How to Beat Giovanni in Pokemon GO (December 2025): Best Counters and Lineup

Similar to Team Rocket in the mainline series, we have Team GO Rocket in Pokemon GO, with Giovanni as their boss. If the Rocket Grunts and the Leaders were already tough to deal with, then Giovanni is on another level.

Just like the series, he is the most powerful enemy in Pokemon GO, and to defeat him in battle, you need a solid strategy. But tracking him can be equally difficult, as he’ll be baiting you mostly. In this guide, we have explained all the details you need to beat Giovanni in Pokemon GO and his best counters.

Pokemon GO Giovanni Lineup in December 2025

The Battle against Giovanni is like a Trainer Battle in Pokemon GO. But has three different Battle Phases, and you need to complete them all to defeat it. While his Phase 1 and Phase 3 Pokemon are the same, he’ll use any one of the three Pokemon in Phase 2. That said, here’s a list of the current Giovanni lineup in December 2025:

Phase	Pokemon 1	Pokemon 2	Pokemon 3
1	Shadow Persian	N/A	N/A
2	Shadow Rhyperior	Shadow Nidoking	Shadow Kangaskhan
3	Shadow Incarnate Tornadus	N/A	N/A

Giovanni’s lineup changes every time there is a new Team GO Rocket Takeover event. He follows the same lineup in December 2025 that was introduced during the Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over event. We can expect a new lineup to be introduced at the next Takeover event, and when it does, we’ll update our list.

How to Easily Beat Giovanni in Pokemon GO

Beating Giovanni won’t be a walk in the park. You need a solid strategy, based on the Pokemon that he uses, and make a note of their weaknesses and resistances. Make sure that you bring some of your best Pokemon that can counter Giovanni’s entire team, and match its weaknesses.

Giovanni starts every battle using his favourite Shadow Persian. The second Pokemon is a random one from the three we’ve mentioned. Finally, you’ll then face Shadow Tornadus Incarnate Form.

To make your battle with Giovanni much easier, here are some tips that you should follow:

• Like other GO Rocket Leaders, Giovanni uses two shields to block your first two moves. Try exhausting them as early as possible so that you can deal Charged Move damage.
• Use a Pokemon with a high Fast Move damage during the first round, and a low energy cost Charged Attack to break shields quickly.
• Once done, you can bring out your strongest Pokemon that matches the counter of the current Phase.
• Whenever you use a Charge Attack or switch out, there is a 3-second cooldown that Giovanni follows. Ensure that you use the cooldowns effectively to avoid taking damage as much as possible and prevent your Pokemon from fainting.

Giovanni Phase 1: Shadow Persian Counters

Shadow Persian, the cat Pokemon is the first one that Giovanni brings out against you. It is weak against Fighting-type and resistant to Ghost-types. Here are some of the best counters that you can bring against Giovanni’s Persian:

Counter Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move(s)
Non-Mega or Mega Lucario	Counter / Force Palm	Aura Sphere / Power‑Up Punch
Machamp	Counter	Close Combat / Dynamic Punch
Conkeldurr	Counter	Dynamic Punch
Terrakion	Double Kick	Sacred Sword
Tyranitar	Smack Down	Stone Edge / Crunch (or Brutal Swing)

Bringing in a fighting-type Pokemon is the main strategy to clear this phase easily. However, if you don’t have any good fighting ones, then Tyranitar can be another great alternative, due to its resistance against Shadow Persian’s moveset.

Pro Tip:

Using a Pokemon with a low-cost Charged Attack is highly recommended to destroy Giovanni’s shields. You can even consider relying only on Fast Moves to defeat Shadow Persian and exhaust shields in the next phase.

Giovanni Phase 2: Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Nidoking, and Shadow Kangaskhan Counters

The strategy for Phase 2 of Giovanni’s battle will be the same across the three different Pokemon. Focus on bringing in your best Pokemon that match their weaknesses, while also generating a lot of energy. This will be useful to deal a lot of Charged Attack damage, and one-shot them.

