How To Get Giovanni Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go's notorious Team Rocket leader, Giovanni, has returned with Shadow Lugia in November 2021. With the right lineup of counters, you'll be able to beat him and his Shadow Pokemon in no time.

Team Rocket's Giovanni is tough competition in Pokemon Go, and knowing the right counters is vital. During the Festival of Lights event in November 2021, Giovanni made his epic return to the game with a new roster of powerful opponents.

After battling with the Kanto region's Legendary bird trio in early 2021, Giovanni now has Shadow Lugia 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.

Giovanni Pokemon Go counters (November 2021)
How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
Persian counters
Kingler counters
Nidoking counters
Rhyperior counters
Shadow Lugia counters
Best team to defeat Giovanni
How to find Giovanni
How to beat Team Rocket Leaders

Artwork of Giovanni in Pokemon Go — Niantic / The Pokemon Company

The infamous villain, Giovanni, is back in Pokemon Go for November 2021.

Giovanni Pokemon Go counters (November 2021)

As of November 9, 2021, at 12pm local time, Trainers are able to face off against Giovanni with the Legendary Shadow Lugia, alongside Persian and three other potential fighters.

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

Phase 1: Persian
Phase 2: Kingler / Nidoking / Rhyperior
Phase 3: Shadow Lugia

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.

Read More: Best attackers and defenders in Go

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 Lugia.

Persian Counters
	Tyranitar	Smack Down (Fast Move) Crunch (Charge Move)
	Conkeldurr	Counter (Fast Move) Dynamic Punch (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)

Kingler counters

As a mono Water-type Pokemon, Kingler is weak against Electric and Grass-type moves, and resistant to Fire, Ice, Steel, and Water-type attacks.

Kingler Counters
	Zapdos	Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Thunderbolt (Charge Move)
	Zarude	Vine Whip (Fast Move) Power Whip (Charge Move)
	Raikou	Volt Switch (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move)
	Torterra	Razor Leage (Fast Move) Frenzy Plant (Charge Move)
	Magnezone	Spark (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move)

Nidoking counters

Nidoking is a Poison/Ground-type Pokemon, making it weak against Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves but very resistant to Bug and Electric-types attacks.

Nidoking Counters
	Mewtwo	Confusion (Fast Move) Psystrike (Charge Move)
	Kyogre	Waterfall (Fast Move) Surf (Charge Move)
	Excadrill	Mud Shot (Fast Move) Drill Run (Charge Move)
	Hoopa	Confusion (Fast Move) Psychic (Charge Move)
	Empoleon	Waterfall (Fast Move) Hydro Cannon (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)

Shadow Lugia counters

Giovanni's Shadow Lugia is a Psychic/Flying-type, which means it's weak against Dark, Electric, Ghost, Ice, Rock-type moves and very resistant to Fighting and Ground.

Shadow Lugia Counters
	Melmetal	Thunder Shock (Fast Move) Rock Slide (Charge Move)
	Zacian	Snarl (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move)
	Magnezone	Volt Switch (Fast Move) Wild Charge (Charge Move)
	Tyranitar	Smack Down (Fast Move) Crunch (Charge Move)
	Yveltal	Snarl (Fast Move) Dark Pulse (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.

Read More: The best Eevee evolution in Pokemon Go

As long as Trainers use the right 'mon to exploit his character types, you will defeat him. If you don't see any Pokemon that you own on the list above, then simply look at our weaknesses chart and match accordingly to what you have.

Best team to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

Kyogre is a great addition to your Giovanni-beating team.

One of the best teams you can use to defeat Giovanni is Tyranitar, Kyogre, and Magnezone. Tyranitar will help you take down Persian with ease, and can also be saved as a backup for battling Lugia.

Next up, Kyogre is very effective at taking down two of Giovanni's potential second Pokemon, Nidoking and Rhyperior. Round your team out with Magnezone, which is a great counter for both Kingler and Lugia.

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, defeat Cliff, and finally, our guide to beat Sierra.

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So, there you have it, everything you need to know about the best counters to beat Giovanni and Shadow Lugia in Pokemon Go for November 2021.

For all of the best tips and tricks to become the very best, make sure to check out our other guides: