The Sunshine Cup: Great League Edition starts at 1:00 PDT on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. It will continue until 1:00 PDT on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. You can use any Sunshine-themed Pokémon in Pokémon GO. However, there are some limitations.
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Sunshine Cup: Great League Edition Limitations
To participate in the Cup, your Pokémon must be at or below 1,500 CP to enter. Only Normal-, Fire-, Grass-, and Ground-type Pokémon are eligible. However, Charizard is not eligible.
META Pokémon
The strongest Pokémon for this Cup are Normal-, Fire-, Grass-, or Ground-type Pokémon that can also either learn other type-attacks or have another typing. Some of these Pokémon are Cradily, Shadow Toucannon, Turtonator, Shadow Gligar, Oranguru, Clodsire, Shadow Blaziken, etc. You can see more of these on PVPoke.com
Recommended Teams
The table below lists the recommended Pokémon you could use for each team. Please note these are in no particular order. The “1” does not mean the “best.” These teams are sure to give you a positive win-to-loss ratio.
| Team | Lead | Safe Switch/SWAP | Closer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cradily | Oranguru | Clodsire |
| 2 | Coalossal | Miltank | Shadow Toucannon |
| 3 | Pidgeot | Clodsire | Cradily |
| 4 | Shadow Blaziken | Oranguru | Shadow Gligar |
| 5 | Furret | Miltank | Cradily |
| 6 | Coalossal | Pidgeot | Shadow Toucannon |
| 7 | Shadow Gligar | Cradily | Coalossal |
| 8 | Oranguru | Furret | Clodsire |
| 9 | Miltank | Shadow Blaziken | Pidgeot |
| 10 | Cradily | Shadow Toucannon | Coalossal |
| 11 | Turtonator | Pidgeot | Quagsire |
| 12 | Shadow Gligar | Shadow Blaziken | Camerupt |
| 13 | Quagsire | Camerupt | Lickilicky |
| 14 | Torkoal | Shadow Alolan Marowak | Lickilicky |
| 15 | Shadow Alolan Marowak | Torkoal | Shadow Gligar |
Recommended Attacks
Now that you have the teams, the following are the attacks the Pokémon should have.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Primary Charged Attack | Secondary Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cradily | Acid | Rock Tomb | Grass Knot |
| Oranguru | Confusion | Brutal Swing | Trailblaze |
| Clodsire | Poison Sting | Earthquake | Stone Edge |
| Coalossal | Fire Spin | Rock Slide | Flame Charge |
| Miltank | Rollout | Body Slam | Ice Beam |
| Shadow Toucannon | Peck | Beak Blast | Drill Peck |
| Pidgeot | Wing Attack | Twister | Brave Bird |
| Shadow Blaziken | Ember | Aura Sphere | Blast Burn |
| Shadow Gligar | Wing Attack | Night Slash | Dig |
| Furret | Sucker Punch | Swift | Trailblaze |
| Turtonator | Incinerate | Brutal Swing | Dragon Claw |
| Quagsire | Mud Shot | Aqua Tail | Stone Edge |
| Camerupt | Incinerate | Earth Power | Rock Tomb |
| Lickilicky | Rollout | Body Slam | Shadow Ball |
| Shadow Aolan Marowak | Fire Spin | Shadow Bone | Bone Club |
| Torkoal | Ember | Flame Wheel | Overheat |
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Recommended PVP IVs
In addition to having the teams and attacks, you will want to use the highly ranked Pokémon for each Pokémon species. These are Pokémon with the correct PVP IVs. These are as follows.
| Pokémon | Type | Attack IV | Defense IV | HP IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cradily | Grass/Rock | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Oranguru | Normal/Psychic | 0 | 13 | 14 |
| Clodsire | Ground/Poison | 0 | 14 | 13 |
| Coalossal | Fire/Rock | 1 | 15 | 14 |
| Miltank | Normal | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Shadow Toucannon | Normal/Flying | 0 | 14 | 13 |
| Pidgeot | Normal/Flying | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Shadow Blaziken | Fire/Fighting | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Shadow Gligar | Ground/Flying | 0 | 15 | 12 |
| Furret | Normal | 1 | 15 | 14 |
| Turtonator | Fire/Dragon | 0 | 12 | 14 |
| Quagsire | Ground/Water | 0 | 15 | 14 |
| Camerupt | Fire/Ground | 0 | 14 | 13 |
| Lickilicky | Normal | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| Torkoal | Fire | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Shadow Alolan Marowak | Fire/Ghost | 0 | 14 | 14 |
The above table lists the Rank 1 IVs for each Pokémon species. You do not need to have these to battle and win games in the NAIC 2026 Cup. You can use others with low attack IVs (e.g., 1, 2, or 3) but with high defense and HP IVs.
In conclusion, if you have all of these, you are in a good position to win more battles. However, winning is not only dependent on having the right Pokémon and the right team of Pokémon.
The Pokémon GO Battle League Sunshine Cup offers a fresh and dynamic meta where team composition, move timing, and strategic switching can make all the difference. While top-ranked Pokémon provide a strong foundation, success often comes from understanding matchups, preserving shield advantage, and adapting to the ever-changing battlefield.
Whether you prefer proven meta cores or innovative anti-meta picks, experimenting with different lineups can help you discover what works best for your playstyle. Refine your strategies through practice, and you’ll be well-prepared to climb the ranks and maximize your rewards throughout the Sunshine Cup.
You can also watch YouTube videos on these to learn a few good strategies.
All the best!
