Gengar is a spooky Speedster in Pokémon Unite with a heavy attack combo and lots of damage. MeinMMO shows you how to master the Poltergeist with this build and guide.
What kind of Pokémon is Gengar? Gengar is the classic among Ghost-type Pokémon and has been part of the monster universe since the first generation. Its shape consists almost entirely of a wicked face and has surely caused quite a stir in the dreams of many Pokémon fans.
In Pokémon Unite, Gengar is a Speedster with high damage but very little synergy with other Pokémon. As Gengar, you prefer to do your own thing and use your combos to strike at the right moment. MeinMMO shows you in the guide how to benefit from the strong attacks of the spooky Speedster:
- Best items and skills for Gengar
- Strengths and weaknesses of Gengar
- Who should play Gengar and on which lane?
- Play styles for early, mid, and endgame
Gengar Build – Best items and skills
We have put together a quick overview of the strongest attacks and items:
Where does the guide come from? To create the guide, we looked at gameplay for Gengar and experienced the Speedster in-game. Author Maik Schneider also looks back on many thousands of matches in third-person MOBA SMITE and has already played a few dozen matches in Pokémon Unite.
What abilities should Gengar use? The attack mix of Sludge Bomb and HEX provides the best synergies in Gengar’s strongest role on the mid-lane.
Sludge Bomb is a “ranged” attack, dealing damage on impact and poisoning enemies. The poison makes the target a victim of HEX, a “dash” attack. If you attack the poisoned enemy with HEX, the damage increases, and the cooldown is significantly reduced. You can use HEX almost immediately again as either a escape or another attack. This works with other status changes too – to trigger the effect of HEX, the enemy does not necessarily have to be poisoned.
Attack Cooldown:
- First Slot
- Will-O-Wisp / Ranged – 5 Seconds
- Shadow Ball / Ranged – 4.5 Seconds
- Sludge Bomb / Area – 8 Seconds
- Second Slot
- Lick / Area – 7 Seconds
- Dream Eater / Ranged – 8 Seconds
- HEX / Dash – 7.5 Seconds
The other two attacks “Shadow Ball” and “Dream Eater” lack behind in damage. Although strong combos are possible when you cooperate with other players, the combo of Sludge Bomb and HEX is considerably better on the mid-lane.
What held items suit Gengar? Gengar’s held items should either increase its mobility or strengthen its special attack:
- Float Stone (ATK/Speed): Increases movement speed when you are not in combat
- Wise Glasses (SP-ATK): Increases your special attack value
- Sp. Atk Specs (SP-ATK): Increases special attack value when you land points
- Shell Bell (SP-ATK/Cooldown): If you hit with an attack, you will be healed
What battle items suit Gengar? Here you can think about whether you want more mobility or rather an attack boost:
- X Attack: Increases the attack for a few seconds
- Eject Button: Small jump in the desired direction
Gengar: A Speedster with high damage but little synergy
What makes Gengar strong? Gengar’s moveset brings you hard hits and a lot of force. Its biggest strength lies in the interplay of the attacks “HEX” with “Sludge Bomb”. While Sludge Bomb inflicts poison on your opponents, you can use the status change to strengthen HEX and almost completely bypass its cooldown.
Strong for a Speedster are also the passive skills. “Levitate” allows you to move faster outside of combat, and as a third basic attack, you have a small dash that shoots you a few meters towards your target.
It is also worth mentioning Gengar’s Unite attack. You become briefly invisible and gain increased movement speed. If you activate the Unite move a second time, you deal area damage around you and slow down enemies – also a fitting move for a Speedster.
What can Gengar not do well? Gengar is not the fastest among Speedsters and also does not have a fast-recharging dash that it could use for escape or movement. HEX is often too valuable, and the recharge takes long to just start the cooldown.
Additionally, Gengar only evolves at level 9. Before that, you are stuck with the weak Ghastly and evolve into Haunter at level 5. You still need to gain 4 levels to start the Gengar evolution. Many competitors with 3 evolutions reach their final form as early as level 7.
As a Speedster, you are also very “squishy”. That means you have relatively little health and defense. If another Speedster catches you and you have all skills on cooldown, you are quickly done for. This also applies if your attack goes awry or an unexpected enemy joins a fight. You must play Gengar very carefully because you can only take a few hits – Gengar offers high damage but also high risk.
