The Cinderella Story of Poison-types in Competitive Pokémon

Gengar is the best of two Poison-types in OU, followed by Victreebel. RBY's metagame is incredibly hostile towards Poison-types as an infamously Psychic-dominated generation, and the Poison typing offers very little in the way of both offense and defense. The Poison typing was doomed from the start, as it's weak to Earthquake and Psychic, two of the best moves in the entire game and frequently seen on four of the top six Pokémon on the viability rankings: Exeggutor and Alakazam with Psychic and Snorlax and Tauros with Earthquake. Gengar is actively hindered by its Poison typing, as the Fighting resistance granted by the Poison typing is covered by the Ghost typing's immunity, and Fighting-type moves are wholly irrelevant in the context in OU regardless. If Gengar was a pure Ghost-type, it would be one of the most effective answers to the likes of Snorlax and Tauros in the entire game, but sadly, this is not the case. The Grass resistance is also quite useless, as the only threatening Pokémon that remotely use a Grass-type move are the fellow Poison-type Victreebel with its Razor Leaf, or Exeggutor with Mega Drain, the latter of which threatens to OHKO Gengar with Psychic anyway. In terms of functionality, Gengar is only a Ghost-type with extra weaknesses tacked on, with great stats and a colorful movepool. Gengar's weakness to Earthquake proves to be quite annoying for it, as Pokémon like Tauros, Rhydon, and Snorlax are incredibly common faces in the tier and almost always use Earthquake. Victreebel has recently joined Gengar in the ranks of OU, as it has quite a few excellent tools granted to it by generational mechanics. It's Razor Leaf packs a relatively high critical hit chance, and with access to both Wrap and Sleep Powder, Victreebel can decommission most things slower than it. That said, its Poison typing is yet again only a hindrance, making it vulnerable to the myriad of Psychic-types in the tier and offering zero offensive or defensive utility. Venusaur stands out as a Swords Dance sweeper that doesn't struggle to break through Rhydon, though Venusaur's typing suffers the same plight as Victreebel's, truly suffering in a format dominated by Psychic- and Ice-type attacks.

While many Pokémon were taking advantage of the new RestTalk combo, Poison-types became more offensively oriented and let their typing do most of the defensive work. This lets Gengar and Nidoking make the most of their four move choices and coverage. Another generation arrives, and Gengar yet again is the head of the pack for Poison-types in OU, routinely taking advantage of its great combination of Speed, coverage, and immunities granted via the Ghost typing. The Ghost typing gets more value here, as Gengar can block Rapid Spin and pivot into mono-attacking Snorlax sets. Gengar is incredibly versatile, with tons of new tools to always keep the opponent guessing. Thief and Dynamic Punch threaten checks like Blissey and Snorlax. Gengar can use Mean Look to prevent pivoting and lock down an Explosion victim like Raikou. Destiny Bond lets Gengar trade with anything, something that Explosion may fail to do against bulkier targets. Gengar can even use Hidden Power Water for a surprise KO on Rhydon and Golem. Nidoking joins Gengar among the ranks of OU as one of the best stallbreakers in the tier. Nidoking's Ground typing makes it a great offensive pivot into the likes of Zapdos and especially Raikou. Nidoking can use Counter to retaliate against Hidden Power Zapdos, sometimes even going so far as to lower its Special Defense DVs so that it takes enough damage for Counter to OHKO Zapdos. Although the Poison typing lets Nidoking effectively pivot into Pokémon like Heracross and Machamp, it's still argued that the typing is a net negative for a defensive profile on a Pokémon that makes no use of the typing offensively. Tentacruel fulfills a niche as a Toxic-immune spinner, and it can also boost with Swords Dance in front of Pokémon that rely on Toxic to shut down setup attempts.

