#61 Pokémon GO S24 Fantasy Cup Full Guide: Top Pokémon and Recommended Team Analysis

Rules

• Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
• Only Dragon-, Steel-, and Fairy-type Pokémon are eligible.

Meta

This Cup only permits Pokémon from three specific types. Since Dragon-types unexpectedly feature many strong options, we’ll start the analysis with Dragons!

Top Dragon-Type Pokémon

Turtonator received Brutal Swing in this season’s move update. Although the move’s typing doesn’t offer much advantage in this Cup, its low energy cost lets it fire off quickly! On top of that, pairing it with Flash Cannon as the second Charged Move lets it strike back against Fairies, giving it excellent coverage. In addition, the Fire + Dragon typing allows it to hit by Fairy-types for only neutral damage, patching up the Dragon type’s usual weakness to Fairy. All these factors make Turtonator one of the strongest picks in the Cup, which in turn has led to an unexpectedly high usage of Azumarill—despite its poor performance—shifting the meta in surprising ways.

Turtonator
Incinerate Brutal Swing Overheat / Flash Cannon

Altaria gained Flamethrower as a coverage option, giving it a fighting chance against Steel-types. Combined with its resistance to Ground and solid bulk, Altaria performs reasonably well in battles. However, with the unexpected rise of Azumarill, Altaria’s double weakness to Ice heavily limits its potential, leading to a relatively low usage rate on the first day of the Cup. That said, in My Day 1 team, Altaria still climbed a good number of points, proving that it does have competitive strength!

Sharing the same Dragon/Flying typing, Dragonite with Thunder Punch has effective coverage against Azumarill, even capable of winning in two-shield scenarios. However, its frailty makes it easy to get one-shot in return. If a Mud-Slap user gains extra energy through rotation, Dragonite will struggle to keep up the pressure. Overall, it's a trade-off—players should decide carefully based on their own mechanics.

Altaria	Goodra	Dragonite (Shadow preferred)
Dragon Breath / Peck Sky Attack Flamethrower	Dragon Breath Aqua Tail Thunder Punch*	Dragon Breath Thunder Punch Superpower

Compared to Altaria and Dragonite, Goodra feels like a more balanced option. It doesn’t suffer from a double weakness to Ice and has decent bulk, though it also lacks resistance to Ground. Offensively, it doesn’t have moves that threaten Steel-types directly, but in a meta where many Steel-types also carry the Ground typing, Aqua Tail still offers valuable pressure.

Top Steel-Type Pokémon

The notorious Mud-Slap users continue to shine—Excadrill and Alolan Dugtrio are prime examples in the Fantasy Cup. Both boast top-tier Attack stats, delivering heavy Fast Move pressure, with Alolan Dugtrio having a slightly higher Attack. Their main difference lies in Charged Move coverage: Excadrill runs the classic Rock + Ground combo, offering wide coverage and applying massive shield pressure when it gains an energy lead. On the other hand, Alolan Dugtrio has less effective coverage, struggling to force shields against threats like Altaria or Corviknight. I recommends prioritizing Excadrill if you’re choosing between the two.

Excadrill (Shadow preferred)	Dugtrio (Alolan, Shadow)
Mud Slap Drill Run Rock Slide	Mud Slap Mud Bomb Iron head

With the same Ground/Steel typing, Stunfisk and Steelix offer significantly better bulk. Unlike Mud-Slap users who rely heavily on Fast Move pressure, these two focus on Charged Moves to handle a wide range of opponents. In theory, their overall performance shouldn’t fall short of the Excadrill and Dugtrio, but unfortunately, once they get locked against a Mud-Slap user, they’re reduced to energy farms. Use with caution!

Stunfisk (Galarian)	Steelix
Mud Shot Rock Slide Earthquake	Thunder Fang Psychic Fangs Crunch / Earthquake

Corviknight boasts resistances to Dragon, Fairy, and Ground types, effectively covering almost all key typings in the Cup. Combined with its excellent bulk, top-tier defensive performance is its standout trait. However, its offensive output is underwhelming—Sand Attack deals minimal Fast Move damage, and Air Cutter hits lightly as a Charged Move. It usually needs the 30% attack buff chance to pose any real threat. Payback has high energy cost, and whether it lands or not often determines the outcome of the match.

