Conni
katharsis
QC by: Nineage / ? / ?
GP by: ? / ?
[OVERVIEW]
- Has a great Special Defense stat and a good Speed stat which allows it to become a defensive pivot
- Has a great defensive typing which resist a lot of common types in the tier such as Fighting and Fairy
- Has access to a good movepool which allow Tentacool to perform various utility roles such as removing entry hazards and setting Toxic Spikes
- Its ability Liquid Ooze allows it to punish draining move users by switching into them and damaging them, its other ability Clear Body, which also lets its stats to be undeterred which is helpful when Tentacool is sweeping
- Tentacool has a vast offensive movepool which can provide it with beneficial coverage
- It has mediocre physical defense and offensive stats which makes it targeted by a lot of common physical Pokemon and it also struggles to check the likes of Mienfoo and Ponyta
- Tentacool is checked by the common types such as Electric, Ground, and Psychic
- Tentacool has no other method of recovery aside from its Berry Juice which significantly lowers its longevity
- Tentacool faces competition from other Pokemon that share its typing such as Skrelp and Mareanie, and it is important to distinguish their roles which are specially defensive pivot, special attacker, and physically defensive pivot, respectively (in order of Tentacool, Skrelp, and Mareanie).
name: Defensive Utility
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Knock Off / Toxic Spikes
move 3: Scald
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Berry Juice
ability: Liquid Ooze
nature: Calm
evs: 196 HP / 76 Def / 196 SpD / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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- Rapid Spin allows Tentacool to remove entry hazards on the field which helps increase the longevity of itself and its teammates
- Knock Off allows Tentacool to weaken opposing Pokemon by removing their Eviolite which renders them susceptible to Tentacool's teammates
- Toxic Spikes can be used alternatively to badly poison opposing Pokemon to have their longevity cut off which punishes the opponent's switches and their longevity.
- Scald allows Tentacool to attack Fire-, Ground-, and Rock-types super effectively, there is also a percentage to burn and cripple opposing physical attackers which may switch into Tentacool as well
- Sludge Bomb is Tentacool's secondary STAB move which can be used to hit Grass-, and Fairy-types super effectively, it can also deal powerful neutral special attack overall and has a nice chance of poisoning the foe
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- Tentacool's defensive investment and its Calm nature allows it to become very bulky which allows it to tank relevant moves such as Drain Punch and Leaf Storm while it provides utility for its team, it also allows Tentacool to switch into many special attacks with ease due to its excellent Special Defense stat
- Tentacool's Berry Juice allows it to recover lost health which can prolong Tentacool's longevity so it can continue providing utility for its team, it also serves as Tentacool's only form of recovery
- Liquid Ooze is Tentacool's best ability choice due to it being able to switch into and punish draining move users such as Timburr and Pumpkaboo-XL because it deals damage to them when they use one of their primary STABs against Tentacool
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- Tentacool should be switched into special attacks that it can handle well and possibly use Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards on its side of the field, it can also switch into draining moves as well
- Although Tentacool has enough bulk to tank hits, it gets worn down easily as its only method of recovery is its Berry Juice so try to preserve Tentacool and its item with caution as the utility it provides is crucial
- Tentacool can also attack Pokemon it walls if they don't switch out as Scald and Sludge Bomb can do adequate neutral damage, you can also use an attacking move instead of Rapid Spin if you predict a spinner to switch in to wear it down
- Try to use Scald against physical attackers as often as possible as if you burn it, it will become less of a burden to deal with later on.
