Team Go Rocket serves multiple purposes in Pokémon Go, from acting as event bosses to tossing Grunts in your way for Field Research. No matter what their goal, Giovanni is pulling the strings—and you will need to put some work in to find him.
Hunting down the Boss Rocket in Pokémon Go is something you have to build up to, as it requires you to beat multiple Go Rocket Grunts and all three leaders to have a chance at finding him. This typically involves completing special Rocket-themed research during specific events. If you plan to battle Giovanni, you must prep a strong team to deal with his rotating lineup of Shadow Pokémon—which currently includes a Shadow Groudon.
Giovanni Pokémon Go August 2024: lineups and counters
| Lineup Phase | Pokémon | Typing | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase One | Persian | Normal | Fighting |
| Potential Phase Two | Nidoking | Poison/Ground-type | Water/Ground/Ice |
| Potential Phase Two | Rhyperior | Ground/Rock-type | Water/Grass |
| Potential Phase Two | Garchomp | Dragon/Ground-type | Ice/Fairy |
| Phase Three | Shadow Groudon | Ground-type | Water/Grass |
Like the other Rocket Leaders, Giovanni has three phases to clear if you want to rescue his Legendary Shadow Pokémon. He always starts with his Shadow Persian before entering phase two, which has three different Pokémon you could face—Nidoking, Rhyperior, and Garchomp. Once you beat that second Pokémon, you will face off against Shadow Groudon, which is the final hurdle to clear before you have a shot at catching it.
Outside of his lead Persian, Giovanni has a rotating lineup of Pokémon that Niantic swaps around every few months—typically coinciding with Rocket Takeover events. This usually involves the introduction of a new Shadow Legendary as his ace and some different Ground types added in for variety in the middle slot.
Best team to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go for August 2024
No single team is designed to beat Giovanni since his lineup isn’t made up of Pokémon that share the same weaknesses. This means you will need to craft your own squad with counters in mind for every option the Rocket Boss fields—and here is an optimal option that can cover all of your bases.
| Pokémon | Moves | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Machamp | Fast Move: Counter Charged Move: Dynamic Punch |
Quickly beat Persian and get Giovanni to waste a shield. |
| Gyarados | Fast Move: Dragon Breath Charged Move: Aqua Tail |
Covers the potential loss of Gyarados and high damage output against Kyogre. |
| Mamoswine | Fast Move: Powder Snow Charged Move: Avalanche |
Covers Groudon well and can also clean up whatever Machamp and Gyarados fail to finish. |
Starting with a Fighting type is optimal against Giovanni because you can potentially force him to use a shield on Persian, which is his least threatening Pokémon overall. Machamp is arguably the best pick here because most players will have access to one. It can tank some hits further down the Rocket Boss’ lineup, though you can also just bring a good Steel-type.
The second slot option needs to be able to counter two typical Giovanni options in Nidoking and Rhyperior that share weaknesses with Ground and Water types. Garchomp, unfortunately, throws a curveball into that with its Dragon typing, so Gyarados is a strong choice that can have Dragon Breath and Aqua Tail paired to handle all three selections.
Your final choice entirely depends on whether you think your second Pokémon can handle whatever Giovanni sends out in phase two. Water-types are the most effective counter against Shadow Grodudon. Since you already have that covered with Gyarados, Mamoswine gives you an Ice-type option to help out and pick up any slack as the best non-Mega or Legendary-ish Grass-type Pokémon for the job at this level.
You can handle pretty much anything Giovanni throws at you with this lineup. But if you want some additional tips, here are some specific counters for each Pokémon.
How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go
First phase: Persian counters
Persian is a pure Normal-type, making it weak to only Fighting-type moves. Since this is Pokémon Go and not a regular game, it also resists Ghost-type attacks. But that won’t matter much here.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
| Terrakion | Fast Move: Double Kick Charged Move: Sacred Sword |
| Hariyama | Fast Move: Counter Charged Move: Dynamic Punch |
| Lucario | Fast Move: Counter Charged Move: Aura Sphere |
Second phase: Nidoking counters
Nidoking is a Poison/Ground-type, meaning it is vulnerable to Grass, Water, Ground, and Ice-type moves. It does take less damage from Bug, Electric, Rock, Fighting, Poison, and Fairy moves, though—something you must keep in mind if your lead Pokémon was designated as a Persian counter.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
| Swampert/Mega Swampert | Fast Move: Mud Shot Charged Move: Hydro Cannon |
| Kyogre | Fast Move: Waterfall Charged Move: Origin Pulse/Surf |
| Mewtwo | Fast Move: Psycho Cut Charged Move: Psystrike |
Second phase: Rhyperior counters
Rhyperior is probably Giovanni’s easiest Pokémon to counter since it is weak to six different types—Grass, Water, Ground, Fighting, Steel, and Ice. This makes it less of an issue since it shares weaknesses with Nidoking and Garchomp. It resists Fire, Electric, Flying, Poison, Normal, and Rock-type moves, most of which you won’t be bringing to this battle anyway.
| Moves | Moves |
|---|---|
| Swampert/Mega Swampert | Fast Move: Mud Shot Charged Move: Hydro Cannon |
| Kyogre | Fast Move: Waterfall Charged Move: Origin Pulse/Surf |
| Garchomp/Mega Garchomp | Fast Move: Mud Shot Charged Move: Earth Power |
Second phase: Garchomp counters
Garchomp is the wild card you don’t want to see come out in phase two because it hits hard and has a wider spread of resistance. It is only weak to Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type moves while resisting Fire, Poison, Rock, and Electric types. Hit it with an Ice move, and it is sure to crumble, but you also need to fit that into your wider lineup.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
| Mewtwo | Fast Move: Psycho Cut Charged Move: Ice Beam |
| Baxcalibur | Fast Move: Ice Fang Charged Move: Avalanche |
| Glaceon | Fast Move: Frost Breath Charged Move: Avalanche |
Third phase: Groudon counters
Ignoring that Kyogre and Swampert are also excellent counters here, Groudon is vulnerable to other Water, Ice, and Grass types you can fill your lineup with.
| Pokémon | Moves |
|---|---|
| Blastoise/Mega Blastoise | Fast Move: Water Gun Charged Move: Hydro Cannon |
| Kingler | Fast Move: Bubble Charged Move: Crabhammer |
| Sceptile/Mega Sceptile | Fast Move: Fury Cutter Charged Move: Frenzy Plant |
Where and how to find Giovanni in Pokémon Go
Giovanni is not easy to find in Pokémon Go, and that is clearly by design, considering he is a crime boss working from the shadows.
Typically, you must complete the following tasks to encounter Giovanni in Pokémon Go. But occasionally, there will be other research tasks that allow you to skip around a few of the steps. Here is how you can encounter Boss Rocket in Pokémon Go.
- Collect six Mysterious Components from Team Rocket Grunts and unlock the Rocket Radar.
- Once you equip the radar, you’ll be able to find three other Rocket Leaders.
- After beating the leaders you found, complete the Team Rocket-related Special Research tasks.
- You’ll get the Super Rocket Radar when you’re done with all the encounters and challenges.
- Equip the Super Rocket Radar and start visiting PokéStops to find Giovanni.
You can’t find Giovanni without the Super Rocket Radar, meaning completing the necessary steps will be a must if you want to take him down. Players may also find a Rocket Grunt disguised as Giovanni as they search for the Team Go Rocket Boss, which will not use up the Super Rocket Radar.
