Cliff is one of the hardest team Go Rocket leaders to beat in Pokemon Go. He has a wide variety of Pokémon at his disposal, and he can be tough to predict. Beating this leader will have some great rewards and you will get a Shadow Larvitar after victory.
In this article, we will walk you through the best Pokemon to have in your team for each of Cliff’s choices in the three waves and the best moves to use for each. Be sure to read through.
Cliff’s Lineup July 2023
Cliff’s lineup in July 2023 is a tough one for Pokemon Go trainers around the world. His first choice is guaranteed to be Shadow Larvitar after which he will remain with two other selections from a team of six other shadow Pokemon.
Here is his lineup for July 2023.
| Pokemon #1 | Shadow Aerodactyl |  |
| Pokemon #2 | Shadow Slowking, Shadow Gallade, or Shadow Cradily. |    |
| Pokemon #3 | Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Mamoswine, or Shadow Dusknoir. |    |
Pokemon #1
As stated earlier, Cliff’s first selection will always be Shadow Aerodactyl.
Shadow Aerodactyl Best Counters
In Pokémon GO, Shadow Aerodactyl is a Rock and Flying type Pokémon. It has a maximum CP of 3147 with the following stats: 221 ATK, 159 DEF, and 190 STA.
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charge Move |
| Kyogre (Primal) | Waterfall | Origin Pulse |
| Swampert | Water Gun | Hydro Cannon |
| Excadrill | Metal Claw | Drill Run |
| Tyranitar | Bite | Brutal Swing |
| Kingler | Metal Claw | Crabhammer |
| Raikou | Thunder Shock | Wild Charge |
Pokemon #2
Cliff’s next choice will be either Shadow Slowking / Shadow Gallade / Shadow Cradily. We will give you the best counters for every of the above since his choice isn’t certain.
Shadow Slowking Best Counters
In Pokémon GO, Shadow Slowking is a Water and Psychic type Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, it has a maximum CP of 2877 with the following stats: 177 ATK, 180 DEF, and 216 STA.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves ( Charge) |
| Pheromosa | Bug Bite | Focus Blast |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock | Discharge |
| Kartana | Razor Leaf | Leaf Blade |
| Gengar | Lick | Shadow Ball |
| Groudon (Primal) | Dragon Tail | Precipice Blades |
| Volcarona | Bug Bite | Overheat |
Shadow Gallade Counters
Sceptile is a Grass type Pokemon which is weak to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison-type moves. Its resistance are Electric, Ground, Water and Grass-type attacks.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves (Charge) |
| Gengar | Lick | Shadow Ball |
| Giratina (Origin Forme) | Dragon Tail | Shadow Force |
| Chandelure | Incinerate | Overheat |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock | Discharge |
| Honchkrow | Peck | Sky Attack |
| Mewtwo | Confusion | Psystrike |
Shadow Cradily Counters
Shadow Cradily is a Rock & Roll artist. In Pokémon GO, grass-type Pokémon exist. In Pokémon GO, it has a maximum CP of 2499 with the following stats: 152 ATK, 194 DEF, and 200 STA.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves (Charge) |
| Pheromosa | Bug Bite | Focus Blast |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock | Discharge |
| Lucario | Counter | Aura Sphere |
| Darmanitan | Fire Fang | Overheat |
| Terrakion | Double Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Breloom | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
Pokemon #3
Cliff’s last choice will be either any of the following Pokemon’s Shadow Tyranitar, Shadow Mamoswine, or Shadow Dusknoir.
Shadow Tyranitar Counters
In Pokémon GO, Shadow Tyranitar is a Rock and Dark type Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, it has a maximum CP of 4335 with the following stats: 251 ATK, 207 DEF, and 225 STA.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves (Charge) |
| Terrakion | Double Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Xurkitree | Thunder Shock | Discharge |
| Keldeo | Low Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Lucario | Counter | Aura Sphere |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker |
| Magnezone | Spark | Wild Charge |
Shadow Mamoswine Counters
In Pokémon GO, Shadow Mamoswine is an Ice and Ground type Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, it has a maximum CP of 3763 with the following stats: 247 ATK, 146 DEF, and 242 STA.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves (Charge) |
| Terrakion | Double Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Kyogre (Primal) | Waterfall | Origin Pulse |
| Kartana | Razor Leaf | Leaf Blade |
| Venusaur | Vine Whip | Solar Beam |
| Breloom | Bullet Seed | Grass Knot |
| Roserade | Bullet Seed | Solar Beam |
Shadow Dusknoir Counters
In Pokémon GO, Shadow Dusknoir is a Ghost type Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, it has a maximum CP of 2700 and the following stats: 180 ATK, 254 DEF, and 128 STA.
| Pokemon | Moves (Fast) | Moves (Charge) |
| Breloom | Poison Jab | Zap Cannon |
| Chandelure | Fire Spin | Shadow Ball |
| Darkrai | Feint Attack | Shadow Ball |
| Kartana | Razor Leaf | Leaf Blade |
| Machamp | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
| Gengar | Lick | Shadow Ball |
Best team to defeat Cliff Rocket Leader in Pokemon Go
One of the best teams to use to defeat Cliff include Tyranitar, Magnezone and Torterra.
Tyranitar is an excellent choice against Skarmory, Kingdra and Gyarados due to him being a superior Dark and Rock-type Pokemon. The best charge moves to use include Stone Edge and Crunch moves.
Torterra is a good choice against Larvitar and Swampert as they are weak to grass-type moves and Torterra’s fast-charging moves will do a great deal of damage to the rest of Cliff’s team.
Magnezone is a great choice for Kingdra, Skarmory and Gyarados. He is an essential member of your team you do not want to miss.
Congratulations for making it till the end! Be sure to check out our other guides on how to defeat other Team Rocket Leaders.