Giratina-O (Update)

shrang said:

[Overview]

<p>Whereas Giratina is a wall that never dies, Giratina-O is an attacker that can puncture many holes in the opponent's team. He is arguably the best spin blocker in the game, Levitate being an amazing ability that grants Giratina-O the ability to switch in without being scathed by Spikes and Toxic Spikes. The addition of Shadow Sneak in Heart Gold and Soul Silver also allows Giratina-O to check many dangerous Ubers threats. His ability to break down Stall with the Calm Mind set is also a feat that very few other Pokemon can achieve. Immunity to Trick and the item removing effect of Knock Off are also quite exclusive and is useful in some cases.</p>

<p>However, he does have some pretty disturbing weaknesses; Giratina-O only has a base 90 Speed which is quite slow for Uber standards. He has weaknesses to the most common types in the Uber metagame and finally, his most fundamental flaw is his inability to hold anything else besides Griseous Orb, which is what Giratina-O is most often criticized for. The inability to hold any other items ruins what would otherwise be an amazing potential.</p>

<p>For those that play on Wi-Fi, it is a very annoying fact that he can not be used in that environment, probably to allow compatibility for players using Diamond or Pearl. He can, however, be used in Link battles.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hidden Power Fire
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Draco Meteor
item: Griseous Orb
nature: Naive / Lonely
evs: 248 Atk / 64 SpA / 196 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>Say hello to the best spinblocker in the game. Giratina-O's impressive combination of power and bulk allows him to switch into Forretress with impunity, nullifying any attempts to Rapid Spin away your entry hazards. With Levitate, Giratina-O has nothing to fear from Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and can easily survive two Paybacks from Forretress after two rounds of Stealth Rock damage. From there, Giratina-O can wreak havoc upon the opposing team through the combination of his powerful moves and the entry hazards he has preserved.</p>

<p>Hidden Power Fire will quickly disintegrate Forretress who are bold enough to stay in and attempt to hurt Giratina-O with Payback, while being quite effective in dealing with Scizor, Lucario, and Metagross to an extent. Be aware that Hidden Power Fire is quite weak, as it will only manage a mere 3HKO against Forretress in the rain, but is enough to prevent a successful Rapid Spin later in the game. Outrage is an obscenely powerful attack that allows Giratina-O to tear through the likes of bulky Kyogre and Blissey at moderate health, as well as KOing Ho-Oh after she takes Stealth Rock damage. However, if one is turned off by Outrage's locking in effect, Dragon Claw is viable, but it is quite weak in comparison; it can't 3HKO physically bulky Kyogre and Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock, nor Protect Blissey without a Lonely nature. Although Shadow Sneak may be a weak attack, it is Giratina-O's only priority move and it gets boosted by both STAB and Griseous Orb, and is enough to pick off Psychic types like Latias, Latios, and Mewtwo when their HP drops to about 50%. Draco Meteor is a very powerful attack that gives Giratina-O a reliable way to dent switch-ins, most notably Dialga. Through a combination of Draco Meteor and Shadow Sneak, Giratina-O is also a fantastic check to Rock Polish Groudon as he is immune to Earthquake and can survive a Life Orb Dragon Claw even after Stealth Rock damage, all the while being able to 2HKO Groudon back with Draco Meteor followed by Shadow Sneak.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EV spread given allows Giratina-O to outrun up to Adamant Rayquaza, while having enough power to 2HKO Protect Blissey with Dragon Claw and physically bulky Kyogre after Stealth Rock and Spikes damage, all with a Naive nature. The remaining EVs are placed into Special Attack for an extra power boost to Draco Meteor and perhaps Hidden Power Fire. Naive is generally preferred over Hasty as it guarantees that Giratina-O will not be 2HKOed by Forretress's Payback after two Stealth Rock damages. Giratina-O will also survive Rock Polish Groudon's Life Orbed Dragon Claw, as well as a Bullet Punch from Swords Dance Scizor. With a spread of 252 Atk / 216 SpA / 40 Spe and a Lonely nature, Mixed Giratina-O can also function as a lead. He defeats many leads, such as Deoxys-S, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-A, who are all 2HKOed by Shadow Sneak; Kyogre and Tyranitar are both 2HKOed by Outrage. Mew falls to Draco Meteor and Shadow Sneak and Shaymin-S is 3-4HKOed by Shadow Sneak, while Shaymin-S can only 4HKO with Air Slash in return. Forretress, Mamoswine, and Scizor all fall to Hidden Power Fire. Finally, Ninjask is broken down with a combination of Hidden Power Fire and Shadow Sneak. A Lonely nature is preferred over Naughty in this case because Giratina-O cannot be 3HKOed by Timid Shaymin-S's Air Slash.</p>

