The Littlest Cup: The Rise of RBY Little Cup

By Sabelette. Released: 2026/01/31.
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The Littlest Cup: The Rise of RBY Little Cup Art

Art by a blue banana.

Introduction

RBY Little Cup might sound like a very strange idea on first glance to those not familiar with RBY—how do you make a functional tier of level 5 Pokemon in Generation I? There are, like, 10 Pokemon actually available at that level, almost zero moves because breeding didn't exist yet, no items... what is there to work with here? As it turns out, there's quite a lot if you just bend the rules a little, so RBY utilizes the level loop glitch to legalize all Pokemon at level 5 with their full level-up learnsets, leading to a fun and interesting metagame within all the restrictions of RBY's limited mechanics. It's also the only LC metagame in which later-gen tier staples or banned threats like Porygon, Elekid, and Magby didn't exist, and Pokemon like Pikachu and Clefairy were legal for the first and final time!*

* LGPE LC exists but ignore that for me, thank you.

RBY LC is perhaps the fastest-paced and deadliest tier in all of RBY. Most Pokemon can 2HKO each other, recovery is virtually nonexistent, and prediction is king. A Pokemon that can take three or even four hits is the best defensive value you're likely to find in most games, and most games will come down to gutsy calls, like sending a Diglett into a Staryu Thunderbolt or, conversely, being willing to click Surf in front of an opposing Staryu to catch Diglett coming in, risking throwing away a key piece to grab the advantage. The tier is run by a trifecta of near-essential Pokemon and then padded out by a series of fast attackers, defensive pieces, and niche picks with cool utility moves like Quick Attack and Agility. Speed tiers in RBY are similar to later generations, but there are no natures, and all Pokemon effectively get 252 EV points in all stats, so we end up with 19 Speed as the highest Speed in the tier, 18 Speed as a fast tier that most good Pokemon hit, and a few scattered Pokemon between 11 and 17 that mostly are only relevant if they have great bulk, a unique typing, or incredible moves.

The Little Big Three

Above all, RBY LC is run by three near-mandatory Pokemon: one physical attacker, one special attacker, and one key defensive piece. Between them, they dictate the viability of every other Pokemon, creating niches for a few weird picks and shutting out Pokemon that can't offer something to slow them down.

The first of our dominant Pokemon should not be a surprise to any experienced Little Cup player. Diglett may not have Arena Trap in this generation, but it still has STAB Earthquake and is one of only two Pokemon to reach 19 Speed, outrunning the entire metagame... and it OHKOes the other one, Voltorb. Only two viable Pokemon typically survive two attacks from Diglett: Exeggcute, which we'll talk about below, and Slowpoke, which is usually 3HKOed by Earthquake—which means that to an extent, it still often "traps" Pokemon by making switching out too painful. The only things holding Diglett back from single-handedly dominating the entire tier are its incredible frailty and Exeggcute's incredibly punishing traits, so much of the tier is shaped around forcing Exeggcute's health down to enable Diglett or other sweepers. Even without its scariest tool from later generations, Diglett still put on a clinic in RBY LC and showed it doesn't need a broken ability to run a tier.

Staryu is unwallable, period. When the opposing Staryu gets in, your options are "sacrifice a Pokemon" or "pivot and pray you call the correct incoming move." Staryu 2HKOes or OHKOes every single Pokemon in the tier, with only Abra and Gastly having a chance to survive two Surfs, but even they cannot handle a Surf followed by Hydro Pump. Staryu's unparalleled coverage and excellent 18 Speed create heavy prediction mind games to get in one of the few checks to it: Voltorb and Pikachu OHKO it, and Abra can fight Staryu well if it sneaks in on a Blizzard or Thunderbolt, but all of them hate getting hit with a STAB move on entry. It also has Thunder Wave, which can severely weaken most fast Pokemon in the tier in a pinch. Staryu often ends up fighting its opposing counterpart, creating mind games where after one Thunderbolt, both Staryu can potentially pivot to Diglett or an Electric-type on the next turn to catch Thunderbolt and safely finish the opposing one off, creating the most dangerous and game-defining interaction in the tier. While Staryu would put on solid performances for generations to come, it came out swinging in RBY and set the bar high.

