Gengar
GhostPoison
Best attacking moveset: Sucker Punch and Shadow Ball, worth 14.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Gengar can learn 32 combinations. Sucker Punch with Shadow Ball does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hex | Ghost | 8 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Shadow Claw | Ghost | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Sucker Punch | Dark | 5 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Lick Legacy | Ghost | 5 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drain Punch | Fighting | 50 | 2.5s | -33 |
| Focus Blast | Fighting | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 100 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Sludge Bomb | Poison | 85 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Dark Pulse Legacy | Dark | 80 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Psychic Legacy | Psychic | 95 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Shadow Punch Legacy | Ghost | 35 | 1.5s | -33 |
| Sludge Wave Legacy | Poison | 105 | 3.0s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Gengar has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Other forms
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,254 at level 50, 2,878 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,644 CP at level 20, or 2,055 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,566 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 261 attack · 149 defense · 155 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.5 m and 40.5 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Gengar does not have one best moveset, it has 8. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ghost, Psychic, Grass.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Lick + Shadow Ball | 23.3 |
| Psychic | Lick + Shadow Ball | 23.3 |
| Grass | Sucker Punch + Sludge Bomb | 19.9 |
| Fairy | Lick + Sludge Bomb | 19.9 |
| Fighting | Lick + Psychic | 17.6 |
| Poison | Sucker Punch + Psychic | 17.6 |
| Normal | Sucker Punch + Focus Blast | 17.1 |
| Rock | Sucker Punch + Focus Blast | 17.1 |
| Steel | Sucker Punch + Focus Blast | 17.1 |
| Ice | Sucker Punch + Focus Blast | 17.1 |
| Dark | Lick + Focus Blast | 15.7 |
| Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 | |
| Ground | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
| Bug | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
| Fire | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
| Water | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
| Electric | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
| Dragon | Sucker Punch + Shadow Ball | 14.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Gengar is actually for.
Counters: what beats Gengar
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 38.2 |
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Astonish + Shadow Ball | 35.8 |
 Alakazam | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic Legacy | 32.6 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 32.5 |
 Darkrai | Dark | Snarl + Shadow Ball | 32.2 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Hex + Shadow Ball | 32.0 |
 Gengar | GhostPoison | Lick + Shadow Ball Legacy | 31.9 |
 Lunala | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 31.7 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 31.7 |
 Azelf | Psychic | Confusion + Futuresight | 31.6 |
Ranked by damage per second against Gengar's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.