Pokemon GO: How to Beat Arlo (December 2020)

Pokemon GO trainers are still working on taking down Team GO Rocket. The various leaders of the villainous organization tend to change their Pokemon every few weeks, so trainers must adapt to the updates. It looks like December is similar to previous line-ups, so Pokemon GO players should have an easy time taking down Arlo once more.

Arlo’s Team GO Rocket Pokemon for December keeps the same order as his previous team. He will always open with Growlithe as his first Pokemon. Arlo’s second Pokemon can be Blastoise, Charizard, or Steelix. The last Pokemon in his party will be Dragonite, Scizor, or Salamence. Trainers need to choose their Pokemon carefully if they want to counter this powerful combination.

Arlo’s First Pokemon

Rather than Arlo using one of the many new Kalos Pokemon, he keeps his Growlithe from last time. Growlithe is almost a free pass for most trainers due to its lower power level. Growlithe is a Fire-type, so it is weak to Ground, Rock, and Water attacks. It uses a Dark or Fire fast move and a Fire or Normal charge move. Tyranitar with Smack Down and Crunch/Stone Edge; Terrakion with Smack Down and Close Combat/Rock Slide; or Kyogre with Waterfall and Surf/Blizzard are the best choices for this fight.

Arlo’s Second Pokemon

Things get tricky once Arlo’s Growlithe goes down and players must fight a few classic Pokemon. Blastoise is Water-type and will have a Dark or Water fast move and an Ice, Normal, Steel, or Water charge move. Palkia is a great choice for this fight, as are Roserade and Vileplume—so long as the player shields against an Ice charge attack. Charizard is Fire-type and will have a Fire or Flying fast move and a Dragon of Fire charge attack. Its weaknesses to Electric, Rock, and Water mean that Aggron, Tyranitar, and Terrakion are solid counters. Steelix is Rock and Steel-type, so the best counters for it are Heatran, Kyogre, or Empoleon for Fire or Water damage.

Arlo’s Third Pokemon

Once players get to Arlo’s last Pokemon, things may get slightly easier. Dragonite is Dragon and Flying-type that is weak to Fairy. Togekiss is the best counter for this fight, but Gardevoir and Clefable are both powerful as well. Trainers should know if Dragonite has Steel Wing as its fast move, Aggron, Dialga, or Tyranitar will be able to take it down without the Steel weakness. Salamence is Dragon and Flying-type, and is probably the hardest to counter, but trainers with Tyranitar, Togekiss, or Gardevoir should have little trouble conquering it. The last possible Pokemon is Scizor, which can be easily countered with most Fire Pokemon, including Heatran, Moltres, or Ho-oh.

The special research for Shadow Mewtwo is still available for strong trainers who overcome all of Team GO Rocket’s leaders. Once players defeat the top leader, Giovanni, they can claim this powerful Legendary Pokemon. With practice and a good team composed of the Pokemon listed below, Arlo won’t stand a chance.