Unless you have a monster team already, you're going to need to know the best Pokemon GO Arlo counters before you pick a fight with him. He's the coolest of the group, but his Pokemon aren't to be underestimated. Taking on Leader Arlo is no easy feat, so you'll want to prepare by powering up some of the Pokemon below.
Read on to train up the best Pokemon you can bring to the fight with Arlo. He, like the rest of the leaders, switches up his team whenever there's a Rocket Takeover event, causing the best counters to switch, too. Once you've trained up a few prime counters, you'll be set for a few months, with many old counters still standing a chance against his future teams.
For more Pokemon GO guides, we have the same for each of the Team GO Rocket leaders, so check out our Cliff counters, Sierra counters, and the best Giovanni counters, too. He's bringing Shadow Registeel to the final battle.
Pokemon Go Leader Arlo team (February 2023)
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nidoran (m) | Crobat, Steelix, Cradily | Charizard, Scizor, Armaldo | Nidoran (M) |
Arlo has rejigged his team for the February 2023 Rocket Takeover event, swapping back to his Nidoran for the first slot. In his second, look forward to Crobat, Steelix, or Cradily. As a last resort, he'll bring out Charizard, Scizor, or Armaldo.
Counters for Arlo's first Pokemon
Nidoran (m)
| Pokémon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo | Confusion | Psychic |
| Alakazam | Confusion | Psychic |
| Espeon | Confusion | Psychic |
| Azelf | Extrasensory | Future Sight |
| Deoxys | Zen Headbutt | Dark Pulse |
There's not much to say about this one. Being a Poison-type Pokemon, just come at it with any of the powerful Psychic or Ground-type creatures you're bringing to the fight. Usual meta picks like Rhyperior and Mewtwo will work just fine.
Counters for Arlo's second Pokemon
Crobat
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
| Rampardos | Smack Down | Rock Slide |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker |
| Tyranitar | Rock Throw | Stone Edge |
| Lycanroc | Rock Throw | Stone Edge |
| Golem | Rock Throw | Stone Edge |
As a Flying/Poison-type Pokemon, Crobat is weak against Flying, Rock, Ice, and Psychic attacks. Assuming it doesn't use a Dark-type move, another Pokemon like Mewtwo will work wonders here. Or just hit it hard with Rhyperior.
Steelix
Steelix won't stand a chance against a good Fire, Ground, or Fighting-type Pokemon. As usual, you'll want a defensive pick to resist its own hard-hitting attacks, but a few saved charge attacks from a Focus Blast Lucario or Dynamic Punch Machamp will do the trick.
Cradily
Cradily has been a pain since the day it made its debut in the third-generation games, and it's still a pain here. Being a Rock/Grass-type Pokemon, its weaknesses are spread thin.
To deal with it effectively, you'll want a Ice-type attack. Thankfully, a classic Ice Beam Mewtwo will work wonders. Failing that, Fighting, Bug, and Steel attacks will work just as well, so Genesect, Lucario, and Machamp are great secondary picks.
Counters for Arlo's third Pokemon
Scizor
While incredibly dangerous given its lightning-fast attacks, Scizor is a very brittle bug.
Its dual Fire-type weakness means having any decent Fire-type Charged Move ready to rock as soon as it comes out will typically knock it out in one go. Moltres is a good answer to this, but Darmanitan (Normal) and Reshiram are two potent Pokémon as well.
Charizard
To make things nice and easy with your Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, Charizard can cap off the fight. It can't do much against your Pokémon, but you can punish its typing with any good Rock moveset. Rampardos, Rhyperior, and Tyranitar are the best for this, but a good Lycanroc or Golem can pitch in as well.
Armaldo
Like Cradily, Armaldo can be a struggle. Its more offense-minded, so you'll want to put it down with some stored Charged Attacks before it tears you apart. Like its other fossil friend, it's weak to Steel-type attacks, making Lucario and Genesect two notable picks. Rock works just as well, so Rhyperior and Rampardos are two good options.
How do I battle Arlo in Pokemon GO?
To challenge Arlo to a battle, you'll first need to defeat six Team Rocket Grunts to collect enough Mysterious Components to build the Rocket Radar. Use that and you'll be able to see the location of a Rocket Leader.
Be warned, though. Battling a Rocket Leader is a different story from taking on their lowly Grunts. Leaders use strong, high-level monsters. Pokemon GO Alro counters are necessary to get the win, but the random nature of his potential team makes choosing your best Pokemon a real struggle.
- Check out: Pokemon GO Vivillon patterns
Using super-effective moves is virtually mandatory, and bringing bulky Pokémon can often be an even better idea than filling your team with powerful attackers that can't take a hit.
For more mobile gaming goodness, check out what we know about Peridot - Niantic's latest AR game. We have a Peridot pre-register guide if you need that, and one on how to walk in Peridot as well.
An earlier version of this guide was published by James Wright.