Pokémon GO: How To Beat Giovanni (August 2024 Lineup & Counters)

Giovanni's lineup in Pokémon GO has changed as part of the Adventure Week: Taken Over event, meaning he now uses a different team of powerful Shadow Pokémon than he did last month. It's out with Shadow Groudon and in with Shadow Cresselia, giving Trainers a chance to battle and catch the shadowy version of this Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon.

You've defeated Arlo, Sierra, Cliff, and a bunch of Team GO Rocket Grunts, and now it's time to face the Boss himself, Giovanni. This is going to be one of the most difficult battles you'll experience in Pokémon GO, so it's important to prepare by studying his lineup and learning their weaknesses. Once you've done that, you can put together a team of top-tier counters to help you win.

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Pokémon GO Giovanni Lineup & Counters In August 2024

Shadow Cresselia Swoops Into Battle

Battles against Giovanni are separated into three waves. In the first wave, he will always send out his loyal companion, the Normal-type Persian. The second wave is harder to prepare for, as he can send out one of three Pokémon at random: Hochkrow, Kangaskhan, or Kingdra. In the third wave, Giovanni will always send out the Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon, Cresselia.

Whichever team Giovanni sends out into battle, you can see his full lineup (thanks to LeekDuck for the help), all of their weaknesses, and some of the top counters to use against them in the table below:

Wave Pokémon Weaknesses Counters 1 Persian Fighting Terrakion

Buzzwole

Lucario

Conkeldurr

Machamp 2 Honchkrow Electric

Fairy

Ice

Rock Zekrom

Xurkitree

Rampardos

Rhyperior

Gardevoir Kangaskhan Fighting Terrakion

Buzzwole

Lucario

Conkeldurr

Machamp Kingdra Dragon

Fairy Palkia

Xerneas

Garchomp

Dragonite

Gardevoir 3 Cresselia Bug

Dark

Ghost Blacephalon

Hydreigon

Tyranitar

Chandelure

Volcarona

Giovanni's Persian is only weak to Fighting-type attacks, while Cresselia is vulnerable to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks, so choosing counters for them is relatively straightforward.

The only mystery in this battle is which Pokémon Giovanni is going to send out in wave two. Once you know that, it will be much easier to prepare a counter. Because of this, you can think of your first attempt at fighting Giovanni as a reconnaissance mission, without worrying about losing. As soon as you know the identity of his wave two Pokémon, you can choose the perfect team and start a rematch.

Best Team To Beat Giovanni In Pokémon GO

Fighting, Fairy & Dark-Type Pokémon

Close

One of the best teams you can use to defeat Giovanni is Terrakion, Xerneas, and Hydreigon. Together, these three Pokémon will give you coverage against all of Giovanni's potential team members. Remember to power them up as high as possible and teach them their optimal Same-Type Attack Boost (STAB) movesets. You can see those in the table below:

Pokémon Best Fast Attack Best Charged Attack Terrakion Double Kick Sacred Sword Xerneas Geomancy Moonblast Hydreigon Bite Brutal Swing

It's important to have a strong Fighting-type Pokémon as an opener on your team, so they can quickly deal with Giovanni's guaranteed first team member, Persian. Don't be fooled into thinking his first Pokémon will be weak, as it can make light work of any Pokémon that's not super-effective against it. Terrakion is a great option, as it can also take out Kangaskhan in wave two.

Two of Giovanni's potential wave two Pokémon, Honchkrow and Kingdra, are vulnerable to Fairy-type attacks, so having a Fairy-type Pokémon like Xerneas on your team is essential. Finally, you'll need a Pokémon that can take on Giovanni's guaranteed final team member, Cresselia. The fearsome Hydreigon with a Dark-type moveset can make light work of this Psychic-type Legendary.

Another great team to take on Giovanni would be Lucario, Gardevoir, and Tyranitar. However, if you don't have any of the recommendations featured in this guide, the most important thing is that you have a strong Fighting-type, a strong Fairy-type, and a strong Dark-type Pokémon on your team.

You might find that you need to adjust your team slightly if you lose your battle against Giovanni. Once you know his lineup, you can change your team and rematch as many times as you need to. For example, if Giovanni sends out Kangaskhan, that means he'll have two Normal-type Pokémon in his lineup, so you might want two Fighting-type Pokémon on your team to counter them.

Rewards For Defeating Giovanni In Pokémon GO

Catch A Shadow Legendary

The main reward for beating Giovanni in Pokémon GO is a chance to catch his Shadow Cresselia. Shadow Legendaries are some of the best Pokémon you can get in the game, whether you want them to compete in the Pokémon GO Battle League or you want to use them as Raid attackers. This will rotate to another Shadow Pokémon eventually, so catch one while you can.

You'll also get some Stardust and a handful of useful items like Max Potions or Max Revives as a reward for defeating Giovanni. If you've defeated Giovanni as part of a Special Research story, there will be rewards to claim for completing that task, too. Whatever you end up getting, it's always worth taking on Giovanni in Pokémon GO whenever you get the chance.

How To Find Giovanni In Pokémon GO

It's Super Rocket Radar Time

To find Giovanni in Pokémon GO, you'll first need to equip a Super Rocket Radar. This is a rare item that can usually only be obtained by completing a Team GO Rocket-themed Special Research story, such as the recent Adventure Week: Taken Over Special Research story or the It's A Rocket World Special Research story. These are given out during Rocket-themed events.

While normal Rocket Radars can be formed by collecting Mysterious Components from Team GO Rocket Grunts, it's not possible to do this for a Super Rocket Radar. You'll need to get one as a reward from a Special Research story.

Once you've got a Super Rocket Radar, equip it from your item bag and then tap on the radar from the map screen. This will open a larger map with a few PokéStops marked on it. Travel to one of these PokéStops and tap on it to see if the Team GO Rocket Boss is hiding there. If it turns out to be a Decoy Grunt instead, keep trying other PokéStops until you find Giovanni in Pokémon GO.

Source: LeekDuck