Pokemon GO Arlo counters & lineup in May 2024

Pokemon GO Arlo counters & lineup in May 2024
Images via Niantic | The Pokemon Company

Written by 

Ben Williams & Daniel Megarry

Last updated 

1st May 2024 14:34

Contents

Highlights:

  • Arlo sends out Cacnea for the first round; followed by Charizard, Golurk, and Hypno in the second; and Dragonite, Salamance, and Scizor in the third
  • One of the best teams to defeat Arlo is Mamoswine, Darkrai, and Rampardos

Team Rocket Leader Arlo has been a continuously tough boss in Pokemon GO, making it essential to learn his latest lineup and which counters are best to defeat him.

Regularly updated in the Team Rocket Takeover events, each Leader brings to the game a powerful lineup of Shadow Pokemon. Aside from Arlo, there's even Sierra, Cliff, Rocket Grunts, and the boss Giovanni himself who each provide a massive challenge. 

To make things easier for you though, I've got the newest Arlo lineup in this guide alongside the ideal team and movesets to beat each of his lineup as well.

Arlo's current lineup in Pokemon GO

Arlo will always send Cacnea out first, but his second-phase and third-phase Pokemon can be one of three different options, meaning you won't know what you're up against until you're facing them on the battlefield.

Here are all of the potential Shadow Pokemon that Team Rocket Leader Arlo can use:

Pokemon #1 Pokemon #2 Pokemon #3
Cacnea Charizard Dragonite
  Golurk Salamence
  Hypno Scizor

Arlo's lineup was last changed on March 27, 2024, as part of the World of Wonders: Taken Over event. If his team gets shaken up again in the future, I'll keep this page updated.

Best counters to beat Arlo's Cacnea

Cacnea is a Grass-type Pokemon, which means it's vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-type attacks. It shouldn't be too difficult to beat, but it's still worth targeting its weaknesses to speed things up.

Cacnea in Pokemon GO
Click to enlarge

Here are some of the best counters you can use to defeat Cacnea:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Pheromosa Bug Bite & Bug Buzz
Nihilego Poison Jab & Sludge Bomb
Baxcalibur Ice Fang & Blizzard
Galarian Darmanitan Ice Fang & Avalanche
Blaziken Fire Spin & Blast Burn
Charizard Fire Spin & Blast Burn

Best counters to beat Arlo's second Pokemon

Arlo has three potential Pokemon he can send out in phase two of this battle, making it a little harder to plan ahead. You could be up against Charizard, Golurk, or Hypno.

Golurk, Charizard & Hypno in Pokemon GO
Click to enlarge

Charizard counters

Charizard is a Flying/Fire-type Pokemon, which means it's vulnerable to Electric, Rock, and Water-type attacks

Here are some of the top counters you can use to defeat Charizard:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Kyogre Waterfall & Origin Pulse
Terrakion Smack Down & Rock Slide
Rampardos Smack Down & Rock Slide
Rhyperior Smack Down & Rock Wrecker
Greninja Water Shuriken & Hydro Cannon
Gigalith Smack Down & Meteor Beam

Golurk counters

The Ghost/Ground-type Golurk is vulnerable to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, or Water-type attacks. Be careful if using Ghost-type Pokemon, though, as they'll also be vulnerable to Golurk's Ghost-type moves.

Here are some of the best counters you can use to defeat Golurk:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Darkrai Snarl & Dark Pulse
Kyogre Waterfall & Origin Pulse
Hydreigon Bite & Brutal Swing
Greninja Water Shuriken & Hydro Cannon
Mamoswine Powder Snow & Avalanche
Tyranitar Bite & Brutal Swing

Hypno counters

The final Pokemon Arlo can use in phase two is the Psychic-type Hypno, which is vulnerable to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks.

Here are some of the top counters you can use to defeat Hypno:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Darkrai Snarl & Dark Pulse
Pheromosa Bug Bite & Bug Buzz
Giratina (Origin Forme) Shadow Claw & Shadow Force
Hydreigon Bite & Brutal Swing
Tyranitar Bite & Brutal Swing
Gengar Shadow Claw & Shadow Ball

Best counters to beat Cliff's third Pokemon

Arlo has three potential Pokemon he can send out in phase three of this battle, meaning you could be up against Dragonite, Salamence, or Scizor - with the latter being harder to cover with only one weakness.

