 Haunter is the definition of high-risk high reward. If you want to risk it for the biscuit and grow some Shadow Balls then this is the article for you.
The best way to describe Haunter in the Great League is that it is an absolute Glass Cannon. Meaning that it can deal out insane amounts of damage but can also get stomped on by Confusion users in 3 hits. If protected with shields, Haunter can be devastating to some of the best Pokémon in the Great League meta such as Deoxys (Defense), Alolan Marowak, Medicham, and even Altaria. Stat Distribution Taking a look at Haunter’s stats, we can see that its whopping 223 Attack makes Haunter such a deadly Pokémon to be up against in battle. However, with such a low Defense of 107, we can see why Haunter is known as the Glass Cannon of the Great League meta. Pokémon such as Gallade, Bronzong, Hypno, Gardevoir and Umbreon to name a few are some of the hardest counters which you will need to watch out for when using Haunter. Haunter is a GHOST / POISON type that is highly vulnerable to DARK, GROUND, GHOST, PSYCHIC types. Pokémon that have access to hard-hitting Fast Moves that counter Haunter such as Confusion and Snarl will be the biggest threat/risk when it comes to using Haunter on a team composition. If you are in a position where you get swapped into by one of its counters you can say bye-bye to Haunter as it will not stand a chance surviving for long. Moveset Analysis One of the most terrifying things about coming up against a Haunter in battle is that you never know what Charge Move they may be running and if you do not have an immediate counter for it, then you’re in for a nerve-racking battle. Shadow Ball is an extremely rare Charge Move to have on Haunter as it is a Legacy Move that could only be learned back in 2016. Not many people back then left Haunter as it is as the hype for Gengar was immeasurable because let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a Gengar when the game is brand new. The strongest move combination that Haunter can learn for the Great League is having Shadow Claw as the Fast Move and for the Charge Move, Shadow Ball. If you are lucky enough to get hold of a Haunter with Shadow Ball then you are set to go and now have one of the strongest attacking Pokémon in the Great League. Shadow Ball does a great deal of damage to neutral threats such as Skarmory and Bastiodon, an unexpected Shadow Ball without your opponent shielding can leave a dent in any tank. Paired with Shadow Punch, the baiting potential is a high threat. without shielding, a Shadow Ball to the face has the ability to one-shot your opponent, however, if you manage to pull off a bait by using Shadow Punch when you have enough energy to use a Shadow Ball then you will be rewarded with your opponent wasting a shield and still having excess energy to deal another lethal Charge Move to your opponent. Another strong Charge Move combination is having either Shadow Ball or Shadow Punch, which both work extremely well with Haunter, and having Sludge Bomb as a secondary move. Sludge Bomb is a devastating move, not only does it get a STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) effect, it also has an unpredictability aspect to it. With Sludge Bomb, you have an answer to some of the strongest meta Pokémon such as Venusaur, Azumarill, and Tropius to name a few. It’s hard-hitting damage can also be a great alternative to natural Pokémon that will stand in your way. The main issue about Haunter is that more often or not you will sometimes only get the chance to use one Charge Move-in battle as Haunter can not last very long in battle with its low defense Haunter in Tournament Play Haunter has been a sneaky pick in the meta that is known for its unexpected damage and one hit KO potential. Season 1 Regionals Haunter was an insanely strong pick in the Season 1 Regionals. One of its main jobs was to be an exceptional counter to Medicham which at the time was a highly picked Pokémon that outperformed many in this tournament. Shadow Ball was not needed to take down Medicham since, by the time you had used Shadow Claw enough to have the energy to use a Shadow Punch, it would be more than enough damage to take down Medicham. Haunter excelled as a Lead pick on many teams. The reason behind this was that if you use Haunter first and go up against a bad matchup then you had the ability to swap out and keep your primary damage dealer alive for the next situation in battle. Sludge Bomb was an excellent Charge Move choice paired with Shadow Ball or Shadow Punch since Venusaur was such a dominating pick on many trainers teams, If you came up against a Haunter in the Season 1 Regionals and did not have the necessary counters in place then this meant trouble as Haunter melted through many meta Pokémon at the time. Rating: 8.0 The Sinister Cup Shadow Ball Haunter was an extremely solid pick since tanky Pokémonsuch as Steelix, Bastiodon, and Dusclops were highly picked in this cup. With the use of Shadow Ball Haunter on your team, this meant that it performed extremely well into the tanks and could more often or not deal 40-50% damage to these highly defense orientated Pokémon and was considered a Mold Breaker. Confusion users such as Cressellia, Gallade, Bronzong, and Claydol had the potential to take down Haunter in only 3 hits since Confusion deals lethal damage to any Pokémon, let alone our squishy, spooky friend Haunter. Other than having to look out for its counters, many trainers feared facing a Haunter since they knew it would be a quick and intense matchup that left trainers under tonnes of pressure due to its high damage output and baiting potential. Rating: 9.0 Parting Words If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a legacy Shadow Ball Haunter, then without a doubt it is worth powering up to as close to 1500 CP as possible. 1/15/14 is the optimal IV spread for Haunter which would be extremely difficult to get one close to that IV for a Haunter with Shadow Ball, however, is more accessible to get one without because of the abundance of Ghastly widely available. The stardust cost to power up Haunter to 1500 CP will be a hefty investment, however, the fact that you will have one of the strongest attackers in the entire Great League meta makes Haunter a risky yet rewarding Pokémon if played correctly which will take practice. Trainers, it’s time to show your opponents true fear and dominate the leaderboards with this spooky damage-dealing monster!
