Ghost-type Pokemon are interesting. Way back in the days of the first generation, there were only three Ghosts in the entire game—Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar—and all three were also part Poison. In addition, their moves were only super effective against other Ghost Pokemon, making them questionably useful at best.
But as later games came out, Ghost became the primary type used for taking down the notoriously powerful Psychic-type (back before the days of Dark-type Pokemon). Ghost Pokemon make up some of the most powerful monsters in the entire game, and we're counting down the strongest of them.
Updated April 22, 2023, by Casey Foot: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced us to various new Ghost-type Pokemon that certainly impress on the battlefield. Because of this, it’s only right to add them to the growing roster of strong Ghost-type Pokemon. Their spooky appearances and prowess when it comes to battling makes them viable Pokemon to have on your team and great partners too.
20 Ceruledge
This dual-wielding, ghostly Pokemon is the Violet counterpart to Armarouge and excels in Physical Attack. Its unsurprising that its Attack is its highest stat, considering it's got sharp blades for arms.
While most Ceruledge will have the Flash Fire Ability, its Weak Armor Hidden Ability is worth seeking out. If Ceruledge is hit by a Physical Attack, its Speed will increase by two stages at the cost of its Defense.
This means it can swiftly use its high Physical Attack to attack foes before their next turn. It also has a great signature move in Bitter Blade, which deals strong damage while restoring Ceruledge’s HP.
19 Flutter Mane
Flutter Mane is the Paradox version of Misdreavus, taking on the Fairy type alongside Ghost. While this Pokemon’s HP, Physical Attack, and Defense are abysmally low, its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed are all exceptionally high, sitting at 135 each.
Thanks to its high Speed stat, Flutter Mane can get the jump on other Pokemon and take them down with Special moves like Shadow Ball and Phantom Force. Its Ability, Photosynthesis, takes its Special Attack even higher in harsh sunlight, making it truly a Pokemon to be reckoned with.
18 Skeledirge
Starter Pokemon usually have respectable stats all around, and Skeledirge is no different. It has a sizeable Special Attack stat of 110 that can make use of the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, and a solid Defense of 100 and HP of 104, meaning it can take a few hits without feeling the pressure.
Where it’s let down, however, is its Speed stat, which sits at a low 66. It won’t be landing the first hit any time soon, but when it does, you can be sure the other Pokemon will know about it.
17 Marshadow
Marshadow isn't only a competitive Ghost-type Pokemon, but it also happens to be tough in terms of collectors trying to get their hands on the Gloomdweller Pokemon. When looking at its base stats the things that stand out are its Physical Attack and Speed as those come in at elite levels, which isn't surprising for a legendary Pokemon of its acclaim.
Even if it happens to know some weaker moves, its Ability called Technician powers them up, helping it round out its move set and making everything it knows viable to some extent.
16 Alolan Marowak
Alolan Marowak took an already appreciated Kanto Pokemon design and took it to the next level, getting inspired by the islands and culture it calls home, wielding a spectral flamed bone that it uses as its primary weapon. The Bone Keeper Pokemon isn't just tough-looking but backs that up with solid defensive base stats.
Just don't look for it to win any races or strike first as its Speed is a bit of a weakness. If it has the Ability Lightning Rod, Alolan Marowak makes for an ace-in-the-hole against Electric-type moves, an ability that allows it to absorb that electricity to power up its Special Attack stat.
15 Spectrier
The Swift Horse Pokemon known as Spectrier was introduced in Pokemon Sword & Shield's Crown Tundra DLC expansion. Both its Speed and Special Attack are incredibly high, with its health also being a top-tier base stat.
It builds its power as it engages in battle with an Ability called Grim Neigh that boosts Spectrier's Special Attack each time it knocks out another Pokemon in battle. This means that it only grows stronger as the fight rages on and can quickly sweep through an opponent's roster if they're not careful.
14 Decidueye
Starter Pokemon generally just have solid stats across the board as they're meant to stick with you through the entirety of your journey through their particular region. Decidueye's Hisuian variant form may not be Ghost-type, but the native species hailing from the Alolan Islands is a ghostly archer.
