Pokemon GO: How To Beat Giovanni (May 2024)

Pokemon GO players can locate and defeat Team GO Rocket Giovanni’s Shadow Pokemon for April 2024 by following this guide.

This article is part of a directory: Pokemon GO: Full Game Guide | Tips, Tricks, and Events

Pokemon GO players can battle and win Giovanni's lineup in May 2024 with proper preparation. One must battle numerous powerful Shadow Pokemon to get the best of the Team GO Rocket leader and earn rewards. But, it takes extensive counter-selection and knowledge of meta-battles to defeat Giovanni.

The Shadow Pokemon lineup for Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket members changes regularly, and one must know the current lineup to devise a counter roster. But before initiating the battle with Giovanni, one must first locate the Team GO Rocket main boss. Players should first win against Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra to initiate the battle with Giovanni. Before battling, one must study Giovanni’s battle roster to secure a win. That said, this guide details all Shadow Pokemon Giovanni possesses in May 2024 and the best counters against them.

How to Beat Giovanni In Pokemon GO

After players find Giovanni in Pokemon GO, they can initiate the battle with the Team GO Rocket main boss. The battle is segmented into 3 rounds, and Giovanni has a battle roster with 5 Shadow Pokemon. Each Shadow monster is extremely powerful and requires powerful counters to defeat them.

Pokemon GO trainers must face 1 Shadow Pokemon each for the 1st and 3rd rounds. It is the 2nd round that brings forth an unpredictable threat. The Team GO Rocket main boss possesses 3 different Shadow monster choices for the 2nd round.

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s First Round Counters

Giovanni always starts the battle with his Shadow Persian, a Normal-type Pokemon with boosted offensive abilities as a Shadow monster.

Shadow Persian

Type: Normal

Weakness: Fighting-type moves

Resistance: Ghost-type moves

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s Second Round Counters

Giovanni uses a specific monster in the first round, but the second round's pick is uncertain. The Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket’s main boss has strong choices, like Shadow Nidoking, Shadow Rhyperior, or Shadow Garchomp for the second round. Shadow Nidoking is a Poison/Ground-type, Shadow Rhyperior is a Water-type, and Shadow Garchomp is a Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon. Players must select appropriate counters for all of them.

Shadow Nidoking

Type: Poison and Ground

Weakness: Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type moves

Shadow Rhyperior

Type: Ground and Rock

Weakness: Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type moves

Shadow Garchomp

Type: Dragon and Ground

Weakness: Dragon, Fairy, and Ice-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Fire, Poison, and Rock-type moves

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s Third Round Counters

Similar to the first round, Giovanni has just one representative in the third round of the battle, which is Shadow Groudon. To defeat it, Pokemon GO trainers must use counters that exploit its weaknesses effectively. One also needs to be wary of its best moveset, which comprises Mud Shot (Ground-type) and Precipice Blades (Ground-type), resulting in a total DPS of 21.25.

Shadow Groudon

Type: Ground

Weakness: Grass, Ice, and Water-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Poison, and Rock-type moves

Franchise Pokemon Platform(s) iOS , Android Released July 6, 2016 Developer(s) Niantic , The Pokemon Company