PvPoke’s number one for the Fantasy Cup is Melmetal (score 97.4), but it isn’t the cheap pick: it’s a Mythical, and PvPoke marks its Double Iron Bash as an Elite TM move. The cheap one is Galarian Stunfisk, ranked third at 94.8. In my run of PvPoke’s own battle engine it won 25 of 29 one-shield matchups against the rest of PvPoke’s top 30, more than any of them, and it beats Melmetal at zero, one and two shields.
The budget team of three is Galarian Stunfisk, Turtonator and Togetic, one for each allowed type. None is a Legendary, a Mythical or a Shadow, and none of their PvPoke movesets uses an Elite TM move. Between them, at least one of the three wins a straight matchup against every other top-30 pick at one shield each and at two shields each; with no shields the only gap is Mimikyu. For open Great League teams outside this cup, see our Great League teams guide.
The rules, from the official Battle League post: a 1,500 CP cap, and “Only Dragon-, Steel-, and Fairy-type Pokémon are eligible.”
The top picks, and the counter each one fears
Steel runs this cup: 26 of PvPoke’s top 30 carry the type, and 8 of the top 10. The table lists PvPoke’s rankings (updated Oct 22, checked Oct 26) with each Pokémon’s worst matchup from PvPoke’s counter list. “Budget check” means not Legendary, Mythical or Shadow, and no Elite-marked move in the set.
| Rank (score) | Pokémon (types) | Moveset (fast; charged) | Budget check | Fears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 (97.4) | Melmetal (Steel) | Thunder Shock; Double Iron Bash*, Dynamic Punch | No: Mythical, Elite move | Galarian Stunfisk |
| #2 (95.9) | Mimikyu (Ghost/Fairy) | Shadow Claw; Shadow Sneak, Play Rough | Moves fine, but hard to own | Melmetal |
| #3 (94.8) | Galarian Stunfisk (Ground/Steel) | Mud Shot; Rock Slide, Earthquake | Yes | Shadow Excadrill |
| #4 (94.2) | Forretress (Bug/Steel) | Volt Switch; Sand Tomb, Rock Tomb | Yes | Turtonator |
| #5 (93.1) | Doublade (Steel/Ghost) | Shadow Claw; Sacred Sword, Iron Head | Yes | Forretress |
| #8 (89.0) | Turtonator (Fire/Dragon) | Incinerate; Dragon Claw, Overheat | Yes | Galarian Weezing |
| #25 (79.7) | Togetic (Fairy/Flying) | Fairy Wind; Heat Wave, Draining Kiss | Yes (needs XL Candy) | Tinkaton |
Skipped: #6 Registeel is a Legendary, and #7 Corviknight’s Air Cutter and Iron Head are Elite-marked. Mimikyu is the one to check before you count on it: Insider Gaming’s coverage had it as an April 1, 2026 event spawn and GO Pass reward, so confirm you own one.
Why Galarian Stunfisk works, and where it breaks
Ground hits Steel for ×1.6, and Steel is what you will mostly face (Pokémon DB’s type chart). PvPoke gives Stunfisk a lead score of 100, the maximum, with 98.4 as a closer and 99.1 as a switch. None of Mud Shot, Rock Slide or Earthquake is marked Elite.
It breaks against Shadow Excadrill (PvPoke rating 196 for Stunfisk, the lowest on its list), then Togekiss (343) and Azumarill (400). Shields matter too. In my run it won 22 of 29 with no shields, 25 with one and 18 with two, while Turtonator won 25, 23 and 27. That is why Stunfisk shouldn’t go in alone: Togetic is the only one of the three that beats Shadow Excadrill at one shield, and the only one that beats Mimikyu at two.
IVs: the rank-1 Great League spreads on Dittobase are 0/12/15 at level 27 for Stunfisk and 0/12/14 at level 26 for Turtonator. Low Attack, high bulk: the logic in our PvP IV guide. Togetic wants level 38.5 (PvPoke’s default is 36.5), which means XL Candy. Without it, swap in Forretress: it leaves a gap against Shadow Heatran and Togetic with no shields, and against Mimikyu at two.
The dual-type loophole, and the Dragon–Fairy wall
Six of PvPoke’s top eight are dual types: Mimikyu, Galarian Stunfisk, Forretress, Doublade, Corviknight and Turtonator. Niantic’s post doesn’t spell out dual types, but PvPoke’s Fantasy Cup filter admits any Pokémon with at least one of the three types, and its rankings are built on that. Check your team-select screen before the cup ends. The second type is the point: Ground and Fire both hit Steel for ×1.6, while Steel hitting Steel is resisted at ×0.63.
Dragon is the weak link. Dragon attacks deal ×0.39 to Fairy and ×0.63 to Steel, and Fairy hits Dragon for ×1.6. Turtonator is the only Dragon in PvPoke’s top 38 (Altaria is #39), and its three worst matchups are Galarian Weezing, Azumarill and Mimikyu, all Fairy. Run it as a Fire attacker and keep it out of Fairy leads; don’t build around Dragon.
When the Fantasy Cup ends
It ends Tuesday, October 27 at 1:00 p.m. PT (20:00 UTC), per the Leek Duck event page, which also lists 4× Stardust from win rewards. Next up, per the official post: Master League and the Mega Halloween Cup: Great League Edition. Verified Oct 26, 2026; the simulation results are mine, using PvPoke’s default spreads, so confirm your own Pokémon in PvPoke’s team builder.
Sources
- Niantic. Pokémon GO: Twilight Trails GO Battle League season post (Fantasy Cup rules, dates, weekly lineup). pokemongo.com/news/go-battle-league-twilight-trails
- Leek Duck. Ultra League, Master League: Mega Edition, and Fantasy Cup: Great League Edition event page. leekduck.com
- PvPoke. Fantasy Cup rankings, Great League 1500 CP (updated Oct 22, 2026)
- PvPoke. Game master data: Fantasy Cup type filter, species types, move and Elite flags, default IVs
- Dittobase. Galarian Stunfisk, Turtonator and Togetic Pokédex entries (rank-1 IVs, moves, how to obtain). dittobase.com
- Pokémon DB. Pokémon GO type chart. pokemondb.net/go/type
- Insider Gaming. How to get Mimikyu in Pokémon GO. insider-gaming.com
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.