How to beat Team Rocket leader Sierra in Pokémon GO

As players are enjoying Pokémon GO in the warm summer weather, Niantic has put a lot of focus on defeating Team Rocket during the month of June. This includes plenty of Team Rocket Grunts and of course the three Team Rocket leaders. 

Potentially the hardest of the three leaders is Sierra, who is currently fielding a lot of different strong Pokémon. Beating Sierra is no piece of cake in June, so it’s important to pick a team wisely before entering the battle against her. Just like the other leaders, Sierra will have one guaranteed Pokémon in the first round, followed up by three potential Pokémon in rounds two and three respectively. 

With a total of seven different Pokémon, it’s hard to predict how a battle against Sierra will turn out. It’s, therefore, important to have three Pokémon on the team that can potentially counter what Sierra is using. To help players along, here’s how to beat Sierra in June 2021. 

Which Pokémon does Sierra have in Pokémon GO?

The only thing that’s guaranteed when battling Sierra is that she will start out with Sneasel. After that, Sierra can throw out a big variety of Pokémon. Her Pokémon for the second and third rounds can be either electric, fairy, ground, fire, and much more. All in all, Sierra has a hard lineup this month with a lot of types that aren’t always the easiest to defeat.   

Here is Sierra’s Pokémon in June 2021. 

1st Pokémon: 

• Shadow Sneasel

2nd Pokémon: 

• Shadow Ampharos
• Shadow Granbull
• Shadow Gilscor

3rd Pokémon: 

• Shadow Houndoom
• Shadow Kingdra
• Shadow Drapion

How to beat Sierra in Pokémon GO

Beating Sierra this month won’t be easy but definitely not impossible. By picking the right lineup, Sierra’s Pokémon can be countered and defeated in just a single try. If the wrong Pokémon are picked or if Sierra surprises with other Pokémon than expected, then players might be in for a tough battle. 

The first step will be to get past Sneasel, which will be the easiest part of the battle. Try to hold on to the defensive shields when against Sneasel and save them for Sierra’s other Pokémon. Sneasel is a dark and ice-type Pokémon, which makes a fighting-type Pokémon like Lucario or Conkeldurr a very good pick. Lucario is especially great because it can burn Sierra’s two defensive shields very fast with Power-Up Punch as the charge move.

For the second Pokémon, players need to figure out what Sierra will be using. All three potential Pokémon are very different, which means that the counters can vary. If Sierra uses Ampharos, then some of the best options will be ground types such as Landorus, Golem, or Rhyperior.

For Granbull, players want something effective against fairy types such as steel moves through Genesect or Metagross. Poison types will also be great at taking down Granbull.

Last, but not least, there’s a chance to face Gliscor which will be taken down by water or ice moves with Mamoswine, Gyarados, or Slowbro. 

After taking down Sierra’s second Pokémon it might get intense. Depending on how many Pokémon there are left in your own party, it will be up to the last counter. If Sierra uses Houndoom, then any water type will do very well. When facing Kingdra, the best options will be ice or fairy types as Kingdra is a dragon type.

Many would opt toward electric types against Kingra, but Pokémon such as Granbull, Xerneas, or Togekiss will be better options. The last potential opponent is Drapion, which can be taken down with solid ground Pokémon like Groudon, Nidoking, or Excadrill.  

How to encounter Sierra in Pokémon GO

Encountering Sierra in Pokémon GO requires a Team Rocket Radar before she has the potential to spawn. With a radar active, Sierra can spawn through an air balloon or on specific Pokéstops. A Team Rocket Radar can be earned through gathering six Mysterious Components. These components will drop whenever a Team Rocket Grunt has been defeated. 

The Team Rocket Radar can also be bought directly from the in-game store for a price of 200 Pokécoins. In one out of three spawns, Sierra will appear. There will also be a chance to face off against the other Team Rocket leaders Arlo and Cliff. 

These are the Sierra Pokémon GO rewards

Taking down a Team Rocket leader is hard work, which is why players will also be rewarded a bit extra for doing so. First of all, defeating Sierra or any other Team Rocket leader will give 1,000 Stardust to help power up Pokémon even stronger.

Furthermore, there’s a chance for players to get 12 km eggs, potions, max revives, or even stones to evolve certain Pokémon. Defeating Sierra will also give an encounter with one of her shadow Pokémon.