Special
Balanced
335Low
70Moderate
CTier

Tentacool is technically a pre-evolution of Tentacruel, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Only weak to Electric, Ground, and Psychic. Known as the Jellyfish Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Tentacool's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Def leads, Defense trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Sp. Def EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
335Avg
HP40
D
Attack40
D
Defense35
F
Sp. Atk50
D
Sp. Def100
B
Speed70
C
Total335
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Tentacool yields +1 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe
Details
Catch190Easy•Slow1.25M XP•0.9m / 2'11"•45.5kg / 100.3 lbs•67Base XP
Pokedex Entries

They fire beams from the glassy, magenta orbs that resemble eyes atop their heads, and they drift in shallow seas. During low tide, they can sometimes be found on beaches, desiccated.

Legends Arceus

Tentacool Weakness

Good

Tentacool is weak to Electric, Ground, and Psychic-type moves. 8 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Tentacool's special bulk (base 100 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGroundPsychic
½xResisti
FireWaterIceFightingPoisonBugSteelFairy
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (5)i
FireGroundRockGrassFairy
3Weak
8Resist
0Immune
Scorei+2
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Clear BodyPrevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon.
Liquid OozeDamages opponents using leeching moves for as much as they would heal.
Rain DishHAHeals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during rain.

Tentacool evolves into Tentacruel. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 180 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Tentacool
#072Tentacool
30
Level 30
Tentacruel
#073Tentacruel
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Tentacool
WaterPoison
Tentacruel
WaterPoison
HP
40
80+40
ATK
40
70+30
DEF
35
65+30
SP.ATK
50
80+30
SP.DEF
100
120+20
SPE
70
100+30
BST
335C-Tier
515B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Tentacool easily with 37 breeding partners from the Water3 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
drapionclawitzergolisopodcursolacrawdauntcorsolaskorupiclaunchercorphisharcheopsomastarkabutops
12 of 37·

Don't let the NFE status fool you. Tentacool with Eviolite hits bulk numbers that compete with final forms. A spread EV build EVs and Jolly nature maximize that, and Clearbody handles the rest.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Clearbody
Item
EvioliteBULK
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Tentacool Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • Flip TurnSTAB
  • Knock Off
  • Gunk ShotSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Mienfoo
MienfooGood
Mudbray
MudbrayDecent
Elekid
ElekidDecent
All 21 games

TMs define Tentacool's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Gunk Shot and Hydro Pump, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it coverage across 8 types. That's where the options open up.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 4
Acid
4010030Poison
Lv 8
Wrap
159020Normal
Lv 12
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Lv 16
Water Pulse
6010020Water
Lv 20
Screech
—8540Normal
Lv 24
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Lv 28
Hex
6510010Ghost
Lv 32
Acid Armor
——20Poison
Lv 36
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
Lv 40
Surf
9010015Water
Lv 44
Sludge Wave
9510010Poison
Lv 48
Hydro Pump
110805Water

TM Moves

Src
TM13
Acid Spray
4010020Poison
TM143
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM22
Chilling Water
5010020Water
TM17
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
TM79
Dazzling Gleam
8010010Fairy
TM47
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM25
Facade
7010020Normal
TM196
Flip Turn
6010020Water
TM111
Giga Drain
7510010Grass
TM102
Gunk Shot
120805Poison
TM174
Haze
——30Ice
TM29
Hex
6510010Ghost
TM142
Hydro Pump
110805Water
TM135
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM34
Icy Wind
559515Ice
TM181
Knock Off
6510020Dark
TM110
Liquidation
8510010Water
TM35
Mud Shot
559515Ground
TM209
Muddy Water
908510Water
TM83
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM21
Pounce
5010020Bug
TM07
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM50
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM85
Rest
——5Psychic
TM70
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM148
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM214
Sludge Wave
9510010Poison
TM103
Substitute
——10Normal
TM123
Surf
9010015Water
TM32
Swift
60—20Normal
TM88
Swords Dance
——20Normal
TM171
Tera Blast
8010010Normal
TM18
Thief
6010025Dark
TM221
Throat Chop
8010015Dark
TM175
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM91
Toxic Spikes
——20Poison
TM45
Venoshock
6510010Poison
TM11
Water Pulse
6010020Water
TM208
Whirlpool
358515Water

Egg Moves

Tentacool doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tentacool can't learn any Tutor moves
All 21 games

No wild encounters for Tentacool in Scarlet & Violet. It's available in Red, Yellow, or Gold and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Tentacool is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

RedYellowGold

  • Tentacool isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Tentacruel to unlock its full potential. At 335 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Tentacool's biggest threats include Jolteon (Electric), Rhydon (Ground), and Alakazam (Psychic), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Tentacool evolves into Tentacruel at level 30. Tentacool is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Clear Body is the go-to ability for Tentacool. It prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon. Its hidden ability Rain Dish can work in specific setups. Liquid Ooze is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.

  • Tentacool fills the balanced role. It's a special attacker with base 50 Sp. Atk. Base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many.

  • Tentacool appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Tentacool has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.