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Pokemon Go Team Rocket Grunt counters and lineups in May 2024

How to beat Team Go Rocket in Pokémon Go.

Image credit: Niantic
Nic Bunce avatar
Guide by Nic Bunce Contributor
Updated on

Team Go Rocket Grunts are recurring villains in the world of Pokémon Go. 'Villains' might be a bit strong - they’re mostly minor nuisances that either slow down gameplay or give you something to do a couple of times a day, thanks to Team Go Rocket Balloons.

Either way, beating Team Go Rocket Grunts is the first step on your path to collecting Shadow Pokémon - the second-strongest designation in Pokémon Go, after Mega Pokémon - taking down the Team Go Rocket Leaders Arlo, Serra and Cliff, and then taking down the OG himself, Giovanni.

On this page, we’ll talk you through each Grunt (there’s a lot of them and they each run different Pokémon), along with some general tips, tricks and everything else you need to be the very best, like Arlo never was…

Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

Pokémon Go Team Rocket Grunt Counters and lineups list

Below, we have a list of the different types of the Team Go Rocket Grunts, and the counters you’ll want to bring to defeat them, along with an all-rounder recommendation for those who like to keep things simple.

For the sake of ease, click the link below to jump to the Grunt you currently need help with.

All-rounder counter team

If you’re looking for an all-round team that will have you covered in all situations, we have a recommendation for you. However, there are some caveats to be aware of before you commit to this.

This is an expensive route to victory, as it revolves around finding a perfect 15/15/15 Rhyperior, Lucario and Charizard. You then have to max them out and give them a second Charged move each, in order to do maximum damage and give appropriate coverage for anything that Team Go Rocket throws at you.

The upside to this is that you only have to focus on three Pokémon, instead of almost 60. You also don’t have to think, or check the table below every time you come across a new Grunt.

The downside, first and foremost, is that this is very resource intensive, and if one of these Pokémon gets a move change that nukes its viability, or if something better comes along, you have to cut your losses and build a new Pokémon/team.

With that all in mind, our recommendation is as follows:

  1. Rhyperior with Mud Slap (Ground, Fast), Rock Wrecker (Rock, Charged) and Surf (Water, Charged)
  2. Mega Charizard with Fire Spin (Fire, Fast), Blast Burn (Fire, Charged) and Dragon Claw (Dragon, Charged)
  3. Lucario with Counter (Fighting, Fast), Shadow Ball (Ghost, Charged) and Power-up Punch (Fighting, Charged).
The best all-rounder team is a combination of Rhyperior, Mega Charizard and Lucario

You’ll want to lead with Rhyperior and either spam Mud Slap if it is advantageous, or swap into either Charizard or Lucario, depending on the match-up. Remember, swapping Pokémon will afford you a brief delay, as the Grunt stops and considers its life choices (or at least finishes the brief delay programmed into the game).

Lucario’s Power-up Punch is particularly helpful because it is quick to fire off, snowballs as Lucario gets stronger, and causes the same delay as when you changed Pokémon. Shadow Ball is simply coverage.

As for Charizard, more coverage is always great. Plus, the fact that it can be Mega Evolved for a huge attack boost is not to be overlooked. Whether you go X or Y is up to you, but this combo leans more in to the X territory, with its Dragon-type Charged attack.

If you’re looking for something more specific, however, here are our type-based recommendations as of May 2024.

Remember, for each Grunt, there are up to three choices they can make for each of their three Pokémon, leaving you with a lot of different possible options.

Bug Grunt counters and lineup

Scyther.

Bug-type weaknesses: Fire, Flying and Rock-type attacks

Bug-type resistances: Ground, Grass and Fighting-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Scyther, Shadow Shuckle or Shadow Dwebble

Pokémon 2: Shadow Weedle, Shadow Skorupi or Shadow Shuckle

Pokémon 3: Shadow Scizor, Shadow Forretress or Shadow Beedrill

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Scyther, Shadow Shuckle or Shadow Dwebble. Of these, Scyther is the most interesting as as a high-IV one is a chance for a perfect Purified Mega Scizor.

Best counters to the Bug-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Mega Charizard and Moltres are the two obvious candidates, as Fire/Flying-type Pokémon - if you come up across Scizor or Forretress, which are double-weak to Fire-type attacks, even better. Reshiram would be a good third Pokémon, though you likely won’t need it!

