It’s time to stock up on antidote and tread very carefully through the grass as we check out the best Poison type Pokemon!
Since the very first Pokemon games in the 90s, Poison type attacks have been amongst the weakest overall in terms of initial damage dealt. But their strength lies in the way that they chip away at your opponent’s health over time.
There aren’t very many Pokemon who have the Poison type – just 92 overall.
Interestingly, there’s only 35 Poison type moves in the entire Pokedex too!
Despite being underrepresented and known for being moves that feel somewhat underpowered at first glance, many Poison type Pokemon are absolute beasts!
Which are the best though?
Let’s find out, as we check out the best Poison type Pokemon!
Table of Contents
1. Eternatus (Eternamax)
This top spot on the list may feel like a bit of a cheat, which you’ll know if you’re already a Pokemon expert – or if you checked out the bonus section at the end of our best Pokemon team list.
So if you’re not already aware, we’ll tell you why.
Eternamax Eternatus is currently not obtainable as a playable Pokemon. Or at least, not outside of a Max Raid Battle that occurs towards the end of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s story.
Yet Eternamax Eternatus has the highest combined stats of any Pokemon in the entire Pokedex. It’s not even close.
This Poison and Dragon type Pokemon is the scariest and strongest of them all, let alone ‘just’ Poison type Pokemon!
So despite the fact that you can’t actually add Eternamax Eternatus (which is a tongue twister if ever we’ve heard one) to your team, there’s no denying that it is, hands down, the best Poison type Pokemon in the entire Pokedex!
2. Eternatus
Introduced in generation eight games Pokemon Sword and Shield, Eternatus is a truly terrifying-looking Pokemon who’s no stranger to our lists here at Retro Dodo.
Known as the ‘Gigantic Pokemon’, it also makes an appearance on our heaviest Pokemon list – which won’t surprise you when you learn that it weighs a stunning 2094.4 lbs!
Of course, it’s not the weight of Eternatus that places it so highly on this particular list.
Instead, it’s the phenomenal stats of Eternatus that gives it this prime spot on the best Poison type Pokemon list.
Not only does it have extremely high HP, but its Sp. Atk and Speed are incredibly high too.
Its one weak spot is its Attack, but that’s not to say that particular stat is low – it’s just nowhere near as high as the other stats that Eternatus has!
3. Mega Venusaur
It’s back to the Seed Pokemon introduced in the first generation games with Venusaur – though at this higher entry on the best Poison type Pokemon list, it’s the Mega form that we’re highlighting!
Just like Mega Gengar, Mega Venusaur was only made available from Pokemon x and Y onwards.
It has superb Defense, Sp. Atk and Sp. Def stats, as well as above average Attack.
Also, to emphasise just how strong it is, Mega Venusaur only has weakness to Flying and Psychic types, being strong against Water, Electric, Fighting and Fairy types – with further resistance to Grass type moves.
This all adds up to make Mega Venusaur one tough, plant-based beast – which you’ll also find on our best grass type Pokemon list!
4. Mega Gengar
Though Gengar – an evolved form of Haunter, which evolves from Gastly – is yet another Pokemon from the original 151 introduced in Pokemon Red and Blue, it didn’t get a Mega form until much later, in Pokemon X and Y.
It’s this terrifying, leering Mega form of Gengar that makes it to the best Poison type Pokemon list.
Though it doesn’t have very intimidating HP, Attack or Defense stats, its Sp. Def is above average, its Speed is best described as ‘extremely fast’ – and its Sp. Atk is absolutely huge!
In addition to these stats, Mega Gengar’s Shadow Tag prevents an enemy from Escaping – so good luck if you’re losing a battle against it!
5. Pecharunt
A new challenger approaches – Pecharunt has arrived in the world of Poison Pokemon and jumped straight into 4th place as the strongest critter around!
And when I tell you that it has a defence stat of 160, there can be no contention about how strong this critter actually is!
Just look at how sweet that face looks; you wouldn’t believe that a Pokemon that pretty could have an ability called Poison Puppeteer now, would you?
Pecharunt uses Malignant Chain to badly poison its foes and wreak havoc on the battlefield. you can see the move in action on Okidogi over on our full list of all the Dog Pokemon in the Pokeverse!
The rest of its stats are a little so-so, all coming in at 88 across the board. That doesn’t mean that it’s a poor choice for your team, far from it! With Defence like that and moves like Sludge Wave and Gunk Shot in its arsenal, this cute yet treacherous Pokemon makes the perfect addition to any Poison trainer’s squad!
6. Iron Moth
Though this sounds – and perhaps even looks like – it could be Tony Stark’s pet, Iron Moth is actually another very recent addition to the Pokedex, having popped up in ninth generation titles Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
This Fire and Poison type Pokemon has fairly underwhelming HP, Attack and Defense stats.
Yet Iron Moth has great Sp. Def and Speed – and its Sp. Atk is superb.
Though it only gains access to two Poison type moves in total as it evolves, it does start with the old faithful Acid Spray at level one – before finally getting its claws on the fantastic Sludge Wave at level 49.
Also, the eagle eyed Pokemon Trainers among you will notice that Iron Moth bears an uncanny resemblance to Volcarona.
