In Pokémon GO, players earn Mysterious Components by defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts at occupied Pokéstops. Once you acquire six of them, you construct the Rocket Radar which leads you to one Team Go Rocket Leaders.
Unlike the weaker Grunts, the Team Go Rocket Leaders are much tougher to defeat. There are three Team GO Rocket Leaders: Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra, each wielding their own team of powerful shadow Pokemon.
Here we’ll show you how to defeat Sierra, detailing her current team for October 2023 and the best way to counter it.
Sierra’s Team (October 2023)
Sierra’s lineup changes frequently, and recently changed as part of the Team Go Rocket Takeover event. Her current lineup in Pokemon GO is as follows:
- Geodude
- Gardevoir / Steelix / Sableye
- Gyarados / Houndoom / Victreebel
Sierra’s lineup changes every time there’s a Team Go Rocket Takeover, and she will always send out her Pokemon in this order.
How to beat Sierra in Pokemon GO
Pokemon #1: Geodude
Geodude is a dual Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type attacks with a x4 weakness to Grass and Water-type attacks.
Naturally, Grass and Water-type attackers are the way to go, with some of the strongest attackers being:
- Kartana – Razor Leaf (Fast Move), Leaf Blade (Charged Move)
- Kyogre – Waterfall (Fast Move), Surf (Charged Move)
- Vaporeon – Water Gun (Fast Move), Hydro Pump (Charged Move)
Pokemon #2: Gardevoir/Steelix/Sableye
This is where it starts to get tricky, as the second Pokemon can be one of Gardevoir, Steelix or Sableye. Here are some of the best Pokemon to take on each of them:
Gardevoir Best Counters:
- Nihilego – Poison Jab (Fast Move), Sludge Bomb (Charged Move)
- Chandelure – Hex (Fast Move), Shadow Ball (Charged Move)
Steelix Best Counters:
- Terrakion – Double Kick (Fast Move), Sacred Sword (Charged Move)
- Reshiram – Fire Fang (Fast Move), Fusion Flare (Charged Move)
Sableye Best Counters:
- Togekiss – Charm (Fast Move), Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move)
- Sylveon – Charm (Fast Move), Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move)
Pokemon #3: Gyarados/Houndoom/Victreebel
The final Pokemon of Sierra’s team will be her strongest, so its best to save your best Pokemon for the end to finish the fight.
Gyarados Best Counters:
- Zekrom – Charge Beam (Fast Move), Fusion Bolt (Charged Move)
- Electivire – Thunder Shock (Fast Move), Wild Charge (Charged Move)
Houndoom Best Counters:
- Terrakion – Double Kick (Fast Move), Sacred Sword (Charged Move)
- Rampardos – Smack Down (Fast Move), Rock Slide (Charge Move)
Victreebel Best Counters:
- Darmanitan – Fire Fang (Fast Move), Overheat (Charged Move)
- Reshiram – Fire Fang (Fast Move), Fusion Flare (Charged Move)