<p>To fully abuse Giratina-O's talents, he should be partnered with Pokemon who can effectively set up multiple layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes while Giratina-O keeps the momentum on his team's side due to his offensive nature. Forretress can lay down all types of entry hazards and synergizes excellently with Giratina-O. Groudon can lay down Stealth Rock while providing sunlight to power up Hidden Power Fire. Groudon can also handle Tyranitar, whose bloated Special Defense absorbs Draco Meteor, and it threatens Giratina-O with sandstorm and STAB Dark-type attacks.</p>

<p>Despite Giratina-O's power, he has problems hurting Heatran and Lugia. Even though Drizzle lower Hidden Power Fire's damage output, Kyogre is a decent partner to run alongside Giratina-O, as its strong Water-type attacks will quickly douse them both away. Tyranitar synergizes well with Giratina-O and can absorb attacks from Heatran. Unlike Drizzle, Sand Stream does not cut down Hidden Power Fire's damage output, although it comes at the price of slowly whittling down Giratina-O's health. Forretress can take advantage of Lugia's extremely weak attacks and set up entry hazards with ease, and Mewtwo and Darkrai can both set up on Lugia as well. Giratina-O is also quite easily revenge killed despite his bulk. Blissey is therefore a helpful partner as she can absorb special Dragon-type attacks and can provide Wish support for Giratina-O. Scizor can take on Choice Scarf Garchomp, Palkia, and Dialga by resisting their Dragon-STAB attacks, while also being able to check Latias and Latios with access to U-Turn and Technician-boosted Pursuit. Jirachi can also take Dragon-type attacks for Giratina-O as well being able to spread paralysis with Body Slam and support Giratina-O with Wish. Wobbuffet can revenge Choice Scarf users and can Encore Lugia for another Pokemon to set-up.</p>

[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dragon Pulse / Shadow Ball
move 3: Shadow Ball / Thunder / Aura Sphere
move 4: Substitute
item: Griseous Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 84 HP / 216 SpA / 96 SpD / 112 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>Giratina-O is a fantastic special sweeper and sports some valuable qualities that other special sweepers can only wish for. He has a great Special Attack stat, complemented by Calm Mind, and a myriad of special attacks at his disposal. Being part Dragon-type gives Giratina-O an amazing STAB. Being also part Ghost-type, he is immune to Seismic Toss, shutting down Blissey's main method of damaging him and any attempt to hurt him with status is rendered useless thanks to Substitute. Giratina-O's bulk is no laughing matter either, especially when they are coupled with Levitate to allow immunity against Spikes and Toxic Spikes. To top it all off, Giratina-O has the ever elusive immunity to the item-removing effects of Trick and Knock Off.</p>

