Is Gengar Deck good in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Gengar Deck is a Tier 3 deck with a 36% win rate and 0.1% meta share. It's a viable deck that can perform well in the right hands.

What cards do I need for Gengar Deck?

The core cards for Gengar Deck are: Gengar, Gengar. Top tournament builds also commonly include Gastly, Haunter, Mew ex, Mimikyu ex.

How do you play Gengar Deck?

Build your strategy around Gengar. It's the deck's main damage dealer. This is a mono-psychic deck, giving you consistent energy draws. Every energy card works for any attacker.

What is the best Gengar Deck deck list?

The top-performing Gengar Deck list runs: 2x Gastly, 2x Gengar, 2x Haunter, 1x Mew ex, 2x Mimikyu ex, 1x Cyrus, 1x Giant Cape, 1x Giovanni, 1x Mars, 2x Poké Ball, 2x Professor’s Research, 2x Rare Candy, 1x Sabrina. This build achieved 3W-3L at Lagoon Serenity Format (5 USD).

What beats Gengar Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Gengar Deck's core Pokemon are weak to darkness types. Strong counters include Mega Absol ex Deck, Darkrai ex Deck, Zoroark ex Deck.

How many packs do I need to build Gengar Deck?

Based on pull rates, you'll need approximately 309 packs to collect all core cards for Gengar Deck. Most cards are reasonably accessible through regular pack opening.

Gengar Deck

0.1% of the meta · Updated June 10, 2026

Tier 3

Win Rate

35.8%

Meta Share

0.1%

Core Cards

Estimated Pack Cost

309

estimated packs to collect all core cards

1x Rare~280/ea

1x Uncommon~29/ea

GengarRare

Mewtwo280 pks

GengarUncommon

Arceus29 pks

Estimates based on pull rates. Actual results may vary.

Core Cards

Gengar

Genetic Apex #122

Gengar

Triumphant Light #033

Key Moves & Abilities

Bother(Gengar)

Your opponent can't use any Supporter cards from their hand during their next turn.

Hypnoblast(Gengar)

Your opponent's Active Pokémon is now Asleep.

Strategy Guide

Auto-generated

Gengar applies pressure through two distinct Stage 2 variants — one that inflicts Sleep via Hypnoblast for 70 damage and one that blocks opponent Supporter usage via Bother — disrupting the opponent's setup while scoring points through knock outs. The goal is to make the opponent's recovery tools inaccessible while chipping toward 3 points.

Start with Gastly active and use Poké Ball to find a second Gastly or open attacker, then draw aggressively with Professor's Research, Copycat, and Leaf to build toward both Gengar variants via Rare Candy. Darkrai and Igglybuff provide secondary pressure early so the Gengar lines can develop safely. Mid-game, use the 130-HP Gengar's Bother to deny the opponent a Supporter play while dealing 50 damage; follow with the 140-HP Gengar's Hypnoblast to lock the Active Pokemon asleep and deal 70. Cyrus and Lisia handle energy management and card access across the final turns.

Strengths

Hypnoblast puts the opponent's Active Pokemon to Sleep, potentially skipping their entire next attack.
Bother locks the opponent out of Supporter cards for one turn, crippling draw and healing at critical moments.
Rare Candy bypasses the Haunter stage entirely, reaching either Gengar faster than typical Stage 2 lines.

Weaknesses

Both Gengar variants are Stage 2 non-ex Pokemon; Poké Ball only finds Gastly, so both Gengar forms rely on draw supporters.Consistency
Gengar's 140 HP and 130 HP totals are relatively low for a Stage 2, making it vulnerable to one-shot ex attackers.Matchup
Giratina ex, Melmetal ex, and Mega Gardevoir ex all hold 75% win rates against this archetype.Matchup

How to Play

Chain Disruption with Both Gengar Variants

Use Bother first to deny the opponent a Supporter play, then switch to or bench the Hypnoblast Gengar to inflict Sleep and deal 70 damage the following turn. Keeping Sleep active and blocking Supporters simultaneously prevents the opponent from healing, drawing recovery cards, or evolving to counter. Darkrai and Igglybuff handle early scoring while both Gengars set up via Rare Candy.

Key cardsGengarDarkraiIgglybuffRare Candy

Dig to Gengar Quickly with Leaf and Rare Candy

Two copies of Leaf and two copies of Professor's Research give this deck exceptional draw density for a 20-card list. Use Rare Candy to skip Haunter and deploy whichever Gengar variant is needed for the current game state. Copycat mirrors a large opponent hand to accelerate further. Lisia can then recover a key Trainer or Pokemon to close the game.

Key cardsLeafProfessor's ResearchCopycatRare CandyLisia

How to Beat This Deck

Apply Dark-Type Weakness

Gengar is Psychic type, which typically carries Dark or Ghost weaknesses. Running attackers that hit Psychic types for weakness multiplies damage and one-shots Gengar before it can use Bother or Hypnoblast again. Giratina ex and Darkrai-based lists both hold strong win rates against Gengar for exactly this reason.

Hold Supporters Until Sleep is Resolved

Bother blocks Supporter usage for one turn; if your Pokemon is not asleep, you still retain full hand access after that turn. Prioritize playing Supporters like Professor's Research or Copycat before Bother resolves. If asleep, attempt to wake with a coin-flip retreat or wait — Sleep does not persist through the active check on your turn.

CountersProfessor's ResearchCopycat

Pressure Gastly Before Gengar Evolves

Both Gengar variants require surviving the Gastly stage. Aggressive early attacks that KO Gastly before Rare Candy can be played deny Gengar from reaching the field. The opponent's lack of ex attackers means each KO only scores 1 point, but racing to 3 points through repeated early-stage KOs denies the disruption engine entirely.

Common Substitutions

Secondary attackers

Darkrai:Psychic-adjacent Dark type that applies damage pressure during Gengar's setup turns
Igglybuff:Low-cost basic that contests early turns and provides a non-ex body to sacrifice without point loss