Pokémon Go Team Rocket Grunt counters and lineups (November 2026)
How to beat Team Go Rocket.
Team Go Rocket Grunts are recurring villains in the world of Pokémon Go. 'Villains' might be a bit strong - they’re mostly minor nuisances that either slow down gameplay or give you something to do a couple of times a day, thanks to Team Go Rocket Balloons.
Either way, beating Team Go Rocket Grunts is the first step on your path to collecting Shadow Pokémon - the second-strongest designation in Pokémon Go, after Mega Pokémon - taking down the Team Go Rocket Leaders Arlo, Serra and Cliff, and then taking down the OG himself, Giovanni. Of course, this ignores the new Gigantamax Pokémon, but since they basically exist within their own pocket (monster) dimension, we're going to put them to one side.
On this page, we’ll talk you through each Grunt (there’s a lot of them and they each run different Pokémon), along with some general tips, tricks and everything else you need to be the very best, like Arlo never was…
On this page:
Pokémon Go Team Rocket Grunt Counters and lineups list
The line-up that the Team Go Rocket Grunts pick changes everyone once in a while, meaning that if you’ve not played in a couple of months, the Pokémon that the Grunts throw out against you will likely have changed. While this means that you need to keep checking back to see who is packing what, it also means that the potential rewards are likely to change.
Below, we have a list of the different types of the Team Go Rocket Grunts, and the counters you’ll want to bring to defeat them, as of November 2026. We also have a handy all-rounder recommendation for those who like to keep things simple.
For the sake of ease, click the link below to jump to the Grunt you currently need help with.
| Grunt | Taunt |
|---|---|
| Bug Grunt counters | Go, my super bug Pokémon! |
| Dark Grunt counters | Wherever there is light, there is also shadow. |
| Decoy Grunt counters | In the name of the boss, I’ll destroy you Fooled ya, Twerp |
| Dragon Grunt counters | ROAR! … How’d that sound? |
| Electric Grunt counters | Get ready to be shocked! |
| Expert Grunt counters | Don’t bother, I’ve already won! Get ready to be defeated! Winning is for winners! |
| Fairy Grunt counters | Check out my cute Pokémon! |
| Fighting Grunt counters | This buff physique isn’t just for show! |
| Fire Grunt counters | Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get? |
| Flying Grunt counters | Battle against my Flying-type Pokémon! |
| Grass Grunt counters | Don’t tangle with us! |
| Ground Grunt counters | You’ll be defeated into the ground! |
| Ghost Grunt counters | Ke…ke…ke…ke…ke…ke! |
| Ice Grunt counters | You’re gonna be frozen in your tracks. |
| Normal Grunt counters | Normal doesn’t mean weak. |
| Poison Grunt counters | Coiled and ready to strike! |
| Psychic Grunt counters | Are you scared of psychics that use unseen power? |
| Rock Grunt counters | Let’s rock and roll! |
| Steel Grunt counters | You’re no match for my iron will! |
| Water Grunt counters | These waters are treacherous! |
All-round best Team Go Rocket Grunt counters
If you’re looking for an all-round team that will have you covered in all situations, we have a recommendation for you. However, there are some caveats to be aware of before you commit to this.
This is an expensive route to victory, as it revolves around finding a perfect 15/15/15 Rhyperior, Lucario and Charizard. You then have to max them out and give them a second Charged move each, in order to do maximum damage and give appropriate coverage for anything that Team Go Rocket throws at you.
The upside to this is that you only have to focus on three Pokémon, instead of almost 60. You also don’t have to think, or check the table below every time you come across a new Grunt.
The downside, first and foremost, is that this is very resource intensive, and if one of these Pokémon gets a move change that nukes its viability, or if something better comes along, you have to cut your losses and build a new Pokémon/team.
With that all in mind, our recommendation is as follows:
- Rhyperior with Mud Slap (Ground, Fast), Rock Wrecker (Rock, Charged) and Surf (Water, Charged)
- Mega Charizard with Fire Spin (Fire, Fast), Blast Burn (Fire, Charged) and Dragon Claw (Dragon, Charged)
- Lucario with Counter (Fighting, Fast), Shadow Ball (Ghost, Charged) and Power-up Punch (Fighting, Charged).
