Giovanni has returned to Pokemon GO, wielding the powerful Shadow Lugia. With the opportunity to challenge such a legendary opponent, many players are fighting for their opportunity. Players everywhere are willing to do whatever it takes for their chance.
Giovanni has been a part of the franchise alongside Team Rocket since the franchise's debut. Ever since, whenever Team Rocket is mentioned, Giovanni always makes an appearance. Whether it be in anime, video games, or trading card games, Giovanni always appears.
Like every other Team GO Rocket member in Pokemon GO, Giovanni will challenge the player to a three-on-three Pokemon battle. Upon defeating Giovanni, the player will be rewarded with the opportunity to catch Shadow Lugia. Players can choose to keep it in their collection or use it in battle.
Tips for defeating Pokemon GO's Giovanni
Before players can battle Giovanni in Pokemon GO, they have to find him first. This can be a very long and drawn-out process as it requires players to seek out and defeat every Team GO Rocket grunt they come across. Players first need to defeat six Team GO Rocket grunts to get the parts to construct a Rocket Radar.
After completing the Rocket Radar, the next Team GO Rocket member the player will encounter will be one of three Team GO Rocket leaders. After defeating all three of the Team GO Rocket leaders, a Special Research Task will appear to grant the player a Super Rocket Radar upon completion.
After the Super Rocket Radar has been constructed, Giovanni will be available to challenge at any Team GO Rocket Pokestop or any Rocket Balloon. This battle can give newer players a run for their money. But thankfully, this is one of the most consistent battles in the game.
Giovanni will always start his battle off with his trusty Persian. Luckily, Persian is far from a threatening, offensive Pokemon, so this is a relatively free takedown. Persian is a Normal-type Pokemon. For players wanting to be safe, Fighting-type Pokemon can easily take it down. Rock-types also resist their attacks.
The second stage of the fight is where things can get hectic. Giovanni can use one of three possible Pokemon for this stage: Kingler, Rhyperior, or Nidoking. Rhyperior and Nidoking share Ground typing, which makes them weak to Water attacks. Kingler is a pure Water-type, so an Electric-type is recommended as well.
Finally, Shadow Lugia appears in the third stage of this fight. This is where the previously mentioned Rock and Electric-type Pokemon come in handy. Lugia is a Flying and Psychic-type Pokemon, so it is weak to Rock and Electric-type attacks. Players with Alolan Golem are more than prepared to take on this fight.
While Giovanni can be a challenging fight in Pokemon GO, a great defense will make this battle much easier. Alolan Golem, Empoleon and Lucario is a good team for this fight due to their defensive typing and great damage-dealing potential due to their attacks having a type advantage.