The three Team GO Rocket Leaders are some of the toughest opponents you can face this month inPokémon GO,but by knowing their line-ups and the best teams to counter them, you can come out on top. All three leaders have strong line-ups, but you will have to defeat them all in August 2025 if you want to face offwith GO Rocket Boss Giovanni.
Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo all use very different line-ups with some more challenging than others, but they all use high CP Shadow Pokémon. Once you have defeated six grunts, the leaders will randomly start appearing in PokéStops and Team GO Rocket Balloons. Here is everything you need to know before taking them on this month.
Arlo, Cliff, & Sierra Line-ups & Counters
Three Leaders With Very Different Teams
Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra all have seven Pokémonthat they can pick from in each battle. They will use three each time, with their second and third choices randomly being selected. This means that if you get a line-up that doesn’t suit you, you can quit the battle and try again later. At the start of August 2025,none of the three leadershas changed their teams since July 2025.
All three leaders provide different tests, butArlo is the hardest to beatin August 2025. This is due to his team having a large spread of types that can’t easily be covered.Therian Thundurus, Ho-Oh, and Groudonare a great team to face him, though, as they can cover six of his seven Pokémon in each battle. They are also powerhouses that can take out other Pokémon that they aren’t super-effective against.
You should always start this battle with a Pokémon that is super-effective against Gible, such asMamoswine, but it can be supported byXerneas, whose Fairy-type attacks cause problems for a number of Cliff’s team.Therian Thundurusis also a good option for facing off against Cliff due to its Electric-type.
Finally, Sierra uses a very different team, butSwampert, Terrakion, and Tyranitarcan make swift work of her Pokémon. As a Water and Ground type, Swampert can dominate the battle, with the other two powerhouses ready to swap in if needed.
Rewards For Beating Arlo, Cliff, & Sierra
Eggs, Encounters And Items On Offer
Every victory you gain over Arlo, Cliff or Sierra willoffer the same set of rewards, andthey are some of the most worthwhile to earn inPokémon GO. One of the biggest reasons for taking them down is to be able to face Giovanni, but you will also be givena rare 12km Red Egg.These are the hardest to come by inPokémon GOand currently can hatch into some of the rarest Pokémon on offer.
You will also havethe opportunity to catch whichever Pokémon the leader starts the battle.Finally, you will be givena random selection of itemsto add to your inventory, including Max Revives. Despite not changing line-ups for August 2025, all three Team GO Rocket Leaders provide a tough test inPokémon GOif you don’t go in prepared with the right counters.
Pokémon GO
Created by Niantic, Pokémon GO is an augmented reality RPG where players can wander around catching Pokémon as they pass by various landmarks in real life. Players can engage in a traditional Pokémon experience via battles with other trainers, catching Pokémon to breed new ones, and even trade them with other trainers they come across.
