Is Tentacool Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Every Surf route in Crystal produces Tentacool. Water/Poison typing is OK defensively but the Poison side adds nothing useful on offense. Better Water options exist if you're filling that slot. Tentacruel has the speed but not the matchups.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Tentacruel resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Tentacruel resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Tentacool in New Bark Town (Old Rod fishing, Lv 10, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner prize (5500 coins)
- LV 19PoisonAcidPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- LV 25WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Gift from an officer in the Route 43 gate
- After Lt. Surge
- TUTORIceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod City
- TM19GrassGiga DrainPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Prize for defeating Erika
- LV 49WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
Evolve Tentacool to Tentacruel
Tentacool evolves into Tentacruel at Level 30. Your Tentacool should hit Level 30 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 30)
- LV 30WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 30PoisonAcidPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner prize (5500 coins)
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Gift from an officer in the Route 43 gate
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner prize (7500 coins)
- TUTORIceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod City
- LV 55WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
How to Get Tentacool in Crystal
Surf or fish almost any ocean tile in the game and Tentacool turns up, 53 encounters spread across 20 coastal spots. It is the default catch for anyone crossing water.
20 locations to catch Tentacool
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Tentacool in C
Tentacool is where the line starts, caught through fishing and surfing encounters at Lv. 10-40. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 1Tentacool ✓Cherrygrove CityLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Cianwood CityLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%New Bark TownLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Olivine CityLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Olivine City - HarborLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 34Lv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 40Lv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 27Lv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 32Lv.15-19Surfing on waterRate 60%Union Cave - B2FLv.15-19Surfing on waterRate 60%New Bark TownLv.10Old RodRate 15%Olivine City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 32Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 41Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Cinnabar IslandLv.10Old RodRate 15%Pallet TownLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 12Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 13Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 20Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 21Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 26Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 27Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Vermilion City - CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Vermilion City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 26Lv.25-34Surfing on waterRate 90%Cinnabar IslandLv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Pallet TownLv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 19Lv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 20Lv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 21Lv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Vermilion City - CityLv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Vermilion City - HarborLv.30-39Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 12Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 13Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 41Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 60%Whirl Islands - SWLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 60%Route 12Lv.25-29Surfing on waterRate 60%Route 13Lv.25-29Surfing on waterRate 60%New Bark TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Olivine City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 41Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Cinnabar IslandLv.20Good RodRate 35%Pallet TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 20Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 21Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 26Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 27Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 32Lv.40Super RodRate 70%Route 12Lv.40Super RodRate 70%Route 13Lv.40Super RodRate 70%
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into TentacruelRoute 41Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 30%Whirl Islands - B2F Inner CaveLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 30%Cherrygrove CityLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Cianwood CityLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%New Bark TownLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Olivine CityLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Olivine City - HarborLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 32Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 34Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 40Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Union Cave - B2FLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Whirl Islands - SWLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 27Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 12Lv.25-29Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 13Lv.25-29Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 26Lv.30-34Surfing on waterRate 10%New Bark TownLv.40Super RodRate 20%Olivine City - HarborLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 41Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Cinnabar IslandLv.40Super RodRate 20%Pallet TownLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 20Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 21Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 26Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 27Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Vermilion City - CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Vermilion City - HarborLv.40Super RodRate 20%Cinnabar IslandLv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Pallet TownLv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 19Lv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 20Lv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 21Lv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Vermilion City - CityLv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%Vermilion City - HarborLv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%or evolve from Tentacool (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Tentacool catch rates for Crystal by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Tentacool in Crystal
Tentacool floats in nearly every stretch of open water, surfacing commonly at Cherrygrove, Cianwood, Olivine and New Bark Town; surf laps make short work of it. Compare Shiny Tentacool odds across every game
Crystal Shiny Tentacool Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
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 Crystal with Tentacool preloaded.
Tentacool Weakness
Tentacool is weak to Electric, Ground, and Psychic. 7 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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Tentacool Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Tentacool
 Quagsire WaterGround | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 32 Surfing | ||
 Kadabra Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x140-166%KO Thunder Punch 2x60-70% Dig 2x41-49% | ||
 Celebi PsychicGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Celebi builds →Future Sight 2x121-144%KO Mud-Slap 2x30-36% | ||
 Raikou Electric | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Raikou builds →Thunder 2x135-160%KO Dig 2x76-89% | ||
 Xatu Psychic | C | |
 Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
 Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Jolteon builds →Thunder 2x130-153%KO Mud-Slap 2x23-28% | ||
 Electabuzz Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Electabuzz builds →Thunder 2x116-137%KO Mud-Slap 2x27-32% | ||
 Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Marowak builds →Dig 2x109-128%KO Thunder Punch 2x30-36% | ||
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodTeam Rocket Hq Interact Encounter | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Slowbro builds →Confusion 2x54-64% Dig 2x68-81% | ||
 Smoochum IcePsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Smoochum builds →Psychic 2x81-96% Mud-Slap 2x14-17% | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
 Hypno Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacool View Hypno builds →Confusion 2x40-48% Thunder Punch 2x39-47% | ||
Tentacool Evolutions
Tentacool evolves into Tentacruel. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A small partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. Evolving adds up to 180 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Tentacool easily with 13 breeding partners from the Water 3 egg group. Pass egg moves like Aurora Beam, Haze, Mirror Coat and 2 more to offspring.
C Tentacool Best Moveset
Water/Poison pre-evolution where 50 Sp. Atk limits MoveSurf to small damage. Tentacruel's 120 Sp. Def and hazard removal role are the actual competitive draws.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Toxic
- Sludge Bomb
- Hydro Pump
- Rapid Spin
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding opens up real options for Tentacool. Aurora Beam and Haze come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Hydro Pump and Sludge Bomb and Normal and Ice coverage and more.
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.
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
16 of 21 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
As it floats along on the waves, it uses its toxic feelers to stab anything it touches.
Tentacool Crystal Guide
In Crystal, Tentacool does the job early-game if you need a Water/Poison type on your team. Evolve it into Tentacruel before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
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.
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
Explore
Where to go next after Tentacool.
Keep playing · CrystalCrystal Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Crystal Tier List