You’ll want to lead with Rhyperior and either spam Mud Slap if it is advantageous, or swap into either Charizard or Lucario, depending on the match-up. Remember, swapping Pokémon will afford you a brief delay, as the Grunt stops and considers its life choices (or at least finishes the brief delay programmed into the game).
Lucario’s Power-up Punch is particularly helpful because it is quick to fire off, snowballs as Lucario gets stronger, and causes the same delay as when you changed Pokémon. Shadow Ball is simply coverage.
As for Charizard, more coverage is always great. Plus, the fact that it can be Mega Evolved for a huge attack boost is not to be overlooked. Whether you go X or Y is up to you, but this combo leans more in to the X territory, with its Dragon-type Charged attack.
If you’re looking for something more specific, however, here are our type-based recommendations as of November 2026.
Remember, for each Grunt, there are up to three choices they can make for each of their three Pokémon, leaving you with a lot of different possible options.
Bug Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Go, my super bug Pokémon!
Bug-type weaknesses: Fire, Flying and Rock-type attacks
Bug-type resistances: Ground, Grass and Fighting-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Weedle, Shadow Venonat or Shadow Wimpod
Pokémon 2: Shadow Anorith, Shadow Pinsir or Shadow Dewpider
Pokémon 3: Shadow Vikavolt, Shadow Scizor or Shadow Scolipede
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Weedle, Shadow Venonat, Shadow Wimpod, Shadow Dewpider, Shadow Pinsir or Shadow Anorith. Shadow Pinsir is the way to go here, because, if you Purify it, you'll potentially end up with a powerful candidate for Mega Evolution.
Best counters to the Bug-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Mega Charizard and Moltres are the two obvious candidates. Though you'll want to include either a Water, Rock or Steel-type if you find yourself facing Shuckle. Reshiram would be a good third Pokémon, though you likely won’t need it!
Dark Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Wherever there is light, there is also shadow.
Dark-type weaknesses: Bug, Fairy and Fighting-type attacks
Dark-type resistances: Psychic, Ghost and Dark-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Poochyena, Shadow Alolan Rattata or Shadow Carvanha
Pokémon 2: Shadow Absol, Shadow Sneasel or Shadow Houndour
Pokémon 3: Shadow Liepard or Shadow Hydreigon
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Poochyena, Shadow Alolan Rattata, Shadow Carvanha, Shadow Absol, Shadow Sneasel or Shadow Houndour.
Best counters to the Dark-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Ground-type attackers will be your go to here, so we recommend Groudon and Garchomp to use against everything except the rats. Bring a Fairy or Fighting-type to use against the rats if you want, but they're not going to be that hard to beat if you want to stick to just mono-ground types. A Primal Groudon, for instance, will make incredibly short work of this Grunt.
Decoy Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: In the name of the boss, I’ll destroy you / Fooled ya, Twerp
Decoy-type weaknesses: N/A
Decoy-type resistances: N/A
Pokémon 1: Shadow Bellsprout
Pokémon 2: Shadow Raticate or Shadow Weepinbell
Pokémon 3: Shadow Raticate or Shadow Snorlax
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Bellsprout - this is the only way to catch this Pokémon.
Best counters to the Decoy-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This Grunt is really here for two reasons: the first is to annoy you, the second is to offer you a Shadow Bellsprout. Should you want one (you probably don’t), this is your only chance to get one. Bring your strongest Fire and Fighting-types. Since Shadow Snorlax is such a monster, you might even want to consider triple Fighting. Or, you know, you can skip it and fight something else entirely.
Dragon Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: ROAR! … How’d that sound?
Dragon-type weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy-type attacks
Dragon-type resistances: Water, Grass, Fire and Electric-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Deino, Shadow Noibat or Shadow Axew
Pokémon 2: Shadow Alolan Exeggutor, Shadow Gabite or Shadow Dragonair
Pokémon 3: Shadow Dragonite, Shadow Garchomp or Shadow Salamence
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Deino, Shadow Noibat or Shadow Axew. Of these, Shadow Salamence is pretty powerful, and Mega Salamence is not to be trifled with.
