Conquering Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO: A January 2025 Guide
Taking down Pokémon GO's Team GO Rocket Leaders – Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff – is crucial for research tasks and acquiring powerful Shadow Pokémon. Their constantly evolving teams make preparation essential. This guide provides the latest team compositions and optimal counter strategies for January 2025.
Locating Team GO Rocket Leaders
Unlike Grunts, Leaders require a Rocket Radar. Defeat six Grunts to obtain six Mysterious Components, combining them to craft the Radar. Grunts appear randomly at PokéStops; a hot air balloon containing a Grunt spawns every six hours, following you for 20 minutes. The Radar reveals Leaders at darkened PokéStops and in balloons.
Sierra's January 2025 Team & Counters
Sierra's January lineup presents a diverse challenge.
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Skorupi (Bug/Poison) |  Sableye (Dark/Ghost) |  Houndoom (Dark/Fire) |
 Steelix (Ground/Steel) |  Nidoqueen (Ground/Poison) | |
 Milotic (Water) |  Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic) |
Effective counters include:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Terrakion | Smack Down, Rock Slide |
 Gengar | Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball |
 Excadrill | Metal Claw, Iron Head |
Arlo's January 2025 Team & Counters
Arlo's January team features a mix of types.
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Alolan Grimer (Poison/Dark) |  Hypno (Psychic) |  Metagross (Psychic/Steel) |
 Charizard (Flying/Fire) |  Scizor (Bug/Steel) | |
 Gyarados (Flying/Water) |  Snorlax (Normal) |
Prepare for Flying, Psychic, and Poison types. Top counters include:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Tyranitar | Bite, Brutal Swing |
 Blaziken | Fire Spin, Blast Burn |
| Excadrill | Mud Slap, Drill Run |
Cliff's January 2025 Team & Counters
Cliff's January team features several Dark-types, and at least one Ground-type.
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
 Cubone (Ground) |  Venusaur (Grass/Poison) | Tyranitar (Dark/Rock) |
 Marowak (Ground) |  Obstagoon (Dark/Normal) | |
 Aerodactyl (Flying/Rock) |  Crobat (Flying/Poison) |
Prepare for Dark, Ground, Flying, and Poison types. These counters are highly effective:
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
 Mamoswine | Powder Snow, Avalanche |
 Lucario | Force Palm, Aura Sphere |
| Blaziken | Counter, Blast Burn |
This guide will be updated as Team GO Rocket Leader lineups change. Pokémon GO is available on mobile devices. Last updated 1/14/2025.
