How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon GO?

The famous Team Rocket boss is back! Along with a fearsome Lugia Obscure you can capture. Here's our guide to finding and beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO. You'll find an introduction to his team at Pokémon and all the tips we have for winning the fight easily.

Find Giovanni in Pokémon GO

To battle Giovanni, you will need to obtain a very rare item: the Super Radar Rocket. The Super Radar Rocket can be obtained by completing the Special Study "Misunderstood Rascal" which features the legendary Pokémon since the summer of 2021.

In this mission you will have to defeat Sierra, Arlo and Cliff, the 3 leaders of Team Go Rocket who will give you a hard time. As a reward, the game offers you after each victory an opportunity to capture a version shiny of their respective first Pokémon Obscure namely Nidoran ♀, Gligar and Grimer.

After defeating them all, you will get the Super Radar Rocket. This item will allow you to meet Giovanni by turning a Pokéstop Corrupted or in a hot air balloon appearing in the sky. This is where things get tricky! Now that you've found the boss Giovanni, it's time to defeat him!

The Team at Pokémon in detail

Well deserving of his title of Boss, Giovanni from Pokemon GO is the strongest opponent in the game and you'll need to be prepared against his ruthless team. His first Pokémon is inevitably a Persian, the same one that faithfully accompanies him in the anime available on Pokémon TV. For the second phase, however, you must fight a random Pokémon from among Rhyperior Krabboss and Nidoking. Finally you will be confronted with the legendaryLugia .

You can't arrive with a half-prepared roster to beat Giovanni from Pokémon GO! So here's the toughest team to face in PvE in 2021. And then we guide you through the counters and strategies to defeat them.

Phase 1

Persian Obscure

Phase 2

Rhyperior Obscure

Krabboss Obscure

Nidoking Obscure

Phase 3

Lugia Obscure

Strategy to beat Giovanni from Pokémon GO

For each phase of the battle, we have prepared a selection of Pokémon which iseasily accessible to all players and takes into account the cost in stardust required. This strategy will allow you to win optimally against Giovanni while keeping your precious resources.

Phase 1: Persian

Persian is a Pokémon of Normal type, which means that its only weakness is the Combat type.

Here, the choice is quickly made. Lucario is a must-have in Pokémon GO. The speed of his attack set will allow you to defeat his two shields in record time, clearing the way for the rest of the battle.

In addition, Lucario is a must-have in player battles if you plan to participate in the upcoming World Championships announced for 2022.

Lucario

Counter

Boost Fist

Alternatives :

• Poliwrath : Mud Shot - Boost Fist
• Machamp : Riposte - Coup Croix
• Tyranitar : Anti-Air - Crunch
• Conkeldurr : Riposte - Dynamic Punch
• Meditikka: Response - Dynamic Punch
• Terrakion : Anti-Air - Slump

Phase 2: Rhyperior, Krabboss, Nidoking

For this second phase, the trick is to consider a Pokémon that will be able to cope with any situation. The more versatile it is, the less complex the random confrontation will be.

Swampert and its very advantageous double type looks like a perfect candidate. Fast and powerful, he will never let you down, no matter what Pokémon Giovanni sends you.

Swampert

Mud Shoot

Surf

Note: You can take advantage of the Ed Sheeran event in Pokémon GO to get a Mudkip which will then evolve into a Laggron.

Alternatives of the best Pokémon for Phase 2:

• Ludicolo : Foam - Green Storm
• Lanturn: Spark - Thunderbolt
• Torterra : Tranch'Herbe - Frenzy Plant
• Stunfisk : Mud Shot - Juice Shot
• Gyarados : Waterfall - Anger
• Raikou : Volt Switch - Wild Charge

Phase 3: Lugia Obscure

Lugia Obscure is very powerful but its Flight type makes it weak to Electrik attacks.
Magnezone is one of the most effective Pokémon Electrik in Pokémon GO and will allow you to exploit Lugia 's weak point to victory. By exploiting this counter and the previous ones, you should beat Giovanni quite easily regardless of your resources Pokémon GO.

Magnezone

Volt Switch

Wild Charge

Alternatives :

• Melmetal: Lightning - Landslide: Scum - Green Storm
• Rhyperior : Anti-Air - Roc-Boulet
• Jolteon : Volt Switch - Wild Charge
• Zapdos : Charge Beam - Thunderbolt
• Raikou : Volt Switch - Wild Charge
• Abomasnow : Powder Magazine - Ball'Météo

By following this guide, you should easily defeat Team Rocket's Boss team and finally get the rare Lugia Obscure, maybe even at shiny for the lucky ones. Feel free to share your best teams and tips for beating Giovanni in Pokémon GO from our selection.

Finally, enjoy our strategy guides for defeating Sierra, Arlo and Cliff.