For Black & White, we rate Tentacruel B-Tier: a solid option in Black & White for the right team. At 515 BST, it fits the pivot role. Rapid Spin with Black Sludge is the standard set.

What is Tentacruel weak to?

In Black & White, watch for Raikou (Electric), Golem (Ground), and Starmie (Psychic) when using Tentacruel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

What is the best ability for Tentacruel?

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.

What role does Tentacruel play in battle?

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

What are the best moves for Tentacruel?

In Black & White, run Rapid Spin, Scald, Protect, and Toxic on Tentacruel. Rapid Spin is the most common pick at 24% usage. Scald provides reliable STAB damage.

Tentacruel - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Pivot

BTier

100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

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

Attack70

Defense65

Sp. Atk80

Sp. Def120

Speed100

Total515

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging60 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.6 m

Weight55.0 kg

Base XP180

Abilities

Clear Body

Prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon.

Liquid OozeNiche

Damages opponents using leeching moves for as much as they would heal.

Rain DishHATop Pick

Heals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during rain.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpD+2Spe

Special Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

It extends its 80 tentacles to form an encircling poisonous net that is difficult to escape.

Tentacruel Weakness

Electric, Ground, and Psychic moves hit Tentacruel for super-effective damage. With 7 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
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Ground, Psychic
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel

Type ChartGood

3Weak

7Resist

0Immune

Score+1

Gen V Type Chart

Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Ground Psychic

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Fighting Poison Bug Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (4)

Fire Ground Rock Grass

How to Beat Tentacruel in Black & White (Best Counters)

ForretressImmune to Poison, threatens with Spikes, sturdy guarantees survival BugSteel	B
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureRelaxed Moves Rapid Spin SpikesHazard Gyro Ball Stealth Rock Damage vs Tentacruel Rapid Spin 12-14% View Forretress builds →
XatuRecovers with Roost, threatens with Reflect PsychicFlying	B
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Bounce ItemRocky Helmet NatureRelaxed Moves RoostRecovery U Turn Night Shade Hidden Power Ice Damage vs Tentacruel U Turn 7-8% View Xatu builds →
PolitoedImmune to Water via Water Absorb, resists Water, burns with Scald Water	B
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves ScaldSTAB EncoreUtility ProtectPriority ToxicUtility Damage vs Tentacruel Scald 9-11% View Politoed builds →
Ninetales Fire	B
Recommended Build AbilityDrought ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves Will O Wisp Pain Split Fire Blast FlamethrowerSTAB Damage vs Tentacruel Fire Blast 15-18% Flamethrower 13-15% View Ninetales builds →
AmoongussResists Water, recovers HP on switch via Regenerator GrassPoison	C
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemBlack Sludge NatureCalm Moves Giga Drain Sludge Bomb Hidden Power Fire Stun Spore Damage vs Tentacruel Giga Drain 17-20% Sludge Bomb 10-12% View Amoonguss builds →

Black & White Evolution

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

#072Tentacool

Level 30

#073Tentacruel

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Tentacool

WaterPoison

Tentacruel

WaterPoison

80+40

ATK

70+30

DEF

65+30

SP.ATK

80+30

SP.DEF

100

120+20

SPE

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 25 partners from the Water3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Acupressure, Aqua Ring, Aurora Beam and 8 more.

Egg Groups

Water3

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

11moves

Breed With (best first)

Black & White Tentacruel Best Moveset

Timid nature gives Tentacruel the fast special lean it needs to trade hits effectively. Black Sludge adds Poison-type passive recovery, flexible EVs split the difference, and utility options punishes anything trying to wall it.

Best Build

Recommended

Bulky Support

Ability

Rain Dish

Item

Black SludgeSUSTAIN

Best Nature for Tentacruel

Timid+SPE

Tentacruel best EVs are HP and Speed

EVs

Def

Spe

Bulky Support Moveset

Rapid Spin
ScaldSTAB
ProtectFAST +4
ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

PolitoedGood

FerrothornGood

Moves

Don't skip the egg moves. Tentacruel picks up Acupressure and Aqua Ring only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Hydro Pump and Sludge Wave while Normal and Ghost coverage and more adds range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Constrict

—1010035Normal

Lv 1

Poison Sting

—1510035Poison

Lv 1

Supersonic

D—5520Normal

Lv 5

Supersonic

D—5520Normal

Lv 8

Constrict

—1010035Normal

Lv 12

Acid

—4010030Poison

Lv 15

Toxic Spikes

A——20Poison

Lv 19

Bubble Beam

—6510020Water

Lv 22

Wrap

D159020Normal

Lv 26

Acid Spray

—4010020Poison

Lv 29

Barrier

D——30Psychic

Lv 34

Water Pulse

C6010020Water

Lv 38

Poison Jab

C8010020Poison

Lv 43

Screech

——8540Normal

Lv 47

Hex

—5010010Ghost

Lv 52

Hydro Pump

C120805Water

Lv 56

Sludge Wave

C9510010Poison

Lv 61

Wring Out

——1005Normal

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

C—10015Normal

TM14

Blizzard

C120705Ice

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

HM06

Dive

C8010010Water

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM21

Frustration

——10020Normal

TM68

Giga Impact

C150905Normal

TM07

Hail

———10Ice

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

C150905Normal

TM13

Ice Beam

C9510010Ice

TM66

Payback

D5010010Dark

TM84

Poison Jab

C8010020Poison

TM17

Protect+4

S——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM48

Round

—6010015Normal

TM20

Safeguard

D——25Normal

TM55

Scald

S8010015Water

TM36

Sludge Bomb

C9010010Poison

TM34

Sludge Wave

C9510010Poison

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

HM03

Surf

C9510015Water

TM87

Swagger

——9015Normal

TM75

Swords Dance

C——30Normal

TM46

Thief

—6010010Dark

TM06

Toxic

A—9010Poison

TM09

Venoshock

—6510010Poison

HM05

Waterfall

C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Egg

Acupressure

———30Normal

Egg

Aqua Ring

D——20Water

Egg

Aurora Beam

—6510020Ice

Egg

Bubble

—2010030Water

Egg

Confuse Ray

D—10010Ghost

Egg

Haze

C——30Ice

Egg

Knock Off

D6510020Dark

Egg

Mirror Coat-5

D—10020Psychic

Egg

Muddy Water

—958510Water

Egg

Rapid Spin

S5010040Normal

Egg

Tickle

——10020Normal

Tutor Moves

Tentacruel can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen

Gen 4

Brine

C6510010Water

Gen 4

Captivate

——10020Normal

Gen 3

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

Gen 4

Endure+4

D——10Normal

Gen 3

Mimic

———10Normal

Gen 4

Natural Gift

——10015Normal

Gen 4

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

Gen 4

Whirlpool

D358515Water

How to Get Tentacruel in Black & White

No wild encounters for Tentacruel in Black & White. Bring Tentacool over from Red, Yellow, or Gold, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.

How to Obtain Tentacruel in Black & White

Step 1Obtain Tentacool
Also found in:
Red Yellow Gold
Train until Level 30
Step 2Tentacruel ✓

Tentacruel Guide

For Black & White, we rate Tentacruel B-Tier: a solid option in Black & White for the right team. At 515 BST, it fits the pivot role. Rapid Spin with Black Sludge is the standard set.
In Black & White, 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 a special attacker with base 80 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a pivot.
In Black & White, run Rapid Spin, Scald, Protect, and Toxic on Tentacruel. Rapid Spin is the most common pick at 24% usage. Scald provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

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

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