[OVERVIEW]
Gengar makes a name for itself in RBY OU as the tier’s fastest sleep inducer, giving it a prominent role in the lead metagame, as it threatens every other sleep-inducing lead in the game. Gengar is the only Pokemon immune to Body Slam and Hyper Beam. Its high Special allows it to deal solid damage with Thunderbolt, and access to Explosion allows it to threaten walls and bulky foes like Chansey and Exeggutor. In addition, its 21.48% critical hit rate makes these offensive tools all the more dangerous.
However, Gengar’s secondary Poison-type, frailty, shaky accuracy with Hypnosis, and lower Speed relative to its threats all prove to be significant flaws that make Gengar somewhat unreliable. Its Poison-type allows Tauros and Snorlax, which would otherwise be walled, to threaten it with Earthquake. It also allows Alakazam and Starmie, which both outspeed Gengar, to severely threaten it with Psychic. This poor defensive typing is exacerbated by Gengar’s poor bulk, which leaves it 2HKOed by every STAB Psychic user barring Jynx, which has a 98.8% chance to 2HKO, and Slowbro, which rarely carries Psychic. Gengar also has reliability concerns as a sleeper, as its frailty combined with the 60% accuracy of Hypnosis means it may fail to put a foe to sleep before it is KOed or forced to use Explosion.
[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Night Shade / Psychic
move 4: Explosion
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is necessary to facilitate Gengar’s role as a sleep inducer. Thunderbolt is Gengar’s primary attack, allowing it to put immense pressure on the Water-types of the tier. Explosion, despite coming off of a poor 65 Attack stat, still manages to hit extremely hard. It is used to break physically frail Pokemon, such as Jynx, which is almost always OHKOed, as well as Chansey and Alakazam with prior chip damage.
The remaining move is mostly a choice between Night Shade and Psychic. Night Shade deals consistent damage to everything, while Psychic can critically hit and drop Special but is worse against Psychic-types. Night Shade’s main notable targets are Exeggutor, which resists Gengar's other moves, and Zapdos, which takes considerably more damage from Night Shade than Psychic or Thunderbolt. Psychic, meanwhile, is more useful for opposing Gengar, and it also threatens Rhydon as it switches in or if it's at low health. Psychic also serves to better pressure Snorlax and Chansey.
Gengar’s unreliability in securing sleep makes a second sleep inducer strongly recommended. Sing Chansey is the most common partner for Gengar, but Exeggutor is also frequently seen alongside it. Jynx is also possible to use as a backup sleeper but is much rarer. Gengar is most commonly run as a lead. If it can land Hypnosis, it can then be used to pressure Water-types, wall variants of Snorlax and Tauros lacking Earthquake, or as a sacrifice to the opposing sleep inducer. If Gengar cannot put something to sleep before being forced out, the backup sleep inducer can try to induce sleep later. Gengar's best opportunity to switch in to try to land Hypnosis is on Snorlax. It can either try to switch into an expected Body Slam or against a Snorlax confirmed to not be carrying Earthquake.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mega Drain is the most common other option and is used for the purpose of hitting Rhydon. It is not recommended because its low Base Power means it only 2HKOes Rhydon, doing just under 63% on a maximum damage roll, while Gengar is OHKOed in return by Earthquake. Mega Drain therefore only works if Rhydon is significantly chipped, asleep, or if Gengar critically hits.
