Until today, baby Pokémon have been pretty useless in terms of competitive battling, but Pokémon GO's new Little Cup tournament changes things by only allowing players to use unevolved Pokémon. Pokémon GO's competitive scene has a few different leagues each limiting the combat power of the Pokémon that can be used, but the Little Cup is the only one focused on underpowered matches.
While the first generation of Pokémon, Pokémon: Red & Blue, technically has "baby Pokémon", the concept of these babies was first introduced in Gen 2. Pokémon: Silver & Gold introduced pre-evolutions to preexisting Pokémon. These babies included Magby, Elekid, Pichu, Smoochum, and others. As more generations of Pokémon were released, new baby Pokémon were added creating evolutionary lines where there weren't any before. These baby Pokémon are more of a novelty as they aren't effective in competitive battles, but they are pretty adorable.
That is, until Pokémon GO announced a new competitive tournament called the Little Cup, which is only open to the first Pokémon in an evolutionary line. The Little Cup was announced on Pokémon GO's Twitter. To be eligible to participate, a Pokémon must be able to evolve, but also must not have actually done it. Pokémon are also limited to 500 CP, which in Pokémon GO language is very weak. Other battle leagues limit Pokémon to 1,500 or 2,500, making the Little Cup the weakest tournament to enter. Luckily, this allows newer Pokémon GO players to enter the competitive scene without having to grind to catch Pokémon with higher CP.
This cup isn't limited to legitimate baby Pokémon, but is open to every Pokémon that is the first evolution in its family. This means that starter Pokémon like Charmander or Squirtle are also able to enter this tournament. Even Pokémon who have a two-stage line can enter as long as they are the first Pokémon in the line and are 500 CP or under.
While it may not sound humane, trainers can now watch their babies fight each other. This actually sounds adorable if it weren't for the part where they have to knock the other baby out. All in all, the Little Cup is a pretty fun idea that switches up the competitive scene. Players are now having to configure a new meta as they can't use their perfect IV, 2,500 CP Charizards. Instead, Pokémon GO players are giving the little ones a chance to play - and hopefully win - in their very own tournament.
Source: Pokémon GO