Haunter is a great special wallbreaker and one of the tier's best Ghost-types due to its blistering power, good Speed tier, and a great typing giving it many offensive and defensive benefits. Haunter's STAB combination bolstered by its base 115 Special Attack makes it a ferocious offensive presence late-game when the opposing team is weakened. Its typing and ability in Levitate also give it three immunities to Normal, Fighting, and Ground, letting it pivot into physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Tauros, and Medicham while also serving as an offensive spinblocker. The ability to force trades reliably, especially with Destiny Bond, makes Haunter a great glass cannon on offensive hazard-stacking and hyper offensive teams.

However, while Haunter has multiple immunities and resistances, Haunter's frailty means it struggles at taking neutral hits, even from Pokemon that it can switch into such as Hitmonchan and Nidoqueen. Haunter is also easily worn down and lacking in longevity due to the constant recoil it takes from Life Orb and lowering its health with Substitute. While Haunter has high damage output, it struggles to KO foes without prior chip damage, making Haunter reliant on the opposing team being chipped to put them into range of Haunter's attacks. While it can threaten a large portion of the tier, one huge roadblock for it is Skuntank, which resists its STAB combination and can Pursuit trap it. Tauros can also pose a problem for Haunter, as it can punish Shadow Ball, while Haunter struggles with taking Pursuit even when staying in.