To defeat the Rocket Boss Cliff in Pokémon GO, you should use appropriate counters. We at MeinMMO have looked at which monsters Cliff has in his team in May 2025 and how you can best defeat them.
Who is Cliff? Together with Arlo and Sierra, Cliff is one of the Team GO Rocket bosses in Pokémon GO. With a complete Rocket Radar, you have the opportunity to face him. Below, we have summarized the following points for you:
- Rocket Boss Cliff – Current Teams
- The best counters to defeat Cliff
- How to find Cliff
- Is it worth battling Cliff?
Rocket Boss Cliff – Current Teams in May 2025
Which Pokémon does Cliff use? To defeat Cliff quickly, you should first familiarize yourself with the monsters he will use in battle. Like any Rocket battle, he will use three Pokémon. He can choose from a total of 7 different monsters, which we have listed below:
| Position | Pokémon |
| First Pokémon | Kaumalat |
| Second Pokémon | Kramshef Epitaff Panzaeron |
| Third Pokémon | Luxtra Despotar Machomei |
If you click on our link in the table above, you will get the best counters against the Pokémon set by Cliff directly.
The best counters to defeat Cliff
Once you have found Cliff, you can start the battle. However, you should think about which monsters are effective against Cliff’s teams beforehand. We have summarized strong counters against Cliff for you.
Defeating Kaumalat – Best Counters against the 1st Pokémon
How to defeat Kaumalat: Kaumalat is a Ground and Dragon-type Pokémon. Therefore, you should focus on attacks of the types Dragon, Ice, and Fairy, as the Pokémon has a weakness here.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| (Crypto-)Mamutel | Pulverschnee and Lawine |
| Glaziola | Eisesodem and Lawine |
| (Crypto-)Rexblisar | Pulverschnee and Meteorologe |
| (Crypto-)Snibunna | Eissplitter and Dreifach-Axel |
| Togekiss | Charme and Zauberschein |
You can also use one of the following Mega Evolutions:
- Mega-Guardevoir with Charme and Zauberschein
- Mega-Knakrack with Drachenrute and Wutanfall
Defeating Kramshef, Epitaff, and Knogga – Best Counters against the 2nd Pokémon
How to defeat Kramshef: Kramshef is a Dark-Flying Pokémon from the 4th generation of games. To defeat it quickly, you should ideally focus on Fairy, Electric, Ice, and Rock-type attacks.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| (Crypto-)Rihornior | Katapult and Felswerfer |
| (Crypto-)Despotar | Katapult and Steinkante |
| Togekiss | Charme and Zauberschein |
| (Crypto-)Mamutel | Pulverschnee and Lawine |
| (Crypto-)Elevoltek | Donnerschock and Stromstoß |
| Glaziola | Eisesodem and Lawine |
You can also use one of the following Mega Evolutions:
- Mega-Despotar with Katapult and Steinkante
- Mega-Guardevoir with Charme and Dreifach-Axel
How to defeat Epitaff: Epitaff has the types Fighting and Ghost. It is therefore vulnerable to attacks of the types Fairy, Flying, Ghost, and Psychic. So focus especially on attacks from these types.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| (Crypto-)Mewtu | Psychoklinge and Psychostoß |
| Rayquaza | Luftschnitt and Zenitstürmer |
| (Crypto-)Simsala | Konfusion and Psychokinese |
| (Crypto-)Lugia | Sondersensor and Luftstoß+ |
| Necrozma (Morgenschwinge) | Psychostoß and Schattenstrahl |
You can also use the following Mega Evolutions against Epitaff:
- Mega-Rayquaza with Luftschnitt and Zenitstürmer
- Mega-Guardevoir with Konfusion and Psychokinese
- Mega-Simsala with Konfusion and Psychokinese
- Mega-Gengar with Schlecker and Spukball
How to defeat Panzaeron: Panzaeron is a Steel-Flying Pokémon from the 2nd generation of games. Due to its type, it is weak against Electric and Fire attacks.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| Flampivian | Feuerzahn and Hitzekoller |
| Elevoltek | Donnerschock and Stromstoß |
| Voltolos | Voltwechsel and Donnerblitz |
| Flamara | Feuerwirbel and Feuersturm |
| Entei | Feuerwirbel and Nitroladung |
Additionally, the following Mega Evolutions are suitable:
- Mega-Brutalanda with Feuerzahn and Fliegen
- Mega-Glurak with Feuerwirbel and Feuersturm
- Mega-Lohgock with Feuerwirbel and Hitzekoller
Defeating Luxtra, Despotar, and Machomei – Best Counters against the 3rd Pokémon
How to defeat Luxtra: The Electric Pokémon Luxtra is weak against Ground attacks, so you should use those in battle.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| (Crypto-)Knakrack | Lehmschuss and Erdkräfte |
| (Crypto-)Groudon | Lehmschuss and Abgrundsklinge |
| (Crypto-)Rihornior | Lehmschuss and Erdbeben |
| (Crypto-)Stalobor | Lehmschuss and Schlagbohrer |
| (Crypto-)Sumpex | Lehmschuss and Erdbeben |
Additionally, the following Mega Evolutions are suitable:
