I know the challenge is to walk 20km, but it’s not showing on the overlay

I’ve been in discussion with CA’s who’ve been in discussion with Scopely support for the last week and officially if you reach out you can get your day changed from Saturday to Sunday or vice versa if your schedule has changed from last month. They updated my badge from the original Saturday date to the Sunday. I’m glad this was implemented because I requested off for the event when I got the ticket way back in July but by the time they rescheduled it my schedule for that weekend was already made and I was only able to get Sunday off not Saturday. If something like that is the same for you reach out and swap your day!

Full Details: https://leekduck.com/events/sandile-hatch-day-2026/

Currently there is a bug that prevents you from rejoining Raids remotely if you need to relobby or try again.
- testing has shown that neither changing RSVP slot nor direct remote invites change the outcome

In other words, as it currently stands, you get one shot to win a remote raid before it eats up your pass.

I made an infographic based off the previous one posted in this forum by g47ix, but just added the recent updates we have gotten. Feel free to save if you want!

( Credits: G47IX )

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 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!

Important Notes Before Reading:

• Moves+ are not officially confirmed: they are based on all recently posted datamines, and the moves+ for Kangaskhan, Darkrai, Floette, Zygarde, Magearna, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre are still missing.
• All moves+ so far follow two rules: they cost 100 energy (one full bar) and have the same duration as their base version. The only unknown is their Power, this analysis is meant to show how Megas could behave depending on the Power they receive.
• DialgaDex settings: DPS, TDO, eDPS (Solo, relobby 10s), Lv. 50, Mega Lv. 4, Party Power 1 to 4.
• I made some changes locally to DialgaDex to have more coherent calculations: I updated EVERY Mega to Lv. 4 (+2 Lv. with Mega Lv. 4) and added the temporary charged move to each Mega for the Mega bonus (x1.3 move+ Power with Mega Lv. 4). I automated the comparisons I needed to calculate the breakpoints, rounded the results up to the nearest multiple of 5, and pasted the results into the spreadsheet. (DialgaDex should NOT normally have these settings on because it's focused on today's best. I had to make these changes locally and manually to get a fair comparison, given all the small modifiers of Mega Lv. 4.)
• Same type calculation: to determine the minimum Power for "Mega A with an X Power move+ to outperform Mega B" I compared them with the same formulas DialgaDex uses for its top attacker pages.
• Counter calculation: I didn’t use the same formulas DialgaDex uses for its top counter pages. In DialgaDex, “Rankings are calculated based on an average of all raid bosses matching the scenario.” That’s fair for the same-type ranking, but comparing two different types against a boss type is a different matter. The Steel type, for example, has 4 bosses with double weakness to Fire, while only 1 boss has double weakness to Fighting. I excluded bosses with different levels of weakness from the calculation to have a fair result.
• Everything here is speculative. Don't take my guesses as the values they will actually go with, but only as an “if Mega A gets an X Power move+, it could outperform Mega B in DPS” scenario.
• All moves are based on October 2026 stats. Any future changes or additions to Megas' fast moves could change the simulations.

For each type, I'll show:

• Spreadsheet: the results of the DPS and eDPS comparison between same type Megas or counters.
• Megas explanation: how a Mega could perform based on fast moves and move+ Power.
• DialgaDex simulation: simulations with my ideal Power for the moves+. These pages are meant to show the behavior of all the Megas with Party Power 1 to 4, and also a direct comparison between everything.

The ideal Power values of the moves+ that I show are the result of a mix of comparisons with Megas of the same type and balance with other counters.
These values are not meant to be taken all that seriously, nor does anyone know what they will do with each move+.

I won’t provide a tier list like “Mega A will be the best Mega against Type X”, for two main reasons. 
First, my moves+ values may be unbalanced. 
Second, I only compared counters against bosses of type X that are actually weak to both of them, not against every boss of that type, since a second type could make a boss resist one of the two.

The DialgaDex simulations could be overwhelming, but they're the fastest way to show everyone the playstyle they want.
If you're a solo player, check the Solo column. If you want to use one Mega for the whole duration of the raid, check the eDPS and TDO columns. If you're a big Mega Tatsugiri fan, you can… well… how do I say this… play "Where's Waldo?" in the Dragon DialgaDex simulation.

How to read the spreadsheet:

Mega Meganium: Solar Beam+ with 180 Power has higher DPS in solo than Mega Chesnaught.

Mega Venusaur: Frenzy Plant+ with 175 Power has higher eDPS with Party Power 3 than Mega Chesnaught.

