Giovanni is the Team GO Rocket Boss in Pokémon GO. This page describes how to find Giovanni, how to defeat Giovanni and which Pokemon are best counters for Giovanni’s Pokemon.
Use this Giovanni counters guide to easily defeat Team GO Rocket in Pokémon GO.
Giovanni’s Pokémon Lineup
Giovanni always uses a Persian as his first Pokémon. His second Pokemon can be Dugtrio, Nidoking or Garchomp. His final Pokemon is Shadow Suicune.
Countering Giovanni’s Pokémon
Persian
Persian
Weak to Fighting, resist Ghost.
Persian uses Dark and Normal fast moves, and it uses Dark, Rock or Fairy charge moves. This combination makes Melmetal one of the best counters to Persian, but Machamp and Rhyperior are not too far. Melmetal needs to have Super Power Fighting to be effective.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Persian
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Melmetal |
Thunder Shock | Thunderbolt Super Power |
 Machamp |
Counter | Cross Chop Rock Slide |
 Rhyperior |
Mud Slap | Stone Edge Super Power |
 Conkeldurr |
Counter | Dynamic Punch |
 Lucario |
Counter | Aura Sphere |
Lucario, Regirock, Aggron and Giratina (non-Ghost moves) also perform fairly well against Persian. Pick the best combination of CP and moves you have in your Pokémon Storage.
Dugtrio
Dugtrio
Weak to Grass, Water and Ice, resists Electric, Poison and Rock.
Giovanni’s Dugtrio can be easily defeated by a single Gyarados, Torterra, or another strong Grass mono-type (Leafeon, Meganium). Togekiss is also a monster against Dugtrio.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Dugtrio
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Gyarados |
Waterfall | Dragon Pulse (or Outrage) |
 Togekiss |
Charm | Dazzling Gleam |
 Tropius |
Razor Leaf | Aerial Ace |
 Torterra |
Razor Leaf | Frenzy Plant |
 Articuno |
Frost Breath | Hurricane |
Nidoking
Nidoking
Weak to Ground, Water, Psychic and Ice, double resists Electric and Poison and is not weak to Grass.
Giovanni’s Nidoking has access to Iron Tail and Poison Jab as fast moves, and Earthquake, Earth Power, Sludge Wave and Megahorn as charge moves. The best counters for this Pokémon are Steel types with a favorable second type.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Nidoking
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Empoleon |
Waterfall | Hydro Cannon |
 Jirachi |
Confusion | Doom Desire |
 Dialga |
Dragon Breath | Iron Head |
 Kyogre |
Waterfall | Surf |
 Excadrill |
Mud Slap | Rock Slide |
Garchomp
Garchomp
Weak to Dragon, Fairy and 2x Ice, double resists Electric moves.
Giovanni’s Garchomp is best countered by strong Fairy and Ice users. Gyarados is also an interesting option if Garchomp has double Ground moves. Garchomp has Dragon Tail and Mud Shot as fast moves, and Sand Tomb, Earthquake, Outrage and Fire Blast as charge moves.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Garchomp
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
| Togekiss |
Charm | Ancient Power |
| Articuno |
Ice Shard | Icy Wind |
 Gardevoir |
Charm | Psychic |
 Dragonite |
Dragon Breath | Dragon Claw |
 Granbull |
Charm | Play Rough |
Suicune
Suicune
Weak to Electric and Grass, resists Fire, Ice, Steel and Water moves.
Giovanni’s Suicune is best countered by strong Electric types. Suicune has Snarl, Ice Fang or Extrasensory as fast move, and Ice Beam, Water Pulse or Hydro Pump as charge move.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Suicune
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Raikou |
Volt Switch | Wild Charge |
 Magnezone |
Spark | Wild Charge |
 Mew |
Volt Switch | Wild Charge |
 Kyurem |
Dragon Breath | Dragon Claw |
 Mewtwo |
Psycho Cut | Thunderbolt |
Counters based on PokéBattler data.
How to find Giovanni
In order to find Giovanni you need to complete the Looming in the Shadows special research. In order to get this Special Research you need to have A Troubling Situation completed.
Once you complete step 4 of Looming in the Shadows, you will get a Super Rocket Radar. It works like a regular Rocket Radar, but it tracks Giovanni, not GO Rocket leaders.
The Super Rocket Radar doesn’t immediately lead you to Giovanni; it displays locations of both decoy Grunts disguised as Giovanni and Giovanni’s actual Hideout. You’ll need to approach each PokéStop and investigate yourself to find where Giovanni’s hiding.
You can receive Giovanni Special Research once per month.
