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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG)
How to Beat Giovanni: Viridian City Gym Guide
★ Best Teams to Beat the Story
☆ Celadon Game Corner Guide
★ Mail Glitch Guide: How to Duplicate Items
☆ Learn How to Get All TMs and HMs
★ Farming Guides for EXP and Money
☆ Shiny Hunting Guide and Shiny Odds
This is a guide for Viridian City's Gym Leader, Giovanni, in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG). Learn how to beat Giovanni, his Pokemon team and specialty, and the recommended Pokemon to use against Giovanni!
| Previous Gym | Next Gym |
|---|---|
| Blaine | - |
List of Contents
Giovanni's Pokemon Team and Types
Type and Suggested Levels
| Type Specialty |
|
|---|---|
| Rec. Level | Lv. 50 ~ Lv. 53 |
Giovanni's Pokemon
| Pokemon | Type | Abilities | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|
 Rhyhorn
(Lvl. 45) |
|
・Lightning Rod ・Rock Head ・Reckless |
|
 Dugtrio
(Lvl. 42) |
|
・Sand Veil ・Arena Trap ・Sand Force |
|
 Nidoqueen
(Lvl. 44) |
|
・Poison Point ・Rivalry ・Sheer Force |
|
 Nidoking
(Lvl. 45) |
|
・Poison Point ・Rivalry ・Sheer Force |
|
|
Rhyhorn
(Lvl. 50) |
|
・Lightning Rod ・Rock Head ・Reckless |
How to Beat Giovanni
Use Water, Grass, and Ice-Type Pokemon
With Giovanni's specialty being Ground-type, it is best to use Water, Grass, and Ice-type Pokemon to deal super-effective damage against his team. Remember to have your Pokemon at least three levels higher than Giovanni's strongest Pokemon.
For Water-type Pokemon, having Surf in their moveset will be the best option for offense. As for Grass-type, Razor Leaf or Solarbeam are your strongest offensive moves to one-hit Giovanni's team. Lastly, for Ice-type, having Ice Beam would be great for its power and effectiveness against Ground-type.
Teach these moves to Pokemon with the same type to benefit from Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) to deal more serious damage.
Psychic and Flying-Type are Also Good
The Viridian City Gym trainers also have Fighting-type Pokemon in their team. Additionally, Giovanni's Nidoqueen and Nidoking are Poison/Ground.
With this, Psychic and Flying-type Pokemon can be super-effective against some Pokemon in the gym. Flying-type Pokemon also have an advantage because they are immune to Ground-type moves. However, Flying-types might fall victim to Giovanni's Rhyhorns as they can use Rock Blast.
Best Team to Beat Giovanni
When Starting with Bulbasaur
 Venusaur
|
 Gyarados
 Lapras
|
 Tentacruel
 Starmie
|
Players with Venusaur already have a type advantage against Giovanni, with Venusaur being super-effective against Ground-type with moves like Razor Leaf or Solarbeam. Their only disadvantage is that Grass-type moves won't be as effective against Nidoqueen and Nidoking because of their Poison typing.
Gyarados is excellent for its secondary type being Flying, making it immune to Ground-type. You can fish for a Magikarp on the Islands before Viridian City and level it up to become Gyarados. With a strong Water-type move, it can help take down the remaining Pokemon in Giovanni's team.
Another accessible Water-type Pokemon that can be good against Giovanni is Lapras. With Lapras being Water/Ice, it already covers two weaknesses against Giovanni's team with moves like Ice Beam and Hydro Pump.
You may also catch a Tentacool in One Island before going to Viridian City and have it evolve to Tentacruel. For LeafGreen players, Starmie is great because of its Water/Psychic typing, giving it an advantage against Nidoqueen and Nidoking.
When Starting with Charmander
|
Gyarados
Lapras
|
Tentacruel
Starmie
|
 Charizard
|
Players with Charizard might want Charizard sit this one out. It's a Flying type that avoids Ground moves, but Rhyhorn's Rock Blast is super-effective against Fire-types, and Fire-type moves won't be enough to clear Giovanni's team.
Gyarados is another Pokemon with Flying as its secondary type, on top of being a Water-type Pokemon. As long as it has one Water-type move, it can take down Giovanni's team quickly and easily.
There are tons of other accessible Water-type Pokemon you can use. You can get Lapras as a gift from an employee in the Silph Co. building. You may also catch a Tentacool in One Island and have it evolve to Tentacruel. For LeafGreen players, Starmie is great for its Water/Psychic typing against Giovanni.
When Starting with Squirtle
 Blastoise
|
Gyarados
Lapras
|
Tentacruel
Starmie
|
Players with Blastoise are already in a great spot, considering it already covers the Water-type weakness against Giovanni. As long as Blastoise is at least Lvl. 50-53 and knows a Water-type move, it can take on Giovanni's team easily.
You can also have other Water-type Pokemon like Gyarados, Lapras, Tentacruel, or Starmie to ensure an easy victory against Giovanni. You can fish for Magikarp, Tentacool, or Staryu at One Island before getting to Viridian City and level them up to reach their evolution. You can easily get Lapras from an employee at Silph Co.
Previous and Next Gym Leaders
| Previous Gym | Next Gym |
|---|---|
| Blaine | - |
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG) Related Guides
Walkthrough Guides by Type
| Gym Leader Guides | Elite Four Guide |
All Gym Leader Guides
| 1 | Brock | 2 | Misty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lt. Surge | 4 | Erika |
| 5 | Koga | 6 | Sabrina |
| 7 | Blaine | 8 | Giovanni |
Comment
Author
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
How to Beat Giovanni: Viridian City Gym Guide
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