What is a good moveset for Tentacruel?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Tentacruel, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Tentacruel Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Gen V

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 136 Def / 24 SpA / 96 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Venoshock
- Surf
- Aqua Ring

Use in rain to maximize effectiveness. Combined Black Sludge, Rain Dish, and Aqua Ring provides nice healing. You can set up Toxic Spikes, which causes your opponent trouble. It also makes Venoshock an extremely powerful STAB attack, and Surf can deal with plenty of Steel types. Surf gets powered up by the rain and is STAB.

Your defensive EVs are there to provide you with nice bulk, which makes you hard to defeat along with great typing and plenty of healing. Your Speed is mainly there for setting up Toxic Spikes, and is nice for when you attack the foe. You don't have much Special Attack, but Venoshock will have high power thanks to STAB and Toxic Spikes, while Surf will have high power thanks to Rain and STAB.

Answer 2

Role: Tank

Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Poison Jab
- Confuse Ray

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Okay, simple yet effective EVs.
In real time gameplay, this guy is great to switch into on a Drain Punch or Giga Drain and annoy someone off, so you get to confuse them on the switch, set up your Swords, and start tank murderering.

Waterfall and Poison Jab are both straight up STAB, while Swords Dance is there for attacking support, and Confuse Ray to help him safely set up Swords Dance.

Answer 3

Who'da thunk it. Choice Specs Tentacruel.

Tentacruel @ Choice Specs
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 236 HP / 80 Def / 92 SpA / 100 SpD
Modest Nature
- Scald / Muddy Water / Hydro Pump
- Dazzling Gleam
- Sludge Wave / Acid Spray
- Ice Beam / Icy Wind / Giga Drain

This set absolutely wrecks unprepared teams, however, Stealth Rock and Sticky Web support is vital. Without it, Tentacruel will not be able to one-shot Victini with Scald, and will not be able to 2HKO Heracross. The choice of Water STAB depends on whether you want burns, annoying accuracy drops, or pure power. The choice of Poison STAB depends on whether you want quick, immediate power or to wear down something over time. And the choice of Ice coverage depends on whether, again, you want pure power or the ability to outspeed certain threats. This is a rather flexible moveset, the only thing you cannot forgo is Dazzling Gleam, as it nets surprise kills on Scrafty and Hydreigon.

Answer 4

Gen 8 UU

Tentacruel @ Focus Sash
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
- Waterfall

Explanation: First, you start by using Swords Dance. Poison Jab is a STAB move that has a chance to poison. Knock Off is useful for revealing the opposing Pokemon's item. Waterfall is another STAB move. Use this link to see if Tentacruel can beat the following types: Psychic, Ground, Electric, and Dragon.

Comments

Why AG tho?

Answer 5

Gen 8 UU

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 52 Spe / 4 SpA
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Sludge Bomb / Toxic Spikes
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin

Scald is STAB and has a 30% burn chance, which helps in the defenses department, as even with max HP and 200 Defense EVs, it's not all that good. Sludge Bomb is STAB with a 30% Poison chance to wear things down, Toxic Spikes poisons (or badly poisons) anything other than Steel and Flying types, however it is easier to get rid of, as Defog is common and Poison types aren't too rare either.

Heavy-Duty Boots also completely ignores Toxic Spikes. Knock Off catches switch-ins with its crippling item removal effect, it's not an offensive tool because it doesn't do that much damage, even to Psychic types, because of Tentacruel's low Attack stat and the Timid nature. Rapid Spin removes hazards, which are the main way to wear a bulky Pokemon like Tentacruel down. It also raises Speed which is cool I guess lol

Answer 6

Gen 5 OU

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Protect
- Toxic

Rapid Spinner for rain teams. I don't really have much else to say about this one.

Answer 7

Double/Triple Battle

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 216 SpA / 88 SpD / 204 Spe
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Sludge Wave
- Acupressure
- Blizzard

Doesn't hit the hardest, but it does good damage with high base power. Black Sludge and Rain Dish give Tentacruel nice healing. Surf is STAB that hits multiple foes, as is Sludge Wave. Blizzard is coverage that can hit multiple foes. Acupressure can be used to increase the stats of a teammate (or Tentacruel. I would go with a mixed sweeper though).

Answer 8

Tentacruel (M) @ Spell Tag/ Sitrus Berry/ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hex
- Venoshock
- Rapid Spin / Barrier / Confuse Ray

This is when the other side has already been contaminated by Toxic Spikes

Answer 9

Dock Ock (Tentacruel) (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 240 Def / 252 HP / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Knock Off

I personally love to use Tentacruel. It gets Rapid Spin AND it can set up Toxic Spikes. Scald is to burn and it does some nice damage, and Knock Off is helpful to get rid of the foe's item.

