I've always felt bad for the Poison type and how underpowered it seemed to be, and so I wanted to build a team of poison types just to prove to myself that it could be done. Still, I had little reason to do it until gen VI and its addition of the Fairy type. And now here I am with a mono poison team, with which I've had a small amount of success in OU Monotype matches. I know it can be improved though, which is why I come to the RMT forum...
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Roost
- Brave Bird
Toxic stallmon #1. Crobat is my lead in 99% of my games. Between its blazing fast speed and Taunt, it shuts down just about anything that wants to setup on turn 1, except for Prankster mons who usually preempt Crobat's Taunt with one of their own. If they instead lead with something that threatens a sweep, Toxic puts it on a timer. Roost is there to help with Toxic stalling, and removes the flying weaknesses to dodge Ice Beams and Thunderbolts, and heals the recoil from Brave Bird. Speaking of which, Brave Bird hits pretty hard even with no investment. Inner Focus beats Fake Out leads, and Black Sludge is another source of healing.
Drapion @ Black Sludge
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Poison Jab
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Sweeper #1. Generally I bring Drapion in after another pokemon is KOed, or if I'm expecting a psychic attack (critical since Drapion is the only member not weak to psychic). I chose to max its physical defense since ground is its only weakness and this helps it survive unboosted Earthquakes, giving it an opportunity to Swords Dance. Battle Armor and Black Sludge add to the bulkiness as well. The three attacking moves are all strong and reliable and have good neutral coverage. Poison Jab hits fairies, Earthquake hits steel and poison mons and Crunch hits just about everything else, including psychic types which are the bane of this team.
Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Sleep Powder
Sweeper #2. I knew I wanted a mega on this team, and since Mega Gengar is banned, Venusaur is literally the only other option. The fact that it uses Swords Dance catches most people off guard, and they often switch into something that lets me set up for another turn. Power Whip is a given, and with a boost it can sweep through entire teams, but the iffy accuracy has let me down on more than one occasion. Earthquake is primarily to deal with fire, ground and poison types, or if I'm paranoid about missing a Power Whip. Sleep Powder forces a switch and nets another boost, or gives Venusaur something to do against flying types, which are this set's major weakness.
Tentacruel (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Toxic
- Protect
- Barrier
- Scald
Toxic stallmon #2. Tentacruel is my special wall, and so it can switch into just about any special attack, including unboosted electric or psychic attacks meant for Crobat. Toxic is its main method of dealing damage, and Protect lets it stall and scout for dangerous moves. Barrier helps patch up Tentacruel's main weakness and makes it super annoying to get rid of. Scald is mostly there for the burn chance against things that don't get poisoned, since it doesn't do much damage on its own; it also makes it even harder for physical mons to break through Tentacruel.
Gengar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
Utility mon #1. Gengar is a revenge killer and can also be a late-game sweeper, especially in monotype games. Shadow Ball is the go-to move in case the opponent isn't weak to a different type. It also deals with psychic types which most of the team is weak to. Focus Blast hits normal and dark, but of course it misses more often than I would like. Thunderbolt is invaluable against the innumberable water teams out there, and also gets revenge on flying types that take out Venusaur. Dazzling Gleam is kind of a filler move and sees little use, but I like having it in case of rampaging dragons.
Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Haze
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Sludge Bomb
Utility mon #2. Weezing is my physical wall and anti-sweeper. Since most of the sweepers I deal with are physical, these roles are not unrelated. Haze stops boosting shenanigans, and nobody likes being burned with Will-o-Wisp. Pain Split is for recovery and to soften up bulkier threats. Sludge Bomb is just its direct attack and there's not much to say about it, except that it has a chance to inflict regular old poison on something that can't be burned.
This team has answers for most of the mons that I face, and it can even win against monotype teams that put it at a disadvantage like steel or psychic or ground. That said, half of the team relies on status to deal damage, so anything that resists status can be a problem. Flying types in general seem to give my team the most trouble, since Venusaur is helpless against them and only Gengar can hit them for SE damage.
All questions/comments/suggestions are welcome...