Pokemon GO: How to Beat Giovanni (June 2023)

The Pokemon GO antagonists, Team GO Rocket, constantly pose a threat in the game. Players need to face several Grunts and Leaders to get a chance to encounter the Main Boss, Giovanni. Fighting the Team GO Rocket Leaders, Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra, is already hard, and Giovanni is even more powerful than them.

Giovanni has a diverse set of Shadow Monsters, and winning against them requires some strategizing. The battle comprises three phases, and the second stage is very unpredictable. Defeating Giovanni will not just reward players with Pokemon GO items but also grants chances to catch powerful Shadow Monsters. That said, here is everything one needs to know to beat Giovanni, the Team GO Rocket Boss.

Pokemon GO: How to Beat Giovanni

Giovanni has a total of five Shadow Pokemon in his battle roster. One Pokemon comes in the first phase, and one comes in the last, but there are three options he can use in the second phase. There is no saying which monster he will pick as the second phase representative, so Pokemon GO players should prepare powerful counters that work against all of them.

First Phase: Shadow Persian

Second Phase: Shadow Kingdra, Shadow Kingler, or Shadow Nidoking

Third Phase: Shadow Regice

Giovanni's First Phase Counters

The first phase of the battle is predictable since Giovanni always starts with Shadow Persian. The Normal-type Pocket Monster is vulnerable against Fighting-type attacks but can resist Ghost-type moves. So one should select Fighting-type Pokemon with STAB moves to counter the Shadow Monster.

Pokemon	Fast Attack	Charge Attack
Hariyama	Close Combat	Counter
Conkeldurr	Dynamic Punch	Counter
Machamp	Dynamic Punch	Counter
Lucario	Aura Sphere	Counter
Sirfetch’d	Close Combat	Counter

Giovanni's Second Phase Counters

The second phase of the match is very unpredictable as Giovanni has three Shadow Monsters he can choose from. Shadow Kingler, Shadow Nidoking, or Shadow Kingdra can come as an opponent in this phase. The best strategy is to select counters that can battle all three monsters to an extent and claim victory.

Shadow Kingdra Counters

The dual Water and Dragon-type Shadow Kingdra is vulnerable to Dragon and Fairy-type moves. Talking about its resistances, it can fairly resist Steel, Fire, and Water-type moves in Pokemon GO. One must select counters with STAB Potential attacks aligning to its type weaknesses.

Pokemon	Fast Attack	Charge Attack
Dragonite	Outrage	Dragon Tail
Rayquaza	Outrage	Dragon Tail
Gardevoir	Dazzling Gleam	Charm
Groudon	Precipice Blades	Dragon Tail
Garchomp	Outrage	Dragon Tail

Shadow Kingler Counters

Shadow Kingler is a solo Water-type monster making it weak against Electric and Grass-type attacks in Pokemon GO. It shows resistance while facing Ice, Steel, Water, and Fire-type moves. The ideal counter choices should align with the monster’s weaknesses and have STAB potential moves.

Pokemon	Fast Attack	Charge Attack
Zekrom	Wild Beam	Charge Beam
Xurkitree	Power Whip	Thunder Shock
Kartana	Leaf Blade	Razor Leaf
Electivire	Wild Charge	Thunder Shock
Raikou	Wild Charge	Thunder Shock

Shadow Nidoking Counters

The dual Poison and Ground-type Shadow Nidoking is weak to Psychic, Water, and Ice-type attacks. That said, the Shadow Monster can resist moves of Fairy, Rock, Poison, Bug, Electric, and Fighting-type attributes. Pokemon GO players should select STAB potential counters identical to the monster’s weaknesses.

Pokemon	Fast Attack	Charge Attack
Groudon	Precipice Blades	Mud Shot
Kyogre	Surf	Waterfall
Mewtwo	Psystrike	Psycho Cut
Garchomp	Earth Power	Mud Shot
Glaceon	Avalanche	Ice Shard

Giovanni's Third Phase Counters

The last phase of the battle comes with a legendary opponent, Shadow Regice. The Shadow Pokemon is weak to Fire, Fighting, Steel, and Rock-type moves but can fairly resist Ice-type attacks. One should select STAB potential counters that align with its type weaknesses.