Hello again, fellow travelers!
The "Nifty Or Thrifty" article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for the current Cup format... this time, it's the long-awaited return of Little Cup. As is typical for the series, I'll cover not only the top meta picks, but also some mons where you can save some dust with cheaper second move unlock costs or less XL candy investment. I usually dive right in on Pokémon with the cheapest second move unlock cost (10,000 dust) and work my way through from there until finally concluding with the most expensive unlocks, but this time I'm going to start with a pair of meta-defining 'mons, the ones that most people are chatting about and that the meta really revolves around, and then some of their best counters, before I finally dive into the standard run from the thriftiest on up. And since these first couple sections will be a bit jumbled in terms of thriftiness, I'll use money bags (💰) to represent the investment required, with 1 being very thrifty (usually 10k for the second charge move) up to 3 for the most expensive (75k second move cost and/or heavy XL investment).
We've got a lot to cover, so let's not waste any more time. Here we go!
LITTLE GIANTS
First, we simply have to cover the two biggest, baddest little Pokémon that dominate this meta. You will likely see one or both of these on just about every team you face, and the meta is very much formed around them. Get to know them and their few weaknesses well, as this knowledge is key to understanding Little Cup.
BRONZOR 💰💰💰
Confusion/Tackle | Psyshock & Payback/Gyro Ball
More than anythijng else in Little League, Zoro (as I've taken to calling it) remains easily the most dominant figure in this meta, with only a handful of Darks, Ghosts, Fires, and select Grounds across the entire format that give it any cause for concern, and across multiple shielding scenarios. Much of the rest of this article is going to be spent reviewing what can and cannot overcome Bronzor, because while you absolutely CAN win without it, you had better be prepared to BEAT it, because it will be all over the place. Again.
And it's even harder to potentially work around than it's been in the past. While I do think Tackle takes a clear backseat to Confusion these days, it IS worth pointing out that Tackle still has the advantage in the mirror match, and can turn even some of those bad Dark matchups around (like Deino, Murkrow, and sometimes Nickit or Galarian Zigzagoon). You WILL see Tackle here and there. But I think a more intriguing choice is whether to run Gyro Ball or Payback. The latter is key to try and flip the mirror and can overpower other bonuses like Lick Seel and handful of Ghosts across various shielding scenarios, but Gyro Ball can overpower a wider array of opponents, Darks and/or Fairies especially (Murkrow, G-Zoon, Impidimp). And one last point... you CAN build Zoro without any XL investment and really not miss much... I stealthily already slipped a 5-15-15 version in there that hits 499 CP at Level 40, and you probably didn't even notice because it's just as good (or even better!).
WYNAUT 💰💰
Counter | Mirror Coat
As a baby, technically Wynaut would benefit from the Baby Discount™ and get a second move for only 10,000 dust, but uh... the only charge move it gets is Mirror Coat. The good news for Wynaut is that while past Little Cups saw Mirror Coat as a very mediocre move, it's now at least decent at 45 energy for 75 damage, 15 more damage than it used to be until this season, and bringing in new wins like Ducklett, Seel, and Hoothoot (regular and/or Shadow variants) across various shielding scenarios, among others. Admittedly, either way, Bronzor wrecks it, but Wynaut does SO much good elsewhere that it sits on a similar overall tier to Zoro in this meta as a very tough out for most non-Psychic, non-Bug opponents, with even most Darks falling to Counter damage and only Ghosts representing anything that can be called a hard wall (other than Bronzor, as mentioned). And good news: while most even decent rank IV combos level Wynaut DEEP into the 40s and XL candy investment, you can build one right around Level 40 and miss basically nothing, essentially swapping out Seel and Hoothoot to gain Skorupi and Nickit instead.
GIANT SLAYERS
Before I get into the standard rundown, I want to highlight a few Pokémon that can handily beat one or both of the above, and the small handful that can manage to beat BOTH. (That latter category is not a long list.) Here we go....
SEEL 💰💰
Lick | Aqua Jetᴸ & Aqua Tail/Icy Wind
Two big differences from my past analyses on Seel. #1, you definitely want Lick now; I used to strongly recommend Ice Shard as an alternative, but Lick is needed for Seel to consistently beat Bronzor. And #2, while Aqua Tail was the only Water move you wanted in the past, that was in the days of Aqua Jet being a lousy 45 energy/45 damage move. Now that it is instead 40 energy for 70 damage, it is THE Water charge move Seel wants to run now, though it is unfortunately a Legacy move. You can actually run both Water moves and get Seel's best-on-paper numbers, with wins you don't normally get otherwise like Skorupi and Shadow Barboach. Also note the vast improvement that comes with high rank IVs, such as Ledyba, Shelmet, Purrloin, and even Deino despite it resisting Lick AND the Water moves. You Can run Jet/Icy Wind instead to pick up Flyers Swablu and Murkrow, and have a viable path to victory over big bad Wynaut as well (making high rank Seel one of the few things able to potentially overcome Wynaut and Bronzor, at least in 1shield and 2shield scenarios), though the relative speed of Aqua Tail instead washes away Shadow Barboach, Purrloin, Skorupi, and the mirror. What moveset (and IVs) will YOU be running, dear reader?
LEDYBA 💰
Bug Bite | Swift & Silver Wind
Bugs have a lot going for them in this meta, having natural play versus Psychic types while also conveniently resisting Fighting damage (making them a nightmare for Wynaut in particular) and Ground damage that is still brought to bear against Bronzor. Ledyba has even more going for it, with its Flying typing making it even BETTER versus Wynaut (double resisting Fighting now), as well as excellent bulk (third bulkiest Bug and second bulkiest Flyer in the entire format). Put it all together, and the impact is potentially great, with one of THE best records of success against Wynaut (unsurprisingly) and even usually wins against (Tackle) Bronzor, not to mention basically all meta Dark, Ground, and Bug types (even scary ones like Joltik and Gligar) and even Seel (and yes, even with Icy Wind). Well deserving of its very quiet Top 10 ranking.
JOLTIK 💰💰
Sucker Punch | Discharge & Bug Buzz
Another Bug that actually plays quite differently than other Bugs, as most of its damage is NOT Bug damage. But between the Bug damage it does have — Bug Buzz — and super effective Sucker Punch, Shadow Joltik can topple Bronzor (with either Tackle or Confusion) and Wynaut, and pretty consistently across even shield scenarios, with only Bronzor in the 0v0 shielding matchup getting away. But it's not just a one-trick pony, as Joltik is also very good against Ghosts (outracing even Litwick despite taking super effective damage from all of its Fire attacks) and a ton of Water and/or Flying types. The one key: to overcome Bronzor, Shadow Joltik needs a bit of extra Attack. 68 or so seems like a good tipping point between beating Bronzor or falling frustratingly short (which in the above sims, means something like 10-15-12 IVs). Do YOU have one that fits the bill?
PAWNIARD 💰💰💰
Scratch/Fury Cutter | Iron Head & Night Slash
Just as Ledyba is a particularly hard wall to Wynaut, there is literally no harder counter to Bronzor in this meta than Pawniard. It's the only thing here that resists ALL of Zoro's damage, and double resists the Psychic-type damage that flummoxes so many things that otherwise should wail on Bronzor. (Confusion is generally better than Tackle for that very reason... it just picks nearly everything but Dark types apart over time.) Fury Cutter has been the go-to fast move since forever, and while it's still quite good, don't forget that Pawnie also comes with the suddenly reborn Scratch, which now shares the same 3.0 Damage Per Turn/4.0 Energy Per Turn (and even the same 1-turn cooldown) as Fury Cutter. The downside? Being double weak to Counter means it has to stay FAR away from Wynaut, even with Fury Cutter.
DEWPIDER 💰💰
Bug Bite | Bubble Beam & Water Pulse
You really need to have high rank IVs to do it, but Dewpie can beat Wynaut and Bronzor in every even shield scenario. It helps a lot that, as a Water type, Dewpider comes with the same typical Bug resistances to Fighting and Ground, takes neutral from Fire, and resists Steel such as Bronzor's Gyro Ball. The key is to not run Mirror Coat in this meta — there's just way too many meta opponents that resist it — and instead go with Water Pulse as your closer. The big catch is that Dewpie is at least somewhat reliant on successful Bubble Beam baits, so a savvy opponent can dance around it and drive those wins down. Well, that and the high rank IVs, as more run-of-the-mill IVs starts dropping stuff like Impidimp, Vulpix, and in certain even shield scenarios, Bronzor.