Corviknight	Empoleon (Shadow preferred)
Sand Attack Air Cutter* Payback	Metal Sound Hydro Cannon* Drill Peck

Water-types usually have no trouble dealing with Ground-types, but Empoleon can only truly flip the matchup when shields are down, because Excadrill and Alolan Dugtrio are able to apply pressure even through shields. Like Stunfisk and Steelix, its Day 1 usage appears low for the same reason. Use with caution!

Mawile (Shadow preferred)
Fire Fang Power-Up Punch Play Rough

Shadow Mawile with Fire Fang focuses on raw single-target damage. According to PvPoke simulations, it can win nearly 80% of matchups in two-shield scenarios, with only a few opponents like Turtonator and Altaria able to consistently shut it down. I was initially optimistic about this pick, but as Ground/Steel + Azumarill team comps begin trending, having counters at both ends makes it hard for Mawile to shine. Best to wait and see how the meta develops before locking it in.

Top Fairy-type Pokémon

Azumarill was a pick I didn’t expect to see widely used before the Cup began. As mentioned earlier when discussing Turtonator, Azumarill rose in popularity as one of the few Pokémon that can reliably beat Turtonator without needing to burn shields.

Interestingly, PvPoke simulations show that Azumarill doesn’t perform particularly well overall. Many popular picks have ways to counter it, and its slow charge timing means it often loses out on pacing. If opponents manage their shields properly, Azumarill may struggle to capitalize even on favorable type matchups. If you’re considering bringing Azumarill, it’s best used in a targeted role rather than as a generalist.

Azumarill
Bubble Ice Beam Play Rough / Hydro Pump

Galarian Weezing is a high-Attack Pokémon with solid performance on both offense and defense. Offensively, it charges quickly and features excellent coverage—Poison-type moves to handle Fairies and Fire-type moves to check Steels. Thanks to its strong pressure, it’s great at forcing shields. Defensively, it resists both Dragon and Fairy attacks, which is extremely valuable in this Cup. Its only major weakness is its vulnerability to Ground-types, making it particularly afraid of Mud-Slap users!

Weezing (Galarian, Shadow preferred)	Dedenne
Fairy Wind Sludge Overheat	Thunder Shock Parabolic Charge Play Rough

Dedenne has an even higher Attack stat than Galarian Weezing, and while it may look fragile, it can boost its Defense with Parabolic Charge, turning it into a surprisingly durable threat. Its main strengths in the Cup are checking Flying-types, Dragon-types, and Azumarill. If you can time your buffs well in these favorable matchups, it can set up a strong advantage for the rest of the battle. However, Dedenne is completely helpless against Ground/Steel-types—an issue, especially with the rising popularity of Ground/Steel + Azumarill cores. Be sure to read your opponent’s team carefully to avoid wasting shields or buffing in vain!

Togekiss
Peck Psyshock / Dazzling Gleam Aura Sphere*

Compared to Corviknight and Altaria, Togekiss has lower bulk among the Flying-types. However, it boasts the best anti-Steel capabilities, with fast-charging Aura Sphere giving it excellent pressure against Steel opponents. For the secondary move, Psyshock is recommended to avoid being completely walled by Galarian Weezing. Of course, if Galarian Weezing becomes less common in the meta, Dazzling Gleam is also a solid option to enhance its pressure against Dragon-types.

Shiinotic	Whimsicott
Astonish Seed Bomb Moonblast	Fairy Wind Seed Bomb Moonblast

Shiinotic and Whimsicott weren’t spotted by me on Day 1, but considering they’re among the few corebreakers to the popular Ground/Steel + Azumarill combo, it’s likely we’ll start seeing them more often. They share the same typing, both have above-average Attack stats, and even run identical Charged Moves. The only difference lies in their Fast Moves—given that no Pokémon in the Cup resists Ghost, and despite Astonish having slightly slower energy gain than Fairy Wind, the actual pacing is nearly identical. So Shiinotic is the recommended choice.

Recommended Teams for the Fantasy Cup

Altaria (Corviknight)	Galarian Weezing (Shadow)	Dedenne

Shadow Excadrill (Shadow Dugtrio)	Goodra	Azumarill

Dragonite (Shadow)	Excadrill (Shadow)	阿羅拉三地鼠 (Shadow)

Togekiss	Turtonator	Excadrill (Shadow)

Shiinotic	Empoleon (Shadow)	Galarian Weezing (Shadow)