How to beat Sierra in Pokemon Go (August 2024) – Counters & weaknesses

Sierra is one of the most challenging Team Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go, making even the most experienced trainers struggle to beat her.

That said, using the right counters can make quick work of her Shadow Pokemon. So, here’s her August 2024 lineup, with details on the weaknesses and best team to win the battle.

How to beat Sierra in August 2024

You can beat Sierra by using counters that deal super-effective damage and prompt her to use shields as soon as possible.

To do this, focus on using counters whose Fast Moves deal high damage figures or generate energy quick enough to fire off Charged Moves in no time.

Sierra Pokemon Go team in August 2024

• Carvanha
• Sableye / Milotic / Ampharos
• Alakazam / Houndoom / Nidoqueen

Sierra’s team is very unpredictable, as it shifts from tanky opponents in the middle to hard-hitting threats at the end. That said, switching your counters in and out properly gets the job done.

Shadow Carvanha is Sierra’s lead and arguably the only worthy catch from the August 2024 Team Rocket rotation in Pokemon Go since its evolution, Shadow Sharpedo, can deal massive damage in battles.

Her second combatant is anything among Sableye, Milotic, and Ampharos. The first two are quite tricky to face, while Ampharos isn’t too big a deal.

Finally, she will use Houndoom, Alakazam, or Nidoqueen. Each of these can surprise you with powerful moves, so you need strong counters to handle them with ease.

Carvanha counters

• Mega Lucario with Force Palm and Power-Up Punch.
• Machamp with Counter and Cross Chop.
• Mega Gardevoir with Charm and Triple Axel.
• Togekiss with Charm and Ancient Power.
• Kartana with Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade.

Carvanha is a Water/Dark-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Bug, Electric, Grass, Fairy, and Figting-type moves. Thanks to its low bulk, it is very easy to eliminate Carvanha from your worries.

Sableye counters

• Gardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
• Togekiss with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
• Xerneas with Geomancy and Moonblast.
• Sylveon with Charm and Dazzling Gleam.
• Primarina with Charm and Moonblast.

Sableye is a Dark/Ghost type, which means it’s only weak against Fairy-type moves. It’s also resistant to Normal, Psychic, Fighting, and Poison-type attacks.

Since Fairy-type attacks have a huge advantage against Sableye, we recommend picking only these counters for this challenging Pokemon Go bout.

Ampharos counters

• Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades.
• Mega Grachomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power.
• Rhyperior with Mud-Slap and Earthquake.
• Excadrill with Mud-Slap and Scorching Sands.
• Krookodile with Mud Shot and Earthquake.

The pure Electric-type Ampharos is weak only to Ground-type attacks, and Pokemon Go boasts many strong species in this category.

Milotic counters

• Mega Sceptile with Fury Cutter and Leaf Blade.
• Kartana with Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade.
• Raikou with Thunder Shock and Wild Charge.
• Xurkitree with Thunder Shock and Discharge.
• Magnezone with Spark and Wild Charge.

Milotic is a pure Water-type species, which means it’s only weak against Electric and Grass-type moves. It is resistant to Fire, Ice, Steel, and Water-type attacks, so you shouldn’t have much problem with your picks.

Remember that Milotic is extremely bulky, so you may need to use a couple of Charged Moves to defeat it.

Houndoom counters

• Machamp with Counter and Close Combat.
• Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
• Kyogre with Waterfall and Surf.
• Primarina with Charm and Hydro Pump.
• Mega Tyranitar with Smack Down and Stone Edge.

As a dual Fire/Dark type, Houndoom is weak against Fighting, Ground, Rock, and Water-type attacks. It’s resistant to Ghost, Steel, Fire, Grass, Psychic, Ice, and Dark-type moves, so be careful with your pick.

Fighting types are your safest bet, but you can also go with not-so-obvious choices, relying on powerful Water types.

Alakazam counters

• Mega Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing.
• Mega Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball.
• Chandelure with Hex and Shadow Ball.
• Mega Banette with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
• Mega Houndoom with Snarl and Foul Play.

Alakazam is a pure Psychic type, meaning its only weaknesses are Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks. Luckily, it isn’t too bulky, so taking it out is no big deal.

Nidoqueen counters

• Mewtwo with Psycho Cut and Psystrike.
• Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades.
• Kyogre with Waterfall and Origin Pulse.
• Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche.
• Mega Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power

Nidoqueen is a Poison/Ground-type species, so it’s weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type attacks. With some of Pokemon Go’s best attackers in these categories, you can beat Nidoqueen without trouble.

Best team to defeat Sierra in Pokemon Go

The best team to defeat Sierra is Mega Lucario, Togekiss, and Mewtwo. Alternatively, you can replace Mewtwo with a Dark or Ghost-type Pokemon so Alakazam isn’t a problem for you.

Once you complete the battles with Sierra and other Leaders, here’s how you can beat Giovanni and his Legendary Shadow Cresselia in Pokemon Go.