Good day! I'm presenting my Poison Monotype team. This is the first time I've ever written down an RMT, and I don't know if there any minimum ladder requirements to post RMTs, but I've decided to write down an RMT because I've grown quite fond of this team and would greatly appreciate some feedback from my fellow community members.
Now, I already made a few monotype teams before this one, namely Ground and Dragon. However, I find Poison to be a rather underrated and underexplored type, hence why I decided to experiment with it on a Monotype team. It's proven to be a really fun undertaking to ladder with my Poison Monotype team and I feel confident enough to put it up for ratings. Anyway, let's get started, shall we?
Goethe (Venusaur) (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
Ahh, Mega Venusaur, the catch-all utility wall of the team. Mega Venusaur serves as the wall of the team with its impressive 80/123/120 defenses, good typing and great Ability. The Grass-type helps immensely with taking some Ground-type moves, should my other Ground absorbers have fainted. I'm running Sleep Powder on this guy because inflicting sleep scares opponents out and grants my own team more setup opportunities, hence why I'm not running HP Fire or Earthquake. The other moves should be pretty self-explanatory: Giga Drain provides offensive recovery, Sludge Bomb has high power and can poison, and Synthesis is steady recovery (though plagued by low PP, unfortunately).
As for the EV spread; It's the standard one from OU, but with the EVs in Speed removed and placed in Defense to give Mega Venusaur some extra physical bulk. General mixed bulk is what the team needs and exactly what Mega Venusaur provides. I'm probably missing out on some notable speedties here, so go right ahead if you know a better spread.
Nietzsche (Gengar) (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Up next is Gengar, whose role is to spread burns and be a general annoyer behind a Substitute. Instead of running Taunt, I opted for Substitute here to take full advantage of forcing switches on the opposing team. Behind a Substitute, Gengar is free to fire at least a single Will-O-Wisp and then beat the opponent down with Hex. Speaking of which, the sleep inflicted by Mega Venusaur is yet another tool for Gengar to exploit with Hex; while kind of a weak move without status, it becomes extremely potent when status is deployed. Lastly, Sludge Wave is the obligatory reliable high-power STAB move, and has decent coverage with Hex.
Black Sludge is the obligatory recovery item for any Poison-type, also helps against Pokémon that decide to Trick Gengar. It's necessary here to regain HP from the losses generated by Substitute. The EV spread is quite simple: Max Speed ensures Gengar outpaces Pokémon such as Keldeo and speedties with other notable Pokémon such as Latios. 8 HP EVs are invested to better take advantage of Substitute and Black Sludge, while the remaining 248 EVs are dumped into Special Attack to give Gengar the power it needs.
Schiller (Skuntank) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 144 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
Skuntank's role on the team is rather hard to define, since there's a lot it does here. Nevertheless, its moveset and typing are what make this guy a vital part of my team; the Dark-type is crucial in the team's matchup against Psychic-types. The crux of its moveset is Taunt, which allows it to disrupt supporters and mess with setup attackers, forcing them to attack Skuntank. This in turn makes them ripe to be picked off by Sucker Punch, which happens to be the one priority move on the team. Poison Jab is a reliable Poison STAB with a decent enough chance to leave a foe poisoned, giving Skuntank an alternative physical option, should Sucker Punch be unusable or unreliable. Finally, Fire Blast grants coverage against Steel-types, which could be problematic to this team.
I chose to give Skuntank a Lum Berry. I appreciate the status removal, as it's been very clutch on some occasions, though I've been considering going for a Life Orb instead. The Ability I went with is Aftermath, as Skuntank isn't the fastest, which makes Stench's flinch effect less usable, and Aftermath helps punish priority finishers such as Azumarill and Mega Medicham. As for the EVs: They're from the NU analysis, but tweaked to allow Skuntank to fire off stronger Fire Blasts. That's also why I opted for Naughty over Adamant.
Schlegel (Scolipede) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Aqua Tail
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance
Scolipede's purpose is to sweep and clean mid- or late-game. It's a pretty typical attacker with Swords Dance as the obligatory boosting move. After a single set-up turn with Swords Dance, Scolipede becomes a terrifying sweeper that is pretty much only stopped by select Scarfers and priority users. Megahorn is a given on Scolipede: brutally powerful and with a decent typing. Poison Jab is the secondary STAB that destroys Fairies, which it may struggle with otherwise, while Aqua Tail deters Fire-, Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon, all of which can take on at least one of Scolipede's STABs.
I chose to go with a Life Orb to further amplify Scolipede's power, though Lum Berry may be a good alternative to protect against hazards. The EV spread should be self-explanatory: max Attack and Speed for optimal sweeping potential. I chose to go with an Adamant nature for the extra power it provides: At +1, Scolipede is usually already fast enough to outspeed just about anything aside from Scarfers.
