Sierra, one of the prominent leaders of Team Rocket, offers players an exciting challenge in Pokémon GO throughout April 2025. Renowned for her impressive lineup of powerful Shadow Pokémon, she represents a significant upgrade in difficulty compared to the standard Team Rocket Grunts. To successfully overcome Sierra, trainers must strategically assemble a team of perfect Pokémon counters to gain an advantage in battle.
Before you can confront Sierra, it’s essential to defeat six unique Team Rocket Grunts to craft the Rocket Radar. This radar will guide you to one of the three Team Rocket leaders—be it Sierra, Arlo, or Cliff. Although your odds of initially spotting Sierra stand at 33%, battling the other two leaders may gradually refine her location for a more successful encounter.
Sierra’s Team & Counters In Pokémon GO (April 2025)
Strategic Match-Ups Against Shadow Pokémon
Sierra will deploy three Pokémon in three distinct battle waves. The first wave is set and predictable, featuring a fixed Pokémon, while the second and third waves will include one of several possible Pokémon Sierra has in her arsenal, making her moves more challenging to anticipate.
It’s crucial to note that each of Sierra’s Pokémon are Shadow variants, elevating their health and attack power. Therefore, selecting effective counters is imperative, as you want to minimize any opportunity for Sierra’s team to retaliate. Having Shadow Pokémon of your own can also bolster your chances against her formidable selection.
While engaging with Sierra can be demanding, her encounter is generally less complex than battles in the Master League. Trainers who excel in high-stakes matches will likely find success against her as well.
Below is a detailed table featuring the Pokémon Sierra may use, their respective types, weaknesses, and optimal counters:
| Wave | Pokémon | Type | Weaknesses | Best Counters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (Shadow) Skorupi | Poison/Bug | Fire, Flying, Psychic, Rock |
|
| 2 | (Shadow) Milotic | Water | Electric, Grass |
|
| 2 | (Shadow) Ninetales | Fire | Ground, Rock, Water |
|
| 2 | (Shadow) Ferrothorn | Grass/Steel | Fire, Fighting |
|
| 3 | (Shadow) Nidoqueen | Poison/Ground | Ground, Ice, Psychic, Water |
|
| 3 | (Shadow) Drapion | Poison/Dark | Ground |
|
| 3 | (Shadow) Houndoom | Dark/Fire | Fighting, Ground, Rock, Water |
|
Considering the potential line-up Sierra might use, the following Pokémon pairs exceptionally well as counters:
- Swampert
- Magnezone
- Blaziken
Swampert stands out as the ultimate counter to Sierra, utilizing its Water/Ground typing to create considerable advantages. Moves like Mud Shot, Water Gun, and Hydro Cannon allow Swampert to inflict super-effective damage against Sierra’s Houndoom, Drapion, Nidoqueen, and Ninetales. If you have a Shadow or Mega Swampert, its offensive capabilities are significantly enhanced, potentially allowing it to take down most of Sierra’s team swiftly.
Other versatile Pokémon like Blaziken and Magnezone serve as supportive allies, able to cover Sierra’s different Pokémon effectively. For example, if Sierra sends out Milotic, Magnezone’s Electric-type attacks can strike back hard. Blaziken excels at the onset of the battle, easily dealing with Sierra’s Skorupi.
Rewards For Beating Sierra In Pokémon GO
Claim Exclusive Rewards for Defeating Team Rocket
Trainers who vanquish all three waves of Sierra’s Pokémon will earn a reward of 1,000 Stardust along with two item bundles. The items may contain:
- 4x Revive
- 2x Max Revive
- 4x Hyper Potion
- 2x Max Potion
- 1x Unova Stone
- 1x 12km Strange Egg
The Strange Egg will automatically be granted if you have an open egg slot in your inventory. Additionally, you’ll encounter the opportunity to capture Sierra’s Shadow Skorupi following this battle, a rare catch with a small chance of being Shiny in Pokémon GO.
Defeating Sierra also advances your Special Research, which is essential in your quest to take down Team Rocket’s mastermind, Giovanni. Should you best Giovanni, you unlock even greater rewards, including the possibility of capturing the Shadow Legendary he has on his team.
By collecting Sierra’s Shadow Skorupi throughout the month, you can gather enough Candies to evolve it into Shadow Drapion, a powerful addition to bolster your Pokémon lineup. Although Sierra’s team remains familiar, expertly countering her Pokémon will ensure you secure further valuable rewards.