Cliff is one of the Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokemon GO. A tough foe, you have a chance to face him after defeating a number of grunts. Wielding a variety of Shadow Pokemon can make beating Cliff an endeavor. Here’s how to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO in the Team GO Rocket Takeover event.
Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff’s Team
As part of the Team GO Rocket Takeover, you need to defeat Cliff, along with Arlo and Sierra, to complete Timed Research.
Cliff’s team starts off with Shadow Larvitar, who is Rock / Ground type. Water, Fighting, Ice, Steel and Grass type Pokemon will be strongest. Ideal Pokemon to have on your team to deal with Larvitar are Roserade, Swampert, Conkeldurr, and Zarude.
The 2nd Pokemon on Cliff’s team can be Kingdra, Sceptile or Skarmory.
- Kingdra is weak to Dragon and Fairy, due to it being a dual Water / Dragon type. Gardevoir and Dragonite would be best.
- Sceptile is a Grass Pokemon, so any Poison, Fire, Flying, Ice or Bug moves will do the trick. Nihilego, Darmanitan, Honchkrow and Chandelure are good to include on your team.
- To counter Skarmory, use Fire or Electric type Pokemon such as Electivire, Darmanitan, Chandelure, or Zekrom.
Image via Niantic
The final Pokemon for Cliff’s team could be Gyarados, Swampert or Tyranitar.
- While Gyarados may seem like it is a Dragon Pokemon, it is in fact a Water / Flying Pokemon, making it extremely weak to Electric moves. It is also weak to Rock types, but that is riskier if it uses a Water type move. Zekrom, Electivire or Rhyperior are good options.
- Swampert is a Water/Ground type, leaving the way wide open for a Grass Pokemon to counter it. Roserade, Zarude, and Kartana would be good to include.
- To give Tyranitar a good thrashing, you will want to utilize a Pokemon that knows any Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, Grass, Bug, or Fairy moves. Conkeldurr, and Pheromosa are good choices for your team.
When creating a team to fight against Cliff, you will want to look at the possible combinations his team could have, as well as the most common weaknesses. Grass and Fire would do the best against more of the opponents, with a more niche Pokemon for your third spot.
You also need to be aware that your first two Charge Attacks will be blocked with a shield. If you do fail, you can always tweak your team and go in for another match.
Rewards for Defeating Cliff
Once you have knocked out all of Cliff’s Pokemon, you will receive 1,000 Stardust, have your Hero Medal leveled up and two of the following:
- 4x Revives
- 2x Max Revives
- 4x Hyper Potions
- 2x Max Potions
- 1x Unova Stone
- 1x 12km Egg
If Cliff was not the last leader you needed to face, you will need to redo the encounter process to face off against Sierra or Arlo. If he was the last leader, you will have the opportunity to take down Giovanni. For help with beating Sierra or other battles, check out our Pokemon GO guides page.
Featured image via Niantic
About the author