Luther (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- U-turn
- Roost
Here we have Crobat, the hazard remover and general utility tank/pivot. I needed a Defogger on the team, so that's where Crobat came in, being one of the better Defoggers on Poison-type teams. Its high Speed stat also gives it some use as a cleaner of sorts, despite the lack of offensive investment. Brave Bird is a move carried by pretty much every Crobat for its high power and reliability, hope that speaks for itself. U-turn lets Crobat pivot in and out of battle, for example after picking off a threat or Defogging. Roost grants Crobat recovery and goes well in tandem with Brave Bird being a recoil move and Crobat pivoting in and out of battle a lot.
Black Sludge is once again the quintessential recovery item for Poison-types, not much else to be said here. I chose Infiltrator as the Ability, as I like the ability to hit past Substitutes. The EVs give Crobat decent bulk for pivoting, while the Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Crobat to outpace a huge array of threats and generate momentum with U-turn.
Bismarck (Nidoking) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
To finish things off, enter Nidoking, the team's wallbreaker and offensive Stealth Rock setter. When I noticed my team lacked both a dedicated wallbreaker and hazard setter, Nidoking immediately came to mind, and quickly became a highly important member of my team. Earth Power and Sludge Wave become amazingly powerful STAB moves after Sheer Force and Life Orb that have nice coverage together, while Ice Beam helps deter Flying- and Ground-types better. As mentioned before, Stealth Rock is the most noticeable move on the set; Nidoking can use its power to pressure opposing hazard setters while setting up hazards for my own team.
As with Scolipede, the EVs are very straightforward: Max Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to ensure sweeping potency. Naturally, Sheer Force is the ability to run on Nidoking, powering up a huge chunk of its movepool. Finally, Life Orb is the go-to item with Sheer Force, granting Nidoking great power at virtually no cost whatsoever.
Well, that just about wraps things up. I hope my team has been at least somewhat interesting to read. I'm open to suggestions to improve my team, so if you've got anything to remark, go right ahead and tell me about it. If there is anything regarding the RMT policy that I'm not adhering to correctly, then please tell me about that as well. Thank you very much for reading, and have a great day.
- Kyuzeth
Now, I already made a few monotype teams before this one, namely Ground and Dragon. However, I find Poison to be a rather underrated and underexplored type, hence why I decided to experiment with it on a Monotype team. It's proven to be a really fun undertaking to ladder with my Poison Monotype team and I feel confident enough to put it up for ratings. Anyway, let's get started, shall we?
Goethe (Venusaur) (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
As for the EV spread; It's the standard one from OU, but with the EVs in Speed removed and placed in Defense to give Mega Venusaur some extra physical bulk. General mixed bulk is what the team needs and exactly what Mega Venusaur provides. I'm probably missing out on some notable speedties here, so go right ahead if you know a better spread.
Nietzsche (Gengar) (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Wave
Black Sludge is the obligatory recovery item for any Poison-type, also helps against Pokémon that decide to Trick Gengar. It's necessary here to regain HP from the losses generated by Substitute. The EV spread is quite simple: Max Speed ensures Gengar outpaces Pokémon such as Keldeo and speedties with other notable Pokémon such as Latios. 8 HP EVs are invested to better take advantage of Substitute and Black Sludge, while the remaining 248 EVs are dumped into Special Attack to give Gengar the power it needs.
Schiller (Skuntank) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 144 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
I chose to give Skuntank a Lum Berry. I appreciate the status removal, as it's been very clutch on some occasions, though I've been considering going for a Life Orb instead. The Ability I went with is Aftermath, as Skuntank isn't the fastest, which makes Stench's flinch effect less usable, and Aftermath helps punish priority finishers such as Azumarill and Mega Medicham. As for the EVs: They're from the NU analysis, but tweaked to allow Skuntank to fire off stronger Fire Blasts. That's also why I opted for Naughty over Adamant.
Schlegel (Scolipede) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Megahorn
- Aqua Tail
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance
I chose to go with a Life Orb to further amplify Scolipede's power, though Lum Berry may be a good alternative to protect against hazards. The EV spread should be self-explanatory: max Attack and Speed for optimal sweeping potential. I chose to go with an Adamant nature for the extra power it provides: At +1, Scolipede is usually already fast enough to outspeed just about anything aside from Scarfers.
Luther (Crobat) (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- U-turn
- Roost
Black Sludge is once again the quintessential recovery item for Poison-types, not much else to be said here. I chose Infiltrator as the Ability, as I like the ability to hit past Substitutes. The EVs give Crobat decent bulk for pivoting, while the Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Crobat to outpace a huge array of threats and generate momentum with U-turn.
Bismarck (Nidoking) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
As with Scolipede, the EVs are very straightforward: Max Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to ensure sweeping potency. Naturally, Sheer Force is the ability to run on Nidoking, powering up a huge chunk of its movepool. Finally, Life Orb is the go-to item with Sheer Force, granting Nidoking great power at virtually no cost whatsoever.
Well, that just about wraps things up. I hope my team has been at least somewhat interesting to read. I'm open to suggestions to improve my team, so if you've got anything to remark, go right ahead and tell me about it. If there is anything regarding the RMT policy that I'm not adhering to correctly, then please tell me about that as well. Thank you very much for reading, and have a great day.
- Kyuzeth