0 Comments
 Trainers, you can now purchase a ticket for Genesect Special Research story event, which takes place from March 20 to March 26 2020. The ticket costs US$7.99 (or the equivalent in your local currency), not including any taxes or fees, and can be purchased in the shop.
Niantic has shared the following update in respect to the current Coronavirus health situation: “Trainers, as we’re prioritizing updates to Pokémon GO features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings, the Special Research story event “A Drive to Investigate” has been designed to be playable without group gameplay.” How to buy the ticket
 It seems like there’s nothing that hasn’t been affected by the Coronavirus. Movies are getting delayed, Broadway has shut its doors, and pretty much every event in the near future has been cancelled or postponed. But for those of us who are still looking for ways to retain normalcy and stay distracted, there’s good news in the form of Pokémon Go which announced Friday it’s making critical changes that will allow fans to keep playing, despite the growing pandemic. Noting that “the safety of our global player community is our top priority,” Niantic, the company behind the popular game, assured fans that it’s doing its best to help the world adjust to the drastic changes brought on by COVID-19 by “putting our focus on expanding features and experiences in our games that can be enjoyed in an individual setting and that also encourage exploration!”
Although Pokémon Go postponed its upcoming Abra Community Day, an event which would’ve put hundreds of people on the street and probably in close contact, it made specific changes that will make it easy and safe to play along at home. They include the following:
According to Niantic, these changes are effective immediately and will be instituted “until further notice.” While we may not be able to actually go out and explore the wide world, at least we can still find a way to inject some cuteness (and let’s be honest, stress relieving measures) into our lives. It’s the little things. The company also postponed its Harry Potter: Wizard Unite! March Community Day, though no further information has been released.  New updates to location-based mobile games “Pokémon Go” and “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” mean that players don’t have to go as far and wide in order to keep up their progression.
In apparent recognition of coronavirus-related inactivity, “Pokémon Go” developer Niantic has initiated a handful of changes to its popular location-tracking app. The adjustments come as schools, colleges, workplaces and governing bodies encourage residents to stay in place, suppressing the COVID-19 virus’ transmission rate. For example, as a location-based Android and iOS app, “Pokémon Go” is halving the distance players need to walk in order to successfully incubate a virtual egg. In other words, players shouldn’t have to endanger themselves or their neighbors. Additionally, PokéStops will drop Gifts more frequently—so players can visit the same ones more often, reducing their daily geographical coverage—while Pokémon habitats are being increased, and more Pokémon will appear in the wild, Niantic said in a March 12 announcement. Players can also make a one-off purchase of 30 Incense, a virtual item that attracts Pokémon to a single player, in exchange for a single PokéCoin (25 Incense usually cost 1,250 PokéCoins). PokéCoins themselves are normally bought for $0.99 for 100, but single coins are earned each time a Pokémon returns from a Gym location. With Incense’s active time being increased from 30 minutes to one hour, and its effect applying to single players, the adjustment rewards social distancing, in keeping with World Health Organization coronavirus guidelines. In addition, a worldwide meet-up event, Abra Community Day, was originally scheduled for March 15, but is now being postponed. “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” has also postponed its March Community Day. Both events had already been postponed in Japan, South Korea and Italy. Perhaps controversially for some, then, two sets of upcoming “Pokémon Go” Special Raid Eventweekends, in which groups of up to 20 players congregate in an attempt to defeat a Legendary-tier Raid Boss, have not been canceled outright but will instead last a full week rather than four days. Therefore, Cobalion will be available to challenge from March 17 to 23 (instead of March 20 to 23) and Lugia will be made available from March 24 to March 31 (instead of March 27 to 30).  Due to growing fears of Coronavirus, Niantic has globally postponed Abra Community Day until further notice. The make-up date will be announced at a later time, as the global health situation concerning COVID-19 evolves. This has never happened before. We are in uncharted territory, so taking things day by day is advisable.
In an effort to promote player safety and stay at home gameplay, Niantic has activated the following changes:
These measures are active until further notice. Stay safe and read our COVID-19: Staying safe as a Pokémon GO player guide.  By datamining Pokémon Go, players have discovered internal changes which may indicate that developer Niantic is preparing for the possibility of global quarantine. The augmented reality mobile game has had a good deal of success following a globally impactful release in 2016 that fell away when the game's many technical limitations became apparent. Niantic has since furnished Pokémon Go with a host of new features, additional Pokemon, and extra content, leading to at least a steady player base, if not the massive cultural legacy that was predicted in 2016.
Pokémon Go may be the latest game to be negatively impacted by the global fear surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus. The pandemic has proved disastrous to the games industry as well as the general population; it's brought about the delay of numerous games and hardware releases, caused this year's Game Developers Conference to be postponed, and even led to the cancellation of E3 2020. This is the first year without an E3 since the event started in 1995. With all this in mind, it's not surprising that Niantic may be taking strides to prevent the coronavirus from impacting Pokémon Go's player base. As an augmented reality game, Pokémon Go's core gameplay has always revolved around players getting outside and exploring the world around them. A global virus outbreak, and the possible quarantines it inevitably causes, can only be bad for a game like Pokémon Go. That might explain recent changes dataminers have found in the code of the game (thanks, Dexerto). Certain high value items like Incense and Lucky Eggs have had their "Trainer Drop Level" values lowered significantly, from 100 down to 1. This could theoretically make them much easier for players to obtain without going to any specific locations, which would at the same time provide good incentive for them to keep playing the game and mitigate the need for them to go too far out of the way. This would be a good compromise should players find themselves restricted in their travel options by the coronavirus. There is still a chance that these changes won't impact the game at all. Nothing's been set in stone yet, and Niantic has made no announcements or statements regarding these new value changes. They did recently postpone a Safari Zone event in St. Louis which was scheduled for later this month, and there is a strong possibility that other, similar events will follow suit. This is yet another in a long line of events impacted by the outbreak, and evidence that Niantic is already taking strides to address this issue within the community they've fostered. Pokemon Go has had an eventful four-year history, and there are many who still fondly recall the game's original release and the sense of community and discovery that it brought about. Ask anyone who was playing back then about the summer of 2016 and players are bound to hear a wonderful story about a crowd of strangers congregating together to catch a rare Snorlax, or a group of friends wandering the neighborhood together tackling gyms. While those days are gone, there are many who still enjoy Pokemon Go and play it regularly. If the trends indicated by these recent datamines are accurate, then it's reassuring to know that the game people love can endure even in the face of this terrifying outbreak.  Stay safe. Seriously, stay safe. We had epidemics in the past, most of which were spread by lack of information. This one can be avoided – we live in the day and age of information overload. Let’s use this community to share the information even further.
COVID-19, popularly known as Coronavirus, is currently spreading throughout and it’s important to stay safe, especially as a Pokémon GO player. As a community, we interact with a lot of people on a regular basis, and viruses can easily spread through participating in regular activities such as raiding and catching together. In order to help you stay safe, we prepared a quick summary of tips to stay safe and some facts about the virus. Stay safe from Coronavirus while still enjoying Pokémon GO The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by frequently cleaning your hands. After touching it, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Solo raiding is your friend. Solo raids don’t involve other people and the chance to get infected is minimal. While going to the raid, try to ride your car, bike, scooter or motorcycle. Avoid public transportation if possible. Same goes for GO Rocket invasions – they’re safe and you’re alone. Reduce interpersonal contact to a minimum. You don’t need to stand shoulder to shoulder with someone while raiding, especially not if there is a big group. Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. They’ll understand. Participate in PvP. Even if you don’t enjoy it, be aware that Niantic has pushed a lot of bonuses that promote playing at home. We think this is not accidental, they are aware of the COVID-19 situation, and they are doing their part. Stay in touch with your fellow players via WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram or Messenger. If you get Coronavirus, under any circumstances don’t travel. Check yourself into emergency care and let medical officials treat you. A few facts about the Coronavirus
 Not only is March packed with events for Pokemon Go, but also Legendary Pokemon. In addition to Thundurus, which recently made its debut in the game, Niantic is bringing back a handful of Legendaries for special Raid weekends throughout the month, and now you'll get another chance to catch a few other Legendary Pokemon that could help bolster your PvP teams.
To help players prepare for the inaugural season of the Go Battle League, Pokemon Go's online PvP mode, a few powerful Legendaries like Registeel and Cresselia will return to Raids for a limited time. Niantic hasn't yet announced how long the Legendaries will be around, but you'll be able to encounter them starting at 8 AM local time on March 10. The first season of the Go Battle League kicks off at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on March 13. As was the case in its preseason, you first need to walk 5 km to gain entry into the Go Battle League, and its format will rotate every two weeks, beginning with the Great League. As you win battles, you'll improve your rank and earn rewards, including encounters with rare Pokemon, such as the aforementioned Thundurus and the exclusive Pikachu Libre. Beyond that, there are a lot of events lined up for Pokemon Go this month. A "mysterious" weekend event is set for March 20, and the following week will see the return of the Psychic Spectacular, which will make Psychic-type Pokemon more plentiful for a limited time. March's Community Day will also feature a Psychic Pokemon, Abra, when it takes place on March 15. On top of that, a new Team Rocket Special Research quest is available this month; if you can defeat Giovanni, you'll earn a chance to catch Shadow Entei. A new batch of Field Research tasks is also available. Each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, you'll encounter the Gen 5 Pokemon Ferroseed, whose evolved form--Ferrothorn--is another handy Pokemon in PvP battles.  A ‘Pokemon Go’-style augmented reality trail is being planned to help bring Coventry’s history to life for visitors during the City of Culture year.
Coventry City Council is working on the project with a company called Creative Giants, councillors at a meeting were told this week. The firm are said to have worked on similar projects at London’s Piccadilly Circus. It’s hoped they can help create interactive experiences for visitors by creating a mobile phone app which people can download and use to view historical sites across the city and learn about Coventry’s past. Jo Shore, head of public realm, said: “One of the really important things we were looking at for City of Culture is how do we tell the story of our fantastic history in the way visitors can experience as well? “How can we engage the youth of the day to look at it through their phones. “The Pokemon Go craze happened a few years ago where you could hold your phone up and see images on your phone. “We are hoping to bring this augmented reality to the city centre to bring it to life and tell the fantastic stories of the city. “It will be a really exciting opportunity to bring that to life and you will almost feel immersed in this reality. “It’s a really important part of the best of the old and the best of the new as well.” Augmented reality includes a 360 degree panoramic viewed through your phone. Film clips are usually then played from the perspective of the user. It could be key as Coventry is expecting an extra 2.5 million visitors in 2021 when it celebrates its year in the spotlight as City of Culture.  March is officially underway, and there are a ton of events lined up for Pokemon Go this month, including the debut of the Legendary Thundurus and another Community Day. A new month also means a new set of Field Research tasks, and if you can complete enough of them, you'll earn an encounter with another new Gen 5 Pokemon.
As usual, Field Research tasks are distributed via Poke Stops. You'll receive a task when you spin the Photo Disc, and each one you complete will net you rewards, which can range from helpful items like Poke Balls and berries to encounters with certain Pokemon. On top of that, the first Field Research task you complete each day will net you a stamp. If you amass seven stamps, you'll achieve a Research Breakthrough, which will net you additional rewards, including an encounter with a special Pokemon. This month's Research Breakthrough reward is Ferroseed, a Steel/Grass type originally introduced in Pokemon Black and White. Ferroseed's evolved form, Ferrothorn, is a great Pokemon to have for PvP battles, so you'll want to catch as many as you can this month. The Field Research tasks you receive from Poke Stops will be randomly drawn from a larger pool, so there's no telling which ones you'll get. You can have up to three active Field Research tasks at a time, but you're free to discard any that you may be having trouble with and receive a different task from another PokeStop. You can see the updated list of Pokemon Go's Field Research tasks--along with the possible rewards they dole out--below, courtesy of The Silph Road. |