The Ferocious Cup
November 1st - 30th

Announcing November's Global Cup: The Ferocious Cup!
A brand new challenge is charging your way starting November 1st! The Ferocious Cup - a no-holds-barred battle of the fiercest beasts on land - will bring a chance to prove your mettle and increase your global and local player ranking! This month's Cup brings a unique twist! Here's what you need to know:

What Is the Ferocious Cup?
Each month the Silph Arena holds a month-long Cup - a 'themed' PvP tournament - that provides tens of thousands of trainers around the world a specially-designed competitive challenge and a chance to prove they're the very best. The Silph Arena is the world's largest global network for ranked Pokemon GOTM tournament play.
During the Cup (November 1st - 30th), local Silph League communities host and record a special tournament using the free Silph.gg tools. Wins and losses in this local tournament affect your player rank on local and global leaderboards - and may eventually even earn you an invitation to compete at Regionals and even the Continental or World Championships held at the end of the season!
All players are welcome to compete, whether it’s your first tournament or your hundredth! Find a local tournament near you on the Tournament Map!
The Ferocious Cup Rules

The Ferocious Cup has a few special rules (designed to provide added challenge and fun) that differ from standard PvP combat in Pokemon GO:
- Competitors will bring a team of 6 Pokemon (and register them before the tournament begins). All battle parties used must be comprised of these 6 Pokemon.
- Matches are played in Great League: only Pokemon up to 1500 CP are permitted in the Cup.
- Rather than being restricted to specific Pokemon Types, the Ferocious Cup is limited to a selection of land-based "beast" Pokemon inspired by the fearsome beasts that rule the land. The species whitelist features a selection of 130 land mammals and reptiles that have been analyzed and selected for their ability to create a new challenging meta. Review the list below to see what is permitted.
-
What follows is the official list of exactly which species are permitted for use in the Ferocious Cup:
Gen 1
#19
#20
#25
#26
#27
#28
#29
#30
#31
#32
#33
#34
#37
#38
#52
#53
#58
#59
#77
#78
#104
#105
#108
#111
#112
#115
#128
#133
#134
#135
#136
#142
#144
#145
#146
Gen 2
#161
#162
#172
#179
#180
#181
#196
#203
#210
#215
#216
#217
#220
#221
#228
#229
#231
#232
#234
#235
#241
#243
#244
#245
#246
#247
#248
#249
#250
Gen 3
#261
#262
#263
#264
#295
#300
#301
#304
#305
#306
#309
#310
#311
#312
#322
#323
#324
#325
#326
#359
#371
#372
#373
Gen 4
#399
#400
#403
#404
#405
#408
#409
#417
#418
#419
#427
#428
#431
#432
#434
#435
#443
#444
#445
#449
#450
#461
#463
#464
#471
#473
Gen 5
#504
#505
#506
#507
#508
#509
#510
#522
#523
#529
#530
#614
#631
Gen 7
#19
#20
#26
#27
#28
#37
#38
#52
#53
#105
Gen 8
#264
#863
And in text form:
- Absol, Aggron, Ampharos, Arcanine, Aron, Bagon, Bibarel, Bidoof, Blitzle, Buizel, Buneary, Camerupt, Cranidos, Cubone, Delcatty, Donphan, Drillbur, Eevee, Electrike, Entei, Espeon, Excadrill, Exploud, Flaaffy, Flareon, Floatzel, Furret, Gabite, Garchomp, Gible, Girafarig, Glaceon, Glameow, Granbull, Growlithe, Grumpig, Heatmor, Herdier, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Houndoom, Houndour, Jolteon, Kangaskhan, Lairon, Larvitar, Lickilicky, Lickitung, Liepard, Lillipup, Linoone, Lopunny, Luxio, Luxray, Mamoswine, Manectric, Mareep, Marowak, Alolan Marowak, Meowth, Alolan Meowth, Mightyena, Miltank, Minun, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Nidoran-F, Nidoran-M, Nidorina, Nidorino, Ninetales, Alolan Ninetales, Numel, Pachirisu, Patrat, Persian, Alolan Persian, Phanpy, Pichu, Pikachu, Piloswine, Plusle, Ponyta, Poochyena, Pupitar, Purrloin, Purugly, Raichu, Alolan Raichu, Raikou, Rampardos, Rapidash, Raticate, Alolan Raticate, Rattata, Alolan Rattata, Rhydon, Rhyhorn, Rhyperior, Sandslash, Alolan Sandslash, Sandshrew, Alolan Sandshrew, Sentret, Shelgon, Shinx, Skitty, Skuntank, Smeargle, Sneasel, Spoink, Stantler, Stoutland, Stunky, Suicune, Swinub, Tauros, Teddiursa, Torkoal, Tyranitar, Umbreon, Ursaring, Vaporeon, Vulpix, Alolan Vulpix, Watchog, Weavile, Zangoose, Zebstrika, and Zigzagoon
- Only one of each Pokemon species is permitted on your team of 6. (No species duplicates!) However, Pokemon forms with different typings are permitted on the same team.
- Arena Rules will be followed in all other particulars.
Take a moment to review the Arena Rules linked above. The rules have been updated for the new Competitive PvP Season, make sure you’re familiar with all of the changes!
How to Compete
Registration for the November Cup will become available to local community leaders on October 18th - but Ferocious Cups must be scheduled for dates between November 1st and November 30th. Find a Cup tournament near you via the Tournament Map!
Frequently Asked Questions
Community Leader Questions:
How Do I Host a Ferocious Cup Tournament in My Community?
Simply log in to Silph.gg with an authorized Community Leader account and create a Cup tournament on your community management page. You will be given an RSVP url to share with your community and, on the day of the tournament, a join code
to confirm your tournament's registrants. For a guide to setting up your tournament on Silph.gg, click here.
How Do I Become Authorized to Host Tournaments on Silph.gg?
All Silph League Discord community admins simply need to add themselves as 'Tournament Admins' via the Discord @SilphRoad
bot:
- On Discord, use the
@SilphRoad add-tournament-admin @username#0000
command in your#silph-league
channel. (You may need to log out of Silph.gg and back in again!)
Telegram channel and group admins are automatically authorized on Silph.gg.
Can I host multiple Ferocious Cups in my community in November?
Yes. However, only one Cup each month will have significant impact in the participant’s Global Ranking. Participants can choose at the start of the Cup if they want that specific Cup to be weighted more heavily than the others.
Does the Ferocious Cup have to be hosted on a specific date?
Any date between November 1st and November 30th, 2019 is a valid date to hold your community's Ferocious Cup. The tournament registration page will not allow registering your Cup for an invalid date or time - so as long as you are able to create your tournament on Silph.gg, you will know it is set for a valid date.
I am a community leader of a Facebook Group (or other platform like Slack, Line, etc). How do I host the Ferocious Cup for my community?
The Arena team is working quickly to enable non-Discord/Telegram communities to host the Cup. Stay tuned for news on this front!
Participant Questions:
How Do I Join a Ferocious Cup Tournament in My Community?
Find a local Cup being hosted by a community near you via the Tournament Map and read the event details on the event's RSVP page!
How Important Are Monthly Cups for My Player Rank?
Very. The vast majority of player rank in the Arena is derived from performance in the global, standardized Cups. (This is because Cups allow the Arena to observe the same controlled competitive scenarios for each player!)
Why is the Ferocious Cup (and all non-Cup ranked tournaments) played in Great League?
Great League (max 1500cp) provides a diverse, new playing field with many options for creative, competitive teams. It also allows more casual players to join tournaments at meetups without being completely unable to compete with level 40 trainers who often sport the same level 40 Legendary Pokemon. Great League also marks immediately irrelevant much of the amassed arsenal of those who manipulate their GPS location ('spoof') to circumvent in-game mechanic limiters and acquire unnatural advantages.
Where can I learn more about global player ranking?
You can learn more about Global Player Rankings by reading our Guide to Player Rank.
About the 2019 Competitive Season »
Resources & Guides
Time to study up! Conquering this meta requires preparation and practice. Review this collection of guides and resources from Arena contributors and community content creators to help you on your way to victory:


