[OVERVIEW]
Gengar possesses the best Speed of any sleeper in the game, a unique Normal immunity, and the coveted Explosion. It outpaces relevant threats like Jynx, Mew, and Zapdos, allowing it to cripple them with Hypnosis before they can threaten it in return. Gengar's Normal immunity carries substantial utility, letting it absorb the plentiful Explosions in the metagame for free and walling Mew and Snorlax sets carrying only Normal-type moves. Additionally, it can come in handy against Persian and Wrap users like Dragonite and Victreebel, though these Pokemon do not see much use. Gengar can use its own Explosion, armed with a fearsome 21.47% critical hit rate, to significantly damage anything that is not Rock- or Ghost-type, making problematic foes simpler to dispatch and enabling offensive teammates like Mewtwo to make progress. Aside from this, Gengar packs Night Shade to do decent, consistent damage to all Pokemon and a powerful Thunderbolt to threaten Water-types like Slowbro.
Gengar is hindered by its inconsistency—it has to rely on Hypnosis's low accuracy, and this is exacerbated by its poor physical bulk and unfortunate weaknesses to Psychic and Ground. Moreover, while Gengar is immune to Body Slam and thus its paralysis chance, other moves like Thunder Wave and Stun Spore can still cripple it, preventing it from outpacing naturally slower Pokemon and paralyzed Mewtwo and threatening them with Explosion. After Gengar gets off sleep, it can't do much to Rhydon and Golem unless it decides to drop a move for the otherwise useless Mega Drain, and it needs Explosion to threaten many other relevant Pokemon like Exeggutor, Chansey, Mew, and Mewtwo. These flaws do not outweigh Gengar's unique utilities, however, and it is a solid pick on an RBY Ubers team.
[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Night Shade
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Explosion
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis renders a foe almost useless. Night Shade deals consistent damage, and it's Gengar's best option against Exeggutor and Jolteon. Thunderbolt 2HKOes Starmie, Cloyster, and Slowbro. If Slowbro has boosted its Special, Gengar can switch in on its Rest and fish for a critical hit OHKO with it. Thunderbolt deals more damage to Tauros and Snorlax than Night Shade can, and a critical hit also deals more damage to Mew. Explosion lets Gengar remain relevant after it lands sleep, threatening sizable damage, preventing the victim from recovering if it is slower, and allowing one of its teammates to switch in for free and finish the victim off. A critical hit can notably OHKO Mewtwo, Mew, and Snorlax.
Gengar is usually used as a lead, possessing favorable matchups against Exeggutor and the rare Jynx. However, Gengar stands to take severe damage from their super effective STAB Psychics or get crippled with status itself if it misses Hypnosis. It can avoid this risk against Jynx specifically by trading for it with Explosion. If paired with a backup sleeper, this can give Gengar's team room to get sleep off on a more valuable target. Explosion is generally not preferable over putting Jynx to sleep, though, as it means the team can't wall Mew or Snorlax carrying only Normal-type moves and absorb Explosions, and it can leave a more valuable teammate at risk of taking sleep itself. Gengar has worse prospects against other leads—Tauros is the most common in the metagame, and, although they share the same Speed, Tauros always carries Earthquake, which 2HKOes Gengar, or OHKOes it in the significantly likely event of a critical hit. Faster paralysis leads like Starmie and Alakazam scare Gengar out with the threat of Thunder Wave or a critical hit Psychic. If Gengar gets off Hypnosis, it can apply pressure with Night Shade or switch to a teammate that can scare the sleeping foe out. Sacking Gengar to sleep when facing a sleeper can be a wise choice—it can still take advantage of its Normal immunity asleep, and its good Speed means it is more likely to be useful if it wakes up later in the game. It should be noted that Gengar's presence on a team can dissuade opponents from using moves like Body Slam and Explosion. This can make predicting these moves and switching it in risky, as many Pokemon using these moves also have the coverage moves necessary to hit it for severe damage.
Gengar's Explosion can help its partners make progress against the opposing team, but there a few points to consider before using it. First of all, the opponent's movesets on Mew and Snorlax should be scouted beforehand; if they carry only Normal-type moves, sacrificing Gengar makes them much more threatening. It is also important to check for any Ghost- or Rock-types such as other Gengar, Rhydon, and Golem, as they can render Explosion useless by switching in on it. Even if these Pokemon aren't present, sleeping or frozen Pokemon are often used to take Explosion, as they are not likely to be useful otherwise.