VULLABY 💰💰💰
Feint Attack | Foul Play & Brave Bird
This IS more of a one-trick pony. Vullaby is excellent at countering both Bronzor and Wynaut (consistently beating both in all even shield scenarios), with its bulk and especially Flying subtyping being a big factor in overcoming something most other Darks struggle with: Wynaut's Counter. But other than flexing its Dark side to take out most Ghosts and its Flying side to conquer most Bugs (Joltik aside!) and Grounds, there's actually not much else that Vullaby can do. It's a very good specialist, arguably the best versus the very tippy top of the meta, but that is really the limits of its role here.
INKAY 💰💰
Psywave | Foul Play & Psybeam
Here we have consistent wins against Bronzor (double resisting Psychic damage helps!) and Wynaut, and a solid performance otherwise.. The catch? This is one of those cases where Tackle Bronzor turns the tables. Still, a very potent and sure-to-be popular anti-meta pick in Little Cup.
IMPIDIMP 💰💰
Sucker Punch | Foul Play & Play Rough
Now here is an exciting new addition to Little Cup. Plenty of Dark damage to cut through Bronzor (outside of 0v0 shielding, at least), and a secondary typing that, similar to Vullaby, takes the wind out of Wynaut's sails by neutralizing Counter, so Impie consistently gets past Wynaut as well. I like it more than similar alternatives NICKIT and PURRLOIN; even though they DO get past Bronzor with shields down, unlike Impidimp, they struggle against Wynaut and Bugs like Dewpider and Ledyba, which I think makes up for the few struggles Impie has that they don't (most commonly Hoothoot, Murkrow, and sometimes Grounds like Cubone and Barboach).
DRIFLOON 💰💰💰
Astonish/Hex | Icy Wind & Shadow Ball
So Hex gets the bigger numbers, but it is with Astonish that Loonie more consistently overcomes Confusion Bronzor. (Wynaut is always a pretty easy win, with Counter being triple resisted.) There are also a good chunk of Bug and Ground types in there, as you'd expect, plus several (non-Dark) Flyers thanks to Icy Wind.
DUSKULL 💰💰
Astonish | Ominous Wind & Night Shade
Nothing fancy here, just the bulkiest Ghost in the format with solid moves. Ironically, though, it needs some extra Attack to crack open Bronzor, and that means that Shadow Duskull is the way to go.
LITWICK 💰💰💰
Ember | Mystical Fire & Heat Wave
It's a shame that Litwick doesn't have a single non-Fire charge move, but at least in this format, it doesn't really matter... Litwick can torch Little Cup, to include Wynaut and Bronzor with the sole exception of the Confusion variant in 0shield. Obviously you have to avoid the Water and Ground types out there, but there is a lot of flammable stuff here between all the Bug and Steel and Ice types, and more often than not, it even outslugs perhaps the most famous and likely still most commonly used Fire type here in Vulpix... double resisting the Body Slam that gives Vulpix a lot of advantages otherwise is a BIG help.
FUECOCO 💰
Incinerate | Crunch & Flamethrower
Admittedly, this is NOT a super reliable counter to the big two. It does usually torch Bronzor (with the exception of Confusion in 1v1 shielding), and does manage to eventually wear Wynaut down with Crunch in 2v2 shielding. But little Fuecoco is just so good overall that it gets a thumbs up from me anyway. It's at least better versus Bronzor than old mainstay Vulpix, at least. 🔥 And it's truly thrifty!
10,000 Dust/25 Candy
COTTONEE
Charm | Seed Bomb & Energy Ball
I feel obligated to list it first here, because few Pokémon are as closely associated with Little League formats than Cottonee, and you WILL see players still trotting it out. But man, it's fallen on hard times. Not only does it have no answers for Bronzor, but even Wynaut and its buffed Mirror Coat gets around it now. There are few better answers to the rising Dark contingent, and of course it's gotten a little better in terms of Grass damage with the buffs to Energy Ball, but I have trouble recommending it for most teams these days.
