Pokemon Go’s notorious Team Go Rocket Leader Giovanni is available to battle alongside Shadow Mewtwo in November 2022. With the right lineup of counters, you’ll be able to beat him and his Shadow Pokemon in no time.
Team Go Rocket’s Giovanni is tough competition in Pokemon Go so knowing the right counters to defeat him is vital, especially as you’ve likely fought your way through Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and plenty of Grunts in order to get here.
After battling with the Hoenn region’s Legendary duo Latios and Latios throughout 2022, Giovanni now has Shadow Mewtwo in his lineup. We’re going to break down everything we know about his roster, weaknesses, and the best counters to take you to victory.
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Contents
- Giovanni Pokemon Go counters (November 2022)
- 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 counters (November 2022)
Giovanni’s Pokemon lineup changed on November 14, 2022, during the Team Go Rocket Takeover event in Pokemon Go, where Shadow Mewtwo was added to his team.
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If any more changes emerge, we’ll be sure to keep you updated, but for now, here’s Giovanni’s current lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Persian
- Phase 2: Nidoqueen / Steelix / Rhyperior
- Phase 3: Shadow Mewtwo
How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
To stand a chance at defeating the villainous Giovanni in Pokemon Go, you’ll need to know the best lineup of counters to target his roster’s weaknesses and deliver that final attack with confidence.
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 Mewtwo.
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 | ||
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charge Move) | |
| Hariyama | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) | |
| Lucario | Counter (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charge Move) | |
| Machamp | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) | |
| Breloom | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) | |
Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 2
Nidoqueen counters
As a dual Poison/Ground-type Pokemon, Nidoqueen is weak against Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves, and resistant to Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type attacks.
| Nidoqueen Counters | ||
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psychic/Psystrike (Charge Move) | |
| Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Surf (Charge Move) | |
| Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charge Move) | |
| Glaceon | Ice Shard (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) | |
| Galarian Darmanitan | Ice Fang (Fast Move) & Avalanche (Charge Move) | |
Steelix counters
Steelix is a dual Ground/Steel-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water-type moves.
| Steelix Counters | ||
| Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charge Move) | |
| Darmanitan | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) | |
| Reshiram | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) | |
| Swampert | Water Gun (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) | |
| Entei | Fire Fang (Fast Move) & Overheat (Charge Move) | |
Rhyperior counters
Rhyperior is a Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, so it’s extremely weak against Grass and Water-type moves, and also weak against Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type attacks.
| Rhyperior Counters | ||
| Torterra | Razor Leaf (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charge Move) | |
| Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Surf (Charge Move) | |
| Empoleon | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) | |
| Zarude | Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Power Whip (Charge Move) | |
| Swampert | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charge Move) | |
Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 3
Shadow Mewtwo counters
Giovanni’s Shadow Mewtwo is a Psychic-type, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type attacks and resistant to Fighting and Psychic-type attacks.
| Shadow Mewtwo Counters | ||
| Darkrai | Snarl (Fast Move) & Dark Pulse (Charge Move) | |
| Hydreigon | Bite (Fast Move) & Brutal Swing (Charge Move) | |
| Chandelure | Hex (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) | |
| Hoopa | Astonish (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (Charge Move) | |
| Zarude | Bite (Fast Move) & Dark Pulse (Charge Move) | |
Compared to Rocket Grunts and Leaders, Giovanni packs a punch. His lineup of Shadow Pokemon will deplete your health quickly if you don’t have the right counters. Don’t panic though, as you can rematch the boss immediately, and make changes to your roster as needed to beat him.
As long as you use the right counters to exploit his lineup’s weaknesses, you will defeat him. If you don’t see any Pokemon that you own on the list above, simply 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 is Conkeldurr, Kyogre, and Hydreigon.
A strong Fighting-type like Conkeldurr will help you defeat Giovanni’s guaranteed phase one Pokemon, the Normal-type Persian. Next, a powerful Water-type like Kyogre will be able to wipe away all three of his potential phase two Pokemon.
Finally, you’ll want a strong Dark-type or Ghost-type to deal with Giovanni’s phase three Pokemon, Shadow Mewtwo. We recommend Hydreigon for this, although there are plenty of other options like Darkrai, Hoopa, and Chandelure.
How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
Before you can attempt to track down Giovanni, you’ll first need to complete some steps:
- Defeat Team Rocket Grunts at PokeStops to earn six Mysterious Components and obtain a Team Rocket Radar.
- Equip the Radar, and take down the three other Team GO Rocket Leaders, Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra (you’ll find these at PokeStops or hovering above the ground in hot air balloons).
- Make sure that you complete Special Research tasks such as taking down the other leaders, defeating Grunts, and other Team Rocket tasks until you receive a Super Rocker Radar.
- Equip it, and you’ll have to check out different PokeStops to rule out any potential decoy Giovannis until you encounter the real one.
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 Mewtwo in Pokemon Go for November 2022.
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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