The Pokemon Go Giovanni counters change frequently as he toys with his lineup in Pokemon Go, so you’ve come to the right place if you want to take him down. We’ve got all the details on how to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go, along with information on how to find him in the first place in order to complete the special research tasks themed around the Team Rocket leaders. Here are all of the best Pokemon Go Giovanni counters to defeat him right now.
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How to find Giovanni
How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
(Image credit: Niantic)
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
(Image credit: Niantic)
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
- Dugtrio/Nidoking/Garchomp
- Suicune
Persian counters
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 |
Dugtrio
For Giovanni’s second Pokemon, he can send out one of three. The first possibility is Dugtrio, a solely Ground-type Pokemon that is weak to Grass-, Water-, and Ice-types. Here are some possibilities of Pokemon choice to help you dispose of Dugtrio quickly.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Gyarados | Waterfall/Dragon Pulse |
Torterra | Razor Leaf/Frenzy Plant |
Articuno | Frost Breath/Hurricane |
Togekiss | Charm/Dazzling Gleam |
Nidoking
Nidoking may look intimidating but as a Poison-/Ground-type, it means you can use the same Water- or Ice-type Pokemon you have in your party for Dugtrio. Here are some alternate options to see off Nidoking specifically.
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 once again 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 |
Giovanni Suicune counters
For the final Pokemon, Giovanni’s current legendary of choice is Suicune. It may not look like it, but Suicune is a Water-type Pokemon, so Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon are the way forward here.
Pokemon | Moveset |
---|---|
Raikou | Volt Swittch/Wild Charge |
Magnezone | Spark/Wild Charge |
Mew | Volt Switch/Wild Charge |
Kyurem | Dragon Breath/Dragon Claw |
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