[OVERVIEW]:
Giratina is a valuable addition to stall and bulky balance teams due to Defog, Pressure, and its amazing bulk. These assets let it take on some of the best entry hazard setters in the tier, like Primal Groudon, Excadrill, Necrozma-DM, and Ferrothorn. It also checks various other threats like Ho-Oh, most Swords Dance Arceus formes, and Primal Groudon. Its Ghost typing is notable as well, as it allows Giratina to avoid being trapped by Mega Gengar, Whirlpool + Perish Song Arceus formes, and Gothitelle. However, Giratina suffers from passivity and must rely on Rest for its own recovery, which makes it easy to wear down through chip damage and take advantage of by setting up. It can also be very easily checked by top threats like Yveltal, Marshadow, Xerneas, and Arceus-Fairy.
[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Defog
move 2: Rest
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Roar / Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog allows Giratina to remove entry hazards from the field and works even better in tandem with Pressure to PP stall Stealth Rock. Giratina gets lots of opportunities to use Defog as well thanks to the fact that it beats almost every Stealth Rock setter in the tier. Rest is Giratina’s only form of reliable recovery, and it should be used sparingly due to how easily exploited it leaves Giratina. Toxic is a helpful move to hit checks like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Arceus-Fairy on the switch, making it Giratina's main and potentially only source of damage. It cripples Primal Groudon as well, making it lose to Giratina in the long run. Will-O-Wisp is a useful move to burn physical attackers like Mega Rayquaza, Swords Dance Arceus formes, and offensive unboosted Necrozma-DM. Will-O-Wisp can be replaced with Roar or Dragon Tail if Giratina's teammates would appreciate phazing support more depending on if Substitute users like Zygarde-C or Taunt are considered more of an issue.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP EVs along with 52 Special Defense EVs allow Giratina to avoid a 2HKO from Primal Kyogre’s Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, with the Defense EVs maintaining as much physical bulk as possible to check physical attackers reliably. 30 Speed IVs with a Relaxed nature guarantee that specially defensive Primal Groudon sets Stealth Rock first, allowing Giratina to Defog after the fact. Leftovers allows Giratina to recover HP passively and lessen its reliance on Rest. Pressure notably makes Stealth Rock effectively have less PP than Defog, which allows Giratina to PP stall the move.
Usage Tips
========
Giratina’s amazing bulk allows it to take hits from almost any physical attacker that can’t hit it super effectively and even from some that do. Its ability to deplete the foe’s PP quickly via Pressure should also be taken advantage of, especially against the Stealth Rock setters it checks. Remove entry hazards from your side of the field whenever possible. Try bringing in Giratina on the entry hazard setters it checks, like Excadrill and Necrozma-DM. Make sure Giratina is left healthy and without status, as status hurts its ability to check the things it’s meant to and forces it to use Rest earlier. Once Giratina uses Rest, try to switch out if possible so you can get rid of status from it as Rest leaves Giratina very passive and easy to take advantage of. Attempt to cripple the opposing team with status to wear them down if given the chance. If Roar or Dragon Tail are being used, use them if a foe is setting up or to get reliable chip on the opposing team if entry hazards are up. Make sure Giratina is healthy enough to take Z-Moves from certain Pokemon it’s meant to check, such as Arceus-Ground and Necrozma-DM. Finally, avoid taking Knock Off, as Giratina becomes a lot easier to handle without the passive recovery Leftovers provides.
