Cliff presents a formidable challenge in Pokemon Go, so we’ve gathered all the essential tips you need to triumph over him, including his lineup, weaknesses, and the best counters as of October 2024.
Defeating all six Team Go Rocket Grunts in Pokemon Go and collecting their Mysterious Components allows you to create a Rocket Radar. This advanced tool enables you to face one of the intimidating Team Go Rocket Leaders: Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra.
However, don’t underestimate these leaders – they offer much tougher battles than the Team Go Rocket Grunts typically found near PokeStops, and their exact Pokémon lineup will remain concealed until you enter the fray.
Team Go Rocket Leaders provide a significant challenge in Pokemon Go.
Cliff Pokemon Go Lineup (October 2024)
Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff has consistently been an obstacle for Pokemon Go trainers. In October, he starts with Shadow Lileep and follows it up with two of six possible Pokémon.
Here’s Cliff’s current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Shadow Lileep
- Phase 2: Shadow Marowak / Shadow Kingdra / Shadow Aerodactyl
- Phase 3: Shadow Tyranitar / Shadow Cradily / Shadow Crobat
As with other Team Rocket members and Giovanni, Cliff’s lineup may change during Team Rocket takeover events. The current selection was introduced during the Pokemon Go Adventure Week Taken Over 2024 event.
How to Beat Cliff in Pokemon Go
To defeat Cliff, you’ll want to utilize various Pokémon to cover multiple types. Our guide includes a mix of rare and commonly available counters so that every Trainer has a fair shot at victory against him.
Let’s explore the weaknesses of Cliff’s Pokémon and the strongest counters to ensure you come out on top!
Cliff Pokemon Go Counters Phase 1
Cliff always begins the first phase with Shadow Lileep.
Lileep Counters
Lileep is a dual Rock/Grass-type species, making it vulnerable to Fighting, Bug, Steel, and Ice-type moves. It also has resistance to Normal and Electric-type attacks.
Here are the top counters against Shadow Lileep:
| Shadow Lileep Counters | ||
| Dusk Mane Necrozma | Metal Claw (Fast Move) & Sunsteel Strike (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move) | |
| Metagross | Bullet Punch (Fast Move) & Meteor Mash (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Heracross | Counter (Fast Move) & Megahorn (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Blaziken | Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charged Move) | |
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move) | |
| Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) | |
Cliff Pokemon Go Counters Phase 2
In the second phase, Cliff will choose between Shadow Marowak, Shadow Kingdra, or Shadow Aerodactyl.
Marowak Counters
Marowak is a Ground-type Pokémon, meaning it’s weak against Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves, but resistant to Poison, Electric, and Rock-type attacks.
Consider these top counters for Shadow Marowak:
| Shadow Marowak Counters | ||
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Sceptile | Fury Cutter (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move) | |
| Shaymin (Sky Forme) | Magical Leaf (Fast Move) & Grass Knot (Charged Move) | |
| Can | Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Blade (Charged Move) | |
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Ice Beam (Charged Move) | |
Kingdra Counters
As a dual Water/Dragon-type Pokémon, Kingdra is weak against Dragon and Fairy-type moves but resistant to Water, Fire, and Steel-type attacks.
Utilize these effective counters against Shadow Kingdra:
| Shadow Kingdra Counters | ||
| Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Garchomp | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) | |
| Palkia (Origin Forme) | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Special Rend (Charged Move) | |
| Salamence | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) | |
| Dragonite | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Gardevoir | Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) | |
Aerodactyl Counters
Aerodactyl, being a dual Rock/Flying-type Pokémon, is weak to Rock, Electric, Water, Ice, and Steel-type moves while it resists Ground, Normal, Bug, Poison, Flying, and Fire-type attacks.
Here are some of the best counters for Shadow Aerodactyl:
| Shadow Aerodactyl Counters | ||
| Dusk Mane Necrozma | Metal Claw (Fast Move) & Sunsteel Strike (Charged Move) | |
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move) | |
| Metagross | Bullet Punch (Fast Move) & Meteor Mash (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move) | |
| Rampardos | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charged Move) | |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charged Move) | |
Cliff Pokemon Go Counters Phase 3
During the final phase, Cliff will deploy Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Cradily, or Shadow Crobat.
