Pokémon is a wonderful and mythical world of fantastical creatures that has survived for a quarter century in the form of anime, playing cards, collectible toys, and of course, a role-playing video game. Longtime fans can name a large percentage of the 1021 (and counting?) creatures that have been released so far. Some people’s knowledge of Pokémon begins and ends with Pikachu. There is nothing at all wrong with that kind of casual fandom, but I feel like I must do a service and at least let you know about the other wonderful creatures you can raise in the universe where these monsters do battle, play, work, and keep people company. It’s time to play WHO’S THAT POKÉMON???!?!?
GENGAR (No. 0094)
Evolution Line – Gastly (0092) → Haunter (0093) → Gengar (0094)
Type – Ghost/Poison
First Appears In – Pokémon Green/Red/Blue/Yellow
Gengar! The first fully-evolved Ghost-type Pokémon! Gengar was a weird specimen in Gen I because you could only get it if you had a friend with another Game Boy or a parent with enough money to get you a second one (preferably with the other game than what your main one was). Otherwise, you kinda had to go around with Haunter if you wanted to go Ghost. Also, the best Ghost-type moves were Lick, which didn’t even work half the time the way it was supposed to, and Night Shade, which did set damage equal to your level. Psychic-types were theoretically weak to Ghost in Gen I, but do you think Alakazam, Mewtwo, and Exeggutor really feared Mr. Ghostie? I doubt it.
Then Gen II came around, Gengar got Shadow Ball, and the rest was history, sweet sweet history. The purple spiky-haired blob was made whole and became one of the most beloved party members as shown by their inclusion in every Generation of games except Gen V, which was famous for having a completely fresh Pokédex. I mean, memes don’t lie.
Aesthetics and Biology - On first glance, Gengar is muchly the paragon of the term “weird little guy.” They’re a pillow-shaped body with a face slapped on, arms and legs emanating from the extremities like a haphazard troll, and a spiky haircut that goes down their back. The smile is big and evil, and the eyes add to the disconcerting nature of the first ghost.
But once you put Gengar next to Clefable, then they take on a much more interesting dimension. Yes, they look eerily similar, almost like Gengar was supposed to be the inversion of the fluffy pink full moon worshipper. The addition of Poison as a weakness to the Fairy-type makes this inversion even tastier, as now Gengar is the shadow that can act as Clefable’s Achilles’ heel.
And that’s not where the creepiness ends, either! Have you seen their Pokédex entries? They steal heat. They want to create human companions through possession. They visit naughty children. Hell, go look at the entries for Haunter and Gastly too. Basically, Gengar is a non-stop nightmare machine, and for that reason, the entire family is perfect for the generations who have grown up on this game that have grown increasingly nihilistic. No wonder everyone loves Gengar!
In the Games - After being confined to creepy towers in Generations I and II, you can pretty much find Gastly early and often in most other games. Catching one early on has the same bonus payoff as grabbing Magikarp or Abra, although Gastly is far superior in their first form than either of those two are. Because your opponents, wild or trainer-held, are not going to be nearly as strong as they would be in meta, you can take better advantage of the support moves the evolutionary line gets. Still, the bread and butter for that line is going to be attack, attack, attack. Learning Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse on their own is a good deal. The TMs available will round out your special Ghost. As long as you have a friend with a trade cable or a stable Internet connection? You have one of the best Pokémon in the game at your disposal.
Some powerful trainers trade in the types that Gengar is strong against, offensively or defensively. Larry, Ryme, Eri, Dendra, and Tulip all will regret seeing Gengar in Scarlet/Violet, and trainers like Brawly, Agatha, Sabrina, Chuck, Marshall, and Hala in prior games quake in fear at their awesome ghostly might.
The Nerd Section - Gengar has remained one of the most tantalizing options in the meta for a long, long time. Their above-average Speed and excellent Special Attack stats with two separate immunities and a wide movepool put them in an excellent niche as a special sweeper. For the longest time, the Poison-typing was a liability at worst or superfluous at best, but with the introduction of the Fairy-type in Gen VI, Gengar’s Poison backing gave it even more utility. Power creep tends to phase out old friends, but in this case, the rich ol’ ghost got richer. Plus, depending on what Generation’s sandbox you’re playing in, you get access to either Mega Evolution or a special Gigantamax form. I wonder if either of those will appear in the Indigo Disk DLC for Scarlet/Violet? I say put ‘em all back in, including Z-Moves, and let Arceus decide.