Best counters to the Dragon-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Dragon beats Dragon, but their Dragons will hit harder than your Dragons. Instead, bring your strongest Ice-type attackers - this will be doubly effective against the Flying Dragons, too. We recommend Kyurem, Baxcalibur or Galarian Darmanitan if you have them, or Mamoswine if you’re short on options.
Electric Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Get ready to be shocked!
Electric-type weaknesses: Ground-type attacks
Electric-type resistances: Steel, Flying and Electric-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Voltorb, Shadow Shinx or Shadow Helioptile
Pokémon 2: Shadow Magnemite, Shadow Electabuzz or Shadow Alolan Geodude
Pokémon 3: Shadow Luxray, Shadow Ampharos or Shadow Galvantula
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Voltorb, Shadow Helioptile, Shadow Electabuzz, Shadow Magnemite, Shadow Alolan Geodude or Shadow Shinx. Shadow Electabuzz is the one to catch here, because Shadow Electivire is shockingly good.
Best counters to the Electric-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Triple Garchomp? As a Dragon/Ground-type, it’s super resistant to Electric-type attacks and there’s nothing here that counters it… Failing that, you’re looking at Primal Groudon, Ursaluna or Therian Landorus.
Expert Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Don’t bother, I’ve already won / Get ready to be defeated! / Winning is for winners!
Expert-type weaknesses: N/A
Expert-type resistances: N/A
Like with the Water-type Grunt, the Expert-level grunts come in two flavours: Male and Female. Which one you’re fighting should be fairly obvious…
The Male Grunt uses a mix of Grass, Fire and Water-type Pokémon. The Female is a nightmare that can run the dreaded triple Shadow Snorlax team. Your team will want to change depending on which Grunt you’re up against.
Male Grunt
Pokémon 1: Shadow Bulbasaur, Shadow Charmander or Shadow Squirtle
Pokémon 2: Shadow Ivysaur, Shadow Charmeleon or Shadow Wartortle
Pokémon 3: Shadow Venusaur, Shadow Charizard or Shadow Blastoise
Catchable Pokémon: Whichever Pokémon they used first, which is great because Shadow starters are always exciting! Be it Shadow Bulbasaur, Shadow Charmander or Shadow Squirtle.
Best counters to the Male Expert-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: You’re looking for your strongest Grass, Water and Fire-types here. Mega Evolve one of them and then pick the other two around that. For Fire, you’re looking at Mega Charizard, Reshiram or Heatran. For Water, you’re looking at Primal Kyogre, Palkia or Greninja. For Grass, you’re looking at Mega Sceptile, Kartana or Zarude.
Remember, you can immediately swap to your best counter as the match begins without the first-mover penalty that you get in PVP as Grunts can’t swap Pokémon, and take a minor delay when you do so!
Female Grunt
Pokémon 1: Shadow Snorlax or Shadow Lapras
Pokémon 2: Shadow Gardevoir, Shadow Poliwrath or Shadow Snorlax
Pokémon 3: Shadow Dragonite, Shadow Gyarados or Shadow Snorlax
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Snorlax or Shadow Lapras - this is the only way to catch these Pokémon.
Best counters to the Female Expert-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This is undoubtedly the most difficult Grunt in Pokémon Go, especially when the triple tank match-up comes your way. Ideally, you want your strongest Fighting-type - if you have it, the newly released Mega Lucario is going to be incredible here, otherwise use Sacred Sword Terrakion or your best Counter user - along with a strong Electric-type (Xurkitree ideally) and a strong Ice-type (Kyurem). If you come up across a triple Shadow Snorlax, you will likely want to bring a team of triple Fighting, and make the most of every delay you can bring to the match. Good luck!
Fairy Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Check out my cute Pokémon!
Fairy-type weaknesses: Poison and Steel-type attacks
Fairy-type resistances: Dragon (2x), Fighting, Dark and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Alolan Vulpix, Shadow Ralts or Shadow Snubbull
Pokémon 2: Shadow Kirlia, Shadow Snubbull or Shadow Galarian Weezing
Pokémon 3: Shadow Granbull, Shadow Alolan Ninetails or Shadow Galarian Weezing
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Alolan Vulpix, Shadow Ralts, Shadow Snubbull, Shadow Galarian Weezing or Shadow Kirlia. Shadow Kirlia is the best, since it can Mega Evolve if Purified and, in doing so, give you either a Mega Gallade or Gardevior depending on the Pokémon's gender. Galarian Weezing is also worth catching.
Best counters to the Fairy-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Steel-types will be handy and Metagross will do nicely, as will Poison-types like Nihilego. That said, it's double-weak to Ground and Fire, so a tactical Groudon might be a good idea...
Fighting Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: This buff physique isn’t just for show!
Fighting-type weaknesses: Fairy, Flying and Psychic-type attacks
Fighting-type resistances: Rock, Dark and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Mankey, Shadow Machop or Shadow Timburr
Pokémon 2: Shadow Hitmonlee, Shadow Hitmontop or Shadow Hitmonchan
Pokémon 3: Shadow Conkeldurr, Shadow Annihilape or Shadow Infernape
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Mankey, Shadow Machop, Shadow Timburr, Shadow Hitmonchan, Shadow Hitmontop or Shadow Hitmonlee. Shadow Mankey means you can get your hands on a Shadow Annihilape - it's something of a beater in PVP - and Shadow Machop means Shadow Machamp, and we all know how strong an army of those can be.
Best counters to the Fighting-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Shadow Mewtwo for the win. Beyond that, you should look towards Lunala, Hoopa, Zacian or Xerneas. Mega Rayquaza would also be an easy win.
Fire Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get?
Fire-type weaknesses: Ground, Rock and Water-type attacks
Fire-type resistances: Steel, Ice, Grass, Fire, Fairy and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Ponyta, Shadow Litwick or Shadow Torchic
Pokémon 2: Shadow Blaziken, Shadow Camerupt or Shadow Magmar
Pokémon 3: Shadow Magmortar, Shadow Darmanitan or Shadow Delphox
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Ponyta, Shadow Torchic or Shadow Litwick. Shadow Torchic and Blaziken are the Pokémon you should aim, because as starter Pokémon they're quite strong. Plus, its Mega Evolution will eventually be added to Pokémon Go! Shadow Ponyta is also worth nabbing for your collection.
Best counters to the Fire-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Water is your obvious option - Primal Kyogre will make short work for you, as will Swampert. If you want to go the Rock/Ground route, look towards Rhyperior and Garchomp. Primal Groudon is obviously an option if you have one with Precipice Blades.
Flying Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Battle against my Flying-type Pokémon!
Flying-type weaknesses: Electric, Ice and Rock-type attacks
Flying-type resistances: Ground (2x), Grass, Fighting and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Swablu, Shadow Taillow or Shadow Rookidee
Pokémon 2: Shadow Zubat, Shadow Gligar or Shadow Scyther
Pokémon 3: Shadow Dragonite, Shadow Swanna or Shadow Toucannon
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Swablu, Shadow Gligar, Shadow Taillow, Shadow Scyther, Shadow Zubat or Shadow Rookidee. Shadow Swablu is the one to aim for here as it can evolve into Shadow Altaria, which will give you a Shadow Flying and Dragon-type Pokémon.
Best counters to the Flying-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Nearly everything here is weak to Ice-type attacks, and all but Shadow Gligar and Swanna are weak to Rock-type attacks! This means that it's time to bust out Kyurem and Mamoswine (which covers both bases) - between the two, you should have no problems. The only Pokémon who need to keep an out for is Swanna who is only weak to Electric and Rock-type attacks. Due to this, having a Rock-type in your team covers you for both Gligar and Swanna.
Grass Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Don’t tangle with us!
Grass-type weaknesses: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison-type attacks
Grass-type resistances: Water, Ground, Grass and Electric-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Fomantis, Shadow Phantump or Shadow Tangela
Pokémon 2: Shadow Morelull, Shadow Lileep or Shadow Sceptile
Pokémon 3: Shadow Chesnaught, Shadow Trevenant or Shadow Cradily
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Fomantis, Shadow Phantump, Shadow Morelull, Shadow Tangela or Shadow Phantump. Shadow starters are always the one to hope for, so make sure you grab a Shadow Fomanris so you can evolve it into Shadow Lurantis. It will be a decent addition to your team!
