Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo is a difficult opponent to beat in Pokemon Go, so we’ve put together details of his lineup, weaknesses, and the best counters to help you defeat him in March 2023.
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 (March 2023)
- 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 lineup (March 2023)
Arlo has always been a difficult opponent to take down in Pokemon Go, and that’s no different in March, where he’ll send out Shadow Nidoran followed by two of six potential Pokemon.
Here is Arlo’s current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Nidoran
- Phase 2: Crobat / Steelix / Cradily
- Phase 3: Charizard / Scizor / Armaldo
A Team Go Rocket Takeover event is scheduled to begin on March 21, where Arlo’s lineup will likely change again. We’ll update this page when that 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
Nidoran counters
Nidoran is a Poison-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Ground and Psychic-type moves and resistant to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Grass, and Poison-type attacks.
| Nidoran Counters | ||
| Mewtwo |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charge Move) |
|
| Hoopa |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Garchomp |
Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charge Move) |
|
| Alakazam |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Espeon |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Excadrill |
Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Drill Run (Charge Move) |
|
Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Crobat counters
Crobat is a Poison/Flying-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Electric, Ice, Psychic, and Rock-type moves and resistant to Bug, Fighting, Grass, Fairy, Ground, and Poison-type moves.
| Crobat Counters | ||
| Mewtwo |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charge Move) |
|
| Hoopa |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Galarian Darmanitan |
Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
| Rampardos |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
| Alakazam |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Espeon |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
Steelix counters
Steelix is a Ground/Steel-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water-type moves and resistant to pretty much everything else.
| Steelix Counters | ||
| Reshiram | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Fusion Flare (Charge Move) | |
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) | |
| Darmanitan | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) | |
| Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) | |
| Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charge Move) | |
| Lucario | Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) | |
Cradily counters
Cradily is a dual Rock/Grass-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Bug, Fighting, Ice, and Steel-type attacks but resistant to Electric and Normal-type attacks.
| Cradily Counters | ||
| Metagross |
Bullet Punch (Fast Move) & Meteor Mash (Charge Move) |
|
| Conkeldurr |
Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
| Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
| Blaziken |
Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
|
| Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
| Galarian Darmanitan |
Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
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Arlo Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Charizard counters
Charizard is a Fire/Flying-type Pokemon, so its major weakness is Rock-type moves, although it’s also vulnerable against Water and Electric-type attacks.
| Charizard Counters | ||
| Rhyperior |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Wrecker (Charge Move) |
|
| Rampardos |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
| Tyranitar |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charge Move) |
|
| Golem |
Rock Throw (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charge Move) |
|
| Terrakion |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
| Aerodactyl |
Rock Throw (Fast Move) & Ancient Power (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 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) |
|
Armaldo counters
Armaldo is a Rock/Bug-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Rock, Steel, and Water-type moves. It also has resistances to Normal and Poison-type attacks.
| Armaldo Counters | ||
| Metagross |
Bullet Punch (Fast Move) & Meteor Mash (Charge Move) |
|
| Kyogre |
Waterfall (Fast Move) & Surf (Charge Move) |
|
| Tyranitar |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charge Move) |
|
| Rampardos |
Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) |
|
| Swampert |
Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
|
| Kingler |
Bubble (Fast Move) & Crab Hammer (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 is Mewtwo, Tyranitar, and Swampert.
A powerful Psychic-type like Mewtwo will easily take down Arlo’s phase one Pokemon, Nidoran, as well as one of his potential phase two Pokemon, Crobat. Mewtwo is one of the strongest Legendaries in the game, so it could also be viable against other members of Arlo’s team at a push.
Next up, a strong Rock-type Pokemon like Tyranitar will be able to defeat Crobat, Charizard, and Armaldo with ease. Like Mewtwo, it can also be viable against other members of Arlo’s team, including the highly defensive Scizor which takes neutral damage from Rock-type attacks.
Finally, we would recommend Swampert with a Water-type moveset. This will be effective against Steelix, Charizard, and Armaldo. The main Pokemon not covered by this team is Cradily, so if Arlo does send that out in phase two, try a strong Fighting-type like Lucario or Conkeldurr.
Remember, Arlo’s lineup changes often in the game, so 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. Their boss Giovanni is also still around for March 2023.
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 more tips and tricks to become the very best, make sure to check out our other guides:
Spotlight Hour schedule | Current Raid Bosses | Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Cliff counters guide | Giovanni counters | How to get Remote Raid Passes | Sierra counters guide | How to catch Ditto | Pokemon Go shop| Best Shiny Pokemon in Go | Rocket Grunt counters guide