How To Beat Giovanni In Pokémon GO (February 2023)

Giovanni, Team GO Rocket’s mastermind, returns in February 2023 alongside a powerful lineup that will be a challenge for many Pokémon GO Trainers. However, unlike other leaders that players will fight this month, Giovanni requires players to obtain a Super Rocket Radar. This item can only be obtained as a reward from Team GO Rocket Special Research.

Once players have reached Level 8 in Pokémon GO, they can claim Special Research quests, which will prompt them to defeat the three Rocket Leaders. As February brings new Special Research, it also allows players to complete Field Research Tasks in Pokémon GO for new rewards. For example, after defeating Rocket Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo, players will be given a Super Rocket Radar, which allows them to track down Giovanni’s hideout.

Related: How To Beat Cliff In Pokémon GO (February 2023)

How To Beat Giovanni (February 2023)

Once players have located Giovanni in Pokémon GO, they’ll be prompted to battle him. Players who wish to defeat this powerful opponent must come prepared with strong counters to target his team’s weaknesses. In Phase 1, players can always expect to face Giovanni’s Persian, while in Phase 2, he switches it up with Nidoking, Cloyster, or Garchomp. In Phase 3, the final boss battle will involve the powerful Legendary Shadow Registeel in Pokémon GO.

Phase 1 Counters

As a Normal-type Pokémon, Persian is weak against Fighting-type attacks and resistant to Ghost-type attacks. Knowing these weaknesses makes it easier to know exactly which Pokémon to utilize in the battle against Giovanni. Players can use these recommended counters in Pokémon GO to have the best chance of winning:

Phase 2 Counters

Nidoking has a chance of appearing in the second phase. As a dual Poison-/Ground-type Pokémon, Pokémon GO‘s Nidoking is weak against Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves and resistant to Electric-, Poison-, Bug-, Fairy-, Fighting-, and attacks from Rock-type Pokémon. Here are some of the best counters to defeat Nidoking:

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Cloyster also has a chance to appear in the second phase of Giovanni’s fight. As a Water-/Ice-type Pokémon, this enemy is weak to Electric-, Fighting-, Grass-, and Rock-type moves and resistant to Ice- and Water-type attacks. Players can use these recommended counters if they find themselves facing off against Cloyster:

Garchomp is a dual Dragon-/Ground-type Pokémon with a chance of spawning interchangeably in Phase 2 of the fight with Giovanni. This Pokémon’s weaknesses are Dragon-, Fairy-, and Ice-type moves, while its resistances are Electric-, Fire-, Poison-, and Rock-type attacks. Here are some of the best Garchomp counters to use:

Phase 3 Counters

As a Steel-type Pokémon, Pokémon GO‘s Registeel is weak against Fighting, Fire, and Ground-type attacks and resistant to pretty much everything else. However, since this is the only enemy with a chance of appearing in the final stage of Giovanni’s fight, players won’t be left with many questions about preparing. So here are some of the top counters to defeat Shadow Registeel in battle:

Related: Pokémon GO: All February 2023 Field Research Tasks (& Rewards)

Best Team to Beat Giovanni

Players can use Conkeldurr, Galarian Darmanitan, and Garchomp to build one of the best teams for beating Giovanni in Pokémon GO. Not only is a strong Fighting-type Pokémon like Conkeldurr guaranteed to defeat Giovanni’s Phase 1 Normal-type Persian, but it can also be used to defeat Cloyster in Phase 2 and Registeel in Phase 3. Meanwhile, a powerful Ice-type like Galarian Darmanitan can wipe away two of Giovanni’s potential Phase 2 Pokémon: Nidoking and Garchomp (with Garchomp having 4x weakness to ice attacks). For the final spot, players can use a strong Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp to counter Giovanni’s Nidoking and take down the difficult Shadow Registeel.

Giovanni packs a significant punch and will be harder to defeat than the other Rocket Leaders in Pokémon GO. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough for players to have the right counters with the best move sets; they’ll also need to make sure their Pokémon are powered up enough to take on the challenge. If players are struggling to win this battle, they can rematch Giovanni in Pokémon GO an unlimited number of times, giving them the option to change their lineup or power up an existing team if needed.

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