How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO

How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO
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The developers of Pokémon GO have updated Giovanni’s Shadow team for February 2025. Players must select the perfect Pokémon for three battle rounds to defeat the Team GO Rocket boss.

Before confronting Giovanni, players must finish a Special Research task that rewards them with a Super Rocket Radar. This special tool helps you to locate Giovanni. The moment you climb to Level 8, this challenge naturally unlocks, which means that mid-level players access this challenge. If you seek to bypass the early levels, websites like U7BUY offer cheap Pokémon GO accounts to help you start faster.

How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO 🎯

Giovanni’s battle is segmented into three intense stages, as you progress to the higher stages, the game becomes even more difficult. The games typically takes you from an aggressive Shadow Persian, rotate through three options in Round 2, and finish with the fearsome Shadow Palkia. Mastering this fight means building smart counters, using shields wisely, and timing your charged moves.

Giovanni in Pokémon GO

If you’re looking for strategies from fellow trainers, searching Pokemon GO how to beat Giovanni Reddit can lead you to upvoted team combinations that have stood the test of updates.

RoundPokemon
1Shadow Persian
2Shadow Rhyperior / Nidoking / Kingdra
3Shadow Palkia

Giovanni First Round: Shadow Persian 🐱

Giovanni always starts the battle with Shadow Persian, a fast and strong Normal-type Pokémon. It can quickly use charged moves, which makes it hard to deal with. The best way to beat it is by using fighting-type Pokémon, since that’s its only big weakness. Below is an image of Giovanni’s shadow Pokémon.

Giovanni First Round

Quick Facts:

  • Type: Normal
  • Weak to: Fighting moves
  • Resists: Ghost moves

Best Regular Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
KeldeoLow KickSacred Sword
TerrakionDouble KickSacred Sword
LucarioForce PalmAura Sphere

If you are a player, whether a beginner or an experienced one, and you are wondering how to beat Giovanni Persian, the secret is simple: Simply fast-charge Fighting-types with high DPS.

Best Shadow and Mega Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Mega LucarioForce PalmAura Sphere
Shadow ConkeldurrCounterDynamic Punch
Mega BlazikenCounterFocus Blast

Persian weakness Pokémon GO charts all point to Fighting-types due to their raw neutral DPS against Normals.

Giovanni Second Round ⚔️

In the second round, Giovanni will use one of three random Shadow Pokémon: Rhyperior, Nidoking, or Kingdra. Each one needs a different counter, so building a team that can handle all three is important. Being prepared for any of them will help you win more easily.

Giovanni Second Round

Shadow Rhyperior

| Type: Ground/Rock |

| Weakness: Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting |

Regular Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
ZarudeVine WhipPower Whip
KyogreWaterfallOrigin Pulse
KartanaRazor LeafLeaf Blade

Shadow, Mega, Primal Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Primal KyogreWaterfallOrigin Pulse
Mega SwampertWater GunHydro Cannon
Shadow KyogreWaterfallOrigin Pulse

The best options here are legacy Water-types. Investing in buy Pokemon GO top-up service options lets you power up these rare counters faster. 💧

Shadow Nidoking

| Type: Poison/Ground |
| Weakness: Psychic, Ground, Water, Ice |

Regular Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
MewtwoPsycho CutPsystrike
LunalaConfusionPsychic
Therian LandorusMud ShotSandsear Storm

Mega and Shadow Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Mega GarchompMud ShotEarth Power
Shadow MewtwoPsycho CutPsystrike
Primal GroudonMud ShotPrecipice Blades

Use Giovanni’s Pokémon GO weakness guides to determine move matchups ahead of time for these mixed types.

Shadow Kingdra 🐉

| Type: Water/Dragon |
| Weakness: Fairy, Dragon |

Shadow Kingdra is deceptively tanky, resistant to common Fire and Steel attacks. You’ll want to pack high-DPS Dragon or Fairy counters to break through its resistances.

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
PalkiaDragon TailDraco Meteor
RayquazaDragon TailOutrage
HaxorusDragon TailDragon Claw

Mega and Shadow Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Mega RayquazaDragon TailOutrage
Shadow DragoniteDragon TailDragon Claw
Shadow SalamenceDragon TailOutrage

Using keywords like How to beat Giovanni Kingdra can help refine your anti-Dragon squad on community hubs.

Giovanni Third Round: Shadow Palkia 🌊🐲

Giovanni Third Round

The final round is a showdown with Shadow Palkia—a dual Dragon/Water-type. This monster has powerful legacy moves and massive bulk. You’ll need top-tier Dragons or Fairy-types to survive and win this fight.

| Type: Dragon/Water |
| Weakness: Fairy, Dragon |

Best Regular Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Origin PalkiaDragon TailSpacial Rend
Origin DialgaDragon BreathRoar of Time
RayquazaDragon TailBreaking Swipe

Best Mega and Shadow Counters

PokemonFast MoveCharged Move
Mega GardevoirCharmDazzling Gleam
Mega SalamenceDragon TailDraco Meteor
Mega RayquazaDragon TailBreaking Swipe

If you desire to bring down tough bosses like Shadow Palkia, then you should begin by using strong Dragon-type Pokémon. 🐉✨

You’ll need a smart, flexible,, and prepared team to conquer Giovanni. His second Pokémon changes often, so every battle feels different. Always cross-check the trainer guides and updates to see if there is new information you should be aware of.

The best teams for combating Giovanni change every month, so you need to always check for the latest Giovanni Pokémon GO counters before engaging. 🔄

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