Should Gengar Learn Thunderbolt? A Comprehensive Guide
The question of whether to teach Gengar the move Thunderbolt is a common one among Pokémon trainers, and for good reason. Gengar is a powerful and versatile Pokémon, and optimizing its moveset is crucial for success in battles. The answer, in short, is: it depends on your team composition and strategy, but Thunderbolt is often a very strong and useful choice for Gengar. While not universally mandatory, Thunderbolt provides invaluable coverage that can make Gengar even more formidable.
The Case For Thunderbolt
Coverage and Type Matchups
The primary reason to consider Thunderbolt for Gengar is its excellent coverage. Gengar, as a Ghost and Poison-type, is primarily effective against Psychic, Ghost, and Fairy-type Pokémon, with some secondary effectiveness against Grass and Bug types. However, it struggles against Dark, Steel and other Ghost types. Thunderbolt adds a powerful Electric-type attack to its arsenal. This gives Gengar a way to effectively deal with Water and Flying-type Pokémon, both of which are common threats in the Pokémon battling metagame. Without this coverage, Gengar is easily walled by certain types of pokemon and can’t deal significant damage.
Many popular Water-types, like Azumarill, Gyarados, and Lapras, are often 2HKO’d or even OHKO’d by a STAB Shadow Ball, but Thunderbolt provides a strong and consistent way to eliminate other Water-types. This helps Gengar maintain pressure and keeps it from being easily countered or switched out. Without electric moves, Gengar would also struggle greatly against flying Pokemon. With these advantages, its coverage significantly improves by having Thunderbolt in its moveset.
Reliability
Compared to its electric-type counterpart, Thunder, Thunderbolt offers greater reliability. While Thunder boasts more power and a chance to paralyze, its lower accuracy can be risky. Missing an attack can be devastating in a battle, especially for a relatively frail Pokemon like Gengar. Thunderbolt, on the other hand, has 100% accuracy and consistent damage. In many cases, it is wiser to deal consistent, medium-level damage, rather than risk missing a big attack with Thunder. Thunderbolt is easier to land, allowing you to win most battles without a worry of not landing your attacks.
STAB vs Coverage
While Gengar’s STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) moves like Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are essential for dealing with many opponents, relying solely on them can lead to trouble against teams specifically built to resist or be immune to those types. Thunderbolt fills a crucial gap in Gengar’s offensive capabilities, giving it a more rounded and flexible moveset. It helps Gengar act as a better sweeper, instead of a predictable wall-breaker.
Strategic Flexibility
Having Thunderbolt in Gengar’s arsenal makes it less predictable and more challenging for your opponent to counter. When the opponent does not know whether a Gengar is carrying Thunderbolt, they need to account for it. This means they will likely be more hesitant about switching into a water type. This gives you more flexibility with switches and makes Gengar more of a threat overall.
Alternatives and Considerations
While Thunderbolt is a solid option, it’s not the only one. Depending on your specific needs and your team’s composition, other moves can be equally or more valuable. Sludge Bomb provides a second STAB option for dealing with Fairy and Grass Pokemon, and other coverage moves like Focus Blast, Energy Ball, and Psychic can also be considered.
If your team already has a reliable Electric-type attacker, the coverage provided by Thunderbolt might not be as crucial for Gengar. Additionally, if you are struggling against Steel types, Focus Blast may be a better option. The key is to analyze your team’s strengths and weaknesses and choose moves that provide the best overall coverage and utility. However, even if you do have electric coverage, Thunderbolt on Gengar is useful because it is unexpected, and can catch opponents off-guard, allowing for easier sweeping.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Thunderbolt is often a worthy addition to Gengar’s moveset. It offers crucial coverage against Water and Flying-types, increases its overall versatility, and offers a more reliable Electric-type attack than Thunder. While it’s important to consider your team’s specific needs and potentially consider other coverage options, Thunderbolt is a powerful tool for any Gengar to have in its arsenal. By carefully balancing its STAB and coverage moves, you can turn Gengar into an unstoppable offensive threat in battle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can Gengar learn Thunder?
Yes, Gengar can learn Thunder, and it has a chance to inflict the paralysis status effect. However, Thunder has lower accuracy than Thunderbolt, making it less reliable overall.
2. Is Gengar a good Ghost Pokémon?
Yes, Gengar is an excellent Ghost Pokémon. It has a high Special Attack stat, good Speed, and a useful movepool with strong Ghost-type attacks like Shadow Ball.
3. What is the best moveset for Gengar in Pokémon GO?
In Pokémon GO, the best moveset for Gengar is typically Lick or Shadow Claw as a Fast Move and Shadow Ball as a Charged Move.
4. Does Gengar learn moves after evolving?
No, Gengar learns the same moves at the same levels as Haunter, so it’s best to evolve it as soon as possible after it evolves into Haunter.
5. Should I teach Gengar Hypnosis?
Hypnosis can be a useful move to inflict the Sleep status effect on opponents, giving Gengar a chance to land powerful attacks. However, its accuracy is low, making it risky in battles. It is not recommended to have Hypnosis on a Gengar’s moveset.
6. What are Gengar’s legacy moves?
Gengar’s legacy moves include Shadow Punch. Legacy moves are moves that are no longer available to learn through normal means, which usually have better move stats.
7. Is Gengar better than Alakazam?
Gengar and Alakazam both have pros and cons. Gengar has better movepool, and is immune to Normal and Fighting type attacks, making it slightly better than Alakazam. However, Alakazam has higher speed and Special Attack.
8. Is Gengar a dead Clefable?
This is a popular fan theory. The theory suggests that Gengar might be the ghost of a Clefable, however, this is only a theory.
9. Is Gengar stronger than Dragonite?
In many scenarios, a well-trained Gengar can defeat a Dragonite. In battle simulations, even with a lower CP, it can easily beat a Dragonite.
10. What is the rarest Gengar card?
The Gengar H9 from the Skyridge set is considered one of the rarest and most expensive Gengar cards.
11. Is Gengar better than Greninja?
In a specific battle simulation, a Gengar with a lower CP can defeat a Greninja. However, battle outcomes can greatly vary depending on each pokemon’s movesets and stats.
12. Is Thunderbolt a good move?
Yes, Thunderbolt is a very good move. It has 100% accuracy and can reliably deal good damage, even better than its counterparts like Thunder.
13. What are good coverage moves for Gengar besides Thunderbolt?
Good coverage moves for Gengar include Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and Focus Blast.
14. When should I trade Haunter for Gengar?
It is best to trade your Haunter for a Gengar as soon as it evolves into Haunter, as the trade is the only way to evolve into Gengar.
15. Why is Gengar so popular?
Gengar is popular due to its unique design, its dual Ghost and Poison-typing, its powerful stats, and its presence as one of the original Ghost-type Pokemon.