Using Psychic or Ground types will be your best bet as you move on to the more difficult parts of Cliff’s team. Pokémon So second, you’ve defeated Cliff’s first Pokemon.
PvP and Raid battles are considered regular battles in Pokemon Go, but battles against Team Rocket leaders are the most challenging task for most players. There are three main leaders of the Team Rocket organization, namely Leader Arlo, Sierra, and Cliff. Leader Cliff is a very challenging opponent. His Pokemon line-up to beat the trainers is pretty strong. You can easily guess how challenging he is by looking at his Pokemon lineup in Shadow form.
Similar to the other leaders, Cliff also has three different ranks for battle. If any trainers underestimate Cliff’s potential, they may face the consequences. In his three lineups, he can choose eight different Pokemon. Before starting the battle against Cliff, it is necessary to watch out for his ranks. He could potentially wipe out his opponent with a few moves. So here’s a guide to fighting every Pokemon Cliff.
How to Fight and Beat the Leader’s Cliff
As mentioned above, Cliff has three lineups that include eight different Pokemon, and none of them are weak. For the first round, the Pokemon are Grimmer or Pinsir. He can use Machamp, Electivire, or Omastar for round two, and Tyranitar, Torterra, or Swampert for round three. All of these Pokemon will be in Shadow form, so their damage potential will be higher than normal Pokemon. You have to use the right Pokemon counters to win the battle. So here’s a guide to winning battles.
First Half Counter
You can find Cliff in the Rocket Balloon or Pokestop. Wherever you fight, the ranks will remain the same.
If he chooses Pinsir as his first Pokemon, you’ll need to use a Fire type move. Pinsir is a Bug type, and weak against Rock, Flying, and Fire type moves. Using a Fire type move like Overheat, Fire Spin, or Fire Blast will help you a lot.
Grimer can be your first opponent in battle. It is a Poison type Pokemon and is weak against Ground and Psychic type moves. Mewtwo could be your best Pokemon at clearing the Grimmer, but you don’t have Mewtwo so you can try Groudon Earthquake Move or Mud Shot.
Second Round Counter
If Cliff uses Machamp as the Second Pokemon, then you can try Psychic Pokemon. Machamp is a Fighting type that uses fast moves of the Steel and Fighting type and Dynamic, Cross Chop, Rock Slide, Close Combat, or Heavy Slam while the charger is moving. Watch every charge move, as all of these moves are strong enough to deliver big hits. You can use any Psychic move to defeat Machamp.
Omastar is a Water / Rock type Pokemon that uses Water, Ground, and Rock fast moves. The charging movement is Rock and Water type. You can take advantage of and defeat these dual type Pokemon easily using Grass type Pokemon. Use Torterra, Venusaur, or other strong Grass type Pokemon to win.
If the Electivire shows up, you should be aware of the fast Fighting type moves with the Electric and Ice type charging moves. Electivire cannot damage Ground-type Pokemon easily, so use Rhyperior or Garchomp to take down Electivire.
Third Round Counter
You might face a Tyranitar using Dark and Steel type fast moves and Dark, Rock, and Fire type charger moves in the third round. Tyranitar is a Rock / Dark type Pokemon, so your best choices are Heracross, Lucario, or Machamp.
Swampert can be your opponent in battle. This is a Water / Earth type Pokemon that uses Water and Earth type quick moves and poison, water, and ground-type charge moves. Water / earth type Pokemon are resistant to certain types of attacks, but you can still win if you use Grass type Pokemon. Leafeon, Venusaur, or any other strong Grass type Pokemon will lead you to victory.
The last option left for Cliff is Torterra. This is a Grass / Ground type Pokemon with several powerful moves. Torterra uses fast Grass and Dark moves with Grass, Ground, and Rock type charge moves. This is a dual type Pokemon, so you can double damage it using Ice type moves. Try Ice-type Pokemon like Regice or Articuno to end the battle.
Conclusion
Each Team Rocket Leader has a separate Pokemon lineup for combat. The Shadow Pokemon deals more damage than any Pokemon, so it becomes necessary to muse proper counterattack to win the battle by a decent margin.