<p>Dragon Pulse is a good option in general and is only resisted by Steel-types not named Dialga. Giratina-O can OHKO Rayquaza and Palkia while 2HKOing Groudon with Dragon Pulse without even using Calm Mind. Shadow Ball is a powerful STAB move that provides an easy KO on Mewtwo and deals more damage to other Psychic-types than Dragon Pulse could, including Metagross and Lugia. Thunder inflicts massive damage to Kyogre while possibly causing paralysis, which aids him in his sweep. After one use of Calm Mind, Giratina-O has an excellent chance of OHKOing a 4 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre with Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Substitute is a great guard against status, therefore shutting down standard Blissey in the Uber metagame while simultaneously aiding in prediction. Be careful though, as Giratina-O has no recovery, so his ability to throw out Substitutes is very limited, so make each Substitute count. Aura Sphere allows Giratina-O to severely damage Dialga, Blissey, and, most importantly, always 2HKO Tyranitar. If one does not care about Blissey, you can use Calm Mind and 3 attacks for maximum coverage. Finally, the option to drop Dragon Pulse in favor of the unresisted combination of Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball is open. While Giratina-O loses the super effective hit against Dragon-types and loses some power against Kyogre and Latias, it provides super effective hits on Psychic-types while still hitting Tyranitar and Dialga super effectively.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>112 Speed EVs allow Giratina-O to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and most Kyogre and Groudon while outspeeding Jirachi who do not invest in Speed, allowing him to use Substitute before Jirachi gets to Toxic or paralyze him. The defensive EVs give him guaranteed survival against a Spacial Rend from Timid Palkia after Stealth Rock damage and Dragon Claw from Groudon without Stealth Rock. The rest of the EVs go into Special Attack to allow Giratina-O to as hard as possible.</p>

<p>Giratina-O is an excellent choice on offensive teams that require a way to beat stall. Recall that a classic Uber stall team often consists of Groudon, Forretress, Blissey, Latias, Giratina, and a filler (often Lugia). Giratina-O can switch in on Blissey without much of a problem, and threaten devastation. The only Pokemon who can prevent this devastation from occurring is Latias, and in order to do so, she must sacrifice herself to deal massive damage to Giratina-O, ensuring that he is unusable afterwards. The loss of Latias enables Pokemon like Calm Mind Kyogre to devastate the remaining team members. Giratina-O's main attraction here is that he can threaten a sweep against stall teams unless he is stopped promptly, and the Pokemon who does try to stop him often falls shortly afterwards, opening up a potential sweep for another team member.</p>

<p>An important thing to note when using Giratina-O is that, despite his many resistances and excellent HP and defensive stats, Giratina-O has no form of recovery in this set, and therefore it is not recommend to switch Giratina-O into powerful attacks. It is instead best to switch Giratina-O into moves that he is immune to. Wobbuffet can use his combination of Encore and Shadow Tag to force opponents to repeat support moves, such as Toxic and Stealth Rock, or to Encore moves that Giratina-O is immune to. Wobbuffet can then use Safeguard if he has encored a status move, and provide a free switch in for Giratina-O.</p>

<p>Offensive partners that are good teammates for this set are Pokemon who can set up entry hazards or those who can take advantage of Giratina-O's ability to weaken his switch-ins. Deoxys-S is a great entry hazard user that can get Stealth Rock and Spikes up early in the game, while Forretress can set up all three types of entry hazards. Giratina-O can then switch in on predicted Rapid Spins, keeping offensive momentum on your side and setting up with Calm Mind. If Giratina-O has used Calm Mind once, he can severely weaken or KO most Dialga, Kyogre, if Giratina-O is using Thunder, and Tyranitar, if he is using Aura Sphere. Weakening a Choice Scarf Dialga would mean that Swords Dance Rayquaza or Lucario can sweep an opponent's team with their check removed. The removal of Kyogre would allow Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Lugia to set up much more easily, while any team based around Groudon's Drought ability would appreciate the removal of Kyogre. Ho-Oh in particular will be much harder to stop when Kyogre is eliminated. With Tyranitar severely weakened or KOed, stopping Calm Mind Mewtwo or Calm Mind Latias or Latios will also be much more difficult for the opponent.</p>

