, but unlike Porygon, Lickitung has a bit more bulk and a bit less Attack, but the thing Lickitung carries over Porygon is the ability to both use Swords Dance and Selfdestruct. Krabby is an excellent physical attacker as it carries unresisted type coverage thanks to Return and STAB Crabhammer; it can also become even more potent thanks to Swords Dance. Sunny Day TeamsSunny Day is the third most used field effect in the Little Cup metagame, but it is still a very effective strategy. The main problem with Sunny Day teams is that it is difficult to find effective Pokémon that can set it up throughout a game, so getting a fast sweep with the few sweepers you have is key. Koffing, Stunky, and Diglett are very good Sunny Day set up Pokémon. Diglett comes in as a lead, being able to Protect on a Fake Out while setting down Stealth Rock and setting up Sunny Day. Koffing and Stunky both run the same kind of idea; they set up Sunny Day and then Explode on a Pokémon to give their sweepers a free switch in. The sweepers in sun are very obvious: Oddish, Bellsprout, Exeggcute, Ponyta, Hoppip and Houndour. Oddish, Bellsprout, and Exeggcute all get Sleep Powder, which they can fire off quickly due to Chlorophyll, and they also get a no charge SolarBeam. If any of the Grass-type sweepers are given Hidden Power Fire, then Bronzor, which can easily come in on the STAB Grass-type attacks, will no longer stand in your way of an effective sweep. Bellsprout can also act as a physical sweeper due to it getting Swords Dance and the priority move, Sucker Punch, which can help beat Ghost-type Pokémon when the sun is not shining. Houndour is an effective Choice Scarf Pokémon in the sun, as its STAB Fire-type attacks get a boost, making even resisted attacks hit for neutral damage. Ponyta can run a similar set in the sun, but it doesn’t need Choice Scarf due to it already being extremely fast by itself. When it comes to countering sun, it becomes pretty easy. Houndour and Munchlax are pretty much "true counters" as they can take whatever the Pokémon throw at them and hit back with moves of their own. If Houndour is given Substitute with either Hidden Power Fighting or Ground then not even opposing Houndour can stop it. Munchlax can shrug off most of the attacks that are thrown at it and can hit back with STAB Return or Fire Punch. SandstormSandstorm teams are the least common field effect team you will find, mostly since it has to do with stall. Stall teams are very difficult to pull off in Little Cup as since it is such an offensive metagame, it is difficult to find time to set down Spikes and force your opponent to switch enough to cause residual damage. Obviously when making a stall teams based around sand, having a Hippopotas lead which can set up Stealth Rock and also start the sandstorm is key. Duskull is also a staple in sandstorm stall teams. It is one of the only Pokémon which can be called a counter to both Gligar and Misdreavus as it can hit Gligar with Ice Beam or Will-o-Wisp and can make Misdreavus a lot easier to counter due to Shadow Sneak. Munchlax can also be brought in due to it being one of the bulkiest Pokémon in Little Cup and as a back up Misdreavus counter if somehow Duskull cannot survive the match. Spikes, as we all know, is key in a stall team, and in Little Cup there is no exception to that. Omanyte and Pineco are the common Pokémon which set down Spikes. The advantage Omanyte brings is that it is not weak to Stealth Rock, but the disadvantage it bears is that it can not use Rapid Spin. Pineco is the exact opposite: it is weak to Stealth Rock, but it can also use Rapid Spin to remove it from the field. The choice is obviously dependent upon you and the team you build. Bronzor is another staple in stall teams, having a vast amount of resistances, and helping counter both Gligar and Elekid if they are both being extremely annoying. As for the final Pokémon on stall teams, Lileep can stall like no other Pokémon in sandstorm. With Stockpile, Recover, and Toxic, Lileep can stall out teams with little to no threat to itself. Though, being careful of Swords Dance Gligar could help in the long run as Lileep will not be able to stand the boosted hits too well. Counters to stall teams would be Substitute Calm Mind Misdreavus, which can set up in the face of almost any of the Pokémon, besides Duskull, and KO. Diglett also gives stall teams issues as it can trap important members of the team and OHKO them with STAB Earthquake. Common TeamAs with any metagame, there is a team which is what one would call "bog standard", Little Cup is no exception to this matter. Little Cup revolves itself around many common and powerful sweepers, and usually will carry one of the few effective leads. Little Cup plays much more like Ubers than anyother tier, everything hitting so extremely hard and certain pokemon having very few to no solid counters at all. A common Little Cup team would be: Meowth @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 32 SpD / 196 Spe
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Bite
- Hypnosis
Description: Meowth leads off the team with power. Fake Out provides powerful priority, taking away around 60% from most Pokemon. U-turn lets me switch to a counter for something, and Bite handles Ghost-type switch-ins. Hypnosis is filler, but it gives status, which is always helpful. EVs: Max Speed with a Jolly nature hits the 19 Speed mark, which is incredibly helpful in outpacing other leads. Max Attack is for harder hits, and 36 HP and 36 SpD gets extra stat points. Team Work: Meowth sets up the team. It can also status, and U-turn gets helpful switches. It is also a potent revenge-killer with Fake Out. Meowth can handle common leads with the following actions:
