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 Kangaskhan, Nidoking or Garchomp. His final Pokemon is Shadow Mewtwo.
| Pokemon #1 | Pokemon #2 | Pokemon #3 |
|---|---|---|
 Persian |
 Kangaskhan |
 Mewtwo |
 Nidoking |
||
 Garchomp |
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.
Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan
Weak to Fighting. Uses a mix of Fighting, Ground, Dark and Dragon-type moves. Most counters rely on their subtype to take reduced damage from Kangaskhan.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Kangaskhan
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Dragonite |
Dragon Breath | Outrage |
 Giratina (Origin) |
Dragon Claw | Dragon Breath |
 Togekiss |
Charm | Ancient Power |
 Gyarados |
Dragon Breath | Crunch |
 Landorus |
Mud Shot | Focus Blast |
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 |
Mewtwo
Mewtwo
Weak to Bug, Dark and Ghost, resists Fighting and Psychic moves.
Giovanni’s Mewtwo is best countered by strong Dark and Dragon types. Mewtwo has Psychic or Confusion as fast move, and Focus Blast, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower or Ice Beam as charge move.
Recommended counters for Giovanni’s Mewtwo
| Pokémon | Fast move | Charge move |
|---|---|---|
 Tyranitar |
Bite | Fire Blast |
 Hydreigon |
Bite | Dragon Pulse |
 Darkrai |
Feint Attack | Shadow Ball |
 Muk (Alola) |
Bite | Acid Spray |
 Salamence |
Bite | Outrage |
How to find Giovanni
In order to find Giovanni you need to complete the Looming in the Shadows Special Research or the new An Inter-egg-sting Development 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.