<p>Tyranitar is Giratina-O's arch enemy, especially if Giratina-O lacks Aura Sphere. The combination of Tyranitar's powerful STAB Dark attacks and the sandstorm he summons will dramatically cut Giratina-O's life short. Groudon makes an excellent teammate for Giratina-O because of this. Groudon and Garchomp can switch into Tyranitar with ease and threaten him with STAB Earthquake. Groudon also changes the weather, meaning that Giratina-O will not have to face the damaging effects of Tyranitar's sandstorm. Lucario can also switch into Dark-type attacks and threaten Tyranitar with Close Combat. Forretress can use Payback and Light Screen to defeat Giratina-O one on one. Lucario, Groudon, and Dialga can easily switch into Forretress and set up for a sweep. If one does not want to sacrifice Giratina-O to take down Latias, then Scizor and Metagross are good teammates to use alongside Giratina-O. Both can cripple Latias with Pursuit if she decides to switch out or KO her with their STAB move should she stay in. Blissey is also a reliable switch-in to most Latias.</p>

[SET]
name: Sleeping Beauty (Mono-Attacker)
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Griseous Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 200 HP / 44 Def / 224 SpA / 40 SpD

[Set Comments]

<p>This set combines the stat-boosting threat from the Substitute + Calm Mind set with a form of recovery to take advantage of Giratina-O's bulk. At the expense of Substitute and an extra attacking move, Giratina-O gains virtual immunity to status and more freedom to switch into attacks. At first, it would seem that Giratina would perform this type of set better due to its better bulk and Leftovers. However, Giratina-O possesses a fair number of advantages over Giratina. While Giratina-O may not find as much room to set up as Giratina, his added power from the focus in Special Attack and Giratina-O's Griseous Orb neutralize such a need. For example, Giratina needs 3 Calm Minds to match the power of a Giratina-O that has used Calm Mind once.</p>

<p>Unlike Giratina, as well as many other sleep absorbers in the game, Giratina-O packs a unique immunity to Trick. In the later stages of the game, this immunity helps prevent Trick + Choice item users from shutting down Giratina-O's set up process. Finally, Giratina-O has the useful ability Levitate, allowing him to float over the Spikes and Toxic Spikes that curse Giratina, cutting up his ability to switch in and set up. Although Giratina can Rest off the damage or status caused by these entry hazards, doing so takes turns, which can be better spent setting up Calm Minds. Having an immunity to Earthquake never hurts either.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EVs give Giratina-O a balanced amount of defenses, while holding enough power to take down standard Latias with a Calm Mind boosted Dragon Pulse. The Defense EVs ensure that Payback from Forretress does not 3HKO, allowing Giratina-O to Calm Mind on him and Rest off the damage. A Life Orb Dragon Claw from Jolly Rayquaza will never OHKO this Giratina-O, even after Stealth Rock damage, while the Adamant variant cannot OHKO without Stealth Rock damage.</p>

<p>On the classic Uber stall team, the only Pokemon who will outspeed Giratina-O, after taking down Latias, is Lugia. This can be a problem, because if Stealth Rock is in play, Giratina-O will faint on the second switch in due to Stealth Rock. To solve this, including a Wobbuffet with Tickle and a Scizor with Pursuit on your team can be a great asset. Wobbuffet can Encore and then use Tickle on Lugia 5 times to get him into the KO range of Scizor's Pursuit as he flees. With Lugia gone, and once Giratina-O defeats Latias, he will often be able to restore his health with Rest before the opposition attacks, letting him continue his sweep. Wobbuffet can also Encore moves such as Earthquake or status moves. This can allow Giratina-O to have free time to use either Rest to recover or Calm Mind to set up.</p>

