Approved by Amaranth
Little Cup is a well-established format in later generations where the cutest combatants compete at level 5 in a captivating competition! Uniquely, Gen 1 Little Cup allows the use of Pikachu, Clefairy and Jigglypuff, which would later become NFE from Generation 2 onwards. If you're interested in this tier, you can discuss it and find games in the RBY Discord!
Pokemon Eligibility
In order to be used in LC, a Pokemon must comply with the following criteria:
Species Clause - One Pokemon of its species per team.
Tradeback Clause - Moves obtained via the Time Capsule in GSC are banned.
Evasion Clause - Minimize and Double Team are banned.
OHKO Clause - Horn Drill, Guillotine, and Fissure are banned.
Invulnerability Clause - Dig and Fly are banned.
Cleric Clause - Pokemon are healed prior to a battle, so no pre-status, etc.
Mods
These are mods implemented on Pokemon Showdown! for quality of life reasons.
Sleep Clause Mod - Only one Pokemon can be put to sleep by an opponent.
Freeze Clause Mod - Only one Pokemon can be frozen by an opponent.
Desync Clause Mod - Moves that would cause a desync on cartridge fail.
Banned Moves
Dragon Rage: This move always inflicts 40 damage on the foe. This move is obviously entirely unbalanced in LC, where the only Pokémon who gets anywhere near 40 HP is Jigglypuff, who still gets OHKOed.
Sonic Boom: This move always inflicts 20 damage on the foe. For similar reasons to Dragon Rage, Sonic Boom has no place in the tier. This is due to the move reliably 2HKOing or OHKOing every Pokémon in the metagame barring Gastly and being learned by the fastest Pokémon in Little Cup, Voltorb, allowing it to muscle past would-be checks like Rhyhorn at ~74%.
Wrap: Due to the way damage is calculated at level 5, Wrap was far too much for the tier - notably, AgiliWrap Dratini was able to effortlessly rip apart teams with virtually no counterplay aside from Gastly once it set up with Agility.
Fire Spin: For a very similar reason as Wrap, lead AgiliSpin Ponyta was just way too much for the tier when it was legal. Ponyta has a phenomenal 90 base Speed, only one point slower than the fastest Pokémon in the tier, Diglett and Voltorb. Getting off a Fire Spin allows it to either pivot into a threat for free, or tear through teams virtually unopposed lategame thanks to how damage calculation works with level 5 Pokemon, making partial trapping immensely powerful. Unlike AgiliWrap Dratini, setting up with Ponyta is not quite as easy — now that Tradebacks are no longer played in the tier, Ponyta misses out on Hypnosis which granted it many more setup opportunities and it does not appreciate Diglett and Staryu being on nearly every team. However, even without Hypnosis, the reward for getting off a Fire Spin is just too great for this metagame (and as May mentions in her post here, Ponyta didn’t even have to run Hypnosis when Tradebacks *were* legal). It should be reiterated that Partial Trapping Clause is not in effect for RBY LC — Clamp is still legal as Shellder is the only available user.
In order to be used in LC, a Pokemon must comply with the following criteria:
- The Pokemon must be able to evolve.
- The Pokemon must be at its earliest evolution stage.
- The Pokemon must be at level 5.
Species Clause - One Pokemon of its species per team.
Tradeback Clause - Moves obtained via the Time Capsule in GSC are banned.
Evasion Clause - Minimize and Double Team are banned.
OHKO Clause - Horn Drill, Guillotine, and Fissure are banned.
Invulnerability Clause - Dig and Fly are banned.
Cleric Clause - Pokemon are healed prior to a battle, so no pre-status, etc.
Mods
These are mods implemented on Pokemon Showdown! for quality of life reasons.
Sleep Clause Mod - Only one Pokemon can be put to sleep by an opponent.
Freeze Clause Mod - Only one Pokemon can be frozen by an opponent.
Desync Clause Mod - Moves that would cause a desync on cartridge fail.
Banned Moves
Dragon Rage: This move always inflicts 40 damage on the foe. This move is obviously entirely unbalanced in LC, where the only Pokémon who gets anywhere near 40 HP is Jigglypuff, who still gets OHKOed.
Sonic Boom: This move always inflicts 20 damage on the foe. For similar reasons to Dragon Rage, Sonic Boom has no place in the tier. This is due to the move reliably 2HKOing or OHKOing every Pokémon in the metagame barring Gastly and being learned by the fastest Pokémon in Little Cup, Voltorb, allowing it to muscle past would-be checks like Rhyhorn at ~74%.
Wrap: Due to the way damage is calculated at level 5, Wrap was far too much for the tier - notably, AgiliWrap Dratini was able to effortlessly rip apart teams with virtually no counterplay aside from Gastly once it set up with Agility.
Fire Spin: For a very similar reason as Wrap, lead AgiliSpin Ponyta was just way too much for the tier when it was legal. Ponyta has a phenomenal 90 base Speed, only one point slower than the fastest Pokémon in the tier, Diglett and Voltorb. Getting off a Fire Spin allows it to either pivot into a threat for free, or tear through teams virtually unopposed lategame thanks to how damage calculation works with level 5 Pokemon, making partial trapping immensely powerful. Unlike AgiliWrap Dratini, setting up with Ponyta is not quite as easy — now that Tradebacks are no longer played in the tier, Ponyta misses out on Hypnosis which granted it many more setup opportunities and it does not appreciate Diglett and Staryu being on nearly every team. However, even without Hypnosis, the reward for getting off a Fire Spin is just too great for this metagame (and as May mentions in her post here, Ponyta didn’t even have to run Hypnosis when Tradebacks *were* legal). It should be reiterated that Partial Trapping Clause is not in effect for RBY LC — Clamp is still legal as Shellder is the only available user.
Exeggcute's fantastic defensive typing grants it key resistances to three of the most common attacking types in the metagame. Additionally, its great bulk, ability to spread both sleep and paralysis and fire off a hard-hitting Explosion on something troublesome makes it one of the most versatile and necessary Pokemon in the metagame. It is by far the defining support Pokemon of the tier, while also not being a slouch in the offensive department either with its threatening Psychic.
Diglett is the tier's premier wallbreaker, thanks to its sky-high Speed (only tying with Voltorb) and its powerful Earthquake, making it one of the most essential members of any RBY LC team. Its raw power allows it to revenge kill many weakened Pokemon and very few things in the metagame are able to switch into it safely. However, Diglett itself also struggles to switch into many Pokemon due to its lackluster bulk. Once it's on the field, however, Diglett proves to be one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame.
Abra's gargantuan 105 base Special and blazing Speed tier allows it to switch in very easily on special attackers and strike back with a powerful Psychic. Its high Speed and ability to force switches also allows it to spread paralysis effortlessly; Abra's biggest flaw is its middling movepool without Tradebacks.
Compared to its Electric-type competition in Pikachu, Voltorb's movepool leaves a lot to be desired. However, Voltorb is still able to cement itself as one of RBY LC's biggest threats thanks to its blistering 19 Speed (tying only with Diglett) and access to Explosion, allowing it to threaten Pokemon with what will usually result in an OHKO. For example, Diglett is able to reliably OHKO Voltorb with Earthquake, but it may not want to stay in and risk the speed tie because Voltorb is able to remove it in return with Explosion. Reflect allows Voltorb to survive one Earthquake from Diglett if it sets up Reflect on the switch, giving it the opportunity to use Explosion even if it loses the speed tie. Take Down can also be ran to give Voltorb a non-Electric offensive option that won't result in Voltorb fainting.
Ponyta is a solid cleaner in RBY LC that sports great offenses and bulk. Notably, it's able to OHKO Exeggcute with Fire Blast, and can threaten faster Pokemon like Diglett once it sets up an Agility. Without an Agility, Ponyta still sits a fantastic Speed tier and can even spread paralysis with Body Slam.
Staryu's great Special, unique access to the coveted Recover and its amazing Speed tier all make for a potent threat in the RBY LC metagame. Staryu is able to threaten almost any switchin thanks to its incredibly versatile movepool; which coverage moves to run on Staryu comes down to what you want it to check.
Gastly is immune to Normal-type moves, giving it free switchins into the ever-present Body Slams, Explosions and Quick Attack. It also has access to Hypnosis, rare access to Grass-type coverage, and a fantastic 100 base Special.
Poliwag carves a niche for itself thanks to its great Speed tier, access to Hypnosis, and access to a powerful boosting move in Amnesia. The choice between running Psychic or Blizzard depends on whether you want Poliwag to hit opposing Water-types like Staryu or Exeggcute.
Pikachu's got an amazing Speed tier, spreads paralysis, and unlike its fellow Electric-type competition in Voltorb, isn't walled by Rhyhorn thanks to its access to Surf. It also has access to coveted priority in Quick Attack, allowing it to pick off weakened Diglett / Voltorb.
Rhyhorn's bulk and meaty base 85 Attack certainly makes it worth looking at - however, what really sets Rhyhorn apart is its Rock-typing, which allows it to switch in safely into threats like Voltorb without fearing Explosion, as well as other Normal-type attackers. It also has access to Fire Blast, which 2HKOes Exeggcute.
Rattata has great coverage in Blizzard which is able to 2HKO Exeggcute and access to the coveted Quick Attack to chip faster threats like Abra and Diglett. Body Slam allows it to paralyze potential threats on the switch.
Drowzee's high Special and solid bulk along with a very contested Psychic typing makes it form a fantastic Psychic spam core with Abra. Drowzee is also able to spread both paralysis and sleep, which is a rare trait in RBY LC.
Unlike its fellow Amnesia sweeper in Poliwag, Slowpoke carves a niche for itself thanks to its fantastic bulk which notably turns Diglett's powerful Earthquake into a measly 3HKO. Slowpoke can also spread paralysis, which is an important factor to being able to pull off a lategame sweep with it.
Another Route 1 Pokemon that has a surprisingly solid niche in the metagame! Pidgey's unique in that it's a Quick Attacker with a Ground immunity — it has many opportunities to switch in thanks to the abundance of Diglett in the metagame, whom it can switch in on and likely 2HKO with Double-Edge into Quick Attack. It can also 3HKO Exeggcute with Wing Attack, or OHKO it with Sky Attack. And, though much more niche, its access to its signature Mirror Move means that it can copy the Earthquakes it often switches into.
Diglett is the tier's premier wallbreaker, thanks to its sky-high Speed (only tying with Voltorb) and its powerful Earthquake, making it one of the most essential members of any RBY LC team. Its raw power allows it to revenge kill many weakened Pokemon and very few things in the metagame are able to switch into it safely. However, Diglett itself also struggles to switch into many Pokemon due to its lackluster bulk. Once it's on the field, however, Diglett proves to be one of the most threatening Pokemon in the metagame.
Abra's gargantuan 105 base Special and blazing Speed tier allows it to switch in very easily on special attackers and strike back with a powerful Psychic. Its high Speed and ability to force switches also allows it to spread paralysis effortlessly; Abra's biggest flaw is its middling movepool without Tradebacks.
Compared to its Electric-type competition in Pikachu, Voltorb's movepool leaves a lot to be desired. However, Voltorb is still able to cement itself as one of RBY LC's biggest threats thanks to its blistering 19 Speed (tying only with Diglett) and access to Explosion, allowing it to threaten Pokemon with what will usually result in an OHKO. For example, Diglett is able to reliably OHKO Voltorb with Earthquake, but it may not want to stay in and risk the speed tie because Voltorb is able to remove it in return with Explosion. Reflect allows Voltorb to survive one Earthquake from Diglett if it sets up Reflect on the switch, giving it the opportunity to use Explosion even if it loses the speed tie. Take Down can also be ran to give Voltorb a non-Electric offensive option that won't result in Voltorb fainting.
Ponyta is a solid cleaner in RBY LC that sports great offenses and bulk. Notably, it's able to OHKO Exeggcute with Fire Blast, and can threaten faster Pokemon like Diglett once it sets up an Agility. Without an Agility, Ponyta still sits a fantastic Speed tier and can even spread paralysis with Body Slam.
Staryu's great Special, unique access to the coveted Recover and its amazing Speed tier all make for a potent threat in the RBY LC metagame. Staryu is able to threaten almost any switchin thanks to its incredibly versatile movepool; which coverage moves to run on Staryu comes down to what you want it to check.
Gastly is immune to Normal-type moves, giving it free switchins into the ever-present Body Slams, Explosions and Quick Attack. It also has access to Hypnosis, rare access to Grass-type coverage, and a fantastic 100 base Special.
Poliwag carves a niche for itself thanks to its great Speed tier, access to Hypnosis, and access to a powerful boosting move in Amnesia. The choice between running Psychic or Blizzard depends on whether you want Poliwag to hit opposing Water-types like Staryu or Exeggcute.
Pikachu's got an amazing Speed tier, spreads paralysis, and unlike its fellow Electric-type competition in Voltorb, isn't walled by Rhyhorn thanks to its access to Surf. It also has access to coveted priority in Quick Attack, allowing it to pick off weakened Diglett / Voltorb.
Rhyhorn's bulk and meaty base 85 Attack certainly makes it worth looking at - however, what really sets Rhyhorn apart is its Rock-typing, which allows it to switch in safely into threats like Voltorb without fearing Explosion, as well as other Normal-type attackers. It also has access to Fire Blast, which 2HKOes Exeggcute.
Rattata has great coverage in Blizzard which is able to 2HKO Exeggcute and access to the coveted Quick Attack to chip faster threats like Abra and Diglett. Body Slam allows it to paralyze potential threats on the switch.
Drowzee's high Special and solid bulk along with a very contested Psychic typing makes it form a fantastic Psychic spam core with Abra. Drowzee is also able to spread both paralysis and sleep, which is a rare trait in RBY LC.
Unlike its fellow Amnesia sweeper in Poliwag, Slowpoke carves a niche for itself thanks to its fantastic bulk which notably turns Diglett's powerful Earthquake into a measly 3HKO. Slowpoke can also spread paralysis, which is an important factor to being able to pull off a lategame sweep with it.
Another Route 1 Pokemon that has a surprisingly solid niche in the metagame! Pidgey's unique in that it's a Quick Attacker with a Ground immunity — it has many opportunities to switch in thanks to the abundance of Diglett in the metagame, whom it can switch in on and likely 2HKO with Double-Edge into Quick Attack. It can also 3HKO Exeggcute with Wing Attack, or OHKO it with Sky Attack. And, though much more niche, its access to its signature Mirror Move means that it can copy the Earthquakes it often switches into.
RBY LC was originally played with Tradebacks - in fact, the sample teams on-site are intended for a Tradebacks meta! This was because it was deemed that in RBY, movesets of Pokemon at level 5 were just so pathetically small that a metagame wouldn't be all that interesting with level-up moves excluded. Other RBY metagames aren't played with Tradebacks, so RBY LC was always just a bizarre exception to RBY tiering - banning Tradeback moves while also forcing Pokemon to have level 5 learnsets would also unnecessarily nerf mons like Exeggcute or Doduo! However, there is a solution - level looping in RBY LC allows Pokemon to reach level 101, before looping back to level 0. Then, you can use Rare Candies to level the Pokemon up to level 5, and boom! All of their level up moves are retained! The only caveat to this decision is that level looping, while replicable on cartridge, requires the use of Arbitrary Code Execution, which is typically frowned upon when it comes to tiering decisions, but Little Cup was already played with a similar ruleset on RBY 2k10 before the full extent of ACE was even discovered. I feel as though adapting a metagame that makes use of modern mechanics not available at the time of RBY forces us to get a bit more creative with rulesets, and doing it this way is healthy for the development of the metagame.
This also allows Clefairy to be used in LC, since, tragically, it can only be obtained at level 6 minimum in both RBY and GSC.
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Voltorb
Ponyta
Meowth
Pikachu
Abra
Gastly
Mankey
Rattata
Charmander
Vulpix
Tentacool
Horsea
Growlithe
Eevee
Ekans
Magnemite
Seel
Venonat
Nidoran M
Caterpie
Weedle
Koffing
Exeggcute
Machop
Clefairy
Nidoran F
Drowzee
Grimer
Jigglypuff