Dark Grunt counters and lineup

Stunky.

Dark-type weaknesses: Bug, Fairy and Fighting-type attacks

Dark-type resistances: Psychic, Ghost and Dark-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Houndour, Shadow Stunky or Shadow Alolan Rattata

Pokémon 2: Shadow Muk or Shadow Raticate

Pokémon 3: Shadow Muk or Shadow Skuntank

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Houndour, Shadow Stunky or Shadow Alolan Rattata (whichever Pokémon they used first). Of these, Stunky is the most interesting as Shadow Skuntank has minor implications for PVP.

Best counters to the Dark-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Fighting and Fairy-type attackers will be your go to here, so we recommend Lucario or Machamp, first and foremost. Bring a Fairy as the chances of going up against a Poison-type attacker are high enough that you won’t want more than one Fairy-type, or bring something like Xurkitree which can hit hard with a Fairy-type move, without having a weakness to Dark-type attacks.

Decoy Grunt counters and lineup

Bellsprout.

Decoy-type weaknesses: N/A

Decoy-type resistances: N/A

Pokémon 1: Shadow Bellsprout

Pokémon 2: Shadow Raticate or Shadow Bellsprout

Pokémon 3: Shadow Raticate or Shadow Snorlax

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Bellsprout - this is the only way to catch this Pokémon.

Best counters to the Decoy-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This Grunt is really here for two reasons: the first is to annoy you, the second is to offer you a Shadow Bellsprout. Should you want one (you probably don’t), this is your only chance to get one. Bring your strongest Fire and Fighting-types. Since Shadow Snorlax is such a monster, you might even want to consider triple Fighting. Or, you know, you can skip it and fight something else entirely.

Dragon Grunt counters and lineup

Dratini.

Dragon-type weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Fairy-type attacks

Dragon-type resistances: Water, Grass, Fire and Electric-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Bagon, Shadow Gible or Shadow Dratini

Pokémon 2: Shadow Dragonair, Shadow Gabite or Shadow Exeggutor

Pokémon 3: Shadow Salamence, Shadow Dragonite or Shadow Garchomp

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Bagon, Shadow Gible or Shadow Dratini. Of these, Dratini is the most interesting, thanks to Dragonite’s prowess in Master League.

Best counters to the Dragon-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Dragon beats Dragon, but their Dragons will hit harder than your Dragons. Instead, bring your strongest Ice-type attackers - this will be doubly effective against the Flying Dragons, too. We recommend Kyurem, Baxcalibur or Galarian Darmanitan if you have them, or Mamoswine if you’re short on options.

Electric Grunt counters and lineup

Mareep.

Electric-type weaknesses: Ground-type attacks

Electric-type resistances: Steel, Flying and Electric-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Mareep, Shadow Blitzle or Shadow Joltik

Pokémon 2: Shadow Alolan Geodude, Shadow Voltorb or Shadow Electabuzz

Pokémon 3: Shadow Galvantula, Shadow Ampharos or Shadow Luxray

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Mareep, Shadow Blitzle or Shadow Joltik (whichever Pokémon they used first). None of these are particularly interesting, but Shadow Mareep can be purified, evolved and Mega Evolved, so if you're missing a perfect Ampharos, this may be another chance to get one.

Best counters to the Electric-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Triple Garchomp? As a Dragon/Ground-type, it’s super resistant to Electric-type attacks and there’s nothing here that counters it… Failing that you’re looking at Primal Groudon, Ursaluna or Therian Landorus.

Expert Grunt counters and lineup

Expert-type weaknesses: N/A

Expert-type resistances: N/A

Like with the Water-type Grunt, the Expert-level grunts come in two flavours: Male and Female. Which one you’re fighting should be fairly obvious…

The Male Grunt uses a mix of Grass, Fire and Water-type Pokémon. The Female is a nightmare that can run the dreaded triple Shadow Snorlax team. Your team will want to change depending on which Grunt you’re up against.

Male Grunt

Mudkip.