Exeggcute is the defensive key to RBY LC, packing an obscene degree of defensive utility in one slot. It "walls" Diglett, Electric-types, Abra, Drowzee, and Gastly, taking four to six hits from these to get KOed, and it's a solid switch-in to Rhyhorn and Geodude as well. As mentioned before, this is the main thing holding Diglett back—using it early is an invitation for Exeggcute to come in and put something to sleep, as sleep moves are currently legal in RBY LC and are incredibly punishing. After landing Sleep Powder, Exeggcute is incredibly punishing to switch into thanks to Stun Spore and Psychic; most Pokemon don't like taking paralysis on entry, and perhaps even fewer take Psychic well. Exeggcute does not typically last long as a wall, but that's when it reveals its final trick—Explosion is a guaranteed OHKO on most of the tier, letting it get value even at the end of its lifespan. Exeggcute's value would quickly fall off in later generations, but at least in RBY, it managed to put on an incredible performance.

A Few Recognizable Faces

RBY LC is extremely different from other generations of LC, but there are a few other Pokemon here that would be common sights later. Some are perennial LC threats, like Abra and Gastly, while others, like Voltorb, had their heyday only in the first three or four generations before falling off hard by the dawn of the Eviolite era, or maybe they just sat in the low-B ranks for a few generations without achieving breakout success.

Perennial LC menace Abra got off to a solid start in RBY. While it lacks any coverage here and has to use Body Slam of all things because Seismic Toss deals a piddly 5 damage, it's still an 18-Speed threat with massive damage output. It has solid odds to 1v1 any special attacker thanks to Psychic's Special drop chance, and Body Slam lets it threaten to ruin Diglett or even beat it one-on-one on a lucky break. It also has some decent utility in Thunder Wave and the tricky Counter, though Counter only works against Normal- and Fighting-type moves in this generation.

Future LC star Gastly's main upsides here are its Normal-type immunity and Explosion, but it has a bevy of other useful traits, including its massive Special and Hypnosis. While it misses out on the critical 18 Speed tier, it's still a sleep user that outruns Exeggcute, and its Thunderbolt hurts Water-types nearly as much as STAB Thunderbolt from the Electric-types. Notably, it walls quite a few mono-Normal attackers we'll cover later, and catching Explosion for free is also amazing, though it's outsped and OHKOed by Diglett and Abra, limiting it heavily in its debut.

Voltorb is the other 19-Speed threat in RBY LC, packing STAB Thunderbolt to outrun and OHKO Staryu, Explosion to delete Diglett, and... not much else. Thunder Wave helps a little to disable opposing Voltorb, and Take Down 3HKOes Diglett, but it really is a one-trick pony. Notably, it's OHKOed by Diglett in return, and it struggles against Exeggcute unless it uses Explosion, but its Speed still makes it a near-unparalleled revenge killer.

Ponyta's main claim to fame here is that it's the only viable Pokemon that OHKOes Exeggcute, but it's also the Pokemon with the highest base stat total in RBY LC. Unfortunately, Ponyta struggles heavily with Water-types and is also OHKOed by Diglett, though Agility helps it force damage and flip the script on Diglett if it can find a chance to set up beforehand, and STAB Fire Blast still does solid damage even into Fire-resistant targets, letting it push important chip damage onto Staryu and Poliwag.

Slowpoke mainly exists as a backup Diglett and Poliwag switch-in; it's one of a small group of Pokemon that can survive two Earthquakes from Diglett, and unlike Staryu, it has a secondary Psychic typing, ensuring it walls even a boosted Poliwag. Earthquake allows it to hit Poliwag even after it sets up Amnesia and also hits physically frail targets like Abra and Gastly, and Thunder Wave can punish Diglett for switching out to avoid a Surf. Slowpoke has access to Amnesia, but with its poor Special and Speed, it doesn't really get opportunities to set up here, preferring to get value from Thunder Wave and its coverage instead.

Doduo barely manages to cling to relevance in RBY, since it didn't get Quick Attack until GSC. If it had, it would have been a terror here, sporting the highest Attack of any Normal-type, Agility to set up on predicted switches, and Drill Peck to maul Exeggcute and Gastly. Without Quick Attack, it only has a mix of useful traits that come up just short. Doduo's secondary Flying typing allows it to switch into Diglett's Earthquake, but it still struggles because even Rock Slide + Body Slam from Diglett KOes it, leaving it reliant on a 33% roll with Double Edge or a 30% paralysis chance with Body Slam to flip the matchup, and if Doduo switches into Body Slam, the situation is dire. Its 17 Speed comes up just short of the other heavy hitters in the tier, so it ends up being a disappointing niche pick instead of a murderous revenge killer.

