How to Beat Giovanni In Pokémon GO (September 2023)

Fresh off Pokémon GO Fest 2023, players will again need to overcome Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni this September 2023. Defeating Trainers’ longtime foe will net some great rewards, including an opportunity to catch a Shadow Regirock. September marks a new season in Pokémon GO, Adventures Abound, which focuses on the Paldea region in the world of Pokémon GO, so you can expect to see the Team GO Rocket member’s line-ups change at some point during this period.

You will first need to beat the three Team GO Rocket leaders, Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo, before getting a chance to beat Giovanni. Once you have done so, Giovanni will start appearing at PokeStops, which Team GO Rocket has taken over, as well as in their balloons. Currently, no Special Research tasks are tied to defeating Giovanni, but this will likely happen during the Adventures Abound Season until the 1st of December.

Giovanni’s September 2023 Team In Pokémon GO

As of the start of September 2023, Giovanni’s Team remains unchanged from August in Pokémon GO. However, this may change later in the month to tie in with new events such as A Paldean Adventure Event in Pokémon GO that begins on the 5th of September. Giovanni has five Pokémon at his disposal, with two guaranteed to appear and another one of three chosen randomly for Trainers to face off against.

Giovanni has kept his current line-up since July 2023, so Trainers can again expect to face off against Normal-type Persian first. His second Pokémon will be one of three out of Poison- and Ground-type Nidoking, Ground- and Rock-type Rhyperior or Dragon- and Ground-type Garchomp. His final Pokémon will always be the Legendary Shadow Rock-type Regirock, which can cause Trainers many problems if unprepared.

Best Counters For Giovanni In September 2023

While Giovanni is much stronger than the three Team GO Rocket leaders, this is not his strongest line-up. The two Pokémon he will always use, Persian and Regirock, are both weak against Fighting-type attacks, so starting with a strong Fighting-type such as Machamp is essential for Trainers.

Giovanni’s three possible second Pokémon are all Ground-types, making the battle easier for Trainers. All three are weak to Ice-type attacks, so Pokémon such as Mamoswine are super-effective against them all. For a third choice, using one of the strongest Water-types in Pokémon GO is a good backup if needed. Rhyperior is double weak against Water, with Nidoking and legendary Regirock also weak against this type.

With the debut of Pokémon from the Paldean region coming this month, new entries such as Water- and Fighting-type Quaquaval are options for Trainers’ final choice. Giovanni’s Pokémon for September are all strong but have many similar weaknesses, making him easy to overcome if the right line-up is selected in Pokémon GO this month.