Pokémon 1: Shadow Treecko, Shadow Torchic or Shadow Mudkip

Pokémon 2: Shadow Grovyle, Shadow Combusken or Shadow Marshtomp

Pokémon 3: Shadow Sceptile, Shadow Blaziken or Shadow Swampert

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Treecko, Shadow Torchic or Shadow Mudkip (whichever Pokémon they used first). Shadow Mudkip is the most interesting, since Swampert is an absolute beast in Pokémon Go.

Best counters to the Male Expert-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: You’re looking for your strongest Grass, Water and Fire-types here. Mega Evolve one of them and then pick the other two around that. For Fire, you’re looking at Mega Charizard, Reshiram or Heatran. For Water, you’re looking at Primal Kyogre, Palkia or Greninja. For Grass, you’re looking at Mega Sceptile, Kartana or Zarude.

Remember, you can immediately swap to your best counter as the match begins without the first-mover penalty that you get in PVP as Grunts can’t swap Pokémon, and take a minor delay when you do so!

Female Grunt

Snorlax.

Pokémon 1: Shadow Snorlax

Pokémon 2: Shadow Gardevoir, Shadow Poliwrath or Shadow Snorlax

Pokémon 3: Shadow Dragonite, Shadow Gyarados or Shadow Snorlax

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Snorlax - this is the only way to catch this Pokémon.

Best counters to the Female Expert-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This is undoubtedly the most difficult Grunt in Pokémon Go, especially when the triple tank match-up comes your way. Ideally, you want your strongest Fighting-type (Sacred Sword Terrakion or your best Counter user), a strong Electric-type (Xurkitree ideally) and a strong Ice-type (Kyurem). If you come up across a triple Shadow Snorlax, you will likely want to bring a team of triple Fighting, and make the most of every delay you can bring to the match. Good luck!

Fairy Grunt counters and lineup

Ralts.

Fairy-type weaknesses: Poison and Steel-type attacks

Fairy-type resistances: Dragon (2x), Fighting, Dark and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Mawile, Shadow Ralts or Shadow Alolan Vulpix

Pokémon 2: Shadow Kirlia, Shadow Snubbull or Shadow Granbull

Pokémon 3: Shadow Alolan Ninetales, Shadow Gardevoir or Shadow Granbull

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Mawile, Shadow Ralts or Shadow Alolan Vulpix (whichever Pokémon they used first). Ralts is the best pickup here, since Shadow Gallage is relatively good in all three of the main PVP leagues.

Best counters to the Fairy-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Mawile is going to be a pain, as its Steel-typing nullifies both Fairy-type weaknesses. With that in mind, bring a Mega Charizard or similar Ground-type attacker (make sure it’s not a Dragon-type like Garchomp). That said, Steel-types will be handy against Shadow Alolan Ninetales, if you run into it - Metagross will do nicely. Let’s round it out with a strong Poison-type, just to be covered - we recommend Nihilego.

Fighting Grunt counters and lineup

Machop.

Fighting-type weaknesses: Fairy, Flying and Psychic-type attacks

Fighting-type resistances: Rock, Dark and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Hisuian Sneasel, Shadow Makuhita or Shadow Machop

Pokémon 2: Shadow Hitmontop, Shadow Hitmonlee or Shadow Hitmonchan

Pokémon 3: Shadow Machamp, Shadow Toxicroak or Shadow Infernape

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Hisuian Sneasel, Shadow Makuhita or Shadow Machop (whichever Pokémon they used first). Machop is the one to look out for, as an army of Shadow Machamp hits incredibly hard.

Best counters to the Fighting-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Shadow Machamp is no joke - unless you’re a Shadow Mewtwo, in which case you’re laughing. Beyond the pointiest of Pokémon, you should look towards, Lunala, Hoopa, Zacian or Xernas. Mega Rayquaza would also be an easy win.

Fire Grunt counters and lineup

Chimchar.

Fighting-type weaknesses: Ground, Rock and Water-type attacks

Fighting-type resistances: Steel, Ice, Grass, Fire, Fairy and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Darumaka or Shadow Chimchar

Pokémon 2: Shadow Houndoom or Shadow Monferno

Pokémon 3: Shadow Houndoom, Shadow Darmanitan or Shadow Infernape

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Darumaka or Shadow Chimchar (whichever Pokémon they used first). Unsurprisingly, the Shadow starter Pokémon (Chimchar) is what you should be hoping for.

