How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go: December 2024 lineup, Shadow Heatran, counters & weaknesses

Team Rocket has made their way to Pokemon Go, alongside their nefarious boss Giovanni. One of the toughest fights in the game, Giovanni is a real menace, and you’ll need to work hard if you ever want a chance to defeat him and save his Shadow Pokemon.

After valiantly fighting your way through Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and plenty of Grunts, you’ll finally get the chance to take on Giovanni. The Team Go Rocket Boss is tough competition, so it’s important to take the time to plan ahead if you want to walk away a winner.

After battling with the Kanto region’s Legendary Mewtwo and then Kyogre and Groudon, now the villain is adding Shadow Heatran to his team. We will break down everything you need to know to help you defeat him and storm to victory on the battlefield.

The villainous Giovanni has teamed up with Heatran this time around.

Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup (December 2024)

The star of Giovanni’s current team is Shadow Heatran, which you’ll be able to catch if you manage to defeat him. Here’s his full lineup in each of the phases:

• Phase 1: Shadow Persian
• Phase 2: Shadow Rhyperior / Shadow Nidoking / Shadow Kingdra
• Phase 3: Shadow Heatran

Each time there is a Team Go Rocket Takeover, his lineup changes. The most recent changes were part of October’s 2024’s Pokemon Go Galarian Expedition: Taken Over event.

If another event arrives during the Dual Destiny season, which kicks off on December 3, 2024, we’ll update you with changes to his team right here.

How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go

Giovanni is an incredibly strong opponent in Pokemon Go, so if you want to defeat him, you’ll need to come prepared with some powerful counters that can target his team’s weaknesses.

At the start of every battle, Giovanni always throws out his signature Pokemon, Persian. The second Pokemon he chooses is at random from a pool of three. Finally, you’ll face Shadow Heatran.

Giovanni counters phase 1

Giovanni will always start the first phase with Shadow Persian.

Persian counters

As a Normal-type Pokemon, Persian is weak against Fighting-type attacks and resistant to Ghost-type attacks, making it much easier to know exactly which Pokemon to utilize.

Use these counters against Shadow Persian in Pokemon Go to stand the best chance of winning:

Shadow Persian Counters
	Mega Lucario	Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move)
	Keldeo	Low Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move)
	Terrakion	Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move)
	Conkeldurr	Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move)
	Mega Blaziken	Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charged Move)
	Hariyama	Force Palm (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move)

Giovanni counters phase 2

Giovanni will use either Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Nidoking, or Shadow Kingdra during the second phase.

Rhyperior counters

The fearsome Rhyperior is a dual Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, making it weak against Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type moves, and resistant to Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type attacks.

Here are some of the best counters to defeat Shadow Rhyperior:

Shadow Rhyperior Counters
	Primal Kyogre	Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move)
	Mega Sceptile	Bullet Seed (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move)
	Mega Swampert	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move)
	Kingler	Bubble (Fast Move) & Crabhammer (Charged Move)
	Venusaur	Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move)
	Empoleon	Waterfall (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move)

Nidoking counters

Nidoking is a dual Poison/Ground-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves.  On the other hand, is resistant to Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type attacks, so avoid those wherever possible.

Here are some of the best counters to help you defeat Shadow Nidoking:

Shadow Nidoking Counters
	Primal Kyogre	Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move)
	Primal Groudon	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charged Move)
	Mewtwo	Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charged Move)
	Mega Swampert	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move)
	Garchomp	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charged Move)
	Excadrill	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Scorching Sands (Charged Move)

Kingdra counters

Kingdra is a dual Water/Dragon-type Pokemon, which means its weaknesses are Dragon and Fairy-type attacks, while it is resistant to Fire, Steel, and Water-type moves. 

Here are some of the best Shadow Kingdra counters to use:

Shadow Kingdra Counters
	Mega Rayquaza	Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move)
	Mega Garchomp	Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move)
	Palkia Origin Forme	Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Spacial Rend (Charged Move)
	Salamence	Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move)
	Mega Gardevoir	Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move)
	Electivire	Spark (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move)

Giovanni counters phase 3

Giovanni will only use Shadow Heatran during the third phase.

Heatran counters

Giovanni’s final Pokemon, Heatran, is a dual Fire/Steel-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Ground, Fighting, and Water-type Pokemon. On the other hand, it resists Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ice, Poison, Steel, Dragon, Flying, Normal, and Psychic-type moves.