TOGEPI
Peck | Psyshock & Dazzling Gleam
Honestly, if you want a cheap Fairy, I think the Spike Ball Pokémon is now the way to go, and it's thanks to Peck, once an albatross around its neck, now being a legit fast move. Without the Aura Sphere or even Fire charge moves of its later evolutions, it sadly has no answers for Bronzor, and like Cottonee it even fails to typically outlast Wynaut (despite a double resistance to Counter, in Togepi's case). But it just does so much other good that I still give it a solid thumbs up in this meta... as long as you can ideally keep it from getting locked in on Bronzor or other Steels and/or Electrics and the like.
IGGLYBUFF
Feint Attack | Swift & Wild Charge/Shadow Ball
I still love me some Igglybuff, one of my secret weapons in past Little Cups, even though it has admittedly slid backwards in this meta a bit. Perhaps the best thing going for it is the Ghost resistance that comes with its Normal subtyping, but the buffs to Swift is also in its favor (no more Legacy Body Slam needed) and the unpredictability of its closing options (many players are unlikely to even know it comes with the likes of Wild Charge or Shadow Ball) make it something I would at least consider early in the week while folks are still getting a feel for this revamped meta.
SWABLU
Peck/Astonish | Disarming Voice & Ice Beam
Peck puts in the better numbers and is probably the default best, but it's worth reminding folks that Altaria's pre-evolution also comes with Astonish, which has obvious applications against the big Psychic and Ghost types in Little Cup, particularly with high rank IVs to pick up stuff like Dewpider, Skorupi, Purrloin, Vulpix, and even Shadow Magnemite (despite 'Mite resisting everything but Astonish itself). And with Astonish, you get stuff like Litwick, Galarian (a.k.a. Steel) Meowth, Vulpix, and ShadowMite, as mentioned, while Peck instead outraces stuff like Seel, Hoothoot, Fletchling, Wooloo, Galarian Zigzagoon, and the mirror match. Either way, it's #13 ranking makes a lot of sense.
FLETCHLING
Peck | Swift & Fly/Heat Wave
It's not actually a Fire type like the rest of its evolutionary line, but you still feel like it should be able to beat Steel-type Bronzor, right? But even with Heat Wave, it just can't. So honestly, you may be better off just running Fly instead, which can at least pick up bonuses like Vulpix, Wooloo, and Swablu. It's a very solid performer, though like most stuff here, mostly fails versus the big two. Rats.
HOOTHOOT
Peck | Night Shade & Sky Attack/Returnᴾ
Top 10 bulk, and THE top among Flyers, with a solid Flying moveset (also driven by Peck, which is just making a BIG dent in the meta this time)... it's obvious that Hooter has a place here. But the trump card is Night Shade, which is a no-duh good weapon here for no-duh reasons. The overall result in very impressive, with pretty consistent wins over Tackle Bronzor as well as Wynaut in 0shield and 2shield matchups, plus a very large slice of the rest of the meta... and unlike many other potential Bronzor/Wynaut counters, that slice includes most opposing Dark types thanks to Hoothoot just being a Flying tank that outlasts most of its opponents. In fact, aside from hard counters you would expect (Electric, Ice, and/or Steel types), there is very little that Hooter does not beat the stuffing out of, if not take down entirely. It's so good that you can run Return alongside Night Shade for double closing moves and still beat faces in, particularly with shields down. 👀
There are other thirfty birds, like SPEAROW and PIDGEY, but I don't think any really approach the usefulness of those we've already covered. So moving on....
CYNDAQUIL
Ember | Swift & Flame Charge
There are a number of Fire starters (pun not intended... or is it? 🔥) with very similar moves and very similar records (as Shadows, at least), but I think Cyndaquil is the best of them because it gets Swift while TEPIG has the more expensive Body Slam and FENNEKIN is left with the more expensive Psyshock (and Fennekin's Psychic typing doesn't really help it versus Bronzor or Wynaut as much as you'd think). Of the three, it is only Cyndaquil that ever overpowers Confusion Bronzor, which is a pretty striking tiebreaker in my eyes. Quil also pulls notably ahead of the others with shields down, losing Pawniard, Togepi, and Fletchling that Tepig can beat, but picking up Amaura, Drifloon, Impidimp, Murkrow, Teddiursa, and Vulpix to more than make up for it, with a +3 or even +4 winrate over the others.
