How to Beat Cliff in Pokemon GO (February 2025)

Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff is back in Pokemon GO, and taking him down isn’t as simple as battling regular bosses. The key to winning these battles is knowing what Pokemon you’ll face and having the right counters ready. Our handy guide breaks down everything about facing Cliff – from finding him to choosing the best Pokemon for each possible matchup.

Leader Cliff Pokemon Lineup (February 2025)

As of February 2025, the Pokemon GO Cliff Boss fight comprises three phases, each featuring a different boss Pokemon. The initial phase showcases the shadow form of the Pokemon Cubone.

In phase two, depending on luck and your opponent, you’ll encounter a random variant of Shadow Machoke / Shadow Annihilape / Shadow Marowak. After defeating these two Pokemon, you’ll face the final boss, the shadow variant of Shadow Machamp / Shadow Crobat / Shadow Tyranitar. Here are the Pokemon GO leader Cliff bosses:

How to Beat Cliff in Pokemon GO

You must beat the current Pokemon lineup in-game to beat Cliff in Pokemon GO. Here’s how to win against all the Pokemon in each phase.

Cliff Phase 1: Shadow Cubone Counters

Shadow Cubone might be small, but don’t underestimate it. As a Normal-type, it has a significant weakness to Fighting-type moves – taking double damage from them. This makes Fighting-type Pokemon your best choice for the first phase. Hence, the best Leader Cliff phase 1 counters are:

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Lucario		Force Palm	Aura Sphere
Terrakion		Double Kick	Sacred Sword
Conkeldurr		Counter	Dynamic Punch
Pheromosa		Low Kick	Focus Blast
Machamp		Counter	Dynamic Punch

These Pokemon are the perfect to bring over. Once you defeat him, it is time for the second phase of the fight.

Cliff Phase 2: Shadow Machoke / Shadow Annihilape / Shadow Marowak Counters

In the second boss fight, you can fight between either a Shadow Machoke, Shadow Annihilape, or Shadow Marowak. Here are some counters for each of these Pokemon:

Shadow Machoke Counters

When facing Shadow Machoke, you’re dealing with a Fighting-type that can be surprisingly tough. The good news is that it has several weaknesses you can exploit. Flying and Psychic-type moves work well:

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Rayquaza		Air Slash	Dragon Ascent
Mewtwo		Psycho Cut	Psystrike
Charizard		Fire Spin	Blast Burn
Reshiram		Fire Fang	Fusion Flare
Heatran		Fire Spin	Magma Storm

Shadow Annihilape Counters

Shadow Annihilape can be tricky due to its Fighting/Ghost typing giving it several weaknesses to work with. Flying-type moves are particularly effective, and Psychic-type attacks can also damage significantly.

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Rayquaza		Air Slash	Dragon Ascent
Necrozma		Psycho Cut	Moongeist Beam
Mewtwo		Psycho Cut	Psystrike
Reshiram		Fire Fang	Fusion Flare

Shadow Marowak Counters

Marowak is a Ground-type Pokemon. As such, their weakness includes Grass, Ice, and Water-type Pokemon. Hence, tap into its weakness and bring any Pokemon belonging to these elements. Alternatively, the best Shadow Gallade counters are:

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Sceptile		Bullet Seed	Frenzy Plant
Roserade		Razor Leaf	Solar Beam
Kartana		Razor Leaf	Leaf Blade
Mamoswine		Powder Snow	Avalanche

Once either of these three Pokemon is defeated, we move to the final phase of the Cliff boss fight in Pokemon GO.

Cliff Phase 3: Shadow Machamp, Shadow Crobat, Shadow Tyranitar Counters

The final boss fight will make you fight between a SShadow Machamp, Shadow Crobat or Shadow Tyranitar As such, here are some counters for each of these Pokemon:

Shadow Tyranitar

Tyraanitaar is a Rock/Dark-type Pokemon. Hence, they are weak to Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type attacks. So, you can either bring in a strong Pokemon belonging to these elements or bring these Pokemon to the fight:

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Lucario		Force Palm	Aura Sphere
Conkeldurr		Counter	Dynamic Punch
Terrakion		Double Kick	Sacred Sword
Mega Gardevoir		Charm	Dazzling Gleam

Shadow Machamp

Shadow Machamp is a fighting type that makes it extremely vulnerable to Psychic-type moves. Focus on Pokemon with strong Psychic-type moves or fairy-type moves that can maintain consistent damage output.

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mega Rayquaza		Air Slash	Dragon Ascent
Mewtwo		Psycho Cut	Psystrike
Reshiram		Fire Fang	Fusion Flare
Heatran		Fire Spin	Magma Storm

Shadow Crobat

Crobat is a Poison/Flying-type Pokemon. Hence, they are weak against Psychic, Electric, Rock, and Ice-type attacks. So, either bring a strong Pokemon belonging to these elements or bring these three Pokemon:

Pokemon	Image	Fast Move	Charged Move
Mewtwo		Psycho Cut	Psystrike
Darmanitan (Galarian Zen)		Ice Fang	Avalanche
Hoopa (Unbound)		Confusion	Psychic
Mega Tyranitar		Smack Down	Stone Edge
Mega Alakazam		Psycho Cut	Psychic

Where to Find Cliff in Pokemon GO

Finding Cliff requires some preparation. First, you need to defeat six Team GO Rocket Grunts to collect their Mysterious Components. Once you have all six, they’ll automatically combine to form a Rocket Radar. After activating the Radar, check nearby PokeStops or wait for Team GO Rocket balloons – you have a 1/3 chance of encountering Cliff instead of the other leaders.

Rewards for Defeating Cliff in Pokemon GO

Taking down Cliff gives you several valuable rewards:

• 1,000 Stardust
• A chance to catch Shadow Galarian Zigzagoon (with a 1/64 shiny rate)
• Two random reward bundles from:
  • 4 Revives
  • 2 Max Revives
  • 4 Hyper Potions
  • 2 Max Potions
  • 1 Unova Stone
  • 1 Strange Egg (12km)

That is how you defeat Leader Cliff in Pokemon GO. I hope you can track down this boss with these tips and have a great time beating him. In the comments below, let me know if you’ve found and fought Cliff.