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Giovanni’s reported December 2025 lineup
A December 1, 2025 guide from Fdaytalk reported this team. It is a dated secondary-source report, not an independently verified official roster announcement.
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| Battle slot | Reported Pokémon |
|---|---|
| First | Shadow Persian |
| Second | Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Nidoking, or Shadow Kangaskhan |
| Last | Incarnate Shadow Tornadus |
The second slot is the variable matchup, so build for more than one possibility rather than relying on a single counter. The lineup comes from Fdaytalk’s December 1, 2025 guide.
How to build a team for the battle
Lead with a Fighting-type against Persian
Fdaytalk recommends Fighting attackers such as Terrakion, Lucario, Machamp, or Conkeldurr for Persian. Its example movesets include Double Kick and Sacred Sword for Terrakion, Force Palm and Aura Sphere for Lucario, and Counter and Close Combat for Machamp.
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Use charged moves early to pressure shields
The same guide says Giovanni has two Protect Shields and recommends using a fast-charging opener to draw them out early. Treat this as the guide’s tactical advice rather than independently tested battle data. A lead that can reach charged moves quickly can help clear the shields before your later attackers need to land their own.
Cover the three possible second Pokémon
Choose a team with overlapping coverage where possible, then adapt once you see the opponent. Fdaytalk’s suggested answers are:
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- Shadow Rhyperior: Water or Grass attackers, including Swampert, Kyogre, Kartana, Rillaboom, Zarude, or Quaquaval.
- Shadow Nidoking: Ground, Water, Ice, or Psychic attackers, such as Groudon, Kyogre, Mewtwo, Garchomp, or Landorus.
- Shadow Kangaskhan: a Fighting-type attacker.
Keep an answer ready for Tornadus
For the final Incarnate Tornadus, the guide recommends Ice, Electric, or Rock attacks. Its examples include Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, Zekrom, Therian Thundurus, Xurkitree, and Raikou.
There is no single objectively best team established by the cited guide: it lists counters and moves but does not provide quantified head-to-head testing. When choosing among your available Pokémon, weigh type effectiveness, how quickly charged moves can apply pressure, survivability against the opponent’s moves, and whether a Pokémon’s coverage also helps against Tornadus.
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- Catch Pokémon and track your rest rhythm with the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory!
- Keep track of your sleep with the press of a button
- Press and hold the central button on the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory and place it by your pillow to track your rest rhythm on the Pokémon Sleep app
- There’s a Pikachu within your Pokémon GO Plus + that can sing you lullabies and act as your morning alarm; Pikachu grows friendlier the more you sleep, unlocking even more sounds!
- Spin PokéStops or throw Poké Balls automatically in Pokémon GO for hands-free gameplay (and Great Balls and Ultra Balls can be thrown too!)
Where to find Giovanni
According to the Pokémon GO Help Center, a Rocket balloon you encounter while equipped with a Super Rocket Radar will be piloted by Giovanni. Balloons remain on the map for a limited time, so tap one while it is available.
For historical context, Niantic’s August 11, 2025 event notice said Special Research unlocked during that event and that progress awarded a Super Rocket Radar to pursue Giovanni. That describes the 2025 event, not a guarantee that the same research is available now.
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Why this guide is not current-rotation advice
Giovanni’s lineup changes. A Pokémon GO Hub guide dated October 4, 2026 reports a different final Pokémon and different second-slot choices from the December 2025 team. Check an up-to-date lineup before spending resources or assembling a team for a battle today; the December roster and counters here apply to the reported December 2025 rotation only. See Pokémon GO Hub’s October 4, 2026 guide for that later lineup.
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- Catch Pokémon and track your rest rhythm with the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory!
- Keep track of your sleep with the press of a button
- Press and hold the central button on the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory and place it by your pillow to track your rest rhythm on the Pokémon Sleep app
- There’s a Pikachu within your Pokémon GO Plus + that can sing you lullabies and act as your morning alarm; Pikachu grows friendlier the more you sleep, unlocking even more sounds!
- Spin PokéStops or throw Poké Balls automatically in Pokémon GO for hands-free gameplay (and Great Balls and Ultra Balls can be thrown too!)
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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