Best counters to the Fire-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Water is your obvious option - Primal Kyogre will make short work for you, as will Swampert. If you want to go the Rock/Ground route, look towards Rhyperior and Garchomp. Primal Groudon is obviously an option if you have one with Precipice Blades.

Flying Grunt counters and lineup

Gligar.

Flying-type weaknesses: Electric, Ice and Rock-type attacks

Flying-type resistances: Ground (2x), Grass, Fighting and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Pidgey or Shadow Starly

Pokémon 2: Shadow Gligar or Shadow Staravia

Pokémon 3: Shadow Pidgeot, Shadow Dragonite or Shadow Skarmory

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Pidgey, Shadow Starly, Shadow Gligar or Shadow Staravia. Shadow Pidgey evolves into Shadow Pidgeot, which is decent in Ultra League, or can be purified for mega evolution if you prefer. Shadow Starly evolves into Shadow Staraptor, which has its own PVP uses. Shadow Gligar is excellent in Great League and Shadow Skarmory isn’t bad. All in all, you should be happy with any of these!

Best counters to the Flying-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Electric and Rock are your best bets here, but be aware that Shadow Gligar is resistant to Electric-type attacks thanks to its Ground-tying. For Electric, this means Xurkitree, Zekrom and Therian Thunderus; for Rock, this means Rampardos, Rhyperior and Nihilego. Either way, bring a mix of the two types!

Grass Grunt counters and lineup

Snover.

Grass-type weaknesses: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison-type attacks

Grass-type resistances: Water, Ground, Grass and Electric-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Snover or Shadow Turtwig

Pokémon 2: Shadow Grotle or Shadow Ferrothorn

Pokémon 3: Shadow Cacturne, Shadow Amoonguss or Shadow Torterra

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Snover or Shadow Turtwig (whichever Pokémon they used first). You should hope for Snover though, as it evolves into the icy president with PVP implications and a purified Mega Evolution, Abomasnow.

Best counters to the Grass-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: If there was ever an excuse to bust out Mega Charizard, it is this - Grass-type Pokémon are weak to both Fire and Flying, which Charizard has STAB on. Snover is also double-weak to Fire, which is a great bonus. If you need more recommendations, we suggest Reshiram and Heatran for Fire, or Rayquaza and Yveltal for Flying.

Ground Grunt counters and lineup

Wooper.

Ground-type weaknesses: Grass, Ice and Water-type attacks

Ground-type resistances: Electric, Rock and Poison-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Alolan Diglett, Shadow Wooper or Shadow Drilbur

Pokémon 2: Shadow Rhyhorn

Pokémon 3: Shadow Whiscash, Shadow Quagsire or Shadow Torterra

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Alolan Diglett, Shadow Wooper, Shadow Drilbur or Shadow Rhyhorn. Other than Diglett, you should be happy with whatever you get. Shadow Quagsire is great in Great League, Shadow Excadrill is reasonable in Ultra and Master League, and Rhyperior is not only a Master League Pokémon, but one of our all-rounder recommendations!

Best counters to the Ground-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: There’s a bit of eclectic mix of secondary types here, meaning that this could be one of the tougher battles for the unprepared trainer. Start with your strongest Water and Grass-type - Kyogre or Swampert and Kartana or Zarude, respectively.

The third slot is likely to be where things get trickier. Whiscash and Quagsire are double-weak to Grass, which is great, but Torterra is neutral to it, instead being weak to Ice, Bug, Fire and Flying. We recommend a strong Fire-type attacker here - Mega Charizard will do nicely, or the likes of Reshiram or Heatran if you prefer.

Ghost Grunt counters and lineup

Misdreavus.

Ghost-type weaknesses: Dark and Ghost-type attacks

Ghost-type resistances: Normal (2x), Fighting (2x), Poison and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Misdreavus, Shadow Drifloon or Shadow Golett

Pokémon 2: Shadow Dusclops, Shadow Banette or Shadow Golett

Pokémon 3: Shadow Froslass, Shadow Gengar or Shadow Alolan Marowak

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Misdreavus, Shadow Drifloon, or Shadow Golett. All three of these are pretty bad though, so feel free to skip this grunt without FOMO.

Best counters to the Ghost-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Ghost beats Ghost, so leave yours at home - the Grunts will hit harder. Dark-types, meanwhile, can be brutal - especially if they know Brutal Swing.

