Stats & Training
Tangela's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Def trails, 2 stats clear the bar. Tough to catch and worth 1 Defense stat exp, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
During battle, it constantly moves the vines that cover its body in order to annoy its opponent.
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 |
- 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
Spinarak BugPoison | D | |
Weedle BugPoison | D | |
Zubat Poison | D | |
Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift | ||
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Magby Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Magby builds →Fire Blast 2x135-160%KO Fire Punch 2x94-111%KO Ember 2x53-63% Smog 2x16-19% | ||
Natu Psychic | D | |
Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Cyndaquil builds →Fire Blast 2x123-145%KO Ember 2x48-58% | ||
Ekans Poison | D | |
Paras BugGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Paras builds →Leech Life 2x48-58% Fury Cutter 2x27-34% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Noctowl Normal | C | |
Ariados BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Ariados builds →Leech Life 2x57-68% Poison Sting 2x13-16% | ||
Beedrill BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Beedrill builds →Fury Cutter 2x29-36% Twineedle 2x20-24% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Scyther builds →Wing Attack 2x50-60% Fury Cutter 2x33-40% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Noctowl builds →Fly 2x42-50% Peck 2x19-23% | ||
Arbok Poison | C | |
Fearow Normal | C | |
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Scyther builds →Wing Attack 2x48-58% Fury Cutter 2x32-39% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Noctowl builds →Fly 2x41-48% Peck 2x18-23% | ||
Arbok Poison | C | |
Fearow Normal | C | |
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Scyther builds →Wing Attack 2x48-58% Fury Cutter 2x32-39% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Noctowl builds →Fly 2x41-48% Peck 2x18-23% | ||
Venomoth BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Venomoth builds →Sludge Bomb 2x48-58% Leech Life 2x43-52% Gust 2x16-19% | ||
Arbok Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Arbok builds →Sludge Bomb 2x62-74% Poison Sting 2x13-16% | ||
Skarmory Steel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Skarmory builds →Fly 2x55-65% Peck 2x24-29% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Scyther builds →Wing Attack 2x48-58% Fury Cutter 2x32-39% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Noctowl builds →Fly 2x41-48% Peck 2x18-23% | ||
Venomoth BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Venomoth builds →Sludge Bomb 2x48-58% Leech Life 2x43-52% Gust 2x16-19% | ||
In Crystal, Skarmory's Drill Peck hits Tangela for 48-56%. Forretress's Explosion hits Tangela for 54-63%. Nidoking's Ice Beam also KOs at 85-100%.
Skarmory Steel | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Skarmory builds →Drill Peck 2x48-56% | ||
Forretress BugSteel | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Forretress builds →Explosion54-63% Rapid Spin11-13% | ||
Nidoking PoisonGround | B | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Nidoking builds →Earthquake18-21% Ice Beam 2x85-100%KO Thunder26-31% | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x165-194%KO Psychic82-97% Thief37-43% | ||
Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Tangela View Houndoom builds →Fire Blast 2x193-227%KO Crunch70-83% Pursuit35-42% | ||
Crystal Evolution
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 23 breeding partners from the Plant egg group. Pass egg moves like Amnesia, Confusion, Flail and 2 more to offspring.
Crystal Tangela Best Moveset
Best Build
Support Moveset
- Sleep Powder
- Growth
- Bind
- Giga Drain
Recommended Teammates
Moves
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 Solar Beam and Giga Drain for solid options.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Crystal Tangela Locations
Tangela starts showing up in mid-game routes at high spawn rates across 5 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Tangela in Crystal
Walking encounters at Lv. 23-41 across 5 spots for Tangela. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
Tangela Guide
In Crystal, Tangela isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Tangrowth to unlock its full potential. At 435 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
In Crystal, Tangela fills the setup sweeper role. It's a special attacker with base 100 Sp. Atk. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Crystal, 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.
For Crystal, the core moveset is Sleep Powder, Growth, Bind, and Giga Drain. Sleep Powder leads at 20% usage. Growth lets it set up before sweeping.
Game Availability
Tangela has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 titles across all 10 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 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves
