Why Gen 3 Gengar is Perfect.

jimothycool.com
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Pokemon Competitive Singles was at its peak in Generation 3. At the centre of the metagame is Gengar, who provides valuable support to teams thanks to it's Ghost typing, acting as a shield against Rapid Spin, Explosion and Fighting Type breakers.
Gengar is the best Ghost type in the game and is famous for it's incredible Set variety in Gen 3, with reasons to invest in Specific Benchmarks for every single one of its stats.
Gengar can invest in its unimpressive Attack stat purely to capitalize on Explosion or Focus Punch.
It can invest in precise amounts of Bulk to live important hits like +1 Salamence Hidden Power, or Starmie Psychic, and strike back with a counterattack.
And Gengar's attacking options aswell as utility options are incredibly vast, with such tools as Mean Look, Taunt and Will-o-Wisp at it's disposal.
Gengar is a wonderful member of the metagame and a perfect showcase of the Expressive, Creative and Skillful format that is Gen 3 OU.
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Some will never figure out how to get Gengar in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. But famous player Jim Cool is well aware of the Best Gengar Moveset in Competitive, and even how to Gengar Shiny Farm. Many aren't and never will be. That's just the unfortunate reality of the world.
Arceus exists.
#competitivepokemon #pokemonshowdown #pokemonemerald

[@jimothycool]

Hats and more: jimothycool.com

[@jimothycool]

@@DkKobaADV What!

[@deforestdelpech7528]

I don't need a hat, but more fascinates me.

[@10carflo22]

Meanwhile on Jimothy Gaming: “I hate hypnosis Gengar and it is so annoying”

[@handoverthestromboli6715]

@@10carflo22 Jimothy "Hypnosis Gar beats me" Gaming

[@xenobrina7880]

Jimothy when the Pokemon helps him win 😃 Jimothy when the Pokemon is used against him 😡

[@tecul1]

hypnosis imo makes gengar way less consistent when there is no need to do such a thing

[@h2o684]

The Jimothy Cool slander is insane, folks

[@gabrielalves303]

This running gag of your viewers repeating your script back to you is a good indicator that theyre well written. I love the level of polish in your content, keep it up ❤

[@touyakami1406]

Since entering Generation 9, Gengar has lost it's ability to explode. Coincidentally, Horsea's hidden ability Damp prevents self destructing moves from occurring. Something is afoot folks. Could Horsea have survived the Horse Duel and been plotting something with his business assiociate Old Money against Gengar and the Council of Ghosts?

[@shelmet5]

wait, let em cook

[@azeria1]

Glaie also lost explosion it’s one set of setting spikes and exploding is gone now

[@benross9174]

@@azeria1Did it? Theres a Glalie that knows explosion in the Scarlet/Violet anime. With a decently big-ish role

[@flyingice6699]

@@benross9174 clips I see of it say self-destruct instead. Revisionist trash.

[@TwiliPaladin]

Glalie is on the Council of Ghosts as an honorary ghost. Some call it nepotism, since he shares a pre-evolution with Froslass, but the Council assures that he was allowed in on a democratic vote.

[@azeria1]

Gamefreak punished gengar for his over confidence and took away levitate from him to humble him

[@Nin-Saber]

GF: "Your overconfidence is your weakness" Gengar: "Your faith in Charizard is yours"

[@shelmet5]

now he's stuck with cursed body

[@bananaspice1967]

They clipped his wings

[@RuggedRing]

Gamefreak: "Bad Gengar. You're grounded."

[@SaintoftheHonest]

They decided four immunities was too much

[@kodar98]

The gen 3 ou monologue near the end was beautiful

[@ct1296]

I think the fact that Gen 3 Gengar cannot learn High Horsepower disqualifies him from being the most varied and complex Pokemon. Without an avenue to join the Horse Council, he lacks the crucial horse-related skills possessed by Pokemon such as Barboach and Falinks.

[@epicdude8742]

Neither of those pokemon can learn High Horsepower in Gen 3.

[@ct1296]

@@epicdude8742 yes, that is factually correct. but I did not specify “gen 3 barboach”.

[@PeridotEX]

I think it's impressive that Gengar got as far as he did with such low horsepower. He's a real underdog, I suppose

[@tecul1]

text to speech may in fact dictate that many gengars have 248 horsepower

[@CoNteMpTone]

@@PeridotEXunderhorse*

[@waterwallets]

Jimothy: only Fire types are immune to Will-o-Wisp Wailord: And I took that personally

[@SMorange-bh8ou]

i cant believe jim forgot the ou staple that is wailord

[@armorbearer9702]

Seaking: I hear you buddy.

