Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026 battles are once again causing problems for trainers trying to clear Team GO Rocket Special Research, especially with Shadow Landorus now sitting as Giovanni’s final Pokémon. While Giovanni is never easy, this month’s lineup is actually much more manageable if you go in prepared with the correct counters and understand how his battle mechanics work.
Unlike normal Trainer Battles, Giovanni’s team is designed to punish mistakes. His Pokémon hit incredibly hard, shields can waste your strongest attacks early, and if you choose the wrong counter for his second slot, the fight can spiral quickly. The good news is that once you understand the matchup patterns, Giovanni becomes far more consistent to defeat.
If you are looking for the best Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026 counters, weaknesses, and battle strategy, here is everything you need to know.
Giovanni is also arriving during an already packed month for the game, alongside multiple major events covered in our full Pokémon GO May 2026 Events Guide.
Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026 Lineup
Giovanni currently uses the following team in Pokémon GO during May 2026:
First Pokémon
- Persian
Second Pokémon
Giovanni will randomly use one of:
- Rhyperior
- Kangaskhan
- Nidoking
Final Pokémon
- Shadow Landorus (Incarnate Forme)
This rotation makes Ground, Water, Fighting, Grass, and Ice-type attackers extremely valuable throughout the battle.
If you are still preparing counters for current legendary raids, make sure to also check out our Groudon Pokémon GO raid guide and Kyogre Pokémon GO raid guide, as several Pokémon overlap heavily between those raid teams and Giovanni counters.
How Giovanni Battles Work in Pokémon GO
One of the biggest mistakes players make against Giovanni is treating the fight like a normal raid battle.
Trainer Battles against Team GO Rocket work differently:
- Giovanni pauses briefly after charge moves
- Giovanni pauses after Pokémon swaps
- His Pokémon use shields aggressively
- Fast energy generation matters more than raw damage
Because of this, Pokémon with quick charge attacks are often more useful than glass cannon attackers with massive damage output.
Burning Giovanni’s two shields as quickly as possible is the most important part of the fight.
How To Beat Persian in Pokémon GO
Persian Weaknesses
Persian is weak to:
- Fighting-type attacks
Best Persian Counters
- Lucario
- Terrakion
- Conkeldurr
- Machamp
- Keldeo
Lucario is arguably the safest opener in Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026 battles thanks to Counter and Power-Up Punch. Power-Up Punch charges incredibly quickly, allowing you to remove Giovanni’s shields almost immediately while also boosting Lucario’s attack stat.
A strong Lucario can nearly solo the opening portion of the fight by itself.
Best Moveset Against Persian
- Counter
- Power-Up Punch
Persian can be surprisingly dangerous because of its fast attacks. If Giovanni’s Persian has Scratch, it can shred weaker Fighting-types quickly, so bulkier Pokémon tend to perform better here.
How To Beat Rhyperior in Pokémon GO
Rhyperior Weaknesses
Rhyperior is weak to:
- Water
- Grass
- Fighting
- Ground
- Ice
- Steel
However, Rhyperior has a double weakness to Water and Grass-type attacks, making those the best options by far.
Best Rhyperior Counters
- Primal Kyogre
- Kyogre
- Kartana
- Mega Sceptile
- Zarude
- Swampert
Water-type attackers absolutely dominate this matchup.
Primal Kyogre in particular can delete Rhyperior extremely quickly thanks to Waterfall and Origin Pulse. Kartana is also incredibly effective due to its absurdly high Attack stat.
How To Beat Kangaskhan in Pokémon GO
Kangaskhan Weaknesses
Kangaskhan is weak to:
- Fighting-type attacks
Best Kangaskhan Counters
- Lucario
- Terrakion
- Conkeldurr
- Machamp
- Mega Blaziken
Kangaskhan is generally considered the easiest of Giovanni’s second-slot Pokémon this month as we continue our Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026 Guide. If your Lucario survives Persian with enough health remaining, it can often continue directly into Kangaskhan without needing a swap.
How To Beat Nidoking in Pokémon GO
Nidoking Weaknesses
Nidoking is weak to:
- Ground
- Ice
- Water
- Psychic
Best Nidoking Counters
- Mewtwo
- Primal Kyogre
- Groudon
- Garchomp
- Mamoswine
Nidoking can become dangerous if it lands Earth Power or Sludge Wave on the wrong target, but strong Psychic or Water attackers usually handle it comfortably.
Mewtwo remains one of the strongest answers in the game here thanks to Confusion and Psystrike.
If you are building out stronger Ground-type attackers, our upcoming Entei Pokémon GO raid guide will also help, as many of the same counters are useful there too.
How To Beat Shadow Landorus in Pokémon GO
Shadow Landorus Weaknesses
Shadow Landorus is weak to:
- Ice
- Water
Ice-type attackers are by far the strongest option because Landorus has a double weakness to Ice attacks.
Trainers preparing for GO Fest should also keep an eye on the Pokémon GO Fest 2026 Global Countdown, especially with Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y both expected to dominate raid teams during the event.
Best Shadow Landorus Counters
- Mamoswine
- Galarian Darmanitan
- Baxcalibur
- Weavile
- Glaceon
- Kyurem
Mamoswine is arguably the MVP of the final phase.
Powder Snow combined with Avalanche deals massive super effective damage, and Shadow Landorus struggles badly against strong Ice-types.
Best Strategy Against Shadow Landorus
The safest strategy is:
- Use Lucario to remove shields
- Counter the second Pokémon appropriately
- Save an Ice-type for Landorus
Because Giovanni pauses briefly after charge attacks, fast charging moves create constant openings where you can attack freely without taking damage back.
That timing advantage matters massively during the final phase.
Several Pokémon currently appearing in May raids, including Groudon and Kyogre, are also excellent long-term investments for Team GO Rocket battles.
Best Team To Beat Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026
If you want one of the safest overall lineups for Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026, this team works extremely well:
Team Option 1
- Lucario
- Kyogre
- Mamoswine
Team Option 2
- Terrakion
- Kartana
- Baxcalibur
Team Option 3
- Conkeldurr
- Swampert
- Weavile
The first team is probably the most balanced overall for handling every possible Giovanni combination.
How To Get a Super Rocket Radar
To battle Giovanni in Pokémon GO, you need a Super Rocket Radar.
These are usually obtained through:
- Team GO Rocket Special Research
- Seasonal Research lines
- Limited-time Rocket events
Once equipped, the Super Rocket Radar reveals Giovanni decoys across PokéStops until you eventually find the real Giovanni encounter.
Is Shadow Landorus Worth Catching?
Absolutely.
Shadow Landorus immediately becomes one of the strongest Ground-type attackers in Pokémon GO thanks to the massive Shadow damage bonus.
Even if its IVs are not perfect, Shadow Landorus is still extremely valuable for:
- Raids
- Team GO Rocket battles
- Future Master League use
- Ground-type raid teams
If you manage to get a strong IV version, it is well worth investing Stardust and Candy into over time.
For more Pokémon GO guides like our Pokémon GO Giovanni May 2026, current raid counters, and May 2026 event coverage, make sure to also check out our Pokémon GO Hub, alongside our full coverage of Groudon Pokémon GO raids and Kyogre Pokémon GO counters.
