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If you’re on a quest to defeat Giovanni and secure yourself a legendary shadow Pokemon, you’ll first need to take on his three Team GO Rocket henchmen Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra. They have a changing pool of Pokemon, but knowing what’s in their lineup can give you a huge advantage on the battlefield.
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The Team GO Rocket leaders are substantially more difficult than the grunts that come before them. Players should know what to expect and be prepared. It is possible to retry the battles if they are lost, but what’s more satisfying than stomping a Rocket member on the first go? The guide below will give you the lineup of each leader and a recommended team for taking them down.
Pokémon GO
Arlo’s Team Lineup
Arlo’s lineup is the same as last month, withBellsproutjumping into battle first. The second round of battle will see Arlo pulling eitherAlakazam,Mismagius, orSharpedo. In the final round, players will face off againstMagnezone,Snorlax, orScizor. The table below can give a better visual for what to expect in each round, which types are best to bring in, and which Pokemon would be good counters for the individual competitors.
Many of Arlo’s Pokemon haveweaknesses to Dark, Fighting, or Fire-type moves. This makes his lineup pretty easy to counter. Players should still be strategic about the order in which they send their Pokemon out and when to block incoming charged attacks, but a team ofWeavile,Pheromosa, andChandelureshould be able to get the job done without too much difficulty.
Pokemon Type
Suggested Counter
Bellsprout
Grass/Poison
Fire,Flying,Ice,Psychic
Bug,Dark,Ghost
Chandelure
Dark,Ghost
Water/Dark
Bug,Electric,Fairy,Fighting,Grass
Electric/Steel
Fighting,Fire,Ground
Best Team For Arlo
The recommended team for taking down Arlo isWeavile,Pheromosa, andChandelure. The combination of these three Pokemon should have plenty of the required moves/typings to counter Arlo’s lineup. Starting with Weavile is the best idea as it can take onBellsprout,Alakazam, andMismagiuswith ease, especially when equipped with some powerhouse Dark-type moves.
Follow upWeavilewithPheromosaand thenChandelure. This will ensure Fighting-type coverage forSharpedo,Magnezone, andSnorlaxand (if needed) Chandelure can swoop in to take care ofScizorat the end of the fight. The table below can give additional visualization for what your team should look like heading into battle:
Pokemon Image
Best Quick Move
Best Charged Move
Snarl(Dark)
Foul Play(Dark)
Low Kick(Fighting)
Focus Blast(Fighting)
Fire Spin(Fire)
Overheat(Fire)
Cliff’s Team Lineup
Cliff will always start round one with a shadowDratini. Round two will consist of eitherSlowking,Gallade, orCradily. Cliff ends the battle by sending outMamoswine,Dusknoir, orTyranitar. The table below can give a better visualization of what players are up against. The table shows Cliff’s potential lineup, their types, and which counters will be best against the given Pokemon.
Some of the major weaknesses in Cliff’s lineup areFairy,Ghost, orSteel-type moves. For this reason, a strong counter-team would be one consisting of Zacian, Metagross, and Gengar. This would give great coverage in each of these areas and give strong counters to most of Cliff’s Pokemon.
Dragon,Fairy,Ice
Water/Psychic
Bug,Dark,Electric,Ghost,Grass
Psychic/Fighting
Fairy,Flying,Ghost
Rock/Grass
Bug,Fighting,Ice,Steel
Ice/Ground
Fighting,Fire,Grass,Steel,Water
Bug,Fairy,Fighting,Grass,Ground,Steel,Water
Best Team For Cliff
The team that should do best against Cliff’s lineup isZacian,Metagross, andGengar. Starting with Zacian will give good Fairy-type coverage for Dratini and its Dark-type Quick Move (Snarl) should be able to take down Slowking or Gallade, should they appear next. Metagross' Steel-type moves can tear through Cradily or Mamoswine with ease. Gengar is a great finisher because it can take on two-thirds of the potential lineup for round 3 (Dusknoir and Tyranitar).
If players choose this lineup, it is the best idea to send the Pokemon out in the order listed (Zacian first,Metagross second, andGengar third) to ensure good type-coverage. It’s still important to use shields/blocks strategically, but this team should be able to carry any trainer through a fight with Cliff.
Play Rough(Fairy)
Bullet Punch(Steel)
Meteor Mash*(Steel)
Shadow Claw(Ghost)
Shadow Ball(Ghost)
*Metagross’Meteor Mashmove is aLegacy Movethat can only be acquired (outside of an event) by using anElite TM.
Sierra’s Team Lineup
Sierra’s team lineup will always have aSableyetaking the lead position. Round two will see her pulling out eitherSkarmory,Muk, orGardevoir. In the final round, Sierra will rely onHoundoom,Gyarados, orVictreebel. Players can use the table below to get a better sense of what to expect, with Pokemon, their type, and what they’re weak to listed in round order.
There’s some overlap in weaknesses, but Sierra is definitely the most difficult Team Rocket GO leader to counter. Her potential lineup is a bit all over the place in terms of weakness, but a team ofXurkitree,Mamoswine, andMewtwoshould do the trick!
Dark/Ghost
Steel/Flying
Electric,Fire
Ground,Psychic
Psychic/Fairy
Ghost,Poison,Steel
Fighting,Ground,Rock,Water
Water/Flying
Electric,Rock
Victreebel
Best Team For Sierra
A team comprised ofXurkitree,Mamoswine, andMewtwoshould be able to take down Sierra’s Pokemon. Xurkitree provides coverage for Sableye and the potential Skarmory. If Xurkitree is retreated after Sableye, it can also be brought back out if Gyarados appears.
Unlike the lineup of the last two Team GO Rocket leaders, Sierra doesn’t make it easy to counter her Pokemon. Because of this, the player’s team order matters less. There should be a bit more swapping of Pokemon in between fights. Xurkitree is the best Pokemon to start with out of the three, but it is a good idea to pull Pokemon out and send the most effective into battle after each fight.
Spark(Electric)
Dazzling Gleam(Fairy)
Mud-Slap(Ground)
Stone Edge(Rock)
Confusion(Psychic)
Psystrike(Psychic)*
*Mewtwo’sPsystrikemove is aLegacy Movethat can only be acquired (outside of an event) by using anElite TM.
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