Defeating Pokemon Go’s Team Rocket Leader Arlo can be difficult, so we’ve got the best counters for his weaknesses that will lead you straight to victory. From Gligar to Cradily, Lapras, and Mawile, here’s how to beat his lineup in January 2022.
One of the most exciting features of Pokemon Go is the battles you can enter against Team Go Rocket. The nefarious villains invade Pokestops within the game and use their aggressive Shadow Pokemon to 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.
Advertisement
Additional reporting by Ava Thompson-Powell.
Contents
- Arlo Pokemon Go counters (January 2022)
- How to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Best team to defeat Arlo
- How to beat Team Rocket Leaders
Arlo Pokemon Go counters (January 2022)
Team Go Rocket’s Boss Giovanni returned to Pokemon Go with Shadow Lugia during the previous Festival of Lights event in November, with the lineup of every Team Go Rocket’s leader changing. These remain the same in January 2022.
At the start of every match, Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo will always send out Venonat, followed by two of six other potential encounters. Here’s Arlo’s current lineup of Pokemon:
- Phase 1: Gligar
- Phase 2: Cradily / Lapras / Mawile
- Phase 3: Gardevoir / Scizor / Snorlax
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. They’re chosen at random.
Advertisement
- Read More: Best attackers and defenders in Go
Let’s take a look at the weaknesses of all the Pokemon that Arlo can send out into battle, and the best counters you can use to defeat each one.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 1
Gligar counters
Gligar is a weak Ground/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it’s extremely weak against Ice-type moves and also weak against Water-type attacks.
| Gligar Counters | ||
|
Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Glaceon |
Frost Breath (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Galarian Darmanitan |
Ice Fang (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Jynx |
Frost Breath (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Alolan Sandslash |
Powder Snow (Fast Move) Ice Punch (Charge Move) |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Cradily counters
Cradily is a Rock/Grass-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Bug, Fighting, Ice, and Steel-type moves and resistant to Electric and Normal-type attacks.
| Cradily Counters | ||
|
Metagross |
Bullet Punch (Fast Move) Meteor Mash (Charge Move) |
|
Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
Zamazenta |
Spark (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
 |
Excadrill |
Metal Claw (Fast Move) Iron Head (Charge Move) |
|
Conkeldurr |
Counter (Fast Move) Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
|
Genesect |
Fury Cutter (Fast Move) X-Scissor (Charge Move) |
Lapras counters
Lapras is a dual Water/Ice-type Pokemon, so it’s weak to Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock-type moves and resistant to Ice and Water-type attacks.
Advertisement
| Lapras Counters | ||
|
Sirfetch’d |
Counter (Fast Move) Close Combat (Charge Move) |
|
|
Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
Zekrom |
Charge Beam (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
Raikou |
Volt Switch (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
|
Conkeldurr |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
Rampardos |
Smack Down (Fast Move) Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
Mawile counters
Mawile is a dual Steel/Fairy-type Pokemon, which means that it’s weak to Fire and Ground-type moves and has a huge number of resistances, so focus on those two types.
| Mawile Counters | ||
|
Rhyperior |
Mud Slap (Fast Move) Rock Wrecker (Charge Move) |
|
Darmanitan |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Reshiram |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Chandelure |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
Entei |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Heatran |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) Fire Blast (Charge Move) |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Gardevoir counters
Gardevoir is a Psychic/Fairy-type Pokemon, so it’s weak against Ghost, Poison, and Steel-type moves and resistant to Dragon, Fighting, and Psychic-type attacks.
| Gardevoir Counters | ||
|
Metagross |
Bullet Punch (Fast Move) Meteor Mash (Charge Move) |
|
|
Chandelure |
Hex (Fast Move) Shadow Ball (Charge Move) |
|
Zacian |
Metal Claw (Fast Move) Iron Head (Charge Move) |
|
|
Genesect |
Metal Claw (Fast Move) Magnet Bomb (Charge Move) |
|
|
Lucario |
Bullet Punch (Fast Move) Shadow Ball (Charge Move) |
|
Excadrill |
Metal Claw (Fast Move) Iron Head (Charge Move) |
Scizor counters
Scizor is a dual Bug/Steel-type Pokemon, which means its only weakness is against Fire-type moves. It has loads of resistances, in particular Grass and Poison, so avoid those.
| 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) |
Snorlax counters
Snorlax is a mono Normal-type Pokemon, so its only big weakness is Fighting-types. If Snorlax has the move Zen Headbutt, though, you’ll probably want to avoid Fighting-types.
Advertisement
| Snorlax Counters | ||
|
Hariyama |
Counter (Fast Move) Close Combat (Charge Move) |
|
Machamp |
Counter (Fast Move) Cross Chop (Charge Move) |
|
|
Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
|
Conkeldurr |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
|
Sirfetch’d |
Counter (Fast Move) Close Combat (Charge Move) |
 |
Alakazam |
Counter (Fast Move) Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
Best team to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
While we’ve listed a whole host of potential Pokemon above, one of the best teams you can take into battle against Arlo in Pokemon Go is Mamoswine, Darmanitan, and Conkeldurr.
You’ll need a strong Ice-type counter to defeat Arlo’s first Pokemon, Gligar, and Mamoswine is a really great choice, especially as it can then also take on Cradily if Arlo sends it out second.
- Read More: Pokemon Go promo codes to get free items
Next, you’ll want Conkeldurr, as it can tackle three of Arlo’s lineup with ease: Cradily, Lapras, and Snorlax. Finally, Darmanitan (regular, not Galarian) can put a stop to Mawile and Scizor.
Advertisement
The only member of Arlo’s team not covered by this team is Gardevoir. If Arlo sends that out, you’ll have to switch your team up slightly using our best counters in the tables above.
Remember, Arlo’s lineup changes often in the game, so make sure you check back here next time you fight them to make sure your favorite counters will still be effective.
How to beat Team Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go
Alongside Arlo, you’ll also be able to go head to head with a few other Team Go Rocket Leaders, so check out our guides to defeat Cliff and Sierra. The iconic Giovanni has also returned for January 2022.
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!
For all of the best tips and tricks to become the very best, make sure to check out our other guides:
Spotlight Hour guide | Current Raid Bosses | Best ‘mon in Go: Attackers and defenders | Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour | Cliff counters guide | Giovanni counters | How to get free Remote Raid Passes | Sierra counters guide | How to catch Ditto | Shop: Items list, prices, box changes