Best counters to the Grass-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: If there was ever an excuse to bust out Mega Charizard, it is this - Grass-type Pokémon are weak to both Fire and Flying, which Charizard has STAB on. Snover is also double-weak to Fire, which is a great bonus. If you need more recommendations, we suggest Reshiram and Heatran for Fire, or Rayquaza and Yveltal for Flying. Just consider adding either an Ice or Steel-type to your team in case you end up facing Cradily or Lileep since they're not weak to Fire-types.
Ground Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: You’ll be defeated into the ground!
Ground-type weaknesses: Grass, Ice and Water-type attacks
Ground-type resistances: Electric, Rock and Poison-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Rhyhorn, Shadow Trapinch or Shadow Gligar
Pokémon 2: Shadow Vibrava, Shadow Claydol or Shadow Gligar
Pokémon 3: Shadow Golurk, Shadow Hippowdon or Shadow Flygon
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Rhyhorn, Shadow Trapinch, Shadow Golurk, Shadow Claydol, Shadow Gligar or Shadow Vibrava. Shadow Trapinch will eventually evolve into Shadow Flygon, which will add another Dragon-type Shadow to your team. Keep an eye out for Shadow Vibrava though as it will speed up your journey to Shadow Flygon since it's the evolution of Shadow Trapinch. You might also find Shadow Claydol useful.
Best counters to the Ground-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: There’s a bit of eclectic mix of secondary types here, meaning that this could be one of the tougher battles for the unprepared trainer. Start with your strongest Grass-type - Kartana or Zarude, ideally. That will work against Sandrew, and Trapinch, and be devastating to Claydol and Golurk.
You'll also want to include an Ice-type to ensure you're prepared to face Shadow Gligar.
Ghost Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Ke…ke…ke…ke…ke…ke!
Ghost-type weaknesses: Dark and Ghost-type attacks
Ghost-type resistances: Normal (2x), Fighting (2x), Poison and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Sandygast, Shadow Yamask or Shadow Duskull
Pokémon 2: Shadow Sableye, Shadow Dusclops or Shadow Cofagrigus
Pokémon 3: Shadow Froslass, Shadow Gengar or Shadow Cofagrigus
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Sandygast, Shadow Yamask, Shadow Duskull, Shadow Sableye or Shadow Cofagrigus.
Best counters to the Ghost-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Ghost beats Ghost, so leave yours at home - the Grunts will hit harder. Dark-types, meanwhile, can be brutal - especially if they know Brutal Swing.
This means that your best bets are likely to be Tyranitar and Hydreigon with the aforementioned attack, especially if your Tyranitar is Mega Evolved. Hoopa Unbound, Darkrai and Yveltal are all excellent options, too.
Ice Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: You’re gonna be frozen in your tracks.
Ice-type weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Rock and Steel-type attacks
Ice-type resistances: Ice-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Seel, Shadow Spheal or Shadow Delibird
Pokémon 2: Shadow Froslass, Shadow Alolan Ninetales or Shadow Sealeo
Pokémon 3: Shadow Aurorus, Shadow Froslass or Shadow Glalie
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Seel, Shadow Spheal or Shadow Delibird. Shadow Spheal is the one you'll want to aim for here, because you can get a Shadow Walrein. Though this is the first time in six years that Shadow Delibird has been available!
Best counters to the Ice-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This is a potentially tough fight, given that there are a lot of strong Pokémon here to contend with. Shadow Froslass is the biggest issue, as its Ghost-typing turns Fighting from a weakness into a resistance. Alolan Ninetales is similarly ambivalent about your Fighting-types, but has a double-weakness to Steel.
Ideally, you want to bring your strongest Fire-type attackers, like Mega Charizard and Reshiram (both neutral to Ice-type attacks), or Heatran (which is resistant to Ice). If you’re hurting for strong Fire-types, you can manage with Steel-types such as Dialga; just leave your Metagross at home because Froslass can quickly wreck it with its Ghost-type attacks.
Normal Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Normal doesn’t mean weak.