<p>Tyranitar will give Giratina-O some serious issues, as he is able to 2HKO Giratina-O with Crunch, bypassing Giratina-O's possible Calm Mind boosts. A Jolly Tyranitar can also use Taunt as Giratina-O uses Sleep Talk, and then set up a sweep with Dragon Dance. A Calm Mind Lugia that has Whirlwind can also set up on Giratina-O and Whirlwind Giratina-O away. When Giratina-O is sleeping, Mewtwo can switch in as Giratina-O attempts to use Sleep Talk and use Taunt on him. Mewtwo can then easily set up Calm Mind, as Giratina-O is helpless without the ability to use Sleep Talk. To beat Calm Mind Lugia, a Mewtwo of your own can easily set up on him with Taunt and Calm Mind. Opposing Mewtwo that carry Taunt and Calm Mind can be taken care of by Scizor or Metagross, who can both Pursuit him on the way out or OHKO him with their STAB moves should he stay in. Finally, Tyranitar is best handled by Garchomp or Groudon. Thunder Wave Groudon is a particularly useful Pokemon to use with this Giratina-O because Groudon can often paralyze fast threats, particularly Lugia and Mewtwo. This allows Giratina-O to be sent in later into the match and use Rest before they land the finishing blow.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Shadow Force / Shadow Claw
item: Griseous Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 84 HP / 216 Atk / 96 SpD / 112 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>While the special sweeper set may be very appealing, one cannot forget that Giratina-O's Attack stat that is equivalent to his Special Attack. He is a force to be reckoned with, hitting most Pokemon in Ubers in their softer physical defenses. With access to a STAB 120 Base Power Outrage, along with a Griseous Orb boost, he is not to be taken lightly. However, being locked into Outrage can be displeasing, as Giratina-O has mediocre Speed and is weak to Dragon-type attacks, making him very susceptible to the rampant Draco Meteors of Ubers. This can often be remedied by using Substitute before attacking to minimize punishment during the turns in which Giratina-O is locked into Outrage. Substitute also protects Giratina-O, in case your opponent switches to a counter during Shadow Force's charge turn. Earthquake pairs up with Outrage pretty well, destroying Steel-types. The choice between Shadow Force and Shadow Claw is very much up to the user. They both serve as Giratina-O's secondary STAB and are helpful in disposing of Psychic-types. Shadow Claw is the choice for reliability, while Shadow Force is the choice for sheer power. Shadow Claw can still KO some key targets though. For example, Mewtwo without physical defense investment and Latias will always be OHKOed by Shadow Claw after Stealth Rock damage.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EVs are pretty much equivalent to the special sweeper set, except with the switch between Special Attack and Attack. The bulk on this set is otherwise the exact same as the previous one, being able to survive Timid Palkia's Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock.</p>

(This needs to be re-written as every set needs to be written as its own entity and can't reference other sets like this does.)

<p>Many people view Shadow Force as a terrible move due to the fact that it's a charge up move. Shadow Force isn't necessarily a great move, but it's certainly quite underrated, and it packs quite a punch. The only Normal-type Pokemon commonly seen in Ubers is Blissey, who would never switch into physical Giratina-O in fear of Outrage. Even if Blissey switches in after seeing Giratina-O using Shadow Force, Giratina-O can use Blissey's inability to do anything to him and set up a Substitute. Once the opponent's Normal-type is gone, Shadow Force can deal massive damage to even Pokemon that resist it like Darkrai. Shadow Force also OHKOes physically defensive Mewtwo, something that Shadow Claw can not. One possible good moment to use Shadow Force is when Giratina-O's weakened opponent can be KOed by it, but not by Earthquake, and at the same time when Outrage is very risky to use due to its locking side-effect. A good way to use this set is to almost always use Substitute as the opponent switches out. This is because some players may suspect that Giratina-O is using a Calm Mind set, and may send in Giratina-O's usual counters such as, Tyranitar, Kyogre, Dialga, or Latias. Giratina can then 2HKO Kyogre with Outrage, 2HKO Tyranitar and Dialga with Earthquake, and can either OHKO Latias with Outrage or with Shadow Claw after Stealth Rock. Pokemon like Calm Mind Kyogre greatly appreciate the removal of Latias, while other Calm Mind users, such as Latias and Mewtwo, appreciate the removal of Tyranitar. The removal of Dialga can open up a Swords Dance Rayquaza or Lucario sweep.</p>

