Gengar is a major threat, and with good reason. With base 130 Special Attack and 110 Speed, as well as a great STAB type and good type coverage, Gengar is capable of dealing heavy damage to the opponent's team. Gengar also has three extremely useful immunities to Ground, Normal, and Fighting to work with, allowing it to switch in against Pokémon such as Scarf Flygon locked into Earthquake, Choice Band Machamp locked into DynamicPunch, or Choice Scarf Heatran locked into Earth Power. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast give Gengar complete type coverage and hit some of the metagame's top threats for super effective damage. Focus Blast always OHKOes max HP Tyranitar in sandstorm; however, Gengar should be cautious due to Focus Blast's shaky 70% accuracy. It also does a good amount of damage to standard Snorlax and always OHKOes min HP Heatran. Thunderbolt offers a quick OHKO against Gyarados and 2HKOes max HP Suicune. Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Scizor and deals 59.34% - 70.33% to max HP Metagross. It should be noted that by running Hidden Power Fire, Gengar is forced to have an imperfect Speed IV, which means that it will almost always lose the speed tie against opposing Gengar and Latias. 40 Attack EVs and a Hasty nature (92 Attack EVs when using Timid nature) are recommended when using Explosion, allowing Gengar to OHKO standard Blissey after Stealth Rock (watch out for Protect though). Hypnosis could be used in the final slot, however its low accuracy makes it a less than ideal option. It is one of Gengar's best options against Blissey, who does not threaten Gengar immediately with Flamethrower or Ice Beam. Gengar should watch out for Thunder Wave though.
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 the game; Azelf, Tyranitar, Gyarados (including bulky varieties), and Salamence will all fall in one hit to their corresponding moves if they lack significant defensive investment or type-resisting berries such as the Wacan Berry. Choice Scarf Gengar is by no means a counter to such Pokémon, but it can easily save you the match should you make an error and let your Gyarados counter be KOed by something like Pursuit. When you're finally tired of or no longer need to revenge kill any of your opponent's Pokémon, Gengar can then relieve itself of the penalties of its Choice Scarf at the expense of one of your opponent's Pokémon with the move Trick. This cripples most of Gengar's common switch-ins like Blissey and Snorlax by swapping their Leftovers for your Choice Scarf and more or less making them a burden for your opponent for the remainder of the match. Trick can also be used in lieu of Thunderbolt, as Trick cripples most targets of Thunderbolt anyway (Skarmory for example). Explosion (preferably used with a Mild or Hasty nature) allows you to revenge kill a large number of Pokémon with one move as well, but don't expect to beat Blissey without a significant amount of investment in Attack or some previous damage. Alternatively, this moveset is also ideal for Choice Specs Gengar. With such high Speed and Special Attack stats, Choice Specs is indeed a fearsome item on an opposing Gengar. In comparison to the Choice Scarf set, you won't be outspeeding Pokémon like Weavile or a once Dragon Danced Salamence here, but you'll pack way more power so neither can afford to switch in safely, nor can much else. Timid is the nature of choice here, as without a Choice Scarf you're going to want Gengar to be outspeeding as much as possible.
Substitute allows Gengar to deal with the Pokémon that commonly switch into it—namely Blissey, Scizor, and Snorlax. Substitute not only blocks status and eases prediction, but allows Gengar to Focus Punch without risk of being hit. Focus Punch with the given EVs and item deals 63.29% - 74.81% to 0 HP / 252 Def Calm Blissey and 53.08% - 62.46% to 252 HP / 252 Bold Blissey, both a 2HKO even when factoring in Leftovers recovery (however, Bold Blissey can avoid the 2HKO with Protect). Focus Punch also deals 62.23% - 73.37% to min HP Heatran, meaning Stealth Rock followed by Focus Punch and Shadow Ball has a small chance of KOing. Normally, Gengar should Substitute first turn, allowing it to OHKO Scizor hoping to OHKO with Bullet Punch or Forretress with Gyro Ball. Once behind a Substitute, Gengar can more safely use Hypnosis without fear of retaliation. Once the opponent is safely asleep and Gengar is behind its Substitute, it can begin to wreak havoc with the unresisted type coverage provided by Focus Punch and Shadow Ball. Expert Belt is chosen over Leftovers for one main reason. It saves Gengar from having to transfer a significant amount of Special Attack EVs into Attack (because Blissey and Snorlax are hit super effectively by Focus Punch), which would significantly lower Shadow Ball's damage on common neutral threats like Salamence and Gyarados. The lack of any kind of recovery is a non-issue too because Gengar can switch-in numerous times on one of its many immunities (hopefully only ever taking damage from Stealth Rock). Explosion can be used in the final slot in place of Hidden Power Fire, allowing Gengar to go out with a literal bang, dealing more damage than normal due to the investment in Attack.
Substitute is an excellent move on Gengar and serves a multitude of purposes. On something as frail and susceptible to Pursuit and priority attacks as Gengar, having an "extra life" beyond those meager defenses is a great asset. It helps it deal with Tyranitar and Scizor, two of its greatest threats, by scouting their switch in with Substitute and then hitting them with the respective 4x super effective attack. Substitute also allows you to evade status, meaning you don't need to fear paralysis from Celebi, among others. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast pair up to give Gengar the unresisted Ghost / Fighting coverage, and Focus Blast in particular is essential for dealing with any Tyranitar or Weavile that try to come in and Pursuit you. Hidden Power Fire in the last slot grants Gengar a quick OHKO on Scizor and Forretress, as well as giving it a way of hurting Skarmory without having to risk Focus Blast's poor accuracy. However, another very viable option for the last slot is Hypnosis. With its unreliable 60% accuracy, it is a risky move to try and use on a standard Gengar set. Substitute, however, effectively gives Gengar two shots at sleeping an opponent, and Hypnosis has a reasonable 84% chance to hit at least once out of two uses. The fact that it is so unexpected from Gengar anymore makes it all the more effective. Hidden Power Fire is useful but not essential, as Focus Blast hits Scizor plenty hard anyway, meaning Hypnosis is a useable option as well. Alternatively, you can play this Gengar just like the standard sweeper set but with Substitute, and so go with Thunderbolt in the last slot to get the super effective hit on bulky waters and Gyarados. Even without a specific boosting item, Gengar gets the KOs it needs to. Focus Blast OHKOes 252 HP Tyranitar after taking Stealth Rock damage, and the bulkier 252 HP / 216 SpD Careful Tyranitar won't be OHKOed even by a Life Orb Focus Blast. However, this Gengar has the advantage of Substitute, usually giving it two shots against Tyranitar if Focus Blast's accuracy lets it down the first time. Leftovers provides a reliable source of healing for Gengar and helps offset the HP loss from Substitute. It also means that in a sandstorm, Gengar won't be losing obscenely large amounts of health to residual damage. There are other item choices for this set, such as Wide Lens to slightly increase the chances of Hypnosis and Focus Blast hitting, and Petaya Berry to turn Gengar into a deadly sweeper when at low health, but usually Leftovers is the best item to have. The advantages of using this Gengar over a similar set utilizing Substitute and Focus Punch are that it is not required to run Expert Belt and split its offensive EVs, and it can use Focus Blast to revenge kill threatening Pokémon such as Lucario and non-Scarf Heatran. Other OptionsSludge Bomb was left out of the main sets, as it offers rather poor type coverage despite being Gengar’s most powerful attack. 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. Psychic hurts Fighters more than Gengar's other attacks, but most of them won't enjoy boosted Shadow Balls, so it still remains a lesser option. Mean Look can trap an opponent so you can Explode on them and Perish Song can phaze opponents. Mismagius is better than Gengar in this respect due to Mismagius' higher Special Defense, but Gengar can employ Hypnosis (and it also has more Speed than Mismagius). Taunt can prevent Blissey from firing off Thunder Wave and Toxic, allowing you to switch in your physical attackers without fearing status. Will-O-Wisp can hit Tyranitar and Scizor hoping to switch in; however, it is an option better left to any of the Rotom Appliances. Destiny Bond works well in place of Explosion if you are sure that Gengar will be KOed with the following attack. 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. 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 Adamant once-Dragon Danced Salamence and positive natured Choice Scarfed base 90 Pokémon, though max Speed is generally preferable to tie with other Choice Scarf Gengar. A Timid nature allows you to outspeed up to positive-natured base 105 Pokémon. You can however opt to use a Hasty or Naive nature if you want to use Explosion. An Attack stat of 200 (Hasty or Naive nature, 136 EVs) is required to guarantee an OHKO on 252 HP / 252 Defense Bold Blissey with a Life Orb Explosion. Gengar can invest 72 EVs in Defense allowing it to always survive CB Scizor Bullet Punch assuming it has not taken any prior damage. OpinionGengar is one of the most unpredictable Pokémon you will encounter. It has an excellent movepool backed up with great Speed and impressive Special Attack. Although Gengar's defenses are awful, its immunity to the popular Ground- and Fighting-type attacks (and Normal-type ones too) allows it plenty of opportunities to switch in and wreak havoc. CountersAnything with Pursuit will really ruin Gengar, especially choiced variants, although Weavile and Tyranitar fear Focus Blast and Metagross won't enjoy a burn or repeated hits from Shadow Ball / Focus Blast (which can 2HKO with Choice Specs). If Tyranitar has 252 HP / 216 Special Defense and a Careful nature 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' Pursuit too. 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, Dugtrio, and Toxicroak. Scizor also makes an excellent counter to Gengar as it resists Shadow Ball. Once in, Scizor can either use Bullet Punch if Gengar stays in, or Pursuit a fleeing one. Blissey does well against most sets; she can paralyze Gengar with Thunder Wave or wear it down with whichever special attack (Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt) she happens to carry. Blissey can be easily shut down by Tricking a Choice item onto her, though. 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 with their high Special Defense and neutrality to most of Gengar's attacks. Heatran (especially Choice Scarf versions) can switch into everything barring a Fighting-type attack, and gets a boost from Hidden Power Fire. Even without a boost, Fire Blast will OHKO standard Gengar 66% of the time. 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 score a 2HKO. |
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