How to beat Cliff in Pokémon Go ?

In this guide, we'll give you the strategy you need to prepare your team to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO and his dark Pokemon. While minions are still fairly easy opponents to defeat, the leaders of Team Go Rocket are proving to be formidable fighters. Cliff is one of them and it will be necessary to confront him before setting out to find Giovanni. Our guide was updated in December 2021.

How do I find Cliff in Pokémon GO?

To find and defeat Cliff in Pokémon GO, you will need to obtain a Radar Rocket. This can be obtained after defeating 6 minions Team GO Rocket, which regularly appear in corrupted PokéStops or in the inflatable balloons that fly across the game's sky. The item is also available in the shop for 200 PokéCoins.

Once you have the Rocket Radar in your pocket, you will be able to make one of the 3 Team Go Rocket leaders appear randomly on these same locations: Sierra, Arlo or Cliff.

Cliff's team: the 3 phases

Once the most formidable of the three leaders, Cliff now has a much less ferocious team. This will give you more options in choosing your strategy. But beware, Cliff is still the most aggressive opponent in the game.

As with each of the Team GO Rocket top ranks, the first Pokémon will always be the same (and possibly obtainable as a shinyversion if you win). However, the next two will appear randomly from a selection. Fortunately, if he manages to defeat you the first time by surprise, it will be possible to take over afterwards and his team composition will remain unchanged.

Phase 1

Grimer

Phase 2

Venusaur

Machamp

Crobat

Phase 3

Tyranitar

Arcanine

Charizard

Strategy to beat Cliff from Pokémon GO

Here is our selection of the best Pokémon to beat Cliff in each phase of the fight. All Pokémon are easily accessible for all players and this also takes into account the cost in stardust. This strategy will allow you to win against Cliff while keeping your precious resources.

Phase 1: Grimer

Cliff's first Pokémon is a Grimer Obscure single type Poison that can be easily countered by Sol and Psy types. The trick here is to use a Pokémon with attacks that charge as quickly as possible to deplete the opponent's shields and make the rest of the fight much easier.

Medicham is the ideal candidate with its powerful and fast Psy attack set that will allow you to clear the way for the rest of the fight. Best of all, it's also perfect for Phase 2 of the fight.

Finally, Medicham is a must-have for Super League battles if you plan to participate in the upcoming World Championships announced for 2022.

Medicham

Psycho Cut

Psychic

Alternatives for sentence 1:

• Alakazam : Psycho cut / Psychic
• Espeon : Confusion / Psychic
• Metagross : Zen Headbutt / Psychic
• Lugia : Extrasensory / Sky Attack
• Victini: Quick Attack / Psychic

Phase 2: Venusaur, Machamp and Crobat

This phase 2 shouldn't be too much of a problem because, as Grimer, the 3 opposing Pokémon also share the Psy-type weakness. You can therefore easily take advantage of the first Pokémon used in Phase 1. For an assured victory, you can add a second Pokémon of the same type like the excellent Hypno known for its very versatile move set.

Hypno

Zen Headbutt

Psychic

Alternatives for sentence 2:

• Alakazam : Psycho cut / Psychic
• Espeon : Confusion / Psychic
• Metagross : Zen Headbutt / Psychic
• Lugia : Extrasensory / Sky Attack
• Latias : Psykoud'Boul / Psyko

Phase 3: Tyranitar, Arcanine and Charizard

The Pokémon of this phase are formidable. Fortunately, they also share some common weaknesses. This phase consists mainly of Water and Rock types. Therefore, the selection of counters will turn to a Pokémon with these two types. Omastar is a very good choice for your team because of its very good attack set and its incredible stats. If, like us, his design scares you, you can replace him with his less resistant but faster alter ego Kabutops.

Omastar

Water Gun

Rock Slide

Alternatives for Phase 3 :

• Kabutops: Waterfall / Stone Edge
• Carracosta : Rock Throw / Surf
• Gyarados : Waterfall / Hydro Pump
• Cranidos : Psykoud'Boul / Ancient Power
• Suicune : Extrasensory / Hydro Pump

By following this guide, you should easily defeat the Team Rocket leader's team and maybe even capture Grimer Obscure in its Chromatic version for the lucky ones. Feel free to share your best team combinations and tips for beating Cliff in Pokémon GO from our selection.

Finally, take advantage of our strategy guides to defeat Sierra, Arlo and even Giovanni.