How to beat Team GO Rocket Grunts in Pokemon GO in September 2023: Best counters, lineups, and more

A new month is here, and the possibility of reshuffling Team GO Rocket's arsenal weighs heavily on the minds of the Pokemon GO community. However, it appears that Niantic has bigger fish to fry this month with the upcoming Ultra Unlock: Paldea event, which is set to hit the game's live servers starting on September 10, 2023.

Nevertheless, with new players coming to Pokemon GO every month, there are bound to be a select few who would like some helpful tips for taking down Team GO Rocket grunts. Thankfully, fights with these villains are meant to be done by trainers of any level, making them very easy to win with enough game knowledge.

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Tips for countering Team GO Rocket grunts in Pokemon GO

Team Rocket grunts, as seen in Pokemon Origins (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In a move of sheer ego, each Team GO Rocket grunt reveals what type of creatures they will use against Pokemon GO players before the fight begins (via dialogue). Knowing what dialogue correlates to each of the types is fairly easy since the grunts make no effort to hide it. However, it may take some time to match every statement to its type.

Here is a list of what each different grunt can say upon being encountered, as well as what type they are using:

• Are you scared of psychics that use unseen power? (Psychic)
• Battle against my Flying-type Pokemon! (Flying)
• Check out my cute Pokemon! (Fairy)
• Coiled and ready to strike! (Poison)
• Don’t tangle with us! (Grass)
• Do you know how hot Pokemon fire breath can get? (Fire)
• Get ready to be shocked! (Electric)
• Go, my super bug Pokemon! (Bug)
• Ke… ke… ke… ke… ke… ke… (Ghost)
• Let’s rock and roll! (Rock)
• Normal doesn’t mean weak (Normal)
• ROAR! … How’d that sound? (Dragon)
• These waters are treacherous (Water)
• This buff physique isn’t just for show! (Fighting)
• You’ll be defeated into the ground! (Ground)
• You’re no match for my iron will! (Steel)
• You’re gonna be frozen in your tracks (Ice)
• Wherever there is light, there is also shadow (Dark)
• Don’t bother, I’ve already won! (Variety)
• Get ready to be defeated! (Variety)
• Winning is for winners! (Variety)

There are a few notable cases in this list that stray from Pokemon GO's norm of Team GO Rocket grunt fights. For Water-type grunts, the teams differ drastically, depending on whether the enemy is male or female. If the grunt is female, the battle will feature a fairly standard Water-type team. However, a male grunt will use a team of two Magikarp and a Gyarados.

The final three lines on this list can also be spoken by male and female grunts. The team composition differs between genders. The male grunts use various starter Pokemon, while the female grunts use a team of Snorlax and two other creatures.

Overall, a solid grasp of the Pokemon type chart would make dealing with these NPC fights much easier. For example, if you can tell the Team GO Rocket grunt is going to use a team of Fire-type creatures, it would be best to build a team of Water-type picks to ensure victory.