How to beat Sierra in Pokemon GO (January 2023)

2023 may have arrived for Pokemon GO trainers, but Team GO Rocket is still on the prowl. This includes the team's leaders Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra, who serve as Giovanni's lieutenants.

If you're hunting down the insidious criminal leaders, you should prepare for a fight. Fortunately, although Team GO Rocket's trio occasionally makes changes to their lineup of shadow Pokemon, they've been using a similar lineup since November 2022. If you've battled Sierra or the other leaders in the past few months, you should know what to expect.

Trainers who haven't battled Sierra in a while will want to know what she brings to the battlefield in January 2023.

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Defeating Sierra's Shadow Sableye Team in Pokemon GO

Sierra's trusted Houndoom remains on her team (Image via Niantic)

Sierra has utilized the same team of shadow Pokemon since November, but this doesn't make her any less fearsome. Knowing which Pokemon are in the lineup and which have a high probability of being used can give you an edge in the battle. You can prepare the right counters accordingly and make the encounter substantially easier.

Sierra's current team and appearance chances in Pokemon GO:

• Slot One - Shadow Sableye (100%)
• Slot Two - Flygon (37%), Cacturne (35%), Honchkrow (28%)
• Slot Three - Houndoom (73%), Snorlax (14%), Cradily (12%)

From this information, two things are certain: you will undoubtedly face Shadow Sableye in battle with Sierra, and you have a very high chance of encountering her Shadow Houndoom as well. The second Pokemon in her lineup is fairly difficult to parse, but fortunately, you can enter battle with her and then back out to re-adjust your teams if you need to. With that in mind, it's wise to know which Pokemon types to bring to win the type matchups in the battle against Sierra.

Elemental counters to Sierra's current Pokemon GO team:

• Sableye - Fairy
• Flygon - Dragon, Fairy, Ice (2x super effective)
• Cacturne - Bug (2x super effective), Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison
• Honchkrow - Electric, Fairy, Ice, Rock
• Houndoom - Fighting, Ground, Rock, Water
• Snorlax - Fighting
• Cradily - Bug, Fighting, Ice, Steel

In addition to picking the right elemental types for the Pokemon GO fight, you should bring the highest quality Pokemon possible. This includes Pocket Monsters with high CP and IV stats to ensure quality damage is being dealt and minimal damage is received. With these strategies in place, you should be able to defeat Sierra and capture one of her shadow Pokemon as your own. In this case, you will receive a catch encounter with Shadow Sableye after the battle.

Keep in mind that although this counter strategy works at the moment, Team GO Rocket is always devising new battle teams to utilize. Though Sierra is yet to change her team as of January 1, 2023, a shift may be on the horizon sooner rather than later. However, you won't know for sure until Niantic implements these changes.