<p>Physical Giratina-O is walled by four main Pokemon: Forretress, Scizor, Skarmory, and Lugia. Forretress, Scizor, and Skarmory resist both of Giratina-O's STAB attacks and take little to no damage from Earthquake. While Lugia takes a heavy amount of damage from Shadow Force, Lugia is faster than Giratina-O, and can therefore cushion the hit with Reflect and Roost. Because of this, a Support Groudon with Fire Punch and Toxic pairs well with Giratina-O. Fire Punch will easily OHKO Forretress and Scizor, while Skarmory is 2HKOed. Groudon will often lure in Lugia, who can be crippled by Toxic. Although Magnezone does not fit on many Uber teams, he can trap and kill Forretress, Scizor, and Skarmory. Dialga can also easily switch into the aforementioned Steel-types and threaten to roast them with Fire Blast. Dialga, like Groudon, can also use Toxic to cripple Lugia. Finally, Wobbuffet can use Encore and Tickle on Lugia, and then switch to Scizor, who can then OHKO Lugia with Pursuit if he attempts to switch. Something to note is that, although Kyogre is not the safest switch into Scizor, Choice Specs Kyogre can work well with physical Giratina-O because he can OHKO all four of the problem Pokemon with his STAB Water-type attacks and Thunder.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Outrage
move 4: Shadow Force / Earthquake / Shadow Claw
item: Griseous Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 84 HP / 216 Atk / 96 SpD / 112 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>Giratina-O can run a physical RestTalk set fairly effectively too, eliminating the worry about status and residual damage. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk means that Lugia would be unable to do anything to him apart from setting up Reflect or Whirlwinding him away. Outrage is Giratina-O's attack of choice, as it is very devastating to most Ubers, as previously mentioned in the physical attacker set. When picked by Sleep Talk, Outrage loses its locking side-effect, and essentially becomes a 120 Base Power STAB move with no drawbacks. This is extremely helpful for Giratina-O, because most of the other sets are easily revenge killed when using Outrage. Shadow Force is the preferred option out of the three moves listed on the second moveslot, as it can not be picked with Sleep Talk, giving Giratina-O a higher chance to fire a very deadly Outrage. This is a win-win situation, as when he is awake, he has two offensive moves to choose from, and when he is asleep, he has a high chance of picking Outrage with Sleep Talk. If one were to find Shadow Force distasteful, you can choose either Shadow Claw or Earthquake. While both of these moves interfere with Sleep Talk's chances of picking Outrage, they are more reliable than Shadow Force when Giratina-O is awake. Earthquake gives coverage against Steel-types, while Shadow Claw decimates Psychic-types.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EVs are pretty much equivalent to the special sweeper set, except with the switch between Special Attack and Attack. The bulk on this set is otherwise the exact same as the previous one, being able to survive Timid Palkia's Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock. However, if one wishes, the Sleeping Beauty EVs can be if bulk is preferred.</p>

Explain the EVs please

<p>Much like the physical attacking sets, Giratina-O will struggle against Forretress, Skarmory, and Scizor. A Groudon with Overheat can be helpful here, as he can lure in Skarmory, only for it to be OHKOed. Groudon can also take any of Scizor's attacks, and hit back with either Fire Punch or Overheat. A Choice Specs Kyogre can also switch in while Scizor uses Bullet Punch, or while Skarmory and Forretress use anything else, and OHKO them all with Surf or Water Spout. A support Dialga can also be helpful for similar purposes, being able to roast all three Steel-types with Fire Blast, while also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Because Giratina-O is one of the few viable spinblockers in the Ubers metagame, entry hazards are extremely helpful. Deoxys-S can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes with high efficiency, allowing Giratina-O to come in on predicted Rapid Spins and wreak havoc. Forretress and Skarmory are also an excellent partners for setting up entry hazards. Forretress can use Toxic Spikes on top of Stealth Rock and Spikes, potentially causing more grief for the opponent. Skarmory has reliable recovery and can form a strong defensive core with Giratina-O; both have good synergy with Giratina-O. Deoxys-D, Groudon, and Dialga are also good Stealth Rock users to consider.</p>

<p>Giratina-O's lack of recovery can be an issue at times. This is why Wish support is extremely helpful to Giratina-O, and with his great bulk, Giratina-O can still be hard to kill. Paralysis support is also very helpful for Giratina-O. The three main Wish users in Ubers are Blissey, Latias, and Jirachi. Jirachi and Blissey are also a great teammates for Giratina-O, being able to use Thunder Wave to spread paralysis. Latias, although sharing many weaknesses with Giratina-O, can switch into Choice Specs Kyogre's Water Spout. Kyogre is also a good paralysis spreader, especially because he can lure in Latias and paralyze her, allowing Giratina-O sweep an entire stall team unimpaired. Groudon can lure in Lugia and paralyze him in a similar fashion.</p>

