Poison types have been around since Generation I, when they were showcased by the Poison-type Gym leader Koga, who would go on to become part of the Elite Four in Generation II.
Other famous Poison-type trainers have included the likes of Roxie, Koga’s daughter Janine, and Klara.
Poison-type Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes, from fast powerhouses to bulky defenders.
Keep reading on to figure out the antidote of how to beat Poison-type Pokémon!
Poison Type Pokémon Weaknesses & Strengths Chart
| Weakness | Strong Against |
|---|---|
| Ground, Psychic | Grass, Fairy |
Poison-Type Pokémon Weaknesses
Poison-type Pokémon are weak to Ground and Psychic types. These types of moves will do double damage to them.
Ghost, Ground, Poison, and Rock-types all take half damage from Poison-type attacks.
Not only this, but the Steel-type is completely immune to Poison-type moves, taking no damage at all! This also means they cannot be poisoned.
Although the list of types that are super effective against them is quite small, there are a lot of types that resist their moves.
Poison-Type Pokémon Strengths and Resistances
Poison-type Pokémon are super effective against Grass and Fairy-type Pokémon.
They are also only one of two types that is good against Fairy-types. This makes them very useful for teams to have.
They also resist Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Poison, and Grass-type moves. Poison Pokémon will only take half the amount of damage from them.
Poison-type Pokémon are also immune to the poison status effect. They can also heal using the held item Black Sludge, while this item damages any other Pokémon!
Pokémon Good Against Poison Types
There are plenty of Pokémon that can be good against Poison-type Pokemon, that either can exploit their weaknesses or resist their moves.
5 of the best Poison-type counters are:
1. Metagross
Metagross is a great Pokémon to use against Poison types.
The reason for this is that it is Steel/Psychic-type, so not only is it immune to Poison-type moves, but the Psychic-type is super effective too!
Metagross is also a very versatile Pokémon. Its stats and move pool means that it can use either a physical or special move set, depending on your preference.
This Pokémon is also a part of the pseudo-legendary category, meaning that it has one of the highest base stat totals (BST) of any non-legendary Pokémon at 600.
2. Gliscor
Gliscor is a Ground/Flying-type Pokémon, which means that it has the ability to hit Poison-type Pokémon for super effective damage.
However, that is not the main reason why it makes our top 5! The reason it is so good is because of its ability, Poison Heal.
Poison Heal means that if Gliscor is affected by the poison status effect, instead of losing HP, it will instead restore its health!
3. Excadrill
Excadrill is a great choice of Pokémon for the same reason as Metagross. It has Ground/Steel typing.
This means the Ground part deals super effective damage, and the Steel-type resists the Poison moves!
Excadrill also has access to the move Rapid Spin. Although this isn’t super-effective against Poison-type Pokémon, it can remove hazards from the field such as Toxic Spikes.
Not only that, but it raises Excadrill’s Speed stat by one stage at the same time!
4. Galarian Slowking
The Galarian forme of Slowking keeps the Psychic typing of the normal variant but swaps out its Water-type for Poison.
This means that it can deal super-effective damage using the Psychic-type moves and also resists being poisoned and Poison-type moves with its other typing.
Galarian Slowking also has access to the ability Regenerator. This allows it to be able to recover 30% of its HP every time that it switches out of battle.
This means it can keep on going for a long time if you switch out wisely!
5. Espeon
Espeon is the Psychic-type evolution of Eevee. Due to being Psychic-type, this means that it is super effective against Poison types.
Espeon has good Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense, which it can make use of to deal some good damage but also take a few special hits.
Espeon can’t be poisoned as it has the ability Magic Bounce. This means any status-inflicting moves such as Toxic will be bounced back at the opponent!
There are plenty more Pokémon out there good against Poison-types.
See our list below for some top choices with some recommended movesets.
| Pokémon | Type | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Metagross | Psychic/Steel | Meteor Mash Agility Zen Headbutt Earthquake |
| Gliscor | Ground/Flying | Roost Swords Dance Earthquake Knock Off |
| Excadrill | Ground/Steel | Earthquake Rapid Spin Iron Head Rock Slide |
| Galarian Slowking | Poison/Psychic | Psychic Sludge Bomb Ice Beam Scald |
| Espeon | Psychic | Psychic Shadow Ball Dazzling Gleam Wish |
| Malamar | Psychic/Dark | Psycho Cut Superpower Substitute Knock Off |
| Claydol | Ground/Psychic | Rapid Spin Psychic Scorching Sands Teleport |
| Diggersby | Normal/Ground | Earthquake Swords Dance Quick Attack Facade |
| Runerigus | Ghost/Ground | Stealth Rock Poltergeist Earthquake Body Press |
| Nidoking | Poison/Ground | Earth Power Sludge Wave Ice Beam Flamethrower |
| Alakazam | Psychic | Psyshock Shadow Ball Nasty Plot Focus Blast |
| Xatu | Psychic/Flying | Roost Psychic Heat Wave Tailwind |
| Bronzong | Steel/Psychic | Stealth Rock Gyro Ball Earthquake Trick Room |
| Gastrodon | Water/Ground | Scald Earth Power Ice Beam Recover |
| Hippowdon | Ground | Earthquake Yawn Slack Off Stealth Rock |
Attacks Super Effective Against Poison-Type Pokémon
Ground and Psychic-type attacks will be your moves of choice to defeat Poison-type Pokémon quickly and easily.
It’s always key to remember that you don’t need a Pokémon that has Ground or Psychic typing to use a super effective move.
Lots of different Pokémon can learn them and help you out in a pinch.
Here is a list of some of the top 10 moves to look out for.
- Psyshock (Psychic)
- Psychic (Psychic)
- Zen Headbutt (Psychic)
- Psychic Fangs (Psychic)
- Expanding Force (Psychic)
- Earthquake (Ground)
- Earth Power (Ground)
- Scorching Sands (Ground)
- High Horsepower (Ground)
- Bulldoze (Ground)
Tips on Defeating Poison-Type Pokémon
Poison-type Pokémon might not have a lot of types that they are weak to, but there are a lot of types that resist their moves well.
Look out for Ghost, Ground, Poison, Rock, and Steel-type Pokémon that can absorb hits for you.
The Poison-type is immune to the poisoned status effect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use this to your advantage.
Instead, try burning them with a move like Will-o-Wisp to cut their Attack. Alternatively, using sleep or paralysis can stop them in their tracks!
If you get poisoned, try not to worry! Having a Pokémon with the move Aromatherapy or Heal Bell will allow it to cure all of the status effects of your entire team!
You could also use a Pokémon that can’t be poisoned due to its typing or ability.
Steel types can’t be poisoned at all. The same can be said for those with the ability Immunity.
Pokémon with Natural Cure heal all status ailments when switching out, and those with Poison Heal can restore HP instead of taking damage from poison!
Some Poison Pokémon can use the move Toxic Spikes. This move sets an entry hazard on the opponent’s side.
One layer of Toxic Spikes will affect any Pokémon that switches in with the normal poison status effect.
Two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field will give any Pokémon switching in toxic damage, which increases every turn!
To avoid this, you can use a move such as Defog or Rapid Spin to clear the entry hazard away.
Flying Pokémon and Pokémon with the Levitate ability are also unaffected by Toxic Spikes.
Even more fascinating is the fact that if a Poison-type Pokémon switches in onto Toxic Spikes, they will immediately absorb them and clear them from the battlefield!
Hopefully, now you know how to beat Poison-type Pokémon, and you and your Pokémon will be feeling a lot better!
Are there any other types you are worried about facing? Let us and your fellow trainers know in the comments.