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#31
Default
180
ATK
173
DEF
207
STA
Lvl 50Max CP
2812
Lvl 40
2488
Lvl 25Weather Boost
1777
Lvl 20Raids/Eggs
1421
Lvl 15Research
1066

PvE Analysis

Nidoqueen is the defensive half of the Nido-royalty. Unfortunately, Nidoqueen’s stats aren’t very defensive, and weaknesses to the common Psychic and Water types only hurt. There’s little point to using Nidoqueen on offense when Nidoking has the same optimal movesets and 24 more points of Atk.

Best PvE Offensive Moveset

Poison Jab + Sludge WaveBest
  • Poison Jab and Bite are similar in a vacuum, but Poison Jab has type synergy with Sludge Wave.

  • Sludge Wave is Nidoqueen’s best charge move. It has limited but unique Poison-type coverage with STAB.

  • Poison Fang doesn't deal enough damage to be useful for PvE offense. 

  • Earth Power performs better than Earthquake, but doesn’t pair well with Nidoqueen’s fast moves even STAB.

  • Without STAB, Stone Edge is poor on offense.

Best PvE Defensive Moveset

Poison Jab + Earth Power or Stone EdgeBest
  • Poison Jab has double the power of Bite when factoring in STAB.

  • Poison Fang can be used frequently as a 3-bar move, but isn't particularly strong. 

  • Stone Edge has an early damage window, but it takes a lot of energy to reach it.

  • Earth Power is decent as a 2-bar option, but it has a late damage window. 

  • Sludge Wave and Earthquake, though both have STAB, are easily resisted or reacted to.

PvP Analysis

Poison Jab + Earth Power and Poison Fang

Poison Jab is the fast move of choice due to STAB and much higher energy gains. Bite deals strong Dark-type damage, but lacks STAB and energy gains. 

Poison Fang is all but mandatory on Nidoqueen, functioning as both a strong bait move and a powerful spammy option in its own right. Earth Power helps Nidoqueen access a Ground-type charge move sooner, while Stone Edge provides wide coverage. Since both Earth Power and Stone Edge cost the same energy, Nidoqueen doesn't need to shield bait. Sludge Wave or Earthquake could be chosen as harder-hitting options, but the cost of 10 more energy risks Nidoqueen fainting before being able to use them.

Great League3.5 / 5

Poison Fang completely changed Nidoqueen, taking it from a meme-y spice pick to an incredibly relevant one. It has a number of relevant wins with only Poison Jab + Poison Fang, and it has Earth Power to take on some of the format's powerful Steel-types. The Shadow version is preferred over the normal version due to an improved matchup against Azumarill and Galarian Stunfisk, among other things. However, if you don't have a Shadow ready, the normal is a perfectly serviceable option.

Ultra League 3.5/ 5

Normal Nidoqueen outperforms its Shadow sister in Ultra League. While you won't see it much in Open Ultra due to the overwhelming prevalence of Giratina and Cresselia, it has a fair bit of play in the Premier format! Not only is it a fantastic anti-Charm option, it also has a lot of play against some Fighting- and Grass-types running around the format!

Master League1 / 5

For what it's worth, Nidoqueen does have a niche of being one of the best counters to Zacian in the game thanks to its rare combination of resistances to Play Rough, Close Combat, and Wild Charge. It can also taken on Togekiss, and access to Stone Edge and Earth Power lets it threaten Ho-Oh and Dialga. These are all awesome qualities, but Nidoqueen's stats are too low for it to be more than a spice pick.

Purification Cost
3 Candy + 3,000 Stardust
Second Charge Move Cost
50,000 Stardust + 50 Candy
Flee Rate
5 %
Buddy Distance
3 KM
Catch Rate
12.5 %
Female Ratio
100 %
Male Ratio
0 %