Pokemon GO Rocket Guide: Team Leader Line-ups & Best Counters (January 2025)

Whether you’re trying to complete research tasks or want to add powerful Shadow Pokemon to your roster, finding and defeating Pokemon GO‘s Team GO Rocket Leaders can be a pain. With the boosted power of shadow Pokemon and ever-changing teams, it’s hard to know what to expect from Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff.

Of course, we have done our research and have provided you with everything you need to know about the Team GO Rocket leaders. Additionally, you can find a list of counter-picks to help deal with those pesky leaders, regardless of which one flies to your neighborhood.

Where To Find Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, & Cliff

Pokemon GO‘s Team Rocket Leaders are elusive, and finding them isn’t as easy as stumbling upon a Team Rocket Grunt. In fact, to spawn a Team GO Rocket Leader, players must first defeat six Rocket Grunts.

Every time you defeat a Rocket Grunt, they will drop a Mysterious Components. Collecting six of these and putting them together will create a Rocket Radar. Grunts will spawn randomly at PokeStops, and a hot air balloon with a Grunt will spawn every six hours, following the player for 20 minutes before it disappears.

Once you have a Rocket Radar equipped, Team GO Rocket Leaders will replace grunts at black PokeStops and in the hot air balloons.

Pokemon GO Rocket Current Sierra Team

Team GO Rocket’s devilish member, Sierra, is as sly on the battlefield as she looks. Her team for January 2025 is as follows:

First Pokemon	Second Pokemon	Third Pokemon
Skorupi Bug/Poison	Sableye Dark/Ghost	Houndoom Dark/Fire
	Steelix Ground/Steel	Nidoqueen Ground/Poison
	Milotic Water	Gardevoir Fairy/Psychic

Best Counters for Team Leader Sierra in Pokemon GO

Sierra is currently rocking a diverse team, but you will likely face at least a few Dark-type and Pyschic-type Pokemon, with the wrinkle of Skorupi as her Bug/Poison starter. Here is a list of some optimal choices when facing the Team Rocket Leader:

Pokemon	Moves
Terrakion	Smack Down Rock Slide
Gengar	Shadow Claw Shadow Ball
Excadrill	Metal Claw Iron Head

Pokemon GO Rocket Current Arlo Team

Arlo is the scorned anime rival of Team GO Rocket, and his powerful Pokemon team proves he can roll with the punches. Aside from the first Pokemon, Arlo isn’t mixing it up too much for January 2025. Here is Arlo’s current team:

First Pokemon	Second Pokemon	Third Pokemon
Alolan Grimer Poison/Dark	Hypno Psychic	Metagross Psychic/Steel
	Charizard Flying/Fire	Scizor Bug/Steel
	Gyarados Flying/Water	Snorlax Normal

Best Counters for Team Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

Team GO Rocket Leader Arlo has a mixed team for the month of January with plenty of different types. While his team may seem unpredictable, prepping for Flying, Psychic, and Poison types will help you be ready for Arlo. Here are a few of the best counters you should put on your team:

Pokemon	Moves
Tyranitar	Bite Brutal Swing
Blaziken	Fire Spin Blast Burn
Excadrill	Mud Slap Drill Run

Pokemon GO Rocket Current Cliff Team

The brawn of Team GO Rocket is none other than Cliff. And to match his chiseled jawline and rock-hard abs, here is his team of tough Pokemon featured during January 2025:

First Pokemon	Second Pokemon	Third Pokemon
Cubone Ground	Venusaur Grass/Poison	Tyranitar Dark/Rock
	Marowak Ground	Obstagoon Dark/Normal
	Aerodactyl Flying/Rock	Crobat Flying/Poison

Best Counters for Team Leader Cliff in Pokemon GO

Cliff’s January 2025 team in Pokemon GO features quite a few Dark-type Pokemon, so make sure you’re equipped to take ’em out. You’re guaranteed to face off against at least one Ground type thanks to the addition of Cubone as his starter, and there are a few potential Flying and Poison types to contend with as well.

To ensure you have your best foot forward, here is a list of the best counters to take into battle:

Pokemon	Moves
Mamoswine	Powder Snow Avalanche
Lucario	Force Palm Aura Sphere
Blaziken	Counter Blast Burn

And that’s everything you need to know about how to beat and counter the Team GO Rocket Leaders for January 2025 in Pokemon GO. We will continue to update this article as their teams change to make sure you’re always prepared for what Pokemon GO throws at you next!

Pokemon GO is available now on mobile devices.

The above article was updated on 1/14/2025 by Amanda Kay Oaks to reflect the current Team Go Rocket Leader line-ups and best counters for January 2025.