How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go in October 2024
Looking dapper as always, Giovanni has returned to Pokémon Go in October 2024, fielding a mighty Shadow Heatran in battle as his Legendary Pokémon.
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You’ll need to face and defeat his stooges Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra to get your hands on a Super Rocket Radar from the current Rocket Special Research before you can battle Giovanni. Once you’ve collected this piece of hardware and activated it, you can find the suave-looking villain waiting for you at a nearby PokéStop. Alternatively, he'll approach you riding a Rocket Balloon.
Once you’ve successfully dueled Giovanni, you’ll be able to complete your Rocket Special Research and will be able to catch his current Legendary companion.
This guide will tell you how to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go in 2024 with Heatran as his Legendary Pokémon.
Giovanni’s Pokémon in October 2024 – Pokémon Go
Giovanni always starts a battle with his beloved and majestic Persian, ending it with his trump card Heatran. He has a couple of Pokémon to choose from for the second position, which is randomly determined before the battle.
- Slot #1: Persian
- Slot #2: Kingdra / Rhyperior / Nidoking
- Slot #3: Heatran
Best counters to Persian – Pokémon Go Giovanni
Persian is a Normal-type, which means you'll want to use Fighting-type moves to cause the greatest amount of damage. It's recommended to use a Pokémon with quick energy generation first to exhaust the opponent's shields early on. This will cover Rhyperior as well, in case Giovanni selects it for his second slot.
- Lucario (Fighting, Steel): Counter, Power-Up Punch, Aura Sphere
- Machamp (Fighting): Counter, Close Combat, Stone Edge
- Tyranitar (Rock, Dark): Smack Down, Brutal Swing, Stone Edge
Best counters to Kingdra – Pokémon Go Giovanni
This draconic seahorse is weak to both Dragon- and Fairy-type moves. You should opt for a Fairy-type counter in this case, because that will allow you to cover for Honchkrow as well.
- Gardevoir (Psychic, Fairy): Charm, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic
- Togekiss (Fairy, Flying): Charm, Dazzling Gleam, Flamethrower
- Primarina (Water, Fairy): Charm, Moonblast, Hydro Pump
Best counters to Rhyperior – Pokémon Go Giovanni
Rhyperior shares some weaknesses with Nidoking and Heatran, making Water- or Ice-type attackers a fantastic choice to cover two of Giovanni's options for the second slot at once.
- Kyogre (Water): Waterfall, Surf, Origin Pulse
- Swampert (Water, Ground): Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake
- Mamoswine (Ground, Ice): Powder Snow, Avalanche, High Horsepower
Best counters to Nidoking – Pokémon Go Giovanni
Giovanni's iconic Nidoking can be countered by Ground-, Ice-, Psychic-, and Water-type moves.
- Kyogre (Water): Waterfall, Surf, Origin Pulse
- Swampert (Water, Ground): Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake
- Mamoswine (Ground, Ice): Powder Snow, Avalanche, High Horsepower
Best counters to Heatran – Pokémon Go Giovanni
Heatran easily falls victim to Water- and Ground-type moves, which is very convenient, since the same types cover Rhyperior and Nidoking as well.
- Kyogre (Water): Waterfall, Surf, Origin Pulse
- Swampert (Water, Ground): Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon, Earthquake
- Mamoswine (Ground, Ice): Powder Snow, Avalanche, High Horsepower
Summing things up, you’ll want to create a team containing one Fighting-type, one Fairy-type, and one Water- or Ground-type Pokémon – that will give you all the options you need to defeat Giovanni.
For more Pokémon Go, check out the overviews of the monthly Spotlight Hours and 5-Star Raids.