The Arrow Quill Pokemon has solid base stats from top to bottom and its dual-typing of Grass and Ghost provides it access to several nifty moves. Long Reach is a Hidden Ability - likely attached to it thanks to its Ghost-typing - that makes it so Decidueye's moves don't make physical contact with its target, regardless of if it's a physical move or not.
13 Shedinja
Shedinja gets an honorable mention because of its very unique defense, an Ability no other Pokemon has called Wonder Guard. This Ability prevents any move that isn't Super Effective from hitting Shedinja at all.
Its typing is Bug/Ghost, so there are a fair amount of moves that can still hit it, including Rock, Dark, and Fire - but everything else passes right through this little insect.
However, it only has one single hit point, so any move that hits is a sure KO. You also get this Pokemon using a strange method, as the result of the only evolution that turns one Pokemon into two.
When Nincada evolves into Ninjask, if you have a free party slot and a spare Poke Ball, you get a Shedinja - Nincada's empty, cast-off shell.
12 Spiritomb
What happens when you trap 108 restless spirits inside of a rock with a scary face on it? You get Spiritomb, of course!
This Pokemon is Ghost/Dark-type, which makes it completely immune to Fighting, Psychic, and Normal moves.
It also has great defensive stats and pretty good Attack, with a lot of moves that make Spiritomb a good support team member. However, it doesn't have a lot of HP to back up its Defense and no useful way to recover health, which limits its overall usefulness.
11 Dusknoir
One look at Dusknoir will probably invoke the thought of, "Yeah, this chunky ghost can probably take a hit or two," which is very accurate. Its attacking stats are quite lackluster when compared to other Ghost-types, so it'll mainly want to prioritize defensive gameplay with some 'tricky' strategies.
Dusknoir is a great user of Trick Room due to its abysmal Speed stat that would be pretty useless otherwise, and it can give some Pokemon Trainers a pretty big run for their money if they aren't prepared for it.
Unfortunately, Dusknoir's best Ability is Frisk, and you always hate to see that happen.
10 Golurk
This imposing goliath of a Pokemon might not seem like the best choice at first.
It's part Ground-type, which makes it weak to common types like Water and Grass, and its Defense stats are nothing to write home about. Maybe it's a little fragile; it even has a bandage sticking together and a crack in its chest!
But what really makes Golurk stand out is its incredible Physical Attack stat. Plus, it has an Ability that boosts all of its punch-based attacks.
With an absolutely devastating Shadow Punch and immunity to Fighting and Electric moves, Golurk's a good addition to any team.
9 Dhelmise
This might just be some sentient algae possessing some bits off a shipwreck, but that doesn't mean it can't be formidable in the right hands. Dhelmise has good Defense and access to the self-healing move Synthesis, making it easy to keep it in play for a long time.
It also has access to Rapid Spin, a move that rids the field of all environmental hazards like Stealth Rock, which is all over the competitive play. Add to that a truly incredible Attack stat, and Dhelmise is ready to go head-to-head (does this thing have a head?) with even the sturdiest Pokemon.
8 Sableye
First of all, let's just start with this: Mega Sabeleye is banned in most competitive play tiers. That on its own should give you an idea of how strong it is.
Regular old Sabeleye isn't bad, especially with its Dark/Ghost-typing whose only weakness is Fairy. But it is still a single-stage Pokemon, and those are rarely stand-outs with regard to strength.
Mega-evolving gives it massive Defense and Special Defense, probably because of the gigantic gem it's hiding behind. That, in addition to its ability Magic Bounce, which rebounds status moves and environmental hazards onto the user, makes it almost entirely overpowered.
7 Mimikyu
Everyone's favorite little creepy Pikachu stalker doesn't look like a very powerful Pokemon. It's made itself a little costume to appear as sweet and likable as possible, and it might lead you to think there isn't a lot going on under its disguise.
But Mimikyu is actually shockingly useful and its disguise works to its benefit. In fact, its Ability is called Disguise and allows Mimikyu to take one free hit where the stuffed Pikachu head absorbs all damage.