- Knock Off should be used when you predict a Pokemon to switch out so you can make them vulnerable by removing their item, a good opportunity to use Knock Off is also if you predict a spinblocker to come in as Knock Off deals heavy damage to them as they are mainly Ghost-types
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- Pokemon that appreciate Stealth Rock being removed are great partners as they appreciate Tentacool's utility, these Pokemon include Ponyta and Vullaby, Ponyta can also punish physical attackers by burning them as well which gives Tentacool less trouble
- Physical walls such as Mudbray and Ferroseed are much appreciated due to their ability to easily tank physical moves which would otherwise do great damage to Tentacool
- Cleric support from the likes of Spritzee can improve Tentacool's longevity as it can provide Wish support to allow Tentacool to recover health other than using its Berry Juice
- Ground-, and Psychic-types such as Mudbray and Abra can do a lot of damage to Tentacool with super effective damage so Pokemon that can deal with these two types are good teammates, Snivy and Pumpkaboo-S can deal with Ground-types while Larvesta and Alolan Grimer can deal with Psychic-types
- Since most spinblockers are Ghost-types, Pursuit trappers such as Pawniard and Alolan Grimer can come in and trap and remove them so that Tentacool has an easier time removing entry hazards
- Ferroseed and Tentacool form a great wall as both can layer Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes and also tank physical and special hits respectively, both can also wall each other's checks as well which makes them a very viable defensive core.
Name: Offensive
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Knock Off / Acid Spray
move 4: Rapid Spin / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
nature: Timid
EVs: 76 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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- Hydro Pump is Tentacool's most powerful STAB move which can deal a lot of neutral damage to almost any Pokemon which makes a decent spammable move
- Sludge Bomb is Tentacool's other STAB move which can deal a lot of neutral damage as well and has a good chance of poisoning the opposing Pokemon
- Knock Off can be used to weaken opposing Pokemon by removing their Eviolites which make them fall victim to Tentacool's powerful moves
- Alternatively, Acid Spray can be used instead of Knock Off to cripple the opposing Pokemon's Special Defense which makes them KOed by Tentacool's other moves straight of the bat. It also forces switches in fear of them being more easily KOed due to the stat drop
- Rapid Spin can be used when Tentacool forces the opposing Pokemon to switch out as it has the perfect opportunity to clear troubling entry hazards that could affect its team's longevity
- Giga Drain can be run instead of Rapid Spin as it provides good coverage against Ground-, and Water-types that might switch into Tentacool, it also provides as a form of recovery which Tentacool lacks severely
- Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit Ferroseed on the switch as it could come into Tentacool and wall all of its moves otherwise, although that is its only significant purpose
Set Details
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- Tentacool's offensive investment allows Tentacool to hit much harder with its powerful moves so it can become more offensive and suprised the opposing enemy which could think that it is running its utility set
- Tentacool also has a defensive EV investment which allows it to tank moves such as Drain Punch and Giga Drain but since its EVs are split between its stats, its defense shouldn't be exploited as much since it can't take a lot of hits with its EVs divided
- Tentacool's remaning EVs are put into its already decent Speed which is further boosted by a Timid nature to allow it to become a fast attacker which can sweep opposing Pokemon quite decently
- Tentacool's Life Orb allows it to deal extra damage as its Special Attack on its own is quite medicore, although the chip damage can be a problem towards Tentacool's longevity as it doesn't have a reliable recovery option
- Tentacool's Clear Body ability allows Tentacool to be undeterred by status when sweeping or attacking as otherwise it can limit Tentacool's longevity or cripple its offensive capabilities
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- Tentacool can act as a decently effective lure as it can bluff opposing Pokemon that switch into Tentacool's other set and surprise them with a powerful move which can deal heavy damage
- Tentacool can be sent out early-game as it can use its good coverage moves to deal super effective damage at the start of the match which reduces the opposing Pokemon's longevity straight off the bat
- Tentacool's poor physical defense leaves it vulnerable to the many common physical attackers in the metagame so it needs to be careful of switching into them
- Diglett OHKOes Offensive Tentacool with Earthquake so Tentacool needs to be cautious when there is an opposing Diglett on the opposing team
- Don't overestimate Tentacool's offensive power since it is not a hyper offensive Pokemon that can take out almost all Pokemon, so use its offensive powers with caution and only use it to take out Pokemon it can handle
- Use Knock Off to force switches by removing their Eviolite so that Tentacool's powerful STAB moves or coverage moves can threaten them
- If Acid Spray is run, use it when you have a free opportunity such as when a Pokemon switches in or when you predict it will not due as much damage due to resistances. Absolutely do not use Acid Spray outside of these conditions as the opponent could be able to 2HKO you.
