Arlo, Cliff, & Sierra Counters (April 2024)

The big bads of Pokemon GO come in the form of Team GO Rocket. The villainous organization is made up of Grunts, Leaders, and the mastermind, Giovanni. The Pokemon these opponents bring into battle changes from time to time, so it’s important to come prepared if you want to emerge victorious.

Marshadow in Pokemon GO surrounded by several Pokemon and their shiny forms.

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The Team GO Rocket Leaders (Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra) are among the most difficult enemies in the mobile game. They bring formidable Pokemon into battle and can use shields to counter the player’s attacks. This guide will outline the best counters for each of these opponents and the best moves to equip Pokemon with to ensure a successful encounter.

Arlo’s Team Lineup

Arlo will always start the battle off with a Cacnea. This is easily countered with a strong Fire-type Pokemon like Chandelure. Round two will be a bit more difficult than the last, but Tyranitar is a clear counter to all three Pokemon, Hypno, Golurk, and Charizard, thanks to its access to powerful Rock and Dark-type moves. The third round will be a bit more difficult, but Mamoswine can counter Dragonite or Salamence with his strong Ice-type moves, while Chandelure can come back take care of Scizor.

Round 1 Counters

Cacnea is a Grass-type Pokemon, so players should lean heavily on strong Fire-type attacks to take this Pokemon down quickly.

Possible Pokemon	Type	Weakness	Suggested Counter	Best Moves
Cacnea	Grass-type	Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, & Bug-type	Chandelure	Best Fast Attack
				Fire Spin
				Best Charged Attack
				Overheat

Players will always find a catch encounter with Cacnea after fighting Arlo. This Pokemon can be shiny!

Round 2 Counters

Arlo’s second-round lineup is among the easiest. Hypno, Charizard, and Golurk can all be countered with a strong Tyranitar. While Hypno and Golurk will be most vulnerable to Tyranitar’s Dark-type attacks, players should equip the Pokemon with Rock-type moves if Charizard is the opponent.

Possible Pokemon	Type	Weakness	Suggested Counter	Best Moves
Hypno	Psychic-type	Bug, Ghost, & Dark-type	Tyranitar	Best Fast Attack
				Bite
				Best Charged Attack
				Brutal Swing
Golurk	Ground & Ghost-type	Water, Grass, Ghost, Ice, & Dark-type	Tyranitar	Best Fast Attack
				Bite
				Best Charged Attack
				Brutal Swing
Charizard	Fire & Flying-type	Water, Electric, & Rock-type	Tyranitar	Best Fast Attack
				Smack Down
				Best Charged Attack
				Stone Edge

Round 3 Counters

Scizor, Dragonite, and Salamence are the possible enemies in round three. This is a hefty lineup, with two pseudo-legendaries making an appearance. Chandelure, if it is still alive, can return to take down Scizor while the two Dragon-type Pokemon can be easily countered by Mamoswine’s Ice-type moves.

Possible Pokemon	Type	Weakness	Suggested Counter	Best Moves
Scizor	Bug & Steel-type	Fire-type	Chandelure	Best Fast Attack
				Fire Spin
				Best Charged Attack
				Overheat
Dragonite	Dragon & Flying-type	Rock, Dragon, Ice, & Fairy-type	Mamoswine	Best Fast Attack
				Powder Snow
				Best Charged Attack
				Avalanche
Salamence	Dragon & Flying-type	Rock, Dragon, Ice, & Fairy-type	Mamoswine	Best Fast Attack
				Powder Snow
				Best Charged Attack
				Avalanche

Cliff’s Team Lineup

Cliff will always start off the battle with a Machop. This Fighting-type Pokemon can be defeated most easily using a Psychic-type attacker. The second round will consist of either Gallade, Kingdra, or Aerodactyl. Players who used Psychic-type moves in round one may not be as successful in round two, but players can rely on two Metagross to carry them through round one and (if Aerodactyl makes an appearance) round two as well. Players should bring two Metagross, with one using Steel-type attacks and the other relying on Psychic-moves. Round three will see Cliff bringing out Crobat, Tyranitar, or Cradily. These Pokemon all have a counter in Metagross, but it will depend on the Pokemon whether it will be more successful with Psychic or Steel-type moves.