Utility
Attacker
310Low
80Moderate
CTier

Gastly sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Gengar as fast as possible. Normal and Fighting moves can't touch it, which offsets the 4 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Gas Pokemon.

Nothing fancy in Gastly's spread. It leans special with Sp. Atk out front. And you'll get 1 Sp. Atk EV per KO for it. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
310Avg
HP30
F
Attack35
F
Defense30
F
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def35
F
Speed80
C
Total310
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Gastly yields +1 SpA
HPAtkDefSpA+1SpDSpe
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Slow1.06M XP1.3m / 4'03"0.1kg / 0.2 lbs62Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Should a strange light be seen flickering in an abandoned building, Gastly is lurking there.

Sun

Although Gastly is barely visible, when it’s near, a faint sweet smell lingers.

Moon

Gastly Weakness

Good

Gastly is weak to Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. The Ghost/Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Gastly leans toward special offense (base 100 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.

4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
4Weak
4Resist
3Immune
Scorei+4
Abilities
LevitateEvades ground moves.
Levitate grants Ground immunity

Gastly kicks off a three-stage evolution line through Haunter all the way to Gengar. For breeding, average hatch time with no compatible partners via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 190 stat points total.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Gastly
GhostPoison
Haunter
GhostPoison
Gengar
GhostPoison
HP
30
45+15
60+15
ATK
35
50+15
65+15
DEF
30
45+15
60+15
SP.ATK
100
115+15
130+15
SP.DEF
35
55+20
75+20
SPE
80
95+15
110+15
BST
310C-Tier
405C-Tier+95
500A-Tier+95
ROLE
Attacker
Cannon
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Special
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Gastly easily from the Indeterminate egg group. Pass egg moves like Astonish, Clear Smog, Disable and 10 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Indeterminate
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
13moves

Focus Sash guarantees Gastly survives one hit from full HP. That's enough to deal early damage and fire off Trickroom before going down. Levitate and flexible EVs EVs maximize first-turn impact.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Levitate
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Nature
Sassy+SPD

Best Gastly Moveset

  • Trick Room
  • Destiny BondSTAB
  • TauntUtility
  • Foul Play

Egg moves make a real difference. Gastly gets Astonish and Clear Smog exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 9 types rounds out the picture alongside Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Lv 1
Lick
3010030Ghost
Lv 5
Spite
10010Ghost
Lv 8
Mean Look
5Normal
Lv 12
Curse
10Ghost
Lv 15
Night Shade
10015Ghost
Lv 19
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 22
Sucker Punch+1
701005Dark
Lv 26
Payback
5010010Dark
Lv 29
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
Lv 33
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Lv 36
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
Lv 40
Destiny Bond
5Ghost
Lv 43
Hex
6510010Ghost
Lv 47
Nightmare
10015Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM97
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM99
Dazzling Gleam
8010010Fairy
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM63
Embargo
10015Dark
TM53
Energy Ball
9010010Grass
TM64
Explosion
2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM83
Infestation
2010020Bug
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM24
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM92
Trick Room-7
5Psychic
TM09
Venoshock
6510010Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
8515Fire

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Egg
Clear Smog
5015Poison
Egg
Disable
10020Normal
Egg
Fire Punch
7510015Fire
Egg
Grudge
5Ghost
Egg
Haze
30Ice
Egg
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
Egg
Perish Song
5Normal
Egg
Psywave
10015Psychic
Egg
Reflect Type
15Normal
Egg
Scary Face
10010Normal
Egg
Smog
307020Poison
Egg
Thunder Punch
7510015Electric

Tutor Moves

Gastly can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 1
Bide+1
10Normal
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 1
Mega Drain
7510015Grass
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 4
Ominous Wind
601005Ghost
Gen 1
Rage
2010020Normal
Gen 6
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 1
Self-Destruct
2001005Normal
Gen 1
Thunder
1107010Electric
Gen 2
Zap Cannon
120505Electric

Gastly is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 10 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Best Locations

Gastly's encounter pool splits between Moon and Sun. You've got 10 gift and walking spots at Lv. 7-55 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Hau'oli Cemetery
MoonGrassLv.7-1050%Early
EFFORTLESS
Hau'oli Cemetery
SunGrassLv.7-1050%Early
EFFORTLESS
Memorial Hill
MoonGrassLv.20-2350%Mid
EFFORTLESS
Memorial Hill
SunGrassLv.20-2350%Mid
EFFORTLESS
Poké Pelago - Ula'ula Island reached
SunGift from NPCLv.21-276%Mid
EASY
Poké Pelago - Ula'ula Island reached
MoonGift from NPCLv.21-276%Mid
EASY
Poké Pelago - Poni Island reached
SunGift from NPCLv.37-435%Late
EASY
Poké Pelago - Poni Island reached
MoonGift from NPCLv.37-435%Late
EASY
Poké Pelago - Elite Four defeated
SunGift from NPCLv.49-554%Post
MODERATE
Poké Pelago - Elite Four defeated
MoonGift from NPCLv.49-554%Post
MODERATE
  • At 310 BST, Gastly is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Haunter before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Gastly's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), Starmie (Psychic), and Gengar (Ghost), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Dark-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Gastly is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Gastly gets Levitate. But Levitate is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Gastly is leaning toward the special side (base 100 Sp. Atk). Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 80 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.

  • Gastly appears in 22 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Present since Red & Blue, Gastly appears in 22 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Gastly have the longest track record of availability in the series.