Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme) is making its Shadow Raid debut in Pokémon GO this weekend — and for the first time ever, you have a shot at catching the shiny version. Raids go live from Wednesday, 5 August at 6:00 AM local time and run every weekend right through to Tuesday, 8 September at 10:00 PM local time. If you’ve been waiting to add a Shadow Giratina to your roster, this is your window.
What Are Shadow Raids — and Why You Need a Local Group
Shadow Raids are a special raid tier in Pokémon GO that works differently from standard five-star Legendary raids. The most important difference for Singapore trainers: Remote Raid Passes do not work in Shadow Raids. You must be physically present at the Gym to participate. That means you’ll need to gather a local group of trainers to take down this Level 5 Shadow boss.
Shadow Giratina also enrages mid-raid — its attacks hit harder and it becomes harder to catch once enraged. To counter this, use Purified Gems (collected from defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders) during the raid to temporarily calm it down. Stock up before the weekend.
Shiny Shadow Giratina — A Brand-New Debut
This is the first time Shiny Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme) has appeared in Pokémon GO. Regular (non-Shadow) Shiny Giratina has been available for years, but the Shadow variant — with its distinctive dark aura and shifted colour palette — is brand new. According to Leek Duck, trainers may encounter Shiny Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme) for the first time during this event window, making every successful raid worth attempting if you’re hunting the debut Shiny.
Giratina (Altered Forme) is a Dragon/Ghost-type Legendary from the Sinnoh region. Its Shadow form carries the same typing but hits noticeably harder in battle, making it a strong pick for Ghost- and Dragon-type raid attacker roles in GO Battle League and future Legendary raids.
Best Counters for Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme)
Shadow Giratina is weak to Ice, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, and Fairy-type attacks. Dragon is the most widely available counter type with the highest raw DPS at most power levels.
Top counters (with recommended movesets):
- Eternatus — Dragon Tail / Dynamax Cannon
- Mega Rayquaza — Dragon Tail / Breaking Swipe
- Kyurem (Black) — Dragon Tail / Freeze Shock
- Mega Garchomp — Dragon Tail / Breaking Swipe
If you’re working with a more accessible lineup, Baxcalibur, Haxorus, and Garchomp are solid budget picks that don’t require Mega Energy or rare Legendaries. Counter data sourced from Dittobase.
Coordinating Raids in Singapore
Because Shadow Raids require in-person attendance, you’ll want to organise a local group before each weekend. Singapore’s compact layout and MRT network make this far easier than most cities — trainers can quickly meet up at popular Gym hotspots across the island. Check local Singapore Pokémon GO Discord servers and Facebook community groups to arrange meetups ahead of each raid weekend.
Shadow Giratina (Altered Forme) Shadow Raids run on weekends only between 5 August and 8 September 2026 (event window closes at 10:00 PM local time on 8 September). For more Pokémon GO event coverage, visit our Game News section.