Having to beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO in April 2024 can be an anguishing task if you do not prepare your creatures to counter his lineup – and he recently changed the Pokémon he brings into battle, making the encounter a lot harder for newcomers. Every so often, Team Rocket members change the Pokémon they use in the popular game, so you have to be up-to-date with their lineups if you want to defeat them. This is especially true for Team GO Rocket Leaders, like Sierra and Arlo, but also for the operation’s mastermind, Giovanni.
Unlike the Grunts and Leaders below him, Giovanni tends to offer the most challenging battles. Not only does he use top-tier Shadow Pokémon in GO, but his last creature tends to be a Shadow version of a Legendary creature, which tends to hit notably hard. From late January up until late March, Giovanni was using a Shadow Kyogre as his last Pokémon, offering players a chance to catch the Shadow version of the Legendary Generation 3 Water-type creature. Now, for April and forward, Giovanni has a revamped lineup with a new Legendary: Shadow Groundon.
As of March 27 and, therefore, April 2024, Giovanni’s lineup has changed, and you must now restructure your team to adequately beat him. Unlike any other Team GO Rocket member, Giovanni’s first and last Pokémon are fixed for the time being, with only the second slot being one out of three possible picks. In March, Giovanni’s first Pokémon is Shadow Persian, a Normal-type Pokémon. Counters against it in Pokémon GO are your strongest Fighting-type creatures, such as Machamp, Lucario, or Poliwrath.
The table below lists all of Giovanni’s Pokémon in April 2024, and counter suggestions:
Giovanni’s second Pokémon during April 2024 can be Kingdra, Rhyperior, or Garchomp. The one he uses is randomized, so it is best to use a creature that could counter at least two of these three possibilities. Both Kingdra and Garchomp are Dragon-type creatures, which makes them vulnerable to Fairy-type Pokémon, such as Togekiss or Sylveon. If Giovanni uses Rhyperior, you can counter it with Grass- or Water-type Pokémon, like Torterra, Gyarados, or Kyogre in Pokémon GO.
Giovanni’s third and last Pokémon in April 2024 will be Shadow Groudon, the Legendary Ground-type creature from Gen 3. To beat it, you should use a strong Grass-, Ice-, or Water-type monster. Pokémon that have resistance to Ground- and Fire-type moves, like Swampert, can be an effective counter against Shadow Groudon.
Beating Giovanni is not exactly difficult, but you need to bring your strongest hitters in to effectively counter his lineup. Do not fret if you end up choosing a counter that is inadequate for his second pick. You can always revive your downed creatures and try again, this time knowing what Giovanni’s second Pokémon is. Hopefully, you can beat Giovanni in Pokémon GO during April 2024 without much effort and still catch a Shadow Groudon for yourself.
