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Cliff Lineup & Counters Guide — Pokémon GO (July 2025)
Defeat Team GO Rocket Leader Cliff during the Crown Clash: Taken Over event in July 2025. Get full details on his Shadow Pokémon lineup, the best counters, and reward breakdown.
📅 Updated: July 2025
✍️ By: Zeroghan, Pokémon GO Hub
🚨 Cliff’s Pokémon Lineup (July 2025)
| Slot | Shadow Pokémon |
|---|---|
| #1 | Shadow Gible |
| #2 | Shadow Skarmory / Honchkrow / Annihilape |
| #3 | Shadow Machamp / Tyranitar / Luxray |
🔥 Best Pokémon to Counter Cliff
Top general picks for Cliff’s team:
- Mamoswine – Excellent for Gible, Honchkrow, Luxray, and Tyranitar.
- Primarina – Great all-rounder vs Honchkrow, Annihilape, Machamp, Tyranitar, and Skarmory.
- Mega Rayquaza – High neutral damage makes it a multi-use beast (except against Skarmory).
- Reshiram – Best answer to Skarmory.
- Excadrill – Handles Luxray and Tyranitar.
- Therian Thundurus – Clears Skarmory and Honchkrow.
- Gardevoir – Triple Axel boosted Charm melts Machamp and Annihilape.
💡 Shields should be burned early. Start with a fast-charging Pokémon like Mamoswine or Gardevoir.
1️⃣ Shadow Gible Counters (Dragon/Ground)
Double weak to Ice. Start with Ice-types to pressure shields and deal massive damage.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mamoswine | Powder Snow, Icicle Spear |
| Baxcalibur | Ice Fang, Dragon Claw |
| Glaceon | Ice Shard, Avalanche |
| Weavile | Ice Shard, Triple Axel |
| Mega Garchomp | Dragon Tail, Sand Tomb |
2️⃣ Middle Pokémon Counters
🛡️ Shadow Skarmory (Steel/Flying)
Weak to Electric and Fire
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Reshiram | Fire Fang, Fusion Flare |
| Heatran | Fire Spin, Magma Storm |
| Magnezone | Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
| Electivire | Thunder Shock, Wild Charge |
| Mega Salamence | Fire Fang, Fly |
| Thundurus-T | Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
👻 Shadow Annihilape (Ghost/Fighting)
Weak to Fairy, Flying, Ghost, Psychic
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
| Primarina | Charm, Disarming Voice |
| Mega Alakazam | Confusion, Psychic |
| Dawn Wings Necrozma | Psycho Cut, Moongeist Beam |
| Mega Gengar | Lick, Shadow Ball |
🦅 Shadow Honchkrow (Dark/Flying)
Weak to Electric, Fairy, Ice, Rock
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mamoswine | Powder Snow, Icicle Spear |
| Primarina | Charm, Disarming Voice |
| Magnezone | Volt Switch, Wild Charge |
| Thundurus-T | Volt Switch, Wildbolt Storm |
| Gardevoir | Charm, Triple Axel |
| Terrakion | Smack Down, Rock Slide |
3️⃣ Final Pokémon Counters
🥊 Shadow Machamp (Fighting)
Weak to Fairy, Flying, Psychic
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mega Rayquaza | Air Slash, Dragon Ascent |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut, Psystrike |
| Gardevoir | Confusion, Psychic |
| Mega Alakazam | Confusion, Psychic |
| Mega Gallade | Confusion, Psychic |
| Mega Latios | Zen Headbutt, Psychic |
🪨 Shadow Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)
Weak to Fighting (x2), also weak to Fairy, Bug, Grass, Water, Ground, Steel
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm / Counter, Aura Sphere |
| Terrakion | Double Kick, Sacred Sword |
| Conkeldurr | Counter, Dynamic Punch |
| Shadow Machamp | Counter, Dynamic Punch |
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall, Origin Pulse |
| Kyogre | Waterfall, Origin Pulse |
⚡ Shadow Luxray (Electric)
Weak only to Ground
| Pokémon | Moveset |
|---|---|
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot, Precipice Blades |
| Shadow Garchomp | Mud Shot, Earth Power |
| Excadrill | Mud-Slap, Drill Run |
| Swampert | Mud Shot, Earthquake |
| Flygon | Sand Attack, Scorching Sands |
| Rhyperior | Mud-Slap, Earthquake |
📍 How to Find Cliff
- Defeat 6 Rocket Grunts to collect Mysterious Components.
- Assemble a Rocket Radar.
- Use it to locate a random Rocket Leader (Cliff, Arlo, or Sierra).
- Look for Rocket Leader icons at PokéStops.
- If it’s Cliff, prepare your counters. You can rematch if you lose. Radar is only consumed on victory.
🎁 Cliff Battle Rewards
| Type | Reward |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed | 1000 Stardust |
| Random | Two of the following: |
| – 4× Revives or 2× Max Revives | |
| – 4× Hyper Potions or 2× Max Potions | |
| – 1× Unova Stone | |
| – 1× 12km Strange Egg (if space) |
🔹 Defeating Cliff lets you catch his first Pokémon (Shadow Gible).
🔹 Shiny chance: 1 in 64 if eligible.
🔹 Strange Egg replaces a bundle only if you have an open egg slot.
✅ Summary
- Start with Mamoswine or Baxcalibur for Gible.
- Bring Primarina, Mega Rayquaza, or Thundurus-T for flexible middle-phase counters.
- Use Lucario, Terrakion, or Excadrill to finish off Machamp, Tyranitar, or Luxray.
- Rewards include Shadow Pokémon, 12km Eggs, and premium items.
🔗 Also check the Arlo Guide →
Stay strong, Trainer. Cliff may be tough, but you’re tougher.