Finally, Gengar is not a good team player. With good communication and/or a lot of experience with the synergies between the monsters in Pokémon Unite, Gengar can also enhance other Pokémon. But generally, you help yourself more and benefit from the skills of others. If you allow tanks or supporters to help you on a lane and level Gengar up faster, this can indeed be strong.
Pros and Cons of Gengar
Who should play Gengar? Role, Lane, Traits
Which lane is suitable for Gengar? Gengar’s main role as a Speedster is the jungle, that is, the mid-lane. As long as you are Ghastly, you should avoid player battles as much as possible and focus on jungle monsters. From level 5 onward, you can drop by the lanes as Haunter and help finish off enemy players. With level 7 and the HEX skill, you can really get to work.
Gengar can also score points as an offensive support for Pokémon with more defense. With “Lick”, you can pull enemies towards you early on, and “Will-O-Wisp” can deal solid damage to NPC opponents on the lane due to “burning” and can even hit multiple enemies.
However, the synergies with other Pokémon are limited, and the jungle/the mid-lane is the most suitable playground for Gengar.
Who is Gengar suitable for? The Ghost-type Pokémon is not for beginners. If you are not familiar with MOBAs or do not yet know how matches unfold in Pokémon Unite, it is better to leave Gengar in the Pokéball. Because you need a good feel for when you are needed in a match.
When the team fight inevitably comes with the appearance of Zapdos, you also need to hold back and should only land regular hits with Sludge Bomb. If you go into battle with HEX, it can end quickly.
A good mix of aggression and restraint is required with Gengar. A mix that most often has been acquired as an experienced player.
Details about Gengar:
- Role: Speedster
- Lane: Mid-lane
- Type: Special Attack
- Basic Attack: Melee
- Third Attack: Dash towards enemy
Gengar Guide – How to play the spooky Speedster
As Ghastly up to level 5: First, activate the attack Will-O-Wisp with fire. While you’re still a small Ghastly, hold back. You can’t afford player fights because everything knocks you out. At the beginning, go into the jungle (mid-lane) and level up until level 5. Observe the fights on the lanes via the mini-map and assess which side has more trouble holding the lane. But stay in the background and farm jungle monsters.
As Haunter up to level 7: With your evolution to Haunter, you can choose Sludge Bomb and have a strong ranged attack. If a lane needs help, you can do a lot with the attack. However, do not go all out on offense; you are still very “squishy” and an easy target if you get too close to the enemy.
If the lanes are somewhat holding up, you should continue to collect levels while going through the jungle. Keep moving, kill jungle monsters, and help out without going down.
From level 7 as Haunter/Gengar: As soon as you have unlocked the attack HEX, you can get started. Your strong combo, for which Gengar is so cursed, is ready. Throw your Sludge Bomb at an enemy and then attack the poisoned enemy with HEX. Depending on the situation, either attack again with HEX or use the second HEX attack to escape towards your allies.
Continue hunting jungle monsters when the match dynamics allow it. But pay close attention to the lanes and possible enemies who are moving alone. From now on, you need to hone your instincts for lane fights and the paths of the enemies:
- Am I helping a lane with a breakthrough?
- Is the lane surviving the attack, or do I need to help?
- Am I waiting at the edge of the lane for an enemy who is straying from the group?
- Am I catching the enemy with low energy?
- Am I continuing to kill many jungle monsters to gain an EXP advantage for the team?
Before the team fight occurs and all 10 players go after each other, the “jungler” on the mid-lane needs to be at the right place at the right time. This makes the role particularly difficult for beginners since you have to “read” the match to make the right decisions for your team.
As Gengar in team fights: Your strong combo also helps in team fights but can quickly backfire. Bombard the battlefield from the second row with your Sludge Bombs and wait for the right opportunities to take down enemies. If an enemy strays too far from the battlefield or many opponents have already used their attacks, jump in with HEX after a Sludge Bomb and escape with the second HEX.
You can also run into the group with your Unite move, cause damage, and exit with the HEX move. But always try to maintain a respectful distance from the fight. One wrong step and your Speedster will get taken out.
If you want to see some mid-lane gameplay of Gengar, we’ll embed a YouTube video here:
Pokémon Unite focuses on the battle between monsters and lets you compete with the familiar characters from the vast Pokémon universe. For fans who enjoy the MOBA-like rules, Pokémon Unite could be a gaming gem that provides long-lasting motivation.
MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen certainly got caught up: “I immediately dived into the new Pokémon Unite – And now my life belongs to the Switch”
