As Pokémon GO continues to evolve, one constant remains: Team GO Rocket Leader Giovanni is back to challenge players in April 2025. After years of dominating PokéStops and appearing in Rocket Balloons, Giovanni persists as a formidable adversary for trainers.
To face Giovanni this month effectively, understanding his lineup and identifying the ideal counters is crucial. The first step in this battle journey requires you to defeat six Rocket Grunts followed by the three Team GO Rocket Leaders – Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo. Once you conquer them, Giovanni will try to mislead you with decoys, but eventually, you’ll be able to confront him at a PokéStop or Rocket Balloon.
Giovanni’s Lineup & Counters (April 2025)
Key Counters: Fighting, Water, and Fairy Types
This month, Giovanni’s lineup remains the same as in March 2025, starting with the Normal-type Persian. For his second Pokémon, he will select at random from the following: Poison/Ground-type Nidoking, Dragon/Water-type Kingdra, or Rock/Ground-type Rhyperior. The battle concludes with the Legendary Water/Dragon-type Palkia. Notably, all of Giovanni’s Pokémon are Shadow versions, enhancing their attack power and health.
|
Wave |
Pokémon and Type |
Weaknesses |
Counters |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
(Shadow) Persian – Normal |
Fighting |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Nidoking – Poison/Ground |
Ground, Ice, Psychic, Water |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Kingdra – Dragon/Water |
Dragon, Fairy |
|
|
2 |
(Shadow) Rhyperior – Rock/Ground |
Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Ice, Steel |
|
|
3 |
(Shadow) Palkia – Dragon/Water |
Dragon, Fairy |
|
A highly effective team strategy against Giovanni includes Machamp, Swampert, and Xerneas. Always initiate the battle with a Fighting-type Pokémon to tackle Giovanni’s starting Pokémon, Persian. Optimal choices include Machamp, Lucario, or Terrakion. Despite Persian’s ability to absorb some damage, your Pokémon should maintain sufficient HP for taking down Rhyperior, should it be chosen as Giovanni’s second Pokémon.
Next in your lineup should be a Water-type. If your initial Pokémon couldn’t defeat Rhyperior, it’s vulnerable to Water attacks, as Nidoking is as well. Strong Water-type contenders include Swampert and Kyogre.
Whenever possible, consider using the mega forms of your best counters prior to battle, as they inflict increased damage.
Your last choice should be a Fairy-type Pokémon, which serves as a great counter to Palkia, exploiting its two weaknesses to Fairy- and Dragon-types. The premier Fairy-types for this matchup are Xerneas or Togekiss. Utilizing Legendary Pokémon Xerneas can efficiently subdue Palkia, particularly after Giovanni has used his shields. Additionally, Fairy-types are super-effective against Kingdra if it is selected as the second challenger.
Rewards for Defeating Giovanni (April 2025)
Opportunity to Capture Legendary Palkia
Giovanni presents one of the toughest challenges in Pokémon GO due to his robust lineup. However, overcoming him rewards players handsomely, with the main prize being the chance to catch Palkia, his final Shadow Pokémon. This Water/Dragon-type has established itself as a key player in many premier teams within the GO Battle League, especially in the Master League Cup.
Unlike the other GO Rocket Leaders, Giovanni does not drop the unique red 12 km eggs associated with Team GO Rocket. In addition to the opportunity to capture Palkia, players will receive 5,000 Stardust, valuable for powering up Palkia or any other Pokémon in your collection.
Additionally, players will gain three out of five random items for their inventory, with potential rewards including 4x Revives, 4x Max Revives, 4x Hyper Potions, 4x Max Potions, or an Unova Stone. Giovanni’s continued presence in Pokémon GO may seem unchanged, but he remains one of the hardest opponents to defeat, emphasizing the importance of strategic countering.