Future ADV LC rain sweeper Horsea had to make do without Rain Dance in RBY, though Agility at least provides the same Speed boost. Horsea hits extremely hard with its STAB moves, but it suffers significantly from every other Water-type damaging it more than it can damage them: Staryu has Thunderbolt, Poliwag has Psychic and Amnesia, and Slowpoke has Earthquake. Still, Horsea can be an absolutely terrifying Agility sweeper as long as its checks are removed, hitting as hard as Staryu while outspeeding Diglett and Voltorb after setting up. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to be a top threat, but it still has some tools here that can win games.

Pikachu's Single Time in the LC Limelight

Several Pokemon got removed from LC in Generation II with the addition of one of Pokemon's most polarizing gimmicks. While the addition of baby Pokemon was an interesting way to show off the new breeding mechanics, the quality of the new additions was... variable. Some babies, like Magby and Elekid, would reach high peaks in certain Little Cup generations, but Pichu, Igglybuff, and Cleffa are some of the worst competitive Pokemon of all time and unfortunately removed more competitive Pokemon from the pool. Pikachu, in particular, was actually quite good in its first and last LC appearance, clocking in at an A rank on the initial viability rankings.

Pikachu's upsides are numerous: it reaches the crucial 18 Speed tier; it has Surf to heavily damage Diglett; it OHKOes Staryu with Thunderbolt; it has Agility to set up and push additional damage; and Quick Attack allows one last spiteful snipe, notably weakening Diglett into range of moves like an ally Diglett's Earthquake. Aside from its difficulties getting past Exeggcute, it has all the tools it needs to make progress and make life difficult for the opponent with prediction, sort of like a mini-Staryu with more utility options but no crucial Ice-type coverage. While it's not quite at the top of the metagame, it's a considerable threat with some elements of unpredictability that can allow players to get one over on their opponents.

Other One-hit Wonders

In this section, I want to cover Pokemon that never really showed up again in future generations of LC. These are the little guys that make RBY LC unique and really showcase how the quirks of this generation shape the metagame.

Meowth got an encore in GSC but pretty much fell off the face of the earth afterward. Lucky for it, RBY is the generation of Normal-type dominance, and a bunch of Normal-types manage to find a place in Little Cup. Meowth's contributions are being yet another 18-Speed attacker and having Slash and Thunderbolt to pick up 2HKOs after going for Body Slam paralysis. Notably, RBY's critical hit formula reduces critical damage at lower levels, so Slash is not disgustingly overpowered at level 5; however, it's still a consistent, nearly unresisted move with about 157 Base Power after STAB, in a tier where the only moves above that power level are STAB Hydro Pump and Fire Blast, both of which have shaky accuracy. Meowth does struggle against Gastly, but its superior Speed still lets it chip Gastly into range of its allies.

Perhaps the most despised Pokemon in the current metagame, Poliwag is a coin flip generator. The combination of 18 Speed, Hypnosis, and Amnesia have led to much controversy, and a suspect test on either Poliwag or sleep as a whole looks imminent based on the playerbase's comments. Poliwag can very easily win a Speed tie, land Hypnosis, and set up to trade two for one, or it can miss one time, lose a Speed tie, and do absolutely nothing. While this is certainly not a healthy dynamic, it is a little bit funny watching Poliwag exploit some of the most infamous moves in RBY to put up its first and last notable performance in any tier.

  • Rhyhorn
  • - Earthquake
  • - Blizzard
  • - Body Slam
  • - Substitute
  • Geodude
  • - Earthquake
  • - Body Slam
  • - Fire Blast / Substitute
  • - Explosion

Rhyhorn and Geodude fill similar roles with different strengths and weaknesses: Rhyhorn has better bulk and damage output as well as access to Blizzard to hit Exeggcute, while Geodude has to rely on the overall worse Fire Blast but, in exchange, gets the powerful Explosion; these two somewhat mirror their fully evolved counterparts in OU but with a little bit of fun with special attacks. Both Pokemon serve as Voltorb walls that also wall most Normal-types, but they're held back by their awful Speed, multiple special weaknesses, and Earthquake weakness; these cons make Geodude generally the preferred one of the pair, since Explosion will at least allow it to block Voltorb and then delete something else.

Drowzee plays like a slow Abra with the option of Hypnosis. Unfortunately, it's Speed tied with Exeggcute, and the additional physical bulk does almost nothing for it. However, its overall higher bulk usually forces Staryu to hit Hydro Pump against it twice to KO it rather than use Surf + Hydro Pump, and it gets a decent entry point against Abra.

