Much like other Team Rocket Leaders, Arlo is a difficult opponent to beat in Pokemon Go. We’ve put together details of his lineup, their weaknesses, and the best counters to help you defeat him.
One of the most exciting features of Pokemon Go is the battles you can enter against Team Go Rocket. These troublemakers invade PokeStops around the game’s overworld and use their Shadow Pokemon to battle anyone who interacts with them.
If you win these battles, you’ll get the chance to capture one of their Shadow Pokemon, which can either be ‘purified’ for a CP boost or left as a Shadow Pokemon with higher attack stats if you’re competitive-minded or looking to master Raid battles.
In this guide, you’ll find Arlo’s current lineup of Pokemon, their weaknesses, and the best counters you can use on your team to defeat them.
Contents
- Arlo Pokemon Go lineup (February 2024)
- How to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Best team to defeat Arlo
- How to defeat Team Rocket Leaders

Arlo is one of the hardest Team Go Rocket Leaders.
Arlo Pokemon Go lineup (February 2024)
Arlo’s lineup changed in late January 2024. Here is his current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Bagon
- Phase 2: Charizard / Hypno / Golurk
- Phase 3: Dragon/ Scizor / Magnezone
Arlo’s lineup changes every time there’s a Team Go Rocket Takeover. We don’t know when the next one will occur, but we’ll update this page as soon as it happens.
How to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
If you defeat enough Team Go Rocket Grunts at PokeStops, you’ll be able to piece together a Rocket Radar, which will allow you to locate and battle either Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra at random.
Let’s take a look at all the Pokemon that Arlo can send out into battle, their weaknesses, and the best counters you can use to defeat each one.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 1
Arlo will always send out Bagon at the start of a battle.
Bagon counters
Bagon is a Dragon-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Ice, Fairy other Dragon-type attacks. It’s also resistant to Fighting, Water, Electric, Fire and Grass-type moves, so don’t use those.
Here are some of the best Bagon counters:
Bagon Counters | ||
Groudon |
Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charge Move) |
|
Gardevoir |
Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charge Move) |
|
Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Rayquaza |
Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) |
|
Garchomp |
Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) |
|
Salamence |
Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) |
Mamoswine is a very effective Pokemon for Arlo, as one will see later on. Per Pokemon Go Hub, Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Salamence are other strong options.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Arlo will use either Charizard, Hypno, or Golurk in the second phase.
Charizard counters
Charizard is a Fire/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Rock, Electric, and Water-type attacks but resistant to Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel, Bug, and Grass-type attacks.
Here are some of the best counters to defeat Charizard:
Charizard Counters | ||
Tyranitar |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charge Move) |
|
Rampardos |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
Rhyperior |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charge Move) |
|
Tyrantrum |
Rock Throw (Fast Move) & Meteor Beam (Charge Move) |
|
Terrakion |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
Omastar |
Rock Throw (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
Hypno counters
Hypno is a Psychic-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks. On the other hand, it’s resistant to Fighting and Psychic-type attacks.
Here are some of the best counters to take down Hypno:
Hypno Counters | ||
Tyranitar | Bite (Fast Move) & Brutal Swing (Charge Move) | |
Gengar | Lick (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) | |
Chandelure | Hex (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) | |
Hydreigon | Bite (Fast Move) & Brutal Swing (Charge Move) | |
Darkrai | Snarl (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) | |
Absol | Snarl (Fast Move) & Pay Back (Charge Move) |
Golurk counters
Golurk is a Ground/Ghost-type Pokemon, which makes it weak against Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water-type attacks. It’s resistant to Bug, Rock, Electric, Fighting, Normal, and Poison-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to use against Golurk:
Golurk Counters | ||
Kyogre |
Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charge Move) |
|
Tyranitar |
Bite (Fast Move) & Brutal Swing (Charge Move) |
|
Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Gengar |
Lick (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) |
|
Kartana |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Blade (Charge Move) |
|
Swampert |
Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
Thus, it’s a powerful option.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Arlo will send out Dragonite, Scizor, or Salamence in the third phase.
Dragonite counters
Dragonite is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, which means its weak to Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock-type attacks. and it’s also resistant to Bug, Fighting, Fire, Water, Grass, and Ground-type attacks.
Here are some of the top Snorlax counters you can use:
Dragonite Counters | ||
Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Gardevoir |
Charm (Fast Move) & Triple Axel (Charge Move) |
|
Glaceon |
Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Kyurem |
Dragon Breath (Fast Move) & Glaciate (Charge Move) |
|
Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
Scizor counters
Scizor is a dual Bug/Steel-type Pokemon, which means its only weakness is Fire-type moves. It has loads of resistance, in particular Grass and Poison, so avoid those.
Here are some of the best Scizor counters you can use:
Scizor Counters | ||
Blaziken |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charge Move) |
|
Charizard |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charge Move) |
|
Darmanitan |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Entei |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Heatran |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Fire Blast (Charge Move) |
|
Reshiram |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) |
Salamence counters
Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, which means its weak to Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock-type attacks. and it’s also resistant to Bug, Fighting, Fire, Water, Grass, and Ground-type attacks.
Here are some of the best Salamence counters for your team:
Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
Gardevoir |
Charm (Fast Move) & Triple Axel (Charge Move) |
Glaceon |
Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
Kyurem |
Dragon Breath (Fast Move) & Glaciate (Charge Move) |
Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
Best team to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
One of the best teams you can take into battle against Arlo in Pokemon Go right now is the trio of Tyranitar, Mamoswine, and Chandulere,.
Tyranitar matches up very well against virtually all of Arlo’s Pokemon, with only Scizor being the lone exception.
The same can be said for Mamoswine. Yes, Charizard is a bad matchup for it. However, the abundance of Dragons in Arlo’s lineup does make it a strong secondary option.
The third Pokemon is tough. Fire-types are very good for Scizor but don’t work well against many of Arlo’s other Pokemon.
However, a Pokemon like Gengar can also work for those who don’t have Chandelure.
Remember that you can rematch Arlo as often as you like until you defeat him, so if find yourself struggling, you’ll be able to leave and switch up your team before you go back in for the win.
How to defeat Team Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go
Their boss Giovanni is also still around for February 2024.
So, there you have it. All you need to know about defeating Arlo in Pokemon Go, and the best counters to use along the way!