Giovanni is back in Pokemon Go – How to beat (July 2020)

If you thought Team Rocket Grunts were coming back to Pokemon Go without back up, think again. Giovanni is back as well and to nobody’s surprise has bought some powerful Pokemon with him.

You can find Giovanni by completing the Looming in the Shadows Special Research but if you have already completed it there is another way. Giovanni can also be found by completing the GO Fest Battle Challenge Special Research.

This is available until July 15, 10pm local time. Upon completing the third stage you’ll be rewarded with a Super Rocket Radar which will reveal the location of the Team GO Rocket boss.

The three stages of tasks are relatively easy to complete. They include a combination of Powering Up Pokemon, evolving, purifying, saving Shadow Pokemon and defeating Team Rocket Grunts – nothing an experienced Pokemon Go trainer can’t handle.

Defeat Giovanni

Finding him is one thing but defeating Giovanni is another. He is the most powerful trainer in all of Pokemon Go so even for the best trainers he’s unlikely to be a pushover.

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It is worth taking the time to locate and beat him, though. Doing so will give you the opportunity to encounter a Shadow Suicune!

Let’s take a look at which Pokemon Giovanni has waiting for you. Persian and Suicune are guaranteed opponents while his second Pokemon can be one of three.

Persian

Giovanni has his Persian everywhere with him and clearly this isn’t just for show. On the surface Persian may not seem particularly strong but in the hands of Giovanni it is one you shouldn’t underestimate.

It is a normal-type Pokemon which means it is weak to fighting attacks. However, Persian has the fairy-type move Foul Play at its disposal.

The likes of Machamp and Lucario should still be used but you’ll have to use up your Protect Shields should it be equipped with Play Rough. Species that have fighting attacks yet aren’t the same type themselves are arguably more favorable. Melmetal is probably the most prominent of these.

Dugtrio

There are plenty of options to defeat Dugtrio. It is weak to all of grass, ice and water attacks.

Torterra, Tropius and Venusaur will all get the job done with their grass moves. Alolan Sandslash and Articuno are the ice-type species you’ll want to use and finally Gyarados stands out in the water category.

In truth you can defeat Dugtrio with any of the above types providing they have the appropriate moves. It becomes more of a question as to which would benefit Nidoking and Garchomp should you be going into the battle blind.

Nidoking

Interestingly ice and water overlap as two of Nidoking’s weaknesses. Therefore it may be wise to stick with one of these two types.

We’ve already listed Alolan Sandslash and Articuno but Mamoswine and Palkia are also excellent options. The latter with water type moves and high CP would obviously be great to fall back on.

Garchomp

Now we move on to the popular Garchomp – that’s when it’s not in Giovanni’s hands, though. It has a super obvious weakness and that is ice.

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Ice-type Pokemon, especially with those respective moves, aren’t too common in Pokemon Go. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a Pokemon to cover all three then Mamoswine may be your best bet.

Togekiss is also a fantastic option to cover all three, too. You’ll need to be weary of any poison-type attacks Nidoking were to throw at you, though.

Suicune

Suicune has two weaknesses – electric and grass. It is a pure water-type Pokemon.

Melmetal would be a perfect choice here but not all trainers have it. If you’re lucky enough to do so then it should be an immediate inclusion in your Giovanni team.

The aforementioned Torterra, Tropius and Venusaur will also beat Suicune – and, of course, have the added bonus of covering Dugtrio as well.

The Gen 2 Legendary ‘mon may not be the strongest, at least when you catch it, but it is certainly worth getting hold of. Suicune was actually included as one of our most useless Legendary species in Pokemon Go but don’t let that put you off.

Giovanni is difficult to beat but far from impossible. On top of the above selections if you can get him to use up his Protect Shields in the Persian encounter then you’ll go into the rest of the battle in good stead.