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

share to other networks share to twitter share to facebook
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
AipomAlakazam, Mismagius, SharpedoScizor, Snorlax, MagnezoneNidoran (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
MachampCounterRock Slide
LucarioCounterAura Sphere, Shadow Ball
ConkeldurrCounterDynamic Punch, Stone Edge
TyranitarSmack DownStone Edge
UrsalunaTackleHigh Horsepower
TerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword
BuzzwoleCounterSuperpower
BreloomCounterClose 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
HydreigonDragon BreathFlash Cannon
LatiasDragon BreathOutrage
TyranitarSmack DownStone Edge
ObstagoonCounterObstruct
GardevoirCharmShadow Ball
DarkraiSnarlDark Pulse
HoopaAstonishShadow Ball
GengarHexShadow Ball
AbsolSnarlPay Back
ChandelureHexShadow Ball
PheromosaBug BiteBug Buzz

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
HydreigonBite, Dragon BreathBrutal Swing, Flash Cannon
BulbasaurDragon TailDragon Claw
TyranitarSmack DownStone Edge
PangoroSnarlNight Slash
SnorlaxLickSuperpower
YveltalSnarlDark Pulse
GengarShadow ClawShadow Ball
ChandelureHexShadow Ball
ZarudeBiteDark Pulse
AbsolSnarlPay 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
VileplumeRazor LeafMoonblast
TorterraRazor LeafStone Edge
MachampCounterRock Slide
LucarioCounterAura Sphere, Shadow Ball
ConkeldurrCounterStone Edge
ZekromCharge BeamFusion Bolt
PheromosaBug BiteBug Buzz
ElectivireThunder ShockWild Charge
TerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword
RoseradeRazor LeafGrass 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.
click to enlarge

Counters for Arlo's third Pokemon

Scizor

Pokémon Fast Move Charged Move
ReshiramFire FangOverheat
DarmanitanFire FangOverheat
MoltresFire SpinOverheat, Fire Blast
BlazikenFire SpinBlaze Kick, Blast Burn
HeatranFire SpinFire Blast, Flamethrower
CharizardFire SpinBlast Burn
EnteiFire SpinOverheat

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.

Snorlax

Pokémon Fast Move Charged Move
MachampCounterClose Combat, Rock Slide
ObstagoonCounterObstruct
ConkeldurrCounterDynamic Punch, Stone Edge
TyranitarSmack DownStone Edge
UrsulunaTackleHigh Horsepower
TerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword
BuzzwoleCounterSuperpower
LucarioCounterAura Sphere
BreloomCounterDynamic 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
RhyperiorMud SlapSurf
RhydonMud SlapSurf
GolurkMud SlapDynamic Punch
SwampertMud ShotEarthquake
StunfiskMud ShotDischarge
GroudonMud ShotPrecipice Blades
LandorusMud ShotEarthquake
GarchompMud ShotEarth Power
ExcadrillMud-SlapEarthquake
BlazikenFire SpinBlast Burn
TerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword

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.

Loading...

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.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Pokémon GO , Pokémon , Only Mobile Gaming , and Guides pages.