Giovanni’s team had a refresh in Pokémon Go following the arrival of the summer “Adventure Week: Taken Over” event.
As it stands in September 2024, following an update rolled out on August 7, Giovanni’s team sees several possibilities, including a finale against Cresselia, the latest legendary to see the Shadow treatment.
For those who want to catch Shadow Cresselia, 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 August 2024, this quest is “Adventure Week: Taken Over.”
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)
Kangaskhan (normal)
Honchkrow (dark/flying) - Cresselia (psychic)
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 Kangaskhan during the second encounter, consider fighting-types such as:
- Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword
- Lucario with Force Palm and Aura Sphere
If he uses Honchkrow during the second encounter, consider ice-types such as:
- Galarian Darmanitan with Ice Fang and Avalanche
- Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche
Closing Pokémon (Cresselia) counters
For the final encounter against Cresselia, we recommend using a ghost-type Pokémon, such as:
- Chandelure with Hex and Shadow Ball
- Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
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.
