The original Pokemon games released in Japan in 1996, which was… goodness, 26 years ago. To think, there was ever a time when there were only 150 of these buggers. Or 151 if you count Mew, I guess. For those of you who were, y’know, alive back then, it’s fun sometimes to play your Pokemon games as though we only had those original 151 available. If you’d like to relive the OG days, you ought to enter the new season of the Kanto Cup in Pokemon GO. Here are some of the best teams for Kanto Cup season 11 in Pokemon GO.
The Kanto Cup, as its name may imply, only permits Pokemon that originates in the Kanto region, the home region of the very first generation of Pokemon. That means you can only bring in Pokemon with a National Dex number between 1 and 151. Also, all entered Pokemon need to have a CP of 1500 or less. No min-maxing Mewtwos allowed in this tournament. There are a couple of loopholes in these rules, however: firstly, later-generation variants of Kanto Pokemon are permitted. For example, you can use both a regular Sandslash or an Alolan Sandslash. Secondly, moves that were introduced past generation 1 are also fine.
Best Teams for Kanto Cup Season 11 in Pokemon GO
While many of the heaviest hitters in Pokemon GO came far after the first generation, that doesn’t mean the OG is made up of slouches. There are plenty of rough and tough Pokemon to choose from, and more than enough to assemble a well-rounded team. If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few quality suggestions:
- Snorlax
- Dragonair
- Alolan Sandslash
- Hypno
- Blastoise
When it comes to the certified heavy hitters of the OG, one of the heaviest, both literally and metaphorically, is Snorlax. With above-average offense and a wellspring of stamina, once Snorlax gets going, it’s almost impossible to stop it. Bring Lick along for a little Ghost type action, then bring it on home with a Body Slam.
Despite it being one of the original 15 types, there aren’t many Dragon type Pokemon in the first generation. The strongest one available is Dragonite, of course, but Dragonite’s CP is a bit too high to be eligible for the Kanto Cup. Ergo, your next best option is Dragonair. While not as hideously strong as Dragonite, it can deal respectable damage with doubled-up Dragon moves.
Remember that loophole I mentioned? Well, time to exploit it for a strong Ice type. If your opponents have a Dragonair of their own, your best counter is Alolan Sandslash, which is technically a Kanto Pokemon. Use its Ice typing for your quick moves like Ice Punch for some fast damage, then go heavier with a Ground main move like Earthquake.
Much like with the Dragontie conundrum, we can’t use the the strongest Psychic type, Alakazam, due to CP restrictions. Our next best option, then, is a lesser-used Psychic type, Hypno. Hypno has fairly balanced stats, as well as access to most of the same moves Alakazam uses like Confusion and Shadow Ball.
Finally, this is a bit of a personal pick, but you can never go wrong with the original Water starter, Blastoise. Blastoise packs a nice, thick defense alongside strong main moves like Hydro Pump and Ice Beam. Use Water Gun as your quick move for a little STAB action, then switch to Ice Beam for a frosty finish.
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