Poison (status condition)

File:Poisoned Pokémon.png
 File:Bad Poison Effect.png
**Poison** (Japanese: **毒** *poison*) is a non-volatile status condition that causes a Pokémon to take damage over time. In the games, it is often abbreviated as PSN.

It is often caused by Poison-type moves. Poison- and Steel-type Pokémon are normally immune to being poisoned.

There is also a special kind of poison condition known as **bad poison** (Japanese: **猛毒** *deadly poison*). The amount of poison damage inflicted to a badly poisoned Pokémon increases over time.

## In the core series games

### Effect

#### In battle

In battle, a poisoned Pokémon takes damage each turn. The exact amount of damage varies between generations and depending on the type of poison.

##### Generation I

A poisoned Pokémon will take damage equal to 1/16 of its maximum HP every turn, after it attacks, or at the end of the turn if it did not attack. If a poisoned Pokémon causes an opponent to faint, the poisoned Pokémon will not take damage that turn. Outside of battle, all poisoned Pokémon lose one HP for every four steps taken.

A badly poisoned Pokémon takes damage equal to 1/16 of its maximum HP (rounded down, but set to 1 HP if it would be less) on the first turn, after which damage increases by 1/16 each time it takes poison damage. The damage stops increasing when it equals 15 \* floor(maximum HP / 16). When a badly poisoned Pokémon is affected by Haze, switches out, or when the battle ends, its poison status becomes regular poison.

If a Pokémon badly poisoned by Toxic is also under the effect of Leech Seed, both types of recurrent damage will draw upon the same **N** value to calculate how many multiples of 1/16 of the Pokémon's HP is taken as damage, and both will increase that value. If a badly poisoned Pokémon successfully uses Rest, it will be cured of poison, but **N** is not reset; if it then suffers burn, Leech Seed or poison damage, that damage will draw upon the **N** value, and the **N** value will still increase by 1 each time (however, if the Pokémon is poisoned with Toxic, the **N** value will be reset to 1).

##### Generation II

A poisoned Pokémon will take damage equal to 1/8 of its maximum HP each turn.

Bad poison damage no longer interacts with other types of recurrent damage. Haze no longer affects poisoning.

While Steel-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned by Poison-type moves, they can be poisoned by Twineedle.

##### Generation III

Poison damage is now taken at the end of each turn, regardless of whether a Pokémon faints.

If a badly poisoned Pokémon is switched out, it will remain badly poisoned, but the counter is reset. Bad poison still reverts to regular poison after completing a battle.

Steel-type Pokémon can no longer be poisoned by any moves, including Twineedle.

##### Generation IV onward

Poisoned Pokémon take double damage from Hex and Venoshock.

Poison- and Steel-type Pokémon can be poisoned by a Pokémon with the Ability Corrosion.

If a Dynamaxed opponent in a Max Raid Battle becomes badly poisoned, it will instantly become normal poison.

#### Outside of battle

Prior to Generation V, outside of battle, all poisoned Pokémon in the player's party lose one HP every four steps the player takes.

Pokémon with Immunity do not take poison damage outside of battle.

##### Generation I to III

Poisoned Pokémon take poison damage until they faint. If the player's last conscious Pokémon faints this way, the player blacks out.

##### Generation IV

Outside of battle, if a poisoned Pokémon is brought down to one HP due to poison damage, it will be cured of poison instead of fainting.

##### Generation V

Poisoned Pokémon no longer take poison damage outside of battle.

### Appearance

In Generation V, a poisoned Pokémon glows purple while in battle; from Generation VI onward, a poisoned Pokémon continuously releases bubbles of poison from its body.

In Generation V, the poison status condition icon for badly poisoned Pokémon has dark purple characters instead of white; in Generation VI, both the icon and text change color.

### Causes

#### Regular poison

##### Moves

The following moves may poison the target:

##### Other causes

A Pokémon has a 30% chance of being poisoned after making contact with a Pokémon with the Poison Point Ability, and a 9% chance after making contact with a Pokémon with Effect Spore. Poison Touch has a 30% chance (20% in the Japanese versions of Pokémon Black and White) of poisoning the target when the user uses a contact move. A Pokémon can also be poisoned if it directly poisons a Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability.

