Are you gearing up to face Giovanni in Pokemon Go? If so, you should brace yourself for a tough fight and ensure you have a powerful roster before jumping into the battle. Beating Giovanni will require you to know the best lineup of counters and moves.
Now, if you need to learn how to plan your attack, this article is for you. In this guide, I will explain how to beat the Team Go Rocket boss successfully. Keep reading.
Team Go Rocket leader Giovanni
Basic Information About Giovanni
Giovanni is the boss of Team Go Rocket on Pokemon Go and is one of the most challenging characters to beat. He was a secretive Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym and would hand out the Earth Badge to Trainers who beat him. As a Gym leader, Giovanni also specialized in Ground-type Pokemon, but with a master plan of collecting any rare Pokemon.
To win him, you need to beat his lineup, which is not fixed. On February 2024, his team was changed and updated.
The 3 Phases of Beating Giovanni on February 2024
| Phase 1 | Giovanni always starts with Persian |
| Phase 2 | He will select a random Pokemon from a pool of ‘Nidoking, Garchomp and Rhyperior’. |
| Phase 3 | Giovanni had Shadow Kyogre until February 2024, but he may have changed to another Shadow Pokemon. |
- Defeating Giovanni will get you multiple rewards. For starters, you will get 5,000 Stardust and several other items, including max revives and max potions.
- Beating the Team Go Rocket leader also levels up your Ultra Hero Medal. This medal levels up every time you beat Giovanni.
- Once you have defeated him enough times, you get to unlock more clothing. To sweeten the deal, a win against Giovanni allows you to capture his legendary Shadow Pokemon, like Shadow Mewtwo.
Ultra Hero medal
Now that you know Giovanni's background and what you stand to win by defeating him and his team members, let us look at the three phases you must conquer to beat him.
Phase 1: Defeat Persian
Giovanni opens up fights with Persian, and this is generally the easiest phase. Since Persian is a normal-type Pokemon, it is weak to fighting type attacks but resistant to Ghost-type attacks. This makes it easier to decide which Pokemon to use against it.
Persian Pokemon
Below are the counters you should use when fighting Persian to stand the best chance of success:
| Recommended Counters | Recommended Moves |
|---|---|
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) and Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
| Hariyama | Counter (Fast Move) and Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
| Lucario | Counter (Fast Move) and Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
| Machamp | Counter (Fast Move) and Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
| Breloom | Counter (Fast Move) and Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
Phase 2: Beat Hard-hitters With Lots of HP
Once you are done with Persian, Giovanni summons stronger attackers with many Hit Points (HP), so you should be ready.
I have created a suggestion matchup based on past experiences.
a. Nidoking Counters
Nidoking is a Ground and Poison-type Pokemon that is weak to ground, ice, water, and psychic-type moves.
Nidoking Pokemon
| Recommended Counters | Recommended Moves |
|---|---|
| JirachiStee | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charged Move) |
| Glaceon | Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charged Move) |
| Garchomp | Mud-Slap (Fast Move) and Earthquake (Charged Move) |
b. Rhyperior Counters
Rhyperior is a Ground and Rock-type Pokemon, which makes it 2x times weak against Water and Grass-type moves. This Pokemon is also vulnerable to Steel, Ground, Ice, and Fighting-type attacks. On the other hand, Rhyperior has a vast pool of charge moves.
Rhyperior Pokemon
| Recommended Counters | Recommended Moves |
|---|---|
| Torterra | Razor Leaf (Fast Move) and Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) |
| Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) and Surf (Charge Move) |
| Empoleon | Waterfall (Fast Move) and Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
| Zarude | Vine Whip (Fast Move) and Power Whip (Charge Move) |
| Swampert | Mud Shot (Fast Move) and Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
c. Garchomp Counters
Garchomp, a formidable Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon poses a significant challenge as one of Giovanni's potential second-encounter Pokémon in Pokémon Go.
Known as the "land shark," Garchomp's dual typing leaves it especially vulnerable to Ice-type attacks, which deal double damage.
Additionally, it is weak against Dragon and Fairy-type moves but shows resistance to Electric, Fire, Poison, and Rock-type attacks.
To defeat Shadow Garchomp, Here are the best counters and their optimal moves:
- Galarian Darmanitan: Ice Fang (Fast Attack) and Avalanche (Charge Attack)
- Mamoswine: Powder Snow (Fast Attack) and Avalanche (Charge Attack)
- Weavile: Ice Shard (Fast Attack) and Avalanche (Charge Attack)
- Articuno: Frost Breath (Fast Attack) and Ice Beam (Charge Attack)
- Dragonite: Dragon Tail (Fast Attack) and Outrage (Charge Attack)
- These counters exploit Garchomp's vulnerabilities effectively, with Ice-type attacks being potent.
