Pokemon Go Cliff Counters September 2022 - Dexerto

Contents

• 1

  Cliff Pokemon Go lineup (January 2026)

• 2

  How to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go

• 3

  Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 1

  • Larvitar counters

• 4

  Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 2

  • Annihilape counters

  • Honchkrow counters

  • Skarmory counters

• 5

  Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 3

  • Luxray counters

  • Machamp counters

  • Tyranitar counters

• 6

  Best team to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go

• 7

  Every Cliff Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty

• 8

  How to find Cliff

Cliff is a really challenging opponent in Pokemon Go, so we’ve compiled all the information you need to win, including his lineup, weaknesses, and the most effective counters to beat him.

Taking out all six Team Go Rocket Grunts in Pokemon Go and collecting their Mysterious Components will enable you to create a Rocket Radar. This high-tech tool lets you square off against one of the fearsome Team Go Rocket Leaders: Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra.

Article continues after ad

Don’t be fooled, though, as these aren’t your typical Grunts that hang around the PokeStops – these Leaders pack a real punch, and their team lineup remains a mystery until you step onto the battlefield.

So, here’s everything you need to know to take down Cliff, earn some sweet rewards, and get a chance to catch a Shadow Pokemon in the process.

Cliff Pokemon Go lineup (January 2026)

In January, Cliff will always send out Shadow Larvitar first, followed by two of six potential options across phases two and three. Here’s his current lineup in Pokemon Go:

Article continues after adArticle continues after ad

• Phase 1: Shadow Larvitar
• Phase 2: Shadow Annihilape / Shadow Honchkrow / Shadow Skarmory
• Phase 3: Shadow Luxray / Shadow Machamp / Shadow Tyranitar

As of December 30, 2025, Cliff’s lineup remains the same following the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over event from September. No future Taken Over events have been revealed for the Precious Paths season so far.

Niantic

How to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go

To take down Cliff, you’ll need to make sure you’re taking different Pokemon into battle to cover various Pokemon types.

Let’s take a look at the weaknesses of all the ‘mon that Cliff can use in battle and the best counters to bring home the win! The sections below include a mix of rare and more accessible counters, so every trainer should have a decent chance against him.

Related

Pokemon Go Rocket Grunt guide: Counters and lineups (January 2026)

Best Great League team in Pokemon Go season 25

How to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon Go (January 2026) – Counters & lineup

Article continues after ad

Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 1

DEXERTO

Larvitar counters

Larvitar is a dual Rock/Ground-type, which means it’s weak to Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type attacks, with a dual weakness towards Grass and Water. It also resists Fire, Flying, Normal, Rock, Electric, and Poison-type moves, so avoid using those. 

Here are some of the best counters against Shadow Larvitar:

Article continues after ad

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Primal Kyogre	Waterfall & Origin Pulse
Primal Groudon	Mud Shot & Solar Beam

Load More

Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 2

The Pokemon Company / Dexerto

Annihilape counters

Annihilape is a dual Fighting/Ghost-type Pokemon, so its weaknesses are Fairy, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic-type attacks, while its resistances are Poison, Rock, Bug, Fighting, and Normal-type moves. 

Article continues after ad

Here are some of the best Shadow Annihilape counters to use:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Alakazam	Confusion & Psychic
Dawn Wings Necrozma	Psycho Cut & Moongeist Beam

Load More

Honchkrow counters

Honchkrow is a dual Dark/Flying-type, which means it’s weak against Electric, Ice, Fairy, and Rock-type attacks, and resistant to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ground, and Psychic moves. 

Here are some of the best Shadow Honchkrow counters to use:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Gardevoir	Charm & Dazzling Gleam
Magnezone	Volt Switch & Wild Charge

Load More

Skarmory counters

Skarmory is a dual Steel/Flying-type Pokemon, which makes it weak against Electric and Fire-type attacks. It’s also resistant to a lot of different types: Bug, Dark, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ground, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Steel, and Rock-type moves.

Article continues after ad

Here are some of the best counters for Shadow Skarmory:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Charizard	Fire Spin & Blast Burn
Electivire	Thunder Shock & Wild Charge

Load More

Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 3

The Pokemon Company / Dexerto

Luxray counters

Luxray is a pure Electric-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Ground-type attacks. On the other hand, it’s resistant to Electric, Flying, and Steel-type moves.

Article continues after ad

Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Luxray:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Excadrill	Mud-Slap & Scorching Sands
Garchomp	Mud Shot & Earth Power

Load More

Machamp counters

Machamp is a pure Fighting-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type attacks. Meanwhile, it’s resistant to Bug, Dark, and Rock-type moves. 

Article continues after ad

Here are some of the best Shadow Machamp counters for your team:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Alakazam	Confusion & Psychic
Gardevoir	Confusion & Psychic

Load More

Tyranitar counters

Tyranitar is a dual Rock/Dark-type Pokemon, so it’s weak against Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type attacks. However, it’s resistant to Psychic, Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Normal, and Poison-type moves.

Here are some of the best Shadow Tyranitar counters to use:

Pokemon	Best Moveset
Blaziken	Counter & Focus Blast
Garchomp	Mud Shot & Earth Power

Load More

Pokemon Go boss guides

For more guides like this, check out our other boss guides (and bookmark them) because we update them each time their lineup changes in the game:

Article continues after ad

• How to beat Giovanni
• How to beat Leader Sierra
• How to beat Leader Arlo
• How to beat Leader Cliff
• How to beat all Rocket Grunts

Best team to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go

DEXERTO

One of the best teams to defeat Cliff’s current lineup in Pokemon Go consists of Raikou, Tapu Lele, and Primal Groudon.

• You’ll want a strong Fairy-type on your team like Tapu Lele or Gardevoir, because they counter several creatures on Cliff’s team: Annihilape, Honchkrow, Machamp, and Tyranitar.
• A powerful Ground-type is a must, so you can go with Primal Groudon (or its regular form), Rhyperior, or even Garchomp to pit against Larvitar, Tyranitar, and Luxray.
• Finally, you can take care of Skarmory and get extra cover for Honchkrow with an Electric type like Raikou, Electivire, or Magnezone.

If you don’t have one of the Pokemon suggested here, or in any of the suggestions higher up, we’d suggest taking your strongest Ground, Electric, and Fairy-type ‘mons in with you for battle – as they’ll give you the best chance of succeeding through pure force.

Article continues after ad

Remember that if you lose against Cliff, you’ll be able to challenge him to a rematch as many times as you need until you win. This is ideal when he throws out something you’re not prepared for, as you can rework your team before heading back into battle.

Article continues after ad

Every Cliff Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty

Team Go Rocket first appeared in Pokemon Go back in 2019, and since then, their teams have had plenty of rotations to challenge the players and keep them interested. Unlike the Grunts, the Team Go Rocket Leaders – Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra – can be quite tough to beat, mainly due to their final Shadow Pokemon used in phase 3.

After analyzing Cliff’s team over the years, along with his final Pokemon’s stats, bulk, moveset, and other factors, here’s how tough to beat he’s been so far, with Dusknoir taking a clear lead, with Machamp and Swampert trailing behind:

Article continues after ad

Dexerto

When a new Takeover rolls around and a new lineup is introduced, we’ll update this table with details on the current Shadow Boss and its placement.

Article continues after ad

How to find Cliff

The only way to track down Cliff (or any Team Go Rocker Leader) is to beat six Team Go Rocket Grunts and earn all six parts of the Mysterious Component. Once you have the six parts of the device, they’ll combine to assemble a Rocket Radar.

• With a Rocket Radar active, you can encounter Team Go Rocket members either at Poke Stops or by clicking on a Team Go Rocket Balloon.
• Keep tapping on these encounters until you see Cliff’s avatar.
• Once his avatar appears, you’ll then be able to battle and defeat him to earn yourself a Shadow Larvitar.

That’s all you need to know about defeating Cliff in Pokemon Go and the best counters to use alongside its weaknesses. For additional help, make sure to check out how to play Pokemon Go, the current Raid bosses, events schedule, and the Max Mondays and Spotlight Hour schedule.

Article continues after ad