How to defeat Arlo in Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket Takeover in June 2023

Pokemon GO's new Team Rocket Takeover is finally here, and with it comes a fresh set of Shadow Pokemon for the villainous Team GO Rocket. As many experienced trainers are aware, this event brings new teams for the crew's four leaders, with one of the hardest to beat being Arlo. Though Cliff and Sierra are also difficult to face, many trainers have the most issues with Arlo.

Though not required, battling Arlo and the two other leaders of Team GO Rocket will yield parts of the Super Rocket Radar, an item needed to fight Giovanni for a chance to catch a Shadow Legendary Pokemon.

With how new Arlo's battle team is, many players who encounter this leader will need to learn what creatures the villain has at his disposal. Thankfully, the teams for every new member of Team GO Rocket have been cataloged.

So, what should players know going into their fight against Arlo?

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Counters for Arlo in Pokemon GO (June 2023)

Aipom as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Like the other leaders of Team GO Rocket, Arlo starts every battle using his Shadow Aipom. This is an unevolved Pokemon, so it should not give experienced battlers too much trouble.

Shadow Aipom is also the reward that players receive when they defeat Arlo in battle.

Aipom is a pure Normal-type creature with very low stats in Pokemon GO, given its status as unevolved. Its position as a Shadow Pokemon also lowers its defense even further. With this being the case, veteran battlers will not need to make special accommodations for battling it, but players should bring a Fighting-type creature like Lucario, just in case.

Sharpedo as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The next phase of this battle will feature either Sharpedo, Alakazam, or Mismagius. If players encounter the first two, it would be wise to bring a Dark-type Pokemon that can take a fair amount of damage. Scrafty is an excellent choice as it fills the role of both a Dark and Fighting-type creature for the stage prior.

Taking down Sharpedo should be the easiest of the three. Its damage output is significantly lower, and it is also somewhat frail.

Of course, Arlo's Sharpedo is made even frailer, thanks to the defense decrease that all Shadow Pocket Monsters in Pokemon GO naturally succumb to when in battle.

Magnezone as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The final stage of the fight will pit players against Arlo's Scizor, Magnezone, or his Banette. Though Banette is the weakest of the bunch, the other two creatures have a much worse bark compared to their bite. Magnezone and Banette lose hard against Scrafty if players choose to bring it, with the only complication coming from Scizor.

Scizor's interesting type combination in Pokemon GO leaves it with a sole weakness to Fire-type attacks. As such, players should bring one creature of the type, just in case. Blaziken, Infernape, and Houndoom are all great choices, thanks to their secondary typings granting them coverage against other opponents in Arlo's possession.