Poison Barb – Celestial Guardians
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The 12th best card of Celestial Guardians is Poison Barb (A3 146)! It’s a Pokémon Tool that remains attached to the equipped Pokémon until that Pokémon leaves the field, or another card effect discards it. When the Pokémon to which Poison Barb is attached it Active, if it is damaged by an attack from an opponent’s Pokémon, the Attacking Pokémon is now Poisoned. This card is available as a ♦♦ rare.
So far, there are no card effects that apply to all Trainer cards in Pocket1. What we do have are some effects that apply to any and all Tools. Both Pachirisu ex (A2 061, 183, 198) and Skarmory (A2 111; P-A 039) have attacks that do more damage if that Pachirisu ex or Skarmory has a Tool attached to themselves. I’m a little torn referring to these as “Tool support”. At the very least, if we do consider them as such, they’re fairly deck-specific.
Guzma (A3 151, 193, 208) is a Supporter that discards all Tools your opponent has in play. Rotom (A2 062, 164) only has one attack, that does 20 damage, but if the opposing Active you’re attacking has a Tool attached to itself, then the attack does 50 damage instead. Starly (A2 132) has an attack that discards all Tools attached to the opponent’s Active, before doing 20 damage. As both Pokémon are Basics, with an attack that costs (C), they’re technically splashable.
Why so many counters for Tools? The mechanic wasn’t even added to Pocket until Space-Time Smackdown (A2), the second “big” normal set released, which came after the Promo Series A (P-A) began, and the release of both Genetic Apex (A1) and it’s smaller follow-up, Mythical Island (A1a). Tools have effects comparable to Item cards in power, but Tools persist on the field.
This is balanced out by Tools requiring that they not only be attached to one of your Pokémon already on the field, in order to be played from hand, but also that those Pokémon can only have a single Tool equipped at a time. Some Tools have persistent, always on effects. Others have effects that only activate once certain conditions are met, and some of those are one-and-done, while others can be triggered more than once.
As such, Tools have proven fairly effective. From what I’ve seen (and done myself), Tools aren’t being run as heavily as when they were first introduced, but instead of being a response to counters, I think it’s more due to the increasing cardpool producing more and more worthwhile cards of all kinds, and all vying for space in your deck. A good Tool can elevate a Pokémon to the point it fakes being one Stage higher, or a Pokémon ex, but without their usual drawbacks.
Which finally brings us to back to Poison Barb itself. Poison normally does 10 damage to a Pokémon, at the beginning of the Pokémon Checkup (between turns phase). Like all Special Conditions, Poison is cured through a Pokémon vacating the Active spot, evolving, or using an effect that specifically removes the Poison. In many ways, it acts like a damage buff that works independently of your attack’s damage… indeed, even if you don’t attack, or use an attack that does zero damage.
Your opponent can always choose to not attack whatever has Poison Barb attached. This is bad if you needed them to attack your Active, either for some other card effect or simply because you wanted your opponent’s Active to be Poisoned. There’s a good chance, when you use a Tool like this, the Poison is just a means to an end, and that end is getting your opponent to not attack your Active equipped with Poison Barb.
There’s an additional dimension to this; effects that involve Special Conditions. On the positive side of things, Poison Barb can make stacking Special Conditions easier. You think being Poisoned or Paralyzed it bad? Trying being hit with both at once! Then there are Pokémon with attack effects contingent upon the opposing Active being Poisoned, or affected by any Special Condition. Let’s discuss those Pokémon.
Absol (A3 112) has an attack for (D)(C) that does 80 damage if the opponent’s Active is affected by a Special Condition. Which means Absol theoretically works well with the “Venoshock” gang: Muk (A1 175), Paldean Clodsire ex (A2b 048, 085, 093), Sandalit (A1a 015, 071), Scolipede and (A1a 055), who all have variations of the attack Venoshock, which does more damage if the opponent’s Active is Poisoned. I won’t list them, but various effects like preventing retreat, Evolution, Energy attachments, etc. also can work well with Poison.
Now for the bad news: there are many effects that counter or clash with Poison Barb. Big Malasada (A3 142), Lum Berry (A2 149), and Pokémon Center Lady (A2b 070, 089) are all Trainers that can remove Poison. Comfey (A3 080, 168) can as well, for Pokémon with at least one (P) Energy attached to them. Arceus ex (A2a 071, 086, 095, 096) has an Ability that prevents it from being Poisoned. Actually, everything but Big Malasada removes and/or prevents all Special Conditions at once, not just Poison, making. Big Malasada can remove any one Special Condition, though it’s chosen at random.
Less relevant, at least for now, is how the source of the Poison sometimes matters. In Pocket2, Toxicroak (A1a 052) can use it’s “Toxic” attack to not just Poison the opponent’s Active, but the Poison Toxic inflicts places 20 damage during the Pokémon Checkup, not just 10. When a Pokémon is afflicted with the same Special Condition more than once, the most recent instance replaces the previous one. Toxicroak isn’t a competitive card, but it’s an example of what to be wary of in the future.
I saved the best (worst?) for last. Like all Tools, Poison Barb faces an immense about of competition for deck space. Even when Poison is your goal, something that actively Poisons is harder to deal with than something that passively Poisons, all other factors being equal. Then there’s Rocky Helmet (A2 148). It has the same role and almost the same function in decks, but doing 20 damage in one go is usually better than maybe scoring 20+ damage via Poison. Especially because, when the Pokémon with Rocky Helmet survives being attacked, and gets attacked again, Rocky Helmet does another 20 damage. With Poison Barb, the new Poison just replaces the old.
Rating: 3/5
Yes, for as negative as the end of the review may feel, Poison Barb is a good card. It’s just not a great card, or at least, isn’t yet. I’ve tried it in actual Venoshock decks, and it helps, but the deck really needs a less demanding way to Poison before attacking, during your own turn. Or perhaps just (D) Energy acceleration… but for most decks I use, and that I’ve encountered others running, you’re likely better off sticking with Rocky Helmet. Unless you want more than two such Tools, in which case, happy days!
1Such effects have existed on and off in the full Pokémon TCG since Base Set.
2Similar effects have existed in the full TCG since its Base Set.
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