Utility
Pivot
BTier
100Speed · Fast

Sp. Def and Speed carry most of Tentacruel's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Sp. Def EVs. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
High
HP80
C
Attack70
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk80
C
Sp. Def120
A
Speed100
B
Total515
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.6 m
5'03"Average
Weight55.0 kg
121.3 lbsStandard
Base XP180
High Yield
Abilities
Clear BodyPopular
Prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon.
Liquid OozePopular
Damages opponents using leeching moves for as much as they would heal.
Rain DishHA
Heals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during rain.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpD+2Spe
Special Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

It has 80 tentacles, each with a venomous tip. These tentacles are also extendible, lengthening when Tentacruel attempts to catch prey. Use caution.

Legends: Arceus

Electric, Ground, and Psychic moves hit Tentacruel for super-effective damage. With 8 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Tentacruel's special bulk (base 120 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Tentacruel Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Ground, Psychic
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fairy
Type ChartGood
3Weak
8Resist
0Immune
Score+2
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGroundPsychic
½xResist
FireWaterIceFightingPoisonBugSteelFairy
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (5)
FireGroundRockGrassFairy
How to Beat Tentacruel (Best Counters)

Pelipper deals 34-40% with Hurricane.

Torkoal
TorkoalWalls physical sets
Fire
A
Recommended Build
AbilityDrought
ItemCharcoal
NatureQuiet
Moves
  • EruptionSTAB
  • ProtectPriority
  • Heat Wave
  • Earth Power
Damage vs Tentacruel
Eruption
24-28%
Heat Wave
15-18%
View Torkoal builds →

Evolved from Tentacool. Tentacruel is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. HP grew the most through evolution (+40 over Tentacool), and Tentacruel peaks at 515 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

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 with Tentacruel to get Tentacool eggs easily using 37 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·

The build revolves around Flip Turn for safe pivoting. Liquidooze and Leftovers support Tentacruel's hit-and-run approach, with flexible EVs making sure each pivot actually threatens. The remaining moves adds versatility.

Best Build

All 21 games
Solid pick
Ability
Liquid Ooze
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Tentacruel
Jolly+SPE

Tentacruel best EVs are HP and Speed

EVs

Pivot Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • Flip TurnSTAB
  • Knock Off
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Flygon
FlygonDecent

Moves

All 21 games

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Tentacruel. TMs unlock coverage across 8 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Gunk Shot and Hydro Pump into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Acid
D4010030Poison
Lv 1
Poison Sting
D1510035Poison
Lv 1
Reflect Type
D——15Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
D4010025Water
Lv 1
Wrap
D159020Normal
Lv 12
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 16
Water Pulse
C6010020Water
Lv 20
Screech
C—8540Normal
Lv 24
Bubble Beam
C6510020Water
Lv 28
Hex
D6510010Ghost
Lv 34
Acid Armor
A——20Poison
Lv 40
Poison Jab
C8010020Poison
Lv 46
Surf
A9010015Water
Lv 52
Sludge Wave
B9510010Poison
Lv 58
Hydro Pump
C110805Water

TM Moves

TM
TM13
Acid Spray
B4010020Poison
TM143
Blizzard
C110705Ice
TM22
Chilling Water
A5010020Water
TM17
Confuse Ray
C—10010Ghost
TM79
Dazzling Gleam
C8010010Fairy
TM47
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM25
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM196
Flip Turn
A6010020Water
TM111
Giga Drain
B7510010Grass
TM152
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM102
Gunk Shot
C120805Poison
TM174
Haze
A——30Ice
TM29
Hex
D6510010Ghost
TM142
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
TM163
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM135
Ice Beam
B9010010Ice
TM34
Icy Wind
B559515Ice
TM181
Knock Off
S6510020Dark
TM110
Liquidation
C8510010Water
TM35
Mud Shot
D559515Ground
TM209
Muddy Water
A908510Water
TM83
Poison Jab
C8010020Poison
TM21
Pounce
D5010020Bug
TM07
Protect+4
S——10Normal
TM50
Rain Dance
B——5Water
TM85
Rest
C——5Psychic
TM06
Scary Face
C—10010Normal
TM219
Skitter Smack
D709010Bug
TM70
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM148
Sludge Bomb
S9010010Poison
TM214
Sludge Wave
B9510010Poison
TM103
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM123
Surf
A9010015Water
TM32
Swift
D60—20Normal
TM88
Swords Dance
C——20Normal
TM171
Tera Blast
C8010010Normal
TM18
Thief
D6010025Dark
TM221
Throat Chop
D8010015Dark
TM175
Toxic
S—9010Poison
TM91
Toxic Spikes
S——20Poison
TM45
Venoshock
C6510010Poison
TM11
Water Pulse
C6010020Water
TM193
Weather Ball
B5010010Normal
TM208
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Egg Moves

Tentacruel doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tentacruel can't learn any Tutor moves
All 21 games

Tentacruel isn't available in the wild in Scarlet & Violet. Start by transferring Tentacool from Red, Yellow, or Gold. The evolution path from Tentacool to Tentacruel is covered in the steps below.

How to Obtain Tentacruel in Scarlet & Violet

  1. Tentacool
    Step 1Obtain Tentacool

    Also found in:

    RedYellowGold
  2. Tentacruel
    Step 2Tentacruel ✓

  • We rate Tentacruel B-Tier: a solid choice for the right team. At 515 BST, it fits the pivot role. Base 120 Sp. Def stands out.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric), Golem (Ground), and Starmie (Psychic) when using Tentacruel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Clear Body prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon. That's the one you want on Tentacruel. Rain Dish is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Liquid Ooze works too if your team needs something different.

  • Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Tentacruel is leaning toward the special side (base 80 Sp. Atk). Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a pivot.

  • Tentacruel has answers, but so do you. Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Electric, Ground, and Psychic-type attackers hit hardest.

One of the original 151, Tentacruel has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback