Giratina Origin Forme now has access to its signature move, Shadow Force, in Pokemon GO. From Thursday, October 27 to Tuesday, November 1, any Giratina Origin Forme caught will know its signature attack Shadow Force. After this period, you will likely have to use an Elite TM to get Shadow Force outside of future event periods. Prior to this, Giratina Altered Forme also gained access to Shadow Force. So the question is, just how good is Shadow Force on Giratina? The article below discusses the potential of Shadow Force Giratina Origin Forme and Altered Forme in both Raids and PvP.
Shadow Force Stats
In Raids, Shadow Force has 140 base power for a 100 energy cost with a 1.9s cooldown. This gives it a DPSxDPE (a general metric for a Charge Move’s goodness) of 103.15. For reference, Shadow Ball’s DPSxDPE is 66.66.
In PvP, Shadow Force has 120 base power for a 90 energy cost. This gives Shadow Force a DPE (similar to DPSxDPE, but there is no time cost in PvP) of 1.33. For reference, Shadow Ball’s DPE is 1.82.
From the stats alone, it’s safe to assume that Shadow Force is a strict upgrade for Raids, and likely flat out bad for PvP. That said, it may have some utility on Giratina Altered Forme specifically, as it currently lacks a powerful closing move.
Shadow Force Giratina in Raids
Image Source: The Comprehensive DPS/TDO Spreadsheet
In Raids, Giratina Origin Forme has never been the hardest hitting Ghost-type, but has always been one of the more reliable ones with its Dragon-type resistances and naturally high bulk. Given that Shadow Force has a higher DPSxDPE than Shadow Ball, it comes to no surprise that it’s an upgrade for both Giratina. While Giratina Origin Forme still pales in comparison to the future Ultra Beast Blacephalon, it at least surpasses the future Dragapult now in value.
All in all, it’s a nice upgrade for Giratina in Raids, but not exactly a “must have” attack, unless you’re a true Giratina enthusiast. If you do want to use Shadow Force Giratina Origin Forme in Raids, consider unlocking its 2nd Charge Move for Shadow Ball. Shadow Force’s biggest weakness is that it’s a 100 energy cost charge move. So if you smell a KO coming when you’re above 50 energy but not quite at 100, you’ll have an even better performance than our spreadsheet can comprehensively display by throwing Shadow Ball instead. As cool as this combo is, it won’t put Giratina above Blacephalon in value.
Shadow Force Giratina in PvP
120 base power for 90 energy should tell you everything you need to know for Shadow Force in PvP. For Giratina Origin Forme in particular, this is a strict downgrade to any other attacks it could bring. It’s a bit unfortunate too, as a Raid and XL Master League enjoyer would be torn between XLing their Giratina Origin Forme for Raids or PvP (or incentivized to spend a total of $100 USD or so to XL both). Given that the Raid upgrade isn’t exactly worth it, it may be better to TM Shadow Force off for PvP, should you capture the hundo this week.
As for Giratina Altered Forme, there is a shred of utility for Shadow Force. Aside from Dragon Claw, Giratina Altered Forme’s other Charge Move options are pretty bad. While Giratina makes up for this in the Ultra League with its gargantuan bulk, it doesn’t have that benefit up in the Master League. In general, Master League Giratina still wants Shadow Sneak as its 2nd move to bully Steel-types better, or Ancient Power to surprise a Togekiss. However, Shadow Force could see some interesting play. If you’ve captured the 15/15/15 Giratina Altered Forme, plan on maxing it for the Master League, and it has Shadow Force already, it could be worth trying out before TMing Shadow Force away.
Closing
Pokemon GO continues to scale down the power level of “signature attacks” this year. The bountiful days of Psystike, Psycho Boost, Aeroblast, and Sacred Fire appear long behind us after the relative flops that have been Luster Purge, Mist Ball, Seed Flare, and now Shadow Force. In the case of Shadow Force, there is little helping it though. Giratina Altered Forme already dominates the Ultra League, and Shadow Force being anything too short of awful would possibly make it overpowered. Hopefully less meta Pokemon will receive more generous treatment in the future, such as Glaciate Kyurem.
