As Pokemon GO's jam-packed November 2022 calendar of events continues into the middle of the month, it's time for the Team GO Rocket Takeover to steal the spotlight. Trainers should prepare for an exciting week full of Grunt Battles, balloon sightings, and (of course) Rocket Leader battles.

Pokemon GO players will be able to challenge Team Rocket leaders throughout the event and work their way towards a big encounter with Giovanni and his Shadow Mewtwo. These battles offer exciting item and encounter rewards and it's usually well worth the effort of preparing for the fights by optimizing a counter roster for each leader early in the week.

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The most important thing to keep in mind when preparing for a battle against a Team GO Rocket leader is that players might need to take a loss on their first attempt in order to gain some information about which lineup choices were selected by the boss. There are definitely some crossover weaknesses with Arlo's possible selections, so players should study each option carefully and make the most versatile counter roster they can come up with.

Pokemon GO Arlo in smoke

Arlo's November Rocket Takeover Lineup

  • Mawile
  • Salamence or Charizard or Staraptor
  • Scizor or Granbull or Dragonite

Mawile Counters

Genesect - Fury Cutter/X-Scissor

Yanmega - Bug Bite/Bug Buzz

Darmanitan (Galarian Standard) - Ice Fang/Avalanche

Salamence Counters

Tyranitar - Smack Down/Crunch

Regice - Lock On/Blizzard

Giratina - Dragon Breath/Dragon Claw

Charizard Counters

Tyranitar - Smack Down/Crunch

Gigalith - Smack Down/Rock Side

Terrakion - Smack Down/Rock Slide

Staraptor Counters

Tyranitar - Smack Down/Crunch

Rampardos - Smack Down/Rock Slide

Terrakion - Smack Down/Rock Slide

Scizor Counters

Heatran - Fire Spin/Flamethrower

Moltres - Fire Spin/Overthrow

Charizard - Fire Spin/Blast Burn

Granbull Counters

Roserade - Poison Jab/Sludge Bomb

Genesect - Metal Claw/Magnet Bomb

Excadrill - Metal Claw/Iron Head

Dragonite Counters

Togekiss - Charm/Ancient Power

Sylveon - Charm/Moonblast

Zacian (Hero) - Snarl/Close Combat

As always in these leader battles, the most important thing is to focus on the crossover counters and try to field a roster of Pokemon that isn't weak to any of the possible matchups. This can be a real challenge with multiple options for a few lineup spots, so trainers need to just do their best on the first attempt, learn what they can, and then make a second try with an ideal setup.

There are plenty of other activities going on as part of the Team Rocket Takeover, so take the check to check out all of the possibilities this week. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.

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