Alexis Kestler
Hey there fellow trainer! If you‘re looking to add the powerful and mischievous Gengar to your team, you‘ve come to the right place. As a long-time Pokemon expert and fan of Ghost types, I‘m here to walk you through exactly how to obtain Gengar in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Why Catch Gengar?
Before we dive in, let‘s discuss why you should take the time to catch and train this sneaky phantom Pokémon. Gengar has always been one of the most popular Pokémon, and for good reason. With blistering 130 base Special Attack and 110 Speed, Gengar overwhelms opponents with frightening speed. Its Ghost/Poison typing grants useful resistances and immunity, while allowing Gengar to dismantle Psychic, Ghost, and Poison foes with STAB Shadow Balls and Sludge Bombs.
Plus, you can‘t forget its iconic mischievous grin! Gengar has been a staple on my competitive teams since the Gen 1 days thanks to its versatility and sheer power. Trust me, with the right training, your Gengar will torment opponents across Paldea and help you conquer all the Pokémon League has to offer. Now let‘s get into the details on how you can get one!
Catching and Training Gastly
The first step is catching yourself a Gastly, the pre-evolved form of Haunter and Gengar. Gastly can be encountered in several mountainous and forested areas of Paldea at night, around levels 25-28 early in the game. Here are some great locations I would recommend checking from the start:
- Forests east of Levincia and Cascarrafa
- Mountain path east of Mesagoza
- Woods southeast of Cortondo
- Glaseado Mountain
Equip some Dusk Balls and have a Pokémon with False Swipe/Thunder Wave to make catching easier. Gastly often hides behind trees and tombstones, so keep an eye out! Use an Arena Trap Pokémon like Dugtrio to prevent them from fleeing. Once caught, check its nature – Timid and Modest Gastly have the best potential.
Now it‘s time to train your Gastly up. I‘d recommend getting it to at least level 25 for the Haunter evolution, but aiming higher to level 35-40 will make the trade evolution smoother. Here are some tips for quick and effective training:
- Fight Trainers on Routes 5, 6, and 7 as they give good EXP. Their Psychic types are easy targets for Gastly.
- Utilize the Lucky Egg held item to gain 1.5x experience points.
- Teach Gastly strong special attacks like Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Dazzling Gleam, Thunderbolt. Its early STAB moves hit hard!
- Use EXP candies, especially the Rare XL EXP candies to speed up level gains.
- Defeat Paldea‘s Titan Pokémon for tons of experience!
Once your Gastly reaches the desired level, evolve it into Haunter using a Dusk Stone. Then we can move onto the crucial trade evolution in Levincia.
Trading in Levincia
The only way to obtain Gengar is to trade Haunter and have it evolve. This must be done in Levincia with a specific NPC. Here‘s exactly how to reach her and complete the trade:
[Map of Levincia with trade NPC location]To access Levincia, you‘ll first need to defeat the Grass Type Gym and Team Star in Artazon to unlock the gates. Then traverse east past Cascarrafa and Medali until you reach the city.
Head to the northeast district as shown on the map above. There you‘ll find a Back Alley Market housing the NPC who offers to trade Haunter. Interact with her and she will say:
"I‘ve heard rumors about Pokémon that evolve when they‘re traded! If you have a Haunter, will you trade with me?"
She will offer her Haunter in exchange for a Pincurchin. Pincurchin can be caught along Paldea‘s coasts – I found mine south of Mesagoza and Cascarrafa. Catch one and head back to the NPC in Levincia. Select yes when prompted to trade your Pincurchin for her Haunter.
In a brilliant flash of light, both Haunter will evolve into Gengar! Just like that, you‘ll have finally obtained this powerful special attacker. Pretty cool huh? The Gengar you receive will be around level 28-30. Now let‘s examine how to properly train it.
Strengths and Movesets
Here are Gengar‘s base stats so you can see why it excels as a fast and furious special sweeper:
HP: 60
Attack: 65
Defense: 60
Sp. Atk: 130
Sp. Def: 75
Speed: 110
With amazing 130 Special Attack and 110 Speed, Gengar can annihilate opponents before they can react. It also has a very wide movepool to take advantage of its special prowess:
| Move | Type | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 80 |
| Sludge Bomb | Poison | 90 |
| Psychic | Psychic | 90 |
| Thunderbolt | Electric | 90 |
| Dazzling Gleam | Fairy | 80 |
| Focus Blast | Fighting | 120 |
Here are some recommended movesets and EV spreads depending on the role you want Gengar to perform:
Special Sweeper
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond/Taunt
- Modest/Timid, 252 SpA/ 252 Spe
Toxic Stall
- Toxic
- Venoshock
- Protect
- Substitute
- Bold, 252 HP / 252 Def
Support
- Hypnosis
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Hex/Dazzling Gleam
- Timid, 252 SpA / 252 Spe
I‘d recommend the Spell Tag or Focus Sash as held items to boost Ghost damage or protect from KO‘s respectively. Use special attacking EV boosting items as well.
Using Gengar Effectively
Now let‘s discuss how to effectively use Gengar‘s abilities in battle. Here are some strategies I employ to maximize its damage and speed:
- Have it finish off foes damaged by entry hazards like Stealth Rock
- Use on rain teams to boost Thunderbolt‘s power to deadly levels
- Trap and KO Psychic types with Pursuit users like Scizor
- Pair with Gardevoir to trap and destroy Ghost/Dark counters
- Use Perish Song to force switches and set up free turns
- In doubles, use Protect to enable partners to set up
With its immunity to Normal, Fighting, and Ground moves, Gengar makes a great switch-in to tank those attacks aimed at teammates. Just watch out for Dark, Ghost, Psychic moves that will crush Gengar.
Overall, make sure to take advantage of Gengar‘s blistering speed tier – choose a +Speed nature like Timid and max out EVs. You‘ll be able to overwhelm foes and defeat opponents before they can retaliate. Used properly, your Gengar will be a terror across Paldea!
Catching High Level Gastly
If training up your Gastly seems too time consuming, I have some good news! Later in the game, you can find high level Gastly around lvl 45+ in certain areas:
- Glaseado Mountain and surrounding peaks
- Snowy landscapes north of Artazon
- Starfall Street and adjacent mountainside
The encounter rates here range from 10-20%. With some persistence and Ultra Balls, you should be able to catch a powerful Gastly ready to evolve. Use masks to change its Nature if needed. This will let you skip grinding and go straight to the Levincia trade evolution.
Closing Thoughts
Obtaining the iconic and strong Gengar takes some effort, but trust me the payoff is immense. Ever since I traded Haunter to get my first Gengar back in Pokémon Red, I‘ve kept one on my competitive teams throughout every generation. With proper training and strategy, Gengar will enable you to crush any opponent that stands in your way across Paldea. Its sheer power and speed make it a threat not to be trifled with!
I hope this comprehensive guide gives you all the information needed to successfully add Gengar to your Scarlet/Violet adventure. If you have any other questions on using Gengar or training strategies, feel free to ask! I wish you the best luck in getting an amazing Gengar of your own. Now get out there and start catching Gastly! Your Gengar awaits…