Team Options
========
Due to Giratina’s passive nature, it only really fits on stall and bulky balance teams. Clerics like Chansey, Blissey, and defensive Xerneas are very helpful to cure Giratina of status, most notably sleep due to Giratina’s reliance on Rest. Chansey and Blissey give the benefit of passing Wish, and Blissey can escape Mega Gengar thanks to Shed Shell, while Xerneas checks Dark-types like Yveltal and Arceus-Dark. Ho-Oh forms a good double Defog core with Giratina and can act as a backup check to Necrozma-DM, Calm Mind Arceus-Steel, and Marshadow as well as check the Fairy-types Giratina is weak to, most notably Stealth Rock Arceus-Fairy. It also benefits heavily from Giratina’s Defog support itself. Arceus-Fairy works well with Giratina, as it checks Dark-types like Yveltal and even Zygarde-C should Giratina lack Roar or Dragon Tail and can set Stealth Rock. Giratina in return handles Necrozma-DM for Arceus-Fairy. Skarmory acts as a secondary switch-in to Necrozma-DM, Mega Rayquaza lacking V-create, and Arceus-Ground. It even pivots into potential Toxic and can phaze setup sweepers. Its access to Spikes also makes the switches Giratina helps Giratina take more advantage of Roar and Dragon Tail. Lugia can check Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza with Ice Beam for Giratina should it lack Roar or Dragon Tail, and Giratina clears Stealth Rock for Lugia, which helps it get much more milage out of Multiscale. Mega Gengar can trap and remove potentially problematic Fairy-types like Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas for Giratina, which can check Primal Groudon for Mega Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sleep Talk may seem appealing as to let Giratina not be so passive after Rest, but this move is not as helpful as the others in its moveset. A more physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Relaxed nature and 30 Spe IVs can be used if more physical bulk is desired.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Super Effective Attackers**: Pokemon like Yveltal, Arceus-Fairy, Lunala, and Marshadow all force Giratina out with their strong super effective attacks. Xerneas and Arceus-Dark also can’t be beaten with status thanks to their access to status-healing moves. They also have setup options in Geomancy and Calm Mind, respectively. Arceus-Fairy can use the turn Giratina switches to set Stealth Rock. These Pokemon can also take advantage of Giratina being asleep from Rest to set up scot-free.
**Pokemon Resistant or Immune to Status**: Pokemon like Zygarde-C with Rest, Arceus-Poison, Xerneas, and Arceus-Dark can wall Giratina due to their ability to absorb status and either cripple or set up on Giratina.
**Taunt**: Due to Giratina’s lack of offensive presence, even with Dragon Tail, Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Mewtwo make it unable to do much, if anything, and force it out.
**Substitute**: If Giratina lacks Roar, Substitute users like Marshadow and Zygarde-C can take advantage of Giratina to set up their boosting moves. Its Dragon Tail won’t typically break the Substitutes either due to its meager power and the fact that many Substitute users have ways to boost Defense.
**Offensive Pressure**: Due to Giratina being the blanket check to many attackers and its lack of recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers, it can be overwhelmed by all the attacks it has to take. Pokemon like Mega Rayquaza and Swords Dance Primal Groudon can pressure Giratina with their strong attacks.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by [[cromagnet42, 282148]], [[Megazard, 202117], [Lotiasite, 320985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Loatiasite, 320985], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Giratina is a valuable addition to stall and bulky balance teams due to Defog, Pressure, and its amazing bulk. These assets let it take on some of the best entry hazard setters in the tier, like Primal Groudon, Excadrill, Necrozma-DM, and Ferrothorn. It also checks various other threats like Ho-Oh, most Swords Dance Arceus formes, and Primal Groudon. Its Ghost typing is notable as well, as it allows Giratina to avoid being trapped by Mega Gengar, Whirlpool + Perish Song Arceus formes, and Gothitelle. However, Giratina suffers from passivity and must rely on Rest for its own recovery, which makes it easy to wear down through chip damage and take advantage of by setting up. It can also be very easily checked by top threats like Yveltal, Marshadow, Xerneas, and Arceus-Fairy.
[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Defog
move 2: Rest
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Roar / Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog allows Giratina to remove entry hazards from the field and works even better in tandem with Pressure to PP stall Stealth Rock. Giratina gets lots of opportunities to use Defog as well thanks to the fact that it beats almost every Stealth Rock setter in the tier. Rest is Giratina’s only form of reliable recovery, and it should be used sparingly due to how easily exploited it leaves Giratina. Toxic is a helpful move to hit checks like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Arceus-Fairy on the switch, making it Giratina's main and potentially only source of damage. It cripples Primal Groudon as well, making it lose to Giratina in the long run. Will-O-Wisp is a useful move to burn physical attackers like Mega Rayquaza, Swords Dance Arceus formes, and offensive unboosted Necrozma-DM. Will-O-Wisp can be replaced with Roar or Dragon Tail if Giratina's teammates would appreciate phazing support more depending on if Substitute users like Zygarde-C or Taunt are considered more of an issue.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP EVs along with 52 Special Defense EVs allow Giratina to avoid a 2HKO from Primal Kyogre’s Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, with the Defense EVs maintaining as much physical bulk as possible to check physical attackers reliably. 30 Speed IVs with a Relaxed nature guarantee that specially defensive Primal Groudon sets Stealth Rock first, allowing Giratina to Defog after the fact. Leftovers allows Giratina to recover HP passively and lessen its reliance on Rest. Pressure notably makes Stealth Rock effectively have less PP than Defog, which allows Giratina to PP stall the move.
