Pokemon GO Giovanni's lineup for October 2025 has changed once more, and players who are ready to tackle the big boss of Team Rocket are preparing their teams with the best counters and moves to beat his powerful Shadow Pokemon. With the addition of Shadow Tornadus Incarnate Forme to his team, Giovanni will not be offering an easy battle for those aiming to capture this Shadow Legendary at the end of combat.

Tornadus Incarnate is by itself a force to be reckoned with, and its Shadow version hits even harder. If players are having trouble deciding what their best strategy is to counter Giovanni, here's a full guide on how to build an optimized team to tackle Giovanni in the upcoming Team Rocket Takeover event.

Pokemon GO - All Giovanni Shadow Pokemon (October 2025)

Giovanni with Tornadus Incarnate Pokemon GO October 2025

Giovanni's lineup for October 2025 in Pokemon GO doesn't change too much, but the addition of Shadow Tornadus Incarnate Forme does change things a bit. It is not particularly difficult to defeat, though players will need to be especially cautious about the third round, since it's the only one that isn't predetermined. Giovanni can pick any of the three Pokemon mentioned in the grid below, and this can turn the battle into a nightmare for unprepared players.

Round

Pokemon

First

Shadow Persian

Second
  • Shadow Rhyperior
  • Shadow Kangaskhan
  • Shadow Nidoking

Third

Shadow Tornadus (Incarnate Forme)

Players can challenge Giovanni to check which Pokemon he has picked for the random round, then abandon the battle, and come up with a better, more balanced team prepared for the second round.

Pokemon GO: How To Beat Giovanni (October 2025)

Giovanni in Pokemon GO this 2025 Super Rocket Radar

Beating Giovanni will require players to pick their team members carefully. Start by adding Machamp of Mega Lucario to counter Shadow Persian, Shadow Rhyperior, and Shadow Kangaskhan. Swampert and Kyogre are also decent picks to counter Nidoking or Rhyperior, and if players want to take down Shadow Tornadus Incarnate, the optimal choice is to pick Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, or Zekrom. Players can also pick Shadow Raikou or Tyranitar, though these are sub-optimal choices. Depending on the player's current economy and acquired Pokemon, there are other budget-friendly choices, like Xurkitree, Shadow Rampardos, or Crowned Shield Zamazenta (which was recently featured in events, so players might have a battle-ready one in their boxes).

  • Machamp or Mega Lucario are the best Fighting-types that counter Persian (Machamp is especially good since he is fast and can take down Persian before it causes too much damage). Shadow Rhyperior and Shadow Kangaskhan are no match for these Pokemon.
  • Swampert and Kyogre are optimal choices to deal more damage to Shadow Nidoking and Shadow Rhyperior, who are weak to Water-type moves.
  • Black Kyurem, with its powerful moveset (Ice Fang/Ice Burn), is currently the best Ice-type attacker in the Pokemon GO roster. And for Shadow Tornadus Incarnate, Ice-type moves are lethal. This Shadow Pokemon is also affected by Rock and Electric-type moves, and there's a wide array of decent counters ready to take it down in a few blows.

Spamming charged moves during the first round is also a decent strategy, since Giovanni will always block the first two Charged Moves, and this can render him vulnerable for the second and third rounds.

Once players have beaten Giovanni, they should use a Pinap Berry to get more candy from Tornadus Incarnate, since it will be a guaranteed catch (similar to Shiny Raid Pokemon).

Pokemon GO - All Giovanni Pokemon Counters (October 2025)

Pokemon Giovanni and Persian

Giovanni's lineup for October 2025 consists of five different Pokemon, and Pokemon GO players need to know which are the best counters for each of them. Here's every possible pick during Giovanni's battle, as well as their respective counters with optimized moveset.

Shadow Persian Counters

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move

Mega Lucario

Force Palm

Aura Sphere

Machamp

Counter

Close Combat

Lucario

Force Palm

Aura Sphere

Shadow Conkeldurr

Counter

Dynamic Punch

Urshifu

Counter

Dynamic Punch

Shadow Rhyperior Counters

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move

Swampert

Force Palm

Aura Sphere

Kyogre

Waterfall

Origin Pulse

Quaquaval

Waterfall

Hydro Cannon

Kartana

Razor Leaf

Leaf Blade

Zarude

Vine Whip

Power Whip

Shadow Kangaskhan Counters

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move

Mega Lucario

Force Palm

Aura Sphere

Machamp

Counter

Close Combat

Lucario

Force Palm

Aura Sphere

Shadow Conkeldurr

Counter

Dynamic Punch

Urshifu

Counter

Dynamic Punch

Shadow Nidoking Counters

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move

White Kyurem

Ice Fang

Ice Blast

Kyogre

Waterfall

Origin Pulse

Garchomp

Mud Shot

Earth Power

Mewtwo

Psycho Cut

Psystrike

Alakazam

Confusion

Psychic

Shadow Tornadus Incarnate Forme Counters

Pokemon

Fast Move

Charged Move

White Kyurem

Ice Fang

Ice Blast

Shadow Raikou

Thunder Shock

Wild Charge

Xurkitree

Thunder Shock

Discharge

Zekrom

Charge Beam

Wild Charge

Tyranitar

Smack Down

Stone Edge
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Pokémon GO
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Augmented Reality
RPG
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Released
July 6, 2016
Developer(s)
Niantic
Publisher(s)
Niantic
Engine
Unity
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
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Genre(s)
Augmented Reality, RPG