There would also be MAGBY to consider, but to this point in the game, it's only ever been obtainable in eggs, which means it's been too big to fit under 500 CP. However, there's a close baby companion that HAS been obtainable outside of eggs... in research, and CAN get to below 500 CP! And that is....
ELEKID
Thunder Shock | Brick Break & Thunderboltᴸ/Discharge
It's been available in research a few times, and I hope that (unlike me) you managed to get a good one, because oh baby, does Elekid have potential here. It's true that it has no real shot against Bronzor or Wynaut, and the numbers take a dip outside of 1v1 shielding. But the combination of good Electric damage and Brick Break coverage and debuffs is oh so sweet against a nice slice of the meta. If you have one, give it a good long look.
BARBOACH
Mud Shot | Aqua Tail & Mud Bomb/Ice Beam
One of my old secret weapons in past Little Cups was Barboach with Ice Beam to surprise Cottonee and others. And while that is still a valid strat to bring down Flyers like Hoothoot and Drifloon, and can overpower Nickit and the mirror as nice bonuses, I do think Mud Bomb is probably the better way to go, as that's the way to overcome Bronzor (with either of its fast moves), as well as Binacle and, perhaps counterintuitively, Deino as well.
SHADOW GEODUDE
Rock Throw | Rock Tomb & Dig
Not enough Ground damage with Dig to break through Bronzor, and of course, being weak to Wynaut's Counter is fatal. But I live for digging out potential gems like this. Not sure what team has a Geodude-shaped hole on it, but I do think somebody out there could use it and may not pay it any mind without this little highlight here, so... you're welcome! Go get 'em, tiger.
And heck, while we're at it, I bet you also haven't paid any attention to NACLI, but uh... you probably should. It doesn't deal nearly enough Ground damage with Mud Shot to seriously threaten Bronzor or anything, but that energy generation is nice to race to a couple of Rock solid charge moves and surprisingly good record.
NICKIT & PURRLOIN
Sucker Punch | Night Slash & Play Rough
Cheap Bronzor counters, both of them. Even though Shadow Purrloin does show well, I do think Nickit is the better overall play, having noticeably more bulk and being uniquely capable of outlasting Wynaut in 1shield and 0shield, a key advantage. (You can also consider Purrloin with buffed Scratch, which does much better versus opposing Darks, but you do give up Bronzor, Dewpider, and a number of Ghosts and Steels that way, so prooooobably not worth it for most team compositions).
50,000 Dust/50 Candy
There are a LOT of 50k Pokémon in this format (by far more than the 10ks), but really, most of them just aren't good enough for this meta. (And several of them were covered under the anti-meta section earlier anyway.) So this will be a relatively short list... shorter than the 10k list above!
VULPIX
Ember | Weather Ball (Fire) & Returnᴾ/Body Slam
Vulpix has always been a Little League mainstay, and while I am sure that will continue, it's not as outstanding as it once was. The Body Slam that once made it special is replicated (or surpassed!) by a number of other Fire types now, Quick Attack now takes a clear backseat to Ember, and while Weather Ball spam is still very much a real thing, Vulpix is not the clearly best Fire like it once was. Honestly, you might be better off running [purified Vulpix with Return]()
SHELMET
Infestation | Body Slam & Bug Buzz
I think it's been surpassed as the bulky Bug of choice by Ledyba, but Shelmet is still solid in its own right. Do note that it is Shadow Shelmet that can actually break through Bronzor... sometimes.
CUBONE
Mud Slap | Bone Club & Bulldoze
Other than completely dominating stuff like Elekid, Cubone's role is obvious: bury Bronzor in mud. And for the most part, it succeeds in that and WILL see play as a result, even if its record otherwise is not incredibly exciting. Unlike big bro Marowak, there's just no coverage to be found here, so you're limited to just Ground damage. Where that's good, Cubone is really good, but where that's bad (Flyers, Bugs, Grasses, Ices, even most Waters), it's pretty bad. Cubone is a role player. It's a good role, but has a lot of limitations. Heck, you can't even really run the Shadow, as even Bronzor can start turning the tables then!
