Conquering Team GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO: A January 2025 Guide

Taking down Pokémon GO's Team GO Rocket Leaders, whether for research or Shadow Pokémon, presents a significant challenge. Their powerful Shadow Pokémon and ever-shifting lineups make predicting their strategies difficult. This guide provides comprehensive information on Sierra, Arlo, and Cliff, including optimal counter-picks for January 2025.

Quick Links:

• Locating Team GO Rocket Leaders: Sierra, Arlo, & Cliff
• Sierra's Current Team & Counters
• Arlo's Current Team & Counters
• Cliff's Current Team & Counters

Finding Team GO Rocket Leaders

Unlike Grunts, encountering Team GO Rocket Leaders requires defeating six Grunts first. Each defeated Grunt yields a Mysterious Component. Six components combine to create a Rocket Radar, which reveals Leaders at darkened PokéStops and in hot air balloons (a Grunt balloon spawns every six hours, lasting 20 minutes).

Sierra's January 2025 Team & Counters

Sierra's January 2025 team is a tricky mix:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
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 2025 team is a varied threat:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
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. Strong 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 2025 team is tough:

Pokémon 1	Pokémon 2	Pokémon 3
Cubone (Ground)	Venusaur (Grass/Poison)	Tyranitar (Dark/Rock)
	Marowak (Ground)	Obstagoon (Dark/Normal)
	Aerodactyl (Flying/Rock)	Crobat (Flying/Poison)

Expect at least one Ground type and potentially Flying and Poison types. These counters are recommended:

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 now on mobile devices. Last updated 1/14/2025.