Pokemon GO Leader Sierra counters and team (October 2023)

Sierra in Pokemon GO.

Sierra in Pokemon GO.
October 24, 2023: We added new Pokemon to our list of counters for Sierra.

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)

First Pokémon
Second Pokémon
Third Pokémon
Geodude
Steelix, Gardevoir, Sableye
Houndoom, Gyarados, Victreebel

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.

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

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Kyogre
Waterfall
Origin Pulse
Roserade
Razor Lead
Grass Knot
Torterra
Razor Leaf
Stone Edge
Swampert
Mud Shot
Earthquake
Empoleon
Waterfall
Flash Cannon
Rhyperior
Mud Slap
Surf
Conkeldurr
Counter
Stone Edge
Kartana
Razor Lead
Leaf Blade
Vaporeon
Water Gun
Hydro Pump
Zarude
Vine Whip
Power Whip
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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

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Rhyperior
Mud Slap
Surf
Kyogre
Waterfall
Origin Pulse
Charizard
Fire Spin
Dragon Claw
Swampert
Waterfall
Flash Cannon
Roserade
Poison Jab
Sludge Bomb
Nihilego
Poison Jab
Sludge Bomb
Chandelure
Hex
Shadow Ball
Excadrill
Metal Claw
Iron Head
Gengar
Hex
Shadow Ball
Metagross
Bullet Punch
Meteor Mash

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

Pokemon
Fast Attack
Charged Attack
Melmetal
Thunder Shock
Superpower
Metagross
Bullet Punch
Earthquake
Nihilego
Poison Jab
Sludge Bomb
Salazzle
Incinerate
Fire Blast
Muk
Poison Jab
Dark Pulse

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

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Obstagoon
Counter
Obstruct
Sylveon
Charm
Psyshock
Togekiss
Charm
Dazzling Gleam
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Hydreigon
Dragon Breath
Flash Cannon
Gardevoir
Charm
Dazzling Gleam
Primarina
Charm
Moonblast
Granbull
Charm
Play Rough
Galarian Rapidash
Fairy Wind
Play Rough

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.

The latest Pokémon GO Sierra counters are in.
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Counters for Sierra's third Pokemon

Houndoom

Pokémon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Machamp
Counter
Cross Chop, Rock Slide, Dynamic Punch
Conkeldurr
Counter
Dynamic Punch, Smack Down
Rhyperior
Smack Down
Surf, Rock Wrecker
Kyogre
Waterfall
Surf
Lucario
Counter
Aura Sphere
Rampardos
Smack Down
Rock Slide
Terrakion
Double Kick
Sacred Sword

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.

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Gyarados

Pokemon
Fast Attack
Charged Attack
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge
Magnezone
Spark
Wild Charge
Golem
Volt Switch
Stone Edge
Raikou
Volt Switch
Shadow Ball
Mamoswine
Powder Snow
High Horsepower
Zekrom
Charge Beam
Fusion Bolt
Electivire
Thunder Shock
Wild Charge
Rhyperior
Smack Down
Rock Wrecker
Rampardos
Smack Down
Rock Slide
Tyranitar
Smack Down
Stone Edge

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

Pokemon
Fast Move
Charged Move
Reshiram
Dragon Breath, Fire Fang
Draco Meteor, Fusion Flare
Volcarona
Fire Spin
Bug Buzz
Heatran
Fire Spin
Iron Head
Dragonite
Dragon Breath
Superpower
Moltres
Wing Attack
Ancient Power
Darmanitan
Fire Fang
Overheat
Galarian Darmanitan
Ice Fang
Avalanche
Alakazam
Confusion
Psychic
Mamoswine
Powder Snow
Avalanche
Glaceon
Frost Breath
Avalanche

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.

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.

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