Gengar is not without drawbacks. Luckily, in Gen IX’s meta, they lose their main rival, the stalwart Alakazam who has not been included in either the main game or the Teal Mask DLC just yet. With higher ratings in Special Attack and Speed, a not-too-shabby 95 in Special Defense, and a Psychic-to-Poison offensive advantage, you’re always playing on the quick draw against the Spoony Bard of Pokémon. Also, with them losing Levitate as an ability in Gen VII AND Alolan Dugtrio becoming the ultimate Gengar counter in the process with Steel-typing and the ability to hit them with Earthquakes, well, there’s always a blonde-haired threat around the corner.
However, that doesn’t mean Gengar can’t clean up against some of the other major threats. For example, you get a free check-in against anyone using Normal- and Fighting-type moves. Base Speed of 110 isn’t top percentile, but you’re faster than a lot of heavy hitters. Ghost and Poison STAB will leave dents in a lot of common types, and access to moves like Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, Focus Blast, and Giga Drain give them coverage options. Even Dark Pulse can be an attractive option with the rise of Hisuian Zoroark, even though it’s mostly redundant with Shadow Ball. Of course, it depends on how prominent that big floofy Ghostie is in your corner of meta. According to Smogon, both are in the “Underused” tier in the SV Meta. Of course, your mileage will vary depending on where you play.
Gengar also has excellent access to support and boosting moves. They can inflict four of the five different kinds of status (Burn, Paralysis, Sleep, Poison) and the sixth unofficial Confusion. They can Trick and Taunt. They get the Nasty Plot boost. If you really wanted to be a dick, you could use Spite and drain some PP of the other player, but Gengar’s defenses do not leave much utility for use of that move. They also get Curse, Destiny Bond, and Mean Look, all fun moves for annoyance for bulkier Pokémon. Still, the element of surprise is there if you have space in your boxes to play around. Gengar even gets Haze in Gen IX, which with their speed can be an asset since they could wipe out some stat boosts without having to take a hit. Overall, the utility is pretty interesting, even if the best use for Gengar is a variation on a theme.
Fast and Nasty
Timid Nature (Speed ↑ Attack ↓)
Ability – Cursed Body (only Ability available, has 30 percent chance of disabling an opponent’s move that hits)
EVs – 4 HP/252 Special Attack/252 Speed
Hold Item – Life Orb
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb/Thunderbolt/Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast
- Sludge Bomb/Thunderbolt/Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot
This Gengar is meant to hit hard with boosted speed. They are meant to come in to laugh at a Fighting-type or Normal-type move being thrown, get a Nasty Plot on the switch, and then start hammering away with whatever attack you see fit. The Ghost STAB is the constant here mainly because it hits more would-be switches harder than Sludge Bomb. You still might want to have Sludge Bomb in there if you’re worried about cleaning up on Fairy types, but the other three attacks listed serve niches. Thunderbolt can give you good chunking against bulky Water-types. Dazzling Gleam allows you to hit any Fighting-type thinking they can nail you with a Dark-type attack by staying in a reason to regret. Focus Blast hits Steel-types harder than Shadow Ball, even with its reduced accuracy.
You’re Getting Very Sleepy
Modest Nature (Special Attack ↑ Attack ↓)
Ability – Cursed Body
EVs – 4 HP/252 Special Attack/252 Speed
Hold Item – Life Orb
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb/Thunderbolt/Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast
- Sludge Bomb/Thunderbolt/Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast
- Hypnosis
This set is similar to the above set instead the loss in Special Attack boosting requires Modest instead of Timid here. Hypnosis is still not a sure thing at 60 percent accuracy, but it still allows you a good way to catch a would-be threat by surprise on the switch-in. The move logic applies the same as above.
Finale - Gengar is one of the most enduring Pokémon in the series for good reason. They have a simple but badass aesthetic, they are useful in the main game and in meta, and they appeal to a goth sensibility that attracts older players even after they were supposed to put games like these down. All hail the ghost with the most.
PRIOR WHO’S THAT POKÉMON:
Venusaur
Mimikyu
Haxorus
Blaziken
Heracross
Mismagius
Sylveon
Cursola
Iron Valiant