The Pokemon Go Giovanni lineup and counters is all-new for 2021, so if you've beaten him before you'll need to change up your battle party. Whether you have bested Giovani before in Pokemon Go or not, it's not an easy fight, and you'll need to know all of the best Giovanni counters to take down the Team Rocket boss. We've also got information on how to find the elusive chap, so read on for everything you need to know about the Pokemon Go Giovanni battle.
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How to find Giovanni
How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
The first thing you need to do on the quest to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go is complete the first four stages of the Pokemon Go Looming in the Shadows research. You know the Rocket Radar you've been using to find the Rocket Grunts in the buildup to this point? Yeah, now you've got a Super Rocket Radar! This nifty tool works in the same way as the normal Rocket Radar, except it will show you the location of Giovanni.
Kind of. In a last ditch attempt to thwart your plans, there'll be plenty of disguised Rocket Grunts located at various stops. To uncover their disguises, you thankfully don't have to defeat them all; simply spin each stop to find the real Giovanni.
How to beat Giovanni
How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
When you find Giovanni, as we mentioned before, you're faced with one of the hardest fights in the game. Just like the three Team Rocket leaders (Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo), Giovanni can use protect shields, which means that along with having stronger Pokemon, he'll absorb up to two of your charged attacks. While Giovanni always starts with Persian, he can use one of three different Pokemon for his second choice, followed by Suicune. Here are the best counters for all the Pokemon Giovanni can use, including the optimal movesets:
Pokemon Go Giovanni counters
- Persian
- Kangaskhan/Nidoking/Garchomp
- Mewtwo
Persian
Persian is a Normal-type beast that can use any of the following type moves: Normal, Dark, Fairy, and Rock. Of course, Fighting-type moves are the best here, but since Persian is the weakest of the three Pokemon you face, it can be a good opportunity to charge up your strongest Pokemon's charge move ready for Suicune at the end of the battle. Charge it up then switch to one of the following to get Persian outta there.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Lucario | Counter/Power-Up Punch |
Machamp | Counter/Cross Chop |
Blaziken | Counter/Blaze Kick |
Poliwrath | Mud Shot/Power-Up Punch |
Kangaskhan
For Giovanni's second Pokemon, he can send out one of three. The first possibility is Kangaskhan, a Normal-type with some powerful attacks. Fighting-type Pokemon, as always, are the way forward here when dealing with any Normal-type Pokemon.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Lucario | Counter/Aura Sphere |
Conkeldurr | Counter/Dynamic Punch |
Machamp | Counter/Dynamic Punch |
Breloom | Counter/Dynamic Punch |
Nidoking
Nidoking may look intimidating but with the right counters, you can take it down with ease. Here are some alternate options to see off Nidoking.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Empoleon | Waterfall/Hydro Cannon |
Jirachi | Confusion/Doom Desire |
Kyogre | Waterfall/Surf |
Dialga | Dragon Breath/Iron Head |
Garchomp
Garchomp may be one of the coolest looking Pokemon but since it's a dual Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon, you can rely on Ice-types because it has a double weakness. Here are the best Garchomp counters.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Articuno | Ice Shard/Icy Wind |
Glaceon | Frost Breath/Ice Beam |
Gardevoir | Charm/Psychic |
Dragonite | Dragon Breath/Dragon Claw |
Mewtwo
For the final Pokemon, Giovanni's current legendary of choice is the one and only Mewtwo. Like all Psychic-types, Mewtwo struggles to deal with Dark-type moves, so rely on those to get through the final leg of the battle.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Tyranitar | Bite/Crunch |
Hydreigon | Bite/Dark Pulse |
Darkrai | Snarl/Dark Pulse |
Weavile | Snarl/Foul Play |
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