Pokemon Go trainers have a difficult battle ahead of them with Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff in September 2022, but he’s much easier to beat with the right counters for the likes of Bulbasaur, Crobat, and Swampert.
After defeating six Team Go Rocket Grunts in Pokemon Go 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: Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra.
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.
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 Bulbasaur of your own in the process.
Additional reporting by Daniel Megarry and Philip Trahan.
Contents
- Cliff Pokemon Go counters (September 2022)
- 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 2022)
Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff has long been a thorn in the side of Pokemon Go trainers, and that’s no different in September 2022.
Cliff will always send out Bulbasaur at the beginning of a battle, followed by two out of six potential Pokemon. His current lineup to beat is:
- Phase 1: Bulbasaur
- Phase 2: Crobat / Venusaur / Omastar
- Phase 3: Swampert / Torterra / Tyranitar
Cliff’s lineup previously changed in July, as part of the Team Go Rocket Battle Weekend event, and currently remains the same in September 2022. We’ll update this guide once the next Rocket Go event is announced, but for now, this is his lineup.
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.
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
Bulbasaur counters
Cubone is a Grass/Poison-type, which means it’s weak against Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic-type attacks. It’s resistant to Grass, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, and Water-type attacks.
| Bulbasaur Counters | ||
| Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psychic/Psystrike (Charge Move) |
|
| Tornadus |
Gust (Fast Move) & Hurricane (Charge Move) |
|
| Moltres |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Heat Wave/SkyAttack (Charge Move) |
|
| Darmanitan |
Incinerate (Fast Move) & Overheat/Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Blaziken |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Blast Burn (Charge Move) |
|
| Honchkrow |
Peck (Fast Move) & Brave Bird (Charge Move) |
|
Cliff 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. This also means it’s resistant to Bug, Fighting, Grass, Fairy, Ground, and Poison-type moves.
| Crobat Counters | ||
| Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psychic/Psystrike (Charge Move) |
|
| Exeggutor |
Confusion/Zen Headbutt (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Alakazam |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Future Sight/Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Raikou |
Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge(Charge Move) |
|
| Galarian Darmanitan (Standard mode) |
Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
| Glaceon |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche/Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
|
Venusaur counters
Like Bulbasaur, Venusaur is a Grass/Poison-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic-type attacks. It’s resistant to Grass, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, and Water-type attacks. All of our above counters for Bulbasaur will work for Venusaur, but here are some alternate recommendations.
| Venusaur Counters | ||
| Alakazam |
Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Future Sight/Psychic (Charge Move) |
|
| Victini |
Confusion (Fast Move) & V-create (Charge Move) |
|
| Entei |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
| Chandelure |
Fire Spin (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) |
|
| Rayquaza |
Air Slash (Fast Move) & Aerial Ace/Hurricane (Charge Move) |
|
| Weavile |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
Omastar counters
Omastar is a dual Rock/Water-type, which makes it weak against Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Ground-type attacks. It’s resistant to Fire, Flying, Ice, Normal, and Poison-type attacks.
| Omastar Counters | ||
| Zarude |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) |
|
| Roserade |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Storm (Charge Move) |
|
| Tangrowth |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) |
|
| Venusaur |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) |
|
| Lucario |
Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
|
| Torterra |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) |
|
Cliff Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Swampert counters
Swampert is a dual Water/Ground-type Pokemon, which means its only weakness is Grass-type attacks.
| Swampert Counters | ||
| Zarude |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) |
|
| Roserade |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Storm (Charge Move) |
|
| Tangrowth |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) |
|
| Venusaur |
Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) |
|
| Leafeon |
Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Blade (Charge Move) |
|
| Breloom |
Bullet Seed (Fast Move) & Grass Knot (Charge Move) |
|
Torterra counters
Torterra is a Grass/Ground-type Pokemon, so it’s weak against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice-type moves. It’s resistant to Electric, Ground, and Rock-type moves.
| Torterra Counters | ||
| Mewtwo |
Confusion (Fast Move) & Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
|
| Lapras |
Frost Breath/Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Blizzard/Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
|
| Glaceon |
Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche/Ice Beam (Charge Move) |
|
| Jynx |
Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Ice Breath (Charge Move) |
|
| Galarian Darmanitan (Standard Mode) |
Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
|
| Mamoswine |
Powder Snow (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 teams to defeat Cliff in Pokemon Go would be Mewtwo, Zarude, and Galarian Darmanitan.
You’ll need a strong Psychic-type to take down Bulbasaur, Venusaur, and Crobat if Cliff sends them out, so we’ve recommended Mewtwo, which has appeared in multiple 5-star raids over the years. Of course, other strong, and more common Psychic-types will do — but Mewtwo is the best.
Next up, a strong Grass-type like Zarude will help you defeat Swampert and Omastar, and many players should have Zarude thanks to its Special Research task. Finally, an Ice-type Pokemon such as Galarian Darmanitan is essential for taking out Torterra if Cliff chooses that Pokemon.
The only Pokemon this team doesn’t cover is Tyranitar. If Cliff sends that one out in phase three, you’ll need a Fighting-type counter like Blaziken, who could fit in nicely with the team as it can easily take on other Pokemon like Bulbasaur and Venusaur as well.
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.
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, defeat Giovanni, and take down Sierra.
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 in September 2022.
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 Pokemon in Pokemon Go | 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 a Ditto: Ditto disguises | Shop: Items list, prices, box changes | How to get Sylveon in Pokemon Go | How to evolve Eevee in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go promo codes
