Best team for the Jungle Cup: Great League Edition in Pokemon GO
If you're hoping to become the queen of the Jungle Cup in the Pokemon GO Battle League, this guide features the best team as well as a list of the top Pokemon to use.
The Jungle Cup: Great League Edition is making its ferocious return to the Pokemon GO Battle League, so you know what that means! It’s time to look at the best teams you can use to become king (or queen) of the jungle.
It’s time to bring out your best Bug, Dark, Electric, Flying, Grass, Ground, Normal, and Poison-type Pokemon, as the Jungle Cup is back. This cup follows the Great League format, so all of your choices will need to be under 1500 CP. Here are the top Pokemon that deserve your attention.
Best team for the Jungle Cup
One of the best teams you can use for the Jungle Cup in Pokemon GO is Steelix, Swampert, and Vigoroth.
As well as ranking very highly on PvPoke, these three Pokemon provide great coverage between them, so you should have counters for most opponents you'll come across in this cup.
Steelix is looking like the one to watch right now. As well as a massive Defense stat, it also has a whopping 10 resistances and only one weakness out of the eligible types in the Jungle Cup. Combine that with a varied moveset that can target plenty of Pokemon, and you've got yourself a winner.
With Steelix rising to the top of the meta, you'll want something that can counter it. There are a few Ground-type Pokemon you could look towards, but my recommendation would be Swampert. This fan-favourite creature can take out Steelix with ease and is also looking like a top contender.
Finally, I'd recommend going with Vigoroth. As well as providing a counter to Ground-types like Swampert and Whiscash, this Normal-type monkey is a solid all-rounder that only has one weakness and can provide neutral damage to most opponents that aren't covered by Steelix and Swampert.
I've had a lot of success using these three Pokemon across other cups and leagues, which means you won't be wasting your resources powering them up and teaching them secondary moves. You'll get plenty of use out of them in the future!
Top Pokemon for the Jungle Cup
Here are some of the top Pokemon that are expected to make waves in this run of the Jungle Cup as well as their best movesets:
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Moves | Sprite |
| Steelix | Dragon Tail | Crunch & Psychic Fangs |  |
| Swampert | Mud Shot | Hydro Cannon & Earthquake |  |
| Vigoroth | Counter | Body Slam & Rock Slide |  |
| Skarmory | Steel Wing | Brave Bird & Sky Attack |  |
| Clodsire | Mud Shot | Earthquake & Stone Edge |  |
| Whiscash | Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Scald |  |
| Talonflame | Incinerate | Fly & Flame Charge |  |
| Stunfisk | Mud Shot | Mud Bomb & Discharge |  |
| Lickitung | Lick | Body Slam & Power Whip |  |
| Mandibuzz | Snarl | Dark Pulse & Aerial Ace |  |
If you don’t have any of these Pokemon, I'd recommend checking PvPoke's rankings or simply trying your luck with your most powerful, eligible Pokemon - but generally, the ones listed above will have a very good chance of success.
Remember that all of your Pokemon will need to be as close to the 1500 CP limit as possible and also have their optimal movesets (which usually include an expensive secondary Charged Move) to reach their full potential.
On a final note, Galarian Stunfisk and Gligar are both banned from the Jungle Cup. This is presumably because both of them would have been too powerful if they were allowed to enter this format.
When does the Jungle Cup run?
The Jungle Cup: Great League Edition begins on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 1PM PDT / 4PM EDT / 9PM BST and ends on Friday, April 21, 2024.
During the first week, it will run alongside the Ultra League and in the second week it will run alongside the Master League. I’ve linked ‘best team’ guides for those which should help you rise to the top of them both.
That’s everything you need to know about the Jungle Cup! Visit our Pokemon homepage for the latest news and guides, including the current Raid Bosses, the upcoming Spotlight Hours, and a roundup of all the events happening this month.
About The Author
Daniel Megarry
Daniel is GGRecon’s Deputy Guides Editor. He graduated from university with a degree in Journalism & English Language before covering video games and LGBTQ+ culture at publications including Gay Times and Dexerto. His favourite games include Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, and anything Nintendo. You can reach him on [email protected].
