Pokemon GO Leader Sierra counters and team (October 2023)

Unless you're rocking absolute powerhouses, you're going to need to know the best Pokemon Go Sierra counters before you challenge her to a battle. She's a tactical woman, and with incredibly powerful Pokemon to boot, taking on Leader Sierra is no easy feat.

Read on to find out how to build your team to best and beat Sierra's own. She switches it up whenever there's a Rocket Takeover event, causing the best counters to switch, too.

Pokemon Go Leader Sierra team (October 2023)

Sierra's team has been the same since June 2023. She'll open with her trusty Geodude, before bringing out either Steelix, Gardevoir, or Sableye to deal with you. In a pinch, she'll rely on Houndoom, Gyarados, or Victreebel to finish you off.

• Check out: Pokemon GO Vivillon patterns

Now that you know which Pokémon she'll use, you just need to know how to beat them. The best way to do that is to use the Pokémon GO Sierra counters suggested below.

Counters for Sierra's first Pokemon

Geodude

Geodude, a powerful Pokemon you'll want in your future teams, won't stand a chance against a good Water-type Pokemon like Swampert or Empoleon. Also consider Grass-type options such as Roserade and Torterra, whose attacks will cut through Geodude's Rock typing.

Counters for Sierra's second Pokemon

Steelix

Steelix is another powerful damage dealer that'll crunch right through most Pokemon you bring along for the ride. It won't take kindly to Water, Fire, or Ground-types, so look there for counters.

Prime candidates would be the ever-reliable Rhyperior and Kyogre, but Roserade and Swampert can still stand up to it.

Gardevoir

Gardevoir melts in the face of any Metal-type moves, but Dragon and Fairy work just as well. Metagross and Memletal can work wonders against any of Sierra's second slot Pokemon, so bring them along. Just be aware that they might take considerable damage from any of its Grass-type moves. Rush things with Charged Attacks if they're looking dicey.

Sableye

Sableye always represents a bit of a wall in these battles. Its strong against its own weaknesses, making powerhouses like Venusaur, Torterra, and Rhyperior hard to recommend without Charged Attacks ready to go. Instead, look to Dark-type Pokemon to do the heavy lifting.

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Counters for Sierra's third Pokemon

Houndoom

Houndoom is weak to Fighting, Ground, Rock and Water-type Pokémon. Here's a list of Pokémon and their moves that counter Houndoom.

Houndoom is also weak to Ground-types, so we'd probably just use our Ampharos counter here. That being said, if you led with a Fighting-type to quickly reduce Sierra's shields, it will prove equally effective against Houndoom.

Gyarados

Gyarados enjoys a complex typing that counters many of the better counters. Grass-type Pokemon will work relatively well against it, but many Bug-type Pokemon that otherwise struggle to shine can really stand out here.

Fire-type Pokemon also don't really stand up against the rest of Sierra's team, so there isn't much point to bring them in place of the bugs that can stand up to Gyarados down below.

Victreebel

Victreebel may hit hard, but it's a glass cannon at the best of times, making it surrender swiftly to Fire-type Pokemon like Dragonite, Moltres, or anything else. Steel works, too, but most of them will struggle to survive long enough. If you recently enjoyed community day classic, you're all set.

How do I find Sierra in Pokemon Go?

To receive the honour of battling Sierra, you'll first need to defeat six Team Rocket Grunts. Each one will grant you a Mysterious Component. Combine these to build a Rocket Radar and you'll be able to use it to find the location of a Rocket Leader.

However, battling a Rocket Leader is a different story from taking on their lowly Grunts. Leaders use strong, high-level monsters. Sierra counters are necessary to get the win, and they shift when her team changes, making it a constant struggle.

• Check out: How to get Kecleon in Pokemon GO

Her monsters are also high CP, likely much higher than any of your Pokémon. Using super-effective moves is a great strategy to best her, but bringing bulky Pokémon can often be an even better idea.

Defeating Sierra can not only offer an encounter with a shiny Nidoran (F), but also grants you one of the Strange 12km Eggs and helps you complete the A Seven-Colored Shadow research quest.

For more Pokemon Go guides, we have the same for each of the Team Go Rocket leaders, so check out our Cliff counters, Arlo counters, and the best Giovanni counters, too.