Tentacruel as a Donphan counter?

A

Azurial

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Now im pretty sure I'll get some flame, but i just have to ask - Tentacruel TR # 50 (dont remember if there is another) uses Hyperbeam which does 50 and removes an energy from the defending Pokémon for CCC. this will do 100 to anything with a water weakness. Assuming you can get it set up fast enough, could Tentacruel be an effictive Phan counter? If not at the very least deal heavy damage to it?

The reason I ask is i was going through my stuff last night looking to build a fun deck (galvatula/Gallade - unlimited) and came across a few Tentacruels. Im thinking, now, of doing a modified Stage 1 Rush with a 4-4 Tentacruel TM 50. as it sets up in 2 turns with DCE it shouldnt be too hard to get out.

EDIT: Please read the Player's Sandbox rules before posting. I added the link. ~EspeonROX.

Tentacruel from HS-Triumphant.
 
Tentacruel 2HKOs Donphan for 3 colorless while Donphan 2HKOs Tentacruel for 1 fighting. Really, unless you can get it set up more reliably than they can set up their Donphan (which would be quite difficult) then it won't work very well. Also, DCE is not the easiest card to get out since you can't search for it and can only carry 4 so Donphan is usually more swarmable. It would be impressive if you can get it to work though.
 
well you can search DCE its just harder than normal energy search - add in energy Exchangers, or using twins - but i do see your point
 
I agree that Twins works great with this combo.

Donphan is fast, Tentacruel will be able to kill maybe 1 Donphan, but by then they will already have out 2 to 3 Donphans. Also no one plays straight Donphan, and this card isn't splashable into most decks because of it large energy cost. I'd have to say it would be pretty difficult to counter a mediocre Donphan build with this card.
 
There are better counters in the world, like the soon-to-be-released Crygonal. That thing was MEANT to be a Donphan counter, solely.

Cryogonal – Water – HP80
Basic Pokemon

[W] Icy Wind: The Defending Pokemon is now Asleep.
[W][C] Ice Ball: 30+ damage. If the opponent’s Acitve Pokemon is a Fighting-type, this attack does an additional 40 damage.

Weakness: Metal (x2)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 1
Click to expand...
 
blaZofgold said:
There are better counters in the world, like the soon-to-be-released Crygonal. That thing was MEANT to be a Donphan counter, solely.
Click to expand...

IF it isn't Catcher'd first
 
What does it matter if it is Catchered? That thing can survive just as many hits from a Donphan as the Tentacruel you are arguing for, and also it is a Basic, and its attack takes one less energy. Also it can OHKO Donphan, unlike Tentacruel, which only hits it for 80, I'm sorry, this thread is not going to raise the price of the Tentacruels you must own so many of. I would agree that Cryogonal is a better counter.
 
im just a skeptic until i actually see it in action, im not trying to bash or make a strong case for one over the other.

I never said that Cryognial isnt better, but its still a ways away yet.
 
^There's absolutely no way Tentacruel has any advantage over Cryogonal as far as a Donphan counter. Cryogonal OHKOs for WC, Tentacruel 2HKOs for CCC. Oh, and Tentacruel is a Stage 1.
 
I...
wat
k
So... obviously Cyrogonal outclasses this completely, but I'll refrain from that point since it has been made and Cyrogonal isn't out yet. But... 50 for [C][C][C] is really awful, even with DCE. It takes more energy for this to 2HKO Donphan than it takes Donphan to 2HKO it. And it will be easy to set up another Donphan, Tentacruel... not so much. I'm just totally dumbfounded as to why you would want to waste two energy (one of which is a DCE, which of course you can use only use four times), to 2HKO something that will revenge or kill you before you kill it.
I'm sorry, don't mean to flame, but don't use this.
 
Keep in mind that Cryogonal has 80 hp. Unless they can get a catcher and TWO pluspowers...



Also, keep in mind that it does 70 damage against any fighting type, not just donphan. It still OHKO's machop; can kill machokes...
 
Since Cryogonal isn't out yet, what do you guys think about Basculin? It's a basic and does 80 for a water and a DCE with Final Gambit. But it has a chance of knocking itself out. 80 x 2 = 160 to Donphan.
 
Donphan can Catcher it and KO Crogynal before you double attach. Even if they whiff and only hit 60 they can just promote another one and KO it after Crogynal KOs your first Donphan. Plus it can only be used in Water decks and it literally only works against Donphan. Kyurem, when it comes out, will be an almost flawless Donphan counter.

While Tentacruel isn't a horrible idea, there's definitely other cards I'd rather be running. Yanmega Prime is a nice counter, so is just running Donphan yourself :p Basculin isn't a horrible one either, but it doesn't have any base damage so you're basically just promoting it, passing and praying they don't have 2 PlusPower and/or a Catcher.
 
Sorry, but it doesn't have a chance against Donphan. 3 Energy for a 2HKO is very bad, especailly as Donphan can 2HKO Tentacool for 1 Energy. But you could use Alomomola BW #39...
 
I've actually tried Tentacruel as a Donphan/Reshiram counter in an item-lock deck. Ideally it would knock out these pokemon by doing 40 damage and paralysis turn 1 and then 100 more damage turn 2. It could also do a revenge ko on a Zekrom with 90hp.

The main problem with Tentacruel is that it's just too slow and complicated. First off, you need to get the Tentacool on your bench and at some point attach a water energy to it. While using it as a tech, I found that was usually the 1st turn I attacked with Tentacruel so on your next turn you would need a Double Colourless Energy to knock it out. Since you can only have 4 of these in a deck, with no easy way to recover them, you need each Tentacruel to take two prizes, which is something it can't do effectively. Also, when setting up your Tentacruel and neglecting your bench, your opponent will have two turns to get something ready on the bench and can easily counter it next turn.

Overall, if you want to play Tentacruel as a deck , I would suggest adding Vileplume, Dodrio and Seeker to have any chance of it being playable, since you can reuse the attack to cause a continuous paralysis lock. As a counter for Donphan however, it won't put you ahead on prizes if you're already behind. For a Donphan counter just now, I would suggest the Swanna from Emerging Powers (70 for 3 or 2 with a DCE).
 
The idea is to play 2-1 tentacruel.

bench both, attach a water to the benched.
Next turn evolve, attach bring it up and paralyze.
Scoop up the active Tentacruel, promote the benched Tentacool, and evolve, attach water, and paralyze again.

Once there's enough damage, attach DCE and KO.
Then take the 60, scoop up, and do it again.
 
Darkartisan said:
The idea is to play 2-1 tentacruel.

bench both, attach a water to the benched.
Next turn evolve, attach bring it up and paralyze.
Scoop up the active Tentacruel, promote the benched Tentacool, and evolve, attach water, and paralyze again.

Once there's enough damage, attach DCE and KO.
Then take the 60, scoop up, and do it again.
Click to expand...


Alright, so this only works with water/rainbow energy and since water decks wouldn't have trouble with Donphan anyway so we're assuming you have to add at least 4 energy, 2-1 Tentacruel, a ton of Super Scoop Up, and the SSUs can fail so you'll rarely take out more than 1 Donphan, maybe 2 with some Junk Arms, and you are teching in a bunch of cards. Add that to the fact that the strategy can fail entirely if 1 tentacool or tentacruel is prized or if you flip a bunch of tails and it seems very inferior to Tornadus, Samurott, Beartic, Basculin, Crobat, and especially Cyrogonal, doesn't it?
 
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