Pokémon Go Team Rocket Leaders rewards and counters (May 2026)

Arlo counters and line-up in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find the line up for Arlo in Pokémon Go currently running in May 2026.

Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:

Here's who we recommend to counter each of Arlo's Pokémon:

• Slot 1: Strongest Fire-type, such as Charizard, Blaziken, Blacephalon, Delphox, Heatran or Reshiram.
• Slot 2: Strongest Water-type, such as Swampert, Kyogre, Quaquaval, Greninja or Shadow Kingler.
• Slot 3: Strongest Dark-type, such as Hydreigon, Darkrai or Origin Giratina.

The above recommendation will serve you well for a scouting match against Arlo. You may have to refine it to properly defeat him, but it should only involve switching out one Pokémon.

Pineco is weak to Fire, Flying and Rock-type Pokémon. Personally, I would go with a Fire-type since this is the best type for taking care of Bugs like Pineco. Your chosen Fire-type will also come in handy if Arlo uses Scizor as his final Pokémon. Just make sure you switch it out when Arlo uses his second Pokémon! Ideal Fire-type Pokémon are Charizard, Blaziken, Blacephalon, Delphox, Heatran or Reshiram.

For your second Pokémon, I highly recommend selecting your strongest Water-type Pokémon. Both Steelix and Gigalith are weak to this type, so it will cover two of Arlo's possible choices. It will also come in handy if Alro has chosen Charizard as his third Pokémon. If Water doesn't work out for you, then consider switching to a Ground-type as, again, Steelix and Gigalith are also weak to this type.

The best choice to cover both of these types is Swampert. Otherwise my recommendations for Water-types are Kyogre, Quaquaval, Greninja or Shadow Kingler. For Ground-types, meanwhile, consider using Rhyperior, Garchomp or Rhydon.

For the final third slot I recommend a Dark-type Pokémon. This will cover you for both Slowbro in the second slot and Alakazam in the third. My recommendations for your chosen Dark-type Pokémon include Hydreigon, Darkrai or Origin Giratina. You could also use Tyranitar against Alakazam, but it would be weak to Slowbro's Water-type attacks.

If Alro picks Charizard, then you can continue using the Water-type from your second slot. If he picks Scizor, then return to using your Fire-type choice as this is the only type Scizor is weak to. Either way, it's worth considering using another Pokémon as a damage sponge to avoid knocking out your chosen counter if you don't have any shields left.

Cliff counters and line-up in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find the line up for Cliff in Pokémon Go currently running in May 2026.

Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:

Here's who we recommend to counter each of Cliff's Pokémon:

• Slot 1: Strongest Fighting-type Pokémon, ideally Mega Lucario. Other counters include Lucario, Machamp, Terrakion and Keldeo Resolute Form.
• Slot 2: Strongest Ghost or Steel-type. For Ghost, use Dawn Wings Necrozma, Gengar (Shadow) or Chandelure (Shadow). For Steel, use either Crowned Sword Zacian, Crowned Shield Zamazaenta, Dusk Mane Necrozma or Metagross
• Slot 3: Strongest Water-type, such as Primal or Shadow Kyogre, Quaquaval, Swampert (Shadow), Primarina or Kingler (Shadow). A Fairy-type if facing Gallade.

As you can see, the main issue with Cliff's team is that Shadow Snorlax ties you into using a Fighting-type for your first slot. Thankfully, there's a bit more freedom after that!

For slot one, you must have a Fighting-type since it's Shadow Snorlax's only weakness. The trick to defeating Shadow Snorlax - a historically tough Mon - is to use Fast Moves which quickly fill in the Charged Attack metre, so you can force Cliff to use his shields. If Shadow Snorlax is still alive after that, then one Charged Attack should take it out.

The ideal counter for fighting Shadow Snorlax is Mega Lucario. If you don't have this Mega though, you can also use normal Lucario, Machamp, Terrakion or Keldeo Resolute Form.

For slot two, choose either your strongest Ghost or Steel-type Pokémon. Gardevoir and Golurk are weak to Ghost-types, while both Galarian Weezing and Gardevoir are weak to Steel. This way you're always covered for two Pokémon and, though you might have to change Pokémon, you'll always have a Gardevoir counter ready to go.

For Ghost-types, Dawn Wings Necrozma, Shadow Gengar and Shadow Chandelure will all work well. Ideal Steel-type choices include Crowned Sword Zacian, Crowned Shield Zamazaenta, Dusk Mane Necrozma or Metagross.

Finally, select a Water-type for your third slot. This will give you a counter for both Camerupt and Tyranitar. I recommend selecting either Primal or Shadow Kyogre, Quaquaval, Shadow Swampert, Primarina or Shadow Kingler. If Cliff has selected Gallde and you need to fight him again, then change this Pokémon to another strong Fairy-type.

Sierra counters and line-up in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find the line up for Sierra in Pokémon Go currently running in May 2026.