These are some of the top counters to defeat Shadow Heatran in battle:

Shadow Heatran Counters
	Primal Groudon	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charged Move)
	Mega Garchomp	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charged Move)
	Landorus Therian Forme	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Sandsear Storm (Charged Move)
	Mega Swampert	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charged Move)
	Excadrill	Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Scorching Sands (Charged Move)
	Rhyperior	Mud-Slap (Fast Move) & Earthquake (Charged Move)

Giovanni packs a punch and will be much harder to defeat than the other Team Go Rocket Leaders. It’s not enough to have the right counters with the best moves – you also need to make sure they’re powered up enough to take on the challenge.

If you don’t see any Pokemon that you own in the tables above, simply choose your strongest Pokemon that can target each of Giovanni’s weaknesses. You can also take a look at our weaknesses chart and match it accordingly to what you have.

Best Pokemon against Giovanni in Pokemon Go

You can take Giovanni down using Mega Lucario, Salamence, and Primal Groudon.

The best team you can use to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go right now is Mega Lucario, Salamence, and Primal Groudon. There are plenty of other Pokemon that are equally effective, but this particular team should do well against all of your opponents.

• With Persian as the first pick, a strong Fighting-type Pokemon is a must. This can be Mega Lucario (or its regular form), Terrakion, or even something like Conkeldurr. This Fighting-type Pokemon can also help against Rhyperior and even Heatran.
• For Kingdra, the only way to go is with a strong Dragon or Fairy-type Pokemon such as Salamence.
  • If you have access to more powerful creatures like Mega Rayquaza or Palkia Origin Forme, go for it.
• Finally, Primal Groudon can resist both Heatran’s Fire and Steel-type attacks while targeting the opponent’s Ground-type weakness. It can also help out against Nidoking and Rhyperior if needed.
  • However, if you don’t have access to Primal Groudon, you can go for Mega Swampert, or something more accessible like Excadrill.

Every Giovanni Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty

Ever since Giovanni and Team Go Rocket joined Pokemon Go in 2019, the nefarious boss has had a wide range of party members and ultimately, Shadow Boss Pokemon.

Starting with Articuno, and with other Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo, Lugia, and Groudon eventually joining the ranks, there are a large number of Pokemon that players have faced at the hands of Giovanni over the years.

So, considering stats, bulk, moveset, and other factors we have made a handy guide explaining just how tough every single one of Giovanni’s Shadow Boss Pokemon has been so far.

How to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go

The only way to track down Giovanni is to work your way through a Team Go Rocket-related Special Research quest, like Shadowy Skirmishes. You’ll be able to claim these quests after you reach Level 8.

These Special Research quests require you to defeat multiple Grunts as well as the individual Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo. Once you’ve done all of these, you’ll eventually be given a Super Rocket Radar.

Equip the Super Rocket Radar, and you’ll be able to track down Giovanni’s hideout and battle him!

How to get a Team Rocket Special Research quest

Fighting Giovanni is already tough, but even getting to the Team Rocket boss can be something of a challenge in and of itself. Yes, you have to complete a series of Team Go Rocket Special Research quests to get there, but you also have to have those quests in the first place.

If you’re a new player, look out for the next Pokemon Go Team Go Rocket event. The last one was Adventure Week: Taken Over, which allowed players to start the most recent Special Research quests that rewarded Trainers with a Giovanni encounter.

If you are an existing or returning Pokemon Go player hoping to encounter Giovanni, check your Special Research quests for any of the following quest paths:

• Looming in the Shadows
• A Challenging Development
• The Take-Over Continues
• A Professor’s Work is Never Done
• The Shadowy Threat Grows
• An Inter-egg-sting Development
• The Higher They Fly
• A Seven-Colored Shadow
• Silent Schemes
• Field Notes: Team GO Rocket
• Ultra Beast Protection Efforts
• Shadowy Skirmishes
• From the Shadows
• A Shadowy Disturbance
• Showdown in the Shadows
• It’s a Rocket World
• Adventure Week: Taken Over

It’s important to note that while players can theoretically bank a number of these Special Research quests to eventually pull off multiple Giovanni encounters in a short span of time, the final Raid Pokemon players earn will always be the current one, not the one when the quest was first launched.

So, if you do not want to earn yourself the current Shadow Raid boss – currently Shadow Heatran – it may be best to save the final Special Research reward for a time in the future when the final boss is a Pokemon you want to earn multiple copies of.

How to defeat Team Leaders in Pokemon Go

If you’re looking to take on the other Team Go Rocket Leaders, check out our guide to taking down Arlo, our guide to defeating Cliff, and finally, our guide to beating Sierra.

That’s everything you need to properly defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go. For additional assistance, make sure to check out the latest Spotlight Hour schedule and the current Raid bosses.