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Pokemon GO: How to Beat Giovanni & Best Counters in April 2023

Giovanni may be the toughest member of Team GO Rocket, but you can beat him with the right Pokemon!

To win against the Team GO Rocket Boss, Giovanni, in Pokemon GO, you’ll need some extremely powerful Pokemon to counter the Shadow Pokemon that he uses.

Giovanni always uses Shadow Persian first and Shadow Regice last, but the second Pokemon in his battle team is a random one out of three possible options.

To help you defeat this powerful boss, we’ve got a list of all of the Pokemon that Giovanni can use as well as the best counters for them.

Just make sure you know how to complete the From the Shadows Research in Pokemon GO, as beating Giovanni is the final step of this Research!

Pokemon GO Giovanni

Every Pokemon Giovanni Can Use in Pokemon GO

Giovanni always uses Shadow Persian as his first Pokemon and Shadow Regice as his final Pokemon.

However, the Pokemon he uses in the second position on his battle team is randomly chosen out of three potential choices:

This is a very powerful selection of Pokemon, so we have included the best counters for each of them below. However, you’ll want to power them up too – here’s how to boost the Candy you earn in Pokemon GO so you can power up Pokemon faster!

Pokemon 1Pokemon 2Pokemon 3
Shadow Persian

Persian Pokemon GO
Shadow Nidoking
Nidoking Pokemon GO
Shadow Regice
Shadow Kingler
Kingler Pokemon GO
Shadow KingdraKingdra Pokemon GO
This is Giovanni's latest Pokemon lineup, following the most recent Team GO Rocket Takeover event on March 25, 2023.

Best Counters to Defeat Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni

Shadow Persian Counters

The best Pokemon to counter Giovanni’s Shadow Persian are Lucario, Buzzwole, and Machamp, as they all have strong Fighting-type attacks that deal a lot of damage.

It is essential you exploit Shadow Persian’s weakness to Fighting-type attacks as it has no other weaknesses.

PokemonImageFast AttackCharged Attack
LucarioPokemon GO LucarioCounter Power-Up Punch
BuzzwoleBuzzwole Pokemon GOCounterSuperpower
MachampPokemon GO MachampCounterCross Chop

Shadow Nidoking Counters

Mewtwo, Rhyperior, and Espeon are some of the best Pokemon to counter Giovanni’s Shadow Nidoking in Pokemon GO.

Shadow Nidoking is weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type attacks, so there are also plenty of other Pokemon that are effective for this battle!

PokemonImageFast AttackCharged Attack
MewtwoPokemon GO MewtwoPsycho CutPsychic
KyogreKyogre Pokemon GOWaterfallSurf
EspeonEspeon Pokemon GOConfusionPsychic

Shadow Kingler Counters

The best counters to defeat Shadow Kingler in Pokemon GO include Xurkitree, Zekrom, and Zarude.

Shadow Kingler is only weak to Electric, Grass, and Rock, so Pokemon with strong attacks of those types are almost necessary to win this battle.

PokemonImageFast AttackCharged Attack
XurkitreeXurkitree Pokemon GOThunder ShockPower Whip
ZekromPokemon GO ZekromCharge BeamFusion Bolt
ZarudeZarude Pokemon GOVine WhipPower Whip

Shadow Kingdra Counters

Garchomp, Rayquaza, and Salamence are some of the best counters to use against Shadow Kingdra in Pokemon GO.

This is because it is only weak to Dragon and Fairy-type attacks.

PokemonImageFast AttackCharged Attack
GarchompGarchomp Pokemon GODragon TailOutrage
RayquazaRayquaza Pokemon GODragon TailOutrage
SalamenceSalamence Pokemon GODragon TailOutrage

Shadow Regice Counters

The best Shadow Regice counters in Pokemon GO battles against Giovanni are Reshiram, Chandelure, and Terrakion.

As Shadow Regice is weak to Fighting, Rock, Steel, and Fire-type attacks, you have quite a few powerful Pokemon to choose from to beat it!

PokemonImageFast AttackCharged Attack
ReshiramPokemon GO ReshiramFire FangFusion Flare
ChandelureChandelure Pokemon GOFire SpinOverheat
TerrakionTerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword

Shadow Regice is certainly a very rare Legendary, but there’s a trio of Legendaries that are even harder to get. Find out how to catch Galarian Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno in Pokemon GO.

Pokemon GO How to Complete From the Shadows Research & Catch Shadow Regice

How to Find Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO

To find Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO, you need to first equip a Super Rocket Radar, which can be obtained by defeating all three GO Rocket Leaders during the From the Shadows Research.

Then, you can check Team GO Rocket PokeStops and Balloons nearby to see if Giovanni is there!

  • Get a Super Rocket radar by beating all three GO Rocket Leaders.
  • Equip the Super Rocket Radar in your Item Bag if you haven’t already.
  • While the Super Rocket Radar is equipped, visit Team GO Rocket PokeStops and Balloons to see if Giovanni is there.
  • If it’s a Decoy Grunt, you don’t have to fight it. You can leave and visit another PokeStop or Balloon later to check for Giovanni.
Pokemon GO Team Rocket Pokestop

What Pokemon Do You Get for Beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO?

You always get a Shadow Regice encounter for beating Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO.

Whenever you defeat Giovanni, you will get the Shadow Legendary Pokemon which he uses third in his battle team. At the moment, it is Regice.

The Shadow Legendary Pokemon that Giovanni uses will change with the next Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket event.

Read More: Every Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO

Rewards for Beating Team Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO

For beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO, players will get an encounter with Shadow Regice, 5000 Stardust, and three other rewards, which are selected at random.

  • Shadow Regice encounter
  • 5000 Stardust
  • 3 of the following randomly selected rewards:
    • 4 Revives
    • 4 Max Revives
    • 4 Hyper Potions
    • 4 Max Potions
    • Unova Stone

By the time you have defeated all of the Team GO Rocket Leaders and Boss, you’re bound to have a few 12km Eggs. Here’s every Pokemon in 12km Eggs right now!

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