How Does the Catch Cup Work in Pokemon GO?

Any lunkhead with a stack of Poke Balls and enough free time can raise a Pokemon guaranteed to crush any tournament with minimal effort. The true measure of a capable Pokemon Trainer, and the ultimate indicator of their abilities, is to catch, train, and battle a Pokemon entirely on the spot. If you fancy yourself a worldly Pokemon Trainer, you may be interested in participating in Pokemon GO’s Catch Cup. So, how does the Catch Cup work in Pokemon GO?

How Does the Catch Cup Work in Pokemon GO?

On the surface, the Catch Cup is a regular Pokemon GO PvP tournament battle. Players assemble a team of Pokemon and take each other on to be the best there ever was and so forth. Here’s the twist: the only Pokemon you’re allowed to use in the Catch Cup are the ones you catch during the Catch Cup. In other words, only Pokemon caught between March 29th and April 5th are permitted entry into the tournament. This means you’ll have to catch a whole team and train them from scratch, as any of your longtime standbys are barred.

Besides that base rule, there are a few additional regulations. Firstly, all entered Pokemon must have a CP below 1,500. This is to prevent some from catching some random Pokemon and power-leveling them with whatever Stardust and Candy they’ve been hoarding. 

Secondly, mythical Pokemon are not permitted to enter the Catch Cup, just in case you had any wise ideas about going to catch something rare any powerful just for this tournament. To be specific, the following seven Pokemon are banned:

• Darkrai
• Deoxys
• Genesect
• Hoopa
• Meloetta
• Victini
• Zarude

The Catch Cup is best treated as an opportunity to experiment with Pokemon you might not normally use and builds you haven’t previously tried. Pop an Incense at your usual hangout, catch the first few Pokemon that show up, and see if you can make them work! A Pokemon Master can get any Pokemon competition-ready, after all.