How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go September 2023: Shadow Regirock counters & weaknesses

Giovanni is the final boss of Pokemon Go‘s villainous Team Go Rocket, which means you’re going to need to pull out all the stops to beat him. To help you out, we’ve put together a guide featuring his current lineup of Pokemon, their weaknesses, and the best counters to use on your team.

After you’ve valiantly fought your way through Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and plenty of Grunts, you’ll finally get the chance to take on Giovanni. The Team Go Rocket Boss is tough competition, so it’s important to take the time to plan ahead if you want to walk away a winner.

After battling with the Kanto region’s Legendary Mewtwo throughout 2022, Giovanni now has Shadow Regirock in his team. We’re going to break down everything you need to know to help you defeat him and storm to victory on the battlefield.

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Contents

• Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup (September 2023)
• How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
• Phase 1
  • Persian counters
• Phase 2
  • Nidoking counters
  • Rhyperior counters
  • Garchomp counters
• Phase 3
  • Regirock counters
• Best team to defeat Giovanni
• How to find Giovanni
• How to beat Team Rocket Leaders

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Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup (September 2023)

Giovanni’s lineup changes every now and then, but the star of his current team remains Shadow Regirock, which you’ll be able to catch if you manage to defeat him.

Here’s Giovanni’s current lineup in Pokemon Go:

• Phase 1: Persian
• Phase 2: Nidoking / Rhyperior / Garchomp
• Phase 3: Shadow Regirock

Giovanni’s lineup changes every time there’s a Team Go Rocket Takeover. We don’t know when the next one will take place, but we’ll update this page as soon as it happens.

How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

Giovanni is an incredibly strong opponent in Pokemon Go, so if you want to defeat him, you’ll need to come prepared with some equally strong counters that can target his team’s weaknesses.

At the start of every battle, Giovanni will always throw out his signature Pokemon, Persian. The second Pokemon he chooses is at random from a pool of three. Finally, you’ll face Shadow Regirock.

Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 1

Rhyperior is a dual Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Fighting, Grass, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water-type attacks but especially weak against Grass and Water-type attacks.

On the other hand, Rhyperior is resistant to Electric, Fire, Flying, Normal, Poison, and Rock-type attacks, so avoid those wherever possible.

Here are some of the best counters to help you defeat Rhyperior:

Garchomp is a dual Dragon/Ground-type Pokemon which means its weaknesses are Dragon, Fairy, and Ice-type attacks. It has particular vulnerability to Ice-type attacks, so focus on those where you can.

On the other hand, Garchomp is resistant to Electric, Fire, Poison, and Rock-type attacks, so they won’t do much damage at all if you use them in battle.

Here are some of the best Garchomp counters to use:

Shadow Regirock counters

Regirock is a Rock-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water-type attacks and resistant to Fire, Flying, Normal, and Poison-type attacks.

These are some of the top counters to defeat Regirock in battle:

One of the best teams you can use to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go right now is Terrakion, Kyogre, and Galarian Darmanitan. While Giovanni’s previous team didn’t have much crossover when it came to weaknesses, his new lineup is actually pretty easy to prepare for.

The first thing you’ll want on your team is a strong Fighting-type like Terrakion, as Giovanni’s first Pokemon will always be Persian and its only weakness is Fighting-type attacks. Regirock also has a weakness to Fighting-types, so Terrakion has double the potential here.

Next up, we’d recommend a powerful Water-type Pokemon like Kyogre. With this Legendary on your team, you’ll be able to target three of Giovanni’s potential Pokemon: Nidoking, Rhyperior, and Regirock. All three of these are vulnerable to Water-type attacks, especially Rhyperior.

The only member of Giovanni’s lineup not covered by those two Pokemon is Garchomp, so your final team member should be dedicated to this fearsome opponent. The good news is that it’s extra-weak to Ice-type attacks, so choose a strong Ice-type Pokemon like Galarian Darmanitan.

The good thing about battling Giovanni (or any other Team Go Rocket member) is that you can rematch as many times as you need to until you win, so if you’ve brought a team that isn’t working you can simply readjust and try again.