What it does
Gunk Shot is a Poison-type physical move with high base power, roughly 80% accuracy, and a 30% chance to inflict Poison. The combination of high power and super effective coverage against Fairy and Grass-types makes it a specialized but hard-hitting option when it lands.
Poison is good coverage in the current metagame specifically because of Fairy-types. Azumarill, Tinkaton, Clefable, Mimikyu — Fairy-types appear in a very high proportion of teams, and Poison hits all of them for ×2 damage. Gunk Shot's base power means that super effective hit is almost guaranteed to deal significant damage.
The accuracy is the obvious drawback. An 80% move misses roughly one in five times. A missed Gunk Shot in a critical turn is a completely wasted action. That variance is the price you pay for the power level.
In doubles, Gunk Shot is single-target with no spread penalty. Steel-type Pokémon are completely immune to Poison-type moves. Poison-type Pokémon resist them (×0.5 damage) and cannot be poisoned, but they still take damage. Always check the target's typing before clicking.
Who runs it
Arbok at 49% is the highest carrier. Poison STAB on a physical attacker is the simplest case — it is clicking into Fairy-types and Grass-types for meaningful damage.
Toxicroak at 23% has Poison/Fighting typing and uses Gunk Shot as its Poison STAB anchor alongside Fighting coverage for a well-rounded physical set.
Passimian at 16% is not a Poison-type — it carries Gunk Shot specifically to hit Fairy-types that Fighting moves cannot hit cleanly. Fighting-type Pokémon are often weak to Fairy-type attacks; Gunk Shot provides the answer.
Krookodile at 8% uses it similarly: Ground/Dark physical type needs Fairy coverage, and Gunk Shot slots in for that specific matchup.
How to use it
Maximize super effective use: The case for Gunk Shot over other coverage moves is almost entirely the Fairy and Grass super effective hits. Identify the Fairy-type threats on the opposing team and use Gunk Shot against them. STAB plus ×2 makes for very high damage; against fragile Fairy-types, it can be a one-shot.
Accept the accuracy risk on the right turns: On turns where missing is survivable — you have a backup plan if the move whiffs — Gunk Shot is fine. On turns where missing loses you the game, consider whether a lower-power but 100% accurate option exists. The 80% is fine across a long game, but on the one turn you really need it, the miss hurts.
Use it under Fake Out cover: When a partner Fake Out user locks one opponent, targeting the other with Gunk Shot increases effective accuracy — the locked opponent cannot retaliate, so even on a miss, your situation is not immediately punished as hard.
Tips & strategy
Steel and Poison immunity: Steel-type Pokémon are completely immune to Poison moves — Gunk Shot does nothing against them. Poison-type Pokémon like Toxicroak resist the move (×0.5 damage) and cannot be poisoned, but they still take damage. Know the team preview before committing to Poison coverage as your only option against a Pokémon that ends up being Steel-type.
Poison vs. burn as a secondary: The 30% poison is chip damage over time — it does not debuff attacking stats. Burn (from Scald, for example) simultaneously halves physical Attack. Poison is better for grinding down Pokémon that would otherwise survive; burn is better for suppressing physical attackers. Both are 30%, but the effects are meaningfully different.
Accuracy management across a game: In a long game, Gunk Shot will occasionally miss. Having at least one alternative option to handle Fairy-types — whether a partner's coverage or a secondary moveslot — prevents a single miss from costing the game.