You could run Liquid Ooze but I use Rain Dish on a rain team :)

Answer 10

Tentacruel @assault vest
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 129 HP / 129 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Acid Spray
- Scald
- Dazzling Gleam / Hex

Rapid Spin (clear away Stealth Rock and Spikes...oh and you absorb Toxic Spikes)
Acid Spray (lower special defense by two stages)
Scald (might need some physical defense there)
Dazzling Gleam (Coverage) / Hex (130 power when burned)

Answer 11

Defensive set:

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 151 SpA / 105 SpD or 105 Spe
Timid Nature
- Barrier
- Rain Dance / Mirror Coat / Infestation
- Sludge Bomb / Mirror Coat
- Giga Drain

Barrier: Used to make it completely tanky.

Rain Dance: When coupled with Black Sludge, it restores 1/8 of tentacruel's max HP for 5 turns due to rain dish. An alternative if rain is already set up is mirror coat or infestation for hitting special attackers and getting chip damage, respectively.

Sludge Bomb: STAB, good chance to poison, good power. An alternative is Mirror Coat.

Giga Drain: Even more HP recovery and counters Water-types while having good power. An alternative is Scald for Fire coverage instead of Water coverage.

Answer 12

Here's mine:
Tentacruel (M) @ Poison Barb
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Timid Nature
- Venoshock
- Toxic Spikes
- Barrier
- Toxic / Infestation

Set up with Toxic Spikes, most preferably two layers. If the opponent is a physical attacker, then use Barrier a few times to boost your Def by two stages each. Then proceed to destroy them with Venoshock, with boosted power from the opponent being poisoned and STAB. If your Toxic Spikes are Defogged or Rapid Spinned, then go ahead and use Toxic. Either that, or you use Infestation to trap your opponent so they have no choice but to take your boosted Venoshocks- just hope they don't have a Rapid Spinner or Defogger.

Answer 13

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge / Focus Sash
Ability: Liquid Ooze / Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 128 SpD / 128 Spe
Timid / Calm / Bold Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Hex
- Hydro Pump / Scald
- Sludge Wave

Toxic Spikes x2 to toxic the enemy when sent out, works well with Hex
Hex Double Power with toxic spikes
Hydro Pump / Scald Hydro Pump:- High Damage, STAB, Decent Accuracy. Scald:- Chance to burn, STAB, High accuracy
Sludge Wave STAB, Chance to poison, High Accuracy

Answer 14

Tentacruel (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 200 Def / 58 SpA / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin / Giga Drain
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb / Sludge Wave / Venoshock

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Scald is a reliable STAB water move, and is able to burn the opponent. Rapid Spin is reliable for getting rid of stealth rocks, spikes, toxic spikes, or even sticky web, while Giga Drain is good for its ground weakness, and can heal you. Toxic Spikes is self explanatory. Sludge Bomb and Sludge Wave have different uses. Sludge Bomb and Sludge Wave are both STAB. Sludge Bomb has high base power, and has a 30% chance to poison. Sludge Wave has a higher base power, but has a 10% chance to poison, but it can hit adjacent Pokemon. Venoshock has a base power of 130 when the opponent is poisoned, and setting up toxic spikes is key for Venoshock sweeping

Answer 15

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze / Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
- Toxic
- Venom Drench
- Venoshock
- Surf

Toxic: To poison
Venom Drench: Ruin offensive capabilities
Venoshock: Strong STAB when opponent is poisoned
Surf: STAB

Water/Poison is great on defense (8 resistances) and 3 weaknesses isn’t bad at all. Water and Poison are also pretty good on offense beating 5 types and not much resisting the combo. Steel-types are this Pokémon’s greatest fear, especially Ferrothorn And Duraladon who completely wall this set so make sure you aren’t stuck against one.

Answer 16

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Bold Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Venoshock
- Aqua Ring
- Giga Drain

Your Toxic Spikes + Venoshock combo gives a nice 130 base power and your only STAB. Aqua Ring and Black Sludge recovers you a good amount of HP per turn. Giga Drain is for type coverage, especially against ground types (4 times effective if they have water as secondary typing). Losing this coverage move means Tentacruel will be a Jell-O jellyfish snack to common ground or ground/water Pokemon. The weakness that I can think of is getting walled by a steel-type Pokemon.