Pokemon GO Arlo counters, team, and weakness (October 2023)

Arlo in Pokémon GO.

Arlo in Pokémon GO.
October 24, 2023: We've added to our list of Pokemon that counter Arlo's 2023 team.

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.

Pokemon Go Leader Arlo team (October 2023)

First Pokémon
Second Pokémon
Third Pokémon
Reward
Aipom
Alakazam, Mismagius, Sharpedo
Scizor, Snorlax, Magnezone
Nidoran (M)

Arlo last rejigged his team during the June 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

Aipom

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Machamp
Counter
Rock Slide
Lucario
Counter
Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball
Conkeldurr
Counter
Dynamic Punch, Stone Edge
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Ursaluna
Tackle
High Horsepower
Terrakion
Double Kick
Sacred Sword
Buzzwole
Counter
Superpower
Breloom
Counter
Close Combat

There's not much to say about this one. Being a Normal-type Pokemon, just come at it with any of the powerful Fighting or Ground-type creatures you're bringing to the fight. Usual meta picks like Machamp and Lucario will work just fine.

Counters for Arlo's second Pokemon

Alakazam

Pokemon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Hydreigon
Dragon Breath
Flash Cannon
Latias
Dragon Breath
Outrage
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Obstagoon
Counter
Obstruct
Gardevoir
Charm
Shadow Ball
Darkrai
Snarl
Dark Pulse
Hoopa
Astonish
Shadow Ball
Gengar
Hex
Shadow Ball
Absol
Snarl
Pay Back
Chandelure
Hex
Shadow Ball
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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 Hydreigon will work wonders here. Or just hit it hard with Latias.

Mismagius

Pokemon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Hydreigon
Bite, Dragon Breath
Brutal Swing, Flash Cannon
Bulbasaur
Dragon Tail
Dragon Claw
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Pangoro
Snarl
Night Slash
Snorlax
Lick
Superpower
Yveltal
Snarl
Dark Pulse
Gengar
Shadow Claw
Shadow Ball
Chandelure
Hex
Shadow Ball
Zarude
Bite
Dark Pulse
Absol
Snarl
Pay Back

Mismagius won't stand a chance against a good Water, 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 Flash Cannon Hydreigon or Dragon Claw Bulbasaur will do the trick.

Sharpedo

Pokemon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Vileplume
Razor Leaf
Moonblast
Torterra
Razor Leaf
Stone Edge
Machamp
Counter
Rock Slide
Lucario
Counter
Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball
Conkeldurr
Counter
Stone Edge
Zekrom
Charge Beam
Fusion Bolt
Pheromosa
Bug Bite
Bug Buzz
Electivire
Thunder Shock
Wild Charge
Terrakion
Double Kick
Sacred Sword
Roserade
Razor Leaf
Grass Knot

Sharpedo 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 Water-type Pokemon, its weaknesses are spread thin.

To deal with it effectively, you'll want a Grass-type attack. Thankfully, a classic Stone Edge Torterra will work wonders. Failing that, Fighting attacks will work just as well, so Machamp and Lucario are great secondary picks.

Pokemon GO's Arlo.
expand image

Counters for Arlo's third Pokemon

Scizor

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Reshiram
Fire Fang
Overheat
Darmanitan
Fire Fang
Overheat
Moltres
Fire Spin
Overheat, Fire Blast
Blaziken
Fire Spin
Blaze Kick, Blast Burn
Heatran
Fire Spin
Fire Blast, Flamethrower
Charizard
Fire Spin
Blast Burn
Entei
Fire Spin
Overheat

While incredibly dangerous given its lightning-fast attacks, Scizor is a very brittle bug.

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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.

Snorlax

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Machamp
Counter
Close Combat, Rock Slide
Obstagoon
Counter
Obstruct
Conkeldurr
Counter
Dynamic Punch, Stone Edge
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Ursuluna
Tackle
High Horsepower
Terrakion
Double Kick
Sacred Sword
Buzzwole
Counter
Superpower
Lucario
Counter
Aura Sphere
Breloom
Counter
Dynamic Punch

To make things nice and easy with your Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, Snorlax can cap off the fight. It can't do much against your Pokémon, but you can punish its typing with any good Rock moveset. Conkeldurr, Ursuluna, and Tyranitar are the best for this.

Magnezone

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Rhyperior
Mud Slap
Surf
Rhydon
Mud Slap
Surf
Golurk
Mud Slap
Dynamic Punch
Swampert
Mud Shot
Earthquake
Stunfisk
Mud Shot
Discharge
Groudon
Mud Shot
Precipice Blades
Landorus
Mud Shot
Earthquake
Garchomp
Mud Shot
Earth Power
Excadrill
Mud-Slap
Earthquake
Blaziken
Fire Spin
Blast Burn
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Magnezone can be a struggle. It's more offense-minded, so you'll want to put it down with some stored Charged Attacks before it tears you apart. It's weak to Water-type attacks, making Swampert and Stunfisk two notable picks. Rock works just as well, so Rhyperior and Rhydon 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 completely different level of challenge compared to fighting against their lowly Grunts. Leaders use strong, high-level monsters. Pokemon GO Arlo counters are necessary to get the win, but the random nature of his potential team makes choosing your best Pokemon a real struggle.

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 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.

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