Beating Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff in Pokemon GO can be tough – here are the best Pokemon you can bring to counter his team and take him down!
In Pokemon GO, Team GO Rocket is always up to no good and it’s your job to defeat them in battles. While the grunts are never too much of a challenge, the team leaders can be pretty tough.
Following the GO Battle Weekend, the Pokemon that the Team GO Rocket leaders have been using have changed.
Find out all of the best counters to the new Pokemon that Cliff is using in battles below!
But first, you’ll want to know how to complete the Field Notes: Team GO Rocket Research. Beating Cliff is just one of the many tasks you’ll need to complete to finish it!
How to Beat Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff in Pokemon GO & Best Counters
Pokemon 1: Shadow Bulbasaur Best Counters
Every time you face Cliff, the first Pokemon he will use is Shadow Bulbasaur. These are some of the best counters to beat this Pokemon:
- Blaziken
- Fire Spin (Fast Move)
- Blast Burn (Charged Move)
- Moltres
- Fire Spin (Fast Move)
- Heat Wave (Charged Move)
- Mewtwo
- Psycho Cut (Fast Move)
- Psychic (Charged Move)
Read More: Pokemon GO: How to Get Elite Fast & Charged TM
Cliff Pokemon 2: Venusaur, Crobat, or Omastar Best Counters
As his second Pokemon, Cliff will use either Venusaur, Crobat, or Omastar. Depending on which one it is, you’ll want to bring along a different counter to beat it.
Venusaur is obviously the same type as Bulbasaur so you can use the counters above or try one of these other options to counter it:
- Darmanitan
- Incinerate (Fast Move)
- Overheat (Charged Move)
- Tornadus
- Gust (Fast Move)
- Hurricane (Charged Move)
- Magmortar
- Fire Spin (Fast Move)
- Fire Punch (Charged Move)
Crobat has Poison/Flying typing so you will want to use Electric, Ice, Psychic and Rock moves against it. These are some of the best counters:
- Alakazam
- Psycho Cut (Fast Move)
- Psychic (Charged Move)
- Glaceon
- Ice Shard (Fast Move)
- Ice Beam (Charged Move)
- Mewtwo
- Psycho Cut (Fast Move)
- Psychic (Charged Move)
Cliff could also send an Omsatar into battle as his second Pokemon. Luckily, this Pokemon also has a number of strong counters:
- Torterra
- Razor Leaf (Fast Move)
- Frenzy Plant (Charged Move)
- Leafeon
- Bullet Seed (Fast Move)
- Leaf Blade (Charged Move)
- Zarude
- Vine Whip (Fast Move)
- Power Whip (Charged Move)
Read More: Every Pokemon in 12km Team Rocket Eggs
Cliff Pokemon 3: Tyranitar, Torterra, or Swampert Best Counters
Finally, to round off his battle team, Cliff uses one of these three Pokemon. Tyranitar, Torterra, or Swampert.
As a Rock/Dark-type Pokemon, Tyranitar is weak to 7 different types of attacks, making it easy to counter. You’ll definitely want to get some super-effective Fighting Pokemon to battle it though:
- Lucario
- Counter (Fast Move)
- Aura Sphere (Charged Move)
- Machamp
- Counter (Fast Move)
- Cross Chop (Charged Move)
- Breloom
- Counter (Fast Move)
- Dynamic Punch (Charged Move)
If Cliff uses Torterra as his final Pokemon, you’ll want one of these Ice-Type Pokemon to counter it:
- Glaceon
- Frost Breath (Fast Move)
- Icy Wind (Charged Move)
- Lapras
- Frost Breath (Fast Move)
- Ice Beam (Charged Move)
- Galarian Darmanitan
- Ice Fang (Fast Move)
- Ice Punch (Charged Move)
Finally, Swampert is the last possible Pokemon that Cliff could use. These are some of the best Pokemon that you can use to counter it:
- Leafeon
- Bullet Seed (Fast Move)
- Leaf Blade (Charged Move)
- Zarude
- Vine Whip (Fast Move)
- Power Whip (Charged Move)
- Tangrowth
- Vine Whip (Fast Move)
- Power Whip (Charged Move)
Once you’ve defeated Cliff, you also might want to find out how to defeat the other two Team GO Rocket Leaders:
And then when you’ve beaten them all, you’ll then want to check our guide on how to beat the Team GO Rocket boss Giovanni and catch Shadow Latios!
Meanwhile, leaks have revealed plenty more upcoming Pokemon GO content. Datamines have revealed over 50 new Pokemon coming to the game soon!