What is Gengar‘s Hidden Ability?
Let‘s get this out of the way first – Gengar does not actually have a hidden ability. As one of the original first generation Pokémon, Game Freak did not design Gengar with an additional surprise ability like many newer Pokémon possess.
Cursed Body: Gengar‘s Only Current Ability
With no hidden ability, Gengar‘s only usable talent is the regularly available Cursed Body. This ability has a 30% chance of disabling one of the opponent‘s moves when they directly attack Gengar.
For example, if an opposing Machamp uses Cross Chop on Gengar and gets cursed, its Cross Chop move becomes unusable for the remainder of the battle.
While Cursed Body can block powerful moves, its reliability suffers since it hinges on opponents physically striking Gengar.
Levitate Removed – No Replacement Hidden Ability
In previous games, Gengar actually did have a very strategic ability in Levitate. As the name suggests, this allowed Gengar to float above the ground and gave it a precious immunity to Ground-type moves. However, this ability was stripped away without compensation in Generation 7.
Lacking Levitate and with no new hidden ability introduced for Gengar, its defensive and maneuverability options are now more limited. Gengar must rely solely on Cursed Body with its mediocre 30% trigger rate.
Theorizing Why Gengar Lacks Hidden Abilities
Fans have multiple theories on why Game Freak hasn‘t provided stronger ability options for Gengar after greedily taking away Levitate:
Nerfing for Competitive Balance
Some believe removing Levitate was an intentional decision to nerf and weaken Gengar‘s performance in competitive play. Without its ground immunity, Gengar became far less durable.
Strong Base Stats Already
Others argue Gengar already has strong enough base stats across the board, especially with high Special Attack and Speed. So the developers didn‘t feel pressured give it a powerful new ability.
Simply Overlooked
Lastly, a portion of fans think Game Freak simply missed updating Gengar‘s abilities throughout the years. As an original Pokémon, updating Gengar may not have been a top priority over adding new content.
How Could a Hidden Ability Enhance Gengar?
While the actual reasons for Gengar‘s lack of hidden abilities remains unknown, we can still speculate on what some fitting ones could be!
Phantom Guard
This ability would allow Gengar to take only 50% damage from opponents‘ attacks for one turn. This would significantly bolster its mediocre defenses.
Spectral Leech
This would sap away HP from opponents and transfer it to Gengar with Ghost-type attacks. It would synergize perfectly with Gengar‘s strong special attacking movepool.
Shadow Sneak
Always moving first in shadows, this ability would let Gengar strike first regardless of opponent speed. This could allow it to disable threats before taking damage.
How Does Gengar Compare to Other Strong Pokémon?
Gengar stands as #94 among all Pokémon based on overall base stat total. This firmly plants Gengar as an above average Pokémon but not quite top-tier.
For comparison, pseudo-legendries like Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Metagross have base stats reaching 600 while Gengar‘s total is only 500. So in some aspects, improving Gengar‘s abilities could help close this performance gap.
Gengar‘s Role Across Generations and Competitive Meta
As one of the original ghosts alongside Haunter, Gengar has consistently seen some level of competitive use over Pokémon‘s long history. Even without hidden abilities, trainers are drawn to Gengar‘s speed and attacking prowess.
Gengar debuted in the speedy S Tier during Generation 1 thanks to lack of counters. This declined to A Tier by Generation 3 as new types and moves arose to check Ghosts. Gengar bounced back in Generations 4 and 5, even reaching top tier usage again in Gen 5.
Unfortunately, Gengar took a plunge by Generation 6 and never fully regained status. Removing its Levitate ability crippled viability. Hopefully Cursed Body adjustments or even a legendary hidden ability addition could restore former ghostly glory.
Gengar‘s Stat Progression:
| Generation | HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 60 | 65 | 60 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 500 |
| II | 60 | 65 | 60 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 500 |
| III | 60 | 65 | 60 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 500 |
| IV | 60 | 65 | 60 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 500 |
| V | 60 | 65 | 60 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 500 |
| VI | 60 | 65 | 80 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 520 |
| VII | 60 | 65 | 80 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 520 |
| VIII | 60 | 65 | 80 | 130 | 75 | 110 | 520 |
Conclusion:
So for players hoping to discover Gengar‘s hidden gem of an ability – sadly no such revelation exists. With only the middle-of-the-road Cursed Body ability, Gengar must rely on its strong Special Attack, Speed, and attack variety to stand out among fellow ghosts.
Yet without the safety net of Levitate or a new hidden ability, Gengar falls shorter against elite pseudo-legendary threats. Perhaps after over 20 years, Game Freak will finally bless this ghost with the secret power it deserves!