Grass:

Mega Venusaur: 
It has lower stats across the board than Mega Chesnaught, and a slower Frenzy Plant+ at 2.5s compared to Seed Bomb+ with a 2s duration.
To make up for the low eDPS, it needs 180 Power, giving it higher DPS and similar eDPS. It's unlikely to be better than Mega Chesnaught, so I'll go with 160.

Mega Meganium: 
The base Solar Beam has 180 Power, so based on that, they'll probably add 20 or more, like they did with Zap Cannon+.
That said, even if Solar Beam+ has 200+ Power, it's balanced by a 5s duration that lowers the damage output and the chances to dodge attacks.
210 Power seems completely reasonable given its consistency in both DPS and eDPS.

Mega Sceptile: 
Fury Cutter, being one of the best energy-generating fast moves, combos great with Leaf Blade+ and its 2.5s duration.
Mega Sceptile has the potential to be a good DPS option, but its average bulk and typing lower its overall eDPS.
140 Power would make it a good Grass DPS option in every scenario, but it wouldn’t justify its lower survivability compared to the other Megas.
150 Power is probably the highest value achievable: it would remain a good DPS counter against Water types while giving some room to other Grass Megas with higher survivability.
150 Power is perfect to balance out its eDPS, and I'll go with that.

Fire:

Almost all Megas have the fast move Fire Spin or Fire Fang, with identical stats for damage and energy, so I'll comment only on the moves+ and the Megas' stats.
Fire Megas are likely to be good budget options rather than endgame choices, as stronger alternatives for single weaknesses exist: Mega Rayquaza against Grass and Bug types, and Mega Mewtwo X against Ice and Steel types.

Mega Charizard Y: 
Blast Burn+ has a longer duration than Mystical Fire+, 3.5s vs 2s, and it needs at least 180 Power to achieve higher DPS and eDPS.
Its in-game ability could be considered a boost, so there's a chance it could receive a high Power move+. I'll use 170 Power for now.

Mega Blaziken: 
Blaze Kick+'s 1s duration is great, but Mega Blaziken has 70 fewer points of Defense than Mega Delphox and the same Attack, which lowers Mega Blaziken's overall eDPS.
That said, a glass cannon needs a strong move, and 140 Power is all it needs to have a slightly lower eDPS than Mega Delphox while maintaining higher DPS.

Mega Camerupt: 
Heat Wave+'s 3s duration makes it hard for Mega Camerupt to have high damage.
Only a really high Power move+ could give it an edge over the stronger starters.
It has an in-game boosting ability, so they could give it a slightly stronger move.
I'll go with 180 Power to ensure it stays among the top 15 attackers.

Mega Heatran: 
It has high TDO potential thanks to its resistances against the same types it's strong against.
It doesn't really need a strong move to outperform Mega Delphox: with just 130 Power, it has higher eDPS, and for DPS it needs at least 150.
To be on par with Mega Mewtwo X, it needs at least 185 Power, but its high TDO could be balanced out with lower DPS.
The Power really depends on the goal: making it significantly better than other Fire Megas and on par with Mega Mewtwo X, or keeping it balanced given its great typing and TDO.
I'll go in the middle with 160 Power.

Mega Emboar: 
Flame Charge+ is an extremely slow move with a 4s duration; to reach the other starters, it needs 200+ Power.
I'll go with 170 Power for generally lower DPS but at least better eDPS than Shadow Reshiram.

Mega Pyroar: 
Fire Blast+ has a 4s duration, and Mega Pyroar's 273 Attack makes it weaker than the starters.
However, it has an in-game boosting ability, so 200+ Power wouldn't be impossible.
I'll go for 190 Power for the same DPS as Shadow Reshiram.

Mega Scovillain: 
Flamethrower+ has a 2s duration, and Mega Scovillain has 276 Attack.
Unlike Mega Pyroar, it doesn't have an in-game boosting ability, so I don't think it'll be meta.
I'll go with 160 Power for the same DPS as Shadow Reshiram.

Water:

The best Water Megas at the moment are Mega Greninja and Mega Starmie, with similar TDO.
Both have good energy-generating fast moves: Mega Greninja is better in solo, while Mega Starmie becomes much stronger with just Party Power, so the best one depends on the situation.
Primal Kyogre has lower DPS, but its TDO is always the highest.

