Gengar Perish Trap Strategy Guide | Pokémon VGC
Summary
The Pokémon Champions | VGC Battles & Tournaments server discusses a high-level Gengar Perish Trap strategy. This community breakdown explores the viability of Meowstic versus Starmie for Skill Swap setups, team composition adjustments, and defensive synergy. It is an essential read for competitive players looking to refine their tournament rosters and master complex trap mechanics in the current VGC meta.
The thoughts are that a meowstic skill swap to steal the shadow tag and give gengar prankster (if needed), then gengar switches out while meowstic dies to the first perish. You win with gengar using a second perish.
VERY ROUGH DRAFT
https://pokepast.es/3f61e8f9f05d9e51
Bro
Focus on new orleans
😭
starmie does this better than meowstic
I did my practice
Yeah
No time to slack
Why starmie? Meowstic gets prankster
https://tenor.com/view/juice-wrld-dap-juice-wrld-dap-juice-gif-3039749628987548630
starmie is less frail, better defensive typing, flip turn, access to skill swap and both protect and substitute
Are you playing?
I am
He is
I just submitted my list
Gl
Top deck dragapult
https://tenor.com/view/juice-wrld-dap-juice-wrld-dap-juice-gif-3039749628987548630
I feel like having prankster and fake out is the dealbreaker for me
I aint playing that shit
Also screens helps gengar
Yea
you should already be running incineroar and the team always has a slot for prankster fake out on sableye
Starmie doesnt do shit here imo
Yes, meowstic is better at sticking around
i literally ended season 1 mb2 starmie ss perish
This team is holy cancer
Yk screens stack with veil
They dont
https://tenor.com/view/cat-gif-11974222917451120303
I swear thet do
Its cuz meowstic has no better move
They dont
they do not stack
Yeah I just can’t find a better move for meowstic
why double up screen and veil as well as two weathers
you are already locked gengar incin at minimum for perish
need poli for second singer as you have no other one
if you dedicate hard perish
so where does tales sit here?
sini i can see if there is a need to shut off tr or if most of the team is single attackers
Just realised 2 weathers lmao
We need to cut tales
But for who
Someone to deal with ghosts probably
no
you need someone to deal with garchomp
which is why most perish runs kommo-o
Who works there
eq is your biggest threat
Idk
gengars biggest weakness, and since you want meow, you dont really sit well into eq with meow either
Does kommo even ohko chomp
How does kommo help with chomp
Are we teching ice punch?
Ice punch is physical nvm
How does kommo fix chomp mu
32+ SpA Dragon Fang Kommo-o Clanging Scales vs. 20 HP / 1 SpD Garchomp: 236-278 (116.2 - 136.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
and thats with no soul
Oh dragon fang
Do I dump speed into kommo?
yes
modest
soundproof saves from that
https://pokepast.es/606109b950f0a55d
aura sphere helps make headway into opposing incin that run throat chop
20 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kommo-o: 67-79 (44.6 - 52.6%) -- 20.3% chance to 2HKO
they usually want to eq to try and remove the trap
but if they focus on kommo instead
20 Atk Garchomp Dragon Claw vs. 1 HP / 1 Def Kommo-o: 104-126 (68.8 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
you still survive with def invest
fairy will require a pivot, but thats fine
Ofc
the problem with meow is it has the same issue as gengar
ghost, dark
plus anything that really hammers at it with phys
Reflect
Do we run meow physically bulky?
yeah you can get it up
but you also force a two turn to steal
and have screen
32+ Atk Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 32 HP / 2 Def Meowstic through Reflect: 102-120 (56.3 - 66.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
so when do you skill swap
without losing one or the other
fake out doesnt save you after ss
and you have no pivot move
Turn 2 when gengar protects
doesnt work
protect
You can skill swap through the protect, no?
no
It would be on the 2 turns remaining then, meow could choose between fo and screen t1
so when does it come in?
Made meow more physically bulky
if incin gengar are the lead for perish
turn one perish plus fake out
I assumed it was more of a lead mon now since it keeps fo
You can switch incin if needed
turn two swap meow plus parting shot
then you have em on the field together turn 3
but now you have to protect gengar
or you ss here
but no screens are up yet
and odds are they are doubling gengar
so now you cannot swap out meow to retain perish mode
and you are locked into poli to sing
I think it works in a situation like this:
turn 1: fo + perish
turn 2: screen + protect
turn 3: ss + disable
turn 4: swap gengar to incin and sac meow
well, lets try
send me the new paste
https://pokepast.es/e10bd74591f20094
Just so you know, I’m going to be losing since I’ve never played perish
so you want gengar meow lead
what do you do against armor tail
How did basc switch moves but outspeed gengar is what confuses me
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9championsvgc2026regma-2630205954
Set up screens
that would be effected by prankster homie
Wdym
Its not blocked by armor tail
Armor tail is only moves affecting them
Also in the face of something outspeeding and ohkoing gengar, you can ss + perish to get prankster perish which is funny
i am trying very hard to make this work
Yeah the issue is that ss doesn’t change anything
You have to use it like turn 3
not on a mon like meow no
Its weird
five attempts
all lost trying to give meow shadow tag
Yeah its not working
now i remove it and use starmie
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9championsvgc2026regma-2630213864-apyo1gb1mbsp9afgyhtdo8dshwb6gyppw
full round of perish and i still had starmie neear full
electric and dark are the only things you have to go regular perish mode for, otherwise youre free to ss and just sit there
well grass electric bug ghost dark
but still
it is bulkier
if you wanted to try and force meow
the moveset needs to change
try swapping reflect for substitute
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9championsvgc2026regma-2630220959
Interesting
Seems it can work. Just needs weird playing
Yeah starmie seems fun
You would much rather use your two last slots for something else
And not sole trap
Something to disable garchomp mus or a sweeper to beat gambits
That sounds like Mamoswine to me
I'ma try this team perhaps
This is bad but if you get it to work, please share
My teams kinda suck too-
My Mega Glimm team still needs ironing out ngl
