How to best use Gengar in Pokemon Unite (October 2022)

With the Halloween season officially upon us, many Pokemon fans may be tempted to try Gengar, one of the best junglers in Pokemon Unite. Since it was a part of the roster at the game's launch, players have had a lot of time to perfect the art of playing Gengar. Witnessing an amazing Gengar at work can even inspire veteran players.

Gengar has aged like fine wine in terms of how it holds up in the metagame, seemingly only getting better with each update. However, it requires a lot of map awareness and patience to play effectively.

Unite marks the series' first step into the MOBA genre. Becoming a rapidly-growing scene in esports, MOBAs take a more strategic approach to gameplay, leaving more room for skill at the cost of a steeper learning curve.

Here are some tips players should keep in mind when attempting to learn and play Gengar in Pokemon Unite.

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Tips and tricks for playing Gengar in Pokemon Unite

Gengar as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The first thing to keep in mind when selecting Gengar in Pokemon Unite is that it is meant to be played as a jungler. Junglers are what MOBA communities call the characters that play best in areas like Pokemon Unite's center area. This is the best lane for characters that score takedowns on opponents by flanking and ambushing.

A negative to keep in mind is that Gengar has an atrociously slow early game. Like other characters with a three-stage evolution (Garchomp or Charizard), Gengar needs to farm for a while before it can be useful to the team. When it starts off as Gastly, players are better off farming wild Pokemon in the center.

When playing an ambush-heavy character like Gengar, bushes are your best friend. Sitting in a bush towards the enemy side of the arena and waiting for a target to come your way is a great way to score a KO. This can also help keep tabs on the enemy jungler and even steal some of their wild Pokemon.

In terms of good builds, using items that increase special attack are the best option got Gengar in Pokemon Unite. This means Held Items like the Sp.Atk. Specs, Wise Glasses, and Choice Specs work best if players choose to play offensively. For a Battle Item, many choose to run the safe option of the Eject Button, which teleports the player a short distance.

Focusing on leveling up in the early game is key. After all, leveling up fast will mean that Gastly can level up into Gengar much faster than the enemy jungler. To maximize efficiency, players should save Lick to take down buff Pokemon like Accelgor and Bouffalant. This is because Lick will cancel their powerful charging attacks.

In summary, to play Gengar effectively, the only thing players should keep in mind is that leveling up is key to securing the early game. They should watch the map and avoid taking fights they cannot win. However, they should leave the center area to help teammates with fights they have the numbers advantage in.