QC Checks: TheFourthChaser, lucariojr
Overview
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Gengar is a solid team option in VGC 2014 because of its ability to wall opposing Mega Kangaskhan as well as support one's own. Furthermore, Gengar's Mega Evolution's ability, Shadow Tag, prevents opposing Pokemon from switching. Gengar also has a great offensive typing with its Ghost and Poison-type STAB moves hitting almost everything common in the metagame outside Tyranitar for neutral damage. However, Gengar still has the defenses of a toothpick and will easily faint to any super effective hit, which is why most people opt against using it unless paired with Mega Kangaskhan.
Standard
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name: Standard
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Protect
move 4: Taunt / Sludge Bomb
ability: Levitate
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Shadow Ball hits most of the metagame for neutral damage. Will-O-Wisp allows Gengar to burn opposing Mega Kangaskhan as well as Garchomp and Mega Mawile. Protect is very important to stall out burn damage on opponents and allows Gengar to survive longer when a Choice Scarf Pokemon or a priority attacker is trying to chip at its Focus Sash. Taunt is recommended in the last spot to fully assist Mega Kangaskhan: it prevents Tailwind from Zapdo and, more importantly, Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-W and Rotom-H. Alternatively, Sludge Bomb does more damage to neutral opponents than Shadow Ball does and allows Gengar to actually hit opposing Mega Kangaskhan outside of just burning it.
Set Details
========
Max out Speed and power to Speed tie other Gengar if necessary and do as much possible damage with Shadow Ball. Common moves such as Rotom-W's Hydro Pump easily 2HKO Gengar, making any bulk on Gengar fairly irrelevant, and Gengar is carrying a Focus Sash anyway.
Usage Tips
========
Despite its poor defenses, Gengar is relatively easy to bring in due its three immunities. Gengar easily switches in on Mega Kangaskhan, the most popular Mega Evolution in the tier, and Gengar works fantastically to weaken or burn slower Pokemon that threaten one's own Mega Kangaskhan such as Mega Mawile and Garchomp. With that being said, Gengar is mainly good in VGC 2014 because it partners so well with Mega Kangaskhan, and if not using Mega Kangaskhan it loses a huge niche because Gengar is great at burning Mega Mawile and stopping Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-A.
Team Options
========
Mega Kangaskhan is practically a staple as a partner because of how well it is assisted by Gengar. Gengar has great offensive synergy with Garchomp, and it can KO Fairy-type Pokemon for Salamence as well. Quick Guard users such as Scrafty and Talonflame make for good teammates to prevent priority from blowing through Gengar. Furthermore, Talonflame can provide Tailwind support for Mega Kangaskhan and KO opposing priority users before they touch Gengar.
Perish Trapper
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name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Perish Song
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Shadow Ball / Disable
ability: Levitate
item: Gengarite
evs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Mega Gengar utilizes Shadow Tag to trap Pokemon, uses Perish Song, and then switches out before it KOes itself. Substitute helps stall turns of Perish Song, and it works really well with Mega Gengar's incredible base Speed. Protect is another move that helps Mega Gengar stall turns of Perish Song, and it has the added advantage of not lowering Gengar's health. Shadow Ball is the first choice in last spot because of its fantastic offensive coverage. Shadow Ball lets Mega Gengar finish off an enemy before using Perish Song against an opponent's last two remaining Pokemon, and it helps Gengar defeat a weakened enemy trying to double target it. Disable on the other hand can complete ruin Choiced Pokemon and works very well with Prankster + Encore users such as Liepard to make an enemy Pokemon completely useless.
