Rocket lineups + grunt decoder
The current Cliff, Sierra, Arlo, and Giovanni teams (rotates roughly monthly) — plus grunt phrase → mons-type decoder so you know what you're walking into before tapping the balloon.
Tap a Rocket balloon and the grunt shouts a phrase before the fight. The phrase tells you the team's type. Search by the quote, the type, or a specific mon you spotted — same live filter as in the app.
22 grunts catalogued · 18 phrases searchable
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Bug-type Male Grunt
Bug- “Go, my super bug Pokémon!”
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Dark-type Female Grunt
Dark- “Wherever there is light, there is also shadow.”
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Decoy Female Grunt
No phrase data — see lineup details
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Dragon-type Female Grunt
Dragon- “Roar!… How'd that sound?”
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Electric-type Female Grunt
Electric- “Get ready to be shocked!”
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Fairy-type Female Grunt
Fairy- “Check out my cute Pokémon!”
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Female Grunt
No phrase data — see lineup details
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Fighting-type Female Grunt
Fighting- “This buff physique isn't just for show!”
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Fire-type Female Grunt
Fire- “Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get?”
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Flying-type Female Grunt
Flying- “Battle against my Flying-type Pokémon!”
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Ghost-type Male Grunt
Ghost- “Ke…Ke…Ke…Ke…Ke…Ke!”
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Grass-type Male Grunt
Grass- “Don't tangle with us!”
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Ground-type Male Grunt
Ground- “You'll be defeated into the ground!”
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Ice-type Female Grunt
Ice- “You're gonna be frozen in your tracks.”
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Male Grunt
No phrase data — see lineup details
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Normal-type Male Grunt
Normal- “Normal does not mean weak.”
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Poison-type Female Grunt
Poison- “Coiled and ready to strike!”
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Psychic-type Male Grunt
Psychic- “Are you scared of psychics that use unseen power?”
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Rock-type Male Grunt
Rock- “Let's rock and roll!”
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Steel-type Male Grunt
Steel- “You're no match for my iron will!”
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Water-type Female Grunt
Water- “These waters are treacherous!”
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Water-type Male Grunt
Water- “These waters are treacherous!”
Grunt fights end fastest with a single high-DPS fast move that wipes the lead before the shield charges. These are community-tested top picks per phrase type. Bring two slots so you cover dual-weakness shadows.
- Mega Charizard YFire Spin
- ReshiramFire Fang
- Shadow MoltresFire Spin
Fire fast-move shreds Bug + Steel + Grass + Ice
- Mega LucarioCounter
- ConkeldurrCounter
- Shadow MachampCounter
Fighting fast-move tears through Dark + Normal + Rock + Ice + Steel
- Mega GlalieFrost Breath
- MamoswinePowder Snow
- Galarian DarmanitanIce Fang
Ice fast-move = SE on Dragon + Flying + Grass + Ground
- Mega GarchompMud Shot
- ExcadrillMud Shot
- RhyperiorMud Slap
Ground fast-move neutralizes Electric grunts instantly
- Shadow MetagrossBullet Punch
- Mega AggronSmack Down
- Shadow ScizorBullet Punch
Steel fast-move clears Fairy + Ice + Rock
- MewtwoConfusion
- Mega AlakazamPsycho Cut
- EspeonConfusion
Psychic fast-move dominates Fighting + Poison
- Primal KyogreWaterfall
- Mega SwampertMud Shot
- Shadow FeraligatrWaterfall
Water fast-move hits Fire + Ground + Rock
- XurkitreeThunder Shock
- Shadow RaikouVolt Switch
- Mega ManectricThunder Fang
Electric fast-move SE on Flying + Water
- Shadow TyranitarBite / Snarl
- Mega HoundoomSnarl
- Shadow HydreigonBite
Dark fast-move wrecks Ghost + Psychic
- Mega Charizard YFire Spin
- Shadow MoltresFire Spin
- ReshiramFire Fang
