How To Get TM86 Grass Knot in Pokémon Platinum

Gym Leader Gardenia standing outside Eterna Gym (Pokémon Platinum)

You’ll get TM86 Grass Knot after you defeat Gym Leader Gardenia in Eterna City. She will give you the TM along with the Forest Badge.

This is also the only copy of TM86 in the game.

As for the move itself: Grass Knot is a Grass-type attack that does weight-dependent damage—the heavier the foe, the more damage it will inflict on it.

TM86 Grass Knot Location (Step-by-Step)

Location of Eterna City on the Town Map. / Pokémon Platinum
Location of Eterna City on the Town Map.

There is just one copy of TM86 Grass Knot in the game, and you get it by defeating the game’s second Gym Leader, Gardenia, in Eterna City.

Battling Leader Gardenia in Eterna City. / Pokémon Platinum
Battling Leader Gardenia in Eterna City.

Eterna Gym is located in the southeast corner of town, right by the gate to Cycling Road.

Gardenia uses Grass-type Pokémon, so be sure to bring along at least one Pokémon of a type grass is weak against—Fire, Flying, Ice, Bug, or Poison—that is around level 20.

You might also want to take some Super Potions and Paralyze Heals with you, as part of Gardenia’s strategy is to whittle away your health via status moves.

After defeating Gardenia, she will award you the Forest Badge, and then throw in TM86 Grass Knot, her favorite move.

Note: We have a more in-depth guide to defeating Gardenia here.

Receiving Grass Knot from Gardenia. / Pokémon Platinum
Receiving Grass Knot from Gardenia.

Grass Knot Move Details & Uses

In-game description for TM86 Grass Knot. / Pokémon Platinum
In-game description for TM86 Grass Knot.
Grass Knot