Tentacruel
WaterPoison
Best attacking moveset: Poison Jab and Hydro Pump, worth 9.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Tentacruel can learn 18 combinations. Poison Jab with Hydro Pump does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid | Poison | 11 | 1.0s | +10 |
| Poison Jab | Poison | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Poison Sting | Poison | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid Spray | Poison | 20 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Blizzard | Ice | 130 | 3.0s | -100 |
| Hydro Pump | Water | 135 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Payback | Dark | 95 | 2.0s | -100 |
| Scald | Water | 75 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Sludge Wave | Poison | 105 | 3.0s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Tentacruel has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,738 at level 50, 2,422 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,384 CP at level 20, or 1,730 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,314 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 166 attack · 209 defense · 190 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.6 m and 55 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Tentacruel does not have one best moveset, it has 7. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Grass, Fairy, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Poison Jab + Blizzard | 13.8 |
| Fairy | Poison Jab + Sludge Wave | 13.6 |
| Fire | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 12.4 |
| Ground | Poison Sting + Hydro Pump | 11.5 |
| Rock | Poison Sting + Hydro Pump | 11.5 |
| Poison Jab + Blizzard | 11.4 | |
| Dragon | Poison Jab + Blizzard | 11.4 |
| Psychic | Poison Jab + Payback | 10.6 |
| Normal | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Fighting | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Bug | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Electric | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Ice | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Dark | Poison Jab + Hydro Pump | 9.8 |
| Ghost | Poison Sting + Payback | 9.1 |
| Water | Poison Jab + Sludge Wave | 9.1 |
| Poison | Poison Sting + Hydro Pump | 8.3 |
| Steel | Acid + Hydro Pump | 7.0 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Tentacruel is actually for.
Counters: what beats Tentacruel
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 30.8 |
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 28.0 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 26.4 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 25.8 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 25.5 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Zen Headbutt + Thunderbolt | 24.5 |
 Alakazam | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic Legacy | 23.9 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 23.2 |
 Azelf | Psychic | Confusion + Futuresight | 23.2 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 23.1 |
Ranked by damage per second against Tentacruel's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.