BINACLE
Scratch/Mud Slap | Cross Chop & Ancient Power/Dig
Mud Slap and/or Dig can sometimes net you a win over (Tackle) Bronzor, the occasional Magnemite, and the mirror, but Scratch paired with STAB Ancient Power just seems like the best way to go overall, able to bring down big Flyers (Hooter, Swablu, Ledyba, Murkrow, Gligar, Ducklett), Bugs (Dewpider, Joltik, Shelmet), and more (Purrloin, Galarian Meowth). Binacle's flexibility and unpredictability could be a good asset here if you're unsure how to round out your team.
FRILLISH
Hex | Ice Beam & Night Shade
Jellicent's little sibling isn't perfect, but does plenty of good things, keeping Wynaut down and, more often than not, Bronzor as well (outside of 0shield, where Frillie is undone by Payback). The unique combination of Ghost and Water comes with a lot of handy resistances, and Frillish is decently bulky too. Not a bad generalist, with upside, as long as you can steer clear of most Normal and/or Dark types.
DUCKLETT
Wing Attack | Bubble Beam & Brave Bird/Aerial Ace
Gonna keep this one pretty simple. Yes, the results are somewhat skewed by good Bubble Beam baits, and the win column lacks Bronzor and even Wynaut (other than 2v2 shielding), but you have to still like the overall potential. And it's still a perfectly viable overall performance even without any baits at all. The Duck Of Doom remains a major player in Little League, and despite obvious shortcomings against this specific meta, you can still expect to see plenty of it in Little Cup.
MURKROW
Peck | Foul Play & Drill Peck
So to directly compare to Vullaby, Murkrow does a lot more overall with pickups like Dewpider, Shelmet, Joltik, Ducklett, Hoothoot, Swablu, Togepi, and a slew of Dark types, but Vullaby is beats Bronzor more convincingly, and overcomes Wyanut while Murkrow struggles. Basically think of it as Murkrow being the generalist that can at least severely maim Zoro and Wynaut, while Vullaby is the specialist that can beat down the dynamic duo consistently.
MAGNEMITE
Volt Switch/Thunder Shock | Magnet Bomb & Discharge
Regular runs best with Thunder Shock and a high number of wins, but it is Shadow with Volt Switch that can sometimes overwhelm even Teddiursa, Shelmet, and yes, Bronzor (sometimes). For my money, I'll take Shadow, but the call is yours, of course.
MEOWTH(S)
Scratch | Night Slash & Various
There are three of them now, all running with Scratch and Night Slash, and while all three have some merit, the overall best would seem to be Shadow Kanto with its solid wins versus Ghosts, most Darks, and a wide range of others (though you do need Legacy Body Slam). However, it is only Alolan Meowth that can take down Bronzor, while Galarian Meowth sadly fails at that but is great versus most Flyers instead.
TEDDIURSA
Scratch | Brick Break & Crunch
I really like the move combo here, with strong Scratch damage, Crunch to at least make Bronzor and Wynaut play honest, and Brick Break to wear down most things that don't outright resist it. The end results are nice and varied, though it is unfortunate (though unsurprising) that they lack wins over Bronzor or Wynaut. Still, you can do a lot worse as your third slot wild card.
I certainly like Teddi moee than AIPOM, who lacks both Fighting coverage (Low Kick just doesn't cut it) and a move like Crunch. It's fine, just unremarkable and more limited. That's a hard pass from me.
There are a number of Ice types that used to be great in this meta, and will likely still see ample use in, say, Little Jungle Cup whenever that comes back, but in a meta where nearly every team will have one or even two HARD counters (Bronzor resisting Ice damage, and Wynaut smashing through Ice with super effective Counter damage), those old mainstays like ALOLAN SANDSHREW, SWINUB, and [SNORUNT[(https://pvpoke.com/battle/multi/500/little/snorunt/11/1-3-2/2-1) just don't do enough for me to recommend relying on them. They CAN do good work in the right spot, but I think there's just too much risk.
