Conquering Pokémon GO's Team GO Rocket Leaders—Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff—is crucial for research tasks and acquiring powerful Shadow Pokémon. Their boosted Shadow Pokémon and ever-shifting teams make preparation essential. This guide provides everything you need to defeat them, including optimal counter-picks for January 2025.
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Where To Find Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, & Cliff | Pokémon GO Rocket Current Sierra Team | Best Counters for Team Leader Sierra in Pokémon GO | Pokémon GO Rocket Current Arlo Team | Best Counters for Team Leader Arlo in Pokémon GO | Pokémon GO Rocket Current Cliff Team | Best Counters for Team Leader Cliff in Pokémon GO
Where To Find Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, & Cliff
Unlike Grunts, encountering Team GO Rocket Leaders requires defeating six Grunts first. Each defeated Grunt drops a Mysterious Component. Six components combine to create a Rocket Radar. Grunts appear randomly at PokéStops, and a hot air balloon containing a Grunt spawns every six hours, following you for 20 minutes. With a Rocket Radar equipped, Leaders replace Grunts at darkened PokéStops and in balloons.
Pokémon GO Rocket Current Sierra Team (January 2025)
Sierra's January 2025 team presents a cunning challenge:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Skorupi (Bug/Poison) |  Sableye (Dark/Ghost) |  Houndoom (Dark/Fire) |
 Steelix (Ground/Steel) |  Nidoqueen (Ground/Poison) | |
 Milotic (Water) |  Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic) |
Best Counters for Team Leader Sierra in Pokémon GO
Sierra's varied team requires versatile counters:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Terrakion | Smack Down / Rock Slide |
 Gengar | Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball |
 Excadrill | Metal Claw / Iron Head |
Pokémon GO Rocket Current Arlo Team (January 2025)
Arlo's January 2025 team packs a punch:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Alolan Grimer (Poison/Dark) |  Hypno (Psychic) |  Metagross (Steel/Psychic) |
 Charizard (Fire/Flying) |  Scizor (Bug/Steel) | |
 Gyarados (Water/Flying) |  Snorlax (Normal) |
Best Counters for Team Leader Arlo in Pokémon GO
Prepare for Arlo's diverse team:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Tyranitar | Bite / Brutal Swing |
 Blaziken | Fire Spin / Blast Burn |
| Excadrill | Mud Slap / Drill Run |
Pokémon GO Rocket Current Cliff Team (January 2025)
Cliff's January 2025 team is formidable:
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Cubone (Ground) |  Venusaur (Grass/Poison) | Tyranitar (Dark/Rock) |
 Marowak (Ground) |  Obstagoon (Dark/Normal) | |
 Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying) |  Crobat (Poison/Flying) |
Best Counters for Team Leader Cliff in Pokémon GO
Counter Cliff's Dark-type heavy team:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Mamoswine | Powder Snow / Avalanche |
 Lucario | Force Palm / Aura Sphere |
| Blaziken | Counter / Blast Burn |
This guide is current as of January 14th, 2025. We will update this article as Team GO Rocket Leader lineups change.
Pokémon GO is available now on mobile devices.
Updated 1/14/2025 by Amanda Kay Oaks