It’s so striking that it almost looks as if Volcarona had discovered a high tech suit of armour!
7. Nihilego
Another Ultra Beast – which made its debut in generation seven games Pokemon Sun and Moon – Nihilego is a fascinatingly designed Rock and Poison type Pokemon, looking almost like a particularly toxic jellyfish.
Its stats are a bit inconsistent – with pretty weak Attack and Defense – but this is more than made up for by the above average HP and Speed, along with even stronger Sp. Atk and Sp. Def stats.
Just like Naganadel, Nihilego can learn six Poison moves as it evolves in Pokemon Sword and Shield – but it also has access to the full six moves in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon too, albeit at a slightly slower pace!
This Pokemon is yet another great choice for the Poison-obsessed Trainers out there!
8. Naganadel
An Ultra Beast that first appeared in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Naganadel is a Poison and Dragon type Pokemon, known as the ‘Poison Pin Pokemon’.
Naganadel evolves from the much cuter Poipole, one of the just sixteen Pokemon in the entire, one-thousand plus Pokemon (and counting) Pokedex that are single Poison type.
What makes Naganadel so special?
Well, according to its Pokedex entries, it stores hundreds of litres of a glowing, venomous, immensely adhesive liquid inside its body – which it fires from its needles!
If you want a more tangible reason, however, both its Sp. Atk and Speed stats are fantastic – and it learns numerous Poison type moves as it evolves.
In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Naganadel starts out with Acid at level one, it goes on to learn Venoshock at level 28, Venom Drench at level 35, Poison Jab at level 49, Gastro Acid at level 50 and even Toxic at level 63!
It doesn’t learn quite as many Poison type moves in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon – it doesn’t have Gastro Acid available, for example – but it’ll get to them even earlier, with it reaching the final Poison type move in its repertoire (Toxic) at level 41!
Though it doesn’t make it to the top of the best Poison type Pokemon list, you can certainly see how it got itself a place in the top 10!
9. Crobat
Making its debut way back in second generation titles Pokemon Gold and Silver, Crobat is the evolved form of Golbat, which itself evolves from Zubat.
Strangely, both Zubat and Golbat first appeared in the first generation games, but Crobat had to wait a few years to join the Pokedex!
Though this four winged bat’s stats aren’t hugely impressive, it does have very good Speed – so if you’re going to attack, it’s very likely that you can get the first hit in.
If you do, you may well want to ensure it’s a poisonous one – it can learn the Poison move Venoshock when it reaches level 48, which is the strongest Poison type move in its arsenal.
You’ll also spot Crobat on our Bat Pokemon list!
10. Glimmora
From one of the oldest Pokemon to one of the newest: Glimmora has only just appeared in the Pokedex, having debuted in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Evolving from Glimmet once it reaches level 35, Glimmora is a Rock and Poison type Pokemon.
It has a phenomenal Sp. Atk stat, but does underwhelm when it comes to plain old Attack.
Glimmora has an incredibly powerful Poison type move in its repertoire too – though you’ll have to be patient, as it only learns the brilliant Sludge Wave when it reaches level 50!
It also has Corrosion as a hidden ability, allowing it to poison Steel and even Poison type Pokemon.
One more thing – Glimmora also has the Toxic Debris ability, which sees it spreading poisoned spikes at the feet of the opposing team when it’s damaged by physical moves.
All of this demonstrates exactly why Glimmora earns its spot on the best Poison type Pokemon list, even if its stats aren’t exactly impressive overall!
11. Venusaur
One of the OG Pokemon, Venusaur isn’t just one of the original 151 Pokemon from Pokemon Red and Blue – it’s also an evolved form of one of the very first starter Pokemon, Bulbasaur.
It’s such an OG, in fact, that Venusaur’s number in the Pokedex (which is now above 1000 Pokemon overall) is 3. That’s right, it’s the third Pokemon to feature, behind the creatures it evolves from: Bulbasaur and Ivysaur!
Given the number of Pokemon in the Pokedex, it’s all the more impressive to see Venusaur holding its own in the list of the best Poison type Pokemon.
So, what makes Venusaur so powerful?
Well, its stats are pretty impressive across the board – all are above average, with both Sp. Atk and Sp. Def being particularly strong.
Bulbasaur can learn Poison Powder at level 15, before evolving into Ivysaur at level 16 and then Venusaur at level 32 – meaning that particular Poison type move will be pretty devastating by the time your Pokemon becomes Venusaur.
Though of course Venusaur is far from the strongest Poison Pokemon out there, it more than earns its place on the list of the best Poison type Pokemon!
Jason – who lives in the UK – has had a lifelong interest in video games, which all started when he discovered Space Invaders in the early 80s. The first game he ever completed was Wonder Boy in Monster Land on the Sega Master System – which remains one of his proudest gaming achievements. Jason is a passionate writer – and has been writing about gaming since the late 90s. He currently runs pop culture blog midlifegamergeek.com, which he updates on a daily basis (and has written more than 1800 articles on the blog alone!).
Outside of video games, Jason is a keen tabletop gamer, film buff and comic book fan.
