How to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO (May 2025) – Full lineup, phases, best counters, and more

Team GO Rocket Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO remains one of the toughest opponents. Defeating his shadow squad requires careful team preparation. Winning these battles gives you a chance to capture his shadow Pokemon, which can be purified for a CP boost or kept as powerful attackers for raids and PvP.

Below is Leader Arlo's current lineup, their weaknesses, and the best counters to defeat them.

Pokemon GO Leader Arlo lineup (May 2025)

Arlo has been challenging trainers since 2019 and always starts with Shadow Alolan Grimer, followed by two of six possible options. His current lineup is:

Leader Arlo Phase 1:

- Shadow Alolan Grimer

Phase 2 (one of the following):

- Shadow Slowbro

- Shadow Gyarados

- Shadow Dugtrio

Phase 3 (one of the following):

- Shadow Alolan Muk

- Shadow Scizor

- Shadow Metagross

How to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

To find Arlo, defeat Team Go Rocket Grunts at PokeStops to assemble a Rocket Radar. This will randomly lead you to Arlo, Cliff, or Sierra. Below are the best counters for each of Arlo’s possible Pokemon.

Counter for Phase 1 of Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

Arlo always starts with Shadow Alolan Grimer, a Poison/Dark-type.

Weaknesses:

- Ground

Resistances:

- Poison, Ghost, Grass, Dark, Psychic

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Counter for Phase 2 of Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

Arlo’s second phase can feature Gyarados, Slowbro, or Dugtrio.

Gyarados counters (Water/Flying)

Weaknesses:

- Electric, Rock

Resistances:

- Ground, Bug, Fighting, Fire, Steel, Water

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Slowbro counters (Water/Psychic)

Weaknesses:

- Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, Grass

Resistances:

- Fighting, Fire, Ice, Steel, Water, Psychic

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Dugtrio counters (Ground)

Weaknesses:

- Grass, Ice, Water

Resistances:

- Poison, Rock, Electric

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Counter for Phase 3 of Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO

Leader Arlo’s final phase can feature Alolan Muk, Scizor, or Metagross.

Alolan muk counters (Poison/Dark)

Weaknesses:

- Ground

Resistances:

- Dark, Ghost, Grass, Poison, Psychic

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Scizor counters (Bug/Steel)

Weaknesses:

- Fire

Resistances:

- Grass, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Steel

Best counters:

Here’s your table formatted clearly:

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move




Metagross counters (Steel/Psychic)

Weaknesses:

- Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ground

Resistances:

- Poison, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel

Best counters:


Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move



Best team to beat Leader Arlo in Pokemon GO (May

A strong team to counter Leader Arlo’s lineup includes:

1. Mamoswine (for Alolan Grimer & Alolan Muk)

2. Mega Blaziken (for Scizor & Metagross)

3. Xurkitree (for Gyarados & Slowbro)

If you encounter Dugtrio, replace Xurkitree with Mega Sceptile or Mega Swampert. Since you can rematch Arlo until you win, adjust your team if needed before trying again.

Also read: Pokemon GO Shadow Raid boss schedule (May 2025)

Stay updated for changes after the May 14, 2025 event!