Team Rocket has invaded Pok?mon Go, and it’s up to you, the trainers, to take them down–with slightly different challenges every time.
As players take on Team Go Rocket grunts in Pok?mon Go, they’ll receive items called Mysterious Components that can be pieced together to make a tracker used to hunt down the evil team’s three leaders: Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra. This requires six of the Mysterious Components to craft an item called the Rocket Radar, which can be equipped from your bag, that will lead you to the Go Rocket leaders.
You will need to defeat all of the leaders before you can take on the true boss. With that in mind, here is how you can counter the brute force of Go Rocket leader Cliff.
Best counters for Cliff in Pok?mon Go
First Pok?mon
Aerodactyl
Cliff is not going to back down without first putting up a fight, and he makes that very apparent with the Shadow Pok?mon he confronts trainers with at the start of the battle during this Go Rocket takeover: Aerodactyl.
This ancient Rock/Flying-type Pok?mon boasts a sky-high attack stat, while also possessing above-average HP and defense stats, so players need to stay vigilant that they don’t lose any of their team members–possibly not being able to afford any knockouts at all due to the powerhouses Cliff has yet to send out.
At first glance, it may appear that Electric-type Pok?mon are the best counter to Aerodactyl, but players need to be mindful of the possibility of Earth Power as its Charge Attack. Therefore, powerful Water-type attackers like Swampert, Blastoise, Suicune, and Tapu Fini are significantly better options here.
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Should players successfully defeat Cliff’s team of Shadow Pok?mon, they will be rewarded with a handful of items and a chance to catch his Shadow Aerodactyl for themselves. There is also a chance that this Shadow Pok?mon will be Shiny when encountered, though it is not super likely.
Second Pok?mon
Once you break into the second and third sets of Pok?mon, the Go Rocket Leaders get more dangerous. Cliff will have one of three different Pok?mon he can use in the second stage of the battle, all of which are formidable in their own way.
Gallade
Cliff’s Gallade acts as a compliment to Sierra’s Gardevoir and an equally-oppressive option for his second Pok?mon slot. Like Aerodactyl, this Psychic/Fighting-type Pok?mon has rather well-rounded stats in Pok?mon Go, making it not only capable of dealing a decent chunk of damage to most opponents, but it can also tank a portion of incoming damage as well.
Answering Gallade with Flying-type Pok?mon such as Staraptor, Pidgeot, Lugia, and Charizard is a great option to exploit its Flying-type weakness. Bringing Fairy-types like Azumarill, Gardevoir, Togekiss, Tapu Lele, and Sylveon can not only also players to deal super-effective damage, but take less damage in return due to the resistances they possess to many of Gallade’s attacks.
Cradily
Keeping with the theme of ancient Pok?mon restored from fossils, Cliff can possibly oppose players with Cradily as his second Pok?mon. As both a Rock/Grass-type Pok?mon, Cradily is capable of withstanding attacks from numerous other types, as well as attacking opponents with moves outside of its own types.
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Fortunately for players, Cradily’s niche is that of a tank, meaning its attack stat is subpar compared to the other Pok?mon that Cliff has in his party. Therefore, players should be able to safely bring Steel-type Pok?mon to answer Cradily’s bulk, such as Metagross, Lucario, Excadrill, Scizor, and Empoleon–though they should keep an eye out for Bulldoze.
Fighting-type Pok?mon like Machamp, Hariyama, Breloom, Mienshao, Hitmontop, and Sirfetch’d also deal super-effective damage to Cradily while resisting its Rock-type attacks.
Mamoswine
Cliff rounds out the second slot of his party with Mamoswine, an equally-ancient Pok?mon compared to Aerodactyl and Cradily but one that continues to roam the Pok?mon world without facing extinction. This massive Ground/Ice-type Pok?mon is the final evolution of the loveable Swinub, who players may have encountered in the Johto region’s Ice Path while traveling to Blackthorn City.
Avoid bringing Grass-type Pok?mon into this battle, as they’ll be frozen in place–much like most Steel and Fire-type Pok?mon will simply be trampled by Mamoswine’s Ground-type moves. Instead, bring Water-type Pok?mon like Swampert, Azumarill, Slowbro, Blastoise, Poliwrath, and Kingdra to exploit its part Ground-typing.
Legendary Pok?mon like Tapu Fini, Suicune, Kyogre, and Palkia are exceptionally good against Mamoswine, so if you have any of these at your disposal, consider bringing them–they may even help you in the next phase of the fight.
Third Pok?mon
Now it’s time to take on Cliff’s final Pok?mon. It can be one of these three randomly chosen options, starting with his signature Tyranitar, which is always featured in the rotation.
Tyranitar
The Rock/Dark-type monster that is Tyranitar can lay waste to your entire team if you aren’t careful, and covers for many of the weaknesses Cliff’s other Pok?mon have. You can’t bring a Grass-type unless you want to risk taking a Fire Blast, but strong Water and Fighting-type Pok?mon should be fine as long as they can shoulder a few heavy Dark or Rock-type hits.
Your best option going into this battle would be to bring something like Machamp, which shouldn’t fear any of the Armor Pok?mon’s moves. Otherwise nearly all of the options that countered Mamoswine can be used here efficiently as well.
Dusknoir
In a rather strange move for Cliff, his team can now have the eerie Ghost-type Pok?mon, Dusknoir. This tank of a Pok?mon may be a tough final challenge for players to overcome, but if it is answered with Dark-type Pok?mon, then taking down the last member of Cliff’s team should not be too much of an issue.
Nearly any Dark-type Pok?mon with a decent attack stat, like Tyranitar, Weavile, Hydreigon, Shiftry, Drapion, or Absol, can chip away at Dusknoir while taking very little damage in return, as Dusknoir only has access to Ghost, Dark, and Psychic-type attacks.
Slowking
The final third-slot option for Cliff is Slowking, a Water/Psychic-type Pok?mon and a final-evolved form of Slowpoke. Yet despite this typing, Slowking possesses the unique capability of using moves of various other types, such as Fire and Ice. Therefore, it’s not always the best idea to bring Grass or Bug-type Pok?mon into battle here.
Instead, opt for Ghost, Dark, or Electric-type Pok?mon that don’t have secondary types with weaknesses to the types of moves Slowking has access to. Some good options here are Absol, Alolan Raichu, Skuntank, Drifblim, Ampharos, and Manectric.
