Ekans
Poison
Best attacking moveset: Poison Sting and Gunk Shot, worth 6.7 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Ekans can learn 8 combinations. Poison Sting with Gunk Shot does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
That set is legacy. Gunk Shot is only obtainable with an Elite TM or from the event that gave it out, so the Ekans you catch today cannot learn it. The best set it can learn now is Poison Sting and Sludge Bomb, worth 6.7 damage per second.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid | Poison | 11 | 1.0s | +10 |
| Poison Sting | Poison | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Fang | Poison | 30 | 1.5s | -33 |
| Sludge Bomb | Poison | 85 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Wrap | Normal | 60 | 3.0s | -33 |
| Gunk Shot Legacy | Poison | 130 | 3.0s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Ekans has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,048 at level 50, 927 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 529 CP at level 20, or 662 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 487 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 110 attack · 97 defense · 111 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 2 m and 6.9 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Ekans does not have one best moveset, it has 3. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Grass, Fairy, Normal.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 10.5 |
| Fairy | Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 10.5 |
| Normal | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Fighting | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 | |
| Bug | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Fire | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Water | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Electric | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Psychic | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Ice | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Dragon | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Dark | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 6.7 |
| Poison | Acid + Sludge Bomb | 4.4 |
| Ground | Acid + Sludge Bomb | 4.4 |
| Rock | Acid + Sludge Bomb | 4.4 |
| Ghost | Acid + Sludge Bomb | 4.4 |
| Steel | Poison Sting + Gunk Shot | 3.0 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Ekans is actually for.
Counters: what beats Ekans
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 56.0 |
 Alakazam | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic Legacy | 47.8 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 46.4 |
 Azelf | Psychic | Confusion + Futuresight | 46.4 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 46.1 |
 Espeon | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic | 46.1 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Zen Headbutt + Crush Grip Legacy | 46.0 |
 Lunala | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 45.1 |
 Tapu Lele | PsychicFairy | Confusion + Futuresight | 44.6 |
 Latios | DragonPsychic | Zen Headbutt + Psychic | 44.3 |
Ranked by damage per second against Ekans's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.