Poison Type Guide: Strengths & Counters
Explore the Poison type: learn its strengths, weaknesses, resistances, immunities and practical tips for VGC and Showdown ladder play.
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Offense rank
#17 · Bad
Defense rank
#4 · Good
Offensive power
94%
Defensive strength
103%
What Is Poison Strong Against? Offensive Matchups
Strong against
Not very effective against
Has no effect
Venom wilts Grass and taints Fairy magic, but barely seeps into Poison kin, washes off Ground and Rock, wafts through Ghosts, and slides uselessly off impervious Steel.
Super-Effective
- Grass
Poisoned saplines collapse a Grass type’s core strength.
- Fairy
Folklore: toxins and iron undo fae magic.
Not Very Effective
- Poison
Venom specialists are built to tolerate venom.
- Ground
Earth absorbs and dilutes toxins.
- Rock
Minerals are inert to acid.
- Ghost
Specters can’t be poisoned.
Ineffective
- Steel
Metal is impervious to corrosion mid-battle.
What Is Poison Weak To? Defensive Matchups
Weak to
Resists
Immune to
Ground buries toxins and Psychic precision pinpoints antidotes, while Poison dwellers relish toxic swamps, shrug off blows from Grass, Fighting, Bug, and fellow Poison, and even corrode Fairy sparkle.
Weak To
- Ground
Soil entombs contamination.
- Psychic
Surgical mind skills find cures.
Resistant To
- Grass
Weeds thrive in toxic soil.
- Fighting
Venomous barbs deter punches.
- Poison
Immunity to own chemistry.
- Bug
Many toxic species naturally shrug off insect venoms.
- Fairy
Corruption and blight traditionally weaken fae magic.
Uneven Matchups
- Poison→Fighting1×←Fighting→0.5×
- Poison→Psychic1×←Psychic→2×
- Poison→Bug1×←Bug→0.5×
- Poison→Rock0.5×←Rock→1×
- Poison→Ghost0.5×←Ghost→1×
- Poison→Steel0×←Steel→1×
Related Type Guides
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• Chart based on rules effective since 2013