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How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go in October 2024

Originally posted on Video Games on SI | By Marco Wutz | Last updated Oct 14, 2024 5:19 AM ET

Looking dapper as always, Giovanni has returned to Pokémon Go in October 2024, fielding a mighty Shadow Heatran in battle as his Legendary Pokémon.

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

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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.

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

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This draconic seahorse is weak to both Dragon- and Fairy-type moves. You could opt for a Water- and Fairy-type hybrid in this case to cover the rest of Giovanni’s roster 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

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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

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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

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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.

This article first appeared on Video Games on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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