Shockingly enough, Gengar is yet again the top Poison-type in OU, though it still makes very little use of its actual Poison typing, rather just the Ghost typing + Levitate offering 3 whole immunities. Gengar is the spitting image of a Swiss Army knife, with insane flexibility in its movepool and an incredible defensive profile used to find entry onto the field despite its seemingly poor bulk. Blocking Rapid Spin is even more valuable in ADV, as Spikes can now go up to three layers. Gengar's incredible coverage covers all bases; it has Ice Punch for Salamence, Fire Punch for Forretress and Jirachi, Thunderbolt for Suicune, and Giga Drain for Swampert. Focus Punch can wallop special walls like Blissey and Tyranitar upon entry. Explosion still looms as an option, capable of dispatching nearly anything that doesn't outright resist the attack. Gengar's access to Will-O-Wisp makes it a great pivot into physical attackers like Heracross and Snorlax, which rely on weaker coverage moves to hit it for notable damage. As for other Poison-types, things were bleak. Dugtrio's Arena Trap spelled a death sentence for any grounded Poison-type, which of course is only a boon for the now levitating Gengar. Generation 3 also introduced a myriad of new Psychic-types like Metagross, Jirachi, and Claydol, and Celebi is now OU legal. Nidoking's viability took a turn for the worst coming into the third generation, and no other Poison-type goes further than fringe viability. Weezing can pose as a sort of bulkier but slower Gengar, with Levitate, great offensive coverage, and Explosion, though it is a notably weaker attacker. Roselia is a very niche Spikes setter that can make use of Natural Cure and a resistance to Water, but its stats leave very much to be desired. Venusaur has solid bulk and set variety with Swords Dance + Sludge Bomb and utility moves like Sleep Powder and Leech Seed. The Poison typing is an active hindrance to the Grass- and Poison-types like Roselia and Venusaur, giving them a Psychic weakness and neutralizing the Grass typing's Ground resistance.

Generation 4 introduced Toxic Spikes to the arsenal of many Poison-types, greatly increasing the utility of those that can use it, but also that of any grounded Poison-type by virtue of their ability to absorb Toxic Spikes laid upon their side of the field. The new item, Black Sludge, also offers some exclusive utility to Poison-types, effectively working as Leftovers that only works for Poison-types and damaging any other holder. Lastly, the game-changing splitting of physical and special attacks was not that impactful on Poison-type attacks, as they were hardly used offensively to begin with. Roserade's debut generation was a great one for it, known as one of the most solid leads in OU. Roserade's access to Sleep Powder, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes; incredibly powerful attacks like STAB Leaf Storm; and complementary coverage in Hidden Power Ice, Ground, or Fire made it an amazing progress-making lead. Nidoqueen finds its spot in OU for the first time, outclassing its patriarchal relative. Nidoqueen's defensive profile is amazing, making great use of its Poison typing to pivot into Fighting-types and U-turn users and its Ground typing to check the likes of Zapdos and Rotom-A. Roar, Taunt, and access to both Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes give Nidoqueen great utility options, and when they're paired with the naturally great coverage of a Ground-type STAB attack + Ice Beam, they make Nidoqueen an incredibly well-rounded Pokémon. Gengar is a whole different beast this generation, going from generation 3's little bundle of utility with BoltBeam coverage and Will-O-Wisp to a wallbreaking monster, using Shadow Ball as a special attack and the new move Focus Blast as amazing complementary coverage for the likes of Tyranitar and Heatran. Tentacruel's access to Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin gives it a solid niche as entry hazard control for defensive teams, but its bulk and longevity still leave much to be desired. Crobat is a new face to the generation, and its blazing Speed and positive matchup against common Fighting-type leads like Breloom and Machamp are great assets, but Crobat is sadly far too weak to make it big in OU. Qwilfish became a viable Swords Dance sweeper under rain now with Waterfall being physical, using Explosion to remove Water-resistant foes for other Swift Swim teammates.

