Giratina (Altered Forme)
PvE Analysis
Oh Giratina, why don't you go back to the Distortion World where you have decent stats and a good moveset? Giratina-A's moveset and stats are not designed for PVE play. It can make an efficient gym cleaner thanks to Shadow Claw and Dragon Breath both being easy to dodge with and sporting fantastic neutral coverage combined with a set of 3-bar moves, but even then its low attack stat and weak charged moves mean that it's a bit slow in that regard. Tough luck.
On the Halloween Event of 2022, Giratina received its signature move, Shadow Force. The move comes with rather generous PvE parameters and actually makes Giratina-A not a terrible Ghost attacker. The catch? Its Origin forme also came with the same attack and is far superior at the role.
Best PvE Offensive Moveset
Shadow Claw + Shadow Force* | Best |
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- Shadow Claw is Giratina’s best fast move for neutral damage.
- Dragon Breath is only useful when fighting against Dragon, Normal, or Dark-type Pokemon.
- Shadow Force* is Giratina's signature move and is an excellent charged move
- Dragon Claw is essentially Giratina’s only other charged move.
- Ancient Power and Shadow Sneak are so weak that they’re inferior even when effective.
PvP Analysis
Shadow Claw or Dragon Breath + Dragon Claw and Ancient Power or Shadow Sneak |
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Shadow Claw has good damage with great energy gain. Dragon Breath can also be viable for its superior damage output, but results in less usage of Giratina's charge moves. Generally speaking, Shadow Claw is preferred in the Master League, but both Fast Attacks are viable in the Ultra League.
Dragon Claw costs the least amount of energy, gets STAB, and can be used very frequently. Shadow Sneak is pitiful, but offers consistent Ghost coverage to pressure most Dragon resists. Ancient Power can offer coverage against some Ice-type Pokemon and certain other threats such as Yveltal and Togekiss. Shadow Force, Giratina's signature move, is intentionally given horrendous PvP parameters for balance reasons, but is a viable alternative as a closing nuke and is more effective than Shadow Sneak at beating tanky Pokemon.
Great League | N / A |
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Until Giratina gets released as a Research Breakthrough, there’s no way to get it into Great League. Fingers crossed. | |
Ultra League | 4.5 / 5 |
Ultra League’s top threat, Giratina-A is all but a must-have if you want to compete. With its incredible bulk, relatively neutral coverage across most of the meta, and easy access to STAB charge moves, its dominance shapes the meta and challenges specific counters to keep it in check. The nerf to its coverage move, Ancient Power, following the April 2020 rebalance decreases its overall ability to fight back against its counters like Togekiss and Articuno, but overall its bulk and STAB moveset still makes it viable. The release of Candy XL hurts Giratina-A somewhat, as Pokemon like Umbreon, Mandibuzz, and Alolan Ninetales have become common enemies that Giratina-A struggle greatly against. | |
Master League | 4 / 5 |
Giratina-A remains an absolutely massive threat in Master even when considering the power of its counterpart, Giratina-O. Giratina-A sets itself apart through its sustained damage output and wider coverage, as it can use its Dragon-type STAB much more easily. It is much better at fighting against opposing Dragon-types and is usually a good choice as a safe switch. However, its power can be lacking, making it a somewhat weak closer. Giratina-A hasn't had any real buffs since the debut of the GO Battle League in 2020. Though Giratina-A's consistent viability is a testament to the strength of its kit, it is beginning to show some cracks. Powercreep in the form of Zygarde-Complete, the Origin Formes of Dialga and Palkia, and Dusk Mane Necrozma have reduced Giratina-A's safety. |