NianticTeam Go Rocket Leader Arlo is a difficult opponent to take down in Pokemon Go, and going up against his Shadow squad requires the perfect team. To help out, here are his lineup details, including their weaknesses and best counters as of September 2025.
Players who go up against Team Go Rocket Grunts can collect Mysterious Components to build a Rocket Radar that will lead them to one of the Leaders: Cliff, Sierra, and this guide’s focus, Arlo.
Those who win these fights will get the chance to capture a Shadow Pokemon, which can either be ‘purified’ for a CP boost or left as is with higher attack stats if you’re competitive-minded or looking to master Raid battles.
So, here is Arlo’s current lineup of Pokemon, their weaknesses, and the best counters you can use on your team to defeat them.
Arlo Pokemon Go lineup (September 2025)
Arlo is a tough opponent to beat. Plus, as of September 16, 2025, his lineup has changed following the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over event.
He’ll send out Shadow Wobbuffet first, followed by two of six potential options across phases two and three. Here’s his current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Shadow Wobbuffet
- Phase 2: Shadow Slowbro / Shadow Crobat / Shadow Steelix
- Phase 3: Shadow Alolan Muk / Shadow Scizor / Shadow Alakazam
NianticHow to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
To defeat Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo in Pokemon Go, you’ll need to utilize a variety of different types to counter his Shadow Pokemon. We’ve featured a mix of stronger Legendaries and more common alternatives, so there should be something here to meet every trainer’s needs – and all of them are solid choices.
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Let’s look at the weaknesses of all the Pokemon that Arlo could choose to send out during your battle, and which counters should be used to beat him.
Arlo Pokemon Go counters – Phase 1
DEXERTOWobbuffet counters
Wobbuffet is a pure Psychic-type, which means it’s weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks. It’s also resistant to Fighting and Psychic-type moves, so don’t use those.
Here are some of the best Shadow Wobbuffet counters:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Dawn Wings Necrozma  | Shadow Claw & Moongeist Beam |
Gengar  | Lick & Shadow Ball |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters – Phase 2
DEXERTOSlowbro counters
Slowbro is a dual Water/Psychic-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, Electric, Grass, and Ghost-type attacks. On the other hand, it’s resistant to Fighting, Fire, Ice, Steel, Water, and Psychic-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Slowbro:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Dawn Wings Necrozma | Shadow Claw & Moongeist Beam |
Gengar  | Lick & Shadow Ball |
Crobat counters
Crobat is a dual Poison/Flying-type Pokemon, which makes it weak against Electric, Ice, Psychic, and Rock-type attacks. On the other hand, it’s resistant to Fairy, Ground, Poison, Bug, Fighting, and Grass-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to use against Shadow Crobat:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Alakazam  | Confusion & Psychic |
Electivire  | Thunder Shock & Wild Charge |
Steelix counters
Steelix is a dual Steel/Ground-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water-type attacks. This sturdy creature also boasts a long list of resistances, including Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Normal, Psychic, Steel, Electric, Rock, and Poison-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Steelix:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Primal Groudon  | Mud Shot & Precipice Blades |
Primal Kyogre  | Waterfall & Origin Pulse |
Arlo Pokemon Go counters – Phase 3
DEXERTOAlolan Muk counters
Alolan Muk is a Poison/Dark-type Pokemon, which means it’s only weak to Ground-type attacks and resistant to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Poison, and Psychic-type moves.
Here are some of the top Shadow Alolan Muk counters you can use:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Excadrill  | Mud-Slap & Scorching Sands |
Garchomp  | Mud Shot & Earth Power |
Scizor counters
Scizor is a dual Bug/Steel-type Pokemon, which means its only weakness is Fire-type attacks. It has loads of resistance, including Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Steel, Grass, and Poison-type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Scizor counters you can use:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Blaziken  | Fire Spin & Blast Burn |
Chandelure  | Fire Spin & Overheat |
Alakazam counters
Alakazam is a pure Psychic-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks. This powerful creature is also resistant to Fighting and Psychic-type moves.
Here are some of the best counters to take down Shadow Alakazam:
Pokemon | Best Moveset |
|---|---|
Absol  | Snarl & Brutal Swing |
Dawn Wings Necrozma | Shadow Claw & Moongeist Beam |
Pokemon Go boss guides
For more guides like this, check out our other boss guides (and bookmark them) because we update them each time their lineup changes in the game:
- How to beat Giovanni
- How to beat Leader Sierra
- How to beat Leader Arlo
- How to beat Leader Cliff
- How to beat all Rocket Grunts
Best team to beat Arlo in Pokemon Go
DEXERTOOne of the best teams you can take into battle against Arlo in Pokemon Go right now is the trio of Primal Groudon, Dawn Wings Necrozma, and Charizard.
Between them, they can take down multiple of the Leader’s lineup, depending on what you get.
- You’ll need a strong Fire-type Pokemon on your team like Charizard, Blaziken, or Chandelure to target Steelix and Scizor.
- For Wobbuffet, Slowbro, and Alakazam, a good Ghost or Dark-type Pokemon is required. Our recommendation is Dawn Wings Necrozma, but if you don’t have one, you can go with Gengar, Tyranitar, or even Absol.
- A Ground-type like Primal Groudon or Garchomp can easily take care of Alolan Muk and lend a hand with Steelix, too.
- The trickiest part of facing Arlo’s team is coming across Crobat. If that happens – depending on the Pokemon he uses in Phase 3 – switch your Fire or Ground type for Raikou, Electivire, or Magnezone.
If you’ve only got a few of the creatures on our list – or just don’t have any of our recommendations – our best advice is to take in your strongest Fire, Ghost, and Ground-type Pokemon into battle, to have a chance of winning through sheer force.
Remember that if you lose against Arlo, you’ll be able to challenge him to a rematch as many times as you need until you win. This is ideal when he throws out something you’re not prepared for, as you can rework your team before heading back into battle.
Every Arlo Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty
Ever since Arlo and Team Go Rocket joined Pokemon Go, each boss has had a wide range of party members and Shadow Boss ‘mon. Over the years there have been plenty of Pocket Monsters to fight, including tough opponents like Scizor, Charizard, Magnezone, and more.
So, considering stats, bulk, moveset, and other factors, we’ve made a handy graph explaining just how tough every single one of Arlo’s Shadow Boss Pokemon has been so far – and Registeel remains the most difficult by far:
DEXERTOHow to find Arlo
The only way to track down Arlo is to beat at least six different Team Go Rocket Grunts and earn six different Mysterious Component parts, which combine to assemble a Rocket Radar.
- With a Rocket Radar active, when you encounter Team Go Rocket members either at Poke Stops or by clicking on a Team Go Rocket Balloon, you’ll encounter either Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo.
- Keep clicking on these encounters until you find Arlo.
- Once you’ve found his avatar, you can then battle and defeat Arlo to earn yourself a Shadow Wobbuffet.
That’s everything you need to defeat Leader Arlo in September 2025. For more on all things Pokemon Go, check out our regularly updated Spotlight Hour, events schedule, and current Raid bosses guides. And if you’re brand new to the game, our how to play Pokemon Go guide will get you up to speed.