Pokémon Black and White introduced a significant surge in power creep and weather-based strategies that had a notable impact on Poison-types in the metagame. Politoed, with its Drizzle ability, made rain teams one of the most defining styles of the generation. Tentacruel and Toxicroak benefited from the rain with abilities that allowed them to heal passively each turn, making them strong contenders on these teams. Tentacruel, in particular, was known for its incredible longevity, using moves like Knock Off, Toxic, and Scald to weaken foes while staying healthy with Rain Dish and Protect. Although Toxicroak lacked Tentacruel's utility, it still carved out a small niche for itself on rain teams. Ninetales's Drought ability enabled sun teams, where Venusaur thrived with its Chlorophyll ability. These teams often employed Dugtrio to trap and eliminate Heatran and Tyranitar, making Venusaur sweeps under the sun so effective that Dugtrio was eventually banned from OU, causing a decline in Venusaur's viability. Amoonguss was another Poison-type that benefited from generation 5's mechanics, particularly with its access to Spore. However, a contentious sleep move mechanic, where turns asleep reset upon switching, led to sleep moves being banned, which hurt Amoonguss's viability. Despite this, its Regenerator ability and solid defensive typing allowed it to remain somewhat relevant in OU. The two newcomers, Garbodor and Scolipede, were essentially relegated as entry hazard setters, the former of which lacked the stats and movepool to make a name for itself. Scolipede's great Speed stat and access to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Endeavor give it a genuine niche in OU as a dedicated lead. Other Poison-types like Gengar, Roserade, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen were less fortunate, as they struggled against the power creep, finding it difficult to compete with their relatively poor offensive typing.

The introduction of the Fairy-type significantly elevated the relevance of Poison-types in the OU tier, as they became essential counters to new Fairy-type threats like Sylveon and Mega Altaria. Amoonguss remained a strong defensive pivot with its Regenerator ability and Spore, effectively checking Fairy-types and bulky Water-types. Mega Venusaur emerged as a powerhouse thanks to its Thick Fat ability, which neutralized its Fire and Ice weaknesses and made it an excellent tank against a wide range of threats. Mega Venusaur actually thrived amidst the chaos introduced in early XY, taking on now-banned Pokémon that were roaming free like Mega Lucario, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Mawile, and Aegislash. Gengar continued to be a versatile offensive presence, particularly with its access to Sludge Wave to hit Fairy-types hard, and Mega Gengar was even more formidable with its Shadow Tag ability, though it was eventually banned to Ubers. Mega Beedrill carved out a niche with its incredible Speed and Adaptability-boosted STAB moves, which made it a dangerous hit-and-run attacker despite its frailty. Nidoking also found a place as a solid special attacker, utilizing Sheer Force and a wide movepool to break through many defensive cores. Scolipede's newfound access to Speed Boost let it serve as a niche Swords Dance sweeper or dedicated entry hazard lead, with both Spikes and Toxic Spikes at its disposal. Although not a Poison-type itself, Cofagrigus is a prominent user of Toxic Spikes because Excadrill cannot use Rapid Spin against it, which gives other Poison-types that can absorb Toxic Spikes high value alongside Excadrill.