[@darkdragon7210]

Funny how Fire Types are Immune to Will-o-Wisp, but NOT from getting Burned!!! Lol 😂😂😂😂

[@danyg0000]

@@SMorange-bh8ouespecially on Wailord Wednesday

[@benjulesrun9057]

Gengar has access to Explosion because he's part poison-type on his father's side

[@JmastersJ]

I don't get it. Pls explain

[@PorkpieJohnny]

​@@JmastersJFor Gengar to run Explosion in gen 3, it either needs to learn it from a move tutor, or inherit it as an egg move from a Koffing/Weezing father

[@genarftheunfuni5227]

Gen 3 Gengar is genuinely pretty insane It's so flexible, that you can put almost anything on it, and with enough skill and luck, it somehow manages to work

[@BobbyHopp]

gen 1-3 Gengar really has that Black Mage rpg spellcaster type feel. frail but iconic, uses a variety of spell like attacks/elements, alot of trickery. (thunderbolt/icepunch/firepunch/explosion etc) Im glad it got stab special poison and ghost but og gengar is such a great example of how alot of pokemon are twists and representation of traditional rpg classes.

[@CoralReaper707]

There's something so awesome about old gens where the top level threats are the most versatile things on the planet. Seeing gen 9's top tier mons usually being nothing more than just "click broken signature move and kill everything" is really sad

[@tecul1]

it's the easiest way to get kids to keep playing, unfortunately

[@AlphaetusPrime]

I love the point you make near the end about how underdog Pokemon aren't necessarily the most interesting. The more I watched of ADV Revival and now Jimvitational coverage, the more I've come to appreciate not just the variation in which Pokemon a competitor chooses to use, but also how much variation there is in how each specific Pokemon can be used.

[@songbongbang519]

The love-dissertation at the end regarding why Gen 3 OU is your favorite Pokemon metagame reminds me of how I feel about Melee. Especially what you said about how the top tiers in ADV OU are the most interesting and fun to play. That's EXACTLY how I feel about the top tiers in Melee. A common complaint you hear about Melee is that only eight characters are viable, but this ceases to matter to me when these viable characters have such endless complexity to them that there is no singular way to play them. I like Ultimate too, and it IS an impressive feat in its own right that so much of the cast is viable, but when I sit down to play/watch platform fighters (or any fighter in general, really) at the highest level, what I value most is skill expression through depth, not width. There's no confusing Plup's Sheik with Jmook's Sheik, or Salt's Falcon with Wizzrobe's. When I watch a Falco aggressively wavedash-forward to make his opponent play scared and then open them up with the craziest most unorthodox move ever, I don't need the overlay to tell me I'm watch Mango. To me, this is what makes metagames like Melee and ADV OU great. Diversity in skill expression, not necessarily diversity in intellectual properties.

[@GoldStorm07]

Gengar may have gotten more linear after transitioning into a STAB attacker role, but it never really left its offensive utility role behind. Even up to Gen 9, most of its sets will run 1-2 of Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Trick, Destiny Bond or Encore. I remember early in BW it would run Disable after that move got buffed. Its defined personality as a scheming gremlin who loves to mess with its opponent is still represented in how it's used, which is rare for such an old Poke that's gone through so many changes.

[@jeffethegamingadvocate2821]

Your love and passion for Gen 3 ou is very contagious. A lot of gamers seem to not even like the competitive game they play

[@olympusgolemoflight7198]

What I love the most about Gengar are the stat spreads. Most Pokemon go all in with two stats, maybe putting enough in to hit a specific benchmark, but Gengar's EVs are incredibly fine tuned.

[@shoogles_]

Gengar has Levitate even though it clearly stands on the ground. This deception was only uncovered in Gen VII. Unfortunately Gengar still eludes justice for its massive avoision.

[@MAYOFORCE]

He actually stole the ability from Magneton

[@Scurrying_Snail]

Even though it got stronger, gengar certainly lost its magic from the physical special split. The smogon page for ADV Gengar is the size of a novel.

[@josephbulkin9222]

Tell me more about how it's a good thing that Gengar cant make use of Shadow Ball.

[@dragonslayerz2220]

​@@josephbulkin9222in exchange, Gengar got all three elemental punches on it's Special Attack.

[@Brandon.thebaby]

@@josephbulkin9222shadow ball before the steel nerf was kinda wack tbh, especially since ttar was everywhere & steels were basically mandatory

[@konbkob4156]

​​@@josephbulkin9222Gengar is still top-tier without Shadow Ball, and had a lot of special moves (such as the punches) that it basically lost access to when they became physical. It's still strong without the punches and with SB STAB, but there's a charm in its versatility and how it isn't chained to its STAB attacks

[@josephbulkin9222]

@@konbkob4156 I suppose I wouldn't know anything about that. I always thought tiers were for tryhards.

[@wxcvbndu51]

Gengar is the most iconic ghost type Pokemon in the franchise.

[@Greeds_]

and one of the series most popular mascots

[@ShenaniganBros1]

But Gengar (me) isn’t just iconic to casual fans.

[@adam9279]

But Gengar isn't just iconic to casual fans

[@DJTileTurnip]

This funny ghost is also an icon of the competitive scene

[@Save_Frog]

Ever since the first game in the series, Gengar has been a central force in competitive Pokémon

[@Nin-Saber]

With such a lovely and welcoming smile, Gengar can do no wrong

[@JJNWSGHOST0299]

Days since Groodon: 0

[@tecul1]

grewdon

[@feelsokayman5656]

I mean having 3 inmunities and two 1/4 resistances is Outstanding, i agree with you in this one Jim We're Gaming, bros

[@Buschkopf111]

After the beginning of Macargos reign, i recieved this really nice t-shirt. I think i am gaming folks.

[@LuaShine]

peak just dropped, folks

[@teo2805]

If Jimothy does not upload i do not eat

[@the_bookworm8281]

Gen 1-3 Gengar is a weird enigma in competitive Pokemon; a mon with zero STAB options, yet still so good (especially in Gen 3). I don't recall any other Pokemon being like that, though my memory is a little rusty.

[@InkSams9386]

Blissey?

[@wyatt4227]

Gen 9 dragonite hardly ever runs stab attacks

[@YunaLuni]

​@@wyatt4227 dragon dance

[@DragonFellowship]

Gen 3 dragonite

[@Dragonoid269]

Gen 3 dragonite isn't that amazing, it is fairly niche compared to Salamance.

[@konsth191]

I love the last part of the video. what makes a metagame dynamic and fun is one of the most interesting topics to talk about in regards to pokemon, for me

[@glowingpineapple619]

its kinda funny how some people who are unaware of competitive pokemon think gengar only gets good in gen 4 when it gets special stab when its amazing/pretty good (not sure about gen 2) in all three gens before it

[@josephbulkin9222]

Tell me more about how it's such a great thing that Gengar(you know, the Ghost-type) cant make good use of Shadow Ball(you know, the Ghost -type attack).

[@glowingpineapple619]

@@josephbulkin9222 i never said that it was a bad thing that it finally got special stab in gen 4 i was just saying that gengar is so good that in the first three gens it didnt really need stab to achieve its role as a speedy special attacker or anything it was doing in gen 3

[@timothylawrence8929]

Gengar is top tier in gen 2 as well

[@twilightsilver6230]

Can't wait for the top comment to just be the first line of the video

[@jimothycool]

Can't wait for the top comment to just be the first line of the video

[@bg-cc6hn]

Really enjoyed this video. Slightly different take on your usual format, but executed to perfection 👌 Like Gengar, the diversity in the content you make is one of your greatest traits as a content creator. That, your positive attitude, and unique humor are why I look forward to every upload. Great job, Mr. Cool 😎

[@dogman7776]

This is the best thumbnail of all time. Wowwe. this is truly insane folks.

[@hps362]

This is peak Jimothy Cool right here. Also, I agree. Hclat did game.

[@cocoPls]

I've always felt like gengar and boo from mario would be friends, and do petty crime together

[@nekomansa]

14:35 Sounds vaguely similar to the fighting game adage, "take the throw." But in this case it's "take a nap."

[@xerthk5926]

Jimmothy! I have it on good authority that the Bird counsel (Pokémon who learn brave bird) are planning a war against the horse counsel due to Macargo being their new leader

[@subtodicerat8305]

this is officially my favourite jimothy cool video

[@tecul1]

my fave vid to date is the now privated day 1 gen 9 insanity with brute bonnet

[@Gold_Gamer_100]

I've been waiting 4, no, 5 thousand years for this!

[@vladfi1]

Missed opportunity at 24:14 to nickname the Ho-Oh "Uh-Oh".

