How to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go May 2021: Best counters

If you’re having a difficult time taking down Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo in Pokemon Go in May 2021, we’ve got the best counters that will lead you straight to victory.

One of the most exciting features of Pokemon Go is the battles you can enter against Team Go Rocket. The nefarious villains invade Pokestops and with their aggressive Shadow Pokemon and battle against anyone who interacts with them.

If you win the battle, 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 with higher attack stats if you’re competitive-minded or looking to master raid battles.

Team GO Rocket are taking over Pokemon GO.

With a Rocket Radar, trainers can also battle Team Go Rocket Leaders, but they won’t be easy.

We’ve put together a list of the best Pokemon you can take into battle against Arlo in May 2021 to counter their team and secure that victory.

Niantic has added Team GO Rocket back

After being temporarily removed by Niantic for two weeks due to an issue, Team Rocket is now blasting off once again, and the likes of Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and Giovanni are back to take down. With free boxes up for grabs and a chance to get an encounter with Shadow Zapdos after taking down Giovanni – you’ll need to know the best way to play.

There’s a mix of stronger Legendary creatures and some slightly more common alternatives to ensure that every trainer has something they can use, but all of them will be solid choices to take into battle.

Arlo Phase 1: Beldum

In the first phase, Arlo will always bring out Shadow Beldum. It’s a Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon with a limited move pool, and it’s vulnerable to Ground, Fire, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks.

Beldum counters

• Reshiram – Fire Fang and Overheat
• Chandelure – Fire Spin and Overheat
• Gengar – Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
• Darkrai – Snarl and Shadow Ball
• Darmanitan – Fire Fang and Overheat
• Excadrill – Mud-Slap and Earthquake

Arlo will always start with Beldum.

Arlo Phase 2: Gardevoir/Aggron/Infernape

In the second phase, things get a little more difficult, as Arlo will use one of the following three Pokemon: Gardevoir, Aggron, and Infernape.

Gardevoir is a Psychic/Fairy-type, meaning it’s weak against Ghost, Poison, and Steel. Aggron is Steel/Rock-type, and is weak against Fighting, Ground, and Water. Infernape is Fire/Fighting-type, so it’s weak against Flying, Ground, Psychic, and Water.

Gardevoir counters

• Metagross – Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
• Chandelure – Hex and Shadow Ball
• Jirachi – Charge Beam and Doom Desire
• Excadrill – Metal Claw and Iron Head
• Gengar – Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
• Roserade – Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb

Aggron counters

• Lucario – Counter and Aura Sphere
• Groudon – Mud Shot and Earthquake
• Conkeldurr – Counter and Dynamic Punch
• Excadrill – Mud-Slap and Earthquake
• Machamp – Counter and Dynamic Punch
• Garchomp – Mud Shot and Earthquake

Infernape counters

• Mewtwo – Confusion and Psystrike
• Moltres – Wing Attack and Sky Attack
• Kyogre – Waterfall and Surf
• Espeon – Confusion and Psychic
• Alakazam – Confusion and Psychic
• Kingler – Bubble and Crabhammer

Arlo’s Phase 2 Pokemon will be Gardevoir, Infernape, or Aggron.

Arlo Phase 3: Scizor/Armaldo/Salamence

For the final phase of this battle, the potential types you’ll go up against gets even more diverse, as Arlo will once again bring out one of three Pokemon: Scizor, Armaldo, or Salamance.

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Scizor is a Bug/Steel-type, meaning it’s weak only against Fire. Armaldo is a Rock/Bug-type, which is weak against Rock, Steel, and Water. Salamence is Dragon/Flying-type, and is weak to Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock.

Scizor counters

• Reshiram – Fire Fang and Overheat
• Blaziken – Fire Spin and Blast Burn
• Heatran – Fire Spin and Fire Blast
• Darmanitan – Fire Fang and Overheat
• Entei – Fire Spin and Overheat
• Chandelure – Incinerate and Overheat

Armaldo counters

• Metagross – Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
• Kyogre – Waterfall and Surf
• Dialga – Metal Claw and Iron Head
• Empoleon – Metal Claw and Hydro Cannon
• Rampardos – Smack Down and Rock Slide
• Swampert – Water Gun and Hydro Cannon

Salamence counters

• Mewtwo – Psycho Cut and Ice Beam
• Mamoswine – Powder Snow and Avalanche
• Glaceon – Ice Shard and Ice Beam
• Weavile – Ice Shard and Avalanche
• Jynx – Frost Breath and Avalanche
• Vanilluxe – Frost Breath and Blizzard

Arlo’s Phase 3 Pokemon will be Scizor, Armaldo, or Salamence.

Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo is one of the most difficult battles you’ll go against in Pokemon Go, but if you focus on the counters and move sets we’ve listed above, you should be able to take them down easily.

As always, if you don’t have any of the counters we’ve recommended, pay attention to the weaknesses of each of Arlo’s Pokemon and take your most powerful types into battle for the best chance at success.

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Remember, Arlo’s lineup of Pokemon changes often, so make sure you check back here next time you fight them to make sure your favorite counters will still be effective.

If you’re looking to battle other members of Team Go Rocket, we’ve also got guides to beating Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff and beating Team Go Rocket Leader Sierra which should help you out.