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 as of June 2025.
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.
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 (June 2025)
Cliff has long been a Team Rocket-shaped thorn in the side of Trainers, and in June, his lineup remains the same following the Crown Clash: Taken Over event that went live in May 2025.
He’ll always send out Shadow Gible first, followed by two of six potential options across phases two and three. Here’s his current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Shadow Gible
- Phase 2: Shadow Annihilape / Shadow Honchkrow / Shadow Skarmory
- Phase 3: Shadow Luxray / Shadow Machamp / Shadow Tyranitar
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 Pokemon that Cliff can use in battle and the best counters to bring home the win! The sections below includes a mix of rare and more accessible counters, so every Trainer should be able to stand a decent chance against him.
Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 1
Gible counters
Gible is a dual Dragon/Ground-type, which means it’s weak to Dragon, Fairy, and, Ice-type attacks. It also resists Electric, Fire, Poison, and Rock-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters against Shadow Gible:
| Pokemon | Counter |
|---|---|
| Baxcalibur | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| Glaceon | Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| Jynx | Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| Mamoswine | Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| Weavile | Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| White Kyurem | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Ice Burn (Charge Move) |
Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 2
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, Normal-type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Annihilape counters to use:
| Pokemon | Counter |
|---|---|
| Braviary | Air Slash (Fast Move) & Fly (Charge Move) |
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Moongeist Beam (Charge Move) |
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charge Move) |
| Rayquaza | Air Slash (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charge Move) |
| Salamence | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Fly (Charge Move) |
| Tapu Lele | Confusion (Fast Move) & Nature’s Madness (Charge Move) |
Honchkrow counters
Honchkrow is a dual Dark/Flying-type ‘mon, 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 | Counter |
|---|---|
| Baxcalibur | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
| Raikou | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charge Move) |
| Tapu Koko | Volt Switch (Fast Move) & Nature’s Madness (Charge Move) |
| White Kyurem | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Ice Burn (Charge Move) |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Discharge (Charge Move) |
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.
Here are some of the best counters for Shadow Skarmory:
| Pokemon | Counter |
|---|---|
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Moongeist Beam (Charge Move) |
| Electivire | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
| Magnezone | Volt Switch (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
| Raikou | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Discharge (Charge Move) |
| Zekrom | Charge Beam (Fast Move) & Fusion Bolt (Charge Move) |
Cliff Pokemon Go counters – Phase 3
Luxray counters
Luxray is an 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.
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Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Luxray:
| Pokemon | Counter |
|---|---|
| Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charge Move) |
| Golurk | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charge Move) |
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charge Move) |
| Rhyperior | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charge Move) |
| Ursaluna | Tackle (Fast Move) & High Horsepower (Charge Move) |
| White Kyurem | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Ice Burn (Charge Move) |
Machamp counters
Machamp is a Fighting-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fairy, Flying, and Fairy-type attacks. Meanwhile, it’s resistant to Bug, Dark, Rock -type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Machamp counters for your team:
| Pokemon | Counter |
|---|---|
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Moongeist Beam (Charge Move) |
| Espeon | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
| Gallade | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
| Metagross | Zen Headbutt (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charge Move) |
| Rayquaza | Air Slash (Fast Move) & Dragon Ascent (Charge Move) |
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 | Counter |
|---|---|
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
| Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
| Machamp | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charge Move) |
| Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charge Move) |
| Virizion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charge Move) |
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:.
- 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
One of the best teams to defeat Cliff’s current lineup in Pokemon Go consists of Baxcalibur, Dawn Wings Necrozma, and Primal Groudon,.
- You’ll want a strong Psychic-type Pokemon on your team like Dawn Wings Necrozma, because it counters several creatures on Cliff’s team: Annihilape, Machamp, and Skarmory
- Primal Groudon (or its regular form if that’s all you’ve got in your Pokedex) is a great ‘mon to pit against Tyranitar and Luxray.
- Finally, you can take care of Gible and Honchkrow with Baxcalibur, with White Kyurem also being a great alternative if need be.
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 ‘mon in with you for battle — as it’ll give you the strongest chance of succeeding through pure force.
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.
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:
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.
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 Gible.
That’s all you need to know about defeating Cliff in Pokemon Go and the best counters to use alongside its weaknesses in June 2025. 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.