Learn how to defeat Arlo and which Pokémon Arlo has during the month of January 2026 in Pokémon GO. Includes Leader Arlo’s current Pokémon line-up, best counters and teams to use, and rewards for defeating Rocket Leader Arlo.

• Updated with the start of Precious Pals: Taken Over.
• Other GO Rocket guides: Giovanni lineup and counters, Sierra lineup and counters, Cliff lineup and counters, Team GO Rocket Grunt lineups

Arlo’s Pokémon Lineup

Arlo is one of the Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO, alongside Sierra, Cliff, and Giovanni. Rocket Leader Arlo is currently using the following Shadow Pokémon:

Slot #1

Arlo’s first Pokémon is always Shadow Mawile.

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Slot #2

Arlo’s second Pokémon can be Shadow Slowbro, Shadow Golurk, or Shadow Steelix.

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Slot #3

Arlo’s third Pokémon can be Shadow Scizor, Shadow Alakazam, or Shadow Charizard.

Shadow Mawile counters

Shadow Mawile

Arlo’s Shadow Mawile is Steel and Fairy, and as such, is weak to Fire and Ground-type moves, which means we have a pretty clear list of Pokémon that can be used against it. 

You should always start with a strong Pokémon that can burn Arlo’s shields fast, while still having utility after rotation. Spam charge moves and burn shields whenever possible. Here are our recommendations:

Shadow Slowbro counters

Shadow Slowbro

Slowbro is weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost and Grass-type moves. With this wide list of weaknesses, here is how to beat it easily:

Shadow Golurk counters

Shadow Golurk

Golurk is weak to Dark Ghost Grass Water and Ice type moves.

Shadow Steelix counters

Shadow Steelix

Shadow Steelix is weak to Water, Fighting, Fire and Ground type moves. 

Shadow Scizor Counters

Shadow Scizor

Scizor is 2x weak to Fire type moves, which leaves little to no room for picking counters. Use strong Fire-type Pokémon!

Shadow Alakazam Counters

Shadow Alakazam

Shadow Alakazam is weak to Dark, Bug and Ghost type moves.

Shadow Charizard Counters

Shadow Charizard

Arlo’s Shadow Charizard is only weak to Rockx2 Electric and Water -type moves, which means we have a varied list of Pokémon that can be used against it. 

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How to find and battle Rocket Leader Arlo in Pokémon GO

To fight with Arlo 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 Arlo.

Fighting Arlo is more difficult than fighting Grunts, as Leaders use higher level Pokémon than Grunts. In order to defeat Arlo, we consider using good counters mandatory. 

You can rematch if you lose, and your Rocket Radar will only be consumed if you win.

Rewards for Beating Arlo

Trainers who manage to defeat Arlo – 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 Arlo.
• 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 breakdown

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. A Strange Egg can be deposited into your normal Egg storage, or into your extra egg space if that is full.

Receiving a Strange Egg does not have an effect on which item bundle drops alongside the egg.

Guaranteed

1000×




Stardust

Random drop of two of these:

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.

The post Pokémon GO Arlo Lineup and Counters (January 2026) appeared first on Pokémon GO Hub.