Learn how to defeat Arlo in Pokémon GO during October 2026. This guide includes Arlo’s current Shadow Pokémon lineup, the best counters for every possible opponent, recommended teams, and the rewards for defeating him.
- 🔔 Fully updated with the start of Harvest Festival: Taken Over
- 🔗 Other GO Rocket guides: Giovanni, Sierra, Cliff, GO Rocket Grunt
Arlo’s current Pokémon lineup
Arlo is currently available and uses the following Shadow Pokémon. His first Pokémon is always Alolan Grimer, while his second and third Pokémon are selected from three possible options.
Slot 1
Best Pokémon for beating Arlo
Arlo’s lineup is varied, but there is enough overlap to pick good counters. Here are some of the best Pokémon you can use against Arlo in Pokémon GO:
- Swampert is excellent in this battle. Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon burn through Arlo’s shields, while Earthquake hits Alolan Grimer hard. Its Water moves also come in handy against Steelix, Golurk, and Charizard.
- Landorus Therian with Mud Shot, Sandsear Storm, and Stone Edge is a strong lead against Alolan Grimer. Sandsear Storm keeps lowering the opponent’s ATK, and it has the coverage to take on Steelix and Charizard too.
- A strong Dark type like Yveltal does a lot of work here, covering Slowbro, Golurk, and Alakazam with Sucker Punch and Dark Pulse. Its typing also helps it shrug off Golurk’s Ground moves.
- Hydreigon with Bite and Brutal Swing is another excellent Dark-type option. It hits the same three Pokémon super effectively, making it a great replacement if you don’t have Yveltal.
- Charizard makes short work of Scizor thanks to its double weakness to Fire. Fire Spin and Blast Burn also help against Steelix, though Thunder Fang can hurt.
A good team to start with is Swampert, Hydreigon, and Charizard. Lead with Swampert to remove Arlo’s shields, then save Hydreigon for Slowbro, Golurk, or Alakazam, and Charizard for Scizor. Swampert can also handle Steelix or an opposing Charizard.
💡 Useful Tips for TGR Battles: In Rocket Battles, counters need not always be Pokémon that do super-effective damage. We include Pokémon that are more viable to defeat Arlo, rather than those who do maximum damage. No single team is completely safe against every possible moveset. If you lose the first battle, Arlo keeps the same lineup at that encounter, so you can rematch with a more specific counter. Team GO Rocket Leaders use shields against your first two Charged Attacks. Start with a Pokémon that reaches inexpensive Charged Attacks quickly. Arlo’s Pokémon also pause briefly after a Charged Attack or switch, giving you a few free Fast Attacks.
Shadow Alolan Grimer counters
Alola Shadow Grimer
Shadow Alolan Grimer is a Poison and Dark type, with its only weakness being Ground-type attacks.
Ground Pokémon typically resist Poison-type attacks, so they’re also good at absorbing damage from Shadow Alolan Grimer’s Poison moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Therian Landorus
|
Mud Shot, Sandsear Storm |
Swampert
|
Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake |
Excadrill
|
Mud-Slap, Drill Run |
Groudon
|
Mud Shot, Precipice Blades |
Garchomp
|
Mud Shot, Earth Power |
Golurk
|
Mud-Slap, Earth Power |
Mamoswine
|
Mud-Slap, High Horsepower |
Shadow Slowbro counters
Shadow Slowbro
Shadow Slowbro is a Water and Psychic type. It is weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass type attacks. Dark Pokémon work well here and can also cover Golurk and Alakazam elsewhere in Arlo’s lineup.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Yveltal
|
Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse |
Hydreigon
|
Bite, Brutal Swing |
Darkrai
|
Snarl, Dark Pulse |
Zarude
|
Vine Whip, Power Whip |
Origin Giratina
|
Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball |
Magnezone
|
Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
Shadow Golurk counters
Shadow Golurk
Shadow Golurk is a Ground and Ghost type. It is weak to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water type attacks. Flying Pokémon such as Yveltal and Gyarados are useful because they resist Golurk’s Ground-type attacks.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Yveltal
|
Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse |
Gyarados
|
Waterfall, Aqua Tail |
Greninja
|
Water Shuriken, Hydro Cannon |
|
Hydreigon
|
Bite, Brutal Swing |
|
Zarude
|
Vine Whip, Power Whip |
Kyogre
|
Waterfall, Surf |
Shadow Steelix counters
Shadow Steelix
Shadow Steelix is a Steel and Ground type. It is weak to Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water type attacks. Swampert is the safest general option because it charges Hydro Cannon quickly and can also cover Golurk or Charizard.
