The Ultimate Guide to Toxic Orb Pokémon: Power, Strategy, and the Best Choices

The Toxic Orb is a fascinating item in the Pokémon world, a double-edged sword that inflicts Badly Poison on the holder. While it seems counterintuitive to deliberately poison your own Pokémon, the Toxic Orb unlocks incredible potential for specific Pokémon with abilities that synergize with status conditions. The best Pokémon to use a Toxic Orb on are those with the Poison Heal or Guts abilities, as well as those with unique strategies that leverage its effects. Specifically, Gliscor is arguably the best choice for a Toxic Orb due to its Poison Heal ability, coupled with its access to powerful moves and utility.

Unlocking Potential: How the Toxic Orb Works

Before diving into the best Pokémon, let’s understand the mechanics of the Toxic Orb. The orb inflicts the Badly Poisoned status, which, unlike regular poison, increases its damage each turn. While this seems detrimental, certain abilities turn this liability into a strength.

Abilities That Thrive on Poison

• Poison Heal: This ability heals the Pokémon for 1/8 of its maximum HP at the end of each turn while poisoned. This effectively negates the damage from Toxic and provides passive recovery, making the Pokémon incredibly difficult to take down.

• Guts: This ability boosts the Pokémon’s Attack stat by 50% when afflicted with a status condition (Burn, Poison, Paralysis, or Sleep). While the Toxic Orb doesn’t negate the damage like Poison Heal, the massive Attack boost can turn a Pokémon into a powerful offensive threat.

• Toxic Boost: Found exclusively on Zangoose, Toxic Boost increases the Pokémon’s Attack stat when poisoned. The ability boosts physical attacks, but this boost is weaker than guts.

Best Pokémon to Use a Toxic Orb

Considering the abilities mentioned above, here are some of the best Pokémon to utilize the Toxic Orb effectively:

1. Gliscor (Poison Heal): Gliscor is the king of Toxic Orb users. Its Poison Heal ability, combined with access to moves like Protect, Substitute, and Earthquake, makes it an incredibly resilient and dangerous Pokémon. The constant healing from Poison Heal allows Gliscor to stall out opponents, set up Swords Dance boosts, or provide valuable support to its team.

2. Breloom (Poison Heal): Similar to Gliscor, Breloom benefits immensely from Poison Heal. It is a powerhouse of Poison Heal Pokémon due to its access to Spore, a 100% accurate sleep move. Breloom also learns Focus Punch.

3. Heracross (Guts): Heracross is a fearsome offensive Pokémon with the Guts ability. The Toxic Orb, while not ideal, eliminates the attack drop associated with burn and provides a significant Attack boost. This allows Heracross to deal massive damage with moves like Close Combat and Megahorn.

4. Machamp (Guts): Machamp, like Heracross, is a powerful Fighting-type that can utilize the Guts ability. While Flame Orb is generally preferred for Guts users, Toxic Orb can be a viable alternative.

5. Zangoose (Toxic Boost): Zangoose is unique for its ability, Toxic Boost. While less potent than Guts, it still provides a solid Attack boost when poisoned. It also has access to Facade, which doubles in power when the user is statused.

6. Conkeldurr (Guts): Conkeldurr is another strong Fighting-type with Guts. With access to powerful moves and solid bulk, the Attack boost from Guts makes it a formidable threat.

Strategies Beyond Abilities

While abilities like Poison Heal and Guts are the primary reason to use a Toxic Orb, there are other creative strategies. Pokémon with moves like Fling or Trick can use the Toxic Orb to inflict the Badly Poisoned status on the opponent. The element of surprise can catch opponents off guard and disrupt their strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Toxic Orb Pokémon

1. Will Toxic Orb work on Pokémon with the Immunity ability?

No, the Toxic Orb cannot poison Pokémon with the Immunity ability. This ability prevents the Pokémon from being poisoned.

2. Can Toxic Orb poison a Steel-type Pokémon?

No, Steel-type Pokémon are immune to the Poison status, and therefore cannot be poisoned by the Toxic Orb.

3. Is Toxic Boost better than Guts?

Generally, Guts is considered better than Toxic Boost. Guts provides a 50% Attack boost when the Pokémon is burned, poisoned, paralyzed, or asleep, while Toxic Boost only activates when the Pokémon is poisoned.

4. Does the Toxic Orb inflict regular poison or badly poison?

The Toxic Orb inflicts badly poison, which increases the damage dealt each turn.

5. Can a Pokémon be burned and poisoned simultaneously with Flame Orb and Toxic Orb?

No, a Pokémon can only have one status condition at a time. Applying a status with an orb will replace any current status.

6. Is Toxic Orb a one-time use item?

No, the Toxic Orb is not consumed after use. It remains attached to the Pokémon for the duration of the battle unless removed by moves like Knock Off.

7. Is Toxic a TM in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

No, Toxic is not a TM in Pokémon Sword and Shield. It is available in the Sinnoh remakes, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

8. Why is Gliscor considered the best Toxic Orb user?

Gliscor is considered the best due to its Poison Heal ability, excellent defensive stats, access to recovery moves like Roost, and its ability to learn both defensive and offensive moves, making it incredibly versatile.

9. What are some alternative strategies for using the Toxic Orb besides Poison Heal and Guts?

Beyond Poison Heal and Guts, you can use Fling or Trick to pass the Toxic Orb onto an opponent, badly poisoning them.

10. How does Poison Heal work with the Toxic Orb?

Poison Heal heals the Pokémon for 1/8 of its maximum HP at the end of each turn while poisoned. This completely negates the damage from the Toxic Orb and provides additional passive healing.

11. What is the difference between Flame Orb and Toxic Orb?

The Flame Orb inflicts a burn on the holder, while the Toxic Orb inflicts badly poison. Flame Orb is typically used on Pokémon with the Guts ability to boost their Attack, while Toxic Orb is primarily used with Poison Heal Pokémon.

12. Can you use Toxic Orb on a Pokémon with Synchronize?

No, the status condition inflicted by Toxic Orb doesn’t trigger the Synchronize ability.

13. Does Toxic Orb bypass the ability Immunity?

No, Toxic Orb does not bypass the Immunity ability. If a Pokémon has the Immunity ability, it cannot be poisoned by the Toxic Orb.

14. Is a Zangoose with Toxic Boost viable in competitive Pokémon?

While Zangoose with Toxic Boost can be effective, it is generally considered niche. Its lack of bulk and the limited utility of Toxic Boost compared to Guts make it less consistent than other offensive Pokémon.

15. What are the best moves to pair with a Toxic Orb Gliscor?

The best moves to pair with Toxic Orb Gliscor include:

• Protect: Allows Gliscor to guarantee a turn of Poison Heal recovery.
• Earthquake: A powerful STAB move for offense.
• Roost: Provides additional recovery.
• Swords Dance: Boosts Gliscor’s Attack stat to make it a threatening sweeper.
• Taunt: Prevents the opponent from using status moves or setting up.

Conclusion: Mastering the Toxic Orb

The Toxic Orb is a complex item with the potential to transform seemingly detrimental status conditions into powerful advantages. By understanding the abilities that synergize with the Toxic Orb and utilizing creative strategies, players can unlock a new level of competitive play. Whether it’s the resilience of Gliscor, the raw power of Heracross, or the surprise factor of a well-timed Fling, the Toxic Orb offers a unique and rewarding approach to battling in the Pokémon world.

To explore more about the educational aspects of gaming and learning, visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. The gaming world is constantly evolving, and understanding the nuances of items like the Toxic Orb can make all the difference between victory and defeat.