Members of Team GO Rocket are still up to their usual schemes in Pokemon GO. As players work toward assembling Rocket Radars in order to fight and take down the evil organization's leaders, some players may have access to a Super Rocket Radar. This item allows players to face the team's head boss: Giovanni.
Being at the very top of Team GO Rocket, Giovanni will be the toughest NPC trainer battle that players can face in Pokemon GO. The battle against him is incredibly worth doing though, as the boss has possession of a rare legendary Pokemon that players can attempt to rescue after properly defeating Giovanni.
Like with all trainers, Giovanni will use a line-up of three Pokemon in the battle against him. While his first and third Pokemon will always remain the same, however, there are three different Pokemon that he can possibly use in his second party slot. Each of these Pokemon has its own different weaknesses and resistances that players need to keep in mind during the battle.
Giovanni's First Pokemon - Persian
As previously stated, Giovanni's first Pokemon will always be Persian. It is a pure Normal-type, making it only weak to Fighting-type moves while also only resisting Ghost-type moves.
Out of all of Giovanni's Pokemon, Persian is the weakest. Because of this, the battle against it serves as a good way to make Giovanni waste his Protect Shields so that he cannot use them on his more powerful Pokemon. Those who just want to get Persian out of the way quickly, however, are recommended to use:
Lucario - Counter and Aura Sphere
Conkeldurr - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Breloom - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Machamp - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Blaziken - Counter and Focus Blast
Giovanni's Second Pokemon - Machamp, Golem, or Cloyster
Each of the three Pokemon that Giovanni can send out as his second Pokemon can present quite the challenge for unprepared players. It is best to get rid of them as quickly as possible so that players have enough resources to get through Giovanni's third and final Pokemon in the battle.
The first of the Pokemon that Giovanni might use second is Machamp. This Pokemon is a pure Fighting-type, meaning that it is weak to Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type moves while also resisting damage from Bug, Rock, and Dark-type moves. If this Pokemon is sent out, the best counters that can use used against it are:
Yveltal - Gust and Hurricane
Rayquaza - Air Slash and Hurricane
Staraptor - Wing Attack and Brave Bird
Therian Tornadus - Gust and Hurricane
Mewtwo - Confusion and Return
Another possibility for Giovanni's second Pokemon is the dual Rock and Ground-type, Golem. This Pokemon's typing makes it weak to Water, Grass, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Fighting-type moves. It also resists damage from Normal, Rock, Flying, Fire, Electric, and Poison-type moves. Because of this, the best counters for it are:
Kingler - Bubble and Crabhammer
Kyogre - Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Roserade - Razor Leaf and Solar Beam
Sceptile - Bullet Seed and Frenzy Plant
Breloom - Bullet Seed and Grass Knot
Finally, the last Pokemon that Giovanni can send out as his second Pokemon is Cloyster. It is a dual Water and Ice-type Pokemon, making it weak to Fighting, Rock, Electric, and Grass-type moves. It additionally doesn't have too many resistances with it only resisting damage from Water and Ice-type moves. The best Pokemon to quickly take it down are:
Lucario - Counter and Aura Sphere
Therian Thundurus - Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
Zekrom - Charge Beam and Wild Charge
Rampardos - Smack Down and Rock Slide
Attack Form Deoxys - Zen Headbutt and Zap Cannon
Giovanni's Third Pokemon - Ho-Oh
The last Pokemon Giovanni will use up until September 1st, 2021 is Shadow Ho-Oh. In addition to the Pokemon being the last challenge for players in the battle, it will also be up for grabs after defeating Giovanni. Of course, players will need to take it down with everything they've got first.
Ho-Oh is a dual Fire and Flying-type Pokemon, making it weak to Rock, Electric, and Water-type moves. It, however, also resists damage from Ground, Fire, Steel, Fighting, Fairy, Grass, and Bug-type moves. With this in mind, the best Pokemon to use against this legendary bird are:
Hippowdon - Thunder Fang and Weather Ball (Rock)
Manectric - Charge Beam and Wild Charge
Tangrowth - Infestation and Rock Slide
Kingdra - Waterfall and Hydro Pump
Blaziken - Counter and Stone Edge
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.