Pokémon GO Cliff Lineup and Counters (May 2025)

Learn how to defeat Rocket Leader Cliff in Pokémon GO during May 2025. Includes Cliff's full Pokémon lineup, best counters, and rewards.

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 Team Rocket icon

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:

  • 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:

Shadow Gible counters
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/Flying-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric and Fire moves. 

Skarmory Counters
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, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic-type moves, which opens up a wide variety of excellent counters, similar to how you would deal with Machoke and Machamp.

Annihilape Counters
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/Flying-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock moves.

Shadow Honchkrow Counters
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, Flying, and Psychic moves. 

Machamp Counters
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, Flying, Ghost, Normal, and Poison type moves.

Tyranitar Counters
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.

Luxray Counters
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?

Cliff Counters
Cliff Counters

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

Stardust icon 1000× Stardust

Random drop of two of these:

  • Revive icon 4× Revive
  • Max Revive icon 2× Max Revive
  • Hyper Potion icon 4× Hyper Potion
  • Max Potion icon 2× Max Potion
  • Unova Stone icon 1× Unova Stone
  • Egg 12 km icon 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.

Author & tags

Zeroghan
Zeroghanhttps://pokemongohub.net/
Zeroghan started the Hub in July 2016 and hasn't had much sleep since. A lover of all things Pokémon, web development, and writing.
Posted in

Related 🔍

Hot 🔥

Recent ✨

Support us

Buy GO Hub merch

Get your very own GO Hub t-shirt, mug, or tote.