Pokémon Go Giovanni counters, team line-up in December 2024

Giovanni’s team had a refresh in Pokémon Go following the arrival of the summer “Galarian Expedition: Taken Over” event.

As it stands in December 2024, following an update rolled out on Oct. 8, Giovanni’s team sees several possibilities, including a finale against Heatran, the latest legendary to see the Shadow treatment.

For those who want to catch Shadow Heatran, try to get it done sooner than later, as there will likely be another Team Rocket refresh in coming months that’ll swap out the legendary for a new one.

However, know that whenever you face Giovanni, he’s a tough opponent to battle, and this page will list out his current team and counters if you’re having trouble.

How to find Giovanni in Pokémon Go

Team Go Rocket boss Giovanni is typically only available to battle while completing Team Go Rocket Special Research. We get a new set of this type of research every few months, typically with a new Shadow legendary Pokémon as a reward at the very end.

From early October 2024, this quest is “Galar Calling,” the overarching Special Research for the season. The Team Go Rocket portion is specifically steps nine through 14.

As part of the quest, after beating all three Team Go Rocket leaders, you’ll get a Super Rocket Radar, allowing you to hunt down Giovanni.

Just like the leaders, Giovanni will appear in Team Go Rocket balloons or at taken over PokéStops with the Super Rocket Radar equipped. He won’t often be in the first you encounter — there will be decoy grunts along the way — but keep trying and Giovanni will appear.

Once you find him and use the radar, you can battle him as many times as it takes to beat him — as long as you’re within distance of the PokéStop — which is great, because he is typically a pretty tough battle.

Pokémon Go Giovanni team line-up

Currently, Giovanni will have the following team:

• Persian (normal)
• Kingdra (water/dragon)
  Rhyperior (ground/rock)
  Nidoking (poison/ground)
• Heatran (fire/steel)

Pokémon Go Giovanni counters

Because there are fewer potential party options for Giovanni than there are for the Rocket leaders, he’s actually easier to plan against, even if his Pokémon are much stronger. You will need to bring the strongest Pokémon you have, and your A-game in order to take him down.

Opening Pokémon (Persian) counters

For Persian, bring a fighting-type Pokémon, such as:

• Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword
• Machamp with Counter and Dynamic Punch
• Lucario with Counter and Aura Sphere
• Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch

Second possible Pokémon counters

If he uses Kingdra during the second encounter, consider fairy-types such as:

• Togekiss with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
• Gardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
• Sylveon with Charm and Dazzling Gleam

If he uses Rhyperior during the second encounter, consider grass-types such as:

• Decidueye with Leafage and Frenzy Plant
• Venusaur with Vine Whip and Frenzy Plant

If he uses Nidoking during the second encounter, consider ice-types such as:

• Galarian Darmanitan with Ice Fang and Avalanche
• Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche

Closing Pokémon (Heatran) counters

For the final encounter against Heatran, we recommend using a ground-type Pokémon, such as:

• Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades
• Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earthquake

How to beat Giovanni in Pokémon Go

As with fighting the leaders, Giovanni will block the first two charged attacks with shields. As such, you’ll ideally want a fighting-type that can chip away at Persian’s health, while also having charged moves to destroy these two shields as fast as possible. From there, it’s a case of switching to the counters which suit the line-up that follows.

After defeating Giovanni, you will get to catch whichever Shadow legendary appears in the final encounter. It’s a guaranteed catch, so don’t forget to use a Pinap Berry to score some extra candy.

Finally, know that winning against Giovanni is an efficient way of earning Shadow Shards for Purified Gems, with each battle rewarding four Shards — enough to make one Gem.