Learn how to defeat GO Rocket Leader Cliff and which Pokémon they have during the month of May 2025. Includes Cliff’s current Pokémon line-up, best counters and teams to use, and rewards for defeating Cliff.
🔔 Fully updated with the start of Crown Clash: Taken Over.
Cliff’s Pokémon Lineup
Cliff is one of the Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO, next to Arlo, Sierra, and Giovanni. Rocket Leader Cliff is currently using the following Shadow Pokémon:
| Slot | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| #1 | |
| #2 | |
| #3 |
- Cliff’s first Pokémon is Shadow Gible
- Cliff’s second Pokémon is Shadow Skarmory, Honckhrow, or Annihilape.
- Cliff’s third Pokémon is Shadow Tyranitar, Machamp, or Luxray.
Best Counters for beating Cliff
To beat Cliff’s current Pokémon, you need to use their weaknesses and pick best counters you can use to defeat each one. Cliff’s lineup is varied, but there is enough overlap to pick good counters. Here are some of the best Pokémon you can use against Cliff in Pokémon GO:
- With strong and quick Ice and Ground-type moves, Mamoswine is solid in this battle as it can handle Shadow Gible, Honchkrow, Tyraniatar, and Luxray.
- Primarina brings extra oomph to the mix as its Water and Fairy moves successfully deal with Honchkrow, Annihilape, Tyranitar, and Machamp. It can also fend off Skarmory’s attacks and hit it hard with its Water-type moves.
- Mega Rayquaza / Rayquaza is a multi-purpose pick, with its supreme damaging power hitting everything except Skarmory.
- Reshiram is a good counter to Skarmory, but you may want something like Blaziken to threaten Tyranitar
- Excadrill’s Ground and Rock moves cover the ground as well as the sky!
- Thundurus Therian zaps through Skarmory or Honchkrow, and leaves others in a crisp due to its powerful moves.
- Gardevoir can cut down the opposition with Triple Axel boosted Charm.
💡 Note: In Trainer Battles, counters need not always be Pokémon that do super-effective damage. We include Pokémon that are more viable to defeat Cliff, rather than those who do maximum damage. Defeating Cliff rewards 3× Shadow Shards.
Shadow Gible counters
Shadow Gible
Shadow Gible is a Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon. It is weak to Dragon, [fairy-, and Ice type attacks, with Ice being a double weakness.
You should always start with a strong Pokémon that can burn Cliff’s shields fast, while still having utility after rotation. Spam charge moves and burn whenever possible. Here is our recommendation:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow, Icicle Spear |
Baxcalibur
|
Ice Fang, Dragon Claw |
Glaceon
|
Ice Shard, Avalanche |
Weavile
|
Ice Shard, Triple Axel |
Mega Garchomp
|
Dragon Tail, Sand Tomb |
Shadow Skarmory counters
Shadow Skarmory
Shadow Skarmory is a Steel/-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric and Fire moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Reshiram
|
Fire Fang, Fusion Flare |
Magnezone
|
Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
Heatran
|
Fire Spin, Magma Storm |
Electivire
|
Thunder Shock, Thunder Punch, Wild Charge |
Mega Salamence
|
Fire Fang, Fly |
Therian Thundurus
|
Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
Shadow Annihilape counters
Shadow Annihilape
Shadow Annihilape is a Ghost and [fightinng]-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fairy, , Ghost, and Psychic-type moves, which opens up a wide variety of excellent counters, similar to how you would deal with Machoke and Machamp.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Mega Rayquaza
|
Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
Shadow Mewtwo
|
Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
Primarina
|
Charm, Disarming Voice |
Mega Alakazam
|
Confusion, Psychic |
Dawn Wings Necrozma
|
Psycho Cut, Moongeist Beam |
Mega Gengar
|
Lick, Shadow Ball |
Shadow Honchkrow Counters
Shadow Honchkrow