Set Details
========
The EVs are incredibly standard to maximize the niche of the set, which is to Perish Trap and effectively annoy opponents. Special Attack EVs are not necessary because Shadow Ball does enough to kill almost any neutral-damaged Pokemon under 25 percent health.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Gengar is the fastest and therefore most deadly Perish trapper in VGC. Mega Gengar works great as a lead against Mega Kangaskhan to use Perish Song immediately because most Kangaskhan cannot KO it. If you’re using Perish trap Mega Gengar the whole team is meant to revolve around it. Mega Gengar is not meant to be slapped on other teams because unlike Mega Kangaskhan, it needs a ton of support to be used at its best.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle is the most obvious partner because it allows Mega Gengar to switch out after Perish Song while keeping the opponent trapped. Gothorita with Eviolite is another option but is inferior to Gothitelle. Politoed has access to Perish Song and also helps against sun teams, which is important because Heat Waves are very problematic for Perish trap teams. Furthermore, Politoed can get rid of sand, which Mega Gengar very much appreciates so it's not being chipped at behind a Substitute. Because Politoed is a popular partner, other Swift Swim users such as Kingdra work well so one's team is not completely reliant on Perish Song. Eject Button Amoonguss is a popular partner because it can use Spore and Rage Powder to protect Mega Gengar or get in Gothitelle for free after it is hit. Liepard has great base Speed and access to Fake Out, Prankster, and Encore, which can make trapping very easy for Gengar. Liepard can use Encore before Mega Gengar can use Disable, forcing an opponent to Struggle.
Other Options
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Destiny Bond allows Gengar to bring down an opposing Pokemon once it is low on health. This can work well over Shadow Ball, but Mega Gengar then loses the ability to do direct damage to anything. Trick Room on Gengar can surprise an opponent and enable slower Pokemon to have a speed advantage, and it works well on Gengar because Gengar can not be stopped by Fake Out. Substitute + Black Sludge is a reliable combo for increased survivability, as it is a good means for recovery and defense. Gengar can always act as an offensive Pokemon with Life Orb, as it has a high Special Attack and Speed.
Checks & Counters
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**Dark-types**: Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Hydreigon OHKO Gengar with their powerful Dark-type attacks.
**Conkeldurr**: Conkeldurr can take most of Gengar's attacks and benefits from Will-O-Wisp with its Guts ability, and it a huge threat with the potential of Knock Off.
**Choice Scarf Pokemon**: Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Gardevoir and Hydreigon can outspeed Gengar and deal a significant amount of damage.
**Greninja**: Greninja outspeeds Gengar and can inflict a huge amount of damage or even OHKO with attacks in conjunction with Protean.
**Lum Berry**: Pokemon carrying Lum Berry such as Garchomp and Scrafty can render Will-O-Wisp useless and proceed to attack without any risks.
Overview
########
Gengar is a solid team option in VGC 2014 because of its ability to wall opposing Mega Kangaskhan as well as support one's own. Furthermore, Gengar's Mega Evolution's ability, Shadow Tag, prevents opposing Pokemon from switching. Gengar also has a great offensive typing with its Ghost and Poison-type STAB moves hitting almost everything common in the metagame outside Tyranitar for neutral damage. However, Gengar still has the defenses of a toothpick and will easily faint to any super effective hit, which is why most people opt against using it unless paired with Mega Kangaskhan.
Standard
########
name: Standard
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Protect
move 4: Taunt / Sludge Bomb
ability: Levitate
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Shadow Ball hits most of the metagame for neutral damage. Will-O-Wisp allows Gengar to burn opposing Mega Kangaskhan as well as Garchomp and Mega Mawile. Protect is very important to stall out burn damage on opponents and allows Gengar to survive longer when a Choice Scarf Pokemon or a priority attacker is trying to chip at its Focus Sash. Taunt is recommended in the last spot to fully assist Mega Kangaskhan: it prevents Tailwind from Zapdo and, more importantly, Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-W and Rotom-H. Alternatively, Sludge Bomb does more damage to neutral opponents than Shadow Ball does and allows Gengar to actually hit opposing Mega Kangaskhan outside of just burning it.
Set Details
========
Max out Speed and power to Speed tie other Gengar if necessary and do as much possible damage with Shadow Ball. Common moves such as Rotom-W's Hydro Pump easily 2HKO Gengar, making any bulk on Gengar fairly irrelevant, and Gengar is carrying a Focus Sash anyway.
Usage Tips
========
Despite its poor defenses, Gengar is relatively easy to bring in due its three immunities. Gengar easily switches in on Mega Kangaskhan, the most popular Mega Evolution in the tier, and Gengar works fantastically to weaken or burn slower Pokemon that threaten one's own Mega Kangaskhan such as Mega Mawile and Garchomp. With that being said, Gengar is mainly good in VGC 2014 because it partners so well with Mega Kangaskhan, and if not using Mega Kangaskhan it loses a huge niche because Gengar is great at burning Mega Mawile and stopping Will-O-Wisp from Rotom-A.
