Is Tangela Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Route 44 encounter during late Johto. Grass-type with AbilityChlorophyll for sun Speed. HGSS gives Tangela a Gen 4 evolution into Tangrowth by leveling with Ancient Power. The new form tanks physical hits and handles Misty and Brock in Kanto.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Tangela has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Morty's typing presses Tangela's defenses.
Tangela has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Tangela trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Tangela has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Tangrowth's weaknesses hard.
Tangrowth resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Tangrowth resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Tangrowth has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Tangrowth has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Tangrowth trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Tangela on Route 44 (walking, Lv 23, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- LV 33RockAncient PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 54GrassPower WhipPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 10
Evolve Tangela to Tangrowth
Usually ready to evolve before you reach Clair, at typical party pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 54GrassPower WhipPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 10
How to Get Tangela in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Tangela spreads across four areas with a surprisingly wide level range, from the low 20s up into the 40s. Rates stay common throughout, which makes it one of the easier finds in this stretch.
4 locations to catch Tangela
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Tangela in HGSS
Tangela is the chain's first catch. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 20-41 across 10 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Evolve into Tangrowth
Not landing the catch? Calculate Tangela catch rates for HeartGold & SoulSilver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Tangela in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Tangela tangles up along Route 44 and Mt. Silver, but a shiny comes faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Tangela odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Tangela Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Tangela preloaded.
Tangela Weakness
Type-wise, Tangela takes extra damage from Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Tangela's physical bulk (base 115 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Tangela Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Tangela
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x62-74% Wing Attack 2x48-56% | ||
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Altaria builds →Fly 2x50-59% Fire Blast 2x96-113%KO Ice Beam 2x77-91% | ||
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Typhlosion Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Typhlosion builds →Fire Blast 2x204-241%KO Aerial Ace 2x26-31% | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Venomoth BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Venomoth builds →Sludge Bomb 2x131-154%KO Signal Beam 2x111-131%KO Aerial Ace 2x21-26% | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x189-223%KO Aerial Ace 2x32-38% | ||
 Vespiquen Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Vespiquen builds →Attack Order 2x56-67% Aerial Ace 2x38-46% Sludge Bomb 2x79-94% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
 Entei Fire | B | |
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Tangela Evolutions
Evolving Tangela into Tangrowth takes knowing a specific move. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. Evolving adds up to 100 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Tangela easily with 45 breeding partners from the Grass egg group. Pass egg moves like Amnesia, Confusion, Endeavor and 7 more to offspring.
HGSS Tangela Best Moveset
Physical tank at 115 Defense with 100 Sp. Atk firing special Grass attacks from behind that tank. AbilityChlorophyll doubles 60 Speed in sun. The moveset takes physical hits and responds with special Grass damage. 40 Sp. Def is the exposed side. Evolve to Tangrowth.
Best Build
Tangela best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Energy Ball
- Sleep Powder
- Sludge Bomb
- Morning Sun
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Amnesia and Confusion aren't available any other way for Tangela, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Leaf Storm and Power Whip for solid options.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 22 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
The vines that cloak its entire body are always jiggling. They effectively unnerve its foes.
It tangles any moving thing with its vines. Their subtle shaking is ticklish if you get ensnared.
Tangela HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Tangela does the job early-game if you need a Grass type on your team. Evolve it into Tangrowth before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Tangela plays as a attacker. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Modest is the go-to nature for Tangela. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpA EVs. Fits the attacker role.
Game Availability
Tangela has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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