Altered Forme Giratina has returned once again in Pokemon Go. Following Mewtwo's departure from the game, the Legendary Renegade Pokemon is making an encore appearance around the world in five-star Raid Battles, giving you another opportunity to add one to your collection. That's not all; this time around, you'll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Giratina for the first time.
As is generally the case with Legendaries, Giratina will only be around in Pokemon Go for a few weeks, so you'll need to make the most of your time if you're hoping to catch one. To help you out, we've rounded up everything you need to know to challenge Giratina below, from battle tips to how to catch a Shiny one and more.
What's The Difference Between Altered Forme And Origin Forme Giratina?
In the mainline Pokemon games, Giratina is able to assume two different forms. When players first encounter the Legendary in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, it is in its Altered Forme--the variant returning to Raid Battles right now. This form has six legends, black wings, and emphasizes defensive stats.
Giratina's Origin Forme, meanwhile, is the appearance it takes when in the Distortion World--the parallel realm from which the Legendary monster hails in Pokemon lore. Origin Forme Giratina has a serpentine body and more offense-oriented stats. In the mainline series, players are able to manually change Giratina's form by equipping it with an item called the Griseous Orb; in Pokemon Go, however, Altered and Origin Forme Giratina are treated as two distinct Pokemon, so you'll need to catch them separately.
How To Catch Giratina
As is the case with most other Legendary Pokemon, before you can catch Giratina, you'll first need to defeat it in a Raid Battle. If you're near a Gym where a Giratina Raid is taking place, you'll need to physically head to that location and team up with several other players to battle it--Legendary Pokemon have too high a CP for you to challenge them solo. You'll also need to have a Raid Pass to challenge Giratina, but you can receive one for free by spinning the Photo Disc at a Gym.
Once you've joined a Raid, you and your teammates will have a limited amount of time to defeat Giratina. It's the only Pokemon so far that's a Dragon- and Ghost-type, both of which are susceptible to their own types. Giratina is also weak to Ice, Dark, and Fairy Pokemon, so you should considering bringing along monsters like Mamoswine, Weavile, Tyranitar, Gardevoir, and Granbull to have the best chance.
If you can successfully beat Giratina, everyone who participated in the Raid will receive a handful of Premier Balls, along with several other prizes. You can only use the Premier Balls to capture the Legendary, so you'll need to make every throw count. Feeding it a Golden Razz Berry before each throw will make Giratina a little easier to catch. Study its movement pattern before throwing and with a little luck, Giratina will be yours.
Shiny Pokemon are rare in Pokemon Go, and unfortunately, there's no sure-fire way to ensure you encounter a Shiny Giratina. You won't be able to tell whether the Legendary is Shiny or not until you get to the catching phase, so your best chance to find one is to participate in as many Giratina Raids as you can. Fortunately, you'll be able to tell right away if you've encountered a Shiny one; it'll have silver horns, blue tips on its wings, and a peach-colored body.
How Long Will Giratina Be Available?
Altered Forme Giratina will appear in Raids for just under a month, from September 23 - October 17. You'll have until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST on that day to encounter it. Your best chance of finding a Giratina Raid, however, will be on September 25, when Niantic holds a Legendary Raid Hour featuring the Renegade Pokemon from 6-7 PM local time. During that hour, there will be more Giratina Raids occurring at Gyms.