#### Bad poison

##### Moves

The following moves may badly poison the target:

##### Other causes

The item Toxic Orb badly poisons the holder at the end of the turn. From Generation V onward, a Pokémon can also be badly poisoned if it badly poisons a Pokémon with Synchronize (prior to Generation V, Synchronize only inflicts regular poison).

### Curing

Poison (including bad poison) can be cured with the use of an Antidote, Drash Berry (Generation III only) and Pecha Berry (PSNCureBerry in Generation II). In addition, like all other major status conditions, it can be cured by the items Full Heal, Rage Candy Bar, Lava Cookie, Old Gateau, Casteliacone, Lumiose Galette, Shalour Sable, Big Malasada, Full Restore, Heal Powder, Lum Berry (MiracleBerry in Generation II), and Sacred Ash.

The moves Refresh and Rest remove the poison status condition from the user, while Heal Bell (unless the Pokémon has Soundproof as their Ability in Generation III and IV) and Aromatherapy remove it from all Pokémon in the user's party. In addition, the move Psycho Shift shifts the poison onto its target (thereby healing the user). In Generation I only, using Haze cures the opponent from poison.

Pokémon with Natural Cure will be cured upon switching out, those with the Hydration Ability will be cured whilst it is raining. Pokémon with Shed Skin have a 1/3 chance of being cured every turn, and Pokémon with Healer have a 30% chance of curing their allies.

### Prevention

In general, Steel- and Poison-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned. However, they can be poisoned by Pokémon with the Corrosion Ability. Additionally, in Generation II, the move Twineedle can poison Steel-type Pokémon. If a Pokémon is poisoned while not Poison- or Steel-type (such as while affected by a type-changing move or before evolving into a Poison-type or Steel-type Pokémon), it will remain poisoned.

Pokémon with the Ability Immunity cannot be poisoned. Pokémon with the Comatose Ability and Minior in Meteor Form are completely immune to being poisoned. Pokémon with the Ability Leaf Guard will be protected from status conditions in harsh sunlight. The Ability Magic Guard will prevent damage due to poison from being taken in battle; however, it does not prevent the damage from being taken outside of battle.

The moves Safeguard and Misty Terrain (for grounded Pokémon) will protect the party from status conditions for five turns. A Pokémon behind a substitute cannot be poisoned, except due to Synchronize or a held Toxic Orb.

### Advantages

While poisoning and badly poisoning, like all major status conditions, have primarily negative effects, it can be advantageous to be poisoned in certain conditions. Pokémon with Guts, Marvel Scale, and Quick Feet will have their Attack, Defense, and Speed increased by 50%, respectively, if poisoned or afflicted by any other non-volatile status condition excluding sleep and freeze; however, in Generation IV, sleep will increase the Attack of Pokémon with Guts. Poisoning will increase the attack of a Pokémon with Toxic Boost by 50%, and the base power of Facade is doubled (from 70 to 140) when inflicted with poison. A Pokémon with Poison Heal will regain 1/8th of its maximum HP at the end of each turn instead of taking damage. When capturing Pokémon, the poison status also adds a 1.5× multiplier to the catch rate of any given Pokémon.

In competitive battling in Generation I, as Pokémon were not healed before link battles in the handheld games, players would often enter battles with their Pokémon already poisoned, as it prevented them from being affected by other more harmful status conditions; also, poison only inflicted 1/16 of the Pokémon's total HP as damage each turn rather than 1/8 as it does from Generation II onward. This tactic was not viable in the Pokémon Stadium series, as Pokémon were restored to full health before battle in these games.

### Other in-game effects

If a poisoned Pokémon gains the Ability Immunity through the use of Skill Swap, Trace or another method, the poison or bad poison status will be removed.

In Pokémon Emerald, when the player is inside the Battle Pyramid, the types of Pokémon encountered on each floor follow a set of categories, on the second floor the player will encounter Pokémon that poison as their main tactic.

In the Generation IV games, Pokémon Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, at the Battle Arcade, one of the effects caused by the roulette is causing the poison status; Pokémon that would normally be immune to poison are unaffected. The poison will last for a single battle.

If a Pokémon has Merciless and hits a poisoned target, it will score a critical hit.

## Trivia

* Poison is the only status condition to have an effect outside of battle; however, from Generation V onward, it no longer has an effect outside of battle either.