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- Pursuit trappers such as Pawniard and Alolan Grimer can take out Psychic-types such as Abra that threaten offensive Tentacool, Dark-types such as Vullaby in general also do the job well
- Ground-types are also a handful for Tentacool especially if they're faster, such as Drilbur and Diglett, so Pokemon that can deal with these two such as Defensive Staryu and Slowpoke make great partners
- Entry hazard setters such as Onix and Ferroseed are good teammates because they can help Tentacool sweep more easier with the residual damage they provide, it also works well with Acid Spray due to it forcing switches as Tentacool can easily KO the target otherwise
- Although not a hyper offensive Pokemon itself, Tentacool can be used on hyper offensive teams that want to keep up the offensive momentum and still be able to remove entry hazards, it can also help check Fighting-types, common hyper offensive team checks
- Pokemon that can deal with Croagunk and Ferroseed, two major checks to Tentacool are very helpful as the two can completely wall and stop Tentacool in it's tracks, Pokemon that can deal with these two are Vullaby and Abra, and Ponyta and Timburr, respectively.
- Knock Off support from the likes of Pawniard and Mienfoo can help wear down opposing Pokemon so Tentacool can take care of them more easily since it can't really take a lot of risks
- Paralysis or Sticky Web support from Snivy and Surskit, respectively, can help slow down faster opponents which leave them vulnerable to Tentacool's offensive prowess and that it doesn't have to take a hit first before landing one
Other Options
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- Ice Beam can be used as a coverage move on the Offensive set to hit Grass-types such as Snivy and Foongus on the switch which can throw them off track, but Hidden Power Fire also does this job albeit it is weaker and also hits Ferroseed which Ice Beam doesn't
- Sludge Wave can be used over Sludge Bomb if Tentacool wants extra five base damage although the lesser chance of poisoning the opposing foe isn't worth the five extra base damage
- An Eviolite can be run on the Defensive Utility set instead of a Berry Juice to allow Tentacool to become even more bulkier, but it is already bulky as it is and a recovery option is more important as it is the only one it has
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**Ferroseed**: Ferroseed can wall all of Tentacool's moves bar Hidden Power Fire can use Knock Off to remove Tentacool's only recovery option and use Thunder Wave to cripple Tentacool's Speed as well, it can also use Tentacool as setup bait or take it out of the game with Bullet Seed.
**Croagunk**: Like Ferroseed, Croagunk also walls all of Tentacool's moves bar Hidden Power Fire due to Dry Skin and can take Tentacool out with Knock Off, or it can use Tentacool as setup bait if it runs Nasty Plot and proceed to sweep Tentacool and its team.
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Munchlax and Lickitung can easily take all of Tentacool's moves and take it out with Knock Off or Earthquake if the special wall being used is Munchlax, although some special walls might not appreciate having their items removed by Knock Off.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Chinchou and Magnemite can tank most of any of Tentacool's moves at least once and retaliate with a powerful Electric-type move which can deal a lot of super effective damage to Tentacool, although Magnemite needs to be careful of a rare Hidden Power Fire when switching in.
**Fast Ground-types**: Fast Ground-types such as Drilbur and Diglett can take out Tentacool in one fell swoop due to most Ground-types taking advantage of Tentacool's poor physical defense which is easily exploited by powerful physical Ground-type moves, additionally Diglett can also trap Tentacool and take it out with Earthquake which is a more efficient method because Tentacool will mostly switch out if it can.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Mareanie, Skrelp, and Bulky Staryu can wall Tentacool and possibly force it out or wear it down significantly or use it as set up bait in the case of Toxic Spikes Mareanie, Psychic Staryu can also come in and deal significant damage to Tentacool as well but it needs to be careful for it's Poison STAB moves.
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