To beat Cliff, the Team GO Rocket Leader in Pokémon GO (May 2025), you need to prepare a strong team that exploits the weaknesses of his Shadow Pokémon lineup and use effective battle strategies.
Cliff's Current Lineup (May 2025)
- Slot 1: Shadow Gible
- Slot 2: Shadow Skarmory, Honchkrow, or Annihilape
- Slot 3: Shadow Tyranitar, Machamp, or Luxray
How to Find and Battle Cliff
- First, defeat six Team GO Rocket Grunts to collect Mysterious Components and build a Rocket Radar.
- Use the Rocket Radar to locate Cliff at PokéStops or Team GO Rocket Balloons.
- Cliff’s Pokémon are higher level than Grunts, so using strong counters is necessary.
- You can rematch if you lose, but the Rocket Radar is consumed upon winning.
Best Counters and Strategy
- Mamoswine is highly recommended due to its Ice and Ground-type moves, effective against Shadow Gible, Honchkrow, Tyranitar, and Luxray.
- Primarina (Water/Fairy) counters Honchkrow, Annihilape, Tyranitar, and Machamp, and can handle Skarmory.
- Mega Rayquaza or Rayquaza offers strong general damage except against Skarmory.
- Reshiram is good against Skarmory; Blaziken can threaten Tyranitar.
- Excadrill covers Ground and Rock moves, useful against flying and ground types.
- Thundurus Therian is effective against Skarmory and Honchkrow.
- Gardevoir with Triple Axel boosted Charm is a strong Fairy-type option.
- Fighting-type Pokémon like Machamp , Lucario , or Teron can take down many of Cliff's team members.
- Ice-type Pokémon like Glaceon or Weavile are also useful.
- Use quick-charging Pokémon to exhaust Cliff’s shields early in battle.
- Switching strategically during battle can help manage Cliff’s counters and stunlock his Pokémon.
Additional Tips
- Start with an Ice-type Pokémon to quickly defeat Shadow Gible.
- Have a Fairy-type Pokémon ready to counter Tyranitar, Machamp, and Annihilape.
- Consider a Psychic-type like Mewtwo or Latios as a backup to handle multiple threats.
- Using two Fighting-types and one Ice-type or vice versa can cover Cliff’s team effectively.
- After defeating Cliff, you get rewards including Stardust, item bundles, a chance to catch his first Shadow Pokémon, and a 12 km Strange Egg if you have egg space.
By preparing a team with these counters and using smart battle tactics, you can defeat Cliff reliably and claim valuable rewards