[@gibra-elwalker8022]

I was going to queue up for a TFT game but dropped everything to Watch Jimothy. Thank you heavenly general for your diligent uploading.

[@handoverthestromboli6715]

23:40 GRUDON MENTIONED

[@gallae]

would love to see a video like this for all the top ADV OU threats, i’ve been getting into the format thanks to your channel and this is such good insight into what makes these pokes good

[@DarkrarLetsPlay]

The old outro is ALMOST back :O

[@BillytheCorgi]

To add to your final point, i agree not every pokemone should be viable in every meta. Remember how hyped people were when Pachirisu was seen in VGC? It was exciting because it was such a specific counter to the meta at the time that nobody would've thought it. It was different from everything else, and seeing the creativity to pull something like that off was truly astounding. I cannot imagine that would've been nearly as exciting if pokemon like pachirisu, farfetch'd, and smoochun were always viable no matter what.

[@graveleater9746]

Gengar+cloyster+ninjask goes absolutely insane. Cloyster is severely underrated as a special attacker. Those icy wind predicts will win you more games than a pursuit will.

[@00Krohnos]

This is my favorite 1057 elo core

[@pantslesswrock]

For breakfast today I had an apple bar.

[@Snagavitch]

Have been on a gen3 spree since the jimvitational started. Honestly after playing gen9 for so long I love the stability, and have noticed the stability has actually created more variety. I have made 6 successful (by my standards) teams and each have used a metagross but the moveset or spread has been dif everytime and for a genuine purpose. Constraint leads to creativity often times

[@tecul1]

Necessity breeds innovation

[@poltergeyst5898]

Such a great analysis. Very articulate.

[@inuroses_]

i am in love with the thumbnail

[@pcm1011]

I still run the Hypnosis and Dream Eater combo from Stadium

[@armorbearer9702]

"No reason why a weapon can't have more than one use. In fact, I'd say its versatility shows how well you designed it." -Snake

[@icky_sticky_mars]

3:02 "you get the point ahh clip"

[@Brandon.thebaby]

gengar was so much more fun before the physical special split 🥺

[@tecul1]

the bihi game where they expertly used gengar while down the whole game in spl is a thing of wonder

[@Neverleterlun]

Great video as always Mr Cool. The continued work you do is truly amazing. I am asking for your support again for Raichu. He continues to face hardship. But your videos give us at the F.E.A hope that one day some one will take up our fight. On behalf of all forgotten evolutions, thank you.

[@CoNteMpTone]

Very poetic ending.

[@thearrivalcyberseignister8898]

0:38 that focus punch 💀

[@tecul1]

i love you jesus always does this with his gengars

[@lordinfernape4753]

Bring back Levitate and make it learn Mystical Fire

[@R0yalBunny]

This is Gengar Gaming

[@beaky8138]

That sub drum Hariyama is neat.

[@Darumaster]

I could have sworn you already made a vid about Gen 3 Gengar

[@DrewZGmusic]

Hey it me

[@jimothycool]

hello Gengar.

[@johnsanko4136]

Gengar is a beautiful (competitive) pokemon

[@AnthonyBalladarez]

Gengar explosion goes hard

[@smit_sumitzu]

we love the funny ghost

[@aldrichunfaithful3589]

if you're interested in building an offensive spikes team that uses gengar to aggressively spinblock, a nice way to make the strategy more consistent is to also use offensive swampert (this set uses pump, eq, ice beam, focus punch with a rash nature, and 108 Def 252 SpA 148 speed). you outspeed standard claydol and do 85% minimum with pump, so it's perfectly fine to throw away gengar for claydol chip as long as you keep pressure up and keep swampert in front of claydol. off pert is also amazing on these teams in general, pump chunks everything and you outspeed blissey which lets you beat it down with eq and punch

[@tecul1]

i like this swampert on jolteon spikes, basically mandatory i would say

[@Goobywoobygoo]

*Clicks Hypnosis*

[@YosiahW]

I always used to say that I am the biggest gen 3 fan but Akimbo Jimbo is pretty Cool. I don't think I can compete.

[@_TristanGray]

Excellent thumbnail

[@antonioalva900]

i wonder if any gen 3 choice band gengar sets are out there :3

[@skele173]

youtuber Haydunn actually used a set like that to completely destroy his opponent's Blissey that was switching in

[@kms1137]

The most insane part is the hoodie with a 65$ price tag that’s almost half of the minimum wage in my country 💀💀💀

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

one of the rare cases of a pokemon that can overcome off-stat STABs. RIP Crawdaunt, Sneasel, Togetic, Sharpedo (apparently sharky gets UU play?). Flareon too.