Mega Blastoise: 
Hydro Cannon+ and Water Gun create a great combo, with an increase in damage output at Party Power 2.
Compared to Mega Starmie, which has similar behavior, it will probably have lower DPS but higher eDPS.
With 160 Power, it could be similar to Primal Kyogre in solo, while being far stronger with Party Power.
It should be an entry-level Mega, and I'll go with 150 Power to make it at least better than Mega Feraligatr, which doesn't get a Water-type move+.

Mega Slowbro: 
Its 224 Attack and Chilling Water+'s 3.5s duration are not the best combination.
It behaves very similarly to today's Mega Blastoise, matching its eDPS with 165 Power and its DPS with 175 Power.
Mega Slowbro has high TDO even with lower DPS, so 170 Power could work.

Mega Swampert: 
Muddy Water+ has a 2s duration, and combined with Mud Shot and Party Power, it becomes even better.
To achieve higher DPS than Mega Starmie and Mega Greninja, it needs 160 Power.
It has good bulk and typing, resulting in high TDO, so I don't think it will have the highest DPS.
With 140 Power, it has higher eDPS but lower DPS than all the other Megas, except for Primal Kyogre.
150 Power is probably too high, completely outclassing Mega Starmie, so I'll go with 140 Power.

Electric:

Electric types have great fast moves that generate 13 to 14 energy per second, meaning they can charge their move+ very quickly.
Their performance will depend more on the move+ duration itself and on overall stats.

Mega Ampharos: 
Thunder Punch+ has a short 2s duration, and 155 Power is enough to put it on par with Mega Raichu Y's DPS.
It has good bulk, and even with 125 Power, it will have the same eDPS as Mega Raichu Y.
130 Power would be too low, while 140 Power would make it similar to Mega Manectric but with higher TDO.
I'd go with 140 Power as a minimum.

Mega Eelektross: 
Wild Charge+ has a 2.5s duration and needs 175 Power to be on par with Mega Raichu Y's DPS. With 160 Power, it would have slightly higher DPS than Mega Manectric and lower DPS than Mega Raichu Y, but higher eDPS, being bulkier than both.
I'll go with 160 Power.

Mega Zeraora: 
Plasma Fist+ needs at least 165 Power in solo raids and 170 Power with Party Power 4 to outperform the base Plasma Fist, and even then, the damage difference would be minimal.
Unless they give it 190 Power, I wouldn't justify collecting and spending the 5k energy for a Lv. 4 Mythical Mega, where the only way for F2P players to get the energy would probably be by walking. 
Based on that, I'll use 190 Power.

Bug:

Mega Scizor: 
Fury Cutter is one of the best fast moves for energy generation, and with X-Scissor+’s 1.5s duration, it needs only 120 Power to outperform Mega Beedrill.
120 Power is a fair minimum, putting it on par with Mega Houndoom against Psychic types, but still well behind Mega Delphox and Mega Mewtwo X.
With 130 Power, it would have similar eDPS but lower DPS than Mega Delphox; however, with its double resistance to Grass and with Party Power, it would have its uses.
It would have similar DPS and better eDPS than Mega Chandelure.
Considering the consistency in damage and survivability, 130 Power is a great floor, and I’ll go with that.

Mega Heracross: 
Everything said about Mega Scizor applies to Mega Heracross, but given its worse defensive typing and Lunge+'s 3s duration instead of X-Scissor+'s 1.5s, it should have slightly higher Power.
140 Power would make it slightly stronger to justify its downside.

Mega Scolipede: 
To be exactly on par with Mega Beedrill, it needs 165 Power.
So, considering its very low damage output, it will probably receive neutral treatment, with 160 Power or something around that.

Flying:

I'll be quick here, then I'll talk about the elephant in the room…

Mega Pidgeot: 
It has less Defense and HP than Mega Staraptor.
To have higher DPS, it needs at least 165 Power.
I'll go with 170 Power to increase its low eDPS.

Mega Pinsir: 
Fury Cutter lets it charge Aerial Ace+ extremely fast.
With its high Attack and Defense, it can reach high DPS and eDPS even with a low-Power move.
140 Power is all it needs to be a great budget Mega, with its double resistance to Fighting and Grass.

Mega Salamence: 
It lacks fast moves with high energy generation, and to be better than Mega Staraptor in every scenario, it needs 170 Power.
To reach Mega Rayquaza with its normal Dragon Ascent, it would need 210 Power.
I'll go for 185 Power, like Mega Dragonite's Outrage+.

