General info
- Type
- Poison/Ground
- Ability
- Poison Point (has 30% chance to poison an opponent attacking with a direct move)
- Base Stats
-
- HP: 81
- Attack: 92
- Defense: 77
- Special Attack: 85
- Special Defense: 75
- Speed: 85
- Description
- Online Pokédex
- Click here
Nidoking is similar to Nidoqueen but simply has higher Attack and Speed stats, while his defenses and Hit Points drop a little. Focus on attacking and make use of both STABs. Nothing else to add here.
Role #1: Physical Sweeper
- Item Held
- Salac Berry (raises Speed when HP are low) / Choice Band (Increases move’s power but only the selected move can be used until switched)
- Nature
- Jolly (+Speed, – Special Attack)/ Adamant (+Attack –Special Attack)
- Effort Points
- 252 Attack, 252 Defense, 6 HP
- Moveset
-
- Sludge Bomb
- Earthquake
- Brick Break/Rock Slide
- Megahorn/Shadow Ball/Rock Slide
- Strategy
The moveset is exactly the same for Nidoqueen; simply pick your moves wisely! Sludge Bomb and Earthquake get a STAB so they must be used with this set. A fighting move, such as Brick Break, is there to counter Steel types (eventhough I think Earthquake is quite enough). Aerial Ace mostly for non-pure grass types, Shadow Ball or Megahorn to cover Nidokings’s Psychic weakness, or Rock Slide for Ice and Flying types. The only real problem about the Nido’s is that they require quite a large number of Technical Machines. Choice Band will surely empower Nidoking’s moves but Salac might save your skin when things look grim! It’s entirely your choice.
Role #2: Subpuncher
- Item Held
- Leftovers (Recovers a small amount of Hit Points at the end of each round)
- Nature
- Adamant (+Attack –Special Attack)
- Effort Points
- 252 HPk, 129 Defense, 129 Special Defense
- Moveset
-
- Focus Punch
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Strategy
Once again, a Physical Sweeper build with the all-famous Substitute+Focus Punch combo. Earthquake and Sludge Bomb provide a STAB, while Leftovers is there to allow you more Substitutes! Simply sweep and sweep like there’s no tomorrow!
Egg Moves
These are the moves Nidoran M. can learn through breeding with Pokémon of the Ground and/or Monster Egg Group, and the Pokémon it can get them from.
- Beat Up
- Sneasel
- Counter
- Slakoth/Vigoroth/Slaking
- Disable
- Psyduck/Golduck, Slowpoke/Slowbro/Slowking or Lickitung
- Supersonic
- Lickitung or Whismur/Loudred/Exploud
- Take Down
- Growlithe/Arcanine, Ponyta/Rapidash, Seel/Dewgong, Rhyhorn/Rhydon, Tauros, Eevee, Dunsparce, Snubull/Granbull or Swinub/Piloswine
- Amnesia
- Slowpoke/Slowbro/Slowking, Snorlax, Sentret/Furret, Wooper/Quagsire, Swinub/Piloswine, Slakoth/Vigoroth/Slaking, Wailmer?Wailord, Numel/Camerupt or Torkoal
- Confusion
- Psyduck/Golduck, Slowpoke/Slowbro/Slowking, Espeon or Girafarig
Training Grounds
This section is to advise you on the areas in which you can train for the acquisition of the Effort Points presented above. It is recommended you use 10 vitamins on the stat you desire to raise. Do not use vitamins on stats that require less than 100 Effort Points. Equip the Macho Brace on your Pokémon to speed up the process even more.
- Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
-
- HP
- Rusturf Tunner [Wishmur +1]
- Attack
- Fish with Super Rod on Route 118 [Carvanha +1]
- Speed
- Route 118 [Elektrike +1] [Manectric +2] [Zigzagoon +1] [Linoone +2] [Wingull +1]
- HP
- Viridian Forest [Caterpie +1]
- Attack
- Routes 16, 18 [Doduo +1] [Dodrio +2]
- Speed
- Routes 13 to 15 [Pidgey +1] [Pidgeotto +2]
- Diglett’s Cave [Diglett +1] [Dugtrio +2]
Contests
- Item Held
- Yellow Scarf
- Contest Moveset
- Take Down [Tough]
- Tackle [Tough]
- Endure [Tough]/Rain Dance [Tough]
- Earthquake [Tough]/ Thunder [Cool]
I’m not gonna bother creating a new moveset for Nidoking! I’ll repost the one that Nidoqueen has since these two Pokémon are alike.
Take Down and Tackle offer good Appeal points and you should use them cautiously. Take Down might of course, give away more points than Tackle but the Jam effects will hurt you even more! Endure is there to protect you and give you an average amount of points, while Earthquake is mostly there to Jam! You could use the alternative set, Rain Dance (which is also a Tough move) and Thunder which despite its Cool classification, will combo well with Rain Dance and Jam your opponents. Since this is so variable, I cannot really guide you step by step! Try experimenting and watching your opponents. You will then be able to predict their moves and either appeal, protect yourself, or Jam them!
Useful Links: If you are not familiar with game language used above, read through the
Stats & Training Guide, the Team Building Guide and the Egg Group Guide. More guides shall be added soon to help you out. If you have suggestions on additional movesets for either Battles or Contests, please post them in the Comments section. I will then evaluate them and probably add some of them, giving you credit.