The GO Battle League is heading into a new interesting chapter in Pokémon GO with the launch of a new Retro Cup. Unlike the “anything goes” rules in Master League, this themed arena limits which characters you can choose, thus also limiting the opponents you will have to face. As usual, this has totally shaken up the meta around Pokémon GO PvP. You’ll face off against teams consisting of only specific types, so you need to make sure you have the best counters against the top contenders. To help, here’s our Pokémon GO Retro Cup guide with the best Pokémon for your team in May 2021.
Which Pokémon Types are Allowed in Retro Cup
Scroll down if you just want the list of best Pokémon for Retro Cup in May 2021, but first we want to break down which Pokémon types are allowed so you can understand the meta even better. Only the first 15 Pokémon types introduced in the main series will be allowed in the Retro Cup, meaning Dark, Steel, and Fairy are excluded. That leaves us with…
- Normal
- Fire
- Water
- Grass
- Electric
- Ice
- Fighting
- Poison
- Ground
- Flying
- Psychic
- Bug
- Rock
- Ghost
- Dragon
Along with this is a CP cap of 1500, meaning you’ll be using some truly unique species in these fights. The lack of Dark, Steel, and especially Fairy attackers will make you rethink your whole strategy when it comes to forming your team. Dragons become much more viable for some battles, but that also means that their counters are all over the meta. In the end, most of our best Pokémon come from the Normal, Psychic, Ice, and Grass types, but check the list below for a wide selection.
The Best Retro Cup Pokémon Team in May 2021
Below is our full list of the best Pokémon for your Retro Cup team. We always recommend choosing one or two off of this list, as they are the top contenders in the field. However, others will be picking from them as well so you should look for counters and make sure that your team has coverage across different types. Once you choose one or two for your team be sure to check what they resist damage from and are weak to and try to cover their weaknesses and enhance their strengths.
Note: Some Pokémon would not appear on the list without powering up via Candy XL. These are marked with (XL) so you know to avoid them if you don’t have enough to get them close to 1500 CP.
| Pokémon | Type | Fast Attack | Charged Attack | Resists Against | Weak to |
| Lickitung (XL) | Normal | Lick | Power Whip | Ghost | Fighting |
| Cresselia | Psychic | Psycho Cut | Grass Knot, Moonblast, or Future Sight | Psychic, Fighting | Bug, Dark, Ghost |
| Froslass | Ice and Ghost | Powder Snow | Avalanche and Shadow Ball | Normal, Poison, Ice, Fighting, Bug | Dark, Fire, Ghost, Rock, Steel |
| Regirock | Rock | Lock On | Stone Edge and Focus Blast | Poison, Normal, Flying, Fire | Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, Water |
| Abomasnow (XL) | Grass and Ice | Powder Snow | Weather Ball (Ice) | Water, Ground, Grass, Electric | Fire, Bug, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Rock, Steel |
| Altaria | Dragon and Flying | Mud Shot | Rock Slide or Earthquake | Ground, Grass, Water, Fire, Fighting, Bug | Ice, Dragon, Fairy, Rock |
| Chansey (XL) | Normal | Pound | Psychic and Hyper Beam | Ghost | Fighting |
| Deoxys (Defense) | Psychic | Counter | Rock Slide and Psycho Boost | Psychic, Fighting | Bug, Dark, Ghost |
| Drifblim | Ghost and Flying | Hex | Shadow Ball and Icy Wind | Fighting, Normal, Ground, Bug, Poison, Grass | Dark, Electric, Ghost, Ice, Rock |
| Dewgong | Water and Ice | Ice Shard | Icy Wind and Water Pulse | Ice, Water | Electric, Fighting, Grass, Rock |
And those are our picks for the best Pokémon for your team in May 2021 in the Pokémon GO Retro Cup.
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