Giovanni's Lineup Refreshed After Precious Pals: Taken Over Event, Thundurus Counters

Giovanni has a new look after an update rolled out Jan. 23 tied to the Precious Pals: Taken Over event, and his final shadow boss is now Incarnate Forme Shadow Thundurus. The change matters because the legendary finale alters which counters work best and because players who want to catch Shadow Thundurus need to prioritize the encounter before another Team Rocket refresh swaps the legendary out.

Getting to Giovanni still follows the same Special Research path. “The only way to fight Giovanni is to complete Special Research tied to Team Rocket. Doing this will earn you the Super Rocket Radar, a device that allows you to hunt down fake Giovannis until you discover the real one.” Once you find him you can retry as often as you like because “you can challenge Giovanni as many times as you want once you find him, as the Super Rocket Radar only goes away when you win a battle against him.” That makes repeated attempts feasible for players building lines and testing counters.

The battle structure is unchanged: three waves. The first phase is always Shadow Persian. The second phase rotates among three possibilities: Shadow Kangaskhan, Shadow Rhyperior, or Shadow Machamp. The third phase is always Incarnate Forme Shadow Thundurus. A fragment of guidance lists the types “Fairy, Flying, Psychic” without clear context, but the core phase mapping stands: Phase 1, Shadow Persian; Phase 2, one of Shadow Kangaskhan, Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Machamp; Phase 3, Incarnate Forme Shadow Thundurus.

Shadow variants remain a factor. “All Team Rocket members and leaders, including Giovanni, use Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon GO. These variants of typical Pokémon have increased attacking power and health, making them slightly harder to K.O.” That means counters must be both the right type and powered up. “Giovanni packs a punch and will be much harder to defeat than the other Team Go Rocket Leaders. It’s not enough to have the right counters with the best moves – you also need to make sure they’re powered up enough to take on the challenge.”

Counter strategy converges on three roles. “A Fighting-type, a Water-type, and an Ice-type attacker will easily get you across the line when it comes to beating Giovanni in Pokemon GO in February 2026.” Recommended examples include Mewtwo, Lucario, and White Kyurem as a reliable trio. Sportskeeda-style specifics for Water counters include Primal Kyogre with Waterfall and Origin Pulse; Mega or Shadow Swampert with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon; Mega Blastoise with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon; Mega Gyarados with Waterfall and Hydro Pump; Shadow Kingler with Bubble and Crabhammer; and Shadow Empoleon with Waterfall and Hydro Cannon. Ice counters with explicit moves list Black Kyurem with Dragon Tail and Freeze Shock; White Kyurem with Ice Fang and Ice Burn; Shadow Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche; Shadow Weavile with Ice Shard and Avalanche; Kyurem with Dragon Breath and Glaciate; and Baxcalibur with Ice Fang and Avalanche.

Be careful when composing your party. Shadow Machamp can threaten Ice-type counters, and Incarnate Shadow Thundurus pressures Water-type picks, so balance picks and switches accordingly. Giovanni no longer uses Nidoking, so some former Nidoking counters remain useful during the variable second wave.

For players chasing Shadow Thundurus, act now. “For those who want to catch Shadow Thundurus, try to get it done sooner rather than later, as there will likely be another Team Rocket refresh in coming months that’ll swap out the legendary for a new one.” Power your best counters, bring a Fighting, a Water, and an Ice attacker, and treat the Super Rocket Radar as your ticket to repeated runs until you nail the catch or the lineup changes again.