Nifty Or Thrifty: Ferocious Cup
By: JRE_Seawolf
The Ferocious Cup is coming from November 1st - 30th! Get ready to conquer a new challenge - the fiercest beasts on land! For those on a stardust budget--and/or folks trying to save up some dust for...
Search String
Copy and paste this string into the Pokemon GO search filter to see all of your eligible Pokemon! Learn how to copy and paste into Pokemon GO with this guide for iOS and Android.

Ferocious Cup Simplified Meta
By: lorma96
This article from Gamepress boils the Ferocious Cup down to its core to help you build your team!


Super Simple Beginner's Guide to Ferocious Cup
By: JRE_Seawolf
Is this your first Cup? Then this article is for you! Get the very basics of the Ferocious Cup meta explained and start building your team of beasts!
Ferocious Cup Team-Building Guide from Zyonik
By: Zyonik
A dive into the best picks for the Ferocious Cup from Zyonik


Deep Dive: How To Play Against a Suicune
By: Tangent444
Suicune will be a popular choice in the Ferocious Cup! This article take a deep dive into the counters and strategy behind facing this Legendary Beast.


Under The Lights: Water Types in Ferocious Cup
By: JRE_Seawolf
In this Under the Lights, JRESeawolf takes a look at the water types available in the Ferocious Cup, and how they stack up against one another.

18 Useful Ferocious Pokémon
By: sonoroman
A handy cheat-sheet of 18 Pokémon that will be very useful on your Ferocious Cup team!


Broke on Stardust: A Budget Minded Overview Of The Ferocious Cup Top 30
By: Numot15
Low on dust? Check out this guide on building your Ferocious Cup team without breaking the bank!


Under The Lights: The Nidos (Ferocious Cup)
By: JRE_Seawolf
JRE is back with an in depth look at the Nidos role in the Ferocious cup!


Meta Analytics | Ferocious Dark Comparison | GO Stadium
By: Tangent444
Which dark type are you going to bring on your Ferocious Cup team? Use this guide to help you decide!

Ferocious Cup Simplified Meta
By: dominusray25
This graphic breaks the Ferocious Meta into a simple chart to help you build your team!

Ferocious Cup Move Count Chart
By: T3Dragoon
This chart shows exactly how many fast attacks you will need in order to launch each Pokémon's charge attack! It's a great tool to use when attacking with your own Pokémon, or to keep track of when your opponent will be able to launch each charge attack!
Ferocious Cup Meta Simplified from HeroVange
By: BattleHeroPVP
HeroVange breaks down the Ferocious Cup Meta and makes recommendations on what Pokémon to use!

Ferocious Cup Cheat Sheet
By: pokejlo
A handy "cheat sheet" quick-reference which shows type weaknesses and resistances for common Ferocious Cup species.

Meta Moves: Ferocious
By: jaydevin
An illustration of the number of fast moves required to access charge moves for common Ferocious Cup species


Ferocious Cup Team Building Guide
By: WhosJohnGill
WhosJohnGill walks you through building a Ferocious Cup team by describing the roles you'll want to fill and which Pokémon fit each position.
Live Cup Data
As you plan your battle team, consider the species which appear most frequently in this meta: