The Retro Cup of GBL

Those who have been with Pokémon from the very start will recall its "retro days", when there were only less than one-sixth of the extant species known today, and more specifically when they represented less types. Those types may considered to have pretty good dynamics for their time, and it would be interesting to see those types against one another. This underlying intent may be one of the reasons for the latest new format for the GBL of Pokémon Go, which is called, appropriately, the "Retro Cup".

For this, the restrictions are simple. Pokémon of the Dark, Steel, and Fairy types are disallowed, leaving only those of the first 15 types introduced in the first generation. It is worth noting that only the types of the Pokémon are restricted, not the moves, so Pokémon moves belonging to the other three types may still come into play, provided the opportunity. For the most part, however, the interactions will mostly involve the 15 types from the first generation and in effect the Pokémon that can make use of their full potential.

While the types are restricted, Pokémon of specific generations aren't, so everything other than the restrictions is fair game. This means not just Pokémon of the first generation (also called Kanto), some of which are restricted due to having one of the new types of the second generation onwards as a secondary type. Even with the restrictions, this still leads to a dazzling array of Pokémon to choose from to make a battle party, which may be troublesome for certain Trainers, even myself.

Ultimately, a number of familiar species lend themselves fairly well. Talonflame, one of the banned contenders in Great League Remix, has the potential to become triumphant, as well as Abomasnow. Other contenders remain pesky, like Hypno with its variable moves and Politoed with its strong presence. Overall, that seems to be a defining aspect of this cup: choosing Pokémon that can cause lots of trouble in addition to ones that allow to get out of it, which is certain to occur.

The "retro days" of Pokémon are by and large fully behind, as further developments have changed and refined the world associated with it. Nevertheless, the facets of those "retro days" still deserve some recognition as the foundations that were laid down for what Pokémon is today and now. Now, the Retro Cup allows Trainers of Pokémon Go to honor those days and emulate most of the dynamics of that time, with modern species also included in a "timeless classic" manner.

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