Warning: this is really long, you can skip to the last paragraph if you want as it's a summary



Mega Gengar is a very odd case. It doesn't lack offensive responses due to being outsped by 3 very viable Mega Evolutions, and it doesn't OHKO many things despite its raw power. So what makes me vote Ban here? To be honest, I was really close to voting against the ban. I don't actually think Mega Gengar is too overbearingly powerful compared to other Mega Evolutions- statwise it's outclassed by others in different regards. Mega Gengar is simply too well situated to exploit LGPE's restricted options.

Lets start with the obvious- Mega Gengar pressures Melmetal better than any other Mega similar to it, a really massive deal in LGPE. Its dual STAB is only resisted by a single Pokemon, which has a tendency to get worn down heavily throughout a match as it's often also pressured to deal with Mew. Mega Gengar, unlike other offensive Mega Evolutions, isn't ridiculously frail, isn't weak to Stealth Rock and is even immune to Toxic. This results in a threat that can't be dealt with passively- while Mega Aerodactyl and Beedrill will have their health rapidly depleted if used throughout a match, Gengar won't, and Alakazam simply can't switch in on much at all while most teams have too many answers to it at any one time anyway. Gengar can even switch in on would-be threats to it such as Snorlax if it doesn't use Earthquake, as it is immune to both Toxic and Facade, and pick them off. Gengar also requires far less predictive play to be effective compared to other offensive Mega Evolutions, as most teams can only afford to have one Shadow Ball resistance or immunity and said immunity is vulnerable to Gengar's other options on switchin or the following turn. This is another distinguishing factor, as the other 3 fast offensive Mega Evolutions don't carry any useful utility outside of their Speed tiers- for example, Gengar can force an extremely useful burn on Alolan Muk that lets its teammates switch in on it much more easily and even allow Gengar to take a Crunch if necessary.

I should address its competition in Mega Alakazam a bit more directly. Zam has potential to be better than Mega Gengar given a perfect matchup, but that matchup never happens because Melmetal and U-Turn Mew are on the majority of teams alongside a special wall. In this sort of matchup, Gengar is way better as it can actually exploit Mew as well as chipped Melmetal, leaving only the special wall as a consistent answer. While Alakazam's team can considerably ease these issues with tools such as Self-Destruct Lure Mew for the special walls and Poliwrath to help vs Melmetal and potentially land a Toxic on the opposing Mew, This is support that Gengar simply doesn't need to function. That's not to say Gengar doesn't benefit from team support though, as it definitely does. Gengar also functions as a makeshift pivot due to its immunities to Normal, Fighting and Toxic, something that Alakazam can't really claim- every special attacker in the meta, the only things it could hope to switch in on, has a way to either hurt it or severely cripple it. Examples include U-Turn Zapdos and Thunder Wave Starmie. Gengar can even safely switch in on some variants of Mega Venusaur and various U-Turns. Mega Alakazam's main role over Mega Gengar is as a volatile sweeper, a role that doesn't really suit the hit-and-run environment LGPE promotes and is better done by options with defensive presences such as Dragonite.

So, what's the result of Mega Gengar's advantages? It's pretty simple- every team is forced to run one of a very select pool of special walls, lest they lose a Pokemon every time Gengar gets in on something in KO range. Teams can't really afford to run multiple of these without compromising other matchups. If they choose Muk, they risk giving Nidoqueens free entry to set up Stealth Rock or spread damage and being crippled by Will-O Wisp. If they choose Snorlax, they have the option most vulnerable to being worn down throughout a match with relative passivity against bulky foes outside of Toxic. If they choose Chansey, they sacrifice a slot that can deal any meaningful damage and risk losing outright to Brick Break Gengar (a viable option for this reason). Unlike Aerodactyl, whose omnipresent answer in Melmetal is found on every team regardless due to its power level, these special walls are ran out of complete necessity for solely Gengar- without Gengar, they're far from necessary but still respectable choices due to their ability to help deal with Mew and Alakazam. Other Mega Evolutions are also simply weaker than Gengar or have worse coverage, meaning that more Pokemon on a given team can be used to check them throughout a match and significantly lowering the necessity for a dedicated check.



Basically, Gengar forces one of a few answers that it can break through with a little persistence or the right set regardless, or simply exploit with its team, and then becomes an entirely unparalleled wallbreaker. Gengar's staying power and useful typing lets it stick around to do its job from the start of the battle to the end, and its combined offensive prowess and utility is unmatched by any other Mega Evolution (outside of the deeply flawed Mega Charizard Y). With Mega Gengar removed from the tier teams won't be as pressured to lock in a slot, an extremely desirable change when two other slots are often guaranteed already. I definitely have concerns about removing one of Mew's best revenge killers, but that's the one and only way I'd consider Mega Gengar to be a healthy presence that improves the tier- there are perfectly viable alternatives such as Mega Beedrill regardless, and Toxic or strong special attacks work well versus most sets as always. In conclusion, Mega Gengar's presence in the metagame has an almost strictly negative impact and I will be voting to ban it.