Pokémon Go has its own version of the notorious Team Rocket, called Team Go Rocket. In this Pokémon Go guide, we’ll break down how to find leaders Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo and take them down.
Below, we list their parties and strategies as it stands in January 2025, with the most recent changes following the the Team Go Rocket Takeover event that activated alongside the arrival of the “Fashion Week: Taken Over” event in January.
How to find leaders Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo in Pokémon Go
Team Go Rocket leaders can be found in black PokéStops or hot air balloons flying above you with a Rocket Radar equipped.
To get a Rocket Radar, you must get six Mysterious Components, with one regular Go Team Rocket encounter rewarding one Mysterious Component each.
With the Rocket Radar equipped, you will then encounter a leader at random. The three leaders are Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff.
Some Timed Research and Team Go Rocket Special Research tasks require you to beat all three leaders. Completing the Team Go Rocket Special Research will reward you with a Super Rocket Radar, allowing you to find the boss, Giovanni. Beating Giovanni will net you a Legendary Shadow Pokémon.
Team Go Rocket leader Sierra counters
Sierra’s team is:
- Skorupi (poison/bug)
- Ferrothorn (grass/steel)
Milotic (water)
Ninetails (fire) - Houndoom (dark/fire)
Drapion (poison/dark)
Nidoqueen (poison/ground)
Though coming in to scope out her team first is recommended, if you come equipped with ground-, water-, and rock-types, that will help a ton. Her party is pretty diverse, so you may also want to sprinkle in fighting-, fire-, psychic-type moves as well, depending on what she’s running.
We recommend using the following:
- Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power
- Rhyperior with Mud-Slap and Earthquake
- Kyogre with Waterfall and Origin Pulse
- Primarina with Waterfall and Hydro Cannon
- Rampardos with Smack Down and Rock Slide
- Tyrantrum with Rock Throw and Meteor Beam
- Lucario with Force Palm and Aura Sphere
- Delphox with Fire Spin and Blast Burn
- Metagross with Zen Headbutt and Psychic
Team Go Rocket leader Arlo counters
Arlo’s team is:
- Alolan Grimer (poison/dark)
- Gyarados (water/flying)
Dugtrio (ground)
Slowbro (water/psychic) - Scizor (bug/steel)
Alolan Muk (poison/dark)
Metagross (steel/psychic)
Arlo’s team is pretty diverse this time around. Bringing ground-type moves will give you the most edge, but there are a lot of other types you may need to bring, depending on what he has. You can use ghost-, fire-, grass-, electric-, and dark-type moves to effectively dish out some damage, too.
We recommend using any of the following:
- Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power
- Rhyperior with Mud-Slap and Earthquake
- Chandelure with Hex and Shadow Ball
- Delphox with Fire Spin and Blast Burn
- Chesnaught with Vine Whip and Frenzy Plant
- Electivire with Thunder Shock and Wild Charge
- Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing
Team Go Rocket leader Cliff counters
Cliff’s team is:
- Cubone (ground)
- Marowak (ground)
Machoke (fighting)
Annihilape (fighting/ghost) - Tyranitar (rock/dark)
Machamp (fighting)
Cliff’s potential parties are especially weak against fairy-type moves. You can also bring flying-, water-, grass-, and psychic-type moves to pretty much destroy his party.
We recommend using a mix of the following:
- Togekiss with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
- Gardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
- Braviary with Air Slash and Fly
- Primarina with Waterfall and Hydro Cannon
- Chesnaught with Vine Whip and Frenzy Plant
- Metagross with Zen Headbutt and Psychic
Team Go Rocket leader tips
If you’re struggling against the leaders, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- They will use their shields on the first two Charge Attacks you use. Using a Pokémon that can charge and use Charge Attacks quickly will help you get rid of their shields, allowing you to freely damage them.
- You should be prepared for the first Pokémon you use to get knocked out. If you use a Pokémon that gets through shields easily, that’s fine, but your other Pokémon will need to have decent type advantages to defeat any remaining Pokémon.
- Remember, you can attempt the battle many times using one Rocket Radar, so you can queue up your strongest Pokémon just to see what the leader is carrying. If you defeat them on the first try, great! If not, you can swap your party around for some type-effective counters.
- The team leaders have high-CP Pokémon, so you should definitely be using the highest CP Pokémon you have if you’re struggling.
- Facing Leaders is an efficient way of earning Shadow Shards for Purified Gems, with each battle rewarding three Shards.
