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Even in the game's established game modes, Pokemon GO still finds a way to spice up its gameplay in the form of special cups. These special cups garner a fair amount of hype in the community as they breathe new life into the game's rather stale metagame. However, the creatures that excel in these cups typically get figured out very quickly.
The current Evolution Cup has many players flocking to the mobile game to test their mettle in the freshened metagame. However, a lot of players are taking this opportunity to climb the ranked ladder without the strict limitations of the Great League's standard metagame. As such, a lot of trainers are giving this special cup their all.
However, in order to climb the ranks in Pokemon GO's new Evolution Cup, players will need to know which creatures perform the best. With the interesting restriction of only allowing middle-stage Pokemon to participate, this metagame has a unique twist.
April 2023's top contenders for Pokemon GO's Evolution Cup
Vigoroth
Although it may be surprising to see this pick on the list, it makes much more sense upon further scrutiny. Being the middle evolution of Slaking, the strongest creature in Pokemon GO, Vigoroth definitely has the base stats to compete in this tier of play. Vigoroth also has a very powerful kit, with access to Counter and some very spammable Charged Attacks.
Vigoroth performs incredibly well but has its fair share of counters. Being a Normal-type, it will quickly crumble if it is contested by powerful Fighting-types like Machoke. As such, players should use it as a switch option if they know it is safe to do so.
Zweilous
Having a powerful Dragon-type for this cup is practically a guarantee with every single middle-stage pseudo having a place in the Evolution Cup's metagame. What sets Zweilous up to be a cut above the rest of the Dragons in the tier is its coverage against powerful Ghost-types.
Since Haunter and Dusclops can easily dominate battles if not kept in check, players should always make sure they have a pick to take them out before they become too much of a threat. Thankfully, Zweilous' secondary Dark typing is just what players need to keep these menaces in check.
Shadow Golbat
Finally, Shadow Golbat is the best lead choice for Pokemon GO's current Evolution Cup. Thanks to the pick having access to debuffs, spam attacks, and coverage in the form of Shadow Ball, Shadow Golbat has the offensive capacity to take out some of the league's top attacking picks like Machoke and Vigoroth.
Although it is incredibly frail, being able to spam consistent and heavy amounts of damage makes Shadow Golbat the best possible option to open any battle in Evolution Cup. With Poison Fang, baiting out the opponent's shields is no problem, and with Wing Attack, players will have no shortage of Charged Attack energy.
