Defeating Sierra in Pokémon GO: March 2025 Guide

March 2025 brings Team GO Leader Sierra back into Pokémon GO, ready to challenge players once again. While the current season, Dual Destiny, wraps up on March 4, Team GO Rocket’s disruptions continue to impact trainers. Despite adjustments made in January, Sierra will still be using her lineup from February. Although things might change when the new season begins, for now, she’ll kick off March 2025 with the same seven Pokémon we’ve seen before.

After taking down six Team GO Rocket Grunts, like the one named Ke Ke Ke, you’ll get a chance to battle one of the three Team GO Rocket Leaders. Each time you spin a PokéStop taken over by Team GO Rocket or encounter a Rocket balloon, you’ll meet one of the three leaders—Sierra, Arlo, or Cliff—at random. If you find Sierra, be ready for a formidable fight, as her strength can catch you off guard, even if you’ve battled her previously.

Sierra’s Team & Counters in Pokémon GO (March 2025)

No Changes for March 2025

If you faced Sierra in February, brace yourself for the same lineup again this month. She always opens with Skorupi, a Poison- and Bug-type Pokémon. Her next two Pokémon will be randomly chosen from three possible options.

Her second Pokémon can be one of three: Milotic (Water-type), Ninetales (Fire-type), or Ferrothorn (Steel/Grass-type). The final Pokémon in her lineup will be either Houndoom (Dark/Fire-type), Nidoqueen (Poison/Ground-type), or Drapion (Poison/Dark-type). Each of these Pokémon will gain an additional boost, making them tougher as shadow variants.

As Skorupi is Sierra’s go-to, using a Fire-, Flying-, Psychic-, or Rock-type Pokémon will give you an edge in the battle. My recommendation is to go with the Legendary Fire-type Ho-Oh. By choosing Ho-Oh, you can take down Skorupi quickly and have an advantage against her potential second pick, Ferrothorn, which is solely vulnerable to Fire-types.

Ground-types are crucial in this match, especially since four of Sierra’s potential Pokémon are weak to it. The mighty Groudon is recognized as one of the powerhouses among Ground-types in Pokémon GO, making it an excellent choice when facing Ninetales, Houndoom, Nidoqueen, or Drapion, as it’s super effective against all of them.

To maintain the legendary theme, consider including an Electric- or Grass-type Pokémon as your third option, in case she fields Milotic. Personally, I favor Zapdos from Generation One, as I’ve found it can swiftly defeat the Water-type. Any strong Pokémon of these types should do the trick.

Rewards for Beating Sierra in Pokémon GO

A Shadow Pokémon and Items on Offer

Although the rewards from defeating Sierra aren’t as impressive as those from taking down Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni, it’s still worth your time. The primary prize is your chance to capture a Shadow Skorupi. After defeating Sierra, this encounter will trigger automatically, so be sure to use Golden Berries to increase your chances of catching it.

Furthermore, if you have room in your egg inventory, defeating Sierra will reward you with a 12km red egg and additional items, chosen at random from 4x Revives, 2x Max Revives, 4x Hyper Potions, 2x Max Potions, or a Unova Stone. Sierra’s current lineup is generally easier to defeat than some earlier iterations of her team, so make sure to bring your best counters in Pokémon GO to improve your odds of winning.