Poison-types played a more prominent role in the OU tier, with the generation introducing one of the most influential Pokémon ever. Toxapex emerged as one of the most defining defensive Pokémon of all time, with its incredible bulk, access to Regenerator, and utility moves like Knock Off, Scald, and Haze. These utility moves and spades of HP recovery enabled Toxapex to reliably counter previous metagame titans like Volcarona, Mega Lopunny, and Weavile, as well as new faces like Ash-Greninja. Toxapex became a staple on many balance and stall teams, effectively walling numerous attackers and slowly wearing them down with passive damage, even against Pokémon that actually threatened Toxapex, like Tapu Koko and Mega Medicham, while Toxapex can snuggle safely in its Poké Ball as its checks slowly perish. Because of its Poison immunity, ability to absorb Knock Off and Toxic Spikes, and indifference to Scald burns, Toxapex became of the best switch-ins to itself, often making for very riveting gameplay. Alolan Muk provided a valuable answer to Psychic-types with its unique typing and ability to switch in and Pursuit trap threats like Mega Latias and Mega Alakazam. Its access to Knock Off and Poison Touch made it a versatile and annoying presence on more defensive teams, with Poison Touch even activating on Pursuit sometimes, letting it even hamper the likes of Tornadus-T and Zapdos, which otherwise wouldn't bat an eye at Pursuit's damage. Mega Venusaur continued to be a solid tank, with its Thick Fat ability allowing it to comfortably take the coverage options of Tapu Koko and Serperior and even offensive Magearna's entire arsenal of attacks, and it took reduced damage from Knock Off from the likes of Mega Mawile and Crawdaunt thanks to its Mega Stone. Thick Fat also allowed Mega Venusaur to trade blows with the likes of Mega Charizard Y and Weavile in a pinch. Despite Electric and Misty Terrain from Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini preventing Amoonguss's Spore from affecting many Pokémon, Amoonguss remained a solid defensive piece in OU, especially since it directly beat these Pokémon with its typing. Amoonguss's Regenerator Ability meant it didn't need to spend a turn healing and sacrificing momentum as often as Mega Venusaur did, and it can handle foes like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Koko better, something the other Regenerator Poison-type in Toxapex cannot do. On top of these Poison-types, other niche ones saw minor use throughout the generation and are unfortunately no longer relevant nowadays. Nihilego, a new Ultra Beast with a unique Rock / Poison typing, found its niche as an offensive Stealth Rock setter, capable of checking Flying-types like Tornadus-T and threatening Fairy-types with its powerful Sludge Wave. Nihilego has scary coverage moves like Thunderbolt and Grass Knot for bulky Water- and Ground-types, respectively, often using Electrium Z to overwhelm Toxapex from freely absorbing its Toxic Spikes. Scolipede gained new life in generation 7 with the introduction of Z-Moves, turning it into a niche setup sweeper on hyper offense teams with Swords Dance + Speed Boost. Scolipede could use Z-Moves like Hydro Vortex to break through common checks like Landorus-T and Gliscor. Naganadel, another Ultra Beast, was a fearsome special attacker with its potent STAB combination and access to Fire-type coverage to hit Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, capable of sweeping teams with its high Speed, access to Nasty Plot, and Beast Boost ability. However, Naganadel's ability to snowball matches with a powerful Devastating Drake meant it could both acquire a Beast Boost boost without suffering the -2 Special Attack drawback of Draco Meteor and also overwhelm would-be checks like Chansey, Heatran, and Mega Tyranitar. This overwhelming power against offensive and defensive teams alike led to its quickban from OU to Ubers. Gengar had an unfortunate fall from grace, losing Levitate and falling behind a bit due to power creep, but it was a niche stallbreaker that made good use of Z-Moves and its combination of Taunt and its typing to wall Chansey. Generation 7 was a solid era for Poison-types, with a diverse cast of Pokémon offering both offensive and defensive utility. We see some shades of sweeping prowess from Naganadel and Scolipede, but really, the most influential and infamous introduction to the game was Toxapex, tormenting players with its infallible defenses for years to come.

Poison-types continued to shape the OU metagame, and we start to see some real game-defining Pokémon make a name for themselves as the best Pokémon of all time. Galarian Slowking emerged as a top-tier threat thanks to its unique Poison / Psychic typing and its Regenerator ability, which allowed it to pivot effortlessly while handling both Fairy-types and special attackers. Galarian Slowking's wide movepool made it a perfect Assault Vest user, with Future Sight to create deadly combos with Weavile and Urshifu-R and other colorful options like Ice Beam and Scald for Ground-types and Flamethrower for Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Corviknight. Although Galarian Slowking could wallbreak with a partner via Future Sight, its most common set is a self-sufficient wallbreaker, making use of its great natural bulk and reliable recovery to accrue multiple Nasty Plot boosts and using Trick to bestow Black Sludge to incoming Steel- and Ground-types, hampering their longevity. Toxapex remained a cornerstone of defensive play, leveraging its incredible bulk and Regenerator to support bulky teams. Using Scald to fish for burns and dissuade physical attackers that threaten it from switching in and Knock Off to remove items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers, Toxapex was an incredible utility Pokémon—a slightly different flavor than the hard walling it did last generation. To combat the influx of Future Sight users like Slowking and Tapu Lele, Toxapex often used Light Screen to soften the blow of Future Sight, somewhat mitigating the combination attacks offered by the move. Shed Shell was another development to aid against Heatran, a common Pokémon that Toxapex's common teammates struggled against, as it allowed Toxapex to pivot into Magma Storm and switch out after removing Heatran's Leftovers. Nidoking found a niche as a powerful special attacker, utilizing its Sheer Force ability to boost its already impressive movepool, which included Earth Power and Sludge Wave, and enable it to break through many defensive cores. Many Landorus-T were using slower, bulkier sets that often fell prey to Nidoking's Ice Beam, and Ground happened to be a phenomenal offensive typing in the metagame, hitting staples like Melmetal, Heatran, and the aforementioned Toxapex. Flamethrower was also sometimes seen, hitting Steel-types that didn't mind Earth Power like Ferrothorn and Corviknight, making Nidoking incredibly difficult to switch into. Nihilego, with its Rock / Poison typing, continued to be a reliable special attacker and Stealth Rock setter, checking threats like Volcarona and Tornadus-T while posing a significant danger to Fairy-types with Sludge Bomb. With its newfound access to Meteor Beam, it could pose as a dangerous setup sweeper, with utility sets even using Pain Split and Knock Off to hinder special walls like Blissey. Toxtricity, despite its powerful Punk Rock-boosted Overdrive and access to Shift Gear, was highly niche due to its limited Speed and susceptibility to common threats, making it a rare sight in serious competitive play. Venusaur and its access to both Weather Ball and Earth Power made it a dangerous sweeper in the sun, as it's now capable of threatening Steel-types. Lastly, Gengar was outclassed by the likes of Dragapult and Blacephalon as an offensive Ghost-type, but its deep utility movepool could let it potentially find a home on "Ghost spam" teams in place of Blacephalon, notably outspeeding Kartana.

