A new limited-time cup has landed in the GO Battle League. The Scroll Cup: Great League Edition runs from Monday, August 18 at 1:00 p.m. PDT through Monday, August 25 at 1:00 p.m. PDT, restricting the Great League ladder to a tight typing pool that rewards trainers who know their matchups cold.
Scroll Cup: Great League Edition Rules
The Scroll Cup keeps the standard Great League CP cap but locks the eligible pool down to three typings, plus one notable ban:
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| CP Cap | 1,500 CP or lower |
| Eligible Types | Water, Fighting, and Dark type Pokémon only |
| Banned Pokémon | Primarina |
| Event Window | August 18, 1:00 p.m. PDT – August 25, 1:00 p.m. PDT |
Dual-type Pokémon qualify as long as at least one of their types is Water, Fighting, or Dark, which opens the door to some typing combinations that don’t normally get much Great League play. Primarina’s exclusion is the standout ban here — its Water/Fairy typing and Hydro Pump-punishing bulk would otherwise dominate a Water-heavy field, so Niantic cut it from the pool entirely.
Best Team for the Scroll Cup
With Grass, Electric, Fairy, Poison, and most Flying and Bug counters removed from the format, the meta shifts hard toward Fighting-type pressure and bulky Water walls. A well-rounded core to build around:
Feraligatr
Feraligatr’s typing and bulk make it one of the safest Water-type leads in a field with no Grass or Electric pressure to punish it. Bubble builds fast Energy for Ice Beam and Hydro Cannon (from its Community Day move), letting it pressure Fighting-types and other Water-types alike without a clean switch-in available in this typing pool.
Lucario
As one of the best Fighting-types in Great League already, Lucario becomes even scarier when Fairy-types (its usual counter) are locked out. Counter into Power-Up Punch or Aura Sphere lets it snowball shields quickly and threaten most of the Dark-type field, since Dark resists Fighting but Lucario’s Steel typing keeps it safe from the mirror.
Umbreon
A premier safe swap in any Dark-heavy meta. Umbreon’s passive Foul Play chip damage and access to Last Resort give it staying power against Fighting-types, while its high bulk lets it tank hits from Water-types that lack strong coverage moves outside their own typing.
Rounding out a roster: Toxicroak (Poison/Fighting, resists Fighting itself and punishes Dark-types with Mud Bomb), Obstagoon (Dark/Normal with reliable Fighting/Dark coverage), and Empoleon (Water/Steel bulk that shrugs off many neutral hits) are all strong picks depending on which threats show up most on the ladder.
Key Counters to Watch For
| Threat | Best Counter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lucario | Obstagoon or Umbreon | Dark resists Fighting; bulky Dark-types can tank Counter spam |
| Feraligatr | Toxicroak | Poison/Fighting takes reduced damage from Water and hits back hard |
| Umbreon | Lucario | Steel/Fighting punches through Dark’s low physical bulk with Power-Up Punch |
| Empoleon | Lucario | Fighting-type moves bypass Empoleon’s Water/Steel resistances |
Because the type pool is so narrow, shield usage matters more than usual — baiting a shield with a fast-charging move like Counter or Bubble before committing to a heavier closer such as Aura Sphere or Hydro Cannon is often the difference between winning and losing a set.
Should You Play the Scroll Cup?
The Scroll Cup rewards trainers who already have a solid Great League Fighting or Dark-type roster built up, since those two typings cover most of what the format throws at you. If your PvP box is light on Fighting-types, this is a good excuse to power up a Lucario or Toxicroak before the week is out — both stay relevant in the standard Great League meta long after the cup ends.
For a broader look at how the Great League ladder plays outside of limited cups, check out our Great League Meta Report, and compare formats in our Great League vs Ultra League vs Master League breakdown. If you’re new to competitive battling, the GO Battle League guide covers how the season structure and rewards work.