Fire fast-move = SE on Grass + Bug + Steel + Ice
- Mega SceptileBullet Seed
- KartanaRazor Leaf
- RoseradeRazor Leaf
Grass fast-move covers Ground + Water + Rock
- Mega LucarioCounter
- ConkeldurrCounter
- Mega Charizard YFire Spin
Fighting OR Fire — both shred Ice
- Mega LucarioCounter
- Shadow MachampCounter
- ConkeldurrCounter
Fighting fast-move SE on Normal
- MewtwoConfusion
- Mega AlakazamPsycho Cut
- Mega GarchompMud Shot
Psychic OR Ground fast-move both work
- Shadow TyranitarBite
- Mega GengarLick / Shadow Claw
- Shadow HydreigonBite
Dark OR Ghost — both SE on Psychic
- Mega SwampertMud Shot
- Mega LucarioCounter
- KartanaRazor Leaf
Water OR Grass OR Fighting — Rock has many weaknesses
- Mega Charizard YFire Spin
- Mega LucarioCounter
- ReshiramFire Fang
Fire OR Fighting OR Ground all hit Steel SE
- XurkitreeThunder Shock
- KartanaRazor Leaf
- Mega SceptileBullet Seed
Electric OR Grass — both SE on Water
Giovanni
Cliff
Arlo
Sierra
Want extra balls when catching the Shadow mons left behind? Hero + Purifier medals stack — both at Platinum gives +8 Premier Balls per battle. See the medal page →
Team GO Rocket: counters, phrases, leader lineups
Rocket fights have two layers: identifying the matchup before it loads (phrase for grunts, fixed lineup for leaders), then picking counters from your collection that handle the candidate pool. The decoder + lineup tool on this page covers both, with live data pulled from LeekDuck every six hours.
Grunt phrase decoder
Tap the phrase the grunt shouted, see the specialty type, get counter recommendations. Phrases map 1:1 to types — there's no overlap, so a single correct tap fully identifies the matchup. The decoder lists every known phrase (~80 lines as of this season) plus the rotation date.
Leader lineups: per-slot strategy
Each leader fight has three slots. Slot 1 is fixed — Cliff opens Snorlax every time, so you can pre-load a Fighting counter without thinking. Slots 2 and 3 rotate within a pool of usually three options, so your counter has to cover all three. Doubly-SE attackers handle this best — Ground vs Sierra slot 3 covers Tyranitar (Rock/Dark), Camerupt (Fire/Ground), and Gallade (Psychic/Fighting) at varying efficiency.
Giovanni and the Shadow Legendary
Giovanni's slot 3 is the high-stakes encounter — a Shadow Legendary that rotates every couple of months. These are best-in-class raid attackers when caught with good IVs. Stockpile Premier Balls by clearing the leader fight with as many mons surviving as possible.
Related
For non-Rocket raid counter ranking by boss, see raid counters. For the underlying type math, the type chart covers all 18 matchups. The shadow & purified guide covers the keep-or-purify decision after a Rocket catch.
FAQ
How does the Team GO Rocket phrase decoder work?
Every grunt shouts a pre-fight line tied to a specific specialty type. "Coming in hot!" means Fire, "Don't tangle with us!" means Grass, etc. The decoder maps every shouted phrase to the matching type so you can prep counters before the fight loads. The list updates whenever Niantic adds or rotates phrases.
What's the slot structure for Cliff, Sierra, Arlo, and Giovanni?
Each leader has three slots. Slot 1 is fixed (Giovanni's Persian, Cliff's Snorlax, etc.). Slots 2 and 3 rotate through a candidate pool — usually three options each. Slot 3 is the encounter mons you can catch after winning, including Shadow Legendaries for Giovanni.
Are Shadow mons in Rocket fights worth catching?
Yes. Shadow mons get a 1.2× attack multiplier in raids — Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Salamence, Shadow Tyranitar are top-tier raid attackers. The 0.833× defence trade-off doesn't matter for raid roles. Catch the encounter slot, evaluate IVs, decide whether to purify (clean stats) or keep Shadow (better DPS).
How many Premier Balls do I get after beating a leader?
Base 5, plus 1 for each surviving mons in your final squad. Medal bonuses (Hero / Ultra Hero / Legend) add up to 3 more. So a flawless win with a full Hero badge = 12 Premier Balls. Plan your counters for survivability, not just DPS — burning two mons to clear quickly costs you catches.
When do Rocket lineups rotate?
Roughly every 4-6 weeks. The live page pulls from LeekDuck every six hours so when Niantic swaps Cliff's slot 3 from Tyranitar to Camerupt, the change appears here within hours. The phrase decoder updates with the same cadence.