In SV, the Poison typing is arguably the best it's ever been. Tera Poison has become a premier defensive option in Scarlet and Violet. It is often used to counter Fairy- and Fighting-types such as Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Zamazenta, as well as to handle Toxic from Gliscor. Tera Poison is commonly seen on Ting-Lu, Darkrai, and Sinistcha, which otherwise struggle against these threats but benefit greatly from Terastallizing. Tera Poison users can also use Rillaboom's Grassy Surge to reduce Earthquake damage and gain a Defense boost from Grassy Seed, supporting Calm Mind sweepers like Hatterene, Manaphy, and even Ursaluna-B, the latter of which was banned due to the dominance of this strategy. Sneasler in particular took great advantage of Grassy Terrain, using Grassy Seed + Unburden to become an unstoppable setup sweeper, and it was shortly banned after Ursaluna-B. Glimmora, a newcomer in SV, has literally reshaped the landscape of OU by spreading Toxic Spikes across the field with its Toxic Debris ability, making a grounded Poison-type almost essential for teams lacking consistent entry hazard removal. Clodsire, a stall-oriented Pokémon closely related to Quagsire, excels on stall teams with Unaware. Its role compression and access to utility moves like Spikes, Toxic, and Stealth Rock have given it a strong presence in OU. Water Absorb has also been used to check the likes of Palafin and Walking Wake, but this lacks the general use that Unaware sets have. Iron Moth, a Paradox Pokémon, has become a powerful sweeper thanks to Booster Energy, which allows it to boost either Speed or Special Attack and utilize a versatile movepool. Iron Moth has been a staple on hyper offensive teams, capitalizing on the snowball effect of Booster Energy's Speed increase combined with Fiery Dance for Special Attack boosts alongside coverage moves like Sludge Wave, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and Tera Blast to cover any weaknesses. Pecharunt, a recent addition to the Poison-type roster, is a versatile utility Pokémon that aims to spread status around using Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer. Pecharunt's absurd physical bulk and great defensive typing, and utility movepool featuring Foul Play and Parting Shot have given it some solid usage in OU. Toxapex has fallen off somewhat due to the loss of Scald and Knock Off, reducing its effectiveness as a defensive wall, but it still finds a niche on stall due to its great longevity and ability to spread poison. Galarian Weezing has found a role on stall and bulky balance teams due to its Neutralizing Gas ability, which allows it to use Defog effectively against Gholdengo. Neutralizing Gas also hinders other stallbreakers like Gliscor, Clefable, and Kingambit, which rely on their abilities. Galarian Slowking, meanwhile, has received Chilly Reception, which lets it shut down weather-based strategies, pivot after using Future Sight, and provide valuable support for Ice-types like Chien-Pao, Baxcalibur, and Kyurem, the former two of which were banned in part due to the havoc they wreaked when brought onto the field via pivots like Galarian Slowking. Future Sight still creates those potent combos we've seen in previous generations, now with excellent wallbreakers like Hisuian Samurott and Weavile.