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!
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:
- Pokemon 1
- Pokemon 2
- Pokemon 3
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 1 | Pokemon 2 | Pokemon 3 |
|---|---|---|
Shadow Persian | Shadow Nidoking | Shadow Regice |
Shadow Kingler | ||
Shadow Kingdra |
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, 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!
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo |  | Psycho Cut | Psychic |
| Kyogre |  | Waterfall | Surf |
| Espeon |  | Confusion | Psychic |
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.
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xurkitree |  | Thunder Shock | Power Whip |
| Zekrom |  | Charge Beam | Fusion Bolt |
| Zarude |  | Vine Whip | Power 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.
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garchomp |  | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
| Rayquaza |  | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
| Salamence |  | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
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!
| Pokemon | Image | Fast Attack | Charged Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reshiram |  | Fire Fang | Fusion Flare |
| Chandelure |  | Fire Spin | Overheat |
| Terrakion |  | Double Kick | Sacred 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.
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.
- 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 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!
