Back in the good old days, we had one Ghost-type Pokémon. Its name was Gengar, and it was good enough for us. But Game Freak weren’t happy with it. “Who will keep those pesky Psychic-types in check?” they cried. “Surely not every team can have a Gengar!”
And so, the proliferation of Ghost-types began. In Generation 3, we had Sableye and Shedinja. In Gen 4, we got Rotom and Froslass. From there, the number of Ghost-types in the game ballooned more and more. What was once a rare, obscure type has transitioned into something recognizable; a legitimately viable part of the metagame. Ghost-types are mischievous and fun to use, toting weird abilities, as well as total immunity to Normal and Fighting-type damage. Every trainer worth their salt should consider adding one of these excellent Ghost-types to their team!
10/10 Rotom
Rotom is positioned at the bottom of the list because its base form, which is a Ghost/Electric type, is also one of its weakest. A spirit that inhabits household appliances, Rotom is best used in its oven or washing machine forms. These are Fire/Electric and Water/Electric respectively. In other words, not Ghost-types.
Rotom itself is a cute, versatile Pokémon with the potential to become something more, sort of like Eevee. Its decent speed helps it throw off moves like Volt Switch, as well as to Trick opponents by hitting them with a Choice item, a Toxic Orb, or etc. It also gets the ability Levitate, protecting it from Ground damage, which is Electric’s biggest weakness.
9/10 Mimikyu
Mimikyu is an iconic Pokémon with a unique typing: Ghost/Fairy. It’s an interesting matchup, and although the types don’t complement each other particularly well, it’s always nice to get STAB on Fairy-type moves.
Mimikyu is primarily known for its unique ability, Disguise, which acts similarly to the move Substitute. It absorbs most of the damage Mimikyu takes on their first hit, giving them a free turn to set up with Swords Dance. Unfortunately, it lacks the stats and move pool to take full advantage of this. With middling power, Mimikyu can be quickly overwhelmed by weather effects or other, stronger Pokémon.
8/10 Alolan Marowak
It’s common knowledge that Marowak is a Ground-type, but its beautifully weird Alolan form is actually a Ghost/Fire-type. With its good damage potential, solid coverage, and fun ability choices, it’s an all-around decent Pokémon. However, it’s held back by its mediocre bulk, and its poor speed keeps it from being a great sweeper.
Alolan Marowak is often run with the Lightning Rod ability, restoring the immunity to Electric damage Marowak once had with its Ground typing. That gives it three damage immunities. Predicting an opponent’s move and switching into Alolan Marowak protects teammates with no drawbacks!
7/10 Froslass
Froslass is an interesting Ice/Ghost Pokémon with a number of mischievous moves. Its dual-typing covers a major weakness of the Ice type: Fighting, which Ghosts are immune to. With its remarkable speed and access to the move Spikes, Froslass can easily set entry hazards. It can also trap enemies with Taunt, or trade KOs with Destiny Bond.
Froslass is unfortunately held back by its low defenses, leaving it vulnerable to one-hit KOs from tougher opponents. Additionally, its special attack just isn’t good enough for it to reliably KO opponents. Despite that, it remains a fun option with lots of good things going for it.
6/10 Polteageist
Polteageist is a cute pure Ghost-type introduced in Pokémon Sword & Shield. It’s fairly strong, too, and has some fun tricks exemplary of its type. However, its low physical bulk and mediocre speed stats leave it struggling to keep up with the stronger competition.
A great set for Polteageist is the move Shell Smash with a White Herb for a held item. Shell Smash lowers defenses, but raises everything else. The White Herb heals the first round of stat losses, leaving Polteageist in a good position to sweep opponents with Shadow Ball. In a pinch, it can also heal off some HP with Giga Drain or Strength Sap.
5/10 Chandelure
With a pseudo-legendary base special attack stat of 145, and a decent speed to match, Chandelure is one of the best special sweepers in the Ghost type. It’s a dual Ghost/Fire type, with its Fire typing giving it great offensive coverage. It also has access to the ability Flash Fire, further boosting the power of its Flamethrowers or Fire Blasts. Alternatively, it can be run with Flame Body and Hex to take great advantage of free burns on opponents.
Chandelure’s main drawback is its low bulk, but this is normal for sweepers. As an additional option, it can grab Toxic and Protect or Substitute for wall-breaking purposes, making it surprisingly well-rounded.
4/10 Shedinja
Shedinja is a gimmick Pokémon, sure, but it’s a great gimmick Pokémon. The reanimated shell of a Nincada, it’s a Bug/Ghost Pokémon with 1 HP. That sounds pretty terrible until you consider its unique ability, Wonder Guard, which protects it from non-super-effective damage. Unless an opponent has a super effective move, or a weather move, or something like that, Shedinja is literally indestructible.
So what hits Shedinja super effectively? Its Ghost typing leaves it vulnerable to Ghost and Dark damage, and its Bug typing makes it weak to the Fire, Flying, and Rock types. If an opponent doesn’t have any of these, it’s game over for them. Shedinja will slowly wear them down with Toxic or Shadow Sneak, its single hit point a taunting reminder of its greatness.
3/10 Aegislash
Despite having been nerfed in Sword & Shield (somewhat humorously, since it is a sword & shield), Aegislash remains an incredibly powerful Pokémon. Its powerful Ghost/Steel dual type grants it immunity to Fighting damage, which is normally a huge limiting factor for Steel-types. Its unique ability, Stance Change, let it switch back and forth between defensive and offensive forms at will, letting it play mind games with the opponent.
With Toxic, Aegislash can take full advantage of its shield form to stall out against opponents. It can then move in for a devastating surprise with Close Combat, FlashCannon, or Shadow Ball. Trainers have to choose whether to go with an all-out attack set or a physical wall set—either one will keep opponents on their toes!
2/10 Gengar
Gengar is one of the most iconic Pokémon in the series, so it’s only appropriate that it’s also a terrifying threat in battle. To this day, it remains one of the best Ghost-type Pokémon of all time.
With its incredibly high base speed and special attack stats, Gengar can sweep away most threats that come up against it. It gets access to the excellent setup move, Nasty Plot, boosting its special attack even higher. Substitute is a good option to keep Gengar safe while it sets up, somewhat making up for its frailty. After this, Gengar is in a prime position to take out opponents with Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, or even Focus Blast.
1/10 Dragapult
Finally, we have Dragapult, a pseudo-legendary Ghost/Dragon-type introduced in Sword & Shield. Its nearly unmatched base speed stat of 142 makes it even faster than Gengar, and it has the power needed to capitalize on that speed by sweeping through enemy teams. With a good ability in Infiltrator and solid bulk to boot, Dragapult is inarguably the greatest non-legendary Ghost-type.
Dragapult also has a great move pool, with STAB moves like Shadow Ball and Draco Meteor as well as coverage options like Flamethrower and Thunder. Alternatively, it can be run with Will-O-Wisp and Hex to take advantage of burns, or U-turn to pivot away from threats. All in all, Dragapult has just about everything one could possibly want in a Pokémon!