Tyranitar Counters
Tyranitar is a dual Rock/Dark-type Pokémon, making it vulnerable to Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type moves, while being resistant to Psychic, Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Normal, and Poison-type attacks.
Here are the best counters against Shadow Tyranitar:
| Shadow Tyranitar Counters | ||
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move) | |
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move) | |
| Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Heracross | Counter (Fast Move) & Close Combat (Charged Move) | |
| Keldeo | Low Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Gardevoir | Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) | |
Cradily Counters
Cradily is a dual Rock/Grass-type Pokémon, making it weak against Fighting, Bug, Ice, and Steel-type moves. It maintains resistance to Normal and Electric-type attacks.
Here are some effective counters for Shadow Cradily:
| Shadow Cradily Counters | ||
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move) | |
| Dusk Mane Necrozma | Metal Claw (Fast Move) & Sunsteel Strike (Charged Move) | |
| Metagross | Bullet Punch (Fast Move) & Meteor Mash (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Heracross | Counter (Fast Move) & Megahorn (Charged Move) | |
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move) | |
| Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) | |
Crobat Counters
Crobat is a dual Poison/Flying-type Pokémon, making it weak against Electric, Ice, Psychic, and Rock-type moves, but it resists Bug, Fighting, Grass, Fairy, Ground, and Poison-type attacks.
Here are the most effective counters for Shadow Crobat:
| Shadow Crobat Counters | ||
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Relationship | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charged Move) | |
| Rampardos | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charged Move) | |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Tyranitar | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Gardevoir | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charged Move) | |
Best Team to Beat Cliff in Pokemon Go
You can effectively defeat Cliff using Dusk Mane Necrozma, Mewtwo, and Mega Gardevoir.
One of the most effective teams to tackle Cliff’s current lineup in Pokemon Go includes Dusk Mane Necrozma, Mewtwo, and Mega Gardevoir.
Having a robust Steel-type Pokémon like Dusk Mane Necrozma on your team is key, as Steel counters many of Cliff’s Pokémon such as Lileep, Aerodactyl, and Cradily. If you haven’t yet captured one, you can substitute it with Metagross.
For taking on Marowak and Crobat, Mewtwo with one Psychic and one Ice-type move works best. Lastly, Mega Gardevoir is ideal for defeating Kingdra and Tyranitar with its Fairy-type moves.
Remember, if you face defeat against Cliff, you can challenge him to a rematch as many times as necessary until you claim victory. This is especially useful if he leads with a surprise Pokémon, allowing you to adjust your team before re-engagement.
Every Cliff Shadow Boss Ranked by Difficulty
Since the introduction of Team Go Rocket in Pokemon Go back in 2019, their team compositions have undergone numerous changes to keep players engaged.
Unlike the Grunts, the Team Go Rocket Leaders – Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra – are significantly tougher to defeat, primarily because of their final Shadow Pokémon, which is deployed in phase 3.
Based on Cliff’s team performance over the years, along with the stats, bulk, moveset, and other vital factors of his final Pokémon, here’s an overview of the difficulty for players to beat him thus far.
How to Find Cliff
The only method to locate Cliff (and any Team Go Rocket leader) is to defeat six Team Go Rocket Grunts and collect all six pieces of the Mysterious Component. Once you have gathered all six components, you can combine them to craft a Rocket Radar.
With an active Rocket Radar, you will encounter Team Go Rocket members either at PokeStops or when interacting with a Team Go Rocket Balloon. From there, you can face either Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo.
Keep tapping on these encounters until Cliff’s avatar appears. You can then battle Cliff to earn a Shadow Lileep.
How to Beat Team Go Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go
This covers everything you need to know about defeating Cliff in Pokemon Go and the best counters to utilize, along with their weaknesses, as of October 2024.
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