[SET]
name: Offensive Trapper
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Encore
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Focus Blast / Sludge Wave / Nasty Plot
item: Gengarite
ability: Cursed Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mega Gengar is a very potent pick in AG due to its ability to trap every Pokemon slower than it with careful predictions and force the opponent into using Dynamax in order to escape its clutches. Therefore, it is able to simultaneously fill the roles of offensive support, wallbreaker, stallbreaker, and revenge killer. Shadow Ball is its most consistent STAB move, having few resistances and allowing it to dispose of Pokemon it has successfully trapped. Encore is its main tool in order to put foes in a checkmate position, as Mega Gengar can utilize it to force Pokemon into using a non-damaging and non-phazing move such as Toxic, Defog, Stealth Rock, or Recover, thus creating free turns for itself that it can use to gradually damage and take out the trapped Pokemon. Encore's sheer presence also discourages the opponent from using status moves, in general, after Gengar has Mega Evolved, which Mega Gengar's team can take advantage of. However, keep in mind that Dynamax and Z-Moves bypass Encore. Substitute is mandatory in order to safely Mega Evolve against slower threats, escape Pursuit from Tyranitar, provide insurance against faster threats attempting to revenge kill Mega Gengar such as Zacian-C and Ditto, and most importantly, to secure itself against Max Moves should its target attempt to catch it off guard with Dynamax. Focus Blast along with Substitute drastically improves the matchup against Tyranitar, allowing Mega Gengar to discourage Tyranitar from switching in as well as trap it if it is slightly weakened. Sludge Wave may be run if trapping Tyranitar is not necessary, as it provides Mega Gengar with a more reliable move in order to take care of trapped Normal-types such as Smeargle, Chansey, and Arceus. It also enables Mega Gengar to trap Xerneas with a careful double switch. Nasty Plot is another option that turns Mega Gengar into a potent wincon and pairs nicely with the abundance of free turns it is able to provide itself with Encore. It also allows Mega Gengar to overwhelm targets trapped into a recovery move in a more reliable fashion than relying on Shadow Ball drops.
Mega Gengar fits best on balance and bulky offensive teams that benefit from its trapping prowess and provide it with a sturdy defensive backbone. In a worst-case scenario, Mega Gengar always forces the opponent into sacrificing their Pokemon or using Dynamax, provided it has Mega Evolved and is brought in on a status move. Therefore, Pokemon that appreciate the opponent’s Dynamax gone, such as Xerneas, Yveltal, and Dragon Dance Zygarde-C, are extremely potent partners. Moreover, Mega Gengar can also remove their checks in Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Tyranitar, and support Arceus formes. Mega Gengar cannot deal with faster Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Pokemon that have boosted their Speed such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma. Therefore, Pokemon that can check these threats, such as Ditto, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Groudon for the former and defensive Zygarde-C and Lunala for the latter two, are very useful teammates. Mega Gengar also has an abysmal matchup against Yveltal. Thus, Tyranitar and specially defensive Ho-Oh are great teammates. Tyranitar is also capable of Pursuit trapping a transformed Ditto as well as Lunala, which Mega Gengar cannot trap. Furthermore, Mega Gengar heavily discourages entry hazard removal. Thus, harnessing this ability with an entry hazard-stacking core consisting of Ferrothorn and Necrozma-DM is a sensible choice.
[SET]
name: Utility Trapper
move 1: Perish Song / Shadow Ball
move 2: Encore
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Destiny Bond / Disable
item: Gengarite
ability: Cursed Body
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mega Gengar is also capable of running a utility set in order to trap Pokemon in a more secure fashion. Perish Song always allows Mega Gengar to remove its targets after three turns. This is particularly useful for trapping Normal-types such as Chansey and Arceus, sleeping Tyranitar, Primal Groudon, and Zygarde-C, and Pokemon forced into using their recovery move. Alternatively, Shadow Ball may be run in order to eliminate targets by means of direct damage instead. Destiny Bond is an option that always allows Mega Gengar to force a trade with slower foes, which is very useful if it isn’t needed anymore or direly needs remove a Pokemon for a teammate. It also works very well with Encore, as Pokemon that may attempt to escape Destiny Bond by using status moves are locked into them by Encore regardless. However, Dynamax ignores the effects of Destiny Bond, and phazing moves from the likes of Ho-Oh also shut down this strategy. Disable is another option that, in tandem with Substitute, allows Mega Gengar to more securely trap Pokemon that only have one way of harming it, such as Ferrothorn and certain Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and support Arceus variants. In combination with Encore, it also lets Mega Gengar force the target into using Struggle. However, Pokemon with more than one attack, such as defensive Dragon Tail Zygarde-C and Brave Bird Ho-Oh, can simply alternate between them in order to avoid the effects of Disable. Moreover, Disable's effects are ignored by Dynamax and Z-Moves, and it also cannot prevent Mega Gengar from being phazed. The given EV spread optimizes Mega Gengar's Speed in order to quickly use Encore on as many targets as possible while improving its general bulk. A 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EV spread is to be run with Shadow Ball in order to maximize damage output.
This Mega Gengar set also fits best on balance and bulky offensive teams that benefit from its ability to trap key Pokemon and provide it with a defensive backbone it can fall back on. Generally, it's safer to use Substitute first with this set after switching into a status move in order to scout for the target Dynamaxing immediately, should it predict Encore. Thanks to Destiny Bond or Disable, the opportunity to trap it won't be lost if it simply attacks without Dynamaxing instead. However, if running Disable over Destiny Bond, Mega Gengar should be more aggressive with using Encore first whenever it comes in on a status move from Pokemon with more than one attack, as otherwise, the opportunity to trap its target will be lost. This set always forces the opponent into sacrificing their Pokemon or using Dynamax at worst if Mega Gengar has Mega Evolved and is brought in on a status move. Thus, Pokemon that appreciate the opponent’s Dynamax gone, such as Xerneas, Yveltal, and Dragon Dance Zygarde-C, remain ideal partners. Mega Gengar still cannot deal with faster threats such as Zacian-C and Pokemon that have boosted their Speed such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza and Ultra Necrozma. Therefore, Pokemon that can check these threats, such as Ditto, Necrozma-DM, and Primal Groudon for the former and defensive Zygarde-C and Lunala for the latter two, remain very useful teammates. Mega Gengar also has an abysmal matchup against Yveltal, which does not fear even Destiny Bond due to Dynamax blocking it. Thus, Tyranitar and specially defensive Ho-Oh continue to be great teammates. If running Perish Song, this set has a much easier time trapping defensive Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Zygarde-C, and Primal Groudon while they are asleep, as it can be hard switched into them on the turn after they use Rest and proceed to use Perish Song. Therefore, it is better tailored to status inducers such as Ho-Oh, defensive Necrozma-DM, and defensive Primal Kyogre, which often tend to force Rest on Mega Gengar's aforementioned targets.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Guardsweeper, 360582]]
- Quality checked by: [[bigtalk, 466663], [ice-master-523, 464176]]
- Grammar checked by: [[bigtalk, 466663]]
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