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.
Contents
- Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup (September 2023)
- How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Best team to defeat Giovanni
- How to find Giovanni
- How to beat Team Rocket Leaders

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

Persian counters
As a Normal-type Pokemon, Persian is weak against Fighting-type attacks and resistant to Ghost-type attacks, making it a lot easier to know exactly which Pokemon to utilize.
Use these counters against Persian in Pokemon Go to stand the best chance of winning:
Persian Counters | ||
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Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charge Move) |
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Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charge Move) |
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Hariyama | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
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Lucario | Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
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Machamp | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
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Breloom | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 2

Nidoking counters
As a dual Poison/Ground-type Pokemon, Nidoking is weak against Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves, and resistant to Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type attacks.
Here are some of the best counters to defeat Nidoking:
Nidoking Counters | ||
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Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psychic/Psystrike (Charge Move) |
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Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charge Move) |
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Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charge Move) |
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Glaceon | Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
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Galarian Darmanitan | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
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Espeon | Confusion (Fast Move) & Psychic (Charge Move) |
Rhyperior counters
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:
Rhyperior Counters | ||
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Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charge Move) |
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Kartana | Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Blade (Charge Move) |
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Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
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Samurott | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
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Kingler | Bubble (Fast Move) & Crabhammer (Charge Move) |
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Zarude | Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) |
Garchomp counters
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:
Garchomp Counters |
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Articuno | Frost Breath (Fast Move) & Ice Breath (Charge Move) |
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Galarian Darmanitan | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
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Mamoswine | Powder Snow (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
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Glaceon | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) |
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Dragonite | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) |
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Weavile | Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) |
Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 3

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:
Regirock Counters |
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Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charge Move) |
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Kartana | Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Leaf Blade (Charge Move) |
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Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charge Move) |
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Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) |
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Lucario | Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) |
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Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) |
Giovanni packs a punch and will be much harder to defeat than the other Team Go Rocket Leaders. It’s not enough to have the right counters with the best movesets – you also need to make sure they’re powered up enough to take on the challenge.
If you don’t see any Pokemon that you own in the tables above, simply choose your strongest Pokemon that can target each of Giovanni’s weaknesses. You can also take a look at our weaknesses chart and match it accordingly to what you have.
Best team to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

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.
How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
The only way to track down Giovanni is to work your way through a Team Go Rocket-related Special Research quest, like Shadowy Skirmishes. You’ll be able to claim these quests after you reach Level 8.
These Special Research quests require you to defeat multiple Grunts as well as the individual Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo. Once you’ve done all of these, you’ll eventually be given a Super Rocket Radar.
Equip the Super Rocket Radar, and you’ll be able to track down Giovanni’s hideout and battle him!
How to beat Team Leaders in Pokemon Go
If you’re looking to take on the other Team Go Rocket Leaders, check out our guide to take down Arlo, our guide to defeat Cliff, and finally, our guide to beat Sierra.
So, there you have it, everything you need to know about the best counters to beat Giovanni and Shadow Regirock in Pokemon Go for September 2023.
For all of the best tips and tricks to become the very best, make sure to check out our other guides:
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