The Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni is the ultimate challenge for Pokemon GO players – here’s how you can beat him!
Every Pokemon trainer wants to test their battling skills and Giovanni is probably the toughest fight you’ll have in the whole game.
Not only does he use a team of powerful Shadow Pokemon, but one of them is a Shadow Legendary. Plus, even getting to fight him is very difficult!
Luckily, we’ve got all of the information you need to track down Giovanni as well as the best counters for his Shadow Pokemon.
How to Find Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO
To find Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO, you need to first equip a Super Rocket Radar, which can be obtained by defeating all 3 GO Rocket Leaders during the Ultra Beast Protection Efforts Research.
Then, you can check Team GO Rocket PokeStops and Balloons nearby to see if Giovanni is there!
- Get a Super Rocket radar by beating all 3 GO Rocket Leaders in step 2 of the Ultra Beast Protection Efforts Research
- Check the guides on how to beat each Team GO Rocket Leader for more information
- Equip the Super Rocket Radar in your Item Bag if you haven’t already.
- While the Super Rocket Radar is equipped, visit Team GO Rocket PokeSrtops and Balloons to see if Giovanni is there.
- If it’s a Decoy Grunt, you don’t have to fight it. You can leave and visit another PokeStop or Balloon later to check for Giovanni.
Every Pokemon Giovanni Can Use in Pokemon GO
Giovanni always uses Shadow Persian as his first Pokemon and Shadow Mewtwo as his final Pokemon.
However, the Pokemon he uses in the second position on his battle team is randomly chosen out of 3 potential choices – Shadow Nidoqueen, Shadow Steelix, and Shadow Rhyperior.
- Pokemon 1
- Pokemon 2
- Shadow Nidoqueen
- Shadow Steelix
- Shadow Rhyperior
- Pokemon 3
This is a very powerful selection of Pokemon so we have included the best counters for each of them below. However, you’ll want to power them up too – here’s how to boost the Candy you earn in Pokemon GO so you can power up Pokemon faster!
Best Counters to Defeat Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni
Shadow Persian Counters
the best Pokemon to counter Giovanni’s Shadow Persian are Lucario, Buzzwole, and Machamp as they all have strong Fighting-type attacks.
It is essential you exploit Shadow Persian’s weakness to fighting as it has no other weaknesses.
Shadow Nidoqueen Counters
Rhyperior, Excadrill, and Jirachi are the best Pokemon to counter Shadow Nidoqueen.
Shadow Nidoqueen is weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type attacks.
Shadow Steelix Counters
The best counters for Giovanni’s Shadow Steelix are Tapu Fini, Groudon, and Heatran.
Shadow Steelix is weak to 4 different types of attacks – Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water – so it is reasonably easy to find powerful counters.
Shadow Rhyperior Counters
To counter Giovanni’s Shadow Rhyperior, we suggest using Kyogre, Torterra, or Swampert.
This is the easiest of Giovanni’s second Pokemon as it is double weak to both Grass and Water-type attacks. Additionally, it is weak to Ground, Fighting, Ice, and Steel.
Shadow Mewtwo Counters
The best Pokemon to counter Giovanni’s Shadow Mewtwo are Tryranitar, Yveltal, and Zarude because they all have powerful Dark-type attacks.
As a Psychic-type Pokemon, Shadow Mewtwo is weak to Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks so there are still plenty of options to choose from even if you don’t have any of our top picks.
Shadow Mewtwo is certainly a very rare Legendary, but there’s a trio of Legendaries that are even harder to get. Find out how to catch Galarian Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno in Pokemon GO.
What Pokemon Do You Get for Beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO?
You always get a Shadow Mewtwo encounter for beating Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO.
Whenever you defeat Giovanni, you will get the Shadow Legendary Pokemon which he uses third in his battle team. At the moment it is Shadow Mewtwo.
The Shadow Legendary Pokemon that Giovanni uses will change with the next Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket event.
Read More: Every Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO
Rewards for Beating Team Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon GO
For beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO, players will get an encounter with Shadow Mewtwo, 5000 Stardust, and 3 other rewards which are selected at random.
- Shadow Mewtwo encounter
- 5000 Stardust
- 3 of the following randomly selected rewards:
- 4 Revives
- 4 Max revives
- 4 Hyper Potions
- 4 Max Potions
- Unova Stone
By the time you have defeated all of the Team GO Rocket Leaders and Boss, you’re bound to have a few 12km Eggs. Here’s every Pokemon in 12km Eggs right now!