Mega Rayquaza: 
Dragon Ascent is strong, but Dragon Ascent+ will be stronger…
175 Power is the bare minimum to make it slightly better. To be on par with Mega Mewtwo Y against Fighting types, it needs a really strong move, with a minimum of 220 Power… and it would still fall short with Party Power 2 to 4.
To be fair, Dragon Ascent's 3.5s duration is harder to use than Future Sight+'s 2.5s.
I'm not saying 220 Power is not enough, but it's higher risk, higher reward… right? I'll go with 220 Power.

Rock:

It's been hard to choose a standard because of two main factors:

• All Megas with just a 115 Power move+ would already surpass today's Mega Diancie.
• Rock fast moves have terrible energy generation, and charging a 100 energy move+ will take a while. To balance this out, they would need a high Power move+.

Keeping that in mind, we can expect them to be Megas with good eDPS and higher TDO than average.
I decided to have a look at Mega Glimmora first and use it as a standard.

Mega Glimmora: 
Base Meteor Beam has 140 Power, and like Zap Cannon+, Meteor Beam+ will receive a small boost.
With 150 Power, it would actually be a good counter for Fire and Flying types.
It would have slightly better DPS and eDPS than Mega Starmie and Mega Manectric, but at just 150 Power, it would still be worse than Mega Greninja and Mega Raichu Y.
With 160 Power, it'll still have worse DPS than Mega Greninja and Mega Raichu Y, but being bulkier, it will have the same or higher eDPS.
I'll go with 160 Power and set the standard for Rock-type Megas with Mega Glimmora's Meteor Beam+ at 160 Power.

Mega Aerodactyl: 
It's a slightly worse Mega Glimmora: it has fewer points in Attack, Defense, and HP, and Rock Slide+'s 2.5s duration is 0.5s longer than Meteor Beam+'s.
Everything said for Mega Glimmora applies to Mega Aerodactyl; with 170 Power, it would compensate for the difference.

Mega Tyranitar: 
It has incredible TDO. With 160 Power, it would deal slightly less damage than the other Rock Megas while maintaining its high eDPS.
185 Power, like Mega Dragonite's Outrage+, would create a gap with the other Rock Megas that would be unthinkable.
170 Power would probably be the best value to be stronger than other Fire or Flying counters.
I'll go with 160 Power to show its eDPS and TDO potential even with lower Power.

Mega Diancie: 
It has to be a glass cannon.
To really justify collecting and spending the 5k energy for a Lv. 4 Mythical Mega, it needs to have a REALLY strong move to deal more damage than other Megas, especially with an extremely low 137 HP.
I'll go with 190 Power to show that even with high DPS, its eDPS will be lower than Mega Tyranitar's and close to Mega Glimmora's.

Poison:

Mega Dragalge: 
Sludge Wave+ needs 195 Power to be on par with Mega Victreebel's DPS.
I don't think they will give it a 170+ Power move+, so I'll go with 170 Power.

Ground:

Mega Garchomp and Mega Excadrill with just 125 Power will have higher DPS than today's Primal Groudon. I tried to balance them with Mega Greninja and Mega Mewtwo X.

Mega Garchomp: 
With just 145 Power, it has better DPS than Mega Greninja against Fire types.
In solo, it needs 195 Power to be on par with Mega Mewtwo X, but with that value, it would deal too much damage compared to other Fire, Rock, and Steel counters.
After some testing, 175 Power seems like a fair minimum. Its DPS would fall between Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Lucario (without Aura Sphere+), while having higher survivability than Mega Lucario, but similar to Mega Mewtwo X.
Leaving Steel and Rock aside, a move+ stronger than 175 Power would make it unreasonably stronger than other counters.

Mega Excadrill: 
It has worse stats than Mega Garchomp but better resistances, and Drill Run+ is 0.5s faster than Earthquake+.
With 160 Power, it has similar DPS and eDPS to Mega Delphox and Mega Greninja.
It also gets better with Party Power.

Mega Golurk: 
It has 50 less Attack than the other 2 Ground Megas, and Earth Power+'s 3.5s duration widens the gap even further.
With 160 Power, it would have a DPS similar to Primal Groudon's, which seems a reasonable minimum.

Ice:

Ice-type fast moves generate an incredible amount of energy, meaning their moves+ will be used frequently and benefit greatly from Party Power.
Since Ice types are meant to be glass cannons, their moves+ should have at least a moderate amount of Power; otherwise, they will be useless.

Mega Glalie: 
Ice Beam+'s 3.5s duration and its 252 Attack create a bad combination.
To be slightly better than Mega Mewtwo Y with Ice Beam, it needs 170 Power, and I'll go with that as the minimum.

