The Ghost-type in Pokemon has a lot of interesting properties. It has two immunities and is also super-effective against itself, which isn’t something most other types can claim. Most would probably agree that it could use a bit of help, and it works best when paired with another type. Dual-typed ghosts in the franchise like Gengar, Blacephalon, and Dragapult can attest to that.
That said, how well does it work on its own? It’s not the type most commonly left to fend for itself without a secondary typing, but there are a certain few Pokemon that are Ghost mono-types. This list will stack them against each other to determine which one is the strongest in a competitive sense.
7 Mismagius
All things considered, Generation IV’s Mismagius doesn’t have much going for it from a competitive standpoint. The main thing keeping it from being viable is its stats. While 105 in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed are pretty good, it’s not good enough to make a niche out of it, and it doesn’t help that your other stats are subpar.
Meanwhile, the one thing that’s keeping it from being totally useless is its surprisingly good movepool. A few good coverage moves like Dark Pulse, Dazzling Gleam, Power Gem, and Energy Ball could prove to be useful in lower tiers. Adding a Ground-type immunity thanks to Levitate also isn’t bad, effectively making it immune to three types (along with Normal and Fighting).
6 Galarian Corsola & Cursola
Generation VIII’s Cursola is one of the more interesting Ghost-types for battling. It has a pretty cool signature ability, the new Perish Body, that causes Pokemon to faint within three turns upon contact unless they switch out. It has pretty good attacking stats for a special wallbreaker, at 145 Special Attack at 130 Special Defense, and it has incredible STAB and coverage moves to back it up. Unfortunately, it can’t take a physical hit to save its life at 50 Defense, and it’s obviously incredibly slow at 30 Speed.
An honorable mention goes to Corsola, who makes itself useful as an Eviolite holder. It’s made a name for itself in not-fully-evolved tiers and even lower regular tiers as a great wall thanks to moves like Strength Sap.
5 Polteageist
There is one shining competitive niche that Polteageist can make use of to be competitive: its Weak Armor + Focus Sash + Shell Smash set. The objective is to take a physical hit, relying on the Focus Sash to avoid a KO. The physical hit activates Weak Armor, dropping its Defense one stage and raising its Speed two stages, and then using Shell Smash adds onto that along with a boost in both attacking stats.
Hypothetically, you’re left with an incredibly dangerous sweeper thanks to being boosted to oblivion and having access to good STAB moves and a few OK coverage moves. The problem is that this set can be kind of predictable to seasoned competitive players, and a few unforeseen circumstances might cause the strategy to go awry.
4 Banette
Banette was one of the few Pokemon blessed with a Mega Evolution in Generation VI, and it took it from being an otherwise competitively unviable Pokemon to an excellent utility threat in mid-tier play. It had the Prankster ability, which gives priority to status moves. That’s helped in executing moves like Destiny Bond, Taunt, Calm Mind, and others, especially since its Speed isn’t great at 75.
Speaking of stats, it has a powerful 165 Attack stat. Unfortunately, the Ghost-type isn’t known for having incredibly strong physical moves, though Shadow Claw works just fine for its purposes. What’s even more unfortunate is all this is moot in Generation VIII where Mega Evolution is no longer a functioning battle mechanic.
3 Cofagrigus
The distinct physical wall of this group of pure Ghost-types, Cofagrigus’ supposed claim to viability is its massive 145 Defense.
Its most commonly used movesets are catered to adding onto its defensive capabilities. It has access to Will-O-Wisp, which further improves its ability to take on physical hits. It has the interesting Mummy ability, which can be situationally useful in eliminating certain abilities from other Pokemon. A more unique moveset involves the use of Trick Room, where it can take advantage of its otherwise horrid 30 Speed. It helps that cause to have a pretty decent 105 Special Attack and access to moves like Calm Mind for set-up.
2 Dusclops & Dusknoir
Galarian Corsola has Dusclops to thank for creating the blueprint of pure Ghost-type Eviolite users, as Dusclops has been the prototype of that mold for generations. Its Generation IV evolution Dusknoir isn’t too shabby either, having had stints in higher tiers of competitive play a few generations ago.
These two evolutionary family members are decidedly defensive Pokemon, with Dusknoir at 135 for each defensive stat and Dusclops not far behind at 130 each. They’re both great for stalling thanks to their Pressure ability, which doubles its opponents’ PP usage. The main gripe with them is their offensive capabilities. They mostly just rely on moves like Night Shade and Seismic Toss for attacking thanks to subpar attacking stats. Their Speed stats are similarly dismal, though they would both work great on a Trick Room team.
1 Spectrier
The recently-introduced grim, Legendary steed is head and shoulders above every other pure Ghost-type in the game. While the other Pokemon on this list are hovering around in lower tiers, barely reaching mid-tier on a good day, Spectrier is a recent addition to Smogon’s Ubers tier, the highest official tier of competitive battling.
As a stark contrast to the slow, stodgy tanks that comprise most of this list, Spectrier is a total glass cannon that takes pride in its blitzing 130 Speed and explosive 145 Special Attack. It’s got tons of options for great attacking moves and avenues for set-up, but what makes it so dangerous is its ability, Grim Neigh. Be careful not to get knocked out by Spectrier, as it will boost its Special Attack further, slowly knocking all the dominoes on your team down.
NEXT: The Pokemon Types With The Most Legendary Pokemon
