Giovanni is back on Pokémon Go and, for November 2021, he has captured Lugia's shadow. You will have to fight against him to catch this Pokémon and add it to your collection. You only have one chance to fight Giovanni and you must use a Super Rocket Radar to find him. By November 2021, you will need to complete the entire Misunderstood Mischief Special Research Project, the one-month special research event for the season of mischief. Here's what you need to know about how to fight Giovanni, all his weaknesses, and the best Pokémon to counter him.
How to find Giovanni in November 2021
The only way to find Giovanni for November 2021 is to make your way through the Season of Mischief Misunderstood Mischief special research project. The final stages of the Special Research see you battle five Team Rocket recruits and then one of the three Team Rocket leaders. After defeating them, you will unlock a Super Rocket Radar and be able to hunt down Giovanni.
A Super Rocket Radar takes you to Giovanni's hideout at any Team Rocket Poké Stop or Team Rocket Balloon near you. These positions might have Giovanni, or they might feature a lure grunt that you fight instead.
How to Beat Giovanni - Weaknesses and Better Pokémon Counters
Giovanni is a tough fight and much more difficult than the other leaders of Team Rocket. Giovanni's first Pokémon stays the same every month. However, his second and third options are constantly changing.
First Pokémon
The first Pokémon Giovanni always uses Persian, a Normal-type Pokémon. The best Pokémon to use against it are durable Fighting-types, such as Conkeldurr, Heracross, Gallade, Machamp, or Scrafty.
Second Pokémon
The second Pokémon you will fight Giovanni against is a Rhyperior. It is a Ground and Rock-type Pokémon, which makes it weak against Fighting, Grass, Ground, Ice, Steel, and Water-type moves, but is resistant to Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type attacks. We highly recommend using Grass and Water-type Pokémon, such as Zarude Kyogre, Swampert, Gyarados, or Tangrowth.
Third Pokémon
Giovanni will use a Shadow Lugia as his last Pokémon. It is a Psychic and Flying-type Pokémon, which makes it weak against Dark, Electric, Ghost, Ice, and Rock-type moves, but is resistant to Fighting, Ground, Grass, and Psychic-type moves. You will need to use Dark, Electric, or Rock-type Pokémon against Lugia, such as Zekrom, Darkrai, Chandelure, Rhyperior, or Gengar.
After defeating Giovanni, you will have a chance to win back Lugia and now you have a shadow version of the Pokémon at your disposal. We strongly advise you not to purify this Pokémon as Legendary Shadow Pokémon are even rarer than real versions of this Pokémon. It's a little easier to find and capture the original versions thanks to five-star raids, but Shadow Pokémon rarely appear often.
