In this Pokemon Unite Guide, we take a closer look at the Speedster Pokemon, Gengar, checking out his moveset and recommending some of the best builds for him. As a Pokemon from Gen 1, he has a long history with the franchise and is a popular choice in Pokemon Unite as a result.
His start in Pokemon Unite was a little difficult as he proved quite underpowered. However, after some balance updates, Gengar has now become a perfectly viable choice. This guide will let you in on a few tricks you can pull with Gengar and which builds to run to maximize your win rate with this Pokemon. Stick around and find out if Gengar is the character for you!
Is Gengar Good in Pokemon Unite?

For Gengar to learn its more complex moves early on, it is essential to concentrate on taking down wild Pokemon. At level 5 Gengar is ready for team fights, so if you can communicate with your friends through voice chat try to set up some nice early ganks or bigger fights. If you’re playing alone, just focus on grinding levels and keep an eye out for an opportunity to force a fight anyway.
The jungle is the quickest route to the higher levels for Gengar. You may cultivate Wild Pokemon spawns here without encountering any opposition, earning the full EXP for each vanquished camp. Gengar’s first move, Lick, is a straightforward damaging move. When performed correctly, especially early on, its pulling effect may be useful. As you hit an adversary, it also fills up your enhanced attack meter.
When you’re in the lane rather than the jungle, use Lick to draw wild Pokemon closer to you or your team’s side before quickly eliminating them. You can also use Lick to steal wild Pokemon from the enemy side of the map, preventing the adversary from gaining experience points.
Lick is good at getting kills in the early game. Employ it to prevent opponents from running away or to yank them out of their goal area to set up a knockdown. Accelgor and Escavalier will utilize their charged strike on the adversary after they have engaged. Use Lick to stop their charge attack and spare yourself the hassle of having to dodge it or take damage.
Gengar is a potent assassin thanks to his devastating combinations. You must become familiar with the setups and the mechanic for Dream Eater and Hex’s cooldown reduction if you want to optimize your damage output.
Phantom Ambush, Gengar’s Unite move, does AoE damage while making Gengar invisible and giving him enhanced speed. The invisibility and mobility features of Phantom Ambush allow you to do more than just damage to foes.
Gengar’s passive ability is Levitate. With this, Gangar increases movement speed by 10% when out of combat for 5s. His basic attacks become boosted every 3 attacks and will also make him teleport to the target enemy, even if said enemy is behind a wall.
Pokemon Unite Gengar Best Build

The first move Gengar gains is Will-o-Wisp. Three wisps of flame are fired in a cone in front of Gengar, damaging and burning targets for two seconds. For four seconds after, this burn lowers the opponent’s attack and special attack by 10%. A single adversary can only take 2 wisps’ worth of damage.
Move 1 Upgrade Options
The first upgrade option for move 1 is Shadow Ball. The movement speed of foes hit by Gengar’s Shadow Ball is slowed by 90% for one second and their special defense is also decreased for three seconds. This ball pierces through Pokemon in the wild.
The other upgrade option for move 1 is Sludge Bomb. With this, Gengar launches sludge into the target area, injuring nearby foes and poisoning them for five seconds. With every tick, the poison deals 1% of the target Pokemon’s maximum HP. Poison damage against wild Pokemon is capped.
Both moves are okay, but Shadow Ball offers superior range, while at the same time, the debuffs of Shadow Ball outweigh the poison damage given by Sludge Bomb when in team fights.
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Move 2 Upgrade Options
Moving on, we have the second move which is Lick. Using his tongue, Gengar strikes foes in front of him, doing damage and luring them towards him. The next auto attack is amplified.
The first upgrade option for move 2 is Dream Eater. This fires a sphere ahead and knocks out foes for one second. At the same time, Gengar heals himself, does damage to surrounding enemies, and reduces the cooldown of Will-o-Wisp, Shadow Ball, or Sludge Bomb by two seconds if performed once more when an opponent nearby is under the influence of Dream Eater. The subsequent auto attack is strengthened both before and after teleporting. This move’s cooldown is reset if Gengar knocks out an adversary.
Hex is the second upgrade option. With this, Gengar disappears and teleports to a predetermined spot, devastating foes around him. The damage done is increased by two and the duration of the Hex effect is shortened by 85% if it hits an adversary that is suffering from a status ailment. The next auto attack is strengthened.
Once again both options are great and fulfill different objectives. Hex works much better with Sludge Bomb thanks to the combo of throwing Sludge out of enemy sight and immediately Hex-ing them for a devastating damage combo. Dream Eater usually works better with Shadow Ball. That being said, Dream Eater and Shadow Ball have better win rates.
Gengar’s Unite Move

Gengar gains Phantom Ambush at level 9. When used, Gengar jumps to a chosen place and enters stealth for 7 seconds. His next auto attack will be strengthened and his movement speed improved by 30%.
While invisible, he can utilize moves and automatic strikes, but they raise him above the ground and make him visible to the adversaries while in the air. If this move is performed once more, foes in the area of effect will take damage and have their movement speed reduced by 50% for 1.5 seconds.
Gengar’s Best Skill Loadout
The best Gengar loadout is pairing Shadow Ball with Dream Eater. This loadout offers the best damage output Gengar can achieve while providing long-range capabilities that keep you out of harm’s way.
Best Held Items for Gengar in Pokemon Unite
A combo of Choice Specs and Wise Glasses is a great way to elevate Gengar’s already solid damage. Throw in a Focus Band to increase Gengar’s survivability. Check out our Pokemon Unite Item Guide for more details on the best held items to use.
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Best Battle Items for Gengar in Pokemon Unite
The best option for Gengar’s battle item in Pokemon Unite is the Full Heal. This allows Gengar to quickly shed any crowd control which can shut him down. Another alternative is Eject Button which also provides the Pokemon with a great mobility boost, although arguably Gengar doesn’t need mobility that much. Check out our Pokemon Unite Item Guide for more details on the best battle items to use.
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