Nidoking
PoisonGround
Best attacking moveset: Poison Jab and Earthquake, worth 11.6 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Nidoking can learn 25 combinations. Poison Jab with Earthquake 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Kick | Fighting | 10 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Iron Tail | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +6 |
| Poison Jab | Poison | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Poison Sting | Poison | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Fury Cutter Legacy | Bug | 4 | 0.5s | +8 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Ground | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Earth Power | Ground | 100 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Megahorn | Bug | 105 | 2.0s | -100 |
| Sand Tomb | Ground | 60 | 4.0s | -33 |
| Sludge Wave | Poison | 105 | 3.0s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Nidoking has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,902 at level 50, 2,567 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,466 CP at level 20, or 1,833 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,395 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 204 attack · 156 defense · 191 stamina |
What it costs
| 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 | 1.4 m and 62 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Nidoking does not have one best moveset, it has 8. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Rock, Steel, Grass.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Double Kick + Earthquake | 17.1 |
| Steel | Double Kick + Earthquake | 17.1 |
| Grass | Poison Jab + Megahorn | 16.3 |
| Fairy | Poison Jab + Sludge Wave | 16.3 |
| Poison | Fury Cutter + Earth Power | 15.9 |
| Fire | Fury Cutter + Earth Power | 15.9 |
| Electric | Fury Cutter + Earth Power | 15.9 |
| Psychic | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 15.9 |
| Dark | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 15.9 |
| Ice | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 13.1 |
| Normal | Double Kick + Earthquake | 12.7 |
| Fighting | Poison Jab + Earthquake | 11.6 |
| Water | Poison Jab + Earthquake | 11.6 |
| Dragon | Poison Jab + Earthquake | 11.6 |
| Ground | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 10.9 |
| Ghost | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 10.9 |
| Bug | Poison Jab + Megahorn | 10.7 |
| Poison Jab + Sludge Wave | 10.6 |
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 Nidoking is actually for.
Counters: what beats Nidoking
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 36.6 |
 Alakazam | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic Legacy | 31.3 |
 Inteleon | Water | Water Gun + Hydro Cannon Legacy | 31.1 |
 Kyogre | Water | Waterfall + Origin Pulse Legacy | 31.0 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 30.4 |
 Azelf | Psychic | Confusion + Futuresight | 30.4 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 30.2 |
 Espeon | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic | 30.2 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Zen Headbutt + Crush Grip Legacy | 30.1 |
 Lunala | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 29.5 |
Ranked by damage per second against Nidoking's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.