Pokémon Go: Can Gengar be shiny in raids?

Pokémon Go players could acquire a shiny Gengar from Raid Battles, however, the drop chances are quite low.

Pokémon Go is an exciting mobile game that invites players to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual creatures called Pokémon.

After creating a character, you have to move around in real life to discover PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms. You may also come across various Pokémon.

One of the Pokémon that you can get is Gengar, and many players are curious about whether it can be shiny in raids.

What are raid battles?

Raid Battles takes place when a Boss Pokémon takes over a gym. The objective is to defeat this powerful Pokémon. If you and your fellow Trainers are successful, you will be rewarded with special items and a chance at catching that Pokémon.

Gamers should bear in mind that you cannot face a Boss Pokémon alone. Once you come across a Boss Pokémon, you may have to wait for other Trainers to help you vanquish the enemy.

Raid Battles are not your typical Gym Battle, because your opponent is more difficult to defeat than other Pokémon in Raid Battles. Raids have different tiers of difficulty and the higher the difficulty, the stronger the Raid Boss is.

Pokémon Go: Can Gengar be shiny in raids?

One of the Pokémon that you can procure is Gengar. He has the honour of having access to literally all of the best ghost type moves in the game. He deals amazing damage to enemies, however, he is vulnerable to the Psychic-types that he is supposed to counter.

Pokémon Go: Can Gengar be shiny in raids?
© Niantic

This causes him to underperform in scenarios in which total damage output matters more than damage-per-second. Gengar can earn his spot on raid teams against specific bosses to help beat the Raid Boss, but he requires immaculate dodging to be effective.

You may be able to collect Gengar after defeating a Raid Boss, but many players are wondering if they can acquire a shiny Gengar.

Pokémon Go occasionally increases the drop odds of a certain Pokémon. The increase in drop odds are only active for a certain period of time. Pokémon Go announces the drop odds of certain Pokémons on their official platforms.

When Pokémon Go announces that Gengar’s drop rate is increased, players have a bigger chance of acquiring him from Raids. There is also a chance that you can procure a Mega Gengar, which is the last evolution of Gengar.

However, if you are lucky, you may encounter a shiny Gengar after defeating a Raid Boss. It is vital that you know when Gengar’s drop rate is increased as you may have a difficult time finding a shiny Gengar if its drop rate is not increased.

Does shiny Gengar have unique abilities?

Shiny Pokémon are rare variants of Pokémon that are differently coloured than other Pokémon of their species. A shiny Gengar does not have unique abilities or effects, only his appearance is altered in the shiny form.

Since shiny Pokémon are incredibly rare, so players often farm them for bragging rights. Players can determine whether their Pokémon is shiny or not by looking for an icon above their CP points.

If you see the icon, then it is a shiny Pokémon. However, if the icon is not visible, you have the normal version of the Pokémon.

What should you use shiny Gengar for?

Although Gengar’s appearance changes to the shiny version, his abilities do not change. Players can use a shiny Gengar for both player-versus-player (PvP) and player-versus-environment (PvE) gameplay. PvP is a term that generally describes a battle between 2 Trainers.

As you progress in Pokémon Go, you will battle other players. PvE, on the other hand, allows you to defeat artificial intelligence enemies,  meaning that the bosses are controlled by a computer instead of a real person.

Gengar’s move explanation

Gengar possesses several skills that can be used in battle. The following table describes his moves for PvE and PvP:

PvP PvE
  • Shadow Claw is a powerful attack with decent energy gain
  • Lick is a strong attack with  less power. That being said, it has faster energy gain than Shadow Claw
  • Hex and Sucker Punch are quite similar in performance. The main difference is that Hex is resisted by fewer types
  • Shadow Ball is Gengar’s best charge move
  • Sludge Bomb is a stab attack
  • Focus Blast has niche uses, but it is an inferior option
  • Dark Pulse has no advantages over Shadow Ball
  • Psychic is a good charged move, but it has no utility on Gengar.
  • Shadow Punch is too weak to be useful on offence
  • Shadow Claw has less power and less energy gain than Hex
  • It is advisable that players do not use Sucker Punch
  • Psychic is a good option and allows Gengar to threaten opposing Machamp heavily
  • Sludge Bomb and Dark Pulse both have 2 bars and are difficult to dodge
  • Shadow Ball is powerful, but unfortunately, it can be seen approaching from a mile away
  • Focus Blast and Sludge Wave should not be used
  • Shadow Punch is great on defence due to its low energy cost

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