Need to know the latest Pokémon GO Sierra counters? The best can be hard to come by, but there are always alternatives for those with less complete collections. Fighting the others? Check out our Pokémon GO Cliff counters, Pokémon GO Arlo counters, or our complete list of the Team GO Rocket leader teams for May 2022.
Even early into 2022, Sierra's team is set in stone. You'll still have to contend with the random nature of which second and third Pokémon she'll throw into battle, but this guide will give you all the tips you'll need to win, the best counters to use, and some easily accessible alternatives.
Sierra's latest team hasn't changed even with the advent of the Season of Heritage. It could change again by the end, when Giovanni is likely to reappear with yet another enthralled Pokémon like Shadow Lugia. If that happens, come back here to prep your team once more.
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Team Rocket Leader Sierra Pokémon Line-Up & Counters for July 2022
| First Pokémon | Second Pokémon | Third Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Drowzee | Blaziken, Lapras, Sharpedo | Houndoom, Nidoqueen, Shiftry |
Sierra now uses Drowzee as her first Pokémon. Sierra’s second Pokemon will either be Blaziken, Lapras, or Sharpedo Finally, for Sierra's third Pokémon, expect her trusty Houndoom, or she may switch it up and use either Shiftry or Nidoqueen.
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. They should get you through the struggle of the Sierra team for July 2022.
First Sierra Pokémon Counters
Drowzee Counters
| Pokémon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
| Darkrai | Snarl | Shadow Ball |
| Hoopa | Astonish | Shadow Ball |
| Chandelure | Hex | Shadow Ball |
| Weavile | Snarl | Foul Play |
You're not going to need to worry too much about Sierra's Shadow Drowzee. They are a single type Pokémon, and therefore are weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost. It's important to use this phase to burn through the shields as quickly as you can so that you can move on to the more difficult Pokémon and make sure that they have no shields for those harder fights.
Second Sierra Pokémon Counters
Blaziken Counters
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo | Confusion | Psystrike |
| Moltres | Wing Attack | Sky Attack |
| Latios | Zen Headbutt | Psychic |
| Kyogre | Waterfall | Surf |
| Hoopa | Confusion | Psychic |
Blaziken can be a bit of a difficult opponent because they are a dual-type Pokémon. However, they can still be countered by plenty of other Pokémon. Sierra's Shadow Blaziken is a Fire and Fighting dual-type, meaning that it's weak to Psychic, Flying, Water, and Ground. Although this can be a difficult opponent, it's not as hard as Lapras.
Lapras
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Magnezone | Spark | Wild Charge |
| Machamp | Counter | Cross Chop, Rock Slide |
| Melmetal | Thunder Shock | Superpower, Rock Slide |
| Kyogre | Waterfall | Thunder, Surf |
Shadow Lapras demands bulkier Pokémon. As it is one itself, going at it with glass cannons will spell a quick end to your run. The Pokémon that have been chosen to counter it now are quite tanky Pokémon, so you will most likely survive the attacks Shadow Lapras has in store for you. Machamp is a very solid choice against Lapras, as their attacks are strong, and so are their defences. Magnezone is another winner for this scenario. Kyogre is not the strongest out of the bunch and is best avoided if possible.
Sharpedo
| Pokémon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
| Palkia | Dragon Tail | Draco Meteor |
| Machamp | Counter | Cross Chop, Rock Slide |
| Exeggutor (Alola) | Dragon Tail | Seed Bomb, Dragon Pulse |
| Vileplume | Razor Leaf | Moonblast, Sludge Bomb |
Sierra's Shadow Sharpedo is a Water and Dark-type, which has very low stamina. It's also incredibly easily countered by Grass and Fighting Types, making Vileplume perfect for the situation. Palkia is also a fantastic counter, as they are a bulky counter, and dish out a tonne of damage to the target.
Third Sierra Pokémon Counters
Houndoom Counters
| Pokémon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
| Machamp | Counter | Cross Chop, Rock Slide |
| Conkeldurr | Counter | Dynamic Punch, Smack Down |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down | Surf, Rock Wrecker |
| Kyogre | Waterfall | Surf |
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.
Nidoqueen
| Pokemon | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut | Psystrike |
| Hoopa | Confusion | Psychic |
| Landorus (Therian) | Extrasensory | Earthquake |
| Excadrill | Mud-slap | Earthquake |
| Kyogre | Waterfall | Hydro Pump |
Sierra's Nidoqueen is a Ground and Poison-type, that is weak to Ice, Psychic, Water, and Ground. Any of the choices from the table are good counters for Nidoqueen, as well as the other Pokémon that she may pull out.
Shiftry
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Sylveon | Charm | Moonblast, Psyshock |
| Togekiss | Charm | Ancient Power, Flamethrower |
| Clefable | Charm | Moonblast, Meteor Mash |
| Hariyama | Counter | Close Combat, Heavy Slam |
Sierra's Shiftry is very easy to counter if you use fairy or fighting types. Shiftry is similar to the Sharpedo that you potentially fought earlier in terms of defence and stamina, in the sense that he is high defence and low stamina. For this fight, Sylveon and Togekiss are your best bets!
click to enlarge + 2How Do I Battle Sierra in Pokémon 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.
- Grab the goods: In our Pokémon GO Promo Codes guide
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.
Pokémon GO Sierra Leader Rewards
For every Team Go Rocket Leader you defeat, you'll earn plenty of rewards in return—like 1,000 Stardust and two of the following items:
- One Strange 12km egg (this will go into your extra egg storage if you don't have space)
- One Max Revive
- One Revive
- One Max Potion
- One Unova Stone
- One Sinnoh Stone
Players will also have the opportunity to catch a Team Go Rocket Leader Shadow Pokémon. When defeating Sierra, players will have the chance to capture Shadow Nidoran (F), but how easy it is will largely depend on how well you perform in your battle with Sierra. Shadow Nidoran (F) can be shiny.
As a rule of thumb, players get 5 Premier Balls to capture the Shadow Pokémon, with extra bonus balls added depending on:
- How many Pokémon survive the Sierra trainer battle
- Your individual 'purify Pokémon' medal rank (Purifier)
- Your individual 'defeat Team Rocket' medal rank (Hero)
If you still haven't beaten Giovanni, then you'll need to take down each Rocket Leader (including Sierra) in order to find Team GO Rocket's infamous leader. Hopefully, this long list of the best Pokémon GO Sierra counters for December will help you defeat her.
An earlier version of this guide was written by James Wright.