Here’s what you need to know about how to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO. Team GO Rocket is Pokemon GO’s version of Team Rocket from the mainline Pokemon games. In this game, the crime syndicate has a chance to appear at PokeStops randomly throughout the day. A PokeStop with a dark blue color and a spinning cube indicates that a Team GO Rocket member has taken it over. Team GO Rocket balloons may also appear overhead, offering more battles and Rocket Radars.
The Team GO Rocket balloons appear once every six hours. Your first battles will be against grunts, which reward you with a chance to capture their Shadow Pokemon and a Radar Components. If you combine your six Components to make the Rocket Radar and equip it, the balloons will make you battle Leaders instead of grunts. You can combine these Rocket Radars into Super Rocket Radars, which will cause Giovanni or his decoys to battle you instead.
Here are the possible Team GO Rocket Members you can face:
- Grunts
- Jessie & James (Team Rocket Meowth Balloon)
- Arlo (Leader)
- Cliff (Leader)
- Sierra (Leader)
- Giovanni (Boss)
What is Cliff’s Lineup of Pokemon in Pokemon GO?
Cliff’s lineup of Pokemon is currently:
- Cubone
- Electivire, Luxray, or Omastar
- Charizard, Swampert, or Tyranitar
How to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO
Defeating Cliff in Pokemon GO is easy as long as you know the counters of each Pokemon he might throw out. Let’s take a look at the counters for each possible Pokemon.
Cubone
The best counters against Cliff’s Cubone in Pokemon GO are:
- Roserade: Razor Leaf, Grass Knot/Solar Beam
- Darmanitan: Ice Fang, Ice Punch/Avalanche
- Kyogre: Waterfall, Hydro Pump/Surf
- Kingler: Bubble, Crabhammer
- Zarude: Vine Whip, Power Whip
Electivire
The best counters against Cliff’s Electivire in Pokemon GO are:
- Excadrill: Mud-Slap, Drill Run/Earthquake
- Landorus (Therian): Extrasensory/Mud Shot, Earth Power/Earthquake
- Garchomp: Mud Shot, Earth Power/Earthquake
- Groudon: Mud Shot, Earthquake
- Rhyperior: Mud-Slap, Earthquake
Luxray
The best counters against Cliff’s Luxray in Pokemon GO are:
- Landorus: Mud Shot/Extrasensory, Earth Power/Earthquake
- Excadrill: Mud-Slap, Drill Run/Earthquake
- Groudon: Mud Shot, Earthquake
- Garchomp: Mud Shot, Earthquake/Earth Power
- Rhyperior: Mud-Slap, Earthquake
Omastar
The best counters against Cliff’s Omastar in Pokemon GO are:
- Roserade: Razor Leaf/Bullet Seed, Leaf Storm/Solar Beam/Grass Knot
- Sceptile: Bullet Seed, Frenzy Plant
- Roserade: Razor Leaf, Grass Knot
- Tapu Bulu: Bullet Seed, Grass Knot/Solar Beam
- Rillaboom: Razor Leaf, Grass Knot
- Breloom: Bullet Seed, Grass Knot
- Zarude: Vine Whip, Power Whip
Charizard
The best counters against Cliff’s Charizard in Pokemon GO are:
- Aerodactyl: Rock Throw, Rock Slide
- Rhyperior: Smack Down, Rock Wrecker/Stone Edge
- Stonjourner: Rock Throw, Rock Slide
- Lycanroc (Midday): Rock Throw, Stone Edge
- Rampardos: Smack Down, Rock Slide
- Landorus (Therian): Rock Throw, Rock Slide/Stone Edge
- Tyranitar: Smack Down, Stone Edge
- Terrakion: Smack Down, Rock Slide
Swampert
The best counters against Cliff’s Swampert in Pokemon GO are:
- Rillaboom: Razor Leaf, Grass Knot
- Sceptile: Bullet Seed, Frenzy Plant
- Roserade: Razor Leaf/Bullet Seed, Solar Beam/Grass Knot
- Tapu Bulu: Bullet Seed, Grass Knot/Solar Beam
- Zarude: Vine Whip, Power Whip
- Breloom: Bullet Seed, Grass Knot
Tyranitar
The best counters against Cliff’s Tyranitar in Pokemon GO are:
- Lucario: Counter, Aura Sphere
- Urshifu (Rapid Strike): Counter, Dynamic Punch/Close Combat
- Urshifu (Single Strike): Counter, Close Combat/Dynamic Punch
- Conkeldurr: Counter, Focus Blast/Dynamic Punch
- Breloom: Counter, Dynamic Punch
- Blaziken: Counter, Focus Blast
- Machamp: Counter, Dynamic Punch
What do I get for beating Cliff in Pokemon GO?
Team GO Rocket leaders give you a chance to capture the shadow version of their first summoned Pokemon. For beating Cliff, players can catch Shadow Cubone (with a chance at a shiny).
For more related content, guides, lists, and Pokemon, check out our Pokemon GO section. You may also like our Pokemon GO effectiveness and weakness chart.