Usage Tips
========
Giratina’s amazing bulk allows it to take hits from almost any physical attacker that can’t hit it super effectively and even from some that do. Its ability to deplete the foe’s PP quickly via Pressure should also be taken advantage of, especially against the Stealth Rock setters it checks. Remove entry hazards from your side of the field whenever possible. Try bringing in Giratina on the entry hazard setters it checks, like Excadrill and Necrozma-DM. Make sure Giratina is left healthy and without status, as status hurts its ability to check the things it’s meant to and forces it to use Rest earlier. Once Giratina uses Rest, try to switch out if possible so you can get rid of status from it as Rest leaves Giratina very passive and easy to take advantage of. Attempt to cripple the opposing team with status to wear them down if given the chance. If Roar or Dragon Tail are being used, use them if a foe is setting up or to get reliable chip on the opposing team if entry hazards are up. Make sure Giratina is healthy enough to take Z-Moves from certain Pokemon it’s meant to check, such as Arceus-Ground and Necrozma-DM. Finally, avoid taking Knock Off, as Giratina becomes a lot easier to handle without the passive recovery Leftovers provides.
Team Options
========
Due to Giratina’s passive nature, it only really fits on stall and bulky balance teams. Clerics like Chansey, Blissey, and defensive Xerneas are very helpful to cure Giratina of status, most notably sleep due to Giratina’s reliance on Rest. Chansey and Blissey give the benefit of passing Wish, and Blissey can escape Mega Gengar thanks to Shed Shell, while Xerneas checks Dark-types like Yveltal and Arceus-Dark. Ho-Oh forms a good double Defog core with Giratina and can act as a backup check to Necrozma-DM, Calm Mind Arceus-Steel, and Marshadow as well as check the Fairy-types Giratina is weak to, most notably Stealth Rock Arceus-Fairy. It also benefits heavily from Giratina’s Defog support itself. Arceus-Fairy works well with Giratina, as it checks Dark-types like Yveltal and even Zygarde-C should Giratina lack Roar or Dragon Tail and can set Stealth Rock. Giratina in return handles Necrozma-DM for Arceus-Fairy. Skarmory acts as a secondary switch-in to Necrozma-DM, Mega Rayquaza lacking V-create, and Arceus-Ground. It even pivots into potential Toxic and can phaze setup sweepers. Its access to Spikes also makes the switches Giratina helps Giratina take more advantage of Roar and Dragon Tail. Lugia can check Zygarde-C and Mega Rayquaza with Ice Beam for Giratina should it lack Roar or Dragon Tail, and Giratina clears Stealth Rock for Lugia, which helps it get much more milage out of Multiscale. Mega Gengar can trap and remove potentially problematic Fairy-types like Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas for Giratina, which can check Primal Groudon for Mega Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sleep Talk may seem appealing as to let Giratina not be so passive after Rest, but this move is not as helpful as the others in its moveset. A more physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Relaxed nature and 30 Spe IVs can be used if more physical bulk is desired.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Super Effective Attackers**: Pokemon like Yveltal, Arceus-Fairy, Lunala, and Marshadow all force Giratina out with their strong super effective attacks. Xerneas and Arceus-Dark also can’t be beaten with status thanks to their access to status-healing moves. They also have setup options in Geomancy and Calm Mind, respectively. Arceus-Fairy can use the turn Giratina switches to set Stealth Rock. These Pokemon can also take advantage of Giratina being asleep from Rest to set up scot-free.
**Pokemon Resistant or Immune to Status**: Pokemon like Zygarde-C with Rest, Arceus-Poison, Xerneas, and Arceus-Dark can wall Giratina due to their ability to absorb status and either cripple or set up on Giratina.
**Taunt**: Due to Giratina’s lack of offensive presence, even with Dragon Tail, Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Mewtwo make it unable to do much, if anything, and force it out.
**Substitute**: If Giratina lacks Roar, Substitute users like Marshadow and Zygarde-C can take advantage of Giratina to set up their boosting moves. Its Dragon Tail won’t typically break the Substitutes either due to its meager power and the fact that many Substitute users have ways to boost Defense.
**Offensive Pressure**: Due to Giratina being the blanket check to many attackers and its lack of recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers, it can be overwhelmed by all the attacks it has to take. Pokemon like Mega Rayquaza and Swords Dance Primal Groudon can pressure Giratina with their strong attacks.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by [[cromagnet42, 282148]], [[Megazard, 202117], [Lotiasite, 320985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Loatiasite, 320985], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited:
