One challenge that many players face in Pokemon GO is the fight against Team GO Rocket and all of the members making it up. While the rewards can be great, some of the battles, especially those against its leaders, can be quite difficult for unprepared players. This is definitely true for the fight against the boss of the villainous organization, Giovanni.
The battle against Giovanni has the potential to easily wipe out many players' teams in Pokemon GO if they don't know what they're going up against. He often has both heavy hitters on his team as well as at least one legendary Pokemon. This legendary Pokemon, however, is what makes the fight so worth it, as a victory against Giovanni means that players can rescue and capture this legendary Pokemon.
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Players can only challenge Giovanni if they have a Super Rocket Radar. This item can only be obtained via specific timed research tasks as well as specific special research tasks. If players have one, Giovanni can be encountered both via PokeStops and Team GO Rocket Balloons. After defeating him, the Super Rocket Radar will be used up with players unable to rematch him until they get another Super Rocket Radar. Losing to Giovanni will not cause players to lose the Super Rocket Radar.
Like the leaders of Team GO Rocket, Giovanni's first Pokemon will remain the same while his second Pokemon can be one from a pool of three different Pokemon. Unlike the leaders however, Giovanni's final Pokemon will remain the same with it usually lining up with an event.
No matter what, Giovanni's first Pokemon will always be his Persian. This Persian is a Kantonian Persian, making it a pure Normal-type that is only weak to Fighting-type moves and only resistant to Ghost-type moves.
Being the first Pokemon sent out, Persian is the weakest of Giovanni's Pokemon. Because of this, it is the best Pokemon to force Giovanni to waste his Protect Shields on so that he can't use them on more powerful Pokemon later on. If players want to take Persian down quickly though, the best Pokemon that can be used to counter it are:
Lucario - Counter and Aura Sphere
Conkeldurr - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Breloom - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Machamp - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Blaziken - Counter and Focus Blast
Of the three Pokemon that Giovanni can use as his second party member, the first of them is Kangaskhan. Like Persian, this Pokemon is a pure Normal-type, making it weak to Fighting-type moves and resistant to Ghost-type moves.
Because of having the same type, Kangaskhan has the same counters are Persian. This means it can be very lucky for players that encounter Kangaskhan, as a powerful counter will allow players to breeze through two of Giovanni's Pokemon very quickly. Once again these recommended counters are:
Lucario - Counter and Aura Sphere
Conkeldurr - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Breloom - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Machamp - Counter and Dynamic Punch
Blaziken - Counter and Focus Blast
Another Pokemon that Giovanni can use in his second party slot is Nidoking. This Pokemon is a dual Poison and Ground-type, meaning that it is weak to Water, Ground, Ice, and Psychic-type moves. It also resists damage from Fighting, Bug, Rock, Fairy, Electric, and Poison-type moves.
Nidoking's many resistances can make it intimidating to face in battle. Like all Pokemon however, there are plenty of Pokemon that can be used to counter it and its potentially devastating attacks. These Pokemon are:
Therian Landorus - Extrasensory and Earth Power
Mamoswine - Mud-Slap and Avalanche
Mewtwo - Confusion and Psystrike
Excadrill - Mud Shot and Earthquake
Clawitzer - Water Gun and Crabhammer
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The last of the Pokemon that Giovanni can use as his second Pokemon is the dual Dragon and Ground-type, Garchomp. Being a pseudo-legendary Pokemon, Garchomp is very powerful, but is weak to Ice, Fairy, and Dragon-type moves. It also resists damage from Rock, Poison, Fire, and Electric-type moves.
Garchomp can cause a lot of trouble if players don't have Pokemon that can properly counter it. Even if it is defeated, Garchomp taking away too much HP before the final Pokemon can be a death sentence. Because of this, the most highly recommended Pokemon to use against it are:
Galarian Darmanitan - Ice Fang and Avalanche
Black Kyurem - Dragon Tail and Blizzard
Mamoswine - Powder Snow and Avalanche
Weavile - Ice Shard and Avalanche
Glaceon - Frost Breath and Avalanche
For around half of June, Zapdos will be the final Pokemon that Giovanni will use in battle. It will additionally serve as the prize encounter for those who manage to defeat Giovanni during this time period.
Zapdos is a legendary dual Electric and Flying-type Pokemon that is only weak to Ice and Rock-type moves. It additionally resists Ground, Fighting, Steel, Grass, Bug, and Flying-type moves in battle. With this in mind, the best Pokemon to use for this final part of the fight are:
Galarian Darmanitan - Ice Fang and Avalanche
Rampardos - Smack Down and Rock Slide
Rhyperior - Smack Down and Rock Wrecker
Black Kyurem - Dragon Tail and Blizzard
Terrakion - Smack Down and Rock Slide
Due to Zapdos being only available for a limited time this month, Giovanni's final Pokemon will return to being Mewtwo after its duration is over. After June 17th, 2021, players can expect to see Mewtwo, a legendary pure Psychic-type Pokemon. It is weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type moves while also resisting damage from Fighting and Psychic-type moves.
As it is Giovanni's final Pokemon, it will be the one that players are able to encounter and rescue as a Shadow Pokemon after winning the battle. That of course means players still have to defeat Mewtwo in battle, which can be an incredibly difficult task to complete. For this fight, players are recommended to bring along:
Gengar - Lick and Shadow Ball
Darkrai - Snarl and Shadow Ball
Chandelure - Hex and Shadow Ball
Yveltal - Snarl and Dark Pulse
Weavile - Snarl and Foul Play
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.
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Source: Pokemon GO Info