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 Regirock 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.
Every Pokemon Giovanni Can Use in Pokemon GO
Giovanni always uses Shadow Persian as his first Pokemon and Shadow Regirock 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:
- Pokemon 1
- Pokemon 2
- Pokemon 3
| Pokemon 1 | Pokemon 2 | Pokemon 3 |
|---|---|---|
Shadow Persian | Shadow Nidoking | Shadow Regirock |
Shadow Garchomp | ||
Shadow Rhyperior |
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.
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucario |  | Counter | Power-Up Punch |
| Buzzwole |  | Counter | Superpower |
| Machamp |  | Counter | Cross Chop |
Shadow Nidoking Counters
Mewtwo, Kyogre, 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!
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo |  | Psycho Cut | Psychic |
| Kyogre |  | Waterfall | Surf |
| Espeon |  | Confusion | Psychic |
Shadow Garchomp Counters
The best counters to defeat Shadow Garchomp in Pokemon GO include Galarian Darmanitan, Glaceon, and Alolan Ninetails.
Shadow Garchomp is double weak to Ice, so Pokemon with strong Ice-type attacks are the best for this battle.
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galarian Darmanitan |  | Ice Fang | Avalanche |
| Glaceon |  | Ice Shard | Avalanche |
| Alolan Ninetails |  | Powder Snow | Weather Ball |
Shadow Rhyperior Counters
Kyogre, Torterra, and Swampert are some of the best counters to use against Shadow Rhyperior in Pokemon GO.
This is because Shadow Rhyperior is double weak to both Grass and Water-type attacks.
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyogre | | Waterfall | Surf |
| Torterra |  | Razor Leaf | Frenzy Plant |
| Swampert |  | Water Gun | Hydro cannon |
Shadow Regirock Counters
The best Shadow Regirock counters in Pokemon GO battles against Giovanni are Terrakion, Kartana, Groudon, Metagross, and Kyogre.
As Shadow Regirock is weak to Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type attacks, you have quite a few powerful Pokemon to choose from to beat it!
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrakion |  | Double Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Kartana |  | Razor Leaf | Leaf Blade |
| Groudon |  | Mud Shot | Precipice Blades |
| Metagross |  | Bullet Punch | Meteor Smash |
| Kyogre | | Waterfall | Origin Pulse |
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 A Shadowy Disturbance 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.
- Check the guides on how to beat each Team GO Rocket Leader to find out the best counters for their Shadow Pokemon:
- 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.
What Pokemon Do You Get for Beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO?
You always get a Shadow Regirock 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 Regirock.
The Shadow Legendary Pokemon that Giovanni uses will change with the next Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket event.
Rewards for Beating Team Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO
For beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO, players will get an encounter with Shadow Regirock, 5000 Stardust, and three other rewards, which are selected at random.
- Shadow Regirock 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!
