Pokemon GO: Mega Gengar Raid Guide & Counters

Mega Gengar finally crept its way into Pokemon GO Mega raids during the Halloween 2020 event. This Ghost/Poison Mega has quite a few powerful counters, including Mega Gengar itself. Check out the rest of this raid guide to get all the details on the best counters for the Mega Gengar raid in Pokemon GO.

Mega Gengar Raid Guide for Pokemon GO

First off, if you’re looking to duo Mega Gengar, then you might want to think twice. This ‘mon has the highest attack of any raid boss in the history of Pokemon GO. Technically, it may be possible to duo the Mega Gengar raid. However, you’re more likely to emerge victorious with a group of three or more.

Once you take down the big spooky ghost in the Mega Gengar raid, then you’ll be able to catch the regular version of this ‘mon. Without any weather boost, you’ll be able to catch Gengar that’s between CP 1566 and 1644. During Fog or Cloudy weather, the range will increase to CP 1958 and 2055.

Weaknesses

Mega Gengar is weak to Ground-, Ghost-, Psychic-, and Dark-type attacks. If you have enough trainers with good Mega Gengar counters, you should be just fine attacking without dodging. In a duo or trio, you may want to try dodging if Mega Gengar has Shadow Ball.

Best Mega Gengar Raid Counters

Now it’s the part of the raid guide you’ve all been waiting for, Mega Gengar raid counters! Mega Pokemon will be listed separately from the other Mega Gengar raid counters. And if a shadow version of a counter is also viable, it will be indicated with an asterisk (*) or in the other counters list.

We list Mega and Shadow Pokemon separately since they’re not as accessible as regular ‘mons at this time. All Mega Gengar raid counters listed here are from a Pokebattler simulation with level 35 ‘mons and no attack boosts of any kind.

• Megas:
  • Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw|Shadow Ball)
  • Weather Boost: Fog
    The best counter you can choose for the Mega Gengar raid is Mega Gengar. Even though a single Shadow Ball will likely KO this mon, it’s absolutely worth the amount of damage it can deal out in a short amount of time.
  • Mega Houndoom (Snarl|Foul Play)
  • Weather Boost: Fog
    Mega Houndoom is outclassed by a few regular Pokemon in this raid only because of its relative frailness. It hits Mega Gengar’s Dark-type weakness hard with Snarl and Foul Play.

• Origin Forme Giratina (Shadow Claw|Shadow Ball)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  This is the second-best Ghost-type counter for the Mega Gengar Raid. Like the famous ghost from Kanto, Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball are the attacks of choice for Origin Forme Giratina. And just like Gengar, it’ll fall in an instant to Shadow Ball, so be careful.
• Mewtwo* (Confusion|Psystrike)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  Technically, Shadow Mewtwo is the best counter for the Mega Gengar raid, but the regular version still lands in the top five. As long as you give this Legendary Confusion and Psystrike, then it’ll be able to hit one of Mega Gengar’s weaknesses. And as always, look out for Shadow Ball.
• Groudon (Mud Shot|Earthquake)
• Weather Boost: Clear/Sunny
  The first Ground-type counter is none other than the Legendary Groudon. This tank can deal out massive damage while taking a handful of hits as well. Mud Shot and Earthquake will hit Mega Gengar’s Ground weakness. If you run into a Gengar with Sludge Bomb, then Groudon will be the way to go since it resists Poison-type attacks.
• Landorus (Mud Shot|Earth Power)
• Weather Boost: Clear/Sunny
  Here we are with another Ground-type Legendary Pokemon. Landorus will resist Poison attacks like Groudon and Fighting moves because it’s partially a Flying-type mon. In the end, it’s still behind Groudon since it doesn’t deal as much damage.
• Metagross* (Zen Headbutt|Psychic)
• Weather Boost: Windy
  Metagross is often used as a Steel-type attacker in PvP. However, this raid allows Metagross to hit Mega Gengar with some super effective Psychic-type attacks. Its Steel/Psychic typing helps it resist Poison attacks and only receive normal damage from Fighting moves.
• Garchomp (Mud Shot|Earthquake)
• Weather Boost: Clear/Sunny
  Garchomp rounds out this list of the top Mega Gengar raid counters. It’s essentially a slightly less powerful and less bulky version of Groudon in this raid. It has decent survivability and can deal out big chunks of damage before it gets knocked out.

• Other Viable Mega Gengar Raid Counters:
  • Excadrill (Mud Slap|Drill Run) – Weather Boost: Clear/Sunny
  • Darkrai (Snarl|Dark Pulse) – Weather Boost: Fog
  • Armored Mewtwo (Confusion|Psystrike) – Weather Boost: Windy
  • Tyranitar* (Bite|Crunch) – Weather Boost: Fog
  • Shadow Weavile (Snarl|Foul Play) – Weather Boost: Fog
  • Shadow Gallade (Confusion|Psychic) – Weather Boost: Windy

*Shadow version also viable

Mega Gengar Raid Moveset

Even though Mega Gengar can be quickly dispatched with proper counters, this raid boss still packs a dangerous punch. There are some moves that are less scary than others, like Focus Blast. Still,

Fast Attacks

• Shadow Claw (Ghost)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  This is one of Gengar’s best fast attacks. It does more damage than Hex but doesn’t build up energy as quickly. But it’s still a dangerous move with Mega Gengar’s ridiculously high attack stat. This move and Hex both hit Psychic and Ghost counters hard.
• Hex (Ghost)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  Hex is another solid fast attack for Gengar since it gets Mega Gengar to its charge attacks ridiculously quickly. Because of that, Hex is probably its most dangerous Fast attack. The threat of constant Shadow Balls is intimidating.
• Sucker Punch (Dark)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  Sucker Punch is nothing compared to Hex or Shadow Claw. Yet, it still has an advantage against Psychic and Ghost counters. Even combined with Shadow Ball, Sucker Punch isn’t terribly overwhelming. Consider yourself lucky if you run into a Sucker Punch Mega Gengar.

Charge Attacks

• Shadow Ball (Ghost)
• Weather Boost: Fog
  This is undoubtedly Mega Gengar’s best charge attack. No matter what type of counter you’re currently using in the Mega Gengar raid, Shadow Ball will quickly tear through your team. And if you’re using a Psychic or Ghost Pokemon, then you better get your dodging swipes ready.
• Focus Blast (Fighting)
• Weather Boost: Cloudy
  If you see Focus Blast, then you should let out a sigh of relief. The best counters for the Mega Gengar raid all resist Focus Blast.
• Sludge Bomb (Poison)
• Weather Boost: Cloudy
  Sludge Bomb is another one of the most dangerous attacks in the Mega Gengar raid if you don’t have the right counters. Poison attacks won’t be as impactful against Ground-types like Groudon and Garchomp. Still, it shouldn’t be taken lightly since it’s one of the most powerful Poison-type charge attacks.

That’s all there is to know about the Mega Gengar raid and counters. All in all, this shouldn’t be a terribly difficult raid with enough help from friends. And if you keep all the information in this Mega Gengar raid guide in mind, you should be able to win the battle.

In the end, you get a pretty powerful Pokemon and some Mega Gengar Energy, which will be extremely helpful in future raids. As of right now, it seems like Mega Gengar will take over the top spot from Origin Forme Giratina as the best Ghost attacker in raids.