The legendary leader of Team GO Rocket Giovanni has made his appearance in Pokemon GO, and his team lives up to the reputation this series villain has built up for himself over the decades.

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However, even if you challenged him before, Giovanni has some new tricks - or Pokemon, rather - up his sleeve to throw off any trainers who think they know what to expect when taking him on. Check out this guide to maintain your edge, and earn your shot at capturing his Shadow Pokemon for yourself.

Updated on August 20, 2022, by Gabrielle Huston: Giovanni is a tough opponent to take down, even for experienced trainers. We've updated this guide with all the latest info about his team so that you go into this fight prepared.

How To Find Giovanni

Tracking down Giovanni is a little more complicated than finding the other three Team Rocket Go leaders. We've got everything you'd need to know to find this big bad guy in a special guide.

First Round: Persian

Giovanni always opens fights with his signature Persian. It's super weak to Fighting-types, so you should definitely train one up beforehand.

Suggested Counters: Persian

Pokemon	Type	Recommended Moves
Lucario	Fighting Steel	Fast Attack: Counter Charged Attack: Aura Sphere
Zapdos (Galarian)	Fighting Flying	Fast Attack: Counter Charged Attack: Close Combat
Conkeldurr	Fighting	Fast Attack: Counter Charged Attack: Dynamic Punch

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Second Round: Nidoking, Machamp, Rhyperior

Once the Persian is taken care of, Giovanni will call out a Rhyperior, Machamp, or Nidoking. These are all hard-hitters with lots of HP, so you should be prepared to deal with a lot.

Two of Giovanni's three options are weak to Psychic-type and/or Fairy-type Pokemon, so consider training up a Mewtwo, Gardevoir, Jirachi, Sylveon, etc.

Suggested Counters: Rhyperior

Pokemon	Type	Recommended Moves
Torterra	Grass Ground	Fast Attack: Razor Leaf Charged Attack: Frenzy Plant
Gyarados	Water Flying	Fast Attack: Dragon Breath Charged Attack: Aqua Tail
Kyogre	Water	Fast Attack: Waterfall Charged Attack: Surf

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Suggested Counters: Machamp

Pokemon	Type	Recommended Moves
Sylveon	Fairy	Fast Attack: Charm Charged Attack: Moonblast
Gardevoir	Psychic Fairy	Fast Attack: Charm Charged Attack: Dazzling Gleam
Mewtwo	Psychic	Fast Attack: Confusion Charged Attack: Psystrike

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Suggested Counters: Nidoking

Pokemon	Type	Recommended Moves
Jirachi	Steel Psychic	Fast Attack: Confusion Charged Attack: Psychic
Glaceon	Ice	Fast Attack: Ice Shard Charged Attack: Avalanche
Garchomp	Dragon Ground	Fast Attack: Mud-Slap Charged Attack: Earthquake

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Third Round: Latios

The final Pokemon is Giovanni's Legendary, the one you'll be able to catch after defeating him: the Shadow Latios. Expect it to put up an incredible fight.

Luckily for you, Latios has its fair share of weaknesses. You've got a range of powerful Pokemon to play around with, and we've recommended a few of the best below. While it's a Dragon-type Pokemon and you might be tempted to use a Dragon-type counter, we suggest you reconsider, since Latios could be using powerful Dragon-type moves that will make your own Dragon-type worthless.

Suggested Counters: Latios

Pokemon	Type	Recommended Moves
Gengar	Ghost Poison	Fast Attack: Shadow Claw Charged Attack: Shadow Ball
Ninetales (Alolan)	Ice Fairy	Fast Attack: Powder Snow Charged Attack: Weather Ball
Togekiss	Fairy Flying	Fast Attack: Cham Charged Attack: Dazzling Gleam

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Rewards

After you beat Giovanni, you'll get 5,000 Stardust, a random assortment of high-level healing items, and potentially an Unova Stone. You'll also get a chance to catch his Shadow Legendary Pokemon.

NEXT: Pokemon Go: Regional Exclusive Pokemon Guide