Bite users STUNKY and CARVANHA used to be remarkably good in this meta, putting the hurt on Bronzor and often outracing a good chunk of the rest of Little League formats... but that was when Bite was a damage-heavy move. These days, with an emphasis instead on energy gains, those days are gone.
75,000 Dust/75 Candy
I am going to try to cover these a bit more succinctly, as I have a Reddit character limit to account for AND these are obviously not thrifty picks anymore. So strap in for the final push!
All Dragons in Little Cup show up here, but which ones are worth it? Most players immediately think of DEINO, hearkening back to its glory days in early Little League formats. Rather uniquely for Dragons, it CAN still take down Bronzor (with Confusion), but it suffers to Wynaut's Counter and all the lurking Bugs, as well as the better Flyers and of course Ice types. Shadow Deino looks like a mere sidegrade... though unlike the non-Shadow, it does benefit greatly from high rank IVs, picking up impressive wins over Dewpider, Teddiursa, and Galarian Zigzagoon. Yeah, it has limitations (what here doesn't?), but it's still worth a look.... DRATINI, perhaps unsurpringly, is a potent option too, with the Shadow in particular ranked in the Top 25 (Deino is outside the Top 50), with wins the non-Shadow lacks such as Barboach, Dewpider, Hoothoot, Seel, Shelmet, Swablu, and most importantly, Wynaut. That carries MUCH more weight than the couple of things that only non-ShadowTini can beat instead (Shadow Joltik, Purrloin, Amarua, Wooloo).... The one advantage of NOT getting these analyses out before the format actually starts is getting to see some of the meta in action. And I was surprised just today by a (Shadow) NOIBAT and, for a moment, forgot it had both Bite and Heat Wave. Ouch! That all said, I might actually lean towards Dragon Pulse instead, as that at least gets closer to taking down Wynaut, and adds on stuff like Seel, Swablu, Ducklett, and Hooter. (I just wanted to say Hooter one more time. 😜) Anyway, Noibat is actually the third ranked Dragon here, and I endorse that!
SKORUPI is often popular in Little League, and it's more interesting than ever with the buff to Infestation. Obviously Bronzor is way out of reach, but it DOES manage to grind down Wynaut and a ton of Dark types, and even most opposing Bug and/or Ground types.
It keeps showing up in sims, and I would be remiss not to at least mention AMAURA. While I have soured on most Ice types in this meta, and Amaura SHOULD falter with its massive limitations against Bronzor and quick death to Wynaut's double super effective Counter, Amarua still does enough good to be worthy of attention as an Ice that can take out big anti-meta picks like Dewpider, Nickit, and Duskull in addition to all the Dragons, Bugs, and of course Flyers that it puts on ice.
Losing not only to Bronzor, but somehow also Wynaut, I don't have a great feeling about TINKATINK here. But I would be remiss to not point out that the record is pretty decent, and the bulk remains pretty great. Not sure what kind of team wants it, but somebody out there can and will certainly find a way to make it work. Maybe that's you!
There are good things to say about something decidedly NOT bulky: HISUIAN ZORUA actually manages to outrace Wynaut and (Tackle) Bronzor unless it's out of shields, along with a nice smattering of Bugs, Ghosts, Normals, and even Darks. This is spice I recommend. 🌶️
And finally, I want to end with GOLETT, particularly Shadow Golett, which can take out Wynaut (in all even shield scenarios) and Bronzor with Tackle or Confusion in 1shield and 2shield matchups. I've hardly seen any of them so far, but man, with a record that only gets better in long battles, I feel like it's being criminally slept on thus far. Give it a whirl if you have a good one to deploy before more people catch on!
And that's it! I bumped right up against Reddit's silly character limit with this one, not to mention running late with actually publishing. Hopefully this still helps you balance the cost of where to save yourself some hard-earned dust (and candy!), especially in a Little League we may not see again for a while.
Until next time, you can often find me on Twitter with regular GO commentary and analysis, or Patreon if that's your thing. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!
Thank you for reading! I very much appreciate you taking the time, and sincerely hope this helps you master Little Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time!
