How to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon Go (April 2025)

If you want to defeat Team Go Rocket Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO, you are in for a challenge, as he continues to be one of the most formidable challenges in the game. His current lineup in April 2025 features tough Shadow Pokemon that demand a strategic counter lineup to beat. Defeating Arlo not only earns you bragging rights but also gives you the opportunity to catch a powerful Shadow Pokemon.

Here’s everything you need to know to defeat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO in April 2025.

Lineup of Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO in April 2025

Arlo’s team always starts with Shadow Alolan Grimer. For the next two phases, he chooses randomly from a pool of six different Shadow Pokemon. Here’s a breakdown of his current team:

Phase 1:

- Shadow Alolan Grimer

Phase 2:

- Shadow Slowbro

- Shadow Gyarados

- Shadow Dugtrio

Phase 3:

- Shadow Alolan Muk

- Shadow Scizor

- Shadow Metagross

This lineup is current as of April 1, 2025, and will remain until the next Team Rocket event update. The most recent takeover occurred during January’s Fashion Week 2025 event.

How to find Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO


To locate Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO, you’ll need to defeat six Team Go Rocket Grunts to collect six Mysterious Components. These can then be assembled into a Rocket Radar. Use the Radar at PokéStops or against Rocket Balloons to find one of the three leaders—Cliff, Sierra, or Arlo. Keep checking until you encounter Arlo specifically.

Best counters for Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

Let’s break down Arlo’s lineup by phase and explore the most effective counters for each possible opponent.

Phase 1: Shadow Alolan Grimer counters

Alolan Grimer is a Poison/Dark-type, vulnerable to Ground-type attacks. Avoid using Poison, Ghost, Grass, Dark, or Psychic moves.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Phase 2: Gyarados, Slowbro, or Dugtrio

Gyarados counters

Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Slowbro counters

Water/Psychic-type; weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Grass, and Ghost.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Dugtrio counters

Ground-type; weak to Grass, Ice, and Water moves.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Phase 3: Alolan Muk, Scizor, or Metagross

Trainers, please note the following change to Might and Mastery's GO Battle League update.

Linoone is no longer able to learn the Charged Attack Trailblaze.#PokemonGO #GOBattlehttps://t.co/8opnmb4Fas pic.twitter.com/2pZ7WJn4Fu

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) March 4, 2025

Alolan Muk counters

Poison/Dark-type, weak to Ground moves.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Scizor counters

Bug/Steel-type with a sole weakness to Fire.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Metagross counters

Steel/Psychic-type, weak to Fire, Ghost, Ground, and Dark.


Counter

Fast Move

Charged Move



Best team to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO in April 2025

Here’s a top-recommended team to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO this month:

- Mamoswine – A powerful Ground-type that handles both Alolan Grimer and Alolan Muk.

- Mega Blaziken – A Fire-type specialist that wipes out Scizor and does well against Metagross.

- Xurkitree – Covers Gyarados and Slowbro with strong Electric moves.

Also read: Pokemon GO Mega Audino raid guide: Best counters, strengths, weaknesses, and more

Alternative picks:

- If you don’t have Mega Blaziken, regular Blaziken or Reshiram work well.

- For Dugtrio, swap in Mega Swampert or Mega Sceptile depending on your resources.

- You can rematch Arlo as many times as needed, so don’t hesitate to tweak your lineup after seeing what he brings.