Mega Abomasnow: 
It's similar to Glalie, with Blizzard+'s 3s duration and 240 Attack.
To be slightly better than Mega Mewtwo Y with Ice Beam, it needs 160 Power.
This would also put it on par with Mega Glalie, with similar results.

Mega Froslass: 
Weather Ball+'s 1.5s duration will make Mega Froslass extremely relevant.
With 150 Power, it would have slightly lower DPS or eDPS than Mega Raichu Y, Mega Greninja, and Mega Dragonite, but it would still fall short of Mega Delphox.
Considering how much stronger Party Power makes Mega Froslass, a Power higher than 150 would make it significantly stronger than other counters, especially against Dragon types.
With 150 Power, it would create a good balance with the other Megas, so I'll go with that value.

Mega Baxcalibur: 
With Icicle Spear+'s 2s duration, Ice Fang's good energy generation, and its high stats, Mega Baxcalibur could easily become one of the most broken Megas we've seen.
In solo and with Party Power 3 and 4, Ice Fang is the go-to fast move, but Dragon Breath creates a huge spike in damage with Party Power 2, which is the only scenario where it performs better.
130 Power is the bare minimum to have a similar DPS to Mega Raichu Y, Mega Greninja, and Mega Dragonite.
With 140 Power, it would also outclass Mega Delphox and all the previous Megas.
To make Icicle Spear+ worth using over Glaive Rush, it would need 145 Power.
However, to leave room for other Megas, it shouldn't be given that much Power, considering it already deals as much damage as glass cannon Megas while being able to survive longer.
I'll go with 140 Power.

Fighting:

I'm splitting them into two tiers because some will never come close to Mega Mewtwo X's damage output, while others could still be good budget Megas.

S Tier (compared to Mega Mewtwo X):
Mega Lucario: 
Force Palm and Aura Sphere+ are a great combo, with high energy generation and a 2s move+.
With 150 Power, it will have a DPS similar to Mega Mewtwo X's, while being less bulky.

Mega Lucario Z: 
Focus Blast+ with its 3.5s duration is really slow and holds back Lucario Z.
It has higher DPS than Mega Mewtwo X with the base Aura Sphere; Focus Blast+ needs 160+ Power to be better than Aura Sphere.
To get a better eDPS than Mega Mewtwo X, it needs at least 180 Power and Party Power.
To create a balance between DPS and eDPS, 170 Power is perfect: Mega Lucario Z surpasses Mega Mewtwo X in DPS, but being less bulky, it has lower eDPS.

Mega Gallade: 
Sacred Sword+ has a 1s duration, and with Psycho Cut's good energy generation, Mega Gallade will become stronger with each Party Power level.
With 140 Power, it would have lower DPS than Mega Lucario and Mega Mewtwo X in solo.
With Party Power 2 to 4, it would have a DPS similar to Mega Lucario's and Mega Mewtwo X's.
If the goal is to keep it weaker than Mega Mewtwo X in every scenario, 130 Power would probably be the right value.
To showcase its potential and the boost from Party Power 4, I'll go with 140 Power.

A Tier (compared to Mega Falinks):
Mega Medicham: 
Its 205 Attack makes it really not worth using.
In solo, it would be on par with Mega Falinks only with 220 Power.
There's a small chance thanks to its in-game ability Pure Power, but we'll see.
I'll go with 200 Power to show it.

Mega Lopunny: 
Double Kick has great energy generation, but Close Combat+'s 2.5s duration lowers its overall eDPS.
150 Power is the sweet spot: in solo, it's worse than Mega Falinks in eDPS, but with Party Power it becomes better.
It's a good budget pick, but there are better options.

Mega Scrafty: 
It could be useful with high Party Power, using Snarl to combo with Upper Hand+'s 2s duration, but it needs at least 190 Power to surpass Mega Falinks' DPS.
I'll use 160 Power.

Mega Barbaracle: 
Fury Cutter's fast energy generation allows for great move+ spam with Cross Chop+'s 1.5s duration.
Only 140 Power is needed to outclass Mega Falinks' DPS, and with Party Power it becomes even stronger, needing only 115.
Considering all this, I'll use 140 Power, enough to surpass Keldeo Resolute.

Mega Hawlucha: 
Base Flying Press is already a great move, so making it a 100 energy move with Flying Press+ is almost a downside.
With 160 Power, the damage difference compared to the base version is extremely low, so at least 170 Power will be needed.

