Pokemon GO has several Team GO Rocket leaders and grunts running rampant throughout the game. Three Team GO Rocket leaders, Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra, serve under their main boss, Giovanni. The developers at Niantic often provide players with the opportunity to face these leaders regularly. These leaders often have a team of powerful Shadow Pokemon for trainers to fight against.
Cliff is one of the three Team GO Rocket Leaders, and he has an unpredictable Pokemon team for players to challenge. Pokemon Go players must defeat Team GO Rocket Grunts at PokeStops. After defeating these grunts, they require a collection of six Mysterious Components to combine them into a Rocket Radar. This is the only way to encounter and battle Cliff in the game. That being said, below is everything you need to know before engaging in a battle with Cliff.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.
Steps to defeat Cliff in Pokemon GO this January 2023
Cliff is infamous for his unpredictable team composition in Pokemon GO. Making it hard for trainers to predict which Pocket Monsters will come in different phases of the match. After the Team GO Rocket Takeover, Cliff has made it a tradition to send Machop to begin proceedings. Things will be no different in January 2023. The second lineup could include anyone from Amoonguss, Crobat, or Pinsir, and in the third, Camerupt, Aerodactyl, or Tyranitar might be the last fighter.
Pokemon GO players must prepare a roster of well-thought counters against the seven powerful fighters Cliff has in store. To beat these strong foes, one requires extensive knowledge of type-battles and the ability to choose Pocket Monsters with better coverage. These are some of the potential counters that could propose a threat to Cliff:
Phase One
Machop counters: Being a Fighting-type, Machop is weak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type moves in Pokemon GO.
- Espeon – Confusion and Psychic
- Mewtwo – Confusion and Psychic
- Hoopa – Confusion and Psychic
- Metagross – Zen Headbutt and Psychic
- Gardevoir – Charm and Psychic
- Alakazam – Confusion and Psychic
Phase Two
Crobat counters: Crobat is weak against Electric, Ice, Psychic, and Rock-type attacks in Pokemon GO as a dual Poison and Flying-type Pokemon.
- Espeon – Confusion and Psychic
- Mewtwo – Psycho Cut and Psystrike
- Hoopa – Confusion and Psychic
- Alakazam – Confusion and Psychic
- Rampardos – Smack Down and Rock Slide
- Xurkitree – Thunder Shock and Discharge
Amoonguss counters: As a dual Grass and Poison-type Pokemon, Amoonguss is weak against Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic-type moves in Pokemon GO.
- Alakazam – Psycho Cut and Psychic
- Hoopa – Confusion and Psychic
- Mewtwo – Confusion and Psystrike
- Chandelure – Incinerate and Overheat
- Moltres – Fire Spin and Sky Attack
- Metagross – Zen Headbutt and Psychic
Pinsir counters: As a Bug-type Pokemon, Pinsir is weak against Fire, Flying, and Rock-type moves in Pokemon GO.
- Chandelure – Fire Spin and Overheat
- Moltres – Fire Spin and Sky Attack
- Tyranitar – Smack Down and Stone Edge
- Rampardos – Smack Down and Rock Slide
- Darmanitan – Fire Fang and Overheat
- Reshiram – Fire Fang and Overheat
Phase Three
Camerupt counters: Camerupt is weak against Ground and Water-type moves as a dual Fire and Ground-type Pokemon.
- Kyogre – Waterfall and Surf
- Vaporeon – Water Gun and Hydro Pump
- Feraligatr – Water Gun and Hydro Pump
- Empoleon – Waterfall and Hydro Cannon
- Excadrill – Mud-Slap and Earthquake
- Swampert – Water Gun and Hydro Cannon
Aerodactyl counters: The dual Rock and Flying-type Pokemon is weak against Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Water-type attacks.
- Metagross – Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
- Kyogre – Waterfall and Surf
- Rampardos – Smack Down and Rock Slide
- Empoleon – Waterfall and Hydro Cannon
- Tyranitar – Smack Down and Stone Edge
- Xurkitree – Thunder Shock and Discharge
Tyranitar counters: Tyranitar is a Rock/Dark-type Pokemon, so it’s weak against Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type attacks in Pokemon GO.
- Blaziken – Counter and Focus Blast
- Breloom – Counter and Dynamic Punch
- Conkeldurr – Counter and Dynamic Punch
- Alakazam – Counter and Focus Blast
- Machamp – Counter and Dynamic Punch
- Sirfetch’d – Counter and Close Combat
While these recommendations can help you take down Cliff, players can use other powerful fighters on their roster. Exploiting the weaknesses of each of Cliff’s Pocket Monsters will ensure your victory in Pokemon GO.
