In Pokémon Go, you'll find that to get specific Pokémon, you'll have to defeat the Team GO Rocket grunts and bosses. The leaders (Cliff, Arlo, Sierra, and Giovanni) are often the most difficult, but provide the greatest rewards. In this guide, we will focus on how to defeat Giovanni and which counters are best against his new Pokémon.
Quick Notes
- This list is not permanent. Giovanni's most recent lineup change was in May 2021. When his roster changes, so do the techniques and Pokémon you need to use to beat him. We strongly recommend you check back to this guide regularly to be up to date on the best ways to win!
- Giovanni's first and last Pokémon are always the same, but his second Pokémon isn't. The first Pokémon he uses will always be Persian. For his second Pokémon, he will use Nidoking, Kangaskhan, or Garchomp. For his last Pokémon, he will use Zapdos.
- The counters we include aren't synonymous with weaknesses. Sometimes these counters will be mentioned for things other than being the opponent's weakness. Other examples may include their movesets or the fact that they're naturally resistant to their opponent.
- These lists are not ranked from best to worst. While we can provide the best counters to use in any match, there is no guarantee which order they should fall. The effectiveness of each Pokémon largely depends on your play style and battle technique. This being the case, we have instead opted to list the counters alphabetically.
- Giovanni uses very powerful Pokémon. Many of his Pokémon have high Attack, HP, and Defense, so you'll have your work cut out for you. However, if you follow this guide, you'll have no problem.
- Best team setup: There are a few Pokémon types that we recommend adding to your team, since they do well against many of the Pokémon in Giovanni's lineup. It's best to have some combination of the team listed below. Still, if you only have two of them, you should hold fairly well against him.
- Your choice between a Fighting or Dragon Pokémon
- Your choice between an Ice or Psychic Pokémon
- Any strong Rock Pokémon
Round 1 Pokémon
The following list has all the options for this gym leader to use as their first Pokémon.
Persian
- Type: Normal
- Weak Against: Fighting
- Resistant Against: Ghost
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using a Fighting Pokémon against Persian since it does well against many of Giovanni's other Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Conkeldurr | Counter | Dynamic Punch Stone Edge |
 Lucario | Counter | Aura Sphere Power-Up Punch |
 Machamp | Counter | Cross Chop Rock Slide |
 Melmetal | Thunder Shock | Thunderbolt Super Power |
 Swampert | Mud Shot | Hydro Cannon Muddy Water |
Round 2 Pokémon
The following list has all the options for this gym leader to use as their second Pokémon.
Kangaskhan
- Type: Normal
- Weak Against: Fighting
- Resistant Against: Ghost
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using a Fighting Pokémon against Kangaskhan since it does well against many of Giovanni's other Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
Conkeldurr | Counter | Dynamic Punch Stone Edge |
 Dragonite | Dragon Breath | Dragon Claw Outrage |
 Gyarados | Dragon Breath | Crunch Aqua Tail |
 Hariyama | Counter | Dynamic Punch Superpower |
Machamp | Counter | Cross Chop Close Combat |
Nidoking
- Type: Poison, Ground
- Weak Against: Ground, Ice, Psychic, Water
- Resistant Against: Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Rock
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using an Ice Pokémon against Nidoking, since it does well against many of Giovanni's other Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Garchomp | Mud Shot | Earthquake Outrage |
 Groudon | Mud Shot | Earthquake Fire Punch |
 Mamoswine | Powder Snow | Avalanche Bulldoze |
 Metagross | Zen Headbutt | Psychic Earthquake |
 Mewtwo | Psycho Cut | Psystrike Ice Beam |
Garchomp
- Type: Dragon, Ground
- Weak Against: Dragon, Fairy, Ice
- Resistant Against: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using an Ice Pokémon against Garchomp, since it does well against many of Giovanni's other Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Articuno | Ice Shard | Icy Wind Ice Beam |
Dragonite | Dragon Breath | Dragon Claw Outrage |
 Gardevoir | Charm | Dazzling Gleam Psychic |
Gyarados | Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail Outrage |
 Togekiss | Charm | Ancient Power Dazzling Gleam |
Round 3 Pokémon
The following list has all the options for this gym leader to use as their third Pokémon.
Zapdos
- Type: Electric, Flying
- Weak Against: Ice, Rock
- Resistant Against: Bug, Fighting, Flying, Grass, Ground, Steel
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using an Ice Pokémon against Zapdos, since it does well against many of Giovanni's other Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Darmanitan | Ice Fang | Avalanche Ice Punch |
Mamoswine | Powder Snow | Avalanche Ancient Power |
 Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker Surf |
 Terrakion | Smack Down | Rock Slide Close Combat |
 Tyranitar | Smack Down | Stone Edge Crunch |
Moltres
- Type: Fire, Flying
- Weak Against: Electric, Rock, Water
- Resistant Against: Bug, Grass, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel
- Notes: Moltres can throw off the entire match because its weaknesses and strengths counter the weaknesses and strengths of Giovanni's other Pokémon. Still, we recommend using a Rock Pokémon against Moltres since it works well against Giovanni's other possible Legendaries.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Landorus | Mud Shot | Superpower Stone Edge |
 Rampardos | Smack Down | Rock Slide Flamethrower |
Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker Surf |
Terrakion | Smack Down | Rock Slide Close Combat |
Tyranitar | Smack Down | Stone Edge Crunch |
Articuno
- Type: Ice, Flying
- Weak Against: Electric, Fire, Rock, Steel
- Resistant Against: Ground, Bug, Grass
- Notes: If you don't have any of the Pokémon listed below, we recommend using a Rock Pokémon against Articuno since it works well against Giovanni's other possible Legendaries.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
Landorus | Mud Shot | Superpower Stone Edge |
Rampardos | Smack Down | Rock Slide Flamethrower |
Rhyperior | Smack Down | Rock Wrecker Surf |
Terrakion | Smack Down | Rock Slide Close Combat |
Tyranitar | Smack Down | Stone Edge Crunch |
Once you've found Giovanni (which is no easy task!), you'll now be equipped to handle his Pokémon in battle! Check back with this page for occasional updates when they update Pokémon Go!
Want to see how to counter Pokémon of each type? Check out our lists of Water Pokémon Weaknesses!
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