The leaders of Team GO Rocket are a surprisingly tough bunch and often require a curated team if you want to win. Cliff is no different and has a nasty team that can wipe the floor with you if you’re not prepared. If you’re stumped, here are our Pokemon GO: Cliff Counters for February 2024.
How to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO February 2024
Cliff is a menace, with several powerful Pokemon in his arsenal. Fortunately, this Team GO Rocket leader’s team isn’t completely random, and his first Pokemon is always the same. Cliff’s 2nd and 3rd Pokemon can change but are always selected from the same small pool. Here’s what you’re up against:
1st Pokemon
- Zubat
2nd Pokemon
- Aerodactyl
- Gallade
- Kingdra
Final Pokemon
- Cradily
- Crobat
- Tyranitar
How to beat Zubat
As we always know what Cliff’s first Pokemon will be, we can front-load our team with a solid counter. Zubat is weak to Electric, Rock, Ice, and Psychic attacks, so we have plenty of options.
I like using Mamoswine to deal with Zubat as it’s a solid counter with its Ice typing. Mamoswine can also check some of Cliff’s other Pokemon, although this is down to luck.
If you don’t have a decent Ice Pokemon, you can lean into an Electric type like Magnezone or even Jolteon. If you have a type advantage against Zubat, you’ll make short work of Cliff’s first pick.
How to beat Cliff’s 2nd Pokemon
With Zubat out of the way, Cliff will bring Aerodactyl, Gallade, or Kingdra. This and Cliff’s final Pokemon are random, but if you lose, these will remain the same, so you can plan accordingly.
Cliff’s 2nd Pokemon can be a bit of a nightmare as they all have different counters. The only crossover is Kingdra and Gallade’s weakness to Fairy attacks.
Gardevoir is a great choice here, and it’ll make short work of Kingdra and Gallade with moves like Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
Aerodactyl is weak to Ice, Electric, Rock, and Water. If you brought an Ice or Electric type to deal with Zubat, you can use it against Aerodactyl, too. Metagross is another great choice as it’s bulky and has solid Steel moves like Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash, which may help with Cliff’s 3rd Pokemon, too.
How to beat Cliff’s Final Pokemon
Cliff can bring out Cradily, Crobat, or Tyranitar as his last Pokemon. Like before, there’s no universal option for dealing with all of them, but there is some overlap. Cradily and Crobat are both weak to Ice. Tyranitar and Cradily are countered by Fighting, Bug, and Steel.
If you brought an Ice Type to deal with Zubat, it can do a ton of work against Cradily and Crobat. Lucario or Metagross also has a ton of utility and will make short work of Tyranitar and Crobat.
Much like the other Team Rocket Leaders, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the fight. Still, you know what can potentially show up, and as long as you open with an Ice or Electric type, you’re off to a good start.
If you lose against Cliff, don’t despair, as he will keep the same team for your rematch, making him a much easier opponent. Good luck, Trainer.
Whether you’re a new Trainer or log in every day, there’s always an event to look forward to. Check out our extensive guide to every event, which we update every month.
