Pokémon Go Leader counters: Arlo, Cliff, Sierra counters and strategies in Pokémon Go
How to defeat the three Team Go Rocket Leaders during the Rocket takeover event.
The Team GO Rocket takeover event is back, which means the Team Go Rocket Leaders Arlo, Cliff and Sierra are invading PokéStops in Pokémon Go with a whole new line-up of Shadow Pokémon.
It's up to you to hunt down Arlo, Cliff and Sierra by collecting Mysterious Components and a Rocket Radar in Pokémon Go, which will also help as part of the August 2024 Adventure Week: Taken Over quest.
Defeating each of these leaders will give you the chance to encounter a rare Shadow Pokémon! As of August 2024, Sierra has Carvanha, Arlo has Anorith and Cliff has Lileep. All three of these can be shiny, meaning you can get your hands on an ultra-rare shiny Shadow Pokémon!
Facing all three is also the route to a battle against the formidable Giovanni himself - and his even more formidable Shadow Cresselia - if you take them down as part of the Team GO Rocket quest.
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Team Go Rocket Leaders and strategies explained in Pokémon Go
With each Team GO Rocket takeover event comes a quest that gives you a chance to take down Giovanni and catch a legendary Shadow Pokémon. As of August 2024, the latest quest is included within the Adventure Week: Taken Over special research quest, which earns you a Super Rocket Radar, which is effectively your ticket to take on the head of Team GO Rocket, Giovanni. But, to do that, you first need to defeat his three Team GO Rocket leaders, as part of the aforementioned quest.
This requires you collect six Mysterious Components from Grunts, which you combine into a Rocket Radar that reveals the location of a Team GO Rocket Leader. The choice given to you is random, so if you are after a specific Leader, keep checking until the one you need appears.
These will be tough battles, so a brute force strategy will not always work. Instead, consider the following strategies:
- Since you need to lean on countering with types, it's best to go in with a prepared team with strong counters.
- A Leader's line-up will be somewhat unique for that encounter - it's made of a small selection of creatures, so you can't exactly be sure which Pokémon you'll be facing. You might have to face them once to learn their line-up, then change yours to counter it.
- Leaders will always use their two shields for your first two Charged moves, which will be followed by a two-second delay before they can attack. This same delay occurs when you switch Pokémon. Ideally, this means your lead Pokémon must be strong enough to survive long enough to deliver two Charged moves, and do so as fast as possible, so you can then dealing out damage properly. For example, Melmetal is a good candidate for this.
- You can face a Leader as many times as you like, so don't worry if you lose the first time!
Ultimately, victory depends on your ability to create a team that takes advantage of as many of the Team GO Rocket Leader's team's weaknesses as possible, so having a wide roster of Pokémon available will help you form flexible teams.
Below the video, you'll find the current possible lineups for each Team Go Rocket Leader during the Team GO Rocket takeover event.
Arlo counters and line-up in Pokémon Go
Below you'll find the current line up for Arlo in Pokémon Go, as of August 2024.
Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Anorith | Gyarados | Gardevoir |
| Crobat | Scizor | |
| Steelix | Snorlax |
If you're lucky with Arlo's lineup, you can defeat him using a team consisting of Rock and Electric-types for your first two Pokémon. We recommend these types as they are major type overlaps for Arlo's first and second Pokémon, but, depending on the Arlo lineup you get, you may need to use different types. For your third choice, you'll need to use either a Fire, Steel or Fighting-type Pokémon. Basically, you'll need to scout around for Arlo's third option - especially since both Scizor and Snorlax only have one weakness.
Anorith is weak to Water, Rock and Steel-type Pokémon. We recommend choosing a Rock-type Pokémon for your counter here, because, if Arlo chooses Crobat as his second Pokémon, your choice here will have an advantage against it. Strong Rock-type choices include Rampardos, Rhyperior and Tyrantrum.
Though you may also want to consider using a Steel-type Pokémon in case Arlo chooses Gardevoir as his third Pokémon. To truly know this, however, you will have to scount ahead and possibly lose to Arlo, so you can adapt your team. Possible Steel-types you should consider include Metagross, Melmetal, Dialga and, if you have it, Dusk Mane Necrozma.
