Best Poison Types in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Poison Type Pokémon are typically very defensive Types due to them only having two weaknesses. In Scarlet & Violet, only Poison Type Pokémon can learn Toxic, a move used to do damage over time. They are one of the best counters to Fairy Type Pokémon and have been getting more popular as a result. The best Poison Types will do more than disrupt their opponents and be able to cover their weaknesses while staying alive. These are the best Poison Types for Generation IX and the reasons why they are so good.

What are the best Poison Type Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet

10. Grafaiai

Grafaiai is a fast Pokémon with the Hidden Ability Prankster, giving Status moves Priority in battle. In Double Battles, Grafaiai has been known to pair well with Slaking, removing its Truant Ability with the move Doodle. Offensively, it can rack up a good amount of damage by setting up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot but it is pretty frail. Grafaiai is held back due to other Prankster Pokémon being available in the game and doing similar, if not better things than it with more bulk. It is strong in its own right, and the Slaking strategy is very strong, but there are better Poison Types and better Prankster options. The best Nature for Grafaiai depends greatly on whether players want it to be fast or to survive longer.

9. Revavroom

As a Poison/Steel Type Pokémon, Revavroom is in a strange place because of its 4x weakness to Ground. Offensively, it is powerful and learns many high Base Power moves like Gunk Shot, Spin Out, and even Overheat. Although it has higher Attack than Special Attack, it has access to some good Special moves that can still do a lot of damage. Players that can find a way around Revavroom's weaknesses can make use of its setup moves like Shift Gear and Iron Defense, increasing its damage and bulk. With the Air Balloon, they are safe from Ground moves until it pops, but without one, Revavroom is susceptible to being taken out with a single Earthquake.

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8. Dragalge

Bulky Pokémon tend to take on supportive roles in battle, but Dragalge can deal damage while still helping their allies. They have a very high Special Defense stat and access to Acid Armor, increasing their Defense to make them bulky on the Physical side as well. They have strong offensive moves like Draco Meteor, Focus Blast, and Hydro Pump as well as many strong support moves like Acid Spray, Icy Wind, and Chilling Water. Dragalge's biggest downfall is their Speed, however, but under Trick Room, can be a very powerful threat. In Single Battles, it is hard for Dragalge to do anything without taking a lot of damage first, but in Doubles it is a bit better with help from ally Pokémon.

7. Salazzle

High Speed and high Special Attack make Salazzle very strong but their Typing makes it hard to work with. Like Revavroom, it has a 4x weakness to Ground but is very frail. Speed is Salazzle's highest stat, making them able to deal damage quickly before taking damage themselves. Many other Pokémon can still outspeed Salazzle and take them out in one shot but for anything they do outspeed, they can potentially take them out first. They are a good Endeavor user, able to have Focus Sash on in order to be brought to one HP and then using the move to bring a Pokémon to one HP as well. A Salazzle with Nasty Plot shouldn't be underestimated.

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6. Gengar

Gengar does many of the things that Salazzle does but just a little bit better. Gengar has slightly lower Speed than Salazzle but has a much higher Special Attack, able to take out many Pokémon in a single move. Gengar's Ghost STAB doesn't have many resistances, making them able to just use Shadow Ball over and over. They are a great Haze user, countering many other setup Pokémon like Dondozo, and can learn Clear Smog as well to do single target damage while resetting stats. Gengar's Ability Cursed Body gives Pokémon that hit them a 30% of having their move disabled, giving Gengar a way of shutting down a Pokémon purely through RNG.

5. Clodsire

Clodsire is a very bulky Pokémon that can have either a Water immunity with the Ability Water Absorb or their Hidden Ability that keeps themselves safe, Unaware. Unaware makes it so stat increases from opposing Pokémon will not have any effect on the damage to Clodsire. Clodsire has many support moves that make it a valuable ally in Double Battles and very difficult to take out in Single Battles. Yawn and Protect give it a great combo to reliably make Pokémon fall asleep while Recover lets Clodsire heal. Acid Spray and Helping Hand help their ally Pokémon to deal more damage and Haze and Chilling Water can be used to weaken opposing Pokémon.

4. Toxapex

Toxapex is incredibly tanky and is best used to disrupt opponents and be an annoying presence. Baneful Bunker allows Toxapex to protect themselves while causing Pokémon to attack them to be poisoned. Their Hidden Ability Regenerator will heal them when they switch out by 1/3 of their HP, allowing them to keep poisoning and disrupting opponents. They have the move Infestation, dealing damage over time, as well as Acid Spray and Icy Wind to lower the stats of opposing Pokémon. Toxapex ends up being weak to most Steel Type Pokémon, as they can't poison them, but can still be a valuable supportive Pokémon regardless.

3. Glimmora

Glimmora has a very high Special Attack and a decent Ability to complement it. Toxic Debris will cause Toxic Spikes to be scattered on the opponent's side of the field when Glimmora is damaged by a Physical move. They have good defensive stats and an okay Speed, making them able to stay on the field for a long time. They have a 4x weakness to Ground, making Terastalization a good option for them. They learn Spiky Shield and even Explosion as well as many high Base Power Special moves that can easily KO opposing Pokémon.

2. Amoongus

Amoongus is one of the most disruptive Pokémon in the game, sporting high a high HP, good defenses, and one of the best moves in the game, Spore. Their Hidden Ability Regenerator allows it to survive even longer by switching out and regaining 1/3 of their maximum HP. Amoongus has the move Rage Powder to divert attention to themselves in Double Battles, giving their ally Pokémon some breathing room. They can use Pollen Puff as well to either do damage or to heal their ally Pokémon, Clear Smog to reset the opponent's stats, or Synthesis to heal themselves.

1. Iron Moth

Iron Moth shares the 4x weakness to Ground like many other Poison Type Pokémon on this list, however, their incredibly high Special Attack and Speed make it this isn't an issue. Iron Moth has a wide variety of moves they can use including Heat Wave, Hurricane, Flash Cannon, Discharge, and even Bug Buzz. As long as they move first, whoever they target is almost bound to be knocked out. Pokémon with high Special Defense will still be taking a massive amount of damage and Iron Moth can get even stronger with Electric Terrain, Booster Energy, Choice Specs, or Life Orb. Like all future Paradox Pokémon, Iron Moth's Ability Quark Drive will cause their highest stat to be raised by 30%, unless it is Speed, in which case the increase is by 50%.

For more of the best Pokémon of each Type, check out Best Psychic Types in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet or Best Electric Types in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet on Pro Game Guides.