— Introduction —

 
 
 

Ring in the new year with Holiday Cup in GO Battle League, which includes all Pokémon under 1500 CP with any of the following typings: Ice, Flying, Electric, Ghost, Normal, and Grass. Here in the Meta Cores graphic we highlight some of the trios that we expect to perform well alongside some core breakers of which to be wary. These trios are balanced by design so you'll likely see variations as well replacing one of these Pokémon for an alternative (potentially unbalanced line) strategy.

 
 
 

What is a Core?

 
 
 

A core is a pair of Pokémon that synergize well together by covering each other’s weaknesses, and trio cores are composed of multiple powerful duos. Therefore, any single Pokémon in the trio core can often be substituted for another partially complementary Pokémon to create a solid line that’s less predictable. Core breakers are Pokémon that generally perform well, even in a loss, against all members of a duo or trio core. You might only face two of the three shown in any given battle, but bringing one of these core breakers means you’ll be well positioned no matter which of those duos you see.

 
 
 

How does the Graphic work?

 
 
 

Each trio core is surrounded by six core breakers. Each segment of the encircling ring reflects its matchup with the respective trio core Pokémon. A Win (dark teal) or Loss (dark gold) generally indicates the outcome in even-shield scenarios, and these matchups are less likely to flip due to slight energy differentials. Even (hashed grey), Narrow Win (light teal) and Narrow Loss (light gold) reflect which way the matchup generally trends and implies that IVs and slight energy differentials might play a larger role in the outcome. Importantly, Pokémon walled by one of the three (e.g. Meganium against Altaria or Tropius) were generally not considered despite having solid matchups against two of the three. As these trios are composed of multiple strong duos, sometimes one of three Pokémon are replaced with another pick to better counter the current meta or employ an unbalanced line strategy.

 
 
 

Happy Holidays!