This means that your best bets are likely to be Tyranitar and Hydreigon with the aforementioned attack, especially if your Tyranitar is Mega Evolved. Hoopa Unbound, Darkrai and Yveltal are all excellent options, too.

Ice Grunt counters and lineup

Ice-type weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Rock and Steel-type attacks

Ice-type resistances: Ice-type attacks

Swinub.

Pokémon 1: Shadow Snorunt or Shadow Swinub

Pokémon 2: Shadow Froslass, Shadow Alolan Ninetales or Shadow Glalie

Pokémon 3: Shadow Glalie, Shadow Froslass or Shadow Abomasnow

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Swinub or Shadow Snorunt (whichever Pokémon they used first). Both are excellent choices though - Snorunt evolves into Abomasnow, which is excellent, and Swinbub evolves into Mamoswine - a top-tier Ice attacker and Master League choice.

Best counters to the Ice-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This is a potentially tough fight, given that there are a lot of strong Pokémon here to contend with. Shadow Froslass is the biggest issue, as its Ghost-typing turns Fighting from a weakness into a resistance. Alolan Ninetails is similarly ambivalent about your Fighting-types, but has a double-weakness to Steel.

Ideally, you want to bring your strongest Fire-type attackers, like Mega Charizard and Reshiram (both neutral to Ice-type attacks), or Heatran (which is resistant to Ice). If you’re hurting for strong Fire-types, you can manage with Steel-types such as Dialga; just leave your Metagross at home because Froslass can quickly wreck it with its Ghost-type attacks.

Normal Grunt counters and lineup

Teddiursa.

Normal-type weaknesses: Fighting-type attacks

Normal-type resistances: Ghost-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Glameow, Shadow Teddiursa or Shadow Stantler

Pokémon 2: Shadow Rattata, Shadow Meowth or Shadow Purugly

Pokémon 3: Shadow Ursaring, Shadow Bibarel or Shadow Stantler

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Glameow, Shadow Teddiursa or Shadow Stantler. Teddiursa is your best reward here, evolving into Ursaring and Ursaluna, each of which have implications in PVP.

Best counters to the Normal-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Normal does not mean weak, but it does mean weak to Fighting. This Grunt is basically allergic to gym sweat, and famously folds anything running Counter - Machamp, Lucario and the like. If you have anything with Sacred Sword (Terrakion being the prime example), these will also be useful, but probably not necessary.

Poison Grunt counters and lineup

Hisuian Sneasel

Poison-type weaknesses: Ground and Psychic-type attacks

Poison-type resistances: Poison, Grass, Fighting, Fairy and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Hisuian Sneasel or Shadow Foongus

Pokémon 2: Shadow Nidorina or Shadow Nidorino

Pokémon 3: Shadow Toxicroak, Shadow Weezing or Shadow Amoonguss

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Hisuian Sneasel or Shadow Foongus (whichever Pokémon they used first). Neither is particularly exciting in Pokémon Go, however.

Best counters to the Poison-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: This likely won’t be a tough battle for experienced players. For Ground, look towards Rhyperior and Garchomp. Primal Groudon is obviously an option if you have one with Precipice Blades. For Psychic - Mewtwo is the obvious answer, but whichever your strongest Psychic-type is. There are a lot of options here, so you should be fine.

Psychic Grunt counters and lineup

Gothita.

Psychic-type weaknesses: Bug, Dark and Ghost-type attacks

Psychic-type resistances: Psychic and Fighting-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Gothita or Shadow Solosis

Pokémon 2: Shadow Wobbuffet, Gothorita or Shadow Ralts

Pokémon 3: Shadow Gallade, Shadow Metagross or Shadow Reuniclus

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Gothita or Shadow Solosis (whichever Pokémon they used first). Neither is particularly exciting, however.

Best counters to the Psychic-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Dark and Ghost are your two options here. Look towards Tyranitar or Hydreigon with Brutal Swing for Dark types, and Lunala, Giratina Origin or Chandelure for Ghost types.

Rock Grunt counters and lineup

Shieldon.

