TYPE DEX

Poison type – strengths, weaknesses & best counters

The Poison type hits 2 types for double damage: Grass, Fairy. Defensively it has 2 weaknesses (Ground, Psychic). A niche type for ages, the Fairy hunter since Gen 6: Poison Tail and Sludge Wave hit Fairies ×2.

OFFENSE

Poison moves against …

SUPER EFFECTIVE (×2)Grass×2Fairy×2
NOT VERY EFFECTIVE (×½)Poison×½Ground×½Rock×½Ghost×½
NO EFFECT (×0)Steel×0
DEFENSE

Poison Pokémon on defense

WEAKNESSES (×2)Ground×2Psychic×2
RESISTANCES (×½)Grass×½Fighting×½Poison×½Bug×½Fairy×½
IMMUNITIES (×0)none
COUNTERS

What is super effective against Poison?

Ground×2hits ×2 and resists Poison moves on top.
Psychic×2hits ×2, but takes full Poison damage in return.
Gengar — Gen V (2010) sprite

Gengar takes ×2 damage. Gengar is Ghost, Poison — the weaknesses of both types multiply. That's exactly why Ground is the answer whenever Gengar hits the field.

TEST IT LIVETest Gengar in the Versus calcAll Poison Pokémon in the Pokédex
Q&A

Super effective against Poison: Ground, Psychic. The most famous victim: Gengar (Ghost, Poison) takes a massive ×2 damage from Ground moves thanks to its dual typing — one hit is often enough.

Poison has 2 weaknesses: Ground, Psychic. Resisted instead: Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Fairy. If you play Poison defensively, plan around exactly these matchups.

4 types resist Poison moves: Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost. Poison moves do nothing at all against Steel — bring coverage for that matchup. You really hurt Grass, Fairy, though.

89 Pokémon carry the Poison type — pure, in combination or via a form (Gen 9, incl. Mega Evolutions and regional forms). The full filterable list lives in the Pokédex: toggle the Poison filter at the top and you'll see every species with stats, locations and movesets.

Offensively weak — Poison shines on defense or with utility instead. The math: 2 types are hit ×2 (Grass, Fairy), 4 resist it (Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost) and 1 are immune (Steel). The rating comes straight from the type chart — test the matchups live in the Versus calc.