Article Directory:
Rules
- Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter.
- Only Fighting-, Psychic-, and Dark-type Pokémon will be eligible.
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- The following Pokémon will not be allowed.
| Gardevoir | Zorua | Zoroark |
|---|---|---|
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Meta
This cup only allows Pokémon of three specific types, all of which are weak to or do not resist Fairy-types. As a result, the battle for dominance in the meta revolves around dealing with Fairy-type threats!
Top Fairy-type Pokémon
Psychic + Fairy typing resists both Psychic- and Fighting-type attacks while dealing neutral damage to Dark-types, giving it a strong matchup spread in this cup. Hatterene is the main Charm user here — with attack power comparable to Morpeko, its raw damage can’t be ignored. However, since Charm was nerfed in Season 24, Charm users are no longer as dominant as before. Players should not treat this season’s Willpower Cup as a simple “just tap Charm” format.
| Hatterene | Rapidash (Galarian) |
|---|---|
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| Charm Psyshock Power Whip | Fairy Wind Body Slam Megahorn |
Compared to Hatterene, Galarian Rapidash is a high-attack, fast-charging Pokémon. With the buff to Body Slam this season, its ability to spam charged moves quickly and pressure opponents is its defining trait, giving it strong offensive performance. It also has access to Wild Charge and Play Rough as secondary moves, but since Bug-type coverage is more valuable in the current meta, running Megahorn as the preferred secondary move is recommended.
Top Poison/Dark-type Pokémon
Poison + Dark typing resists both Dark- and Psychic-type damage while taking neutral damage from Fighting, which isn’t as strong as the Psychic + Fairy combination but still offers many advantages. This brings Shadow Drapion back into the spotlight! Its Aqua Tail + Crunch coverage allows it to handle most matchups, while Poison Sting provides rapid energy generation to unleash its fast, hard-hitting charged moves. Notably, most top Pokémon in this cup lack Ice resistance, and even some of Drapion’s best counters — such as Mandibuzz and Claydol — are weak to Ice. This makes Ice Fang Drapion potentially even more effective than the Poison Sting version, and it’s highly recommended for players to try it out!
| Drapion (Shadow) |
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| Ice Fang / Poison Sting Aqua Tail Crunch |
Although Skuntank has clearly inferior fast and charged moves compared to Drapion — making it a true “budget Drapion” — it has a unique niche: Flamethrower. This move gives it excellent surprise potential against Steel-types. When facing Steel threats like Pawniard, this fiery blast can flip the match in your favor, making Skuntank a fun off-meta pick for players who enjoy spicing up their teams.
| Skuntank (Shadow) |
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| Poison Jab Flamethrower Crunch |
Top Dark-type Pokémon
Pawniard is a high-attack Pokémon and one of the few Dark-types, aside from Poison/Dark Pokémon, that doesn’t fear Fairy-types. Since most meta Fairies in this cup are also part Psychic, Pawniard’s moves hit for neutral damage, making it an excellent choice if your team needs a Dark-type answer to Fairies. Its biggest drawback, however, is glaring — it completely folds to Fighting-types, leaving you with no way out of those matchups.
| Pawniard |
|---|
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| Fury Cutter Night Slash X-Scissor |
Sharing the same typing and very similar moveset as Pawniard, Kingambit also ranks quite well. Compared to Pawniard, Kingambit has more balanced stats between offense and bulk. If you find Pawniard too frail or too expensive to build, Kingambit serves as a solid alternative choice.
| Kingambit |
|---|
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| Metal Sound Foul Play X-Scissor |
Mandibuzz resists Dark and Psychic while reliably countering Fighting-types. Combined with its incredible bulk, it almost always secures value in battles, making Mandibuzz one of the strongest picks in the cup. Sharing the same typing, Galarian Moltres also benefits from the typing advantage, but its Sucker Punch fast move deals resisted damage to Fighting-types, making those matchups slightly weaker. On the flip side, its hard-hitting Dark-type charge moves give it more flexible play against Psychic-type opponents.
| Mandibuzz | Moltres (Galarian) |
|---|---|
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| Air Slash Foul Play Aerial Ace | Sucker Punch Fly Brave Bird |
Murkrow has risen as a new threat in Season 24. With attack power comparable to Morpeko, Murkrow can nearly one-shot many opponents in this cup, where only a few Pokémon have exceptional bulk. Its devastating damage output gives it excellent performance in the meta — but its extreme frailty makes it very challenging to play. Since the “glass cannon” strategy is viable here, Morpeko also finds opportunities to shine.
| Murkrow (Shadow) | Morpeko |
|---|---|
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| Peck Foul Play Drill Peck | Thunder Shock Aura Wheel Psychic Fangs |
On the first day of the cup, I felt that Fairy-types were not as dominant as expected, so Sableye might be worth bringing out for some testing. As mentioned earlier, Fairies in this cup are frail and share the Psychic typing, which makes Sableye’s Foul Play threatening enough to pressure its counters — it really shouldn’t be too afraid of them. Additionally, Dazzling Gleam gives it a way to fight back in Dark-type mirror matchups.
| Sableye |
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| Shadow Claw Foul Play Power Gem / Dazzling Gleam |
Top Fighting-type Pokémon
Primeape is absolutely one of the most underrated powerhouses in this cup! At first glance, with Fairy-, Poison-, Psychic-, and Flying-types present, it seems heavily countered — but that’s not entirely true! Many Poison- and Flying-types here are also part Dark, allowing Primeape to hit them for neutral damage, and most Fairies have a Psychic secondary typing, leaving them weak to Ghost coverage. With Rage Fist in one hand and Close Combat in the other, Primeape can dish out heavy blows to almost anything. Its fast move pressure and high damage output make it a serious threat that should not be overlooked.
| Primeape |
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| Karate Chop* Rage Fist* Ice Punch / Close Combat |
Annihilape has a similar coverage profile to Primeape, but its true strength only shines when opponents don’t resist Fighting and you have shields to let it snowball with its growing damage output. Its overall flexibility is lower compared to Primeape. So, even though Annihilape ranks higher than Primeape on PvPoke, I still recommend prioritizing Primeape when building your team.
| Annihilape (Shadow preferred) |
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| Counter Rage Fist* Ice Punch |
Top Psychic-type Pokémon
Can Psychic-types survive without a Fairy secondary typing? Claydol is one of the few strong Psychic-type picks in this cup. Its Mud Slap fast move paired with Rock Tomb creates the classic Ground + Rock coverage, and when combined with its excellent bulk, it can hold its own against a wide variety of matchups — a key reason it’s considered a meta staple. For its secondary charged move, Scorching Sands is recommended for the best overall coverage, while Ice Beam is a great option if you want an edge in Claydol mirror matches. Choose the move set that best fits the current meta trends.
| Claydol |
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| Mud Slap Rock Tomb Ice Beam / Scorching Sands |
Recommended Willpower Cup Teams
| Shadow Murkrow (Skuntank) | Primeape | Pawniard |
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| Claydol | (Shadow, Ice Fang) | Mandibuzz |
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| Claydol | Rapidash (Galarian) | Hatterene |
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| (Shadow, Ice Fang) | Sableye (Dazzling Gleam) | Primeape |
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| Rapidash (Galarian) | Morpeko (Primeape) | Pawniard |
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| Mandibuzz | Morpeko (Primeape) | (Shadow, Ice Fang) |
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