Pokemon TCG Pocket: Poisoned, Explained (& All Cards with ‘Poison’ Ability)

This guide explores the intricacies of the Poisoned condition in Pokémon TCG Pocket, detailing its mechanics, affected cards, countermeasures, and optimal deck strategies.

Quick Navigation

• Understanding Poisoned in Pokémon TCG Pocket
• Pokémon with the Poisoned Ability
• Curing the Poisoned Status
• Building a Winning Poison Deck

Pokémon TCG Pocket features several Special Conditions mirroring the physical card game, including the debilitating Poisoned status. This effect gradually drains an Active Pokémon's HP until it faints or the condition is removed. This guide will clarify how Poisoned works, which cards inflict it, how to counteract it, and how to build effective Poison-centric decks.

Understanding Poisoned

Poisoned is a Special Condition inflicting 10 HP damage at the end of each turn. This damage is calculated during the round's Checkup phase and persists until cured or the Pokémon is knocked out. Unlike some effects, it doesn't resolve automatically or depend on coin flips. While it can combine with other Special Conditions, multiple Poisoned effects don't stack; a Pokémon only takes 10 HP damage per turn. However, this status can be exploited by cards like Muk, which inflict bonus damage against Poisoned opponents.

Pokémon with the Poisoned Ability

In the Genetic Apex expansion, five Pokémon can inflict the Poisoned status: Weezing, Grimer, Nidoking, Tentacruel, and Venomoth. Grimer stands out as a Basic Pokémon capable of poisoning with just one Energy. Weezing provides another strong option, using its Gas Leak ability (no Energy cost) while Active.

Explore Pokémon TCG Pocket's Rental Decks, particularly Koga's deck, for a good starting point featuring Grimer and Arbok.

Curing Poisoned

Three methods exist to neutralize 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 outright curing Poisoned.

Building a Winning Poison Deck

While not a top-tier archetype, a powerful Poison deck can be built around the synergy of Grimer, Arbok, and Muk. The strategy revolves around quickly poisoning opponents with Grimer, trapping them with Arbok, and using Muk to unleash significant damage (up to 120 HP) against Poisoned targets.

The following table details a meta-focused deck leveraging these synergies:

Poison Deck Composition

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