It also has the unique Ghost/Fairy-typing, which lets it use powerful STAB (same type attack bonus) moves on every other type of Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Of course, once Mimikyu's disguise is broken, it doesn't have a lot of HP to its name, so it'd be wise to take your foe out quickly before it can whip up something deadly.
6 Cofagrigus
Cofagrigus has an absolutely massive Physical Defense stat, and its Special Defense is nothing to scoff at either. Actually, that makes sense considering it's hiding most of its substance inside a sarcophagus.
It's a pure Ghost-type too, meaning it's only weak to Dark-types and other Ghost Pokemon while being completely immune to Normal and Fighting.
What really gives Cofagrigus an offensive edge is that it can use the moves Nasty Plot — which sharply boosts its Special Attack — and Trick Room — which affects the Speed stat of all Pokemon on the field. Fast Pokemon become slow, slow become fast, and Cofagrigus becomes terrifying.
5 Chandelure
This spectral chandelier is an offensive force to behold on the battlefield. It has a beastly Special Attack stat, which, when paired with its dual type of Ghost and Fire, gives it monstrously powerful STAB moves like Shadow Ball and Flamethrower.
Its only real downside is that it has a less-than-ideal Speed, which means its usefulness as a sweeper are limited. Still, it's a very dangerous Pokemon to encounter on the field.
And its scary purple flames don't even burn your body, they burn your soul. Think about that for a minute.
4 Galarian Corsola
This addition to Sword & Shield is a rare example of a Pokemon actually being better than its evolution and for some very important reasons. This poor soul may not look like the prime example of a tank Pokemon, but Corsola can be an absolute nightmare to take down and seems to virtually live forever.
With the use of Eviolite to take advantage of its base form and boost defenses, and the amazing move that is Strength Sap, physically attacking Pokemon are going to have an extremely rough time against it.
Strength Sap has the unique property of healing the user an amount equal to the target's Attack stat, as well as lowering the enemy's Attack by one stage. This can completely shut down most Physical Attackers, and it isn't made any easier for them with the Ghost-type being immune to common Physical typings like Normal and Fighting.
3 Mega Gengar
Here he is, the original Scary Boy. Gengar was already a powerful Pokemon long before Mega Evolutions came around, and they went and made it into a force of nature.
Gengar is something you would be afraid to check under your bed for as the ultimate Ghost Pokemon, with a Speed of 130 and a Special Attack of 170. On top of that, it's Ghost/Poison-type, so it's immune to Normal and Fighting and can go up against passive enemies that rely on moves like Toxic or Toxic Spikes.
And it's also the only Ghost Pokemon to have the Ability Shadow Tag, which prevents opposing Pokemon from switching out of battle. Mega Gengar isn't trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with it.
2 Dragapult
All it wants to do is use its children as high-powered torpedoes of mass destruction, and who's going to stop it from having so much fun?
In Sword & Shield, Dragapult serves the role of a wildly fast glass cannon that can sweep half a team when utilized correctly. Its Speed stat, being a base 142, is one of the highest Speeds around, and Dragapult makes great use of it with an equally threatening Attack stat.
It has access to a wide array of move options, like most Dragon-types do, which allows it to fill any gaps within your team quite well. Moves like Psychic Fangs, Dragon Darts, and Sucker Punch are all great options to quickly take down opponents, which is what Dragapult does best.
1 Aegislash
Being Steel/Ghost-type grants Aegislash an impressive amount of resistances and immunities right off the bat, but that's not what makes it so formidable. No, that would be its unique Ability Stance Change, which lets it swap between its Blade Forme and Shield Forme.
In Blade, it sacrifices Defense for 150 in both Attack and Special Attack, while in Shield it does the exact opposite. And since it's an Ability and not a move, it does this stance change automatically whenever it uses an offensive move, or its signature move, King's Shield.
This makes Aegislash an extremely powerful and dangerous attacker that's also incredibly hard to take down. If a rival Pokemon even tries to attack it after it's used King's Shield, that Pokemon has its Attack drastically lowered.
How dare it even think about laying a claw on Aegislash.