Poisoned Pokémon TCG Pocket Explained: Cards with Poison Ability

This guide explores the intricacies of the Poisoned condition in Pokémon TCG Pocket, a game mechanic that replicates the Special Condition from the physical card game. This guide explains how Poisoned works, which cards inflict it, how to counter it, and strategies for building effective Poison decks.

Quick Links

• What is Poisoned?
• Which Cards Inflict Poisoned?
• How to Cure Poisoned
• Best Poison Decks

Pokémon TCG Pocket features several Special Conditions, including Poisoned. This status effect gradually drains an Active Pokémon's HP until it's defeated or healed. Understanding how Poisoned is applied, which Pokémon possess this ability, how to neutralize it, and how to leverage it strategically is crucial for success.

What is Poisoned?

Poisoned is a Special Condition that reduces a Pokémon's HP by 10 at the end of each round. This deduction occurs during the round's Checkup phase and persists until cured or the Pokémon is knocked out. It doesn't automatically disappear and isn't subject to coin flips. While Poisoned can combine with other Special Conditions, it doesn't stack with itself; a Pokémon only loses 10 HP per turn regardless of how many times it's inflicted. However, some Pokémon benefit from the Poisoned status, such as Muk, dealing bonus damage to poisoned opponents.

Which Cards Inflict Poisoned?

In the Genetic Apex expansion, five cards can inflict the Poisoned condition: Weezing, Grimer, Nidoking, Tentacruel, and Venomoth. Grimer stands out as an efficient Basic Pokémon, poisoning opponents with just one Energy. Weezing offers another strong option, using its "Gas Leak" ability (no Energy required) while Active.

For players interested in Poison decks, exploring the game's Rental Decks is recommended. Koga's Rental Deck, featuring Grimer and Arbok, serves as a good starting point.

How to Cure Poisoned?

Three methods exist to counter the Poisoned effect:

1. Evolution: Evolving a poisoned Pokémon removes the condition.
2. Retreat: Moving a poisoned Pokémon to the Bench prevents further HP loss.
3. Item Cards: Cards like Potion heal HP, extending survivability but not curing Poisoned directly.

Best Poison Decks?

Poison isn't a top-tier archetype in the current metagame, but a strong deck can be built around the Grimer, Arbok, and Muk synergy. This strategy focuses on quickly poisoning opponents with Grimer, trapping them with Arbok, and utilizing Muk's boosted damage against poisoned Pokémon.

Below is a sample META deck leveraging these synergies:

Sample Poison Deck

Alternative strategies include using Jigglypuff (PA) and Wigglytuff ex, or a slower, high-damage approach with the Nidoking evolution line (Nidoran, Nidorino, Nidoking).