Pokemon GOplayers have made it to the other end of the December marathon of holiday events, but things aren’t slowing down in the mobile AR game. As Niantic starts to tease thenext Unova region wave of Pokemon, there are also some updated Team GO Rocket villains to deal with.
Starting in late 2019,Pokemon GOtrainers have been able to battle Giovanni once per month if theyfinish the appropriate pre-requisite Special Research. With the arrival of January, trainers can now start preparing for their big fight against the boss and the chance to encounter Giovanni’s shadow legendary Pokemon.
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Giovanni’s January lineup of Pokemon features some touch matches, so players should make sure they take the time to build a strong roster that will be up to the challenge. It’s worth using a bit of Candy, Stardust, and a few TMs to prepare for this fight.
Here’s what trainers are up against and our recommendation for how to counter them…
Lucario - Counter/Power-Up Punch/Shadow Ball (Persian and Cloyster)
Poliwrath - Mud Shot/Dynamic Punch/Power-Up Punch (Persian and Cloyster)
Dragonite - Dragon Breath/Dragon Claw/Draco Meteor (Garchomp and Kangaskhan)
Tyranitar - Smack Down/Stone Edge/Crunch (Moltres)
With that lineup of Pokemon, players should have no problems countering any configuration of challengers that Giovanni shows up to the fight with. There are obviously lots of other Pokemon that can work as substitutes for this ideal roster, but most players shouldn’t have much trouble assembling the team recommended above. All of those Pokemon are very relevant to thecurrentPokemon GOPvE and PvP metagame, so it’s worth investing in them beyond this fight anyway.
For now, players may want to keep hunting downthe best Unova Pokemon in the gameif improving their Battle Raid rosters is their primary goal. Be sure to check back soon for morePokemon GOstrategy guides, news, and updates.
Pokemon GOis available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.