Anything else that Gengar can use is either extremely niche or luck-reliant. Confuse Ray is primarily used to prevent Chansey from healing and to generally increase the opportunities for favorable RNG. Counter can be used to catch switches if Gengar is brought in against something it forces out by utilizing the Counter damage storing mechanics. Submission 3HKOes Chansey and is an additional way to threaten it beyond Explosion, but Gengar will take 60% in recoil damage to KO a Chansey from full HP. Seismic Toss is a worse alternative to Night Shade, as the 8 extra PP is not worth making it vulnerable to Counter, and Gengar should not be getting into PP wars. Gengar is also an effective user of Toxic on teams utilizing partial trapping strategies.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic**: Gengar is 2HKOed by every STAB Psychic in the tier, and Gengar with Psychic strongly threatens a Gengar without it. Exeggutor deserves special mention, as it can come in on Gengar for momentum and cannot be significantly threatened in turn. Even Explosion is a poor deterrent unless Exeggutor has already sustained significant damage. However, Starmie and Slowbro, OU’s two Psychic-types that do not always run Psychic, are both favorable matchups for Gengar if they are not carrying the move, since they are weak to Thunderbolt. A paralyzed Starmie can be especially vulnerable to Gengar if it cannot threaten with Psychic.
**Rhydon**: Gengar cannot OHKO Rhydon without a Mega Drain critical hit nor threaten it with Explosion, and it is OHKOed in return by Earthquake. Gengar should only fight a Rhydon that is either asleep or in KO range. Even if sleep is available, Gengar should not try to fight a healthy Rhydon unless the situation is desperate or as a sacrifice when switching out would allow a KO anyway.
**Earthquake Snorlax**: Earthquake variants of Snorlax are the only sets that seriously threaten Gengar. Earthquake 2HKOes Gengar, which can only 5HKO in return. Against an Earthquake + Reflect Snorlax, the best way for Gengar to handle it is to force Snorlax to Rest with other team members, come in as it uses Rest, and pressure with Psychic or Thunderbolt Gengar can fish for critical hits and Special drops until Snorlax is forced out; if it wakes up, Gengar is usually forced out if it did not get any critical hits or Special drops. If the opposing Snorlax does not have Reflect set up, then using Explosion to either KO Snorlax or put it into range of a revenge killer is also a valid counterplay option. Amnesia Snorlax will usually force Gengar to use Explosion to handle it, but Gengar should still have enough turns to chip Snorlax down into range of Explosion or a revenge killer. Amnesia Snorlax variants with Reflect and Rest wall Gengar and use it to set up, but that set is rather rare.
**Tauros**: Gengar and Tauros Speed tie, but Tauros 2HKOes Gengar with Earthquake, while Gengar cannot 2HKO in turn. If Gengar is out of KO range and Tauros is in Explosion range, attempting to land Explosion may be worthwhile, especially if the opponent has nothing to switch into Explosion. Eliminating Tauros is always incredibly valuable, and Gengar wins the interaction unless it loses the Speed tie and Tauros critically hits with Earthquake, a 10.74% chance. Using Hypnosis against a Tauros out of Explosion range is possible as well, but it's much riskier. Notably, Earthquake is the most commonly dropped move when Tauros doesn't use the standard set. A Tauros without Earthquake is no longer able to check Gengar.
**Chansey**: Assuming Chansey cannot be put to sleep, Gengar will have difficulty breaking through it, as all of Gengar’s attacks except Explosion are walled by Chansey. If Chansey uses Reflect, then even Explosion will likely be healed off with ease. Depending on Chansey’s set and the game state, it can then threaten Gengar with Sing, Thunder Wave, Seismic Toss, or Ice Beam. The best way for Gengar to deal with Chansey is to use Explosion. Gengar can KO Chansey with a critical hit Explosion or after some chip damage, or it can at least get Chansey to low HP and allow a revenge killer to take advantage. Chansey can potentially bait Explosion and switch to something less valuable or capable of taking the hit, but as long as something has been put to sleep, attempting to land Explosion on Chansey is almost always worthwhile.
