Pokemon Go’s notorious Team Go Rocket Leader Giovanni is available to battle alongside Shadow Latios in September 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 is vital. During the Pokemon Go Battle Weekend event, Giovanni’s lineup of Pokemon switched up once again, with a new roster of powerful opponents to beat.
After battling with the Kanto region’s Legendary bird trio in early 2021, Giovanni now has Shadow Latios 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.
Additional reporting by Ava Thompson-Powell and Philip Trahan.
Contents
- Giovanni Pokemon Go counters (September 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 (September 2022)
Giovanni’s Pokemon lineup changed on July 9, 2022, during the Pokemon Go Battle Weekend event, where Shadow Latios was added to his team. This lineup remains the same for September 2022.
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: Nidoking / Machamp / Rhyperior
- Phase 3: Shadow Latios
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 Latios.
Giovanni Pokemon Go counters phase 1
Persian counters
As a Normal-type Pokemon, Persian is weak against Fighting-types and resistant to Ghost-types, 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
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.
| Nidoking 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) | |
Machamp counters
Machamp is a Fighting-type Pokemon, making it weak against Fairy, Flying, and Psychic-type moves and resistant to Bug, Dark, and Rock-type moves.
| Machamp Counters | ||
| Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psychic/Psystrike (Charge Move) | |
| Gardevoir | Charm (Fast Move) & Psychic/Synchronoise (Charge Move) | |
| Togekiss | Charm (Fast Move) & Psyshock/Dazzling Gleam (Charge Move) | |
| Sylveon | Charm (Fast Move) & Moonblast (Charge Move) | |
| Rayquaza | Air Slash (Fast Move) & Aerial Ace/Hurricane (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 Latios counters
Giovanni’s Shadow Latios is a Dragon/Psychic-type, which means it’s weak against Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Ice-type attacks. There’s a lot to play with here.
Meanwhile, it’s resistant against Electric, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Psychic, and Water-type attacks.
| Shadow Latios Counters | ||
| Dialga | Dragon Breath (Fast Move) & Draco Meteor (Charge Move) | |
| Rayquaza | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) | |
| Garchomp | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charge Move) | |
| Palkia | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Draco Meteor (Charge Move) | |
| Gengar | Shadow Claw (Fast Move) & Shadow Ball (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 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, Mewtwo, and Dialga. A strong Fighting-type like Conkeldurr will help you defeat Giovanni’s guaranteed phase one Pokemon, the Normal-type Persian.
Next, a strong Psychic-type like Mewtwo will deal with two of Giovanni’s potential phase two Pokemon: Nidoking and Machamp. If he sends out Rhyperior instead, re-battle and switch Mewtwo out for a Water-type like Kyogre or a Grass-type like Torterra.
Finally, you’ll want a strong Dragon-type to deal with Giovanni’s phase three Pokemon, Shadow Latios. We recommend Dialga, as being a Steel/Dragon-type means it’s not weak to Dragon-type attacks and should have no problem taking Latios down.
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 Latios in Pokemon Go for September 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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