Remember - the first Pokémon is always the same, and is the one you'll be given the chance to catch if you win. The rest are randomly selected from a pool of three:

Here's who we recommend to counter each of Sierra's Pokémon:

• Slot 1: Strongest Dark-type, such as Absol, Darkrai, Tyranitar or Hisuian Zoroark.
• Slot 2: Strongest Electric-type, such as Zekrom, Regieleki or Xurkitree. Strongest Ice-type if facing Flygon, such as White or Black Kyurem, Mamoswine or Baxcalibur.
• Slot 3: Mega Lucario or Lucario. Can also use other strong Fighting-types like Blaziken (Shadow), Resolute Forme Keldeo or Terrakion.

The only change to Sierra's lineup is Duskull. So, if you had a preferred counter selection for her previous team, you only need to change the Pokémon in your first slot. Outside of this, it's worth remembering that my recommendations above work well for scouting matches. Depending on the Pokémon you face, you may have to change one or two.

Personally, I would have a strong Dark-type in your first slot for Duskull. Sure Duskull is weak to both Ghost and Dark-types, but using a Ghost-type puts you at risk of taking super effective damage from Duskull's own attacks. The ideal Dark-type counters include Absol, Darkrai, Tyranitar and Hisuian Zoroark.

For Slot 2, choose your strongest Electric-type Pokémon. This will cover you for facing Blastoise and Milotic if Sierra choose it for her Pokémon. For Electric-types, your best choices are Shadow Raikou, Regieleki, Xurkitree, Shadow Zapdos or Zekrom. While you can choose an Grass-type, keep in mind that it will be weak to Houndoom if Sierra picks that for her third Pokémon.

If Sierra chooses Flygon though, then you'll need a strong Ice-type. (Seriously, it will freeze Flygon to death nice and quickly!). The best choice for an Ice-type is either White or Black Kyurem. If you don't have these Pokémon though, then Mamoswine or Baxcalibur are also strong picks.

Finally, for Slot 3 it's best to go with a strong Fighting-type as both Houndoom and Steelix are weak to this team. The obivious choice for this Fighting-type is Mega Lucario or just normal Lucario. You could also use Terrakion, Resolute Forme Keldeo or Shadow Blaziken.

The Steeled Resolve event is currently running and has seen the release of Orthworm! There's a lot to do in Pokémon Go outside of the current event! From the Go Battle League, Remote Trading, PokéStop Showcase, Routes and Max Battles. Don't forget to catch rare Pokémon while you're at it.

Team Go Rocket Leader rewards

Defeating a Team Go Rocket Leader will grant you:

• 1,000 Stardust.
• x1 red 'strange' 12km egg (if you have an open space in your Egg inventory).
• x1 Max Revive, Revive, Max Potion, Unova Stone, or Sinnoh Stone.
• Encounter with one of the leader's Shadow Pokémon.

Currently, you get the chance to catch Duskull if you beat Sierra, Pineco for beating Arlo, and Snorlax for besting Cliff. There's also a chance that these Shadow Pokémon could be shiny!

To catch these Shadow Pokémon, you'll receive a base number of five Premier Balls. Bonus Poké Balls are rewarded depending on several factors, including:

• How many of your Pokémon survive the Trainer Battle
• Your Purify Pokémon (Purifier) medal rank
• Your Defeat Team Rocket (Hero) medal rank

Team Go Rocket Leaders strategies

The Team Rocket Leader battles are tough, so a brute force strategy won't always work. Instead, consider the following strategies:

• Since you need to lean on countering with types, it's best to go in with a prepared team with strong counters.
• A Leader's line-up will be somewhat unique for that encounter - it's made of a small selection of creatures, so you can't exactly be sure which Pokémon you'll be facing. You might have to face them once to learn their line-up, then change yours to counter it.
• Leaders will always use their two shields for your first two Charged moves, which will be followed by a two-second delay before they can attack. This same delay occurs when you switch Pokémon. Ideally, this means your lead Pokémon must be strong enough to survive long enough to deliver two Charged moves, and do so as fast as possible, so you can then deal out damage properly. For example, Melmetal is a good candidate for this.
• To take further advantage of that two-second delay, you could always put your leading Pokémon (i.e. the one you want to use first in the battle) in the second slot then, once the battle begins, immediately switch over to it. This will allow you to get some easy free hits in right at the beginning of the battle! Since a Leader's first Pokémon is typically their weakest, this helps ensure you have two healthy Pokémon ready for the harder late-game moments of the battle.
• You can face a Leader as many times as you like, so don't worry if you lose the first time!

Ultimately, victory depends on your ability to create a team that takes advantage of as many of the Team GO Rocket Leader's team's weaknesses as possible, so having a wide roster of Pokémon available will help you form flexible teams.

Good luck hunting down those evil Team GO Rocket leaders!