Conquering Giovanni in Pokémon GO: November 2025 Strategy Guide

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One of the toughest Trainers in Pokémon GO you might encounter is the leader of Team Rocket: Giovanni. This sneaky criminal takes over different events in the game, seizing Legendary Pokémon for his own dark purposes. In November 2025, you can complete special quests to challenge Giovanni, whose team shows up only when you find and track him down.

Giovanni will only appear if you have access to the “Psychic Spectacular: Taken Over” special research tasks. He appears once each season during Pokémon GO’s event schedule, bringing a new Legendary Pokémon with each appearance to keep things fresh. If you get a Super Rocket Radar through your research, you’ll be able to locate Giovanni quickly and face him in battle.

Giovanni’s Team and How to Beat Them (November 2025)

His team for this month remains the same as in previous “Taken Over” events, which included Shadow Incarnate Forme Tornadus as the Legendary Pokémon. Your previous counters will still work, but recent updates to the game might have changed the most effective strategies.

Like all Team Rocket trainers, Giovanni uses Shadow Pokémon—more powerful versions of normal Pokémon with higher stats and more health. The best way to beat him is with Mega Evolutions and Shadow Pokémon of your own, so make sure you have strong Pokémon ready for battle.

How Giovanni Battles Are Structured

The fight against Giovanni happens in three waves. The first and third waves always feature the same Pokémon, but in the second wave, he randomly picks one of three different Pokémon from his team.

Here’s a quick guide to his Pokémon, their weaknesses, and the best counters:

Many of the counters here have Shadow or Mega forms you can use to improve your chances. The key is to choose Pokémon that cover Giovanni’s Pokémon’s weaknesses without leaving yourself open to counterattacks.

Sample Team to Defeat Giovanni

A strong starting Pokémon is Lucario, which can easily take down Shadow Persian. Although its Steel-type can be risky if Giovanni uses Nidoking or Rhyperior, Lucario’s Fighting attacks make quick work of Kangaskhan and his other normal-type Pokémon.

Swampert is perfect against Giovanni’s Ground-types, using Water moves to finish them off fast. Zekrom, with its Electric typing, is a great choice against Tornadus, delivering super-effective damage and helping you knock him out without trouble.

What You Gain By Beating Giovanni (November 2025)

The biggest reward for defeating Giovanni is the chance to catch his Incarnate Forme Tornadus, now freed from his control. This Legendary Flying-type Pokémon is a great addition to your team, with strong stats suitable for raids and defending Gyms.

If you happen to lose to Giovanni, don’t worry—you don’t have to redo his special research to get another Super Rocket Radar. You can challenge him as many times as you like, but once you win, your Super Radar disappears.

You will also earn 5,000 Stardust and three random item bundles. These item bundles may include Revives, Max Revives, Hyper Potions, Max Potions, or Unova Stones. Sometimes, you might even get multiple items of the same type if you’re lucky.

If you’re aiming to beat Giovanni for these rewards but haven’t finished his special research yet, check your menu to see if you still have tasks to complete.

While Giovanni’s team hasn’t changed for now, this might be your last chance to face him before future updates introduce new Legendary Pokémon and strategies, potentially altering the best counters for him.

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