Poison Touch (Ability)

Poison Touch どくしゅ
Underhanded Trick
Flavor text
Generation V
May poison targets when a Pokémon makes contact.
Generation VI
May poison a target when the Pokémon makes contact.
Generation VII
May poison a target when the Pokémon makes contact.
Generation VIII
May poison a target when the Pokémon makes contact.
Generation IX
May poison a target when the Pokémon makes contact.

Poison Touch (Japanese: どくしゅ Underhanded Trick) is an Ability introduced in Generation V.

Effect

In battle

If a Pokémon with this Ability uses a move that makes contact, there is a 30% chance the target will become poisoned. In Japanese versions of Pokémon Black and White, this is a 20% chance instead.

This chance applies independently of any moves that may have a chance to poison the target with their own effect. If the attack's target holds a status condition-curing Berry, it is possible for a move's natural effect to inflict a status condition which the target's held item will then cure, only for the target to then be poisoned by Poison Touch. Poison Touch's chances also apply independently for each hit of a multi-strike move.

Poison Touch can poison a target hit by Dragon Tail or Circle Throw. Poison Touch can poison a target with Mummy before Mummy overwrites Poison Touch. Pokémon with Immunity, Shield Dust, or (during harsh sunlight) Leaf Guard cannot be poisoned by Poison Touch, unless the contact-making move is Sunsteel Strike.

In a link battle including a Japanese version of Pokémon Black or White and a non-Japanese version or Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the chance to poison is determined by the game of the player with the Pokémon with the Ability Poison Touch. As such, a Pokémon with Poison Touch owned by the player of a Japanese version of Pokémon Black or White will have a 20% chance to poison, whereas players of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 and non-Japanese versions of Pokémon Black and White will have a 30% chance.

Outside of battle

Poison Touch has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Poison Touch

# Pokémon Types First Ability Second Ability Hidden Ability
0088   Grimer
Poison Poison Stench Sticky Hold Poison Touch
0088   Grimer
Alolan Form
Poison Dark Poison Touch Gluttony Power of Alchemy
0089   Muk
Poison Poison Stench Sticky Hold Poison Touch
0089   Muk
Alolan Form
Poison Dark Poison Touch Gluttony Power of Alchemy
0453   Croagunk
Poison Fighting Anticipation Dry Skin Poison Touch
0454   Toxicroak
Poison Fighting Anticipation Dry Skin Poison Touch
0537   Seismitoad
Water Ground Swift Swim Poison Touch Water Absorb
0690   Skrelp
Poison Water Poison Point Poison Touch Adaptability
0691   Dragalge
Poison Dragon Poison Point Poison Touch Adaptability
0903   Sneasler
Fighting Poison Pressure UnburdenGen IX+ Poison Touch
0945   Grafaiai
Poison Normal Unburden Poison Touch Prankster
Please note that abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later.
  • For Generation III and IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.

Pokémon that formerly had Poison Touch

# Pokémon Types First Ability Second Ability Hidden Ability
0215   Sneasel
Hisuian Form
Fighting Poison Inner Focus Keen Eye Poison TouchGen VIII
Please note that abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later.
  • For Generation III and IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.

In other games

Description

Games Description
MDGtI May inflict the Poisoned status on the attacker who hits it with a direct attack.*
When the Pokémon lands a direct attack like Tackle or Scratch, the target is sometimes afflicted with the Poisoned status condition!*
SMD When the Pokémon damages a target with a contact move like Tackle or Scratch, the target sometimes gets poisoned!


In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Trivia

  • This Ability's Japanese, Korean, and Chinese names are a pun; 毒手 Dokushu is a figure of speech meaning treachery or an underhanded scheme, but the individual characters 毒 and 手 literally mean "poison" and "hand/touch", respectively.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 毒手 Duhksáu
Mandarin 毒手 Dúshǒu
  French Toxitouche
  German Giftgriff
  Italian Velentocco
  Korean 독수 Doksu
  Russian Дуновение Пыльцы Dunoveniye Pyl'tsy
  Spanish Toque Tóxico
  This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.