Shadow Rhyperior Counters

Shadow Rhyperior is a Ground and Rock Pokemon. This makes it weaker to Grass (2x), Water (2x), Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel moves and strong against Fire, Flying, Normal, Rock, Electric, and Poison moves. Consider bringing in any of the best counters we have listed below:

Counter Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move(s)
White Kyurem	Ice Fang	Ice Burn
Primal Kyogre	Waterfall	Origin Pulse / Surf
Non-Mega or Mega Swampert	Mud Shot (Ground)	Hydro Cannon
Kartana	Razor Leaf	Leaf Blade
Rillaboom	Razor Leaf	Grass Knot / Frenzy Plant

Shadow Nidoking Counters

Shadow Nidoking is a Poison and Ground Pokemon, making it weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water moves. It is strong against Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, Electric, and Poison moves, so avoid bringing Pokemon that share these typings.

Counter Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move(s)
White Kyurem	Ice Fang	Ice Burn
Primal Kyogre	Waterfall	Origin Pulse
Non- Mega or Mega Swampert	Mud Shot	Hydro Cannon
Garchomp	Mud Shot	Earth Power
Non-Shadow or Shadow Mewtwo	Psycho Cut	Psystrike

While normal Pokemon and Mega Evolutions can tank attacks quite well, shadow Pokemon are like paper with low defence. When using them, you need to be extra cautious.

Shadow Kangaskhan Counters

Kangaskhan is a pure Normal Pokemon, like Shadow Persian. So, it is only weak to Fighting-type moves and resists Ghost-type moves.

Counter Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move (s)
Non-Mega or Mega Lucario	Counter / Force Palm	Aura Sphere / Power‑Up Punch
Machamp	Counter	Close Combat / Dynamic Punch
Conkeldurr	Counter	Dynamic Punch
Terrakion	Double Kick	Sacred Sword
Tyranitar	Smack Down	Stone Edge / Crunch (or Brutal Swing)

If you are using Lucario, Terrakion, Tyranitar or any Rock and Steel-types to counter Kangaskhan, then look out for its Mud Slap Fast Attack. It hits like a truck and deals super-effective damage to them.

Giovanni Phase 3: Shadow Incarnate Form Tornadus Counters

Finally, Giovanni’s last Pokemon is a Shadow Incarnate Form Tornadus. It is a pure Flying-type Pokemon, making it weak against Ice, Electric, and Rock-type moves. On the other hand, it is resistant to Bug, Fighting, Grass, and Ground-type attacks.

Shadow Incarnate Form Tornadus can have Air Slash or Bite for its fast move, and Hyper Beam, Dark Pulse, Hurricane, and Grass Knot for charged moves. Based on this, we selected the most effective counters:

Counter Pokemon	Fast Move	Charged Move(s)
Black Kyurem	Dragon Tail	Freeze Shock
White Kyurem	Ice Fang	Ice Burn
Non-Shadow or Shadow Rhyperior	Smack Down	Rock Wrecker / Stone Edge
Zekrom	Charge Beam	Fusion Bolt (Electric)
Tyranitar	Smack Down	Stone Edge

Where to Find Giovanni in Pokemon GO?

To find Giovanni in Pokemon GO, you need to track him using a Super Rocket Radar. You need to complete an active Team GO Rocket Special Research to get a Super Rocket Radar. You can get one in December 2025 by completing Psychic Spectacular Taken Over Special Research.

A Super Rocket Radar works like a normal Rocket Radar, but only tracks Giovanni. However, it doesn’t lead you to Giovanni, but displays the locations of both decoy Grunts disguised as him and his actual Hideout. You must approach PokeStops, interact with the GO Rocket Balloons, and investigate them to find the real Giovanni. After finding him, you can challenge him to a battle.

Losing the battle won’t consume your Super Rocket Radar, but if you win, then the item will disappear. Also, be mindful that you can store only one Super Rocket Radar in your bag. This means that if you already have one in your bag, it will be wasted if you claim a new one.

Pro Tip: You can encounter Giovanni twice in a same event, by saving up one Super Rocket Radar, and a Team GO Rocket Special Research. Use the saved one, and then claim the other one from the Research.

