Is Gengar Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Ghost/Poison at trade evolution with AbilityLevitate granting Ground immunity. If obtained, one of the fastest special attackers available. Three immunities with Normal, Fighting, and Ground. Handles Shauntal, Marshal, and contributes against Ghetsis. Top-tier if you can trade for it.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Cheren's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Roxie's team.
Gastly has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Elesa's team.
Clay's team hits Gastly's weaknesses hard.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Gastly has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Grimsley's team hits Gastly's weaknesses hard.
Gastly has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Gastly has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Gengar cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
How to Get Gengar in Black 2 & White 2
No wild encounters for Gengar in Black 2 & White 2. Bring Gastly over from Red & Blue, Yellow, or FireRed & LeafGreen, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.
How to Obtain Gengar in B2W2
Step 1Obtain GastlyLATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Walking · Pokémon Tower. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Walking · Pokémon Tower. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Walking · Sprout Tower. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · Sprout Tower. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenNot TradeableAppears in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Pokémon Tower. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Step 2Evolve into Haunter
Step 3Gengar ✓
Gengar Weakness
Type-wise, Gengar takes extra damage from Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark. Normal and Fighting moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. At base 110 Speed, Gengar outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Gengar Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Gengar
 Purrloin Dark | C | |
 Mandibuzz Dark | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 4 Interact Encounter | ||
 Krokorok GroundDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Krokorok builds →Crunch 2x89-106%KO Dig 2x89-106%KO | ||
 Sigilyph Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Sigilyph builds →Psybeam 2x74-88% Thief 2x24-28% | ||
 Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
 Liepard Dark | C | |
 Solosis Psychic | C | |
Mandibuzz Dark | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 4 Interact Encounter | ||
Sigilyph Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Sigilyph builds →Synchronoise 2x77-92% Thief 2x23-27% | ||
Krokorok GroundDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Krokorok builds →Crunch 2x85-101%KO Dig 2x85-101%KO | ||
Liepard Dark | C | |
 Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x159-188%KO Shadow Claw 2x76-90% | ||
 Duosion Psychic | B | |
Mandibuzz Dark | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 4 Interact Encounter | ||
Sigilyph Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Sigilyph builds →Synchronoise 2x76-90% Thief 2x23-28% | ||
Liepard Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Liepard builds →Snarl 2x54-64% Shadow Claw 2x53-64% | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Krookodile builds →Foul Play 2x137-162%KO Dig 2x115-136%KO Shadow Claw 2x68-80% | ||
 Beheeyem Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Beheeyem builds →Psychic 2x115-136%KO Shadow Ball 2x69-82% Thief 2x27-32% | ||
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x162-192%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-89% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x109-129%KO Shadow Claw 2x73-86% Future Sight 2x57-68% | ||
 Reuniclus Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Reuniclus builds →Future Sight 2x129-152%KO Shadow Ball 2x69-82% | ||
Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Krookodile builds →Foul Play 2x135-159%KO Dig 2x114-135%KO Shadow Claw 2x66-78% | ||
Beheeyem Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Beheeyem builds →Psychic 2x114-135%KO Shadow Ball 2x67-80% Thief 2x27-32% | ||
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x159-187%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-88% | ||
 Drapion PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Drapion builds →Crunch 2x92-109%KO Dig 2x62-72% Shadow Ball 2x38-45% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x109-128%KO Psycho Cut 2x72-86% Shadow Claw 2x72-86% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Tyranitar builds →Crunch 2x129-152%KO Earthquake 2x107-126%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-89% | ||
Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Krookodile builds →Earthquake 2x143-169%KO Foul Play 2x137-161%KO Shadow Claw 2x67-79% | ||
 Bisharp DarkSteel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Bisharp builds →Night Slash 2x106-125%KO Dig 2x81-96% Shadow Claw 2x71-84% | ||
 Azelf Psychic | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 23 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Azelf builds →Future Sight 2x128-151%KO Shadow Ball 2x68-80% Payback 2x51-61% | ||
Reuniclus Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Reuniclus builds →Future Sight 2x128-151%KO Shadow Ball 2x68-80% | ||
In Black 2 & White 2, Donphan can KO Gengar with Earthquake (98-116%). Mienshao's Stone Edge hits Gengar for 80-94%.
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x98-116%KO Ice Shard20-23% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Mienshao builds →U Turn14-16% Stone Edge80-94% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Bounce ItemRocky Helmet NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Xatu builds →U Turn6-7% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Jellicent builds →Scald25-29% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Gengar View Breloom builds →Bullet Seed11-13% | ||
Gengar Evolutions
Getting Gengar requires a trade, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Gastly. Breed this form to get Gastly eggs (average hatch time). Sp.Def grew the most through evolution (+40 over Gastly), and Gengar peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Gengar to get Gastly eggs easily using 45 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Astonish, Clear Smog, Disable and 9 more.
B2W2 Gengar Best Moveset
Three immunities from Ghost/Poison typing plus AbilityLevitate means Normal, Fighting, and Ground moves do nothing. 130 Sp. Atk at 110 Speed forces opponents to carry a faster Dark type or specially defensive Normal type as an answer. The moveset fires Ghost and Poison TermStab with coverage that leaves almost no safe switch-in.
Best Build
Gengar best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Attacker Moveset
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Destiny Bond
- Will O Wisp
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Astonish and Clear Smog give Gengar options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 8 types already covers a decent range on top of Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball. The egg moves push it further.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
The leer that floats in darkness belongs to a Gengar delighting in casting curses on people.
Gengar Black 2 & White 2 Guide
For Black 2 & White 2, we rate Gengar B-Tier: a solid option in Black 2 & White 2 for the right team. At 500 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Shadow Ball with Black Sludge is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Black 2 & White 2, but Gengar does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Gengar hits 600 BST.
In Black 2 & White 2, Gengar's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), Starmie (Psychic), and Misdreavus (Ghost), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Dark-type attackers are also a problem. Gengar's base 110 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
Gengar is obtained by trade-evolving Haunter. Catch or evolve a Haunter first, then trade. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Haunter to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required.
Cursed Body is the go-to ability for Gengar. It has a 30% chance of Disabling any move that hits the Pokémon. It's Gengar's only ability.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gengar has appeared in 22 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6 and a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGigantamax
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves