Community POTW #42

[Aquaholic]

One thing I'd like to ask in regards to people's sets on here:

Why is there any justification for giving Tentacruel Leftovers over Black Sludge?

• Black Sludge means Lefties can go to another teammate and not break the Item Clause
• Black Sludge is beneficial only to Poison-type Pokémon, so if it's Trick'd/Switcheroo'd/Thief'd away, it'll be to that Pokémon's detriment (unless they happen to be a Poison-type, obviously)

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but for all Poison-types, Black Sludge > Leftovers (unless another Poison-type in the team is holding it obviously.)

[maciscool]

One thing I'd like to ask in regards to people's sets on here:

Why is there any justification for giving Tentacruel Leftovers over Black Sludge?

• Black Sludge means Lefties can go to another teammate and not break the Item Clause
• Black Sludge is beneficial only to Poison-type Pokémon, so if it's Trick'd/Switcheroo'd/Thief'd away, it'll be to that Pokémon's detriment (unless they happen to be a Poison-type, obviously)

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but for all Poison-types, Black Sludge > Leftovers (unless another Poison-type in the team is holding it obviously.)

the black sludge could be tricked and even if it is not a poison type it could be given to another pokrmon in yourparty

[Kraleck]

One thing I'd like to ask in regards to people's sets on here:

Why is there any justification for giving Tentacruel Leftovers over Black Sludge?

• Black Sludge means Lefties can go to another teammate and not break the Item Clause
• Black Sludge is beneficial only to Poison-type Pokémon, so if it's Trick'd/Switcheroo'd/Thief'd away, it'll be to that Pokémon's detriment (unless they happen to be a Poison-type, obviously)

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but for all Poison-types, Black Sludge > Leftovers (unless another Poison-type in the team is holding it obviously.)

the black sludge could be tricked and even if it is not a poison type it could be given to another pokrmon in yourparty

Basically, insurance for 'cruel's non-Poison-Type allies. If your opponent takes your Black Sludge, they'll likely pawn it off on another of your Pokemon instead of returning it to 'cruel. Both of Tentacruel's attack stats are mediocre, making it unlikely to 1-shot at a swap meet.

Bottom Line: They'll try to leave you with 2 useless items instead of 1 if you run Black Sludge over Leftovers on 'cruel. While some Poison Types have the offense to down an item-switcher after they take their Black Sludge, Tentacruel does NOT have that luxury.

[Aquaholic]

Thanks for explaining In light of this, I made up this set:

Tentannoyer

Tentacruel@Black Sludge
Rain Dish
252 Spd/252 Sp. Def/4 HP
~Acid Spray
~Scald
~Knock Off
~Aqua Ring/Rapid Spin

Don't look at this set and think "WTF!?" With a double drop in thier Sp. Def stat, opponents won't want to hang around for the Scald. If the opponent does stay in, more fool them! Knock Off will deprive an opponent of their precious item and, if Tentacruel has had its Black Sludge Thief/Switcheroo/Trick'd away, the opponent won't be able to pass it on to any of your non-Poison teammates. The last move is purely filler: Aqua Ring will stack brilliantly with the Black Sludge and Rain Dish recovery (provided there is rain support available), whereas Rapid Spin will provide support for any SR/Spikes that are set up.

[megamegalomane92]

Tentacruel has been fighting in the upper tiers for a long time for a good reason: a rare and nice typing, a good movepool and good stats.
Set Name: Support Jellyfish
Ability: Rain dish
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 16 Spe
-Scald/Surf
-Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin
-Protect/Ice Beam
Tentacruel has nice defences, Rain dish, Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin, so it can support his team in many ways. Scald is usually the best option on a bulky water, but many opponents will be poisoned by the Toxic Spikes, so you may just use the more powerful Surf as those opponents won't get burnt. For the last moveslot Protect works well with both Toxic Spikes and Leftovers/Rain Dish, while Ice Beam adds coverage.
Max HP is necessary to maximize both your defences, 240 EVs in defence with Bold nature to take well hits from both the sides of the spectrum, 16 EVs in speed allow you to outspeed neutral 70 base speed like Breelom and Metagross.
Other Options
Personally I think that those moves are good enough. Not many other options to use...
Partners
Drizzle Politoed or Rain Dance users to activate your ability. Ferrothorn has a scary good sinergy with rain and Tentacruel. Poison types can be annoying as they absorb your Toxic Spikes, so you can use a ground or a psychic type.
Counters
Jellicent blocks your Rapid Spin and is immune to your water move, but it hates Toxic Spikes. Electric pokemon can hit you very hard with a Thunder(bolt). Grass/Poison types absorb your Toxic Spikes and are not threatened by your water attack. Reuniclus doesn't care about poison and can set up on you or just whipe you out with a psychic attack.

Set Name: Specially Offensive Cruel
Ability: Rain dish/Liquid Ooze
Item: Life Orb/Choice Specs
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 4 HP, 252 SpAtk, 252 Spe
-Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Giga Drain/Toxic Spikes
-Rapid Spin/Toxic Spikes/Hidden Power [Fire]
This is an offensive set. Seems outclessed Starmie, but Tentacruel has some different resists, a better special defence, Rain Dish for passive recovery and absorbs Toxic Spikes when comes into play. Hydro Pump is the preffered option as 80 base SpAtk isn't a lot. Ice Beam is obbligatory useful coverage. Giga Drain covers water types, while T-Spikes and Rapid Spin can be used as you will force some switches. Hidden Power [Fire] is recomended outside of the rain as without it the thorny steel/grass thing owns you.
Other Options
You may use a poison move for STAB, expecially if you're using Choice Specs in the rain. Sludge Wave (Bomb) are powerful, but they give you pityful coverage.
Partners
Same stuff as before.
Counters
Pink fat blobs. Special walls in general. Jellicent blocks Rapid Spin too. Thundurus, Jolteon, Alakazam all check you. Dugtrio traps and kills you.

Set Name: A jellyfish playing with swords???
Ability: Rain dish/Liquid Ooze
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Jolly/Adamant
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
-Swords Dance
-Waterfall
-Poison Jab
-Payback/Hidden Power [Fire]/Substitute/Rapid Spin
Phisical sweeper set. Swords Dance doubles you attack and makes you powerful. Your water and poison STAB surprisingly get good coverage together. The last move is a filler. Payback is your best weapon against Jellycent, while Hidden Power [Fire] roasts your thorny friend when used outside of the rain. Substitute is a good move. Rapid Spin if you feel like you are an Excadrill.
Other Options
Qwilfish. Same moves, more attack, less speed, Swift Swim, Explosion, less bulk, no Rain Dish. It's difficult to choose which one to use. You can use a Baloon and become the jellyfishy version of Excadrill, but you will probably just fail...
Partners
Same stuff as before.
Counters
The bane of all water types: the thorny Steel/Grass thing. Phisical walls not weak to one of your STABs. Jellicent, Skarmory. Thundurus, Jolteon, Alakazam all check you. Dugtrio traps and kills you.

[dragontamer98]

Tentacruel @ Life Orb/ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish/ Liquid Ooze
Nature: Timid/ Modest
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 SpAtk/ 252 Spe
-Rapid Spin
-Hydro Pump/ Surf/ Scald
-Slime Wave/ Acid Spray
-Toxic Spikes
I use this set a lot. Its used for Rapid Spin support and can fill in as a lead, which is pretty useful in Wifi. The basic idea was to "bluff" a TSpikes set, since its main focus is not to TSpike, against stuff like Aero and hit hard, and stuff with Sashes, like Aero, would eat die with their hazards gone. The STAB Water move of choice here is Hydro Pump, as with Life Orb taking a toll on Cruel, plus who knows what other residual damage he could be taking, Tentacruel ain't gonna last long, even with Rain Dish recovery, so you'll want to do as much damage as possible before you die or switch out. Surf is a weaker alternative but more accurate... Scald is for burn chance... Slime Wave is for STAB and has ok coverage (sorta) with Hydro Pump, but Acid Spray softens the opponent for either Tenta's STAB Water move or one of his teammates.

