Pokemon Go Trainers have a difficult battle ahead of them with Cliff in September 2021, but the Team Go Rocket Leader is much easier to defeat with the right counters for the likes of Seedot, Hariyama, and Sharpedo.
After defeating six Team Go Rocket Grunts and collecting their Mysterious Components as the reward, trainers will be able to form a Rocket Radar and face off against one of Team Go Rocket’s Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, or Cliff.
These leaders are far more difficult to take down when compared to the Team Go Rocket Grunts you’ll find at PokeStops, and to make matters worse, you won’t know which set of Pokemon they’re going to send out in the game until you enter the battle.
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Here, you’ll find all the information you need to take down Cliff, earn some sweet rewards, and get a chance to catch a Shadow Seedot of your own in the process.
Additional reporting by Ava Thompson-Powell.
Contents
- Cliff Pokemon Go counters (September 2021)
- How to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Best team to defeat Cliff
- How to beat Team Rocket Leaders
Cliff Pokemon Go lineup & counters (September 2021)
Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff has long been a thorn in the side of many Pokemon Go trainers, and that’s no different in September 2021. With the Season of Mischief’s debut, he still commands a difficult and diverse line-up of Pokemon, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Cliff will always send out Seedot at the beginning of a battle, followed by 6 other potential ‘mon encounters to take on. His current lineup of Pokemon to beat is:
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- Phase 1: Seedot
- Phase 2: Hariyama / Kingler / Poliwrath
- Phase 3: Sharpedo / Torterra / Tyranitar
How to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go
To take down Cliff, you’ll need to make sure you’re taking different ‘mon into battle to cover a variety of Pokemon types. Our guide below includes a mix of rare and more accessible counters, so every Trainer should be able to stand a decent chance against him.
- Read More: Best attackers and defenders to use in Go
Let’s take a look at the weaknesses of all the Pokemon that Cliff can use in battle, and the best counters to bring home the win!
Cliff Pokemon Go counters phase 1
Seedot counters
Seedot is a Grass-type Pokemon, which means it’s vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison.
| Seedot Counters | ||
|
Crobat |
Air Slash (Fast Move) Sludge Bomb (Charge Move) |
|
Darmanitan |
Fire Fang (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Flareon |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Honchkrow |
Peck (Fast Move) Sky Attack (Charge Move) |
|
Infernape |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) Blast Burn (Charge Move) |
|
Roserade |
Poison Jab (Fast Move) Sludge Bomb (Charge Move) |
Cliff Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Hariyama counters
Hariyama is a bulky Fighting-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic.
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| Hariyama Counters | ||
|
Clefable |
Charm (Fast Move) Meteor Mash (Charge Move) |
|
Gardevoir |
Charm (Fast Move) Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
Rayquaza |
Air Slash (Fast Move) Aerial Ace (Charge Move) |
|
Sylveon |
Charm (Fast Move) Moonblast (Charge Move) |
|
Togekiss |
Charm (Fast Move) Dazzling Gleam (Charge Move) |
|
Victini |
Confusion (Fast Move) Psychic (Charge Move) |
Kingler counters
Kingler is a Water-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Electric and Grass.
| Kingler Counters | ||
|
Electivire |
Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
Magnezone |
Spark (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
|
Roserade |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) Solar Beam (Charge Move) |
|
Tangrowth |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) Solar Beam (Charge Move) |
|
Venusaur |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) |
|
Zekrom |
Charge Beam (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
Poliwrath counters
Poliwrath is a dual Water/Fighting-type, which makes it weak against Electric, Fairy, Flying, Grass, and Psychic.
| Poliwrath Counters | ||
|
|
Electivire |
Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
|
Gardevoir |
Charm (Fast Move) Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
|
Sylveon |
Charm (Fast Move) Moonblast (Charge Move) |
|
|
Togekiss |
Charm (Fast Move) Ancient Power (Charge Move) |
|
Vileplume |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) Moonblast (Charge Move) |
|
|
Zekrom |
Charge Beam (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
Cliff Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Sharpedo counters
Sharpedo is a Water/Dark-type pokemon, so it’s weak against Fairy, Bug, Electric, Grass, and Fighting.
| Sharpedo Counters | ||
|
Machamp |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
Raikou |
Volt Switch (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move) |
|
|
Roserade |
Bullet Seed (Fast Move) Grass Knot (Charge Move) |
|
Sirfetch’d |
Counter (Fast Move) Close Combat (Charge Move) |
|
Thundurus Therian |
Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Thunderbolt (Charge Move) |
|
Zapdos |
Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Thunderbolt (Charge Move) |
Torterra counters
Torterra is a Grass/Ground-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice.
| Torterra Counters | ||
|
Articuno |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) Blizzard (Charge Move) |
|
Glaceon |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Heatran |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) Flamethrower (Charge Move) |
 |
Ho-Oh |
Incinerate (Fast Move) Brave Bird (Charge Move) |
|
Reshiram |
Dragon Breath (Fast Move) Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) Avalanche (Charge Move) |
Tyranitar counters
Tyranitar is a Rock/Dark-type Pokemon, so it’s weak against Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water.
| Tyranitar Counters | ||
|
Blaziken |
Counter (Fast Move) Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
|
Breloom |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
Conkeldurr |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
|
Machamp |
Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
|
|
Sirfetch’d |
Counter (Fast Move) Close Combat (Charge Move) |
Best team to beat Cliff in Pokemon Go
One of the best – and easily accessible – lineups to defeat Cliff in Pokemon Go would be Togekiss, Magnezone, and Mamoswine (with Ice-type moves).
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Togekiss, with its Flying and Fairy moves, takes care of Hariyama, Poliwrath, and Seedot. Magnezone, with an Electric and Steel moveset, will be strong against Kingler and Tyranitar. Finally, Mamoswine can take advantage of Torterra’s extreme Ice weakness.
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As with all Team Go Rocker battles, you won’t know what Cliff is going to send out in the second and third rounds until you enter the battle, so it can be hard to plan ahead. Fortunately, you can choose to rematch if you lose, allowing you to bring a better lineup with you.
Don’t worry too much if you don’t have any of the counters we’ve listed. Focus on the weaknesses of each of Cliff’s Pokemon, and take your strongest of those types into battle for a good chance of emerging victoriously.
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How to beat Team Go Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go
As well as Cliff, there are a few other Team Go Rocket Leaders you can battle against, so check out our guides to beat Arlo and take down Sierra. Unfortunately, Giovanni is currently unavailable in Pokemon Go.
So, there you have it. All you need to know about defeating Cliff in Pokemon Go, and the best counters to use alongside their weaknesses.
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 | Arlo counters guide | Team Rocket Grunt guide | Giovanni counters | How to get free Remote Raid Passes | Sierra counters guide | How to catch Ditto | Shop: Items list, prices, box changes
