Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Niantic, Niantic Labs, pokemon, pokemon go, Team GO Rocket

Arlo Battle Guide For Pokémon GO Players: February 2021

The Team GO Rocket Leaders of Pokémon GO have new Shadow Pokémon on their teams. Here is everything you need to know about Team GO Rocket Leader Arlo, including his entire line-up, the best counters, and which of his Pokémon you can catch Shiny.

Arlo's current line-up in Pokémon GO consists of:

• Slot One: Beldum
• Slot Two: Gardevoir, Infernape, Aggron
• Slot Three: Armaldo, Salamence, Scizor

Counters for each of his possible Pokémon include:

• Beldum: Now, this is a tough one. Beldum has better outright counters than the one I'm about to mention, because it is weak to both Fire- and Ghost-types. However, for the purpose of defeating Arlo's Beldum while it has two shields, you want something that will take the shields and down without taking damage, even if it's doing neutral damage rather than Super Effective damage. Go in with Scizor (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor)
• Gardevoir: Metagross (Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash), Chandelure (Hex, Shadow Ball)
• Infernape: Swampert (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon), Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)
• Aggron: Lucario (Counter, Power-up Punch), Conkeldurr (Counter, Dynamic Punch)
• Armaldo: Swampert (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon), Rampardos (Smack Down, Rock Slide)
• Salamence: Mamoswine (Ice Shard, Avalanche), Weavile (Ice Shard, Avalanche)
• Scizor: Reshiram (Fire Fang, Overheat), Chandelure (Fire Spin, Overheat)

Now, picking a team to go against these Rockets can be difficult. Normally, your best bet when deciding on a go-to team is to examine the possible Pokémon for shared weaknesses and to approach them with counters that will deal out the most damage, let off quickly charging attacks, and take the least amount of damage. Arlo, though, has a set of Pokémon with very few overlapping weaknesses. Thankfully, with the exception of Gardevoir, these shouldn't be too much of a problem and will go down with neutral damage if you pick the right team. The absolute biggest priority is speed for Charged Attacks, which is why Lucario, Swampert, Scizor, and Melmetal get such use in these battles.

I recommend:

• Chandelure (Hex, Shadow Ball, Overheat), Scizor (Fury Cutter, X-Scissor), Mewtwo (Confusion, Psystrike)

If you are able to unlock third moves, you can create coverage against Arlo's Pokémon. In some cases, it's optional. In this, you may find it necessary.

Finally, three tips that are essential to keep in mind when fighting Team GO Rocket Leaders. These tips can be used when fighting Grunts as well.

• Switch Out: Notice in the above-suggested line-up that the Pokémon in Slot One is not the ideal counter for Arlo's Slot One Shadow. This is because you must start the battle with the "Switch Out" method. Put your counter to Arlo's Beldum in the second or third slot and, as soon as the battle begins, switch to that Pokémon. This switch will freeze Arlo up for a moment, allowing you to deal damage without taking damage. He will freeze after every switch and also after every Charged Attack. Utilizing this freeze is essential to defeating these powerful Shadows.
• Power Up: Shadow Pokémon are incredibly powerful and will hit harder than most. Your best bet, beyond going in with top counters with their ideal move sets, is to completely power up your Pokémon. It may take a lot of Stardust, but the difference between a maxed out (to Level 40 of course, I know Candy XL is rare!) counter and a lower-level counter may just win you the battle.
• Get the Shields Down: You may have another Pokémon that you prefer to your Scizor as your Beldum counter, but keep in mind… Arlo has two shields. You want, first and foremost, a Pokémon that will be able to charge up their Charged Attacks quickly so that Arlo's shields can be taken down and real damage can be done.

Arlo's current Pokémon that can be caught as a Shiny Shadow is Beldum. The rate of Shiny Shadow Pokémon has not yet been determined by researchers.

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