Overview[]
Giovanni, other than being the infamous Team Rocket's boss, is also the "mysterious" Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym. He uses Ground types.
In Pokemon Red and Blue, his team is composed by Rhyhorn, Dugtrio, Nidoqueen, Nidoking and Rhydon. Rhyhorn is level 45 and knows Stomp, Tail Whip, Fury Attack and Horn Drill; Dugtrio is level 42 and knows Growl, Dig, Sand Attack and Slash; Nidoqueen is level 44 and knows Scratch, Tail Whip, Body Slam and Poison Sting; Nidoking is level 45 and knows Tackle, Horn Attack, Poison Sting and Trash; while Rhydon is level 50 and knows Stomp, Tail Whip, Fissure and Horn Drill. In Yellow, he has Dugtrio,Persian, Nidoqueen, Nidoking and Rhydon. Dugtrio is level 50 and knows Sand Attack, Dig, Fissure and Earthquake; Persian is level 53 and knows Screech,Slash, Fury Swipes and Double Team; Nidoqueen is level 53 and knows Scratch, Tail Whip, Earthquake, Double Kick and Thunder; Nidoking is level 55 and knows Thunder, Leer, Earthquake and Trash; while Rhydon is level 55 and knows Rock Slide, Fury Attack, Earthquake and Horn Drill.
Upon being defeated, Giovanni hands out the Earth Badge, TM27 Fissure and 4950 (Red and Blue)/5445 (Yellow) Poké Dollars.
Tips for beating Giovanni[]
- Know your enemy: Rhyhorn, being a Ground/Rock type, is of course tanky on the physical side, and even more its evolved form Rhydon, with a 105/120 physical bulk (higher than Golem), but still weak on the special side, and the power to hit back with strong moves off a high attack stat. Dugtrio and Persian, meanwhile, are sweepers with glass cannon stats, so either outspeed them or simply endure the hit and KO them back. Last but not last, the Nidos are well-balanced Pokémon in terms of stat distribution, so never let your guard down.
- Beware the coverage! (Yellow only): Flying types have it not as easy as you think (ok, even a level 2 Pidgey cannot be hit by Dugtrio at all, but still), given Rhydon carries Rock Slide (which, coupled with Earthquake, makes for the deadly EdgeQuake combo in G1) and both Nidos know Thunder, coincidentally also a strong counter to Water types as well; and do not forget about their Double Kicks too, since they can spell trouble for Rock and Ice types.
- Electric types not allowed!: Aside Persian in Yellow, each and every one of Giovanni's Pokémon is part Ground type, or pure Ground in Dugtrio's case, which means Electric types are at a severe disadvantage, able to inflict neutral damage at most.
- Status moves are not to underestimate!: Don't underestimate Tail Whip/Screech and Sand Attack: in the long run, they're capable of forcing you to switch just to remove the drops they inflicted. In Yellow, watch out for Double Team as well, as it will allow for Persian to potentially live and dispense perma-crit Slashes longer than you might like.
- Status inducing moves are useful for support: It is likely you'll have acquired a Pokemon capable of learning status inducing moves: Stun Spore will cripple the opponents' speed, with every turn a 30% chance of paralysis to kick in and leave them unable to attack; Sleep Powder/Hypnosis allows you to attack safely (since it's Generation 1, waking up will waste a turn as well); Poison Powder/Toxic is useful for residual damage and, if you have the resources and the bulk, perfect for stalling.
- TM investment might be what you were looking for: Do you lack Pokemon able to naturally learn SuperEffective moves against Giovanni's teams? Don't be afraid to invest in TMs like Ice Beam, Bubblebeam, Mega Drain, and even Surf's HM!
- The fatality that is a OHKO move: Back in Generation 1, OHKO moves only worked if the user was faster than the opponent. Sure, Rhyhorn and Rhydon can't do much with them, despite some Pokémon slower than the two of them existed back then (like Snorlax or Lickitung), but give it to one of the fastest 'mons like Dugtrio and its killing potential gets terrifying, even with 30% accuracy and being affected by accuracy/evasion.
Good Pokémon to Use[]
- Water types: The greatest majority of fully evolved Water types are able to take this gym on without much trouble thanks to a combination of either bulk or offensive stats, Water's effectiveness on Ground and STAB Surf. Yet, Yellow players should exercise caution due to the above mentioned coverage moves.
- Grass types: Just like Water types, Grass types are at advantage, even if their STAB hits neutrally the Nidos and Persian, but they run no risk of being hit by SuperEffective coverage. However, almost all Grass types are part Poison too, so Earthquake and Dig won't be resisted.
- Pokémon with a high special stat: At most, Giovanni's team can provide a solid physical defense, but it lacks answers in case of special attackers. Therefore, Pokémon sporting a high special stat can easily take advantage of this flaw and make short work of their opposition, especially if using SE moves.
- Fast sweepers: With proper care in their movesets, fast sweepers, even if glass cannons, can strike fast and hard, often achieving victory without getting scratched in return.
- Physical walls/Pokémon with a high physical bulk: If you have trouble hitting Giovanni's team hard and fast, you can always resort to Pokémon whose bulk allows for tanking their powerful STAB with ease. However, be careful, as the bulkiest are also the slowest, and no amount of defense can stop Fissure from killing.