Pokemon GO repeatedly brings the Team GO Rocket boss, Giovanni, to the game. The main boss comes with a robust roster of Shadow Pokemon. It takes extreme knowledge of the game’s meta to defeat Giovanni’s lineup for October 2023. One requires powerful and strategically selected counters to come off as a winner.

Pokemon GO trainers must first locate Giovanni before initiating the battle. Finding the Team GO Rocket boss is a challenge; one needs to battle and win against multiple grunts and leaders to finally encounter Giovanni. Once players navigate to the main boss, they then need to engage in a battle with Giovanni’s Shadow roster. Defeating the main boss rewards players with multiple rewards and a chance to catch a Shadow Pokemon.

How to Beat Giovanni in Pokemon GO

Once Pokemon GO players locate the Team GO Rocket main boss, Giovanni, they face a lineup of powerful Shadow monsters. The battle consists of 3 rounds, and the main boss can select from 5 different Shadow Pokemon. A 3 round match with a lineup of 5 monsters makes the battle extremely unpredictable.

Players can expect a fixed monster in the first and last rounds, but the second round boasts extreme unpredictability. Giovanni has 3 monsters to choose from in the second round. Players require a carefully selected counter that can go against all three options in this round.

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s First Round Counters

Giovanni always starts the battle with his Shadow Persian, a Normal-type Pokemon with boosted offensive capabilities as a Shadow monster.

Shadow Persian

Type: Normal

Weakness: Fighting-type moves

Resistance: Ghost-type moves

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s Second Round Counters

Giovanni uses a specific monster in the first round, but the second round’s pick is uncertain. The Pokemon GO Team GO Rocket’s main boss has strong choices like Shadow Nidoking, Shadow Rhyperior, or Shadow Garchomp for the second round. Players must select appropriate counters for all of them.

Shadow Nidoking

Type: Poison and Ground

Weakness: Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type moves

Shadow Rhyperior

Type: Ground and Rock

Weakness: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type moves

Shadow Garchomp

Type: Dragon and Ground

Weakness: Dragon, Fairy, and Ice-type moves

Resistance: Electric, Fire, Poison, and Rock-type moves

Pokemon GO: Giovanni’s Third Round Counters

Like the first round, Giovanni only has one representative in the battle’s third round. The sole opponent is Shadow Regirock, and defeating it requires proper counters exploiting its weaknesses.

Shadow Regirock

Type: Rock

Weakness: Fighting, Grass, Water, Steel, and Ground-type moves

Resistance: Fire, Poison, Normal, and Flying-type moves

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.