Team Options
========
Mega Kangaskhan is practically a staple as a partner because of how well it is assisted by Gengar. Gengar has great offensive synergy with Garchomp, and it can KO Fairy-type Pokemon for Salamence as well. Quick Guard users such as Scrafty and Talonflame make for good teammates to prevent priority from blowing through Gengar. Furthermore, Talonflame can provide Tailwind support for Mega Kangaskhan and KO opposing priority users before they touch Gengar.
Perish Trapper
########
name: Perish Trapper
move 1: Perish Song
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Shadow Ball / Disable
ability: Levitate
item: Gengarite
evs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Mega Gengar utilizes Shadow Tag to trap Pokemon, uses Perish Song, and then switches out before it KOes itself. Substitute helps stall turns of Perish Song, and it works really well with Mega Gengar's incredible base Speed. Protect is another move that helps Mega Gengar stall turns of Perish Song, and it has the added advantage of not lowering Gengar's health. Shadow Ball is the first choice in last spot because of its fantastic offensive coverage. Shadow Ball lets Mega Gengar finish off an enemy before using Perish Song against an opponent's last two remaining Pokemon, and it helps Gengar defeat a weakened enemy trying to double target it. Disable on the other hand can complete ruin Choiced Pokemon and works very well with Prankster + Encore users such as Liepard to make an enemy Pokemon completely useless.
Set Details
========
The EVs are incredibly standard to maximize the niche of the set, which is to Perish Trap and effectively annoy opponents. Special Attack EVs are not necessary because Shadow Ball does enough to kill almost any neutral-damaged Pokemon under 25 percent health.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Gengar is the fastest and therefore most deadly Perish trapper in VGC. Mega Gengar works great as a lead against Mega Kangaskhan to use Perish Song immediately because most Kangaskhan cannot KO it. If you’re using Perish trap Mega Gengar the whole team is meant to revolve around it. Mega Gengar is not meant to be slapped on other teams because unlike Mega Kangaskhan, it needs a ton of support to be used at its best.
Team Options
========
Gothitelle is the most obvious partner because it allows Mega Gengar to switch out after Perish Song while keeping the opponent trapped. Gothorita with Eviolite is another option but is inferior to Gothitelle. Politoed has access to Perish Song and also helps against sun teams, which is important because Heat Waves are very problematic for Perish trap teams. Furthermore, Politoed can get rid of sand, which Mega Gengar very much appreciates so it's not being chipped at behind a Substitute. Because Politoed is a popular partner, other Swift Swim users such as Kingdra work well so one's team is not completely reliant on Perish Song. Eject Button Amoonguss is a popular partner because it can use Spore and Rage Powder to protect Mega Gengar or get in Gothitelle for free after it is hit. Liepard has great base Speed and access to Fake Out, Prankster, and Encore, which can make trapping very easy for Gengar. Liepard can use Encore before Mega Gengar can use Disable, forcing an opponent to Struggle.
Other Options
########
Destiny Bond allows Gengar to bring down an opposing Pokemon once it is low on health. This can work well over Shadow Ball, but Mega Gengar then loses the ability to do direct damage to anything. Trick Room on Gengar can surprise an opponent and enable slower Pokemon to have a speed advantage, and it works well on Gengar because Gengar can not be stopped by Fake Out. Substitute + Black Sludge is a reliable combo for increased survivability, as it is a good means for recovery and defense. Gengar can always act as an offensive Pokemon with Life Orb, as it has a high Special Attack and Speed.
Checks & Counters
########
**Dark-types**: Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Hydreigon OHKO Gengar with their powerful Dark-type attacks.
**Conkeldurr**: Conkeldurr can take most of Gengar's attacks and benefits from Will-O-Wisp with its Guts ability, and it a huge threat with the potential of Knock Off.
**Choice Scarf Pokemon**: Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Gardevoir and Hydreigon can outspeed Gengar and deal a significant amount of damage.
**Greninja**: Greninja outspeeds Gengar and can inflict a huge amount of damage or even OHKO with attacks in conjunction with Protean.
**Lum Berry**: Pokemon carrying Lum Berry such as Garchomp and Scrafty can render Will-O-Wisp useless and proceed to attack without any risks.
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