Salamence, Dragonite & Scizor in Pokemon GO
Click to enlarge

Dragonite counters

As a Flying/Dragon-type Pokemon, Dragonite is vulnerable to Dragon, Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type attacks, with a particular weakness to Ice-type attacks - so focus on those where possible.

Here are some of the best counters to defeat Dragonite:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Articuno Frost Breath & Triple Axel
Galarian Darmanitan Ice Fang & Avalanche
Mamoswine Powder Snow & Avalanche
Glaceon Ice Shard & Avalanche
Weavile Ice Shard & Avalanche
Baxcalibur Ice Fang & Avalanche

Salamence counters

Just like Dragonite, Salamence is a Dragon/Flying-type Pokemon, so it's also weak to Dragon, Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type attacks, with extra vulnerability to Ice-type attacks.

Here are some of the best counters to defeat Salamence:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Articuno Frost Breath & Triple Axel
Galarian Darmanitan Ice Fang & Avalanche
Mamoswine Powder Snow & Avalanche
Glaceon Ice Shard & Avalanche
Weavile Ice Shard & Avalanche
Baxcalibur Ice Fang & Avalanche

Scizor counters

Scizor is extremely vulnerable to Fire-type attacks and nothing else. While this makes it easy to plan for, it does make it difficult to find crossover weaknesses with Arlo's other potential Pokemon.

Here are some of the best counters to defeat Scizor:

Pokemon Best Moveset
Reshiram Fire Fang & Fusion Flare
Moltres Fire Spin & Overheat
Chandelure Fire Spin & Overheat
Darmanitan Fire Fang & Overheat
Blaziken Fire Spin & Blast Burn
Charizard Fire Spin & Blast Burn

What is the best team to defeat Arlo in Pokemon GO?

One of the best teams you can use to defeat Arlo are Mamoswine, Darkrai, and Rampardos. Between them, you'll have coverage against all of Arlo's potential Pokemon - except for Scizor, but I'll get to that later.

Darkrai, Mamoswine & Rampardos in Pokemon GO
Click to enlarge

The most important thing to have on your team is a strong Ice-type like Mamoswine or Galarian Darmanitan. That's because you'll be able to take down Arlo's guaranteed first Pokemon, Cacnea, as well as Golurk, Dragonite, and Salamence if he ends up sending any of those out into battle.

Next up, you'll want a Dark-type Pokemon like Darkrai or Tyranitar. This is important for taking down Hypno, but it's also a great option for defeating Golurk.

You could go with a Ghost-type, but that will be at risk when facing up against Golurk and its Ghost-type attacks.

Finally, I'd recommend a Rock-type Pokemon like Rampardos or Rhyperior. This will be able to defeat Charizard, Dragonite, and Salamence. Of course, you can switch this for a Water-type or whatever suits the lineup you end up facing off against.

As I mentioned before, the only Pokemon not covered by this team is Scizor.

Its only weakness is Fire-type attacks, so if Arlo does send Scizor out into battle, you might need to restart and switch your team up. Go with a strong Fire-type Pokemon like Reshiram or Charizard.

How to find Arlo in Pokemon GO

Before you can battle Arlo, you'll need to defeat six Team GO Rocket Grunts, who will each give you a single Mysterious Component. When all six are combined, you'll get a Rocket Radar that can track Arlo down.

Arlo in Pokemon GO
Click to enlarge

Tap on the Rocket Radar symbol on the map screen and it will show you any nearby hideouts. Visit them and keep your fingers crossed for Arlo! If it's Cliff or Sierra instead, simply leave and try another one.

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Ben Williams
About the author
Ben Williams
Ben is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. Alongside his BA (Hons) in Business Management is a wealth of gaming and entertainment writing experience, having previously occupied roles as a Copywriter in e-commerce at Overclockers and Guides & SEO Writer at GameByte and FragHero. When not whipping up guides and reviews, Ben’ll be off playing the latest Pokemon games, Overwatch 2, Spider-Man, The Witcher, and Final Fantasy - all before reading manga and listening to Ice Nine Kills.
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