The next Pokémon GO Giovanni appearance is confirmed to bring Shadow Lugia to Pokémon GO real soon. In past appearances, Giovanni has had many different Legendary Pokémon cycling through his team; Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres from the Bird Trio, the dogs from the Dog Trio, and Ho-Oh from the Tower Duo. With Shadow Lugia, the master of the Bird Trio, now confirmed, each set is complete. The battle won't be easy, but here's how to beat it.
As with any Giovanni encounter, players will need to take on two of the Team GO Rocket Boss' Pokémon to start. After that, the third Pokémon is always the shadow legendary that Giovanni has contained, whether it's for research or for an event.
What Are the Best Shadow Lugia Counters in Pokémon GO?
Fights with Giovanni in the past tell players that Persian will be his first choice. Then there will be a gamble between Nidoking, Kangaskhan, and Garchomp. But in this situation, a Shadow Lugia will round out the full battle. When choosing a team, players can look for five effective types: Dark, Ice, Rock, Electric, and Ghost. Those work against the Raid Boss Lugia, and they will work here as well.
Shadow Lugia Counters
- Gengar - Lick (Fast Attack) + Shadow Ball (Charge Attack)
- Zekrom - Charge Beam (Fast Attack) + Wild Charge (Charge Attack)
- Rhyperior - Smack Down (Fast Attack) + Rock Wrecker (Charge Attack)
- Weavile - Snarl (Fast Attack) + Avalanche (Charge Attack)
- Darkrai - Snarl (Fast Attack) + Shadow Ball (Charge Attack)
- Melmetal - Thunder Shock (Fast Attack) + Rock Slide (Charge Attack)
- Yveltal - Snarl (Fast Attack) + Dark Pulse (Charge Attack)
- Bisharp - Snarl (Fast Attack) + X-Scissor (Charge Attack)
When Shadow Lugia is defeated and Giovanni is sent away in shame, players will be rewarded with Premier Balls. Encounters like these almost always guarantee that the Pokémon won't escape, but it's safe to use good throws and effective berries.
How to Find Shadow Lugia in Pokémon
Typically, players will receive special research that is only around for a limited time when a new shadow legendary Pokémon. It happened for Ho-oh and will very likely happen for Shadow Lugia.
READ MORE: The best Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni counters
The research itself hasn't really been revealed. All we've seen is a photo direct from Niantic that shows a trainer battling Giovanni and Shadow Lugia. That's enough to say it's coming to the game, but not when it's coming to the game. Signed point to later this month, but we'll need to wait for official confirmation.