Tentacruel (SV) - Competitive Movesets

Competitive Pokemon Scarlet/Violet Movesets and Strategies for Tentacruel

Base Stats for Tentacruel

Water / Poison

Abilities:

Prevents other Pokemon from lowering this Pokemon's stat stages.

This Pokemon damages those draining HP from it for as much as they would heal.

If Rain Dance is active, this Pokemon heals 1/16 of its max HP each turn.

Evolutions / Family:
Tentacool
Tentacruel

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Weakness Chart for Water/Poison-type:

Bug

Dark

Dragon

Electric

Fairy

Fighting

Fire

Flying

Ghost

0.5x

2x

0.5x

Grass

Ground

Ice

Normal

Poison

Psychic

Rock

Steel

Water

2x

0.5x

2x

0.5x

¼x

½x

2x

4x

Movesets for Singles

Looking for a competitive moveset for Tentacruel? These builds are optimized for Scarlet/Violet Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Scarlet/Violet metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!

Discover the strength of Tentacruel, an extraordinary Pokémon known for its Water and Poison typing! It's a sight to see Tentacruel out in the 9th generation battlefield. It's an underrated pick that could surprise many in the meta. It is weak to Electric, Ground, and Psychic-typed attacks. Explore the movesets below to see how Tentacruel performs in battles.

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 12 Def / 244 Spe
Moveset:
- Cross Poison / Poison Jab
- Liquidation / Waterfall
- Skitter Smack / Double-Edge
- Knock Off / Throat Chop

Physical Sweeper Tentacruel (Clear Body)

For those intense single battles, Tentacruel is a pretty decent Physical Sweeper. It attempts to crush rivals using intense physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Tentacruel from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Tentacruel's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Clear Body, prevents other pokemon from lowering Tentacruel's stat stages. Skitter Smack was added to provide additional threat coverage.

◆ Cross Poison is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Poison-type move (high critical hit ratio. 10% chance to poison).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Liquidation is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Water-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Skitter Smack is a physical 70-base power Bug-type move (100% chance to lower target's special attack by 1 stage).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Throat Chop is a physical 80-base power Dark-type move (for 2 turns, the target cannot use sound moves).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/oaa49

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Clear Body
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 12 Def / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Surf / Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hex / Tera Blast

Special Sweeper Tentacruel (Clear Body)

For those intense single battles, Tentacruel is a dazzling Special Sweeper. This build is crafted to crush rivals using potent special power. Focus Sash helps protect Tentacruel from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Tentacruel's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Clear Body, prevents other pokemon from lowering Tentacruel's stat stages. Hex was added to provide additional threat coverage.

◆ Sludge Wave is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Poison-type move (10% chance to poison adjacent pokemon).
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Surf is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Hex is a special 65-base power Ghost-type move (power doubles if the target has a status ailment).
◆ Tera Blast is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (if terastallized: phys. If attack > spa, type = tera).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/oba49

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
Nature: Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Moveset:
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Giga Drain / Venoshock
- Ice Beam

Tentacruel Physical Tank (Cruel Fate)

For single battles, Tentacruel is an incredible Physical Tank. It's primary goal is to absorb physical damage and return fire with decent force. With Liquid Ooze, Tentacruel damages those draining hp from it for as much as they would heal. With a Black Sludge equipped to it, each turn, if Tentacruel is a poison type, restores 1/16 max hp; loses 1/8 if not.

◆ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Tentacruel from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
◆ Giga Drain is a special 75-base power Grass-type move (Tentacruel recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
◆ Venoshock is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Poison-type move (power doubles if the target is poisoned).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/oca49

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
Nature: Bold (+Def, -Atk)
EVs: 252 Hp / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Moveset:
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Protect

Tentacruel Physical Wall (Hentaisquid)

Tentacruel makes an a remarkable Physical Wall in single battles. It's purpose is to take a good amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. With Rain Dish, if rain dance is active Tentacruel heals 1/16 of its max hp each turn. This tentacruel is best set for Rain teams! Scald is an obvious, decently strong STAB move that has a high chance to burn, which is always good. Protect is so you can stall out the Black Sludge+Rain Dish recovery method is AMAZING. Toxic Spikes is just a useful hazard that is uncommon on most Pokemon in the OU tier. With a Black Sludge equipped to it, each turn, if Tentacruel is a poison type, restores 1/16 max hp; loses 1/8 if not.

◆ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Toxic Spikes is a status move (poisons grounded foes on switch-in. Max 2 layers).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Tentacruel from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Tentacruel this turn).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/oda49

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
EVs: 248 Hp / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Moveset:
- Scald
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin / Acid Spray
- Toxic / Knock Off

Tentacruel Special Wall (Cruel Spinspike )

Ready for single battles? Tentacruel is an extraordinary Special Wall. This moveset design focuses to take a substantial amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. With Liquid Ooze, Tentacruel damages those draining hp from it for as much as they would heal. With a Black Sludge equipped to it, each turn, if Tentacruel is a poison type, restores 1/16 max hp; loses 1/8 if not.

