The Team Rocket boss, Giovanni, knows his way around the battlefield, especially with his elite ensemble of creatures. We’re here to help you defeat him in Pokémon Go by showing you the best Giovanni counters, team lineup, and strategies.
How to defeat Giovanni in Pokémon Go
Once you activate the Super Rocket Radar from the “It’s a Rocket World” quest, you can pinpoint Giovanni’s location at PokéStops or Team Rocket balloons. Before heading into battle, it’s essential to equip the right team members. Depending on your Pokémon Go selection, here are a few ways you can decide on a group for Giovanni:
Best team lineup for Giovanni in Pokémon Go
- Fighting Type: Annihilape, Machamp, Lucario, Conkeldurr, Terrakion, Iron Valiant, or Keldeo
- Water Type: Vaporeon, Swampert, Kyogre, Azumarill, or Blastoise
- Ice Type: Weavile, Kyurem, Mamoswine, Baxcalibur, Galarian Darmanitan, Articuno, or Glaceon
Any of the Pokémon above benefit Giovanni’s fight, but you could also go with one Fighting type and two Ice types instead. If you still aren’t sure which ones to pick, the best Giovanni team options are Machamp, Swampert, and Mamoswine. As a Fighting Type, Machamp can pack a punch against Giovanni’s Persian. Then, you can use Swampert to annilate the next round, perfect for Nidoking or Rhyperior. Mamoswime will end things off with Shadow Groudon, using its Ice abilities to knock it out.
For a full breakdown of the entire battle, let’s take a look at the best counters for Pokémon Go’s Giovanni:
Best counters against Giovanni in Pokémon Go
| Giovanni’s Pokémon | Counters |
|---|---|
| Shadow Persian | -Annihilape -Machamp -Lucario -Conkeldurr -Terrakion -Keldeo |
| Shadow Nidoking (second round possibility) | -Swampert -Mewtwo -Primal Kyogre -Mega Alakazam -Primal Groudon -Mega Swampert -Shadow Mewtwo |
| Shadow Rhyperior (second round possibility) | -Annihilape -Machamp -Lucario -Conkeldurr -Terrakion -Keldeo -Vaporeon -Swampert -Kyogre -Azumarill -Blastoise -Weavile -Kyurem -Mamoswine -Baxcalibur -Galarian Darmanitan -Articuno -Glaceon |
| Shadow Garchomp (second round possibility) | -Weavile -Kyurem -Mamoswine -Baxcalibur -Galarian Darmanitan -Articuno -Glaceon |
| Shadow Groudon | -Vaporeon -Swampert -Kyogre -Azumarill -Blastoise -Weavile -Kyurem -Mamoswine -Baxcalibur -Galarian Darmanitan -Articuno -Glaceon |
No matter what, Persian will always be the first Pokémon shown in Giovanni’s fight. So, it’s best to take advantage of its weakness in Fighting Types. The three most popular choices amongst the community for this match are Annihilape, Machamp, and Lucario.
The next round could bring out Nidoking, Rhyperior, or Garchomp. Nidoking is weak to Psychic, Ice, Ground, and Water Types. As mentioned earlier, Swampert can be extremely helpful with this as a Water Type. Having a Mega Swampert is a plus, but you can still get by with the regular version. Other than that, Mewtwo, both the standard and Shadow version, is excellent for Nidoking’s battle.
Rhyperior is another option for Giovanni’s second round, leaning more toward Fighting and Water types (and other types as well). However, Garchomp may arrive instead, so it’s better to try out Dragon, Ice, and Fairy types. Groudon will be the last Pokémon to go against, who is weak against Water and Ice types. Swampert or Kyogre are good choices for this creature, but many others can be just as valuable.