Houndour @ Choice Scarf Ability: Flash Fire EVs: 200 SpA / 40 SpD / 240 Spe Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk) - Overheat - Dark Pulse - Hidden Power Ground - Flamethrower Description: My team needed a way to take out Bronzor, and here it is. With the threat of Houndour around, Bronzor must be careful. Houndour is also a great late-gamer. The last three moves give good coverage, and Overheat is used for hitting switch-ins. EVs: With Timid and max Speed, Houndour gets to 25 Speed, outpacing a bunch of Pokemon. Max Special Attack is obvious, and the 40 SpD EVs get an extra point. Team Work: Houndour takes Fire-type attacks and is a great late-game sweeper as well as revenge-killer. It takes care of Steel-types that stop this team well. Misdreavus @ Salac Berry Ability: Levitate EVs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk) - Substitute - Calm Mind - Shadow Ball - Hidden Power Fighting Description: Misdreavus is a great tank. Switch into a Ground, Fighting, or Normal-type attack, and set up a Substitute on the switch. Then, Calm Mind up, and sweep. The moves provided get great coverage, and with a Salac boost, barely anything outpaces me. The immunity to common priority moves helps, too. EVs: Maxed out Speed gets to 19 Speed, and with a Salac, it's getting really fast. Maxed out Special Attack for allowing the hardest hits possible. Team Work: General sweeper, good for luring out special walls like Munchlax and taking them down. It can also take a few hits itself, especially after a Calm Mind. Elekid @ Life Orb Ability: Static EVs: 252 Atk / 236 Spe Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -Atk) - ThunderPunch - Ice Punch - Cross Chop - Quick Attack Description: Elekid is one of the best sweepers LC has. 20 Speed is incredibly helpful. Anyway, the moves provided have great coverage, and let Elekid hit nearly everything. Quick Attack is good for back-up priority. EVs: Max Attack for the most possible power, and 236 Speed for 20 Speed. Team Work: Elekid breaks stall. Stall teams, when used well, handle this team pretty well. Elekid's great coverage and Speed let it take on offensive teams as well. Gligar @ Oran Berry Ability: Hyper Cutter EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Def Nature: Impish - Roost - Stealth Rock - Aqua Tail - Earthquake Description: Gligar is the go-to guy for the team, supplying Stealth Rock as well as taking hits for my sweepers when they need to switch. Roost is useful for healing. The last two moves provide coverage, hitting nearly everything neutral. EVs: Max Attack may seem odd, but it's worth it to do as much damage as possible. The rest of the EVs focus on Defense. Team Work: Gligar sets up Stealth Rock and is also my only defensive Pokemon on the team. It's the receiver for the most attacks. Croagunk @ Life Orb Ability: Dry Skin EVs: 188 Atk / 188 SpA / 116 Spe Nature: Hasty (+Spe, -Def) - Nasty Plot - Vacuum Wave - Sucker Punch - Earthquake Description: Priority is absolutely needed in LC. MixPlotGunk is really good, as it provides dual spectrum priority, and a way to handle common Croagunk revenge-killers. For example, say I kill a weakened Meowth with Vacuum Wave, and Diglett comes in, and promptly dies to Sucker Punch. Earthquake works incredibly well on this set, to handle other Croagunk. EVs: The Speed EVs outpace other Croagunk, meaning I can OHKO with Earthquake after. Then, the most Attack and Special Attack were needed. Team Work: Croagunk provides an extremely powerful priority sweeper that can take down nearly anything with a Sucker Punch, getting rid of revenge-killers. Mitigating Losses and Revenge KillingIf you have ever played a competitive game of Pokémon, then you should realize that knowing when to sacrifice a Pokémon to allow another one of your Pokémon to revenge kill is key to victory. It is a tough decision, on the other hand, to know when it is acceptable to sacrifice one of your own Pokémon to allow another one of yours to come in for a revenge kill. It is ok to lose a Pokémon which has already done what its main goal is, or if it will allow a sweeper of yours a free switch-in and finish the game. Does it sound complicated? Well we can break it down: if you are carrying one Gligar counter on a Gligar weak team, then why would you sacrifice it? Gligar is a very common Pokémon and chances are that your opponent will have one on their team. So most likely losing your lead, or another Pokémon, is going to be more helpful to your team and increase your chances of winning the match. When it comes to sacrificing to try to sweep you have to ask yourself a few questions:
If you answered no to either of these questions then chances are the removing a Pokémon of yours to a revenge kill is just going to cause an "eye for an eye" which doesn’t put you in a better advantage at all. Most people say that "it is easy to revenge kill" while that is completely true, it should be noted that it is difficult to revenge kill extremely well, while making sure you don’t lose anything of importance and your opponent loses the game or a key member of their team. Closing WordsLittle Cup is a metagame that is dominated by hyper offensive playing, revenge killing, and priority moves. It is a metagame where anyone can win even if you are down three Pokémon. If you are looking to try a new metagame filled with excitement and new strategies, then give Little Cup a try. |
