Best team for the Fossil Cup in Pokemon Go

The Fossil Cup is an unique challenge in the Pokemon Go Battle League, so we’ve put together the best team recommendations that should take you straight to victory.

Alongside the traditional Great League, Ultra League, and Master League, every season of the Pokemon Go Battle League brings with it a collection of unique cups that switch up the rules and make players rethink their strategies.

Arriving on the heels of the fossil-themed Adventure Week event, the Fossil Cup only allows Water, Steel, and Rock-type Pokemon to participate.

If you’re struggling to decide which Pokemon to include on your team, we’ve got a list of the best Pokemon and their optimal movesets below to help you rise to the top.

Best Pokemon Go Fossil Cup team

One of the best teams you can use for the Fossil Cup is Registeel, Swampert, and Ferrothorn. These are three of the strongest eligible Pokemon that should give you coverage against most opponents.

As always, it’s hard to say what an ultimate team looks like, as it really depends on the Pokemon your opponent uses – and you won’t know that until you’ve chosen your team and begun a battle.

Below, we’ve listed some of the best Pokemon you can use in the Fossil Cup. All of these should serve you well, as long as you’ve got all three major types in this cup (Water, Steel, and Rock) covered.

Best Pokemon for Fossil Cup in Pokemon Go

Registeel

• Fast Move: Lock-On
• Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon
• Resistances: Dragon, Ice, Psychic, Normal, Grass, Bug, Steel, Rock, Flying, Fairy, and Poison
• Weaknesses: Fire, Ground, and Fighting

With solid bulk and an incredible amount of type resistances that includes two of the three types that are eligible for the Fossil Cup – Steel and Rock – it’s no surprise that Registeel rises to the top of the ranks here.

You’ll need Lock-On as a Fast Move for Registeel to perform at its best. This will give it faster access to two brilliant (but expensive) Charged Moves: Focus Blast and Zap Cannon. Just watch out for Water-types.

Swampert

• Fast Move: Mud Shot
• Charged Moves: Hydro Cannon and Earthquake
• Resistances: Electric, Steel, Rock, Poison, and Fire
• Weaknesses: Grass

Another regular Great League champion that makes a splash in the Fossil Cup is Swampert. With a useful Water/Ground typing, it only has one weakness – Grass – and that’s not very well represented in this cup, so it’s a huge threat.

Mud Shot is the best Fast Move, so make sure you have it, but where Swampert really excels is when it has access to Hydro Cannon, a low-cost Elite Charged Move that can easily be spammed. Throw Earthquake in for extra coverage and huge damage.

Ferrothorn

• Fast Move: Bullet Seed
• Charged Moves: Power Whip and Thunder
• Resistances: Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Grass, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Water
• Weaknesses: Fighting and Fire

As well as being bulky, Ferrothorn has one of the best typings for the Fossil Cup. Being part Steel-type means it has hardly any weaknesses, while being part Grass-type means it has a key advantage over the Water and Rock-types that dominate the meta.

With high energy generation, Bullet Seed is the best Fast Move choice here. Power Whip is a great Charged Move that offers solid STAB damage for a relatively low cost, while Thunder allows some extra coverage against other Steel-types.

Lucario

• Fast Move: Counter
• Charged Moves: Power-Up Punch and Shadow Ball
• Resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Rock, and Steel
• Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, and Ground

With wins against some of the biggest players in the Fossil Cup including Registeel, Ferrothorn, and Araquanid, Lucario is a brilliant addition to any team.

Counter is usually the best Fast Move for any Pokemon that has access to it, so go with that. Then, you’ll want Power-Up Punch for shield-baiting (plus a useful Attack buff) and Shadow Ball for some big damage and wider coverage options.

Araquanid

• Fast Move: Bug Bite
• Charged Moves: Bug Buzz and Bubble Beam
• Resistances: Fighting, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water
• Weaknesses: Electric, Flying, and Rock

Following its debut in May 2022, many trainers can access Araquanid, which is great news as this tanky creature is brilliant for the Fossil Cup. With resistances to both Water and Steel-types, it’s a huge threat to most of the meta.

A combination of Bug Bite as a Fast Move and Bug Buzz as a primary Charged Move will make Araquanid a huge threat to any Grass-types it comes across. Throw in the low-cost Bubble Beam for a chance to remove your opponent’s shields.

Pokemon Go Fossil Cup rules & restrictions

The main rule of the Fossil Cup in the Pokemon Go Battle League is that you can only have Water, Rock, and Steel-type Pokemon on your team. They must also be below the maximum 1,500 CP limit.

Although the name suggests you can only use fossil-themed Pokemon, this won’t actually be the case, so you’ll still be able to use the likes of Swampert and Lucario alongside fossils such as Aerodactyl.

Pokemon Go Fossil Cup dates & times

The Fossil Cup begins on Friday, August 2, 2024, at 1PM PT / 4PM ET / 9PM BST and ends on Friday, August 9, 2024, at 1PM PT.

It runs alongside the traditional Ultra League, and our guide lists the best teams for that challenge.