Garchomp
Phase 3: The Hardest Part - Beating Giovanni
The final challenge in battling Giovanni in Pokémon Go is his legendary Pokémon, currently Shadow Kyogre, which changes periodically. Keep updated on his lineup through Pokémon Go news.
Shadow Kyogre, a formidable Water-type opponent, is vulnerable to Electric and Grass-type moves. To defeat it, select counters that exploit these weaknesses:
- Mega Sceptile: Use Fury Cutter (Fast Attack) and Frenzy Plant (Charge Attack) for rapid energy and potent Grass-type damage.
- Mega Venusaur: Opt for Vine Whip (Fast Attack) and Frenzy Plant (Charge Attack) for steady Grass-type hits.
- Zarude: Vine Whip (Fast Attack) and Power Whip (Charge Attack) provide quick energy and strong Grass-type attacks.
- Zekrom: Charge Beam (Fast Attack) and Wild Charge (Charge Attack) deliver effective Electric-type damage.
- Leafeon and Alolan Exeggutor: Both should use Bullet Seed (Fast Attack) to power up Leaf Blade and Seed Bomb, respectively.
Other effective counters include:
Mega Rayquaza: With Dragon Tail (Fast Attack) and Dragon Ascent (Charge Attack), it offers significant damage despite not targeting Kyogre's specific weaknesses.
Kartana: Razor Leaf (Fast Attack) and Leaf Blade (Charge Attack) for high Grass-type damage.
Ensure these Pokémon are sufficiently powered up for the battle. If these specific counters are unavailable, rely on your strongest Electric or Grass-type Pokémon to leverage Kyogre's vulnerabilities.
Shadow Kyogre
| Recommended Counters | Recommended Moves |
|---|---|
| Darkrai | Snarl (Fast Move) and Dark Pulse (Charge Move) |
| Hydreigon | Bite (Fast Move) and Brutal Swing (Charge Move) |
| Chandelure | Hex (Fast Move) and Shadow Ball (Charge Move) |
| Hoopa | Astonish (Fast Move) and Shadow Ball (Charge Move) |
| Zarude | Bite (Fast Move) and Dark Pulse (Charge Move) |
Giovanni is a more formidable fighter than the Rocket Leaders and Grunts you fought to get to him. His Pokemons can deplete your health rapidly if you don't have appropriate counters.
But don't worry, you can rematch the Rocket boss immediately. As long as you have the right counters to exploit the weaknesses in his Pokemons, you will beat him.
What's the Best Teams to Defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go?
The best team to defeat Giovanni in Pokémon Go combines Terrakion, Mega Sceptile, and Galarian Darmanitan. This lineup is strategically chosen for its ability to counter Giovanni's typical team composition effectively:
Terrakion deals with Giovanni's Persian through its Fighting-type attacks, exploiting Persian's vulnerability to Fighting moves.
Galarian Darmanitan brings powerful Ice-type moves to the table, which is particularly effective against Giovanni's potential choices like Nidoking and Garchomp, leveraging their weakness to Ice-type attacks.
Mega Sceptile rounds out the team by offering Grass-type moves, making it an ideal counter to Shadow Kyogre and a backup for Garchomp due to its effectiveness against Water and Ground types.
This team offers a robust strategy by covering the primary weaknesses in Giovanni's lineup, ensuring a higher chance of success through type advantage and strategic move selection.
Terrakion, Mega Sceptile, and Galarian Darmanitan
However, success isn't guaranteed on every attempt due to the dynamic nature of Pokémon battles, including Giovanni's varying attack strategies and the luck factor in moves and critical hits. Adjusting strategies based on Giovanni's current lineup and the moves his Pokémon employ is crucial for overcoming these challenges.
Steps to Find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
Since Giovanni is the boss, you cannot fight him straight away. You must accomplish a series of milestones before finding him and battling. Below are the steps you must complete to locate Giovanni:
1. Defeat Team Rocket Grunts
You will need to defeat these Grunts at Pokestops to collect six mysterious components which will enable you to obtain a Team Rocket Radar.
2. Equip the Team Rocket Radar
The radar will help you take down three Team GO Rocket Leaders, Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra. You can find them at Pokestops or by hovering over the ground in hot air balloons.
3. Complete Special Research tasks
These include taking down the three leaders, beating the Grunts, and several other Team Rocket tasks. Once you have completed all, you will receive a Super Rocket Radar.
4. Equip the Super Rocket Radar
With this radar, you will have to check out various Pokestops to eliminate potential Giovanni decoys until you meet him.
That's everything you need to know about Giovanni and his rooster. Remember, defeating him will be tough, but you can beat him and his Shadow Pokemon with the right combination of counters and moves.
With the knowledge gained from this article, you should be able to sail through each phase of battling the Team Go Rocket leader. Good luck as you set out on this exciting battle.