Normal-type weaknesses: Fighting-type attacks
Normal-type resistances: Ghost-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Teddiursa, Shadow Hoothoot or Shadow Porygon
Pokémon 2: Shadow Loudred, Shadow Stufful or Shadow Starly
Pokémon 3: Shadow Kangaskhan, Shadow Swellow or Shadow Ursaring
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Stufful, Shadow Teddiursa, Shadow Porygon, Shadow Loudred, Shadow Starly or Shadow Hoothoot. Here you should aim for either Shadow Porygon to ensure you get Shadow variants of its evolutions or Shadow Loudred so you can get a Shadow Exploud.
Best counters to the Normal-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Normal does not mean weak, but it does mean weak to Fighting. This Grunt is basically allergic to gym sweat, and famously folds anything running Counter - Machamp, Mega Lucario and the like. If you have anything with Sacred Sword (Terrakion being the prime example), these will also be useful, but probably not necessary. Though considering how many Flying-types have been added to this Grunts lineup, it's also worth adding an Electric-type to your team.
Poison Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Coiled and ready to strike!
Poison-type weaknesses: Ground and Psychic-type attacks
Poison-type resistances: Poison, Grass, Fighting, Fairy and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Qwilfish, Shadow Oddish or Shadow Zubat
Pokémon 2: Shadow Nidorino, Shadow Nidorina or Shadow Galarian Weezing
Pokémon 3: Shadow Amoonguss, Shadow Weezing or Shadow Toxicroak
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Qwilfish, Shadow Oddish, Shadow Zubat, Shadow Oddish, Shadow Galarian Weezing, Shadow Nidorina or Shadow Nidorino. None of these are great. You may find Shadow Nidorino or Shadow Nidorina useful if you want a Shadow Nidoking or Shadow Nidoqueen, but don't hold out too much hope.
Best counters to the Poison-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This likely won’t be a tough battle for experienced players. For Ground, look towards Rhyperior and Garchomp. Primal Groudon is obviously an option if you have one with Precipice Blades. For Psychic - Mewtwo is the obvious answer, but whichever your strongest Psychic-type is. There are a lot of options here, so you should be fine.
Psychic Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Are you scared of psychics that use unseen power?
Psychic-type weaknesses: Bug, Dark and Ghost-type attacks
Psychic-type resistances: Psychic and Fighting-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Drowzee, Shadow Wobbuffet or Shadow Ralts
Pokémon 2: Shadow Wobbuffet, Shadow Duosion or Shadow Drowzee
Pokémon 3: Shadow Reuniclus, Shadow Gallade or Shadow Malamar
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Drowzee, Shadow Wobbuffet, Shadow Duosion or Shadow Ralts. Ralts is again the way to go here thanks to how it can be evolved into either Gallade or Gardevior - both of which have Mega Evolutions.
Best counters to the Psychic-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Dark and Ghost are your two options here. Look towards Tyranitar or Hydreigon with Brutal Swing for Dark-types, and Lunala, Giratina Origin or Chandelure for Ghost-types.
Rock Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: Let’s rock and roll!
Rock-type weaknesses: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel and Water-type attacks
Rock-type resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying and Fire-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Onix, Shadow Kabuto or Shadow Cranidos
Pokémon 2: Shadow Cranidos, Shadow Shieldon or Shadow Graveler
Pokémon 3: Shadow Golem, Shadow Tyrantrum or Shadow Aurorus
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Onix, Shadow Kabuto and Shadow Cranidos. Out of these I would focus on Shadow Kabuto as it will evolve into Shadow Kabutops even though it's not really a stand out Shadow Pokémon.
Best counters to the Rock-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: The best Rock-type counters are Terrakion, Keldeo and Kartana - the first two with Sacred Sword and Kartana with strong Grass-type attacks. Water-types such as Swampert and Kyogre will also be incredibly helpful here.
Steel Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: You’re no match for my iron will!
Steel-type weaknesses: Fighting, Fire and Ground-type attacks
Steel-type resistances: Poison (2x) Steel, Rock, Psychic, Normal, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fairy, Dragon and Bug-type attacks
Pokémon 1: Shadow Aron, Shadow Alolan Sandshrew or Shadow Beldum
Pokémon 2: Shadow Lairon, Shadow Skarmory or Shadow Metang
Pokémon 3: Shadow Aggron, Shadow Alolan Sandslash or Shadow Probopass
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Alolan Sandshrew, Shadow Beldum and Shadow Aron. Shadow Beldum is the obvious best option as it can be evolved into Shadow Metang and, eventually, Shadow Metagross.
