Which Pokémon to use in a Giratina Raid in Pokémon GO, how to make the most of Premier Balls and Berries, and what to do with Giratina once you’ve caught it

Originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, Giratina is a Legendary Ghost- and Dragon-type Pokémon with two distinct formes: Altered Forme and Origin Forme. Altered Forme Giratina will be appearing in raids from October 12, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to October 22, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. local time. Though its type isn’t different between formes, Altered Forme Giratina has a higher base Defense stat while Origin Forme Giratina is more powerful offensively.

Learn which Pokémon will be most effective in Raid Battles against Giratina, how to catch Giratina after winning a Raid Battle, and how best to use the Renegade Pokémon after you’ve caught it.

As a Ghost- and Dragon-type Pokémon, Giratina is vulnerable to Ice-, Ghost-, Dragon-, Dark-, and Fairy-type attacks. When choosing six Pokémon for your Giratina Raid Battle lineup, it helps to choose Pokémon that have an Ice, Ghost-, Dragon-, Dark-, or Fairy-type Fast Attack and Charged Attack if you want to deal as much damage as possible. A Pokémon that shares a type with these attacks will benefit from a same-type attack bonus, which will allow these attacks to deal an additional 20% damage.

If you have multiple Ice, Ghost-, Dragon-, Dark-, or Fairy-type Pokémon, choose Pokémon with the highest CP and best overall stats. Remember that speed of victory affects how many Premier Balls you will receive after a successful Raid Battle, so bring your strongest Pokémon and defeat Giratina as quicky as possible.

• Weavile / Shadow Weavile (Dark/Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Shard (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Mamoswine / Shadow Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Powder Snow (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice)

• Galarian Darmanitan (Ice)

  • Fast Attack: Ice Fang (Ice)

  • Charged Attack: Avalanche (Ice), Ice Punch (Ice)

• Gengar / Mega Gengar (Ghost/Poison)

  • Fast Attack: Hex (Ghost), Lick (Ghost), Shadow Claw (Ghost)

  • Charged Attack: Shadow Ball (Ghost), Shadow Punch (Ghost)

• Chandelure (Ghost/Fire)

  • Fast Attack: Hex (Ghost)

  • Charged Attack: Shadow Ball (Ghost)

• Dragonite / Shadow Dragonite (Dragon/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Breath (Dragon), Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Draco Meteor (Dragon), Dragon Claw (Dragon), Dragon Pulse (Dragon), Outrage (Dragon)

• Salamence / Shadow Salamence (Dragon/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Draco Meteor (Dragon), Outrage (Dragon)

• Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Outrage (Dragon)

• Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Outrage (Dragon)

• Dialga (Steel/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Breath (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Draco Meteor (Dragon)

• Palkia (Water/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Breath (Dragon), Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Draco Meteor (Dragon)

• Haxorus (Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Tail (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Dragon Claw (Dragon)

• Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Breath (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Dragon Pulse (Dragon)

• Zekrom (Dragon/Electric)

  • Fast Attack: Dragon Breath (Dragon)

  • Charged Attack: Outrage (Dragon)

• Houndoom / Mega Houndoom (Dark/Fire)

  • Fast Attack: Snarl (Dark)

  • Charged Attack: Crunch (Dark), Foul Play (Dark)

• Tyranitar / Shadow Tyranitar (Rock/Dark)

  • Fast Attack: Bite (Dark)

  • Charged Attack: Crunch (Dark)

• Honchkrow / Shadow Honchkrow (Dark/Flying)

  • Fast Attack: Snarl (Dark)

  • Charged Attack: Dark Pulse (Dark)

• Darkrai (Dark)

  • Fast Attack: Feint Attack (Dark), Snarl (Dark)

  • Charged Attack: Dark Pulse (Dark), Shadow Ball (Ghost)

• Gardevoir / Shadow Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Charm (Fairy)

  • Charged Attack: Dazzling Gleam (Fairy)

• Zacian (Fairy)

  • Fast Attack: Snarl (Dark)

  • Charged Attack: Play Rough (Fairy)

• Mewtwo / Shadow Mewtwo (Psychic)

  • Fast Attack: Confusion (Psychic), Psycho Cut (Psychic)

  • Charged Attack: Ice Beam (Ice), Psychic (Psychic), Psystrike (Psychic), Shadow Ball (Ghost)

After a Giratina raid, you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls you can use to catch Giratina, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls by battling with friends and defeating Giratina more quickly.

In an encounter with Giratina, your chance of catching it is greatest when the target ring is small enough for you to score Excellent Throws. Throwing Curveballs can improve your chances even more. But work within your abilities—if you don’t think you can reliably make Excellent Curveball Throws, aim for Nice Throws or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.

Giratina isn’t going to make it easy on you by sitting still while you’re trying to catch it. Don’t waste your Premier Balls by throwing while it’s moving around. Watch Giratina to get a feel for its cycle of movement and the pauses in between the cycles. During one of these pauses, wait for the target ring to reappear, and then throw as it starts to grow smaller to increase your odds of making a Great Throw or an Excellent Throw.

Berries can help you catch Giratina. A Razz Berry will make Giratina easier to catch, and a Golden Razz Berry will make it much easier to catch. If you find yourself failing to land any throws, a Nanab Berry will calm Giratina, making its movements less erratic and allowing you to make precise throws more easily. If you need extra Giratina Candy, using a Silver Pinap Berry will make Giratina easier to catch and grant you extra Candy when you catch it.

Like all Legendary Pokémon, Giratina is tricky to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it escapes. Get a second wind by stocking up on useful items—like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries—and try again.

Giratina’s inherent power makes it a popular addition to both Raid Battle and GO Battle League teams. With several rapid-fire Charged Attack options, a reasonably high maximum CP, and its innate resistance to Fire-, Water-, Grass-, Electric-, Poison-, and Bug-type attacks, Giratina is a standout addition to any lineup.

Giratina’s Dragon Breath Fast Attack deals massive damage, and its Dragon Claw Charged Attack requires little energy to use, letting you blow through opponents’ Protect Shields with dizzying speed. Its Ancient Power Charged Attack can help in its matchups against Ice-type Pokémon, one of Giratina’s few weaknesses. While Giratina is also vulnerable to Dragon-type moves, its rapid-fire Charged Attacks can make quick work of opposing Dragon types.

Raising Giratina’s CP to its maximum requires a lot of Giratina Candy and Stardust, so try to catch as many Giratina as possible to help you get there faster—and don’t forget the Pinap Berries!

Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check back to Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.