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

This guide delves into the intricacies of the Poisoned condition in Pokémon TCG Pocket, exploring its mechanics, affected cards, cures, and optimal deck construction.

Quick Navigation

• Understanding 'Poisoned' in Pokémon TCG Pocket
• Cards Capable of Inflicting Poison
• Methods for Curing Poison
• Crafting a Top-Tier Poison Deck

Pokémon TCG Pocket faithfully recreates various Special Conditions from the physical card game, with Poisoned being a prominent example. This status effect gradually depletes an Active Pokémon's HP until it's either defeated or healed. This guide provides a comprehensive understanding of Poisoned's mechanics, the cards that utilize it, countermeasures, and effective deck strategies.

Understanding 'Poisoned' in Pokémon TCG Pocket

Poisoned is a Special Condition that inflicts 10 HP damage at the conclusion of each round. This calculation occurs during the round's Checkup phase. Unlike some temporary effects, it persists until cured or the Pokémon is knocked out. While it can coexist with other Special Conditions, multiple Poisoned effects don't stack; a Pokémon only loses 10 HP per turn regardless of application frequency. However, Pokémon benefiting from poisoned opponents, such as Muk, can leverage this status to inflict additional damage.

Cards Capable of Inflicting Poison

Within the Genetic Apex expansion, only five cards possess the ability to inflict the Poisoned condition: Weezing, Grimer, Nidoking, Tentacruel, and Venomoth. Grimer stands out as a highly effective Basic Pokémon, poisoning opponents with a single Energy. Weezing offers another strong option, using its "Gas Leak" ability (requiring no Energy) while active.

Methods for Curing Poison

Three strategies can mitigate the Poisoned effect:

1. Evolution: Evolving a Poisoned Pokémon removes the condition.
2. Retreat: Switching the Poisoned Pokémon to the Bench halts HP loss.
3. Item Cards: Cards like Potion offer HP restoration, extending survivability but not outright curing the Poisoned status.

Crafting a Top-Tier Poison Deck

While not a top-tier archetype in the current metagame, a potent Poison deck can be built around the synergistic trio of Grimer, Arbok, and Muk. This strategy relies on swiftly poisoning opponents with Grimer, strategically trapping them with Arbok, and maximizing Muk's damage output against Poisoned enemies (up to 120 HP).

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

Poisoned Deck Composition

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