Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo is a difficult opponent to defeat in Pokemon Go, and going up against his Shadow squad requires the perfect team. To help you out, here are the details of his most recent lineup, their weaknesses, and some of the best counters you can use in battle.
One of the most exciting elements of Pokemon Go are the battles against Team Go Rocket. These troublemakers invade PokeStops around the game’s overworld and use their Shadow Pokemon to battle anyone who interacts with them.
If you win these fights, you’ll get the chance to capture one of their Shadow Pokemon, which can either be ‘purified’ for a CP boost or left as a Shadow Pokemon with higher attack stats if you’re competitive-minded or looking to master Raid battles.
In this guide, you’ll find Arlo’s current lineup of Pokemon, their weaknesses, and the best counters you can use on your team to defeat them.
Arlo Pokemon Go lineup (January 2025)
Arlo’s lineup changed during the Pokemon Go Dual Destiny season, which kicked off in January 2025. Here is his current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Shadow Alolan Grimer
- Phase 2: Shadow Slowbro / Shadow Gyarados / Shadow Dugtrio
- Phase 3: Shadow Alolan Muk / Shadow Scizor / Shadow Metagross
Arlo’s lineup changes every time there’s a Team Go Rocket Takeover. We don’t know when the next one will occur, but we’ll update this page if one happens during the next season.
How to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
If you defeat enough Team Go Rocket Grunts at PokeStops, you’ll be able to piece together a Rocket Radar, which will allow you to locate and battle either Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra at random.
Let’s take a look at all the Pokemon that Arlo can send out into battle, their weaknesses, and the best counters you can use to defeat each one.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 1
Alolan Grimer counters
Alolan Grimer is Poison/Dark-type, which means it’s weak to Ground-type attacks. It’s also resistant to Poison, Ghost, Grass, Dark, and Psychic-type moves, so don’t use those.
Here are some of the best Shadow Alolan Grimer counters:
| Shadow Alolan Grimer Counters | ||
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipse Blades (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charged Move) | |
| Mamoswine | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & High Horsepower (Charged Move) | |
| Excadrill | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Scorching Sands (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move) | |
| Rhyperior | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charged Move) | |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Gyarados counters
Gyarados is a Water/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Electric and Rock-type attacks but resistant to Ground, Bug, Fighting, Fire, Steel, and Water-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to defeat Shadow Gyarados:
| Shadow Gyarados Counters | ||
| Raikou | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charged Move) | |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Discharge (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Manectric | Thunder Fang (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charged Move) | |
| Magnezone | Spark (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charged Move) | |
| Rampardos | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charged Move) | |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charged Move) | |
Slowbro counters
Slowbro is a Water/Psychic-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, Electric, Grass, and Ghost-type attacks. On the other hand, it’s resistant to Fighting, Fire, Ice, Steel, Water and Psychic-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Slowbro:
| Shadow Slowbro Counters | ||
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Moongeist Beam (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Gengar | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Banette | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charged Move) | |
| Tyranitar | Bite (Fast Move) & Brutal Swing (Charged Move) | |
| Raikou | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charged Move) | |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Discharge (Charged Move) | |
Dugtrio counters
Dugtrio is a dual Ground-type Pokemon, which makes it weak against Grass, Ice, and Water-type attacks. It’s resistant to Poison, Rock, and Electric-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to use against Shadow Dugtrio:
| Shadow Dugtrio Counters | ||
| Mega Sceptile | Fury Cutter (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Canon (Charged Move) | |
| Shaymin (Sky Forme) | Magical Leaf (Fast Move) & Grass Knot (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Blastoise | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Meteor Beam (Charged Move) | |
| Zarude | Vince Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charged Move) | |
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move) | |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Alolan Muk counters
Alolan Muk is a Poison/Dark-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Ground-type attacks and resistant to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Poison, Psychic-type moves.
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Here are some of the top Shadow Alolan Muk counters you can use:
| Shadow Alolan Muk Counters | ||
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charged Move) | |
| Rhyperior | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charged Move) | |
| Excadrill | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Scorching Sands (Charged Move) | |
| Mamoswine | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & High Horsepower (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Swampert | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charged Move) | |
Scizor counters
Scizor is a dual Bug/Steel-type Pokemon, which means its only weakness is Fire-type attacks. It has loads of resistance, including Grass, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Ice, Normal, Psychic, and Steel-type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Scizor counters you can use:
| Shadow Scizor Counters | ||
| Mega Blaziken | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Charizard Y | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charged Move) | |
| Reshiram | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Fusion Flare (Charged Move) | |
| Darmanitan Standard Mode | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charged Move) | |
| Moltres | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charged Move) | |
| Chandelure | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charged Move) | |
Metagross counters
Metagross is a dual Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground-type attacks. It’s also resistant to Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel-type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Metagross counters for your team:
| Shadow Metagross Counters | ||
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Moongeist Beam (Charged Move) | |
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Gengar | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Blaziken | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blaze Kick (Charged Move) | |
| Mega Charizard Y | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charged Move) | |
| Chandelure | Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charged Move) | |
Best team to beat Arlo
One of the best teams you can take into battle against Arlo in Pokemon Go right now is the trio of Mamoswine, Mega Blaziken, and Xurkitree.
- Alolan Grimer and Alolan Muk are fairly easy Pokemon to take down, so a common Ground-type like Mamoswine or Excadrill will stomp them.
- As a powerful Fire-type, Mega Blaziken (or its regular version) is the ideal Pokemon to take care of Scizor and Metagross.
- If you don’t have the required Mega Energy, go with its regular form.
- For Gyarados and Slowbro, a good Electric type like Xurkitree, Raikou, or Magnezone will work nicely. You can even use a Mega Ampharos with Charge Beam and Power Gem to cover both types, too.
- The tricky addition to this team is Dugtrio, which is only weak to Grass, Ice, and Water-type moves. If you happen to come across one, switch your Electric Pokemon for Mega Sceptile or Mega Swampert.
Remember that you can rematch Arlo as often as you like until you defeat him, so if you find yourself struggling, you’ll be able to leave and switch up your team before you return for the win.
Every Arlo Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty
Ever since Arlo and Team Go Rocket joined Pokemon Go in 2019, the various bosses have had a wide range of party members and ultimately, Shadow Boss Pokemon.
With a wide range of Pokemon to battle, including popular favorites and tough opponents like Scizor, Charizard, Cradily, and more: Arlo and the other Team Go Rockets have had some seriously powerful teams.
So, considering stats, bulk, moveset, and other factors we have made a handy guide explaining just how tough every single one of Arlo’s Shadow Boss Pokemon has been so far.
How to find Arlo
The only way to track down Arlo is to beat at least six different Team Go Rocket Grunts and earn six different Mysterious Component parts. Once you have six, they combine to assemble a Rocket Radar.
With a Rocket Radar active, when you encounter Team Go Rocket members either at Poke Stops or by clicking on a Team Go Rocket Balloon, you will encounter either Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo.
Keep clicking on these encounters until you find Arlo, and you can then battle and defeat Arlo to earn yourself a Shadow Alola Grimer.
How to beat Team Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go
Alongside Arlo, you’ll also be able to go head to head with a few other Team Go Rocket Leaders, so check out our guides to defeat Cliff and Sierra. Their boss, Giovanni, is also still around for January 2025.
That’s everything you need to properly defeat Arlo in Pokemon Go. For additional assistance, check out how to get Remote Raid Passes, plus the latest Spotlight Hour schedule.