The start of 2024 sees Team GO Rocket continue to cause problems for players in Pokémon GO, with Leader Cliff remaining one of the toughest tests in January. One of the three leaders of Team GO Rocket, Cliff, has always provided a tough test since first being introduced into Pokémon GO and can still overpower Trainers who go into battle with him unprepared. If you can beat him, you will earn rewards, including the opportunity to catch a strong shadow Pokémon.
Cliff’s line-up hasn’t changed in Pokémon GO since October 2023, so there won’t be any surprises if you have challenged him in recent months. If you want to go on to challenge Giovanni in January 2024, you will first need to overcome Cliff’s tough squad.
How To Beat Giovanni In Pokémon GO (January 2024)
Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni returns for trainers to face in Pokémon GO with a familiar line-up for January 2024 led by Legendary Shadow Regigigas.
Cliff’s Team In Pokémon GO (January 2024)
| Wave | Cliff’s Pokémon and Types | Weaknesses | Best Pokémon Counters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dratini (Shadow) – Dragon | Dragon, Ice, Fairy |
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| 2 | Slowking (Shadow) – Water & Psychic | Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass |
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| 2 | Cradily (Shadow) – Rock & Grass | Bug, Fighting, Ice, and Steel |
|
| 2 | Gallade (Shadow) – Psychic & Flying | Flying, Ghost, and Fairy |
|
| 3 | Tyranitar (Shadow) – Rock & Dark | Fighting, Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water |
|
| 3 | Mamoswine (Shadow) – Ice & Ground | Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, and Water |
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| 3 | Dusknoir (Shadow) – Ghost | Dark and Ghost |
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Cliff’s line-up in Pokémon GO is the same as last month, with rare Generation 1 Pokémon Dragon-type Dratini always leading the way. He will pick one of three very different options for both of his next two choices, making each battle with Cliff very different. Cliff’s second Pokémon will be one of Water- and Psychic-type Slowking, Psychic- and Flying-type Gallade, or Rock- and Grass-type Cradily. After this, Cliff will pick either Ghost-type Dusknoir, Ice- and Ground-type Mamoswine, or Rock- and Dark-type Tyranitar as his final option.
Best Counters For Cliff In Pokémon GO (January 2024)
With Cliff always starting with Dratini, it is best to lead with a Pokémon that is super effective against it, such as a Dragon-type, Ice-type, or Fairy-type. You should also include a Fighting-type Pokémon in your three. Cradily, Tyranitar, and Mamoswine are all weak to Fighting-type attacks, so using a Fighting-type such as Machamp or Lucario will give you the advantage.
A great third option is to include Gen 1 Ghost-type Gengar. It remains one of the strongest Ghost- types and is super-effective against Slowking, Gallade, and Dusknoir. Cliff is the hardest to beat out of the GO Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO in January 2024, but there are many good options to make this easier.
Pokémon GO
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Platform(s)
- Android , iOS
- Released
- July 6, 2016
- Developer(s)
- The Pokemon Company , Nintendo , Niantic
- Publisher(s)
- Niantic , Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- Augmented Reality , RPG
- ESRB
- E
