Pokemon GO: How to Beat Cliff (May 2023)

Pokemon GO trainers are extremely familiar with the Team GO rocket grunts and leaders. The franchise's antagonists control their shadow fighters and make them participate in wrongful acts. While there are numerous grunts in the game, the ones that pose real threats are Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff. These are the leaders, and atop them stands Giovanni, the main boss.

Cliff is one of the hardest opponents to battle in Pokemon GO. The Team GO Rocket's leader has an unpredictable roster of Pocket Monsters in his team. Most of these monsters are extremely powerful and hard to win against. One must have comprehensive knowledge of the meta-game to determine a working strategy against him. That said, here is a guide to help players easily defeat this evildoer.

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Pokemon GO: Steps to Beat Cliff this May 2023

While defeating Cliff provides exceptional rewards, locating him is the first hurdle. Players need a Pokemon GO Rocket Radar to track down the Team GO Rocket leader. To build a Rocket Radar, one must first battle and win against multiple grunts. Defeating the grunts will reward winners with a Mysterious Component; collecting 6 of them will build the Rocket radar. Once the radar is built, players can encounter the leader Cliff.

There are three phases while battling the Team GO Rocket leader. Cliff's roster is extremely versatile and hard to predict; there is no saying which monster will be used in the last two phases. The first phase always starts with a Shadow Larvitar, a dual-type monster.

• First phase: Shadow Larvitar
• Second phase: Shadow Sceptile / Shadow Kingdra / Shadow Skarmory
• Third phase: Shadow Tyranitar / Shadow Swampert / Shadow Gyarados

Cliff's First Phase Counters in Pokemon GO

While it is extremely hard to predict Cliff's last two phases, the first phase always starts with Shadow Larvitar opening up. Since the monster is a dual Rock/Ground-type, it has a list of moves it is weak against. Shadow Larvitar is vulnerable while facing Fighting, Ground, Grass, Water, Ice, and Steel-type moves in Pokemon GO.

Best Shadow Larvitar Counters

Cliff's Second Phase Counters in Pokemon GO

For the second phase, Cliff has 3 fighters he can choose from. Any monster can be the next opponent among Shadow Skarmory, Shadow Sceptile, and Shadow Kingdra. Players will have to pick their counter carefully.

Shadow Sceptile is a Grass-type monster in Pokemon GO making it vulnerable against Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-type moves. At the same time, Shadow Kingdra's dual Water/Dragon-type is extremely weak while facing Fire, Water, and Steel-type attacks. Shadow Skarmory is also a dual-type monster with both Steel and Flying-type attributes; this makes it weaker against Fire and Electric-type moves.

Best Shadow Sceptile Counters

Best Shadow Kingdra Counters

Best Shadow Skarmory Counters

Cliff's Third Phase Counters in Pokemon GO

For the third phase, the Team GO Rocket leader Cliff again comes with 3 incredible fighters. Pokemon GO players will only know which one to prepare for after Cliff picks his monster. Any among Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Swampert, and Shadow Gyarados can be his final representative.

The dual Rock/Dark-type Shadow Tyranitar is vulnerable to Steel, Fighting, Water, Bug, Grass, Ground, and Fairy-type moves in Pokemon GO. Another tough contender is Shadow Swampert, a dual-type Pocket Monster. The Pokemon combines Water and Ground-type attributes, weakening it against Grass-type moves. Last but not least, Shadow Gyarados is also a dual Water/Flying-type weak against Electric and Rock-type moves.

Best Shadow Tyranitar Counters

Best Shadow Swampert Counters

Best Shadow Gyarados Counters

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS mobile devices for free.

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