How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go (May 2024): Shadow Groudon weaknesses & counters

❘ Updated: 2024-05-01T10:13:30

pokemon go giovanni team rocket leader promo image

Niantic

Pokemon Go Team Rocket Boss Giovanni is still around with a tough challenge, this time with Shadow Groudon in tow! Trainers are eager to beat him, so here’s a guide to defeat Giovanni’s powerful Pokemon Go Shadow team in May 2024.

Taking on Team Go Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon Go is a nightmare for many, as this formidable NPC has the powerful Shadow Groudon in his team, starting from the World of Wonders: Taken Over event.

To beat him, you need to build solid counters with the best Pokemon that take advantage of his team’s weaknesses.

So, here’s all you need to defeat Team Go Rocket Boss Giovanni, including weaknesses and best counters for his Pokemon Go team in May 2024.

Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup in May 2024
How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
Best team to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
How to counter Persian in Pokemon Go
How to counter Giovanni’s Nidoking, Rhyperior, or Garchomp in Pokemon Go
How to counter Giovanni’s Shadow Groudon in Pokemon Go
How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go

Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup in May 2024

Here’s Giovanni’s current lineup in Pokemon Go:

First Pokemon: Shadow Persian
Second Pokemon: Shadow Garchomp / Nidoking / Kingler
Third Pokemon: Shadow Groudon

How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

You can beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go by using strong counters that deal super-effective damage to each of his Shadow species and forcing him to use up his shields as soon as possible.

Every encounter with Team Go Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon Go has one constant: he will begin the fight by unleashing his prized Pokemon — his beloved Persian.

Topple his precious pet and it’ll be onto a fight against a random Pokemon chosen from a specially selected pool of top-tier species — Nidoking, Kingler, or Garchomp.

Lastly, if you make it to the third and final battle, it’ll be time for an intense battle against Shadow Groudon, and our in-depth guide will walk you through each one of these tough phases.

Team Go Rocket leaders are fierce competition in Pokemon Go.

Best team to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

The best teams to use to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go are Machamp, Gyarados, and Mamoswine, or Lucario, Swampert, and Mewtwo.

It is worth noting that using these Pokemon won’t guarantee success every time you face Giovanni. It largely depends on the attacks his Pokemon are using, and there is always an element of luck involved when it comes to a Pokemon battle.

Even if you lose to Giovanni, just make the right changes and properly study the type of attacks his Pokemon are using. With the right strategy, even non-specialist Pokemon for the job can defeat the Team Go Rocket leader in Pokemon Go.

How to counter Persian in Pokemon Go

Persian is a Normal-type Pokemon which makes it vulnerable to Fighting-type attacks. It can also resist Ghost-type moves. Accordingly, we recommend using your best Fighting-types with the best stats in Pokemon Go.

Ideally, these should be any of the following:

Lucario with Counter and Aura Sphere.
Hariyama with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
Breloom with Counter and Dynamic Punch.

pokemon go giovanni species persian in pokemon anime

Persian is always Giovanni’s opener.

How to counter Giovanni’s Nidoking, Kingler, or Garchomp in Pokemon Go

Nidoking

Nidoking is a unique Poison and Ground-type Pokemon that is vulnerable against Ground, Water, Psychic, and Ice-type attacks in Pokemon Go. It can learn Bug moves that are super effective against Psychic Pokemon, and its Iron Tail Fast Move is effective against Ice-type Pokemon.

Accordingly, using the likes of Mewtwo and Glaceon could be a hit or miss depending on Nidoking’s first couple of attacks.

Water-type Pokemon are the strongest against Nidoking, and here are some of the safest picks for you to consider:

Gyarados with Waterfall and Aqua Tail.
Mewtwo with Confusion and Psychic.
Glaceon with Ice Shard and Avalanche.
Swampert with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon.

Rhyperior

Rhyperior is a Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, which means it’s extremely weak against Water and Grass-type moves, and weak against Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel. It’s also resistant to Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type attacks, so avoid using those attack types for this fight.

You’ll deal great damage if you use the following combinations:

Mega Swampert with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon.
Kartana with Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade.
Mega Sceptile with Bullet Seed and Frenzy Plant.
Primal Kyogre with Waterfall and Surf.

Garchomp

Garchomp is a dual Dragon and Ground-type Pokemon that is only weak against Dragon, Ice (4x), and Fairy-type attacks. It’s resistant to Poison, Fire, Rock, and Electric-type moves, so try avoiding these categories for better results.

While you can rely on powerful Dragon and Fairy-type Pokemon for this battle, Ice-types are probably the safest bet. Here are some counters you can use:

Galarian Darmanitan with Ice Fang and Avalanche.
Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche.
Weavile with Ice Shard and Avalanche.
Togekiss with Charm and Ancient Power.
Gardevoir with Charm and Synchronoise.
Dragonite with Dragon Tail and Superpower.

How to beat Giovanni’s Shadow Groudon in Pokemon Go

pokemon go team rocket boss giovanni shadow groudon

Shadow Groudon deals 20% more damage than regular Groudon.

You can beat Giovanni’s Shadow Groudon in Pokemon Go by using strong Grass, Ice, and Water-type counters.

Shadow Groudon can have a wide variety of attacks that might include Grass or Fire-type moves, in addition to its usual Ground-type moves. So be careful with using Water and Ice-type Pokemon, as they will take super-effective damage from Groudon’s Solar Beam and Fire Blast.

Here’s a high-priority list of some Pokemon that should work great against Shadow Groudon:

Mega Sceptile with Bullet Seed and Leaf Blade.
Greninja with Water Shuriken and Hydro Pump.
Kartana with Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade.
Glaceon with Ice Shard and Avalanche.
Gyarados with Waterfall and Aqua Tail.

How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go

You can find Giovanni in Pokemon Go by using a Super Rocket Radar obtained from It’s a Rocket World Special Research.

Here’s how you can get this item:

Unlock It’s a Rocket World Special Research by completing any other Team Go Rocket Special Research stories that you currently have active.
At the final stage of It’s a Rocket World, you’ll be asked to defeat Giovanni.
Defeat Team Rocket Grunts in Pokestops or balloons to acquire six Mysterious Components that help in unlocking a Team Rocket Radar.
Equip the Team Rocket Radar to take on three Team Go Rocket leaders called Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo.
They will be hidden in either Pokestops or balloons.
You will earn the Super Rocket Radar after defeating all the Grunts and Leaders.
Equip it, and Giovanni should arrive in a Pokestop. Be aware of decoys that only pretend to be Giovanni.

And there you have it! This is all you need to successfully beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go. For more on Pokemon Go, be sure to check out our other guides: