TheEnder
a petal in the wind
Life Orb Attacker
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name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt / Substitute
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 29 HP
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Shadow Ball is Gengar's main STAB attack, as its neutral coverage is fantastic and it deals solid damage to most Pokemon. Sludge Wave is Gengar's secondary STAB attack, giving Gengar the ability to hit Fairy-types and Grass-types for super effective damage. Sludge Wave also hits some additional threats neutrally, such as Mandibuzz, Rotom-W, and Keldeo, and does more damage than Shadow Ball due to its higher Base Power. Focus Blast gives Gengar the ability to hit most Dark-types for super effective damage, dealing a lot of damage to or straight up OHKOing them. Alongside Shadow Ball it has perfect neutral coverage, and it gives Gengar a way of severely hurting more defensively-oriented Pokemon, such as Heatran and Ferrothorn. Taunt is the primary choice for Gengar's last moveslot, as it stops defensively-oriented Pokemon such as Chansey and Amoonguss from healing and using status moves. It also prevents setup sweepers such as Mega Charizard X and Mega Gyarados from setting up. Substitute is an option over Taunt, as it allows Gengar to play around and take advantage of Sucker Punch. It also eases prediction against offensively oriented teams, which often carry Pokemon capable of switching into one or two of Gengar's attacks, such as Greninja and Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Like Taunt, it blocks status afflictions, but coupled with recoil from Life Orb, it will cause Gengar's health to go down fast.
Set Details
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Life Orb is the item of choice for this set, as it maximizes Gengar's damage output while maintaining the ability to switch moves. The given EV spread with a Timid nature makes Gengar's attacks deal as much damage as possible, while using its great Speed stat to its full extent. To take minimal recoil from Life Orb, running 29 HP IVs is required.
Usage Tips
========
Gengar can be very hard to deal with, especially for balanced and stall teams, as it often comes in for free on many staple Pokemon on stall teams. Therefore, bringing Gengar in on Clefable, Quagsire, and Gliscor and Mega Venusaur without Knock Off is advised. Against more offensive teams, Life Orb Gengar can prove to be a problem, as its unpredictability makes it hard to prepare for. Utilizing Gengar's great defensive typing and bringing it in on predicted Fighting-, Ground-, or Normal-type moves is the best way to use it against offensive teams. Many offensive threats, such as Keldeo, Terrakion, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, are often Choice-locked, meaning Gengar can fire off an attack without the fear of getting attacked in return. If running Substitute, it's advised to use it carefully, as Gengar's health goes down very quickly with the recoil from both Substitute and Life Orb.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards support is strongly advised for Gengar to have an easier time breaking down bulkier cores. Therefore, Spikes users such as Ferrothorn and Greninja make good teammates. Wallbreakers that can take advantage of the switches Gengar forces against stall teams, such as Keldeo, Crawdaunt, Mega Gardevoir, and Landorus, make good teammates as well, as the opponent's switch patterns often become predictable. U-turn or Volt Switch users such as Landorus-T, Rotom-W, and Mega Manectric make good partners, as they can give Gengar a free switch into their counters, such as Gliscor and Clefable, both of which are beaten by Gengar. Pokemon that appreciate having the likes of Mega Venusaur, Clefable, and Gliscor taken out, such as Azumarill, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Mega Heracross, make great teammates, as breaking down the opposing team becomes much easier when Gengar has broken down their counters. Defensive, bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Scizor make good teammates due to their typing, as they can come in on priority attacks that threaten Gengar.
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name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt / Substitute
ability: Levitate
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 29 HP
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Shadow Ball is Gengar's main STAB attack, as its neutral coverage is fantastic and it deals solid damage to most Pokemon. Sludge Wave is Gengar's secondary STAB attack, giving Gengar the ability to hit Fairy-types and Grass-types for super effective damage. Sludge Wave also hits some additional threats neutrally, such as Mandibuzz, Rotom-W, and Keldeo, and does more damage than Shadow Ball due to its higher Base Power. Focus Blast gives Gengar the ability to hit most Dark-types for super effective damage, dealing a lot of damage to or straight up OHKOing them. Alongside Shadow Ball it has perfect neutral coverage, and it gives Gengar a way of severely hurting more defensively-oriented Pokemon, such as Heatran and Ferrothorn. Taunt is the primary choice for Gengar's last moveslot, as it stops defensively-oriented Pokemon such as Chansey and Amoonguss from healing and using status moves. It also prevents setup sweepers such as Mega Charizard X and Mega Gyarados from setting up. Substitute is an option over Taunt, as it allows Gengar to play around and take advantage of Sucker Punch. It also eases prediction against offensively oriented teams, which often carry Pokemon capable of switching into one or two of Gengar's attacks, such as Greninja and Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Like Taunt, it blocks status afflictions, but coupled with recoil from Life Orb, it will cause Gengar's health to go down fast.
Set Details
========
Life Orb is the item of choice for this set, as it maximizes Gengar's damage output while maintaining the ability to switch moves. The given EV spread with a Timid nature makes Gengar's attacks deal as much damage as possible, while using its great Speed stat to its full extent. To take minimal recoil from Life Orb, running 29 HP IVs is required.
Usage Tips
========
Gengar can be very hard to deal with, especially for balanced and stall teams, as it often comes in for free on many staple Pokemon on stall teams. Therefore, bringing Gengar in on Clefable, Quagsire, and Gliscor and Mega Venusaur without Knock Off is advised. Against more offensive teams, Life Orb Gengar can prove to be a problem, as its unpredictability makes it hard to prepare for. Utilizing Gengar's great defensive typing and bringing it in on predicted Fighting-, Ground-, or Normal-type moves is the best way to use it against offensive teams. Many offensive threats, such as Keldeo, Terrakion, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, are often Choice-locked, meaning Gengar can fire off an attack without the fear of getting attacked in return. If running Substitute, it's advised to use it carefully, as Gengar's health goes down very quickly with the recoil from both Substitute and Life Orb.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards support is strongly advised for Gengar to have an easier time breaking down bulkier cores. Therefore, Spikes users such as Ferrothorn and Greninja make good teammates. Wallbreakers that can take advantage of the switches Gengar forces against stall teams, such as Keldeo, Crawdaunt, Mega Gardevoir, and Landorus, make good teammates as well, as the opponent's switch patterns often become predictable. U-turn or Volt Switch users such as Landorus-T, Rotom-W, and Mega Manectric make good partners, as they can give Gengar a free switch into their counters, such as Gliscor and Clefable, both of which are beaten by Gengar. Pokemon that appreciate having the likes of Mega Venusaur, Clefable, and Gliscor taken out, such as Azumarill, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Mega Heracross, make great teammates, as breaking down the opposing team becomes much easier when Gengar has broken down their counters. Defensive, bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Scizor make good teammates due to their typing, as they can come in on priority attacks that threaten Gengar.
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