This is one of the most common Gengar sets, and a fine set it is. With three immunities, Gengar is rarely short of opportunities to switch in safely. Once in, Gengar can then incapacitate an opponent with Hypnosis. After that, Gengar can simply fire away with those three attacks, backed up by a mightily impressive Special Attack stat. With Life Orb and a Timid nature, you can 2HKO the standard Snorlax and 3HKO Blissey (4HKO if Blissey has Special Defense) with Focus Blast. Gengar still outspeeds bulky Gyarados after a Dragon Dance, so you can easily take Gyarados out with Thunderbolt. If the accuracy of Focus Blast puts you off, then you can switch to Focus Punch. With only a neutral Attack nature (Hasty or Naive), a Life Orb Focus Punch easily OHKOs an incoming Tyranitar or Weavile and can also 2HKO Blissey and Snorlax.
Odd though it may seem to use Choice Scarf on something as fast as Gengar, this set has some very alluring advantages. Gengar's varied movepool lets it act as an effective revenge killer against some of the biggest threats in D/P; Azelf, Tyranitar, Gyarados (including bulky varieties), Garchomp, and Salamence will all fall in one hit to their corresponding moves without significant defensive investment. Choice Scarf Gengar is by no means a counter to such Pokemon, but it can easily save you the match should you make an error and let your Gyarados counter be KOed by something like Pursuit. If your team already has sufficient coverage against one of the aforementioned threats, feel free to swap an attack out for Hypnosis or Destiny Bond, which give Gengar the capacity to stop most other opponents in their tracks. Explosion (preferably used with a Mild or Hasty nature) allows you to revenge kill a large number of Pokemon with one move as well, but don't expect to beat Blissey without a significant amount of investment in Attack or some previous damage. Timid nature might seem like true overkill, but it does let you get the jump on other Scarf Gengar or anything sitting just above. Since most Pokemon near that Speed level will be fragile enough to be defeated in one hit, possessing a Speed advantage can frequently net you a surprise KO. You maintain all the aforementioned OHKOs as well (with the exception of Garchomp, who has less than a 20% chance to survive Hidden Power Ice), so Timid is definitely worth consideration.
Anything with Speed and Special Attack stats as impressive as Gengar is an obvious candidate for Choice Specs. This set carries immense power and the same fantastic type coverage of the previous sets. You won't be outspeeding Choice Scarf Garchomp or Weavile here, but neither can afford to switch in safely, nor can much else. Explosion over Hidden Power Ice gives you the opportunity to finish off a weakened Blissey or some other troublesome foe.
This set will always OHKO Blissey with Explosion. There aren't many things that can safely switch into this moveset. If OHKOing Blissey is not a priority, you can sacrifice some Attack EVs for extra Special Attack EVs.
This set focuses on statusing your opponents. It has both status moves and some extra HP so that it can inflict as many status effects as possible. The EVs are up to you, this is just a general spread that allows for a solid gain for Leftovers. If you are concerned about the accuracy of Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp, and Focus Blast, you can use Wide Lens for a slight accuracy boost.
This moveset can potentially cripple one half of your opponent's team if it is used correctly. You start by Countering an obvious OHKO move from a Pokémon like Weavile. That's one Pokémon down already. If you are feeling lucky, you can attempt to put another Pokémon to sleep with Hypnosis. However, if Sand Stream is in effect, you would be better off having already put something to sleep. Once you counter the Pokémon you will already be dead as well. And the last mission is to Explode on or Destiny Bond the third Pokémon. It is pretty simple, but Sand Stream really ruins it. A risky set, which is only useful as a lead, but it can be very effective under the right circumstances. Other OptionsSludge Bomb was left out of the main sets, as it offers rather poor coverage. Most Grass-types won't enjoy a hit from Shadow Ball (especially Celebi), and are unlikely to stay in on Gengar, as Gengar resists their main STAB attacks. Gengar has Energy Ball and Giga Drain to hammer Swampert and Rhyperior, if either is a problem for your team. Hidden Power Fire gives Gengar a more powerful attack against Steel-types like Metagross, Bronzong, and Jirachi. Psychic hurts Fighters more than Gengar's other attacks, but most of them won't enjoy boosted Shadow Balls, so it remains a lesser option. Mean Look can trap an opponent so you can Explode on them. Perish Song can phaze opponents. Don't be tempted to use both Mean Look and Perish Song together, as Mismagius' superior defenses make it a better option for that strategy. Taunt can prevent Blissey firing off Thunder Wave, so you can send in your physical attackers without fearing status. Substitute is good for scouting attacks, although it requires sacrificing type coverage or the more useful support options, like Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp. Because of Gengar's plethora of attacks, Expert Belt is a fine option. It allows Gengar to hit harder, but without the 10% recoil that Life Orb inflicts. If you're playing under Item Clause, you can use Black Sludge over Leftovers. EVs341 Speed (216 EVs) outruns max Speed Adamant Dugtrio and Timid Mismagius, which also puts you ahead of Jolly Garchomp. 347 beats max Speed Infernape, while maxing your Speed gives you the chance to win the coin flip against opposing Gengar. 204 Speed EVs is a good point to aim for on Choice Scarf sets so Gengar will outrun Choice Scarf Garchomp and Timid Choice Scarf Roserade, though max Speed is generally preferable to tie with other Choice Scarf Gengar. Use a Timid nature if Gengar is only carrying special attacks, or Hasty or Naive if it has Explosion and / or Focus Punch. An Attack stat of 200 (Hasty or Naive nature, 136 EVs) is required to guarantee a OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Defense Bold Blissey with a Life Orb Explosion. 193 Attack (108 EVs) plus Life Orb will OHKO the common 148 HP / 252 Defense Bold versions. OpinionGengar is one of the most unpredictable Pokémon you will encounter. It has an excellent movepool backed up with great Speed and mightily impressive Special Attack. Although Gengar's defenses are awful, its immunity to the popular Ground and Fighting attacks allows it plenty of opportunities to come in and wreak havoc. CountersAnything with Pursuit will really ruin Gengar, although Weavile and Tyranitar fear Focus Blast and Will-O-Wisp, and Metagross won't enjoy a burn or repeated hits from Shadow Ball / Focus Blast (which 2HKO with Choice Specs). If Tyranitar has 252 HP / 216 Special Defense, Careful, it will always survive Timid Gengar's Life Orb Focus Blast. If it has 252 HP / 128 Special Defense, it will survive Modest Choice Scarf Gengar all the time. Beware of Choice Scarf Heracross's Pursuit, especially if it switches into a Will-O-Wisp. Spiritomb has both Pursuit and Sucker Punch and plenty of Special Defense to absorb Gengar's attacks. Be wary of Sucker Punch and / or Pursuit from various other less common opponents as well, like Absol, Drapion, and Toxicroak. Blissey does fine against most sets, paralyzing with Thunder Wave and wearing Gengar down with whichever special attack (Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt) she happens to carry. Snorlax with Crunch does a fine job, especially Sleep Talk versions as they can absorb Hypnosis. Snorlax can also put the hurt on Gengar by packing Pursuit. Beware of Focus Punch, Focus Blast, and Explosion though. Jirachi and Bronzong both do well if they avoid a burn. In the case of the former, even Will-O-Wisp won't trouble it too much if it carries Psychic rather than Zen Headbutt. Heatran (especially Choice Scarf versions) can switch into everything barring a Fighting attack, and gets a boost from the occasional Will-O-Wisp. Even without a boost, Fire Blast will OHKO most Gengar. Gengar's attacking power and incredible movepool mean that countering it is a rather daunting prospect. Thankfully, Gengar is incredibly fragile and most neutral attacks will at least be a 2HKO. |
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