Recent events have changed the teams of several Team Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO, including Arlo, whose roster of Pokémon can be difficult to beat. Ever since the Fashion Week: Taken Over event, Arlo's team has dropped and added some new . If you can make some adjustments to your team, you can still counter each of Arlo's allies to secure victory for several rewards.

If you want to face Giovanni in Pokémon GO, you have to defeat all of Team Rocket's Leaders - Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra. These Leaders can be found using the Rocket Radar, a device you build using Mysterious Components dropped by defeated Team Rocket Grunts. By defeating six different Grunt trainers, you can make the Radar that points you to a Leader, with Arlo having a 33% chance of appearing.

Arlo's Lineup & Counters (February 2025)

Learn Type Match-Ups For Regional Variants

Arlo only uses Shadow Pokémon, a trait shared among all Team Rocket trainers. Shadow versions of Pokémon are much stronger than the normal pocket monsters you may be used to, with higher stats and attacks that deal more damage. Unlike other battles, you have a stronger need to counter Arlo's team due to its added power.

There are three waves of Pokémon you have to fight through to beat Arlo, as his team is organized in a very specific way. Arlo will always use the same Pokémon in the first wave, but the second and third waves pick one Pokémon out of three choices​​​​​. As such, it can be difficult to figure out what counters you need to bring to be prepared for every possible option.

Similar to the Battle Leagues in Pokémon GO, you need a balanced selection of counters against various types. Unlike Grunts, Arlo uses a variety of Pokémon that don't adhere to one type. The table below outlines which Pokémon Arlo could use, what type they are, and what counters are best against them based on various weaknesses:

One of the strongest teams you could assemble against Arlo would be:

• Swampert
• Charizard
• Magnezone

The Ground and Water typings of Swampert make it perfect against Arlo, as it can directly target the Team Rocket Leader's Alolan Grimer and Muk. These two Pokémon take super-effective damage from Ground-type moves, which Swampert can deliver with extra damage thanks to its S.T.A.B. (Same Type Attack Bonus). At the same time, Swampert also counters Dugtrio with Water-type moves that will wash it away.

Another good reason to use Swampert is because it has resistance against other Water-type moves. This will help you prepare for any of Arlo's Pokemon during the second wave.

Charizard is a powerful Fire/Flying Pokémon who can counter Metagross better than other Fire-types in Pokémon GO​​​​​. This is because Metagross has Earthquake, which can be a devastating attack against Fire-types normally weak to the Ground-type move, but not Charizard. Charizard also counters Scizor easily, while Magnezone has great Electric-type moves to take out Gyarados and Slowbro with equal brevity.

Rewards For Beating Arlo (February 2025)

Gain Multiple Items Through Bundles

You gain 1,000 Stardust for beating Arlo right away when the battle is over. You are also immediately given a chance to catch Arlo's Alolan Grimer due to its status as a Shadow Pokémon. This encounter takes place right when the fight ends, where the Alolan Grimer has a 1 in 64 chance to be a Shiny variant in Pokémon GO.

Fighting Arlo, or any of the Team Rocket Leaders, multiple times will give you the highest chance of getting a Shiny version of their Wave 1 Pokémon. Try to catch one quickly before the Team Rocket Leader teams change in future events.

Defeating Arlo will give you two different item bundles, which can contain a variety of different rewards. You will always gain a 12km Strange Egg for Arlo's defeat, but this item will only be added to your inventory if you have an available Egg Slot. The other rewards from these item bundles could include:

• 1x Unova Stone
• 4x Revives
• 2x Max Revives
• 4x Hyper Potions
• 2x Max Potions

The more useful items you receive, the better gear you'll have to take on other Team Rocket leadership. Alternatively, those who beat Arlo in Pokémon GO for February 2025 can also challenge the same Leader again, either for more rewards or another chance to get a Shiny variant of the criminal's Shadow Pokemon.