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.

Análisis: Meta Copa Feroz

La Copa Feroz se plantea como un desafío único. Analizamos las mejores opciones disponibles del Meta.

Live Cup Data

As you plan your battle team, consider the species which appear most frequently in this meta:

Most Commonly Faced Species

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