Charizard is effective against Steelix and Scizor, but it can take heavy damage if Steelix is using Thunder Fang.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Swampert
|
Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon |
|
Groudon
|
Mud Shot, Precipice Blades |
|
Kyogre
|
Waterfall, Surf |
|
Excadrill
|
Mud-Slap, Drill Run |
Charizard
|
Fire Spin, Dragon Claw, Blast Burn |
Blaziken
|
Counter, Blaze Kick |
Shadow Scizor counters
Shadow Scizor
Shadow Scizor is a Bug and Steel type with a double weakness to Fire. A strong Fire-type Pokémon should defeat it quickly.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Charizard
|
Fire Spin, Dragon Claw, Blast Burn |
Talonflame
|
Incinerate, Flame Charge |
|
Blaziken
|
Fire Spin, Blaze Kick |
Heatran
|
Fire Spin, Magma Storm |
Reshiram
|
Fire Fang, Fusion Flare |
Incineroar
|
Fire Fang, Blast Burn |
Shadow Alakazam counters
Shadow Alakazam
Shadow Alakazam is a Psychic type. It is weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost type attacks. Dark Pokémon resist Psychic-type damage, but Alakazam may carry Focus Blast, so keep a shield available if possible.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Yveltal
|
Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse |
Tyranitar
|
Bite, Brutal Swing |
|
Hydreigon
|
Bite, Brutal Swing |
|
Origin Giratina
|
Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball |
Gholdengo
|
Hex, Shadow Ball |
|
Scizor
|
Fury Cutter, X-Scissor |
Shadow Charizard counters
Shadow Charizard
Shadow Charizard is a Fire and type. It has a double weakness to Rock attacks and is also weak to Electric and Water. Rock-type Pokémon are the fastest answer, while Swampert offers more coverage across Arlo’s complete lineup.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Rhyperior
|
Smack Down, Rock Wrecker |
|
Tyranitar
|
Smack Down, Stone Edge |
Gigalith
|
Smack Down, Meteor Beam |
|
Swampert
|
Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon |
|
Kyogre
|
Waterfall, Surf |
Melmetal
|
Thunder Shock, Rock Slide |
How to find and battle Arlo
Defeat six Team GO Rocket Grunts to collect six Mysterious Components and assemble a Rocket Radar. Equip the Radar to find Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra at invaded PokéStops and in Team GO Rocket balloons.
The Radar does not guarantee Arlo, so you may need to check several Leader encounters. You can leave an unwanted encounter without consuming the Radar and continue searching.
If you lose, you can challenge the same Arlo encounter again with a different team. Your Rocket Radar is only consumed after you win.
Rewards for defeating Arlo
Defeating Arlo gives you the following rewards:
- 1,000 Stardust
- Three Shadow Shards
- An encounter with Shadow Alolan Grimer, with a chance for it to be Shiny
- Two random item bundles
- One 12 km Strange Egg if you have enough space in your Egg inventory, Pokémon Storage, and Item Bag
The Strange Egg is awarded separately from the two random item bundles. Make sure you have the required storage space before starting the battle.
Possible item bundles
-
4×
Revive
-
2×
Max Revive
-
4×
Hyper Potion
-
2×
Max Potion
-
1×
Unova Stone
Shadow Alolan Grimer’s Shiny rate is not officially published. Community research generally estimates the Shiny rate for eligible Team GO Rocket Leader encounters at approximately 1 in 64.