Shadow Honchkrow is a Dark/-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Mamoswine
|
Powder Snow, Icicle Spear |
|
Primarina
|
Cham, Disarming Voice |
|
Magnezone
|
Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
|
Therian Thundurus
|
Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
Gardevoir
|
Charm, Triple Axel |
Terrakion
|
Smac Down, Rock Slide |
Shadow Machamp counters
Shadow Machamp
Shadow Machamp is a Fighting-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fairy, , and Psychic moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
|
Mega Rayquaza
|
Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
|
Shadow Mewtwo
|
Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
|
Gardevoir
|
Confusion, Psychic |
|
Mega Alakazam
|
Confusion, Psychic |
Mega Gallade
|
Confusion, Psychic |
Mega Latios
|
Zen Headbutt, Psychic |
Shadow Tyranitar counters
Shadow Tyranitar
Tyranitar is a Rock and Dark-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water type moves. It takes reduced damage from Psychic, Fire, Dark, , Ghost, Normal, and Poison type moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Mega Lucario
|
Force Palm*/Counter, Aura Sphere |
|
Terrakion
|
Double Kick, Sacred Sword |
Conkeldurr
|
Counter, Dynamic Punch |
|
Shadow Machamp
|
Counter, Dynamic Punch |
Primal Kyogre
|
Waterfall, Origin Pulse |
Kyogre
|
Waterfall, Origin Pulse |
Shadow Luxray counters
Shadow Luxray
Shadow Luxray is a pure Electric-type Pokémon so it is only weak to Ground moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Primal Groudon
|
Mud Shot, Precipice Blades |
Shadow Garchomp
|
Mud Shot, Earth Power |
Excadrill
|
Mud-Slap, Drill Run |
Swampert
|
Mud Shot, Earthquake |
Flygon
|
Sand Attack, Scorching Sands |
Rhyperior
|
Mud-Slap, Earthquake |
How to battle Cliff in Pokémon GO?
To fight with Cliff in Pokémon GO, you need to first defeat six Team GO Rocket Grunts to collect enough Mysterious Components to build a Rocket Radar.
Activate the Rocket Radar and you will be able to see the location of a Rocket Leader. The game will not tell you which Leader you are facing, but you have a 33% chance for it to be Cliff.
Fighting Cliff is more difficult than fighting Grunts, as Leaders use higher level Pokémon than Grunts. In order to defeat Cliff, we consider using good counters mandatory.
You can rematch if you lose, and your Rocket Radar will be consumed if you win.
Rewards for defeating Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff
Trainers who manage to defeat Cliff – or any other Team GO Rocket Leader – will get a selection of rare rewards, including the chance to get a Team GO Rocket exclusive 12 km Strange Egg.
- Trainers receive 1,000 Stardust when defeating a Rocket Leaders,
- Trainers will receive two of the item bundles listed below when they defeat Team GO Rocket Leader like Cliff.
- Trainers have the opportunity to catch a Shadow Pokémon used by the Leader. It is always the first Pokémon used by the Leader.
- Shadow Pokémon from Rocket Leaders have a shiny chance of 1 in 64, if they are shiny eligible at the moment of defeating the Leader
Rewards for defeating Cliff in Pokémon GO
Defeating one of the Team GO Rocket Leader trio earns you two item bundles. If at least one of your Egg inventory slots is open, a 12km Strange Egg is guaranteed to replace one of those two bundles.
Receiving a Strange Egg does not have an effect on which item bundle drops alongside the egg.
A Strange Egg can drop into either your regular egg storage, or into your extra space if you already have 9 eggs.
Guaranteed
1000×
Stardust
Random drop of two of these:
-
4×
Revive
-
2×
Max Revive
-
4×
Hyper Potion
-
2×
Max Potion
-
1×
Unova Stone
-
1×
Egg 12 km
As an example, a typical reward drop might contain 4 Revives and 4 Hyper Potions. Similarly, a reward drop might contain 1 Strange Egg and 2 Max Revives, or 1 Unova Stone and 1 Strange Egg.
