Pokémon GO Cliff Lineup and Counters (August 2025)
Learn how to defeat GO Rocket Leader Cliff and which Pokémon they have during the month of August 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 Delightful Days: 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 Cyndaquil
- Cliff’s second Pokémon is Shadow Skarmory, Honchkrow, 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 the 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 Water and Ground-type moves, Swampert is solid in this battle as it can handle Shadow Cyndaquil, Tyranitar, and Luxray, while also dishing out high neutral damage to others.
- 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.
- Rayquaza is a multi-purpose pick, with its supreme damaging power hitting everything except Skarmory.
- Reshiram and Heatran are good counters 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 Cyndaquil counters
Shadow Cyndaquil is a pure Fire-type Pokémon. It is weak to Ground, Rock, and Water type attacks.
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 bait shields whenever possible. Here is our recommendation:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Garchomp |
Mud Shot, Sand Tomb |
 Greninja |
Water Shuriken, Hydro Cannon |
 Swampert |
Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon |
 Flygon |
Sand Attack, Dragon Claw |
 Rhyperior |
Mud-Slap, Breaking Swipe |
Shadow Skarmory counters
Shadow Skarmory is a Steel/-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric and Fire moves.
None of your first Pokémon are going to faint to Shadpw Cyndaquil, so you can use them to your advantage against Skarmory.
- Garchomp’s Sand Tomb debuff’s Shadow Skarmory’s defense, making it easier for your switch-in to take it out.
- Second Charged Moves from your first Pokémon, such as Hydro Cannon (Swampert), Stone Edge (Flygon), and Rock Wrecker (Rhyperior), deal high neutral damage to Shadow Skarmory, weakening it further.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Reshiram |
Fire Fang, Fusion Flare |
 Magnezone |
Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
 Heatran |
Fire Spin, Magma Storm |
 Electivire |
Thunder Shock, Thunder Punch |
 Zekrom |
Charge Beam, Fusion Bolt |
 Therian Thundurus |
Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
Shadow Annihilape counters
Shadow Annihilape is a Ghost/Fighting-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fairy, , Ghost, and Psychic-type moves, which opens up a wide variety of excellent counters.
Using any farmed Charged Moves by your first Pokémon is a wise decision.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Rayquaza |
Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
 Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
 Primarina |
Charm, Disarming Voice |
 Staraptor |
Wing Attack, Fly |
 Xerneas |
Geomancy, Moonblast |
 Moltres |
Wing Attack, Sky Attack |
Shadow Honchkrow Counters
Shadow Honchkrow is a Dark/-type Pokémon. It is weak to Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock moves.
Since Shadow Honchkrow is weak to Rock, a Stone Edge (Flygon) or Rock Wrecker (Rhyperior), both potential first counters you can use, OHKOs it.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Mamoswine |
Powder Snow, Icicle Spear |
Primarina |
Charm, Disarming Voice |
Magnezone |
Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
Therian Thundurus |
Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
 Gardevoir |
Charm, Triple Axel |
 Terrakion |
Smack Down, Rock Slide |
Shadow Machamp counters
Shadow Machamp is a Fighting-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fairy, , and Psychic moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
Rayquaza |
Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
Gardevoir |
Charm, Psychic |
Moltres |
Wing Attack, Sky Attack |
Staraptor |
Wing Attack, Fly |
Primarina |
Charm, Disarming Voice |
Shadow Tyranitar counters
Tyranitar is a Rock and Dark-type Pokémon. It is weak to Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water type moves. Note that it is double-weak to Fighting-type moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Lucario |
Force Palm, Aura Sphere |
Terrakion |
Double Kick, Sacred Sword |
 Conkeldurr |
Counter, Dynamic Punch |
 Machamp |
Counter, Dynamic Punch |
 Rapid Strike Style Urshifu |
Counter, Dynamic Punch |
 Kyogre |
Waterfall, Origin Pulse |
Shadow Luxray counters
Shadow Luxray is a pure Electric-type Pokémon, so it is only weak to Ground moves.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Groudon |
Mud Shot, Precipice Blades |
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.
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