Rock-type weaknesses: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel and Water-type attacks

Rock-type resistances: Poison, Normal, Flying and Fire-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Cranidos, Shadow Shieldon or Shadow Onix

Pokémon 2: Shadow Lileep, Shadow Anorith or Shadow Graveler

Pokémon 3: Shadow Golem, Shadow Rampardos or Shadow Bastiodon

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Cranidos, Shadow Shieldon or Shadow Onix (whichever Pokémon they used first). Shieldon will be the most exciting if you're a fan of Go Battle League.

Best counters to the Rock-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: The best Rock-type counters are Terrakion, Keldeo and Kartana - the first two with Sacred Sword and Kartana with strong Grass-type attacks. Water-types such as Swampert and Kyogre will also be incredibly helpful here.

Steel Grunt counters and lineup

Skarmory.

Steel-type weaknesses: Fighting, Fire and Ground-type attacks

Steel-type resistances: Poison (2x) Steel, Rock, Psychic, Normal, Ice, Grass, Flying, Fairy, Dragon and Bug-type attacks

Pokémon 1: Shadow Ferroseed, Shadow Skarmory or Shadow Alolan Sandshrew

Pokémon 2: Shadow Lairon, Shadow Metang or Shadow Skarmory

Pokémon 3: Shadow Alolan Sandslash, Shadow Scizor or Shadow Empoleon

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Ferroseed, Shadow Skarmory or Shadow Alolan Sandshrew (whichever Pokémon they used first). Skarmory is probably the most interesting here, as it has implications for Great and Ultra League.

Best counters to the Steel-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Ouch, that’s a lot of resistances… Fortunately, all you really need here are strong Fire and Fighting-type attackers. This means Mega Charizard, Reshiram or Heatran for Fire, and Terrakion, Keldeo or Lucario for Fighting. Make sure you bring at least one non-Fighting type, in case you run into Shadow Empoleon; its Water-typing will wreck a mono-Fire team.

Water Grunt counters and lineup

Water-type weaknesses: Electric and Grass-type attacks

Water-type resistances: Water, Steel, Ice and Fire-type attacks

This Grunt is a little different in that there are two versions: Male and Female.

Magikarp.

Male Grunt

Pokémon 1: Shadow Magikarp

Pokémon 2: Shadow Magikarp

Pokémon 3: Shadow Magikarp or Shadow Gyarados

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Magikarp - this is the only way to catch this Pokémon.

Best counters to the Male Water-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Electric-types for the win, so bring Xurkitree, Zekrom or Therian Thunderus for a quick and easy win. Remember, the quicker you beat this grunt, the more Premier Balls you get!

Female Grunt

Piplup

Pokémon 1: Shadow Piplup or Shadow Totodile

Pokémon 2: Shadow Crawdaunt or Shadow Prinplup

Pokémon 3: Shadow Whiscash, Shadow Wailord or Shadow Empoleon

Catchable Pokémon: Shadow Piplup or Shadow Totodile. Piplup is the most exciting, since it evolves into Empoleon, which is a bit of a beater.

Best counters to the Female Water-type Grunt in Pokémon Go: Unlike the Male Grunt, this one knows what it is doing… Electric-types are helpful once again, but Shadow Whiscash is there to throw a spanner in the works. It is resistant to Electric but double-weak to Grass. So why not go all Grass? Because Prinplup has an Ice-type attack and Empoleon has Steel-type attacks, both of which will wreck Grass-types.

So, we’re looking at two Electric-types and a Grass-type for backup. Again, Xurkitree, Zekrom or Therian Thunderus will be your primary attackers here. For Grass, you’re looking at Kartana ideally, or Zarude or Sky Shaymin failing that.

General tips for battling Team Go Rocket Grunts

If you’ve never battled Team Go Rocket before, don’t worry, it’s a fairly simple path to victory, nine times out of ten.

You simply need to identify which Grunt you’re facing, pick the right team to counter their team, and then destroy them with the callous silence employed by Red back in the day.

Picking the right lineup

Start by finding a Grunt — they’re hanging around the darkened Pokéstops (purple from a distance, black when up close). Clicking on the Pokéstop or Balloon they’re occupying will start an encounter, where they will give you a Monkey Island-style one-liner that heavily hints at what they’re bringing to the party. If they mention how hot Pokémon breath is, expect Fire-type Pokémon, for example.

For the sake of ease, here’s a list of the 18 basic-level Grunts and their opening gambits.

      1. Are you scared of psychics that use unseen power? – Psychic-type Grunt
      2. Battle against my Flying-type Pokémon! – Flying-type Grunt
      3. Check out my cute Pokémon! – Fairy-type Grunt
      4. Coiled and ready to strike! – Poison-type Grunt
      5. Don’t tangle with us! – Grass-type Grunt
      6. Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get? – Fire-type Grunt
      7. Get ready to be shocked! – Electric-type Grunt
      8. Go, my super bug Pokémon! – Bug-type Grunt
      9. Ke…ke…ke…ke…ke…ke! – Ghost-type Grunt
      10. Let’s rock and roll! – Rock-type Grunt
      11. Normal doesn’t mean weak. – Normal-type Grunt
      12. ROAR! … How’d that sound? – Dragon-type Grunt
      13. These waters are treacherous. – Water-type Grunt
      14. This buff physique isn’t just for show! – Fighting-type Grunt
      15. You’ll be defeated into the ground! – Ground-type Grunt
      16. You’re no match for my iron will! – Steel-type Grunt
      17. You’re gonna be frozen in your tracks. – Ice-type Grunt
      18. Wherever there is light, there is also shadow. – Dark-type Grunt

There are also three expert-level Grunts to be aware of, along with a Decoy (who sometimes replace Giovanni at a Pokéstop, but never in a Balloon) and technically Jessie and James (who sometimes replace Grunts in Rocket Balloons). Their opening Gambits are as follows:

      19. Don’t bother – I’ve already won / Get ready to be defeated! / Winning is for winners! – Expert-level grunt
      20. In the name of the boss, I’ll destroy you/Fooled ya, Twerp – Decoy Grunt
      21. The Boss’s Persian is so elegant… / Who are these team Go Rocket leaders anyway? / Want to join Team Rocket? – Jessie
      22. You’ll regret this. – James

You’ll also know if it’s Jessie and James, thanks to their trademark Meowth Balloon, along with their names and faces appearing as you might expect.

Battling Team Go Rocket

The act of battling Team Go Rocket is fairly simple. Pick 3 Pokémon for 1-on-1 battles, as you would in PVP, accounting for their types above. Be aware that some Grunts will pick dual-type Pokémon, like a Water-Steel type to counter your Grass-type counters! Check our suggested counters at the top of the page if you need help!

What follows is a level-matched battle; you don’t need to worry about Level 50 Counters if you’re just starting out. Simply tap the screen to attack and build up energy for your Charged move at the bottom of the screen. Once the gauge is full, hit the Charged move button and follow the on-screen prompts, based on the move’s type.

You both start the match with two Shields. If the opposing Pokémon is using a Charged move, you will be given an option to use one of your remaining Shields. Despite having them, Grunts never use their Shields.

So, should you use yours? Absolutely! There is no drawback to using a shield, and you get fewer Premier Balls after the battle if your Pokémon faint, so always use a shield if given the option.

It’s also worth noting that Grunts suffer a brief cooldown after a Charged move or when you change Pokémon, during which time they can’t attack. Use that information to your advantage!

Team Go Rocket Grunt rewards

At the end of the battle, one of two things will happen.

If you lose, you will be offered a rematch and some advice from your Team leader. This gives you the opportunity to plan your counters a little better, and work around any surprise Pokémon that got around your line-up.

Remember to use any Revives and Potions when you’re done, so you’re not frantically spamming your phone next time you lobby up and wonder where your best Pokémon are.

If you won, you will be give 500 Stardust and a Mysterious Component. Collect six of these to create a Rocket Radar and battle a Team Go Rocket Gym Leader.

Image credit: Niantic

You will also be given a number of Premier Balls based on how many of your Pokémon were left standing. If you come up across the Grunt who simply has three Magikarp, instead you get a number based on how quickly you steamrolled them.

These Premier Balls work the same way they do in Raids. The Grunt will drop one of their catchable Shadow Pokémon, and you can only use the Premier Balls to try to catch them. You can still use Berries as normal, so make sure you do so if you’re having a hard time!

Lastly, beating Team GO Rocket Grunts will help rank up your Hero medal. Ranking this up will also help give you additional Premier Balls for catching future Shadow Pokémon.

Good luck battling Team Rocket Grunts in Pokémon Go!

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