Poison-types in RarelyUsed

By roman. Released: 2018/09/24.
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Tikitik's Drapion

Art by Tikitik.

Introduction

As time has gone on, Poison-types have become staples in the RarelyUsed metagame. Roserade in particular has taken the tier by storm, acting as a fantastic wallbreaker that has the potential to set hazards and beat every hazard remover in the tier. Poison-types like Drapion completely flip matchups with Pursuit, and others like Toxicroak can completely run through common defensive cores. Dragalge and Salazzle are fantastic at checking threats in their own ways. Salazzle can come in and revenge kill fast sweepers and threaten defensive cores with Nasty Plot, while Dragalge can switch into common metagame threats like Virizion and force them out. Nidoqueen has dropped in viability but still influences the tier by virtue of its ability to keep Stealth Rock up against nearly every hazard remover.

[Choice Scarf]
[Life Orb]
Roserade

Roserade's niche in RarelyUsed comes in its ability to check common Water-types such as Mega Blastoise and Milotic by nature of its typing as well as come in on other common balance staples like Registeel and use them to set up Spikes. It has the potential to beat every form of hazard control in the tier, making it an excellent option on hazard-stacking teams. For example, with its standard Life Orb set, it can run through defensive Gligar with Leaf Storm; it beats Mandibuzz over time with Sludge Bomb and can beat sets lacking Brave Bird one-on-one; and it beats the last few good forms of hazard removal in Forretress, Mega Blastoise, and Rotom-C fairly easily. The standard Life Orb attacker set is dependent on what a team needs. For example, if you're running something like Ninetales or Choice Band Drapion that handles Steel-types nicely, Roserade can opt for a Spikes / Synthesis / Leaf Storm / Sludge Bomb set to have both hazards and recovery. If you're using it on a hazard-stacking team, it can use a Z-Move to beat more dedicated answers: Grassium Z for checks like Specially Defensive Gligar and Poisonium Z for Mandibuzz. Sleep Powder is also a viable option that lets Roserade bypass some checks as well as give teammates free setup opportunities. The EV spread is self-explanatory, letting Roserade hit as hard and be as fast as possible. However, it can run a bulkier set by investing in some HP and running Black Sludge if you want it to be able to switch into Pokémon like Mega Blastoise more easily. It can also potentially run Giga Drain. Roserade's Choice Scarf set is simple: it starts off with Leaf Storm and Sludge Bomb and works its set from there depending on what the team needs, similar to the Life Orb set. If you're running a teammate that takes care of Steel-types and need Roserade to be able to hit Salazzle, it can opt for Hidden Power Ground + Spikes so that it can stack hazards as it forces Pokémon like Mega Blastoise and Gardevoir to switch out. If the team needs Roserade to be able to dent Steel-types, then it can run Hidden Power Fire + Extrasensory so it can retain the ability to revenge kill Salazzle.

Toxicroak [Swords Dance]

Toxicroak is one of RU's best balance breakers, boasting an incredible ability in Dry Skin that lets it come in on one of the most common balance staples, Milotic, and set up for free. This is further complemented by its decent Attack, which discourages aggressive counterplay, as nothing enjoys switching into a Life Orb-boosted Gunk Shot. Toxicroak's reasonably good Speed tier lets it outpace plenty of common threats like Mega Blastoise, Feraligatr, and Necrozma, its niche defensive typing lets it switch into Pokémon like Golisopod for free, and its great movepool gives it options such as Ice Punch and Sucker Punch. Toxicroak can also opt for a Choice Scarf set to revenge kill setup sweepers. Similarly to other common setup sweepers, Toxicroak relies on Swords Dance and its STAB attacks to break through defensive cores, but after that it can pick between Ice Punch and Sucker Punch. Ice Punch lets it break Gligar, and Sucker Punch improves its matchup against offense. It can also use Poisonium Z to break through common checks such as Cresselia.