When it comes to Arlo's second Pokémon, we recommend having either a Rock, Electric or Fire-type Pokémon on hand. As you can see, these options each target only one of Arlo's counters as there's no true type overlap between the three Pokémon. Technically Gyarados is weak to Rock-types due to being part Flying-type, but it's Water-typing also means any Rock Pokémon you put up against it will faint pretty darn quickly. So, if you're facing Gyarados you'll need to have a powerful Electric-type like Xurkitree, Zekrom, Therian Forme Thundurus or Raikou.
Thankfully, Crobat is also weak to Electric-type so having an Electric-type as your second choice is a good decision. On top of this, Crobat is weak to Rock-type Pokémon so, if you used this type for Anorith, you may find you can continue using your first choice.
If you're facing Steelix, however, we recommend using a Fire-type Pokémon like Reshiram, Blacephalon, Heatran, Volcarona or Darmanitan. This Fire-type should be able to easily defeat Steelix and, if Arlo chooses Scizor for this final Pokémon, you can continue using this Pokémon against it.
You will most likely have to scout ahead to find the right counter for Arlo's third Pokémon as two only have one weakness and the type overlaps with the other counters in minimal. Like we mentioned above, Scizor can be defeated by a powerful Fire-type Pokémon. Meanwhile, Snorlax's only weakness is Fighting-type Pokémon where your ideal counters include Terrakion, Lucario, Conkeldurr and Machamp.
Finally, there's Gardevoir where you actually have options! Gardevoir is weak to Poison, Ghost and Steel-types. If you decided to use a Steel-type against Anorith, then you may be able to use this Pokémon again. Personally, I prefer using Poison-type Pokémon against Fairy-types - such counters include Nihilego, Gengar, Naganadel and Roserade. In fact, if you have a powerful Gengar then it's Ghost and Poison-typing makes it an excellent choice against Gardevoir.
Thanks to the lack of type overlaps and two of his final choices only having one weakness, finding the right counters for Alro can be a little tricky at the moment. There's multiple places where you may find yourself being stonewalled, but, as long as you have enough health items to keep you in the battle, you'll be able to defeat him eventually.
Cliff counters and line-up in Pokémon Go
Below you'll find the current line up for Cliff in Pokémon Go, as of August 2024.
Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Lileep | Marowak | Tyranitar |
| Kingdra | Cradily | |
| Aerodactyl | Crobat |
Well, this is awfully similar to a number of Cliff's previous line ups isn't it?
Cliff's current lineup means there's a good chance creating a team of two Ice-types and then either a Fairy or Steel-type Pokémon will easily lead you to victory. We recommend two Ice-types because five of the Pokémon Cliff could pick from across his lineup are weak to Ice-type Pokémon, so could simply freeze your way through his team.
When it comes to poweful Ice-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go, you'll want to consider Kyurem, Baxcalibur, Mamoswine, Glaceon and Cetitan. For Shadow Pokémon, you should consider Shadow Mamoswine, Shadow Weavile or Shadow Articuno. Finally, our Ice-type Mega Evolution recommendations are either Mega Glalie or Mega Abomasnow.
While Lileep is weak to Ice-types thanks to being part Grass, the fact that it's also a Rock-type Pokémon means it will have a small advantage against your choice. Still, even if it does cause a good amount of damage, your Ice-type will defeat it and can continue causing choas with the rest of Cliff's team.
Though you may want to choose a Steel-type Pokémon for battling Lileep. This Steel-type could then be used again against Cliff's third Pokémon if he happens to choose either Tyranitar or Cradily. If you do fancy using a Steel-type then consider Dusk Mane Necrozma, Metagross, Melmetal or Dialga.
Looking at Cliff's second choice, both Marowak and Aerodactyl are weak to Ice-types so you can continue using your Ice-types here. If, however, Cliff chooses Kingdra then you'll need to use a Fairy-type Pokémon since, being a Dragon itself, it has an advantage over it's other weakness. (And despite appearance, it's not weak to Electric-type Pokémon. Yes, I am still a scarred from my first battle against Claire in Pokémon Silver.) For a Fairy-type counter, you should choose either Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko or Zacian. For non-legendary Fairy counter, you should consider Togekiss, Gardevoir, Primarina or Sylveon.