Mega Crabominable: 
It has terrible fast moves: Bubble doesn't generate much energy and isn't STAB, while Rock Smash has high damage but low energy.
It gets better with Party Power, but the move+ needs high Power to be any good, so I'll go with 170 Power.

Psychic:

I’ll be brief here. Mega Mewtwo Y will be hard to outclass, but there could be a cheaper, though weaker, alternative for those who didn’t get the free Mega Mewtwo Y.

Mega Alakazam: 
It should have at least the same DPS as Mega Mewtwo X.
As a glass cannon, it would have lower survivability, but it would offer some utility.
It needs 145 Power to outperform Mega Mewtwo X in DPS, but 175 to have similar eDPS.
I'll go with 160 Power for the extra damage with lower survivability.

Mega Latias: 
It has great bulk and should focus on TDO while having lower DPS than Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Latios.
With 190 Power, it would have high TDO but lower DPS.

Mega Latios: 
With Luster Purge+, it should at least outperform Mega Mewtwo X.
170 Power is the bare minimum to make it stronger.

Mega Meowstic: 
It could perform similarly to today's Mega Alakazam while surviving longer.
160 Power could make it outperform base Mewtwo in almost every scenario, except with Party Power 4.

Ghost:

All Ghost Megas have fast moves with good energy generation, allowing them to charge their moves+ quickly.
I'll go with at least a medium-to-high Power move+ to compensate for their lower survivability against Ghost and Psychic types compared to Dark Megas.
With Mega Chandelure’s Ominous Wind+ confirmed to have 145 Power, they’ll probably take a path where Ghost Megas have higher DPS but lower eDPS than Necrozma DW, the current Psychic counter.

Mega Gengar: 
Shadow Ball+’s 3s duration, combined with its weakness to Psychic-type attacks, lowers its overall damage output.
With 150 Power, it would have slightly better DPS than Mega Chandelure but would still fall short in eDPS.
I’ll go with 160 Power to show its high DPS but low TDO.

Mega Banette: 
It has poor bulk, but its 312 Attack and Shadow Punch+’s 1.5s duration allow it to deal significant damage.
Overall, its TDO would be abysmal, even lower than Mega Gengar’s.
With 150 Power, it would have higher DPS than Necrozma DW in many situations.
160 Power would be needed to have a DPS similar to Mega Gengar’s while still having lower TDO than it.
I’ll go with 160 Power.

Mega Absol Z: 
It has really poor stats, with less bulk than Mega Banette and an Attack stat similar to Mega Chandelure’s, and Shadow Sneak+ makes things even worse with its 3s duration.
It really needs a strong move+, and I think 180 Power would be the minimum to make it relevant.
I'll go with 180 Power.

Mega Chandelure: 
It's the bulkiest Ghost Mega, with a good amount of Attack, and Ominous Wind+'s 2.5s duration makes it a solid option overall. 
Ominous Wind+ has been confirmed to have 145 Power.

Dragon:

Dragon Tail and Dragon Breath have the same energy generation, so I won't talk about them.

Mega Charizard X: 
Dragon Claw+ has a great 1.5s duration, but an Attack stat of 273 is not enough for a Dragon Mega in this economy.
It could still be a great beginner-friendly Dragon Mega; with 150 Power, it could be slightly stronger than Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia with their special moves.
I'll go with 150 Power to show its potential.

Mega Feraligatr: 
Ice Fang has great energy generation, and Breaking Swipe+ with its 1s duration creates a great combo.
140 Power is all it needs to be on par with Mega Dragonite's Outrage+.
At 130, it would be almost as good as today's Mega Garchomp, which isn't bad but would be quite underwhelming.
Given that it's a little less bulky than the other Dragons, 150 Power would make it extremely good, but 140 Power is also fair, and I'll go with that.

Mega Garchomp Z: 
Draco Meteor+ is quite a slow move with a 3.5s duration.
With 170 Power, it slightly surpasses Mega Rayquaza and Eternatus.
With 180 Power, it would still have lower DPS and eDPS than Mega Baxcalibur and Mega Zygarde (without move+).
190 Power is the minimum to make it the strongest Dragon Mega… for now.

Mega Drampa:
Same as Mega Charizard X: 278 Attack is low, but Twister+ has a 3s duration, which will make it even worse.
It really needs a STRONG move. I'll go with 160 Power for the same reasons as Mega Charizard X.

Mega Tatsugiri: 
262 Attack and Dragon Pulse+ with a 3.5s duration… Unless there's a secret ingredient, I don't think it will be usable… I'll use 180 Power just to show it.

