Shadow Pokemon | GameTrader.SG

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.

Shiny Giratina Altered Forme official artwork — making its Shadow Raid debut in Pokemon GO — Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

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.

Eternatus — the top counter for Shadow Giratina Altered in Pokemon GO — Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

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.

Rayquaza — Mega Rayquaza is one of the best counters for Shadow Giratina Altered Forme — Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

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.

Flying Taxi Event: Squawkabilly Arrives in Pokémon GO

The Flying Taxi event runs from Tuesday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. to Monday, 29 June at 8:00 p.m. local time. Its headliner is Squawkabilly, the Parrot Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet, debuting in GO with a regional form system that matters specifically for Singapore players.

Squawkabilly comes in four plumage forms, each tied to a hemisphere:

Yellow Plumage — worldwide

White Plumage — worldwide (also appears in the wild and Field Research)

Green Plumage — Eastern Hemisphere only — this is what Singapore trainers will encounter

Blue Plumage — Western Hemisphere only

Wild spawns during the event include Hoothoot, Rookidee, and White Plumage Squawkabilly, with shiny encounters available. Field Research rewards include Spearow, Hoothoot, Rookidee, location-based Squawkabilly, and Wattrel.

Raid bosses for the Flying Taxi period: 1-Star — Swablu, Starly, Vullaby; 3-Star — Hisuian Braviary, Corvisquire, Bombirdier.

Flying Taxi: Taken Over — Shadow Reshiram’s First Appearance

Pokémon GO Flying Taxi Taken Over — Shadow Reshiram makes its debut

Image courtesy of Pokémon GO / Niantic

Overlapping with the main event, Team GO Rocket’s takeover runs from Thursday, 25 June at 12:00 a.m. to Monday, 29 June at 8:00 p.m. local time. The headline: Shadow Reshiram makes its very first appearance in Pokémon GO.

To encounter it, you’ll need to work through the GO Pass: Flying Taxi, earn a Super Rocket Radar, and track down Giovanni — who appears exclusively at PokéStops during this event, not in balloons. That means heading out to explore, not waiting at home. Defeat him and you get your shot at Shadow Reshiram, with shiny encounters possible.

Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo are also running updated lineups, and new Shadow Pokémon have been added across all Grunt encounters, including Shadow Rookidee, Shadow Noibat, Shadow Seel, and Shadow Hoothoot — all shiny-eligible.

GO Pass and Bonuses

The GO Pass: Flying Taxi unlocks automatically when the event opens on 23 June. Progress through the pass to earn Tier 1 bonuses including 2× Catch Candy, and Tier 2 rewards increased Stardust from Team GO Rocket encounters. Paid upgrades: GO Pass Deluxe (US$4.99) for enhanced rewards, or GO Pass Deluxe + 6 Ranks (US$6.99) to fast-track to Rank 7 automatically.

Last words

For Singapore trainers, this is a serious week to be outdoors. Shadow Reshiram is a top-tier Dragon and Fire legendary that has been absent from GO until now, and Green Plumage Squawkabilly is an Eastern Hemisphere exclusive you can only grab here. Combined with the Mega Skarmory Super Mega Raid Day on Saturday 27 June, the end of June is shaping up as one of the most event-dense weeks of the season. Check out other GO events we’ve covered to stay on top of the rest of the schedule.

Tag Archives: Shadow Pokemon

Shiny Shadow Giratina Debuts in Pokémon GO — Shadow Raids From 5 August