- Mega-Knakrack with Lehmschuss and Erdkräfte
- Proto-Groudon with Lehmschuss and Abgrundsklinge
How to defeat Despotar: Despotar is the final evolution of Larvitar. It belongs to the types Rock and Dark. In battle, you should primarily focus on Fighting-type attacks, as Despotar has a double weakness here. It is also weak against Grass, Water, Ground, Bug, Steel, and Fairy attacks.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| Terrakium | Doppelkick and Sanctoklinge |
| Lucario | Kraftwelle and Aurasphäre |
| (Crypto-)Meistagrif | Konter and Wuchtschlag |
| (Crypto-)Machomei | Konter and Wuchtschlag |
| Schabelle | Fußkick and Fokusstoß |
Additionally, the following Mega Evolutions are suitable against Despotar:
- Mega-Lucario with Kraftwelle and Aurasphäre
- Mega-Skaraborn with Konter and Nahkampf
- Mega-Lohgock with Konter and Fokusstoß
How to defeat Machomei: Machomei is the evolution of Maschock. It is a Fighting Pokémon, so you should focus on attacks of the types Fairy, Flying, and Psychic.
| Pokémon | Moveset |
| (Crypto-)Mewtu | Psychoklinge and Psychostoß |
| Rayquaza | Luftschnitt and Zenitstürmer |
| (Crypto-)Simsala | Konfusion and Psychokinese |
| (Crypto-)Lugia | Sondersensor and Luftstoß+ |
| Cupidos | Feenbrise and Fliegen |
| (Crypto-)Latios | Zen-Kopfstoß and Psychokinese |
Additionally, the following Mega Evolutions are suitable:
- Mega-Rayquaza with Luftschnitt and Zenitstürmer
- Mega-Guardevoir with Konfusion and Psychokinese
- Mega-Simsala with Konfusion and Psychokinese
- Mega-Galagladi with Konfusion and Psychokinese
How to find Cliff
To be able to challenge Cliff, you first need to search for him. To do this, you need a complete Rocket Radar. This consists of the 6 mysterious parts that you obtain from the Rocket Grunts. Once you have all the parts together, you can activate it.
Once activated, you will see the Rocket Radar on your right screen edge. You can recognize it by the red R in the middle. If you click on the icon, a surrounding map appears. PokéStops where Rocket bosses are currently located will be marked with a red R.
You can also wait for a balloon. The Rocket bosses spawn there with the activated Rocket Radar, similar to the Grunts, up to 4 times a day. They also come in a black balloon.
How you can find Cliff and the other Rocket bosses can be seen in the following video:
Can you specifically find Cliff? No, unfortunately, you cannot specifically search for Cliff. With the Rocket Radar, you can only see where a boss is located. However, you cannot see which one it is. However, if you have discovered Cliff at a stop, you have the whole day to defeat him there.
The balloons also contain a random Rocket boss. So here too, you cannot influence an encounter.
Is it worth fighting against Cliff?
Why should you fight against Cliff? Primarily, you need to fight against Cliff if you want to face the great Rocket boss Giovanni. To find him, you need a special black Super Rocket Radar. You obtain this through completing corresponding special research tasks that are regularly unlocked for you in the game.
To complete this task, you need to have fought against Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo, and you will receive the Super Rocket Radar as a reward. However, it is also worth fighting against Cliff without this special task. You will receive interesting rewards when you defeat Cliff.
To challenge Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo, you only need a complete Rocket Radar, which you can assemble from the 6 mysterious parts of the Grunts. However, you cannot find Giovanni with it.
These are the rewards after a battle against Cliff
Which Crypto Pokémon does Cliff have? Kaumalat in its Crypto variant is currently waiting for you in the encounter if you have won the battle against Cliff. With a bit of luck, you might even encounter a shiny specimen. Crypto-Kaumalat is a great reward, as it evolves into the powerful Knakrack.
Other rewards: Cliff also brings you additional rewards. As with other Rocket battles, you will naturally receive various items after winning the fight. In addition, a 12-km egg awaits you.
These are special eggs that you can only obtain from the Rocket bosses, namely Cliff, Sierra, Arlo, and Giovanni. They contain interesting and rare Pokémon, making it worth hatching them. So you should ensure you have a free egg slot in your storage before the battle. Which monsters can currently be found in the 12-km eggs have been summarized here for you. What are your favorite counters against Cliff? And which monsters would you like to see in his next team? Feel free to share your thoughts with us here on MeinMMO in the comments and tell us about your experiences.