◆ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Toxic Spikes is a status move (poisons grounded foes on switch-in. Max 2 layers).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Tentacruel from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
◆ Acid Spray is a special STAB-boosted 40-base power Poison-type move (100% chance to lower the target's special defense by 2 stages).
◆ Toxic is a status move (badly poisons the target; Note: Poison types can't miss with Toxic).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/oea49

Movesets for Doubles

Need a strong doubles moveset for Tentacruel? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Scarlet/Violet Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Scarlet/Violet metagame with these expert-crafted setups!

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 12 Def / 244 Spe
Moveset:
- Cross Poison / Poison Jab
- Liquidation / Waterfall
- Skitter Smack / Double-Edge
- Knock Off / Brutal Swing

Doubles Physical Sweeper Tentacruel (Clear Body)

For those intense double battles, Tentacruel is a notable Physical Sweeper. It is designed to overwhelm foes with destructive physical attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Tentacruel from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Tentacruel's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Clear Body, prevents other pokemon from lowering Tentacruel's stat stages. Skitter Smack was added to provide additional threat coverage.

◆ Cross Poison is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Poison-type move (high critical hit ratio. 10% chance to poison).
◆ Poison Jab is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Liquidation is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Water-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Skitter Smack is a physical 70-base power Bug-type move (100% chance to lower target's special attack by 1 stage).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Brutal Swing is a physical 60-base power Dark-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent pokemon).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/paa49

Species: Tentacruel
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Clear Body
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 12 Def / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Sludge Wave / Sludge Bomb
- Surf / Scald
- Dazzling Gleam
- Icy Wind / Ice Beam

Doubles Special Sweeper Tentacruel (Clear Body)

Tentacruel stands out as a stupendous Special Sweeper in double battles. This moveset was constructed to overwhelm foes with heavy-hitting special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Tentacruel from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Tentacruel's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Clear Body, prevents other pokemon from lowering Tentacruel's stat stages.

◆ Sludge Wave is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Poison-type move (10% chance to poison adjacent pokemon).
◆ Sludge Bomb is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
◆ Surf is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. Thaws target).
◆ Dazzling Gleam is a special 80-base power Fairy-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).

Link (click to copy):

https://hohoushome.com/b/pba49

Terastal Phenomenon

In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Generation 9), each Pokémon in Paldea has a Tera Type. A Pokémon's Tera Type is inactive until the Pokémon Terastallizes, at which time the Pokémon's type will change to its Tera Type.

There are 18 types, meaning there are countless combinations of Pokémon and Tera Types. Terastallizing a Pokémon allows you to enhance your battle strategies by increasing the power of any moves that have the same type as your Pokémon’s Tera Type or by changing your Pokémon’s weaknesses.

The most recommended Terastral Type for Tentacruel is: Ground, Flying or Dark
Terastallizing into one of it's default typings ( Water or Poison ) could also prove advantageous.

Select a Tera-type:

Bug

Dark

Dragon

Electric

Fairy

Fighting

Fire

Flying

Ghost

Grass

Ground

Ice

Normal

Poison

Psychic

Rock

Steel

Water

Teratype Ground moveset for Tentacruel

Hooh
We don't have any Scarlet/Violet movesets for Tentacruel yet... Come back soon!

Movepool

Want to know what moves Tentacruel can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Scarlet/Violet generation.

Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Tentacruel.

Combo List

These are a list of several common move combinations Tentacruel can perform in Scarlet/Violet. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.

Competitive SV Move and Ability Combos for Tentacruel

Moves: Swagger + Screech
Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
Moves: Rest + Snore
Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect
Moves that inflict status (and combo with the move Hex): Scald, Toxic

Moves that boost Tentacruel's stats

Acid Armor
Acupressure
Curse
Rapid Spin
Swords Dance

Most notable and possible best moves for Tentacruel

Flip Turn
Hydro Pump
Ice Beam
Knock Off
Protect
Rapid Spin
Reflect
Rest
Scald
Toxic

Common Effort Values for Tentacruel in Scarlet and Violet

Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
Optimize Tentacruel's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Usage Data

Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.

THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Competitive Information for Tentacruel [Scarlet/Violet]

Movesets for Singles

Movesets for Doubles

Terastal Phenomenon

Teratype Bug moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Dark moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Dragon moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Electric moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Fairy moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Fighting moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Fire moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Flying moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Ghost moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Grass moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Ground moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Ice moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Normal moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Poison moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Psychic moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Rock moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Steel moveset for Tentacruel

Teratype Water moveset for Tentacruel

Movepool

Combo List

Competitive SV Move and Ability Combos for Tentacruel

Moves that boost Tentacruel's stats

Most notable and possible best moves for Tentacruel

Common Effort Values for Tentacruel in Scarlet and Violet

Usage Data

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