Pokemon Go’s notorious Team Go Rocket Leader Giovanni is available to battle alongside Shadow Latias in July 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 All-Hands Rocket Retreat 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 Latias 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.
Contents
- Giovanni Pokemon Go counters (July 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 (July 2022)
After using Shadow Lugia for many months, Giovanni’s lineup changed during the All-Hands Rocket Retreat Event in April, adding Gyarados, Honchkrow, and Shadow Latias to his roster.
This currently remains the same in July, but his lineup is expected to change on Saturday, July 9, 2022, during the Team Go Rocket Battle Weekend event. As any 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: Honchkrow / Gyarados / Rhyperior
- Phase 3: Shadow Latias
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.
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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 Latias.
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
Honchkrow counters
As a dual Dark/Flying-type Pokemon, Honchkrow is weak against Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock-type moves, and resistant to Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ground, and Psychic-type attacks.
| Honchkrow Counters | ||
| Zekrom | Charge Beam (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Rampardos | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Rock Slide (Charge Move) | |
| Raikou | Volt Switch (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Magnezone | Spark (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Tyranitar | Smack Down (Fast Move) & Stone Edge (Charge Move) | |
Gyarados counters
Gyarados is a Water/Flying-type Pokemon, making it weak against Electric and Rock-type moves and resistant to Bug, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel, and Water-type moves.
| Gyarados Counters | ||
| Zekrom | Charge Beam (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Raikou | Volt Switch (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Zapdos | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Zap Cannon (Charge Move) | |
| Electivire | Thunder Shock (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (Charge Move) | |
| Magnezone | Spark (Fast Move) & Wild Charge (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 Latias counters
Giovanni’s Shadow Latias 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 Latias 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 ‘mon 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.
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As long as Trainers 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, Zekrom, 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 Electric-type like Zekrom will deal with two of Giovanni’s potential phase two Pokemon: Honchkrow and Gyarados. If he sends out Rhyperior instead, re-battle and switch Zekrom out for a Water-type like Kyogre or a Grass-type like Torterra.
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Finally, you’ll want a strong Dragon-type to deal with Giovanni’s phase three Pokemon, Shadow Latias. We recommend Dialga, as being a Steel/Dragon-type means it’s not weak to Dragon-type attacks and should have no problem taking Latias 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 Latias in Pokemon Go for July 2022.
For all of the best tips and tricks to become the very best, make sure to check out our other guides:
Spotlight Hour schedule | Current Raid Bosses | Best Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Egg chart | Arlo counters guide | Cliff counters guide | How to get free Remote Raid Passes | Sierra counters guide | How to catch a Ditto in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go shop: Items list, prices, box changes | Promo codes for free items | Rocket Grunt counters
