Giratina - Altered Forme Raid Guide

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The Best Counters to Giratina in Pokemon Go

Table of Contents

CP Range

Move Difficulty

Overview

Team Building Approach

Best Raid Counters

Supreme Counters

Good Counters

Giratina (Altered Forme)
Stamina: 15,000Attack: 187Defense: 225
CP Range
Level 20: 1848 - 1931
Level 25, Weather Boosted:2310 - 2414
Move Difficulty
Easy-
IntermediateDragon Breath, Shadow Claw
ChallengingDragon Claw, Shadow Sneak, Ancient Power
Giratina - Altered Forme's moves are generally a bit of a problem. Dragon Breath and Shadow Claw perform very similarly, with each hitting one of this monster's top counter-types pretty hard. On the Charged Move side, all three of its move options come out frequently and hit relatively hard. Even Giratina's single non-STAB Charged Move option, Ancient Power, has relatively high power, making it threatening to most of Giratina's would-be counters. Suffice to say, Giratina always has the potential to make life very hard for anyone that darkens its door, so building your team around its moveset can help secure wins a bit more easily.
Overview
Giratina - Altered Forme is a powerful defensive wall with strong performance in PvP, meaning it's bound to be a priority for anyone trying to shore up their teams. However, this is also one of the more difficult raids. With a powerful typing that naturally brings out many counters that it's more than ready for with its own coverage. For this reason, it's important to look at the counters that the game recommends in order to help determine its moveset, and then build your team to counter what's expected. 
Team Building Approach
Giratina - Altered Forme has a fair number of weaknesses, some of which are more note-worthy than others. Dragon, Ghost, Dark, Ice, and Fairy are the options on offer here.
Dragon is probably the best overall counter here, with the top options for the type scoring tremendous damage in short order. Just watch out for Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw!
Ghost is another strong DPS option here, with the top ghosts cutting into Giratina's HP with ease... but they will tend to drop pretty quickly against Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak.
Dark has a number of strong counters available, and resists Ghost Type attacks, making it a strong pick as well.
Ice is a bit risky, especially when facing down Ancient Power, but Ice Types can work as good filler.
Fairy is fine, but it also has limited strong options, many of which are weak to Ghost Type moves.
Best Raid Counters
Supreme Counters
  Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe* or Outrage
Mega Rayquaza is definitely the VIP of this fight. It can shred Giratina - Altered Forme with ease despite this ghost-dragon's huge bulk. Nothing in the game quite keeps up with it here, though it also has to watch out for a number of Giratina's moves. Still, it's a powerhouse of a counter that also boosts Dragons while on the field, so it's a prime choice for this raid!
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power
Lick* or Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball
The ultimate Ghost Type Mega Evolution, Mega Gengar hits hard and boosts Ghost Types for added benefit, which can be especially valuable if you're fighting alongside players who are throwing Dawn Wings Necrozma at Giratina. Just note that it's likely not going to last for an extremely long time, so get your hits in while you can.
Strengths: -
Weaknesses:Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak
Shadow Claw + Moongeist Beam
 The master of the Distortion World is nothing before the power of the master of light itself after subjugating the power of the moon itself. This phantom monster leverages the best overall performance in this raid outside of the monster that is Mega Rayquaza despite its double-weakness to Ghost Type moves. This is an insanely strong Pokemon that crushes this raid with ease.
Strengths: -
Weaknesses: Shadow Claw (2x), Shadow Sneak (2x)
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor or Outrage*
The classic Dragon returns once again; a DPS nightmare that tops the non-Mega Dragon scales. It has to be careful when playing around many of Giratina's moves, but it's still very much a top contender here.
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power
Lick* or Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball
 While it's not quite on a par with its Mega forme, Shadow Gengar is still a prime DPS option for raw Ghost damage. It's going to need to do some dodging against Shadow Sneak, but it can still perform extremely well.
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak
Dragon Tail + Draco Meteor* or Outrage
 While a bit weaker than Mega Salamence in terms of DPS, Shadow Dragonite is still very much just as viable. It's still a DPS factory that can make the clock a bit less worrisome.
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Ancient Power
Dragon Tail + Outrage
 While more famed for its Ground performance, Shadow Garchomp is still one of the three great Dragon Type Pseudo-Legendary Shadows. It's comparable to the competition, but with the added advantage of trading an Ancient Power weakness for a Strength.
Strengths:Ancient Power
Weaknesses:Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw
Hex + Shadow Ball
 This ghostly ceiling lamp can drop some great Ghost Type damage on Giratina, but it also has to watch out for the ghost-dragon's own spectral retribution... and rocks. Shadow Chandelure doesn't like rocks.
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak, Ancient Power
Dragon Tail + Spacial Rend*
 One of Giratina's trio-rivals, Palkia's Origin Forme sports great stats and a tremendously strong Charged Move in Spacial Rend. 
Strengths:-
Weaknesses:Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw
Good Counters
Mega GarchompMega SalamenceMega TyranitarMega BanetteMega LatiosMega GardevoirMega AbsolMega Houndoom
RayquazaHaxorusShadow TyranitarShadow WeavileBlacephalonDialga (Origin Forme)Shadow MewtwoShadow LatiosDragapultShadow MamoswineShadow Alolan ExeggutorSalamenceShadow HonchkrowKyuremShadow AbsolShadow GengarShadow HoundoomDragoniteBanetteShadow LatiasReshiramHydreigonDialgaZekromGarchompChandelureShadow Gardevoir