Clefairy only got one shot at LC, like Pikachu. Unlike Pikachu, it didn't put up a great showing; its bulk comes up just a tad short of supporting its surprisingly good offensive output with STAB Body Slam and BlizzBolt coverage. It does get Thunder Wave and Sing to spread status, but it generally doesn't do well enough at this compared to other options to be worth loading.

Dratini is perhaps the scariest Agility sweeper in the tier, packing BlizzBolt coverage and the only Hyper Beam in the tier. These let it hit all of the Big Three super effectively, notably with a 61.5% chance to OHKO Diglett, and threaten physically frail foes like Abra with a near OHKO. Dratini is at its best versus teams that can be convinced to switch around a little and take mild chip; even 20%-30% chip spread across a few Pokemon can lead to a Dratini sweep. Conversely, though, Staryu's Blizzard threatens it with a 28% chance to OHKO, and even on a low roll, it can be picked off by a Quick Attack afterward.

The tier's premier Quick Attack user, Rattata is effective at revenge killing Diglett and especially hard to switch out of for teams lacking a Gastly. Blizzard makes it a terror against Exeggcute, Dratini, and the Rock / Ground types, and STAB Quick Attack lets it pick off physically frail targets like Abra and Diglett from as high as 40% HP. If it wasn't for its relatively poor 16 Speed, Rattata would probably be a dominant force on every team, but the Route 1 rat still puts out an admirable showing here.

RBY LC has very few Flying-types. Zubat is obviously not good, leaving Doduo, Spearow, and Pidgey, and unfortunately, only Pidgey was blessed with Quick Attack. This is, however, extremely cute—both of Route 1's wild Pokemon manage a niche for perhaps the only time ever across any competitive format, and I personally find that really sweet. Anyway, Pidgey doesn't have much, but an Earthquake immunity lets it freely get in on Diglett at least once, and it can then threaten STAB Double-Edge and Quick Attack against switch-ins. Its damage is sadly a bit lacking, and it's walled by Gastly and Rock-types, but it has some tricks with Agility, Mirror Move, and Sand Attack to annoy foes.

The last of our Normal-type Quick Attack users, Eevee trades away Rattata's coverage for slightly better bulk that forces Staryu to hit a Hydro Pump if it wants a 2HKO, and it also notably survives two Psychics from Exeggcute. Unfortunately, it's also walled by Gastly and Rock-types, making it a bit harder to use than other options.

Tournament History

After a long period of mostly being just a theory tier played in occasional friendly matches, I took inspiration from seeing ADV LC manage to kick off with a bang with their tournament, Porygon's Bizarre Adventure, drawing a prize pool of over $500 and an absolutely massive signup count, and hosted the more modest Dratini Age: Origins in early 2024 with a $150 prize pool and about 100 entrants. This kicked off a real push to develop the tier, and shortly after the tournament's conclusion, RBY LC published its first-ever viability rankings. From there, the tier continued to develop, and players were keen to test alternative potential metagames; one year later, Tradebacks were allowed, and sleep moves were banned for one tournament, Dodeus Ex, which notably skyrocketed Abra, Drowzee, and Doduo into the spotlight thanks to the addition of the elemental punches to the Psychic-types and Quick Attack to Doduo. There were also more traditional RBY LC tournaments, with the tier seeing representation in the RBY Other Metas Premier League, a team tournament, and a ladder spotlight with a tournament shortly after. These tournaments saw the increasing development of niche low-B and high-C ranked Pokemon, as well as clearer lines of play, but they also resulted in some calls for tiering action.

Future of the Tier

As noted above, RBY LC is currently in the midst of a revamp, as a new viability rankings list was just completed, tiering action was discussed, and the community is deciding the final direction of the tier. Staryu, Diglett, Poliwag, sleep as a whole, and Sand Attack have all come under fire, and while it's extremely unlikely that all of these will see suspect tests, Diglett Devil Saga, another RBY LC tournament, is testing bans on sleep and accuracy-lowering moves, after which the first suspects will kick off. Expect to see more tournaments in the future, and consider joining to develop the tier!

If any of the above caught your interest, RBY LC has a hub thread with viability rankings, sample teams, and discussion, and it's of course also discussed in the RBY Discord. It's not yet a big presence in the Little Cup Discord, but you could help grow that presence! Thank you for reading, and I hope this inspires you to give the tier a try!

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