Best counters to the Steel-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: All you really need here are strong Fire and Fighting-type attackers. This means Mega Charizard, Reshiram or Heatran for Fire, and Terrakion, Keldeo or Lucario for Fighting.
Water Grunt counters and lineup
Taunt: These waters are treacherous
Water-type weaknesses: Electric and Grass-type attacks
Water-type resistances: Water, Steel, Ice and Fire-type attacks
This Grunt is a little different in that there are two versions: Male and Female.
Male Grunt
Pokémon 1: Shadow Magikarp
Pokémon 2: Shadow Magikarp
Pokémon 3: Shadow Magikarp or Shadow Gyarados
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Magikarp - this is the only way to catch this Pokémon. Shadow Gyarados is a strong Shadow Water-type too.
Best counters to the Male Water-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Electric-types for the win, so bring Xurkitree, Zekrom or Therian Thunderus for a quick and easy win. Remember, the quicker you beat this grunt, the more Premier Balls you get!
Female Grunt
Pokémon 1: Shadow Krabby, Shadow Tentacool or Shadow Mudkip
Pokémon 2: Shadow Sharpedo, Shadow Dewpider or Shadow Swampert
Pokémon 3: Shadow Greninja, Shadow Walrein or Shadow Tentacruel
Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Mudkip, Shadow Tentacool, or Shadow Krabby. Here you'll want to aim for Shadow Mudkip. Not only are starter Pokémon typically quite strong in Pokémon Go, but evolving Shadow Mudkip will eventually lead to Shadow Swampert. As any good Pokémon Go player will tell you, Swampert is not a Pokémon you'll want to skip and it's Shadow variant will be even stronger.
Best counters to the Female Water-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Unlike the Male Grunt, this one knows what it is doing… Electric-types are helpful once again, but Shadow Whiscash is there to throw a spanner in the works. It is resistant to Electric but double-weak to Grass.
So, we’re looking at an Electric-type, a Grass-type and then a spare, bringing your strongest backup. Again, Xurkitree, Zekrom or Therian Thunderus will be your primary attackers here. For Grass, you’re looking at Kartana ideally, or Zarude or Sky Shaymin failing that.
General tips for battling Team Go Rocket Grunts
If you’ve never battled Team Go Rocket before, don’t worry, it’s a fairly simple path to victory, nine times out of ten.
You simply need to identify which Grunt you’re facing, pick the right team to counter their team, and then destroy them with the callous silence employed by Red back in the day.
How to beat Team Go Rocket Grunts
The act of battling Team Go Rocket is fairly simple. Pick three Pokémon for 1-on-1 battles, as you would in PVP, accounting for their types above. Be aware that some Grunts will pick dual-type Pokémon, like a Water-Steel type to counter your Grass-type counters! Check our suggested counters at the top of the page if you need help!
What follows is a level-matched battle; you don’t need to worry about Level 50 Counters if you’re just starting out. Simply tap the screen to attack and build up energy for your Charged move at the bottom of the screen. Once the gauge is full, hit the Charged move button and follow the on-screen prompts, based on the move’s type.
You both start the match with two Shields. If the opposing Pokémon is using a Charged move, you will be given an option to use one of your remaining Shields. Despite having them, Grunts never use their Shields.
So, should you use yours? Absolutely! There is no drawback to using a shield, and you get fewer Premier Balls after the battle if your Pokémon faint, so always use a shield if given the option.
It’s also worth noting that Grunts suffer a brief cooldown after a Charged move or when you change Pokémon, during which time they can’t attack. Use that information to your advantage!
Team Go Rocket Grunt rewards
For winning a battle against a Team Go Rocket Grunt, you'll be rewarded with:
- 500 Stardust
- 1 Mysterious Component - Collecting six creates a Rocket Radar, which allows you to battle a Team Go Rocket Leader.
- Premier Balls - Exact number based off how many of your Pokémon are left standing at the end of the battle and your Hero Medal rank.
- Shadow Pokémon encounter
- Hero Medal progress
Good luck battling Team Rocket Grunts in Pokémon Go!