Honorable mention: Mega Baxcalibur, one of the strongest Dragon Megas even without a Dragon move+. It’s just that good.

Dark:

Mega Gyarados: 
Bite doesn't generate much energy, but Payback+'s 2s duration makes up for it.
The minimum to be on par with Mega Houndoom's Dark Pulse+ is 140 Power.
Its bulk is a very important factor, and it has a chance to have the highest TDO even at the cost of slightly lower DPS, so a value between 150 and 160 Power will be great.
With 155 Power, it would be pretty much on par with Mega Houndoom, both with and without Party Power, and that's what I'll go with.

Mega Sharpedo: 
Bite generates little energy and Crunch+ has a 3s duration, so overall its damage output will be low.
At 160 Power, it would surpass the damage of all non-Megas, so that seems the bare minimum to me.
I hate to say it, but the speedy shark has very few chances here: either it gets a 200 Power move, or it will never catch up to Houndoom.

Mega Absol: 
Snarl is a good move for both energy generation and damage, and Night Slash+ has only a 2s duration compared to Dark Pulse+’s 3s.
In terms of DPS, it will outperform all the other Megas with moves+, but its low Defense and HP completely hurt its survivability and eDPS.
With 140 Power, it would have similar DPS to Mega Chandelure while having way less eDPS. 
To balance its low survivability, it needs a higher value. 
With 160 Power, it would have similar eDPS to Mega Chandelure with way higher DPS, but its TDO would always be way lower. For a glass cannon, 160 Power seems a fair floor, and I’ll go with that.

Steel:

Mega Steelix: 
With 212 Attack, it's not really usable in PvE.
I'll go with 180 Power just to show it in the ranks.

Mega Aggron: 
The wall doesn't have enough Attack to work with.
It needs at least 160 Power to always have higher DPS than Shadow Metagross, so I'll go with 160 Power.

Mega Chimecho: 
It's just a worse version of Mega Aggron, with worse Defense and a slightly slower move+.
I'll go with 160 Power.

Mega Metagross: 
With Fury Cutter's great energy generation, it can easily become the best Steel type with 160 Power.
To have better DPS than Mega Mewtwo X, it needs a high Power move+, but I think 190 Power would be too much, considering 150 Power is enough to surpass Mega Greninja, a fragile Mega, as a Rock counter.
To be at least on par with Mega Mewtwo X with Party Power, it needs at least 170 Power, which seems quite fair.
It's not like Mega Dragonite's 185 Power, but Fury Cutter can charge a move+ within a few seconds.
I'll go with 170 Power.

Mega Golisopod: 
It can be strong, but not as strong as Zacian C, Zamazenta C, and Necrozma DM.
It's the same situation as Mega Metagross: Fury Cutter creates a great combo for move+ with high damage output.
I'll go with 160 Power to show the potential with and without Party Power.

Fairy:

Fairy has really bad charged moves with long durations.
Fairy really lacks strong attackers in the top 10 counters: Dragons have more DPS against Dragons, Mega Mewtwo X is better against Dark types, and Mega Mewtwo Y against Fighting types.
This could be the only chance for a strong Fairy type.

Mega Clefable: 
Base Moonblast has 130 Power, and Moonblast+ will likely receive a Power boost of at least 20 damage.
With 150 Power, it would be on par with Zacian in both DPS and eDPS.
I'd go with 160 to make it a little better than Zacian in eDPS, but not enough for the TDO.

Mega Gardevoir: 
Dazzling Gleam+'s 3.5s duration and Charm's terrible energy generation create one of the worst combinations possible, taking a while to even charge the move+.
Charge Beam, with its double energy generation, is a better option with Party Power 2 to 4.
To have a DPS on par with today's Mega Garchomp, it needs 170+ Power, but against Dragon types, Fairy resists Dragon moves and will survive longer.
I'll go with 170 Power to have similar DPS and eDPS to Mega Dragonite.

Mega Mawile: 
Its 188 base Attack doesn't really help, and it needs 200+ Power to be on par with Zacian's DPS while still having lower eDPS and survivability.
I'm not saying it's impossible, but given its in-game ability Huge Power, there's still a small chance.
I'll go with 200 Power.

Mega Altaria: 
A base Attack of 222 and fast moves with low energy generation don't help Disarming Voice+'s 4s duration.
I don't think it will ever have high DPS; even with a 170 Power move+, it would not make it to the top 15 Fairy DPS in solo.
But 170 Power is already high, and I'll go with it.

