Best Pokemon for the Little Cup in Pokemon GO have more to do with running out the clock than knocking out an opponent.

Niantic Labs' newest Pokemon GO Battle League tournament, the Little Cup, was announced on Nov. 2, 2020 via the game's official Twitter page. The Little Cup will run from Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. through to Nov. 16 at the same time. This competition presents a unique challenge for GO Battle veterans. Instead of using their strongest Pokemon, they'll need to find the diamonds among the weaker rough.

Trainers, we’re excited to announce that the first-ever Little Cup ? has started in the #GOBattle League!

Rules:
? Pokémon must be able to evolve and must not have evolved even once.
? The CP limit is 500.

Good luck!

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 9, 2020

Best Pokemon for Little Cup in Pokemon GO

The current meta of choices for the Little Cup favors defense and stamina stats over attack. Keeping in mind that the CP cap of entrants is no higher than 500, trainers should be prioritizing Pokemon with survivability over ones with a heavy attack. After all, most first-form and "Baby" Pokemon aren't exactly prepped for combat.

S Tier

  • Bronzor
  • Deino

A Tier

  • Barboach
  • Shelmet
  • Wynaut

B Tier

  • Wooper
  • Shadow Stunky
  • Houndour
  • Lickitung

C Tier

  • Vulpix
  • Seel
  • Azurill
  • Cottonee
  • Alolan Sandshrew

More information about the Little Cup can be found on Niantic's official Pokemon GO news blog.