How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go: Updated Counters and Weaknesses (August 2022) 

How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go: Updated Counters and Weaknesses (August 2022) 

Giovanni Pokémon Go is the leader of the villainous Team Go Rocket! Players must defeat him this month to get their hands on the mighty Shadow Latios and claim them. 

Finding and defeating Giovanni is no piece of cake. Firstly, you must complete the Team Go Rocket Research. This will allow you to encounter the leader Giovanni. He begins his battle with Persian, followed by Machamp, Nidoking, or Rhyperior, and lastly, he brings out the Legendary Shadow Latios! 

To successfully beat Giovanni, players must have the best counters for their Pokémon weaknesses. Our Giovanni Pokemon Go guide can find all about the updated counters and weaknesses. 

Giovanni Pokémon Go- How to encounter him?

Players can only encounter Giovanni in Pokémon Go after completing the Team Go Rocket Research. The research is a set of quests focusing on taking down the evilest team in Pokémon Go. 

Giovanni Pokémon Go- How to encounter him?
Photo Credits: wmlcloud.com

Steps of Team Go Rocket Research

  • The first step involves defeating three grunts from the team, catching a shadow Pokémon, and winning a raid. 
  • The next step is catching five shadow Pokémon, making three back-to-back nice curveball throws, and defeating five grunts from the team.
  • Now, you must purify at least five shadow Pokémon, defeat five more grunts and earn three candies as you walk with your buddy. 
  • The fourth step involves defeating leaders like Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra. These leaders have shadow Pokémon that are hard to take down, so be prepared to struggle a little! 
  • After completing all these quests, you will get the Super Rocket Radar. This will help you locate Giovanni and battle him. Since finding this boss took so much effort, it only makes sense to prepare for your fight by gathering the right resources. This battle with Giovanni will not be easy! He will bring out his ultimate weapon- The Shadow Latios, and this Pokémon will surely give any player a tough time! 

Giovanni Pokémon Go- How to defeat him?

Defeating Giovanni is difficult for even the most skilled players. Thus, you should know the right counters for all his attacks and make the fight considerably easier. 

At the beginning of the battle, Giovanni will bring out Persian- his prized Normal-Type Pokémon. You can defeat it using a decent fighting-type counter. However, remember that it is immune to ghost-type moves, so don’t waste a Pokémon with such skills on it. Next, Giovanni will bring out one of the three; Machamp, Nidoking, or Rhyperior. All of them are weakest against different types of attacks. Psychic- and Flying-type attacks are Machamp’s weaknesses. On the other hand, Nidoking falls weak in front of Ice-, Water-, Ground- and Psychic-type counters. Lastly, Rhyperior’s biggest weakness is Grass as well as Water-type attacks. However, it is also weak against Ground-, Ice-, Steel- and Fighting-type moves. 

Giovanni Pokémon Go- How to defeat him? 
Photo Credits: cdn.realsport101.com

Once you have defeated one of the three Pokémon, Giovanni will bring out the ultimate Pokémon- Shadow Latios. It is the weakest against Dragon-, Bug-, Ice-, Fairy-, Ghost- and Dark-type attacks. 

Below is the list of the right counters for Giovanni’s Pokémon. And you can also check Pokémon Go Promo Codes that never expires.

Best Counters for Persian 

Use any of the following Pokémon against Persian:

  • Lucario- Counter and Aura Sphere
  • Machamp- Counter and Dynamic Punch
  • Conkeldurr- Counter and Focus Blast
  • Breloom- Counter and Dynamic Punch
  • Hariyama- Counter and Dynamic Punch
  • Tyranitar – SmackDown and Crunch
  • Rhyperior – Mudslap and Stone Edge

Best Counters for Machamp

A Gen-1 fighting type that can be defeated with the following counters, 

  • Togekiss- Charm and Dazzling Gleam
  • Sylveon- Charm and Moonblast 
  • Alakazam – Confusion and Psychic
  • Gardevoir- Charm and Psychic/Synchronize
  • Rayquaza- Air Slash and Hurricane 
  • Mewtwo- Psycho Cut and Psychic/Psystrike 

Best Counters for Nidoking

It is a Poison- and Ground-type. Thus, use any of the following counters to defeat him. 

  • Kyogre- Waterfall and Surf 
  • Garchomp- Mud Shot and Earthquake
  • Mewtwo- Psycho Cut and Psychic/Psystrike
  • Galarian Darmanitan- Ice Fang and Avalanche 
  • Hoopa (Unbound)- Confusion and Psystrike 
  • Swampert – Watergun and Hydro Cannon
  • Glaceon- Ice Shard and Avalanche

Best Counters for Rhyperior 

The best counters for Rhyperior are, 

  • Zarude- Vine Whip and Power Whip 
  • Torterra- Razor Leaf and Frenzy Plant 
  • Feraligatr- Water Gun and Hydro Cannon 
  • Swampert- Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon
  • Kyogre- Waterfall and Surf 

Best Counters for Shadow Latios 

This Shadow Legendary will give you the toughest time. Here are the best counters for taking it down. 

  • Gengar- Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
  • Salamence- Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Garchomp- Dragon Tail and Outrage
  • Hydreigon- Dragon Breath and Brutal Swing
  • Dialga- Dragon Breath and Draco Meteor
  • Darkrai- Feint Attack and Dark Pulse
  • Togekiss- Charm and Dazzling Gleam 

Giovanni Pokémon Go – Rewards for Defeating Giovanni

Players get several rewards for defeating Giovanni in Pokémon Go. This includes,

  • 5000 Stardust 
  • Max Potions and Max Revives
  • Levelling up the Ultra Hero Medal
  • White Premier Balls, which are used for catching and claiming the Shadow Latios
Haram Aslam
Haram Aslam
Haram Aslam is a medical student with a passion for playing and writing about Games. Apart from games, she likes Netflix-ing and chilling, she loves reading books and shopping.

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