Best Retro Cup Team in Pokémon GO Explained

For Trainers itching to compete with their Pokémon, tournaments like the Premier League should help scratch that need in Pokémon GO. And luckily, the ongoing Great League Edition debuts several tourneys you can participate in.

The returning Retro Cup — running until July 13 with the Master League — is a competition that bans Dark, Steel, and Fairy-type Pokémon and only allows types from older Pokémon games. It also has a ruleset that limits participating Pokémon to a maximum of 1,500 CP.

Rules aside, you can enter the Retro Cup with a diverse lineup of Pokémon, but it can be challenging with the wrong mix of creatures on your team.

The best Retro Cup team will have an edge over most Pokémon that can enter the competition, and as it turns out, these creatures aren’t that different from last year’s favorites.

In June 2022, the best Pokémon for the previous Retro Cup were Lickitung, Altaria, Trevenant, Walrein, and Cresselia. Each packed some punchy offensive power and good defense to last a challenging fight if needed. From that list, Lickitung and Altaria are still the best Pokémon for the Retro Cup, now joined by Froslass, which debuted last year.

Lickitung is a Normal-type Pokémon that can be aggressive at the start of a duel, dealing good damage with Lick, Body Slam, and Power Whip. Combing these skills could lead to an early knockout if Lickitung is powered up entirely, but it’s vulnerable to Fighting-type moves.

Your next best attacker for this team is the Dragon and Flying-type Pokémon Altaria, who uses Dragon Breath, Sky Attack, and Moonblast. It has lethal fast attacks and is resistant to Bug, Fire, Water, Ground, Grass, and Fighting-type attacks for dealing with various enemy Pokémon you may see in a tourney.