[@Dragonoid269]

Flareon is pretty bad in general though, really bad stat distribution compared to the other Eeveelutions. It is both slow AND has horrible physical bulk. Togetic is even worse stat wise, would never have been even decent even if it has it's attack and special attack swapped (at least they fixed it in later gens with the added evolution). Sneasel, Sharpedo and Crawdaunt could have worked with their stats inverted though

[@sramain2852]

Gengar losing levitate is my personnal 9/11

[@yeeuoi7333]

good video Jim

[@Blazin_Tundra]

Gengar needs levitate back.

[@dvddmo]

We need Gen 3 OU the Collective Canvas. Metagame evolutions inspired by common threats & sets

[@3Tomatoess]

i might be inclined to agree

[@TheSandwhichman108]

I used Claydol a fair bit in gen 3 ou. I didn’t use it as a rapid spinner thought but as a bulky screen setter. I also found good use in swapping out swampert for milotic on sandstorm teams since most people expect swampert and instead they have to deal with a bulky water type that knows recover and can set up screens while still hitting hard with moves like hydropump or ice beam.

[@MogusMasterSaikawa22]

really cool to watch this I never fooled around with gengar when I played gen 3 ou for a short time a few years ago. his versatility reminds me of sandwichtwo. I may hate sandwichtwo as a character and pokemon's mismanagement of mewtwo but the versatility of him in game is still fun especially in gen 4 ubers I found so I guess I should give gengar a try again sometime if he's anything like sandwichtwo ashfdoi

[@LeaxanderNearney]

Gengar has always been my fav. Still rots me that they took away levitate

[@slapnutz3179]

What luck that Jim was able to find a replay where the players had specifically named their pokemon the corresponding base speed to help Illustrate his point This is insane

[@peterwhitaker6380]

This is my first time learning that Pokémon go "into the void" when they faint. 😥

[@natejohnson1083]

My phone case is gengar themed

[@canaldecasta]

Imagine if Shadow Ball wasnt a phys move that reduced spdef

[@roysherwin9348]

@jimothycool why is there wii sports resort music in the middle of this 10/10 pokemon video?

[@funkymachine]

You should have mentioned the utility gar can be timid to live aero slides 100% of the time

[@ES-dp6tw]

What if ghost had been special coded and dragon physical coded from the beginning?

[@lordofyggdrasil9633]

camerupt is so cool

[@nickkerinklio8239]

Why are you using the remake version of the Azalea town theme in your videos? This is a wicked thing to do. Use the original for our sake.

[@darkdragon7210]

How does Hypnosis work on Tyranitar? It's a Pyschic Move on a Dark Type Pokemon!

[@skele173]

dark types are immune to DAMAGING psychic moves, which then goes follows in the later gens

[@darkdragon7210]

@@skele173 It should just be all Psychic moves unless it has an ability like Scrappy! Like Gengar shouldn't be able to use Explosion & Swordsdance cause its a Ghost Type!

[@nothankyou4859]

Thank you Cool.

[@pedrowakisaka2098]

Ah, the Iron Valiant of yore

[@verysuboptimal1977]

I dunno if its intentional but the thumbnail says Gungar!

[@hueypresley8604]

It’s stats is similar to absol minus the speed that has me thinking maybe absol was going to have a 110 speed but was cut for balance

[@qstorm38]

Did you make that thumbnail yourself? If so, it’s very good.

[@et34t34fdf]

Imagine if gengar was pure ghost in gen 1 and 2.

[@DaniDoyle]

I love Gengar

[@MAYOFORCE]

Would parish trapping for 2 turns, then switching to Dugtrio to continue to trap with Arena Trap take out the opposing pokemon work, or does the opponent lose the parish song status when Gengar is switched out regardless?

[@tecul1]

this works, and in fact has been done to drop mean look on unsuspecting enemies, using perish song into explosion into substitute dugtrio think it's been used in jimvitational

[@MAYOFORCE]

@@tecul1 That is so cool. I really like how Gen 3 feels more lax in terms of trying clever and evil sounding shit like this compared to later gens.

[@canaldecasta]

Since Gengar has this much versatility, is it a thing to also use Haunter? Or not good enough

[@jimothycool]

This has been done.

[@jeffhamrick6380]

How do you play gen 3 Ubers? I can’t find it on showdown.