How to Beat Arlo in Pokemon Go - Complete Counters Guide

Arlo swapped his opening Pokemon on October 2, when the Harvest Festival: Taken Over event reshuffled every Team GO Rocket Leader. He now leads with Shadow Alolan Grimer instead of Shadow Tyrunt, and that new lead has only one weakness. This guide covers his current team, the best counters for each Shadow Pokemon, and the battle tips that make the fight more consistent.

Arlo's Current Lineup in Pokemon GO (October 2026)

Arlo always opens with Shadow Alolan Grimer. His second and third Pokemon come from a pool of six, split across two slots.

Only the lead changed this month. His back line is the same six Pokemon as before, so your existing counters for slots two and three still work.

If you lose your first attempt, Arlo keeps the same three Pokemon for that encounter. You get a fair rematch with a sharper team before you need a fresh Rocket Radar.

Quick Guide: Arlo Counters at a Glance

Best General Team to Use Against Arlo

If you only want one team that covers most of his combinations, go with this setup:

Good news for returning players: this is the same core team that worked last month. Swampert's Mud Shot now hits the new Grimer lead super effectively too, so the team got even better with the change.

Swampert leads the fight in most cases. Mud Shot charges Hydro Cannon fast, and that lets you burn through Arlo's two shields early. Yveltal picks up Slowbro, Golurk, and Alakazam through Dark type coverage. Charizard exists mainly to punish Scizor, though it can also chip away at Steelix as long as Steelix skips Thunder Fang.

No single trio covers every possible combination perfectly, since Arlo's moveset choices add variance. If you want a broader view of which attackers are worth investing in beyond this fight, our Pokemon GO tier list for 2026 breaks down the strongest options across every type.

Budget Team Option

Countering Shadow Alolan Grimer

Alolan Grimer is Poison and Dark, a rare type combo with just one weakness: Ground. It double resists Psychic moves and also resists Ghost, Dark, Poison, and Grass.

That changes the start of the fight. Psychic attackers like Mewtwo deal very little damage to this lead, so keep them on the bench.

Excadrill stands out here. Its Steel typing double resists Poison moves, so Grimer's Poison attacks barely scratch it. Only Grimer's Dark moves land, and even those are neutral.

Want another Ground attacker? Shadow Incarnate Landorus appears in Shadow Raids on weekends from October 7. Our raid schedule guide covers the dates.

Countering Shadow Slowbro

Slowbro pairs Water and Psychic typing, which leaves it weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass attacks. Dark type Pokemon do double duty here, since they also help against Golurk and Alakazam elsewhere in his lineup.

Yveltal and Hydreigon both hit hard with Dark Pulse or Brutal Swing. If you lack either, Darkrai with Snarl and Dark Pulse fills the same role well.

Countering Shadow Golurk

Golurk mixes Ground and Ghost typing, making it weak to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice, and Water moves. Flying types like Yveltal and Gyarados also work nicely, since they double resist Golurk's Ground moves.

Water attackers such as Gyarados and Greninja (Water Shuriken, Hydro Cannon) chew through Golurk quickly. Keep in mind this Pokemon hits reasonably hard, so do not underestimate it just because it looks slow.

Countering Shadow Steelix

Steelix runs Steel and Ground typing, which means Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water moves all land super effectively. Swampert remains the safest pick here too, since Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon rip through Steelix quickly.

Charizard also works against Steelix, but watch out if Steelix carries Thunder Fang, since that fast move punishes Flying types hard.

Countering Shadow Scizor

Scizor combines Bug and Steel typing, giving it a double weakness to Fire moves. Any solid Fire type attacker handles this Pokemon without much trouble.

Charizard, Talonflame (Incinerate, Flame Charge), Blaziken, and Heatran (Fire Spin, Magma Storm) all melt through Scizor in a couple of charged moves. This is one of the easier matchups in Arlo's entire lineup.

Countering Shadow Alakazam

Alakazam is a pure Psychic type, weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost attacks. Dark type Pokemon resist its Psychic damage outright, which makes Yveltal, Tyranitar, and Hydreigon strong picks again. Origin Giratina with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball is another strong option.

One caution here: Alakazam sometimes carries Focus Blast, a Fighting move that punishes Dark types. Keep a shield in reserve if you are unsure of its moveset.

Countering Shadow Charizard

Charizard pairs Fire and Flying typing, giving it a double weakness to Rock moves alongside standard weaknesses to Electric and Water. Rock type attackers like Rhyperior (Smack Down, Rock Wrecker) and Tyranitar (Smack Down, Stone Edge) end this fight quickly.

Swampert again provides solid coverage if you want fewer switches during the match, and Kyogre works well too if you already own one.

Battle Tips That Actually Make a Difference

A few habits separate players who beat Arlo consistently from those who keep losing Radars.

• Bait shields early. Arlo shields your first two charged attacks regardless of type effectiveness, so lead with a Pokemon that reaches its charged move fast.
• Bench your Psychic attackers for the lead. Alolan Grimer double resists Psychic damage, so a Psychic lead wastes your opening.
• Watch for the pause window. Every switch or charged attack triggers a brief stall before the next move fires. Use that gap to land free fast attacks.
• Do not fear a first loss. If you lose, Arlo keeps the same three Pokemon for that encounter. Come back with sharper counters and try again.
• Diversify your typing. Since his second and third picks rotate, a team built around three different types survives more scenarios.
• Plan your route. Rocket balloons often appear near busy PokeStops, so pairing your Arlo search with raids can make the trip more productive.

How to Find and Battle Arlo

You need six Mysterious Components to build a Rocket Radar, and Grunts drop one each when you defeat them. Once your Radar is ready, equip it and check invaded PokeStops or Team GO Rocket balloons around your area.

The Radar does not guarantee Arlo specifically. You might run into Sierra or Cliff instead, and you can back out of an unwanted Leader encounter without losing your Radar. It only gets used up once you actually win a battle.

During the takeover, which ran until October 5 at 8:00 PM local time, Team GO Rocket appeared more often at PokeStops, and balloons showed up every two hours. Event Field Research also gave Mysterious Components, making Rocket Radars faster to build during the event.

Giovanni works differently now. You no longer unlock him by beating all three Leaders. This month's Super Rocket Radar came from the free GO Pass: Harvest Festival, which our Pokemon GO Pass guide explains in detail.

If you need extra Poke Balls, Revives, or Incubators while farming Rocket battles, a Pokemon GO top up on LDShop can help you restock.

Rewards for Defeating Arlo

Beating Arlo is worth the effort. You typically walk away with:

• 1,000 Stardust
• Three Shadow Shards
• A guaranteed encounter with Shadow Alolan Grimer, including a shiny chance
• Two random item bundles, which can include Revives, Potions, or a Unova Stone
• A 12 km Strange Egg, provided you have open space in your egg storage

Community estimates place the shiny rate for Leader encounters around 1 in 64, though Niantic has never confirmed an official number. Make sure your storage has room before you start the fight, since a full inventory can cost you the Strange Egg reward.

The October 5 Frustration-removal window has ended. If you caught a strong Shadow Alolan Grimer during the event, you can still power it up later, but removing Frustration now requires a future Team GO Rocket event. Big events like the Pokemon Horizons celebration and the 10th anniversary event brought their own bonuses, but a Frustration removal window comes around far less often.

Conclusion

Arlo's new Alolan Grimer lead in Pokemon GO has just one weakness, so a Ground type opener wins the first phase cleanly. Focus on Swampert, Yveltal, and Charizard as your core, then adjust based on which second and third Pokemon actually appear. Keep Psychic attackers out of the lead slot, scout his rotating picks on the first attempt, and Arlo becomes one of the more manageable Leaders in Team GO Rocket.