How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go (August 2024) – Counters & weaknesses

Facing Team Rocket Boss Giovanni in Pokemon Go is daunting for many players, as this formidable NPC has powerhouses like Shadow Cresselia in his lineup.

To get the job done, you must pick Pokemon that take advantage of his weaknesses and earn you the win without much effort.

So here’s all you need to know to beat Giovanni, including weaknesses and recommended counters for his August 2024 team.

How to beat Giovanni in August 2024

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

After toppling his beloved Persian, you’ll be in a fight against a random opponent chosen from a specially selected pool of top-tier species — Kingdra, Honchkrow, or Kangaskhan.

Lastly, it’ll be time for an intense battle against the Legendary Shadow Cresselia, and our in-depth guide will walk you through each one of these tough phases.

Giovanni Pokemon Go team in August 2024

• Shadow Persian
• Shadow Kingdra / Honchkrow / Kangaskhan
• Shadow Cresselia

Persian is a permanent part of Giovanni’s Pokemon Go team and his lead during the battle. The last opponent is always a Legendary, which changes every few months.

Giovanni’s second slot is tricky, as it can be Kingdra, Honchkrow, or Kangaskhan, three species with contrasting weaknesses.

Finally, starting from the Adventure Week: Taken Over event on August 8, Giovanni has the fearsome Shadow Cresselia as his new Legendary.

Persian counters

• Mega Lucario with Force Palm and Power-Up Punch.
• Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword.
• Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
• Machamp with Counter and Cross Chop.
• Breloom with Counter and Dynamic Punch.

Persian is a Normal type, making it only weak to Fighting-type attacks. Remember that it resists Ghost-type moves.

Kingdra counters

• Mega Gardevoir with Charm and Triple Axel.
• Togekiss with Charm and Ancient Power.
• Haxorus with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe.
• Mega Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe.
• Dragonite with Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw

Kingdra is a Water/Dragon-type Pokemon that is only vulnerable to Dragon and Fairy-type attacks. Remember that, unlike most Dragons, it is not weak to Ice-type moves but still takes neutral damage.

So, go with Fairy-type counters using the Fast Move Charm to deal massive damage while farming a Charged Move for Cresselia. If Kingdra is using Water-type moves instead, opt for Haxorus or Rayquaza to shred it apart while also having Breaking Swipe in tow to possibly debuff Cresselia’s Attack stat.

Honchkrow counters

• Mega Gardevoir with Charm and Triple Axel.
• Togekiss with Charm and Ancient Power.
• Rampardos with Smack Down and Rock Slide.
• Rhyperior with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker.
• Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche

Honchkrow is a Dark/Flying type, which means it’s weak against Fairy, Electric, Ice, and Rock-type moves. Fairy-type counters work like a charm here but you can also go with hard-hitting Rock-type species to make quick work of this threat.

Kangaskhan counters

• Mega Lucario with Force Palm and Power-Up Punch.
• Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword.
• Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch.
• Machamp with Counter and Cross Chop.
• Breloom with Counter and Dynamic Punch.

Kangaskhan is the easiest Pokemon to face second since it’s a Normal-type species like Persian, making it weak only to Fighting types. So, use a top counter like Mega Lucario and increase its Attack each time you use Power-Up Punch. This will turn Force Palm into a wrecking ball when Kangaskhan is on the battlefield.

Also, add Shadow Ball as a second Charged Move to Mega Lucario‘s arsenal. It will be heavily boosted by the time Cresselia enters the battlefield and will dish out huge super-effective damage to tear off chunks of the Legendary’s HP.

Shadow Cresselia counters

You can beat Giovanni’s Shadow Cresselia in Pokemon Go by using strong Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type counters, such as the following:

• Mega Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing.
• Mega Gyarados with Bite and Crunch.
• Hydreigon with Bite and Brutal Swing.
• Giratina Origin with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
• Mega Scizor with Fury Cutter and X-Scissor

This bulky powerhouse can have a wide variety of attacks that might include Ice, Fairy, or Psychic-type moves. So, while Dragon-types like Hydreigon and Giratina are great, be aware of Aurora Beam and Moonblast, with the latter even threatening Dark types.

So, Cresselia with Future Sight, which gains STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) is surprisingly the easiest move to counter.

Best team to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

The best teams to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go are Mega Lucario, Togekiss, Gardevoir, or Tyranitar.

Using these picks won’t guarantee success every time you face Giovanni. It largely depends on the attacks his lineup is using. You can also Mega Evolve Gardevoir or Tyranitar instead, but be sure to have at least one Mega to take advantage of their sky-high damage output.

Even if you lose, just make the right changes and properly study the type of attacks used by him in the bout.

How to find Giovanni

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

Remember that some Grunts may appear as decoys, so check every balloon to confirm Giovanni’s battle.

If you are struggling to beat the Team Rocket Leaders in Pokemon Go, check out our guides for Cliff, Arlo, and Sierra.