Gengar

Gengar-Mega is a top-tier singles threat at 16.11% usage (rank 10) with an official A+ Smogon rating and S by GameWith. Shadow Tag (100%) is labeled by the council as potentially the strongest ability in the game, locking opponents into confrontations and eliminating escape routes. Sludge Wave (22.7%) is the primary STAB, Shadow Ball (13.3%) provides Ghost coverage, and the Will-O-Wisp (10.8%) into Hex combo is the signature damage pattern. However the A+ rating comes with caveats: Gengar-Mega is very fragile — Smogon explicitly notes it is 'as punishable as it is punishing' — and its base 130 Speed no longer dominates, being outpaced by Lopunny-Mega, Dragapult, Greninja-Mega, and Delphox-Mega, plus the top-3 scarfers all OHKO it.

Playstyle：The signature pattern is Sludge Wave (22.7%) + Shadow Ball (13.3%) for STAB coverage, with Will-O-Wisp (10.8%) setting up Hex (11.6%) for massive damage and Protect (7.5%) stalling within the Shadow Tag trap — buying turns while the opponent is locked in. Icy Wind (6%) controls speed tiers inside the trap; Destiny Bond (4.7%) is the last resort. Two EV philosophies coexist: Timid max Speed (20%) aims to outrun the upper midfield, while Modest bulkier sets (31.6%) absorb more hits for additional turns. Smogon's anchor note is explicit: 'Shadow Tag is arguably the best ability but the council ranks Gengar-Mega below Primarina — very frail, as punishable as it is punishing, needs deft positioning. Base 130 Speed no longer elite.' Commentary confirms Gengar-Mega as a precision tool to dismantle Umbreon + Garchomp cores.

✅ Favorable matchups6

Meganium-MegaScovillain-MegaPelipperCorviknightWhimsicottPrimarina

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups5

Delphox-MegaGarchompKingambitSnorlaxHydreigon

Gengar-Mega is equally formidable in doubles at 5.6% usage (rank 28), with a GameWith S doubles rating and a 50.1% win rate. Shadow Tag's value shifts in doubles: the Perish Song (16.4%) + Shadow Tag combination forces trapped opponents to faint within three turns, a deterministic win condition uniquely dangerous in a format where escape is already limited. Disable (13.8%) further collapses opponent options, completing a full lock-control archetype. Usage and win-rate data confirm top-tier doubles status.

Playstyle：Doubles Gengar-Mega runs Protect (24.8%) + Shadow Ball (24.2%) as standard, with Perish Song (16.4%) + Disable (13.8%) as the signature control package and Sludge Bomb (13.6%) for Poison STAB. EV spreads are highly individualized — the top three each account for only 7.1%/7.0%/5.6%, reflecting tailored Speed benchmarks and bulk thresholds rather than a single template. Incineroar (16%) is the dominant partner: Fake Out, Parting Shot, and pivoting create the turns needed for Perish Song to tick down. Sinistcha (9.4%) rounds out the control package; Politoed (8.7%) reflects rain-team usage for targeted threat removal. Commentary confirms that Garchomp is used 'specifically to counter Trick Room or Gengar-Mega Perish Song compositions, using Dragon Tail to disrupt' — validating the deterrence value of the Perish Song strategy.

✅ Favorable matchups2

Venusaur-MegaFarigiraf

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups2

GarchompIncineroar

Base Gengar posts 1.54% usage (rank 65) in high-ladder singles, rated B+ by Smogon and S by GameWith, with 44 top-300 ladder appearances and 119 tournament appearances — the highest among the four entities analyzed. The Focus Sash (95.7%) + Cursed Body (100%) framework is the core: Speed 110 guarantees first-move priority over most mid-speed threats, Shadow Ball + Sludge Wave provide Ghost/Poison dual coverage, and Icy Wind (17.3%) offers speed control. Commentary describes it leading with Focus Sash to pick off key targets like Delphox-Mega via Shadow Sneak.

Playstyle：Focus Sash + Cursed Body is essentially the only build (95.7%). Timid max Speed / max Special Attack (37.2% top spread) maximizes speed control across the field. Destiny Bond (14.3%) is the sash-shattered last resort — take the hit and pull the opponent down with you. Icy Wind (17.3%) drops opponent Speed, enabling Hex combos or follow-up cleaner positioning. Hypnosis (5.4%) adds sleep pressure at cost of accuracy. Per commentary, Starmie-Mega was specifically rebuilt into a high-Special Defense configuration just to handle Gengar — evidence that even base Gengar forces tangible team-building concessions from opponents. Mimikyu (6.6%) and Garchomp (5.7%) are top teammates covering ground and rock weak points.

✅ Favorable matchups3

ArchaludonGarchompPrimarina

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups1

Meowscarada

Base Gengar sits at 0.65% usage (rank 88) in high-ladder doubles — well below Gengar-Mega's 5.6%. The anchor data reports a 7.1% doubles win rate compared to Gengar-Mega's 50.1%, reflecting sharply limited competitive viability. Focus Sash (92.7%) dominates, with Shadow Ball (24.2%), Sludge Bomb (20%), and Trick Room (10.9%) as the top moves, indicating attempts to fill a Trick Room setter or disruptive lead role that Gengar-Mega simply executes more effectively.

Playstyle：Doubles Gengar overwhelmingly uses Focus Sash (92.7%). Two distinct philosophies exist: the Timid speed-run set (38.8% of spreads) fires Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb immediately, using Protect (11.8%) to stall for position; the Trick Room set (Quiet/Sealant nature, 27.6% combined) attempts to set Trick Room for slow partners, though base Gengar's Speed stat is not the extreme-low values needed for reliable Trick Room execution, limiting this role compared to Gengar-Mega. Destiny Bond (4.7%) is the last-resort disruptor. Overall, base Gengar in doubles is a low-resource lead disruptor, spending its sash to create switch opportunities for partners.

✅ Favorable matchups2

Blastoise-MegaGarchomp

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups2

Floette-MegaKingambit