Conquering Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO: A January 2025 Guide

Whether you're a seasoned Pokémon GO trainer or just starting out, battling Team GO Rocket Leaders – Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff – is a crucial part of the game. Their powerful Shadow Pokémon and ever-shifting lineups present a constant challenge. This guide provides the information you need to defeat them, updated for January 2025.

Quick Links:

• Locating Team GO Rocket Leaders
• Sierra's Current Team & Counters
• Arlo's Current Team & Counters
• Cliff's Current Team & Counters

Finding Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, & Cliff

Unlike regular Team Rocket Grunts, encountering Leaders requires a bit more effort. You must first defeat six Grunts to obtain six Mysterious Components. Combining these creates a Rocket Radar, which reveals Leaders at disguised PokéStops and in hot air balloons. Grunts appear randomly at PokéStops, and a Grunt balloon spawns every six hours, following you for 20 minutes.

Sierra's January 2025 Team & Recommended Counters

Sierra's January 2025 team is a tricky mix:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Skorupi (Bug/Poison)	Sableye (Dark/Ghost)	Houndoom (Dark/Fire)
	Steelix (Ground/Steel)	Nidoqueen (Ground/Poison)
	Milotic (Water)	Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic)

To counter her, consider these Pokémon:

Pokémon	Moves
Terrakion	Smack Down, Rock Slide
Gengar	Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball
Excadrill	Metal Claw, Iron Head

Arlo's January 2025 Team & Recommended Counters

Arlo's January 2025 team offers a variety of types:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Alolan Grimer (Poison/Dark)	Hypno (Psychic)	Metagross (Psychic/Steel)
	Charizard (Flying/Fire)	Scizor (Bug/Steel)
	Gyarados (Flying/Water)	Snorlax (Normal)

Effective counters include:

Pokémon	Moves
Tyranitar	Bite, Brutal Swing
Blaziken	Fire Spin, Blast Burn
Excadrill	Mud Slap, Drill Run

Cliff's January 2025 Team & Recommended Counters

Cliff's January 2025 team is known for its strength:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Cubone (Ground)	Venusaur (Grass/Poison)	Tyranitar (Dark/Rock)
	Marowak (Ground)	Obstagoon (Dark/Normal)
	Aerodactyl (Flying/Rock)	Crobat (Flying/Poison)

Prepare with these counters:

Pokémon	Moves
Mamoswine	Powder Snow, Avalanche
Lucario	Force Palm, Aura Sphere
Blaziken	Counter, Blast Burn

This guide will be updated as Team GO Rocket Leader lineups change. Good luck, trainers! Pokémon GO is available now on mobile devices. (Updated 1/14/2025)