When it comes to Cliff's third Pokémon, you can once again use an Ice-type against both Cradily and Crobat. As we mentioned above, Tyranitar and Cradily are also both weak to Steel-type Pokémon so this offers you a good alternative. Tyranitar is also weak to Fairy-type Pokémon, so, if you included one in your team, then it's time to bring it out. If you fancy an alternative to Crobat, then consider using an Electric-type Pokémon like Xurkitree, Zekrom and Raikou.
Cliff's lineup this time round does mean there's a very good chance you'll be able to defeat him first time round. If your Pokémon are strong enough of course.
Sierra counters and line-up in Pokémon Go
Below you'll find the current line up for Sierra in Pokémon Go, as of August 2024.
Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Carvanha | Milotic | Houndoom |
| Sableye | Nidoqueen | |
| Ampharos | Alakazam |
Personally, I've often found Sierra to be the hardest Team Go Rocket Leader to defeat but, for once, she actually has some type overlaps when it comes to what her choices are weak towards. You may still have to scout ahead to ensure your team can defeat her, but including a Ground, Water and either a Grass or Electric-type in your team does give you a good chance of defeating her. If Sierra choose the right Pokémon...
Starting with Carvanha, we recommend choosing either an Electric or Grass-type Pokémon. This is because Milotic, one of her second Pokémon choices, is also weak to these types. Thanks to this, you can continue using your first Pokémon if Sierra selects Milotic. When it comes to Electric-types consider using Pokémon like Xurkitree, Zekrom, Therian Forme Thunderus or Raikou. Meanwhile, for Grass Pokémon, you should consider Kartana, Roserade, Chesnaught or Tapu Bulu.
When it comes to the other two Pokémon Sierra can select for her second choice - Sableye and Ampharos - it's important to note that they both only have one weakness. Sableye is only weak to Fairy-type Pokémon, so we recommend using either Gardevior, Sylveon, Togekiss or Granbull. If you're facing Ampharos, however, you'll need to use a Ground-type Pokémon like Therian Forme Landorus, Groudon, Ursaluna or Garchomp.
Sierra's third Pokémon is a little easier to plan for, because both Nidoqueen and Houndoom are weak to Ground-type Pokémon. This means, if you faced Ampharos, you can simply continue using that Ground-type or switch to another like Terrakion. Though Swampert, thanks to its Water and Ground-typing, makes it a good counter for Houndoom.
If you're battling Alakazam, however, then you'll need to choose either a Bug, Ghost or Dark-type Pokémon. Our recommendation is to focus on Dark-type Pokémon such as Hydreigon, Tyranitar, Yveltal or Guzzlord. The other option though is using a Dawn Wings Necrozma, but this does rely on you obtaining this Pokémon via Fusion.
If you like to take a look at other Pokémon you could use against then final three, check out our best Pokémon in Pokémon Go guide.
The Shared Skies Season is here! The Pokémon World Championships 2024 event is currently running in Pokémon Go! Go Fest 2024 may have been and gone, but you can still play around with the Fusion mechanic. Meanwhile, ticket holders can finish Go Fest 2024: A Shadowy Caper and The Dusk Settles. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
Team Go Rocket Leader rewards in Pokémon Go
Defeating a Team Go Rocket Leader will grant you 1,000 Stardust, a red 'strange' 12km egg (if you have an open space in your Egg inventory) and one of the following items:
- Max Revive
- Revive
- Max Potion
- Unova Stone
- Sinnoh Stone
Thank you to skewtr from reddit with the help with this information.
You will also have the opportunity to catch one of the Team GO Rocket Leader's Shadow Pokémon. Beat Sierra to catch Sableye, Arlo for Bellsprout and Cliff for Dratini.
Best of all, there's a chance that these Shadow Pokémon could be shiny!
To catch these Shadow Pokémon, you'll receive a base number of 5 Premier Balls. Bonus Pokéballs will be rewarded depending on several factors, including:
- How many of your Pokémon survive the Trainer Battle
- Your Purify Pokémon (Purifier) medal rank
- Your Defeat Team Rocket (Hero) medal rank
Good luck hunting down those evil Team GO Rocket leaders!