[Choice Scarf]
[Special Sweeper]
Salazzle

Salazzle has been good for quite some time now, boasting an incredible Speed stat, good Special Attack, and a good offensive typing as well as access to Nasty Plot. Combine this with the ability to cripple potential switch-ins such as Rhyperior and Choice Scarf Tyrantrum with Hidden Power Grass and Knock Off, respectively, and you have one of the most threatening setup sweepers in the tier. Salazzle's amazing Speed tier lets it act as a great revenge killer as well, being able to stop setup sweepers like Virizion dead in their tracks. On Salazzle's standard Nasty Plot set, STAB moves and Nasty Plot are required, but it has a plethora of options to choose from for the fourth moveslot. It can use Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Ice to break through checks like Rhyperior and specially defensive Gligar, it can use Knock Off to cripple Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum if they switch in, and it has access to options like Encore and Substitute to give it more setup opportunities as well. Salazzle can opt for Firium Z when using Hidden Power Grass to let it break through checks like specially defensive Gligar. Salazzle's Choice Scarf set has been up and coming as of late, with trends such as Barbaracle heavily rising in usage justifying it. It runs the standard STAB attacks and can run a plethora of different moves in the last two slots. Dragon Pulse + Hidden Power Ground lets it hit Barbaracle while also having the ability to revenge kill setup sweepers like Flygon. Hidden Power Grass can be used over Hidden Power Ground, which lets Salazzle smack one of its best switch-ins, Rhyperior. Hidden Power Ground can also be used on teams that have a weakness to opposing Salazzle, as it can take them out easily. Hidden Power Ice + Toxic can be used to let Salazzle beat Gligar and cripple other walls like Porygon2, but this loses out on the ability to hit Barbaracle.

[Swords Dance]
[Choice Band]
Drapion

Drapion's viability in the tier comes from its ability to trap common balance staples like Bronzong and Roserade with Pursuit, which often completely flips a matchup. For example, trapping and KOing an opposing Roserade can make it much harder for the opposing team to break through Pokémon like Milotic. Similarly, removing Bronzong from the game gives you the potential to fully control the hazard game. Drapion also provides great utility in Knock Off, which lets it cripple walls like Gligar and Porygon2. Choice Band Drapion can pick and choose what it wants to beat in the last slot. For example, Aqua Tail lets it hit Mega Steelix decently hard on the switch while also being able to hit Moltres and Aerodactyl, whereas Earthquake gives Drapion the potential to revenge kill Toxicroak while also hitting Mega Steelix. Waterium Z with Swords Dance gives Drapion the opportunity to remove common checks like Mega Steelix after some prior chip. Groundium Z can be used over Waterium Z on the Swords Dance set to hit Pokémon like Nidoqueen and Mega Steelix for more damage as well as give Drapion the potential to revenge kill Toxicroak, but this loses out on hitting Gligar and Rhyperior. One can also opt for Shuca Berry on this set so Drapion can set up on Pokémon like Gligar.

Nidoqueen [Stealth Rock]

Although Nidoqueen has fallen off as of late in favor of other Stealth Rock users like Bronzong and Rhyperior, it still has the ability to threaten every hazard remover in the tier thanks to Sheer Force + Life Orb and a plethora of useful coverage moves like Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, and Focus Blast, something that other common Stealth Rock users fail to do. It has the potential to break down walls with its access to moves like Taunt and Toxic. Nidoqueen also has very good bulk for an offensive Stealth Rock setter,(AC) which that gives it the potential to beat many metagame threats one-on-one. Nidoqueen is fantastic at being very easily customized to handle specific threats. For example, a team weak to Steel-types can opt for Fire Blast in the last slot to handle Steel-types like Bronzong and Escavalier. Similarly, a team wanting to improve its matchup against standard balance could run Toxic Spikes. Nidoqueen can opt for Shuca Berry over Life Orb to lure Pokémon like Zygarde-10% on more offensive teams that struggle to switch in.

Dragalge [Choice Specs]

Dragalge has carved a niche for itself in the tier thanks to devastatingly powerful attacks due to Choice Specs and Adaptability. It also has a decent defensive typing and reasonably good bulk that lets it switch in and check common attackers like Virizion. It also has access to good coverage like Focus Blast and Scald, letting hit it switch-ins like Mega Steelix, as well as Toxic Spikes, which gives it the potential to threaten defensive builds more easily. Dragalge runs Hidden Power Fire to give it the ability to hit Steel-types like Escavalier that don't have much trouble switching into its STAB attacks. It can opt for Scald over Focus Blast if it decides to go for an all-out attacker set to let it hit specially defensive Gligar. Dragalge can potentially run Dragonium Z to give it a one-time nuke and to let it set up Toxic Spikes more easily without being Choice-locked.

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