Team GO Rocket Boss Giovanni is back in March 2025 to provide the toughest test inPokémon GO.As of the time of writing, Giovanni’s line-up remains unchanged from the one he used in February 2025. However, even if you know what to expect, his team shouldn’t be underestimated. You first have to overcome several hurdles to be able to face the Boss this month, but the rewards you receive are worth it once you have defeated him.
To be able to take on Giovanni this month, you need to first defeat six Rocket Grunts, followed by beating all three GO Rocket Leaders, Cliff, Sierra, andArlo inPokémon GO. After beating all three, you canuse a Rocket Radar to find Giovanniby spinning PokéStops or Gyms. He will use decoys, but you can challenge him to a battle once you have found him. This can be done as often as you want throughout March 2025, earning rewards each time you win.
Team Rocket Boss Giovanni Lineup & Counters (March 2025)
A Familiar Line Up For The Boss
For the start of March 2025, Giovanni hasn’t made any changes to his line-up. This means he will have the same five Pokémon he has recently been using, although this may change during the month with different events. Giovanni will always use the same Pokémon to start with and the same Pokémon to end,but his second will be chosen at random from three potential options at the start of the battle.
Pokémon GO: Dynamax Darumaka Max Battle Guide (Max Mondays)
Dynamax Darumaka is an easy Pokémon to defeat in Pokémon GO, but with it being its debut in this form all trainers should attempt to catch it.
With no changes, it means that Giovanni’s trusty opener remains Normal-type Persian. This is followed byPoison- and Ground-type Nidoking, Dragon- and Water-type Kingdra or Rock- and Ground-type Rhyperior.Finally, for every battle, regardless of who he has used second, he will finish withShadow Palkia.
Pokémon and Type
1
2
3
Dragon, Fairy
Still, one of the best teams to use I like to use to defeat Giovanni’s current line-up isMachamp,Swampert, andXerneas.All of his Pokémon are Shadow versions, making them more substantial and having very high CP. This makes it essential that you use counters that are super-effective against each of his Pokémon.Machampis the perfect starter for this battle if you have a high CP version.
10 Strongest Dragon-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO
Dragon-type Pokémon are some of the strongest in any Pokémon game, including Pokémon Go, making it even harder to narrow down the best of the best.
It remains one of the strongest Fighting-types inPokémon GO, making it super-effective against Giovanni’s opening Pokémon Persian. If Rhyperior is picked second by the GO Rocket Boss, it is also super-effective against this, so it can do immense damage before it is knocked out.
By using a team of Machamp, Swampert, and Togekiss, you will have an option that is super-effective against all of Giovanni’s possible Pokémon.
Fairy-type Pokémon remain key inPokémon GOas they are super-effective against the powerful Dragon-types. Togekiss is an option, but thebest Fairy type is Legendary Pokémon Xerneas.It will make light work of Kingdra if selected, but ideally, you want to save it for Palkia, as it is one of the few that can regularly take it down. For your third Pokémon, both Nidoking and Rhyperior are weak against Water- and Ice-type attacks. My personal preference isWater- and Ground-type Swampert.It is bulky enough to take a lot of damage if needed, and its Water attacks will get the job done.
Rewards For Beating Rocket Leader Giovanni (March 2025)
A Chance To Catch One Of The Strongest Shadow Pokémon
The main reason to find and beat Giovanni is to get the chance to catch Shadow Palkia. After each occasion when you beat him, you will immediately be encountered by one of the strongest options for Master League battles. One is not guaranteed to catch Shadow Palkia, so I like touse Golden Berries beforethrowing any Poké Ballsto increase my chances of grabbing the Dragon- and Water-type.
On top of the encounter with Shadow Palkia, you will receive a random selection of items after each win over Giovanni. You will get three out of 4× Revive, 4× Max Revive, 4× Hyper Potion, 4× Max Potion or 1× Unova Stone. Finally, you will also gain 5000 Stardust for beating him. Giovanni remains a tough test, but by using Fighting-, Fairy- and Water-type Pokémon you can defeat him this month inPokémon GO.