Best Pokemon GO Team to Beat Giovanni

Now that you know about all the best counters to Giovanni’s Pokemon, it’s time for you to assemble the best team. The best team that we recommend using against Giovanni comprises Mega Lucario, White Kyurem, and Tyranitar.

Mega Lucario or any other fighting-type Pokemon can counter Shadow Persian easily. However, Phase 2 can be a bit challenging, and that’s when our remaining two Pokemon come into play. Given that you have used Power-up Punch to burn Giovanni’s shields in the first round, your Lucario’s attack will be boosted. Using Lucario, you can obliterate Giovanni’s Shadow Kangaskhan and Shadow Rhyperior. However, if you face Nidoking, then switch White Kyurem in.

White Kyurem can easily take out Shadow Nidoking and Shadow Tornadus with super-effective ice moves, while also tanking damage. Tyranitar is a great addition to the team, as it walls the moveset of Tornadus. Primal Kyogre can be a great option, too, but Legendary Pokemon are difficult to obtain and max out, compared to the Pokemon that spawn in the wild.

All Pokemon GO Giovanni Bosses Difficulty Ranked

Team GO Rocket and Giovanni joined Pokemon GO in 2019. Ever since then, the GO Rocket Leader has had a variety of lineups, which players faced. The most difficult one to defeat was his Mewtwo in Pokemon GO. We looked at the stats, moveset, and other factors of Giovanni’s past lineups and made a list, ranked based on difficulty from toughest to easiest.

1. Mewtwo (Toughest)
2. Kyogre
3. Lugia
4. Groudon
5. Ho-Oh
6. Giratina (Altered)
7. Articuno
8. Raikou
9. Regigigas
10. Dialga
11. Zapdos
12. Entei
13. Cresselia
14. Heatran
15. Latias
16. Latios
17. Regirock
18. Tornadus (Incarnate)
19. Registeel
20. Regice
21. Palkia
22. Moltres
23. Suicune (Easiest)

Pokemon Go Giovanni Rewards

Trainers who defeated Giovanni will get a selection of reward bundles, including the chance to encounter the Shadow Legendary Pokemon. Here’s a list of all the rewards you can get:

• 5,000 Stardust (Guaranteed)
• 4 Revives (Random Drop)
• 4 Max Revives (Random Drop)
• 4 Hyper Potions (Random Drop)
• 4 Max Potions (Random Drop)
• 1 Charged TM (Random Drop)
• 1 Fast TM (Random Drop)
• 1 Unova Stone (Random Drop)
• Shadow Incarnate Form Tornadus (Guaranteed)

Important Note: You cannot encounter Shadow Shiny Legendary Pokemon as a Giovanni Battle reward in Pokemon GO.

How to Get the Latest Team GO Rocket Special Research

The best way to get the latest Team GO Rocket Special Research is by reaching at least level 8 and completing the last Team GO Rocket Special Research. If you are new or a returning player, make sure that you have completed the prerequisite Special Research ‘Troubling Situation.’ After meeting the requirements, you are eligible for the latest GO Rocket Special Research.

We have listed all the past Team GO Rocket Special Researches below. Check if you have any of them in the Special Research tab, and finish them.

• Looming in the Shadows
• A Challenging Development
• The Take-Over Continues
• A Professor’s Work is Never Done
• The Shadowy Threat Grows
• An Inter-egg-sting Development
• The Higher They Fly…
• A Seven-Colored Shadow
• Silent Schemes
• Field Notes: Team GO Rocket
• Ultra Beast Protection Efforts
• Shadowy Skirmishes
• From the Shadows
• Showdown in the Shadows (Team GO Rocket Special Research)
• Timeless Travels Special Research
• It’s a Rocket World
• Adventure Week: Taken Over
• Fashion Week: Taken Over Special Research
• Delightful Days: Taken Over Special Research
• Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over Special Research

That’s everything you need to know about Giovanni in Pokemon GO. Which team did you use to defeat him? Let us know in the comments.