<p>While Giratina-O is very difficult to counter, he is very easy to revenge kill, especially with the many Dragon-types in Ubers, almost all of whom are faster than him. Choice Specs Dialga and Palkia, Latios, Garchomp, and Rayquaza are all capable of OHKOing Giratina-O with either Draco Meteor or Outrage. If Sleep Clause has not been activated, Darkrai can put Giratina-O not carrying Sleep Talk to sleep and Dark Pulse Giratina-O to oblivion. Apart from Jirachi, specially defensive Scizor can take on Dragon-typed attacks and use Roost to restore his health; Skarmory works in a similar manner. Blissey can also take special attacks aimed at Giratina-O. Rayquaza is difficult to deal with, but Choice Scarf Garchomp and Jirachi are both good checks to both Swords Dance and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Lugia and Groudon can also defeat Swords Dance Rayquaza. Darkrai can be beaten by usingRestTalk Kyogre to absorb sleep and revenge kill him with Choice Scarf Palkia, Dialga, or Life Orb Mewtwo.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Thunder Wave can be a good option on some Giratina-O sets. Thunder Wave can ruin many common Giratina-O switch-ins, such as Kyogre, Latias, and the many Pokemon who might attempt to switch in expecting Giratina-O to set up (such as Rayquaza and Darkrai). Will-O-Wisp can be used to weaken physical attackers, such as Groudon and Metagross, and allows Giratina-O to set up on them, but it will cost him a secondary attack.</p>

<p>There are also quite a few different ways to EV Giratina-O. For the mixed set, he may use 116 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Tyranitar when using a Lonely or Naughty nature. One may also focus on Special Attack instead of physical Attack on the mixed set. Dragon Pulse is also usable on the Mixed set. The Stallbreaker set can allow some Speed EVs to be relocated into bulk if one does not care about outspeeding Jolly Tyranitar. Similarly, the physical attacking sets can be slower but bulkier. There's also the option of running 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid with an all-out Calm Mind + 3 attacks set.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Giratina-O is tough to counter directly, considering that it has a huge offensive movepool. The mixed attacker will generally have trouble hurting Heatran and Lugia, while specially defensive Scizor in the rain can take Hidden Power Fire reasonably well and slowly chip down Giratina-O's health with Bullet Punch; he can also Roost off any damage.

<p>Latias can stop the special attacker set only if Stealth Rock is not up. While rare, Calm Mind or Psych Up Blissey can stop Giratina-O by breaking its Substitutes with Ice Beam and killing him eventually. If Giratina-O lacks Aura Sphere, Tyranitar can easily take Dragon Pulse and quickly destroy Giratina-O with Crunch, Payback, or Pursuit Giratina-O if he tries to flee. Without Thunder, Kyogre can Calm Mind alongside Giratina-O or Roar it away. Choice Specs Dialga with investment in bulk can take Aura Sphere after a Calm Mind boost and OHKO back with Draco Meteor. If Dragon Pulse is absent, Rayquaza and Palkia can KO Giratina-O with their STAB Dragon-type moves while surviving Shadow Ball.</p>

<p>The physical sets are countered by Skarmory, Scizor, and Forretress. Skarmory and Scizor can both Roost off any damage done to them, while Forretress can set up entry hazards while using Payback to hurt Giratina-O. Lugia can also switch in on any attack apart from Shadow Force's execution turn and set up Reflect. He can then Roost off any damage and Whirlwind Giratina-O away or inflict Toxic or Thunder Wave on him, cutting into his sweep.</p>

<p>Otherwise, take advantage of Giratina-O's low speed and lack of recovery. Even weak attacks like Forretress's Payback can place it into KO range of stronger moves like Palkia's Spacial Rend.</p>

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