How to beat Giovanni
To get started, here are some quick tips on how to beat Giovanni or one of the leaders of Team GO Rocket. There are some things that cause them to freeze for a few attacks, including using your charge attack or swapping Pokémon. A good tip is to place your first character in the second or third slot and change it as soon as the fight starts. This allows you to get some attacks and some charge moving power right out of the gate. Always watch your shields and try to get them to use theirs quickly using a super fast charge attack. After their shields are gone, they will take a lot of damage with each future charge attack, so focus on getting them ready quickly.
To understand how to beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO, you need to know which team he has. This is a bit hit and miss, so we're going to take it step by step for all three stages of the battle, giving you the best counters for each. We're also going to sum up a good all-rounder squad to go into battle with, which you can tweak once you know what their entire squad is made of. Getting things started will be a little easier because Giovanni always starts with his faithful Persian.
Giovanni's Persian is weak for Fighting-type Pokémon, so you can always use your highest CP fighter if you don't have a perfect counter. These counters are Melmetal with Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt or Super Power, Machamp with Counter and Cross Chop or Rock Slide, Rhyperior with Mud Slap and Stone Edge or Super Power, and Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch. Try them out if you can, or look for another high CP Fighting type character if you miss out.
The second round is where things get mixed up a bit with Giovanni able to use Kangaskhan, Garchomp, or Nidoking. Each has their own specific counters, so try using the following depending on what they have:
Kangaskhan counters (weak in combat)
Dragonite avec Dragon Breath and Outrage
Giratina (Origin) with Dragon Claw and Dragon Breath
Togekiss with charm and ancestral power
Garchomp counters (low for Dragon, Fairy and Ice)
Togekiss with charm and ancestral power
Articuno with ice shard and freezing wind
Gardevoir with charm and psychic
Nidoking meters (low at Ground, Ice, Psychic and Water)
Empoleon with waterfall and hydraulic cannon
Jirachi with confusion and dire desire
Dialga with Dragon Breath and Iron Head
If you go into battle and don't know which Pokemon Giovanni has on his team, Togekiss or Dragonite are good options as they are solid options as they are good against both Kangaskhan and Garchomp and could still defeat Nidoking.
Finally, Giovanni will deploy his ultimate weapon in the form of Mewtwo. If you've been playing Pokémon GO for a while, you've surely fought it a lot, but the counters are constantly changing. Here are the current best counters against Giovanni's Mewtwo: Tyranitar with Bite and Fire Blast, Hydreigon with Bite and Dragon Pulse, Darkrai with Feint Attack and Shadow Ball, and Alolan Muk with Bite and Acid Spray.
For a team of three, you can't go wrong with Machamp with Counter and Cross Chop, Togekiss with Charme and Ancient Power, and Tyranitar with Bite and Fire Blast. You can sign up for Dragonite for Togekiss if you need to, or Empeleon if you know you're about to face Nidoking as a second character. If not, try to mix and match your team until it works
