Best Pokémon for the Love Cup in Pokémon Go

The Love Cup has arrived in Pokémon Go. It’s a special Battle League cup competition where trainers have the chance to face off against each other. But the Love Cup is a little different from the other leagues typically offered in the game. In it, you can only bring Pokémon who meet the 1,500 CP requirement, or lower, the Pokémon must not one of legendary or mythical variety, and the Pokémon must have a red or pink coloration on them. Players will find meeting the red or pink requirement a little challenging, but several unique choices are still available.

The Love Cup will be running in Pokémon Go from February 8 to the 15. Here are some of the best Pokémon you can use during the event.

Alomomola

Alomomola is a Water-type Pokémon. It’s a great choice as its CP maxes out close to under 2,200, meaning it can make full use of its kit closer to the 1,500 range, rather than the 2,500 CP range of the Ultra League. A variety of the red and pink Pokémon will be Fire-types, so having a Water-type option is an ideal option for any trainer. You want Alomomola to have a CP of 1,495, giving it an attack of 98, a defense of 98, and a stamina of 234. Because of its high stamina, you can expect it to take forever to defeat.

Charizard

The big Pokémon you can expect plenty of trainers to utilize during the Love Cup will be Charizard, the Fire, and Flying-type Pokémon. In a league where there are lower CP limitations, Charizard can spread its wings, doing plenty of damage against its competitors. It’ll have a hard time against any of the Water and Electric-type Pokémon in this league, but if you craft your team to protect its weaknesses, you’ll do fine. You want your Charizard to have a maximum CP of 1,500, giving it an attack of 135, a defense of 106, and a stamina of 115.

Scrafty

Scrafty is a unique choice for the Love Cup. It’s a Fighting and Dark-type Pokémon, and capable of holding its own against multiple choices. The only big threats to it will be Clefable and Wigglytuff, the two big Fairy-type Pokémon participating in the league, and it can take out the Dark, Ice, Normal Rock, and Steel-type Pokémon pretty easily, and tank against the Dark, Ghost, Psychic, and Rock-type attackers. Overall, it’s an excellent choice. You want Scrafty to have a maximum CP of 1,492, giving it an attack of 111, a defense of 156, and a stamina of 114.

Medicham

Medicham is a consistent choice for players who participate in the Great League. It’s a Fighting and Psychic-type Pokémon. While Medicham will struggle against Slowking, Slowbro, and any Fairy and Flying-type Pokémon, it’s still a preferable choice to take down any other Fighting, Ice, Normal, Rock, or Steel-type. You can expect to only have complications against key choices, making Medicham a sure-fire option in a majority of battles. It has a maximum CP of 1,431, an attack of 107, a defense of 131, and a stamina of 134.

Crustle

Next, we have Crustle, the Bug and Rock-type Pokémon. Crustle is an interesting choice as it can take out several critical Pokémon, such as Slowking, Slowbro, Charizard, Magmortar, Seaking, and numerous others. It can’t win against all of them, and will lose battle against Alomomola, Scrafty, Scizor, Blaziken, or Corsola, but if you formulate a solid team, and use this to fill in the defenses, you’ll do fine. At a maximum CP of 1,492, Crustle has an attack of 120, a defense of 132, and a stamina of 114.

Slowbro

Slowbro will be an option players use to take out some of the Fighting, Fairy, Dragon, Ground, and Poison-type Pokémon participating in this league. While it is weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass-type attacks, players should find too many times where they’re being outclassed by a Pokémon. Slowbro will be a heavy hitter, and it’s capable of taking on multiple Pokémon in the Love Cup meta. It needs to have a maximum CP of 1,498, giving it an attack of 115, a defense of 120, and a stamina of 140.

Magmortar

For trainers who were able to obtain a Magmortar that knows thunderbolt from its time as a Community Day Pokémon back in November 2020, now is the time to bring it out. Magmortar will be a good option to battle Dark, Ice, and Steel-type Pokémon, but if it a Water-type battles against it, having thunderbolt in your back pocket will help out a lot. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to disable Alolomola because of its high stamina, though. Magmortar needs to have a maximum CP of 1,490, an attack of 140, a defense of 102, and a stamina of 108. 

Lickitung

Licktung is one of those Pokémon with a serious amount of stamina, making it a sturdy Pokémon for trainers to use in the league. It’s going to lose to Scrafty, Magmortar, Charizard, Clefable, but it can battle against Slowking, Slowbro, Magcargo, and Alomomola and win. It’s not going to be a Pokémon that wins every battle, although it’s limited weakness of only Fighting-type moves make it a solid, reasonable choice for anyone looking for a decent choice to fill in a gap on their team. Lickitung can have a maximum CP of 1,411, an attack of 97, a defense of 120, and a stamina of 175.

Seaking

Seaking is another Water-type Pokémon that is going to do great against any of the Fire-type Pokémon you’re going to see in the Love Cup. What makes it really useful is the diverse moveset available to it. The best moveset you can use in this league has it using poison jab for its fast move, and then icy wind and drill fun for its charged moves, all of them capable of doing a lot of damage to its opponents. You’ll have to watch out for any Electric or Grass-type attacks, though. Seaking has a maximum CP of 1,500, giving it an attack of 123, a defense of 104, and a stamina of 139.

Clefable

The last Pokémon on this list is Clefable, and it’s extremely useful against any of the Bug, Dark, Dragon, and Fighting-type Pokémon. For any trainer who has a Scrafty, beware Clefable, as it can quickly stomp them into the dust. This includes Medicham, Crustle, Slowking, Slowbro, and Cherrim. So long as you can team Clefable up against Pokémon that can protect it from any Poison or Steel-type attacks, you should be in the clear. Clefable has a maximum CP of 1,491, giving it an attack of 117, a defense of 112, and a stamina of 143.