Mega Audino: 
It's not built for DPS, but it has great bulk for high survivability.
With 170 Power, it would barely make the top 45 Fairy DPS, which is a great result.

That’s All…

Thanks to everyone who made it this far and read everything. There may be small inconsistencies between the simulation and spreadsheet images that I missed, and I’ll fix them if they turn out to be mistakes.

I decided to write this long analysis because moves+ will probably be at the center of the next 1-2 years of PoGo, and, like many others I imagine, I only power up the Megas that are strictly necessary because of limited resources.

Well, good luck to everyone in the Super Mega Raids, and enjoy all the walks to farm Mega Energy!

I am getting tgis annoying bug now where the pop up diaglog boxes are blocking the Pokémon Go Plus icon making it hard to connect to my device when those boxes SPAM my game back to back to back to back. When I try clicking to connect to my device, I end up clicking the diaglog box and opening up that window. This bug started when they got rid of map compass which was previously blocked by those boxes. Because they got rid of that compass it moved the Pokémon Go Plus icon up on the screen putting it behind the Diaglog SPAM Boxes.

I hope they can fix this annoying semi game breaking bug soon!

UPDATE: As pointed out by u/Fishhunterx, it seems that the 600 particle after-midnight stroll (which is possible for GMax raid days) most likely won't be possible for this event. I'll update this tomorrow afternoon to include new calculations assuming this is the case.

Here is a spreadsheet that gives detailed plans on how to maximize the number of legendary and/or Gigantamax raids you can do for the Into the Wild and Wild Area events.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTwldSz1SucPNLD7McxmfAju66CW5qk-0LmH9pFuoaLdNPcERQpmUT_ms2kraFPSg/pubhtml

Assumptions (FTP except for the Wild Area event ticket):

• No premium November pass (and the FTP November pass gives 500 particles as usual)
• No premium into the wild pass (although it seems this won't give particles anyway)
• No additional particle packs
• No ambassador checkin rewards (I don't have one in my area)
• Premium Wild Area pass

There are three possible ways to get 12 max battles done in the Wild Area event, each requiring 2090 particles at the start of Saturday. Each getting their own page:

• 4 saturday 8 sunday
• 8 saturday 4 sunday
• 6 saturday 6 sunday

This leaves you with enough particles to achieve 4 battles in the lead-up event, each requiring 1750 particles at the start of Wednesday:

• 2 Wed 1 Thur 1 Fri
• 2 Wed 2 Thur 0 Fri
• 3 Wed 1 Thur 0 Fri
• 3 Wed 0 Thur 1 Fri

You can modify these plans as much as you like. For example, you could trade one Saturday battle for an extra Friday battle, or use the November pass particles during the lead-up to prioritize a specific legendary. Either way, the sheet works as a starting point.

Anyone else seeing this too? The backgrounds no longer have the dimming effect at the bottom on my mons. I much prefer this so hopefully it sticks

( Credits: G47IX )

I'm at work today, but I've caught a bunch of Pokemon using the explorer gadget and just by catching them myself. I've also used two incenses and walked around 5km during my breaks.

I haven't seen a Bramblin once. I've seen some catch it, but how? What should I be doing to get it?

Edit: I know new Pokemon won't show up for the explorer gadget, I was just mainly showing how I've been seeing Pokemon just not the one I want. I've been using it and I've been catching Pokemon manually today. Still no Bramblin.

Edit 2: I've now come home from work. Turned off the explorer gadget and threw in another incense and I managed to catch 3 within minutes of each other.

Maybe Bramblin wanted me to focus only on work and not on catching them.

Edit 3: I've used five incense total and have caught a total of five Bramblins. First two incense, nothing. Third incense - caught three. Fourth incense, one caught with the explorer gadget. Another ran away from me. Fifth incense, one.

I'm not going to use any more incense. I'll just get the sixth one through the pass.

Full Details: https://pokemongo.com/news/chandelure-super-mega-raid-day-2026

Edit: Third image that Reddit missed when uploading.

Courtesy of Matt in the PokeMiners discord

Until now I had all passes on one page and had to scroll down to get to other passes, now they are separated from each other! I've got this since today but my brother doesn't have it, he still has to scroll down to get to the different passes.

Edit: Pokémon GO Version 0.433.0-G-64 on a Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G

My Brother is still on version 0.431.0-G-64 on a Redmi Note 14

Edit/Update: Google Play Store should now have an update for version 0.433.0-G-64 for everyone on Android, I don't know about App Store/IOS