- How to Beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO 🎯
- Giovanni First Round: Shadow Persian 🐱
- Giovanni Second Round ⚔️
- Giovanni Third Round: Shadow Palkia 🌊🐲
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.
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.
| Round | Pokemon |
| 1 | Shadow Persian |
| 2 | Shadow Rhyperior / Nidoking / Kingdra |
| 3 | Shadow 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.
Quick Facts:
- Type: Normal
- Weak to: Fighting moves
- Resists: Ghost moves
Best Regular Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Keldeo | Low Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Terrakion | Double Kick | Sacred Sword |
| Lucario | Force Palm | Aura 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
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Mega Lucario | Force Palm | Aura Sphere |
| Shadow Conkeldurr | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
| Mega Blaziken | Counter | Focus 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.
Shadow Rhyperior
| Type: Ground/Rock |
| Weakness: Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting |
Regular Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Zarude | Vine Whip | Power Whip |
| Kyogre | Waterfall | Origin Pulse |
| Kartana | Razor Leaf | Leaf Blade |
Shadow, Mega, Primal Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall | Origin Pulse |
| Mega Swampert | Water Gun | Hydro Cannon |
| Shadow Kyogre | Waterfall | Origin 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
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut | Psystrike |
| Lunala | Confusion | Psychic |
| Therian Landorus | Mud Shot | Sandsear Storm |
Mega and Shadow Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Mega Garchomp | Mud Shot | Earth Power |
| Shadow Mewtwo | Psycho Cut | Psystrike |
| Primal Groudon | Mud Shot | Precipice 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.
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Palkia | Dragon Tail | Draco Meteor |
| Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
| Haxorus | Dragon Tail | Dragon Claw |
Mega and Shadow Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
| Shadow Dragonite | Dragon Tail | Dragon Claw |
| Shadow Salamence | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
Using keywords like How to beat Giovanni Kingdra can help refine your anti-Dragon squad on community hubs.
Giovanni Third Round: Shadow Palkia 🌊🐲
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
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Origin Palkia | Dragon Tail | Spacial Rend |
| Origin Dialga | Dragon Breath | Roar of Time |
| Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Breaking Swipe |
Best Mega and Shadow Counters
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
| Mega Gardevoir | Charm | Dazzling Gleam |
| Mega Salamence | Dragon Tail | Draco Meteor |
| Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Breaking 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. 🔄