[Kraleck]

I love the multi-tool aspect of Tentacruel:
-Annoyer? Check.
-Physical Attacker? Check.
-Special Attacker? Check.
-Mixed Attacker? Double check.
-Special Wall? Check.
-Physical Wall? With Scald and assistance from either a lucky Baton Pass setup or Wonder Room, check.
-Spinner? Check.
-Surprise Mix? Check.

The only issue I have is with the mediocrity of its attack stats and HP. You can do so many wonderful things, but you're basically the Final Fantasy Time Mage or Team Fortress 2 Medic: Great to use, but not as a solo character.

You'll definitely need to build a good offense with 'cruel starring in a strong, supporting role. You can pressure opponents to play head games wonderfully with this one and won't be disappointed.

[mew72]

Ocean Queen
Toxic Spikes
Venoshock/Ice Beam
Aqua Ring
Scald
Nature: Bold
Ability: Rain Dish
Evs: 252 Hp, 252 Def, 4 Sp.Def
Easy and Simple to use.

[pokemonranger7098]

Poison Hex Tentacruel:

Tentacruel @Black Sludge
Modest - Clear Body
Moves:
Poison Jab
Hex
Wring Out
Blizzard

Start off with Wring Out, a move that does not suffer from Tentacruel's low Attack, and instead causes damage based on the opponent's current HP. Follow up that attack with repetitive Poison Jabs until the opponent is poisoned, then use Hex before they are healed by their trainer to dish out massive damage. Blizzard is a backup move for any time that this strategy may hit a snag (Dragon-types, anyone?), or if you need to make some time to heal. Clear Body helps in it's own little way by preventing stat lowering, and Black Sludge will keep Tentacruel alive just that much longer, and will keep Theif users at bay.

[Zachmac]

^Surf>Blizzard, because of Accuracy and STAB.

Black Sludge could be useful if you wanted to be tricky. If an enemy uses trick and takes black sludge, swap in a non-poison type, usually bulky. Then, swap tentacruel back in. After which, you can swap in a pokemon who could take advantage of a choice item or one that already has a choice item.

[battle171]

If Tentacruel is going to use any form of Ice type move, it's gonna be Ice Beam unless the Tentacruel in question is on a hail team.

[Jazz Hands]

Hi all

Overview

"Support" is the first word that pops into the head of many players when they see Tentacruel. They are correct, as Tentacruel is a great choice for a variety of support roles, including laying down Toxic Spikes and removing entry hazards. Tentacruel also possesses a base Speed of 100, an acceptable Special Attack stat and a wide offensive movepool, allowing it to fit on offensive and balanced teams just as well as on stall teams.

Unfortunately, Tentacruel has an awfully low Defense stat for a support Pokemon. This is compounded by a weakness to the ever-common Earthquake. Despite this, Tentacruel is a wonderful support Pokemon and should always be considered if you are in need of a defensive (or even offensive) Pokemon.

Item: Leftovers Ability: Rain Dish Nature: Bold

Toxic Spikes

Moveset EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Rapid Spin
~ Scald
~ Protect / Ice Beam

This set uses Tentacruel's ability to lay down Toxic Spikes and spin other hazards away, making it a nice addition to stall, semi-stall, and even balanced teams, particularly those that make use of rain. As an additional bonus, Tentacruel can absorb Toxic Spikes on your side of the field simply by switching in. Its Water and Poison typing, along with its great Special Defense, enables it to switch into a variety of attacks in order to set up hazards or spin them away. Recovering 12.5% of its health every turn in the rain, Tentacruel can then become very difficult to take down. Scald is Tentacruel's best STAB move, offering an excellent 30% burn rate to offset Tentacruel's poor Defense stat. Surf is a decent option instead, as it packs good power, especially in rain, and does not conflict with Toxic Spikes. Protect is the primary option for the last slot, as it allows Tentacruel to recover another 12.5% of its health in the rain, while scouting the opponents move, and forcing them to take additional Toxic damage. Ice Beam allows Tentacruel to hit Dragon- and Grass-types foes, although, be warned, the damage output will still not be great. Hex is an option to take on Jellicent, Dusclops and other spinblockers, though Tentacruel will still struggle to break through them, and Toxic Spikes are required for the move to be remotely useful.