Gengar appreciates backup sleepers to compensate for its unreliability. Exeggutor pairs well with it thanks to its resistances to Ground and Psychic and fair bulk. It can switch into Earthquake from lead Tauros and land sleep in Gengar's stead, while Gengar can break through certain threats Exeggutor has trouble with, like Slowbro and Starmie. Sing Chansey and Jynx take little damage from Psychic and can block sleep moves from the opposing team if they get paralyzed on the switch. In addition, they have Ice-type coverage to hit the Pokemon that wall Gengar. Chansey has instant recovery and Thunder Wave, letting it remain useful throughout the game, while Jynx is the next fastest sleeper after Gengar. They benefit from Gengar's immunity to Normal, especially Jynx, as its reliance on Rest for recovery can lure in physical threats like Mew and Snorlax. Offensive threats often work well alongside Gengar. Slowbro is another Pokemon that resists Psychic, and it OHKOes Rhydon and Golem with its unboosted Surf. It profits nicely from having Gengar as a teammate, as it tends to draw in Explosions and has difficulties dealing with other Water-types. Articuno and Zapdos are immune to Ground, and Gengar's immunity to Body Slam gives them room to come in safely through double switching. Articuno blasts through Rhydon and Golem, while Zapdos performs better against Chansey and has Thunder Wave to paralyze Pokemon that switch into it, like Mewtwo. Tauros can clean up foes that are put to sleep by Hypnosis and threaten anything that walls Gengar. In return, Gengar's Explosion can put Pokemon in its KO range and provide it an opportunity to switch in.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Gengar's other moves are all niche at best. Mega Drain 2HKOes Rhydon and Golem and restores some of its HP, but this move has no use otherwise, and they OHKO it with their Earthquakes, so it needs to hit them on a predicted switch-in. Confuse Ray might seem like an appealing option for paralyzed Mew and Mewtwo, as it further reduces their chances of threatening Gengar or healing off damage. Unfortunately, confusion is unreliable, it wears off after a few turns, and it can be removed by switching out. Moreover, Mew and Mewtwo can deal major damage to Gengar or cripple it with paralysis if they manage to hit it regardless. Seismic Toss has greater PP than Night Shade, but it isn't preferable, as it is subject to Counter and Gengar's lack of recovery means its PP advantage will not realistically matter.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Paralysis prevents Gengar from outspeeding naturally slower Pokemon and, importantly, paralyzed Mewtwo, making it more difficult to threaten with Explosion.
**Alakazam and Exeggutor**: Alakazam and Exeggutor threaten 2HKOs on Gengar with Psychic, and they can cripple it with their status moves. Alakazam, particularly, is faster than Gengar, has Recover to shrug off Night Shade and Thunderbolt, and is fine with being sacked to Hypnosis. Exeggutor generally does not run a recovery move, and, although Night Shade only 4HKOes it, it doesn't appreciate the damage regardless, as it pressures it into using Explosion sooner.
**Rhydon and Golem**: These Pokemon both OHKO Gengar and take little damage from all of its moves, aside from the niche Mega Drain. Rhydon's Substitutes survive a Night Shade, so it can set up on it. On the other hand, they would prefer not to take damage if it is not necessary, as their only option for recovery is Rest, and Golem is pressured into using Explosion earlier.
**Tauros**: Tauros shares its Speed with Gengar and 2HKOes it with Earthquake, with a solid critical hit rate backing it up. The two usually interact as leads, so Gengar can try to nullify it as a threat with Hypnosis, but this is dangerous, and Tauros doesn't mind taking sleep for its teammates. If sleeping Tauros is not possible, Gengar's next best option for it is Thunderbolt, which only 4HKOes.
**Snorlax**: Like Tauros, Snorlax 2HKOes Gengar with its Earthquake, but Gengar's Thunderbolt only 5HKOes it. However, Snorlax does not want to take its Explosion or be put to sleep by Hypnosis, or take chip damage in the event it is not running Rest.
**Mew**: Mew can use any of Earthquake, Thunder Wave, and Psychic to threaten Gengar, but it's outsped and it despises Hypnosis. Explosion is a major threat for it, too, as a critical hit can OHKO it.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo outpaces Gengar and OHKOes it with Psychic after an Amnesia boost or with a critical hit. Mewtwo must keep away from Hypnosis at all costs, though, and it wants to avoid Gengar if it is paralyzed: Explosion will more likely than not OHKO it on a critical hit, and a regular hit is still liable to leave Mewtwo in range for other Pokemon to finish it off.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Mikon, 535276]]
- Quality checked by: [[Oiseau Bleu, 431020], [Ctown6, 509438]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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