Tips on how to catch the Sinnoh Legendary Pokémon.
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Grab Giratina in Pokémon GO
Get ready for a treat, Trainers! The first Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region to appear in Pokémon GO has arrived, and it’ll be available only in Raid Battles. Get your Ice-, Ghost-, Dragon-, Dark-, and Fairy-type Pokémon ready for battle against the Renegade Pokémon, Giratina. The Ghost and Dragon type will vanish from Pokémon GO Gyms on November 20, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. PST, so hit those Gyms before it’s too late. And bring your friends along with you when you do—you may earn some extra Premier Balls thanks to a recent update.
You’ll only be able to use the Premier Balls you earn from defeating Giratina to catch it, so it’s crucial to be prepared. Take over the Gym before the raid starts, battle alongside your friends, and pick Pokémon that will perform well in battle to maximize your chances. Check out our guide to training Pokémon in Pokémon GO to get your team up to speed, and then read on for some tips specific to Giratina.
Suggested Pokémon
Giratina is the only known Ghost- and Dragon-type Pokémon, which gives it an unusual set of weaknesses: Ice, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, and Fairy. Exploiting most of these weaknesses presents some challenges you may not be used to. There aren’t many great attacking Pokémon among Ice types or Fairy types, while Ghost-type and Dragon-type Pokémon are both weak against attacks of their own types. Your available Pokémon, the current weather, and the attacks Giratina uses will all influence your optimal choices for this encounter.
The Pokémon capable of dishing out the highest potential damage against Giratina are mostly Dragon types, and they’ll be even better if the weather is windy. But Giratina will also quickly decimate your Dragon-type Pokémon if it knows its own Dragon-type moves, so be careful about filling your team with them. Dragonite, Salamence, and Rayquaza will earn you the most Premier Balls, with Latios, Latias, Alolan Exeggutor, and Giratina itself trailing a bit behind.
Dark-type Pokémon have the greatest advantage against a Giratina that uses Ghost-type attacks. They’ll take reduced damage from such attacks, and their Dark-type attacks will deal supereffective damage in return. A Tyranitar that knows Bite and Crunch will deal the most damage among Dark types, while Houndoom and Absol are your best performers after that. Prioritize these Pokémon when the weather is foggy, as they’ll deal even more damage.
Ghost-type Pokémon also benefit from foggy weather, but you’ll need to be wary of Giratina using its own supereffective Ghost-type attacks against them. Your own Ghost types are best deployed when Giratina knows Dragon-type attacks instead. The Pokémon that can dish out the strongest Ghost-type damage is…actually the Psychic-type Pokémon Mewtwo, if you have one that knows Shadow Ball. Gengar is the strongest choice among the bona fide specters, followed by Giratina itself and then Banette, who lags a bit behind Shadow Ball–wielding Alakazam. Mewtwo and Alakazam share the Ghost types’ weakness to Ghost-type attacks, so you won’t get any benefit from their differing types.
Giratina’s other weaknesses are more difficult to exploit. Jynx will dish out heavy damage with Ice-type attacks—especially if you’re enduring some early autumn snow—but it’s extremely frail. Gardevoir lacks a Fairy-type Fast Attack, but if it knows Dazzling Gleam, it’s a great option against a Giratina that is wielding Dragon-type attacks. And Gardevoir and other Fairy types will be even stronger in cloudy weather. Gyarados that know only Dark-type attacks and Granbull that pair Snarl and Play Rough are cheeky options if you’re having trouble filling your team.
Trick or Treat
You’ll have limited Premier Balls to catch Giratina once you’ve defeated it, so make each one count. You can earn extra Premier Balls if you defeat Giratina alongside your friends, so be sure to bring them with you. Use a Golden Razz Berry before each throw, and remember to stock up on them beforehand by defeating other Raid Bosses.
The odds of capturing Giratina are greatest while the target ring is at a small enough diameter to score Excellent Throws, and throwing Curveballs can improve your chances further. But work within your abilities—if you don’t think you can hit Excellent Curveballs reliably, aim for Nice or Great Throws rather than risk missing the target ring completely.
Be careful not to waste your Premier Balls by throwing while Giratina is moving around. Wait for it to start acting up and for its target ring to disappear, then time your throw so that the Premier Ball lands as the target ring reappears.
Giratina is an exceptionally difficult Pokémon to catch, so don’t be discouraged if it gets away the first time you defeat it. Stock up on useful items like Max Potions, Max Revives, and Golden Razz Berries, and try again later with some friends. Good luck with your next Raid Battle, and remember to check back at Pokemon.com/Strategy for more Pokémon GO, video game, and Pokémon TCG tips.
Source: Pokémon.
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