**Paralysis**: Gengar’s Speed is one of its most powerful tools, so being paralyzed hinders it drastically. If it has not put something to sleep by the time it is paralyzed, it will struggle to induce sleep, as Hypnosis only becomes more unreliable with a full paralysis chance added on top of an already shaky 60% accuracy. This does, however, allow Gengar to serve as good paralysis bait.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/deezcastforms.423085/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/amaranth.265630/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Gengar makes a name for itself in RBY OU as the tier’s fastest sleep inducer, giving it a prominent role in the lead metagame, as it threatens every other sleep-inducing lead in the game. Gengar is the only Pokemon immune to Body Slam and Hyper Beam. Its high Special allows it to deal solid damage with Thunderbolt, and access to Explosion allows it to threaten walls and bulky foes like Chansey and Exeggutor. In addition, its 21.48% critical hit rate makes these offensive tools all the more dangerous.
However, Gengar’s secondary Poison-type, frailty, shaky accuracy with Hypnosis, and lower Speed relative to its threats all prove to be significant flaws that make Gengar somewhat unreliable. Its Poison-type allows Tauros and Snorlax, which would otherwise be walled, to threaten it with Earthquake. It also allows Alakazam and Starmie, which both outspeed Gengar, to severely threaten it with Psychic. This poor defensive typing is exacerbated by Gengar’s poor bulk, which leaves it 2HKOed by every STAB Psychic user barring Jynx, which has a 98.8% chance to 2HKO, and Slowbro, which rarely carries Psychic. Gengar also has reliability concerns as a sleeper, as its frailty combined with the 60% accuracy of Hypnosis means it may fail to put a foe to sleep before it is KOed or forced to use Explosion.
[SET]
name: Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Night Shade / Psychic
move 4: Explosion
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is necessary to facilitate Gengar’s role as a sleep inducer. Thunderbolt is Gengar’s primary attack, allowing it to put immense pressure on the Water-types of the tier. Explosion, despite coming off of a poor 65 Attack stat, still manages to hit extremely hard. It is used to break physically frail Pokemon, such as Jynx, which is almost always OHKOed, as well as Chansey and Alakazam with prior chip damage.
The remaining move is mostly a choice between Night Shade and Psychic. Night Shade deals consistent damage to everything, while Psychic can critically hit and drop Special but is worse against Psychic-types. Night Shade’s main notable targets are Exeggutor, which resists Gengar's other moves, and Zapdos, which takes considerably more damage from Night Shade than Psychic or Thunderbolt. Psychic, meanwhile, is more useful for opposing Gengar, and it also threatens Rhydon as it switches in or if it's at low health. Psychic also serves to better pressure Snorlax and Chansey.
Gengar’s unreliability in securing sleep makes a second sleep inducer strongly recommended. Sing Chansey is the most common partner for Gengar, but Exeggutor is also frequently seen alongside it. Jynx is also possible to use as a backup sleeper but is much rarer. Gengar is most commonly run as a lead. If it can land Hypnosis, it can then be used to pressure Water-types, wall variants of Snorlax and Tauros lacking Earthquake, or as a sacrifice to the opposing sleep inducer. If Gengar cannot put something to sleep before being forced out, the backup sleep inducer can try to induce sleep later. Gengar's best opportunity to switch in to try to land Hypnosis is on Snorlax. It can either try to switch into an expected Body Slam or against a Snorlax confirmed to not be carrying Earthquake.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mega Drain is the most common other option and is used for the purpose of hitting Rhydon. It is not recommended because its low Base Power means it only 2HKOes Rhydon, doing just under 63% on a maximum damage roll, while Gengar is OHKOed in return by Earthquake. Mega Drain therefore only works if Rhydon is significantly chipped, asleep, or if Gengar critically hits.
Anything else that Gengar can use is either extremely niche or luck-reliant. Confuse Ray is primarily used to prevent Chansey from healing and to generally increase the opportunities for favorable RNG. Counter can be used to catch switches if Gengar is brought in against something it forces out by utilizing the Counter damage storing mechanics. Submission 3HKOes Chansey and is an additional way to threaten it beyond Explosion, but Gengar will take 60% in recoil damage to KO a Chansey from full HP. Seismic Toss is a worse alternative to Night Shade, as the 8 extra PP is not worth making it vulnerable to Counter, and Gengar should not be getting into PP wars. Gengar is also an effective user of Toxic on teams utilizing partial trapping strategies.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic**: Gengar is 2HKOed by every STAB Psychic in the tier, and Gengar with Psychic strongly threatens a Gengar without it. Exeggutor deserves special mention, as it can come in on Gengar for momentum and cannot be significantly threatened in turn. Even Explosion is a poor deterrent unless Exeggutor has already sustained significant damage. However, Starmie and Slowbro, OU’s two Psychic-types that do not always run Psychic, are both favorable matchups for Gengar if they are not carrying the move, since they are weak to Thunderbolt. A paralyzed Starmie can be especially vulnerable to Gengar if it cannot threaten with Psychic.
**Rhydon**: Gengar cannot OHKO Rhydon without a Mega Drain critical hit nor threaten it with Explosion, and it is OHKOed in return by Earthquake. Gengar should only fight a Rhydon that is either asleep or in KO range. Even if sleep is available, Gengar should not try to fight a healthy Rhydon unless the situation is desperate or as a sacrifice when switching out would allow a KO anyway.
**Earthquake Snorlax**: Earthquake variants of Snorlax are the only sets that seriously threaten Gengar. Earthquake 2HKOes Gengar, which can only 5HKO in return. Against an Earthquake + Reflect Snorlax, the best way for Gengar to handle it is to force Snorlax to Rest with other team members, come in as it uses Rest, and pressure with Psychic or Thunderbolt Gengar can fish for critical hits and Special drops until Snorlax is forced out; if it wakes up, Gengar is usually forced out if it did not get any critical hits or Special drops. If the opposing Snorlax does not have Reflect set up, then using Explosion to either KO Snorlax or put it into range of a revenge killer is also a valid counterplay option. Amnesia Snorlax will usually force Gengar to use Explosion to handle it, but Gengar should still have enough turns to chip Snorlax down into range of Explosion or a revenge killer. Amnesia Snorlax variants with Reflect and Rest wall Gengar and use it to set up, but that set is rather rare.
**Tauros**: Gengar and Tauros Speed tie, but Tauros 2HKOes Gengar with Earthquake, while Gengar cannot 2HKO in turn. If Gengar is out of KO range and Tauros is in Explosion range, attempting to land Explosion may be worthwhile, especially if the opponent has nothing to switch into Explosion. Eliminating Tauros is always incredibly valuable, and Gengar wins the interaction unless it loses the Speed tie and Tauros critically hits with Earthquake, a 10.74% chance. Using Hypnosis against a Tauros out of Explosion range is possible as well, but it's much riskier. Notably, Earthquake is the most commonly dropped move when Tauros doesn't use the standard set. A Tauros without Earthquake is no longer able to check Gengar.
**Chansey**: Assuming Chansey cannot be put to sleep, Gengar will have difficulty breaking through it, as all of Gengar’s attacks except Explosion are walled by Chansey. If Chansey uses Reflect, then even Explosion will likely be healed off with ease. Depending on Chansey’s set and the game state, it can then threaten Gengar with Sing, Thunder Wave, Seismic Toss, or Ice Beam. The best way for Gengar to deal with Chansey is to use Explosion. Gengar can KO Chansey with a critical hit Explosion or after some chip damage, or it can at least get Chansey to low HP and allow a revenge killer to take advantage. Chansey can potentially bait Explosion and switch to something less valuable or capable of taking the hit, but as long as something has been put to sleep, attempting to land Explosion on Chansey is almost always worthwhile.
**Paralysis**: Gengar’s Speed is one of its most powerful tools, so being paralyzed hinders it drastically. If it has not put something to sleep by the time it is paralyzed, it will struggle to induce sleep, as Hypnosis only becomes more unreliable with a full paralysis chance added on top of an already shaky 60% accuracy. This does, however, allow Gengar to serve as good paralysis bait.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/deezcastforms.423085/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/amaranth.265630/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Last edited: