Pokémon Go May 2021: how to beat Giovanni and Shadow Moltres

Giovanni has returned in Pokémon Go and has a new legendary bird in tow, so here’s how you can best prepare for him.

Regular Pokémon Go players are no doubt already familiar with how Team Go Rocket works in the game. They’ve been causing lots of trouble over the past few months, particularly leader Giovanni.

Each month, he has appeared with a different legendary bird pokémon in his team. First, it was the ice type Articuno, then it was the electric type Zapdos, which means he now has the fire type Moltres.

Since legendary pokémon are tough to take down no matter which game they’re in, here are some guidelines to help you prepare for your battle with Giovanni.

How to find Giovanni in Pokémon Go May 2021

As a quick refresher, Giovanni won’t just be hanging out for you to fight immediately. To find him, you’ll need the Super Rocket Radar item.

Fortunately, this can be obtained by completing tasks in the Luminous Legends X timed research event.

Once you have it and equip it, the item will pinpoint several PokéStop locations. Most of them are decoys, with only one of them housing Giovanni’s actual location.

Pokémon Go Giovanni’s team May 2021

One advantage you have over Giovanni is that his team remains completely unchanged since his debut, except for his last pokémon, which in this instance is Moltres. So, if you beat him last month, chances are you can use a similar strategy to beat him again this time.

His first pokémon will always be Persian. Since it’s a normal type, having a strong fighting type in your team almost guarantees you a win. Some popular suggestions include Lucario, Machamp, and Conkeldurr. Make sure they have a strong fighting attack too, such as Close Combat or Power-Up Punch.

Giovanni’s second pokémon will vary, but he always picks one of three possible choices: Kangaskhan, Garchomp, or Nidoking. If you’re lucky, he’ll pick Kangaskhan, another normal type that can be struck down with your fighting type.

If you want to play it safe, take a ground type with you since they’re naturally strong and have good defences. Plus, they’re the perfect counter to Nidoking. We’d recommend Mamoswine since it doubles as an ice type and can counter the dragon type Garchomp.

How to beat Shadow Moltres

Moltres is what’s going to make your team formation tricky. It being part flying means your fighting types won’t be very effective and ground type attacks won’t affect it at all.

Fortunately, Moltres’ dual typing makes it incredibly weak to rock attacks. Personally, we’d recommend Golem. It can learn the powerful Stone Edge, which should devastate Moltres, and if it knows a ground move as well it can double as your Nidoking counter. Other possible options include Rhyperior and Tyranitar.

While rock attacks are your best pick, given Moltres’ quadruple weakness, both water and electric are viable options too. If anything, having a water type on your teamm, like Blastoise (which can mega evolve) or Swampert (which can also learn ground attacks), could turn the tide against Nidoking as well.

And don’t forget, once you beat Shadow Moltres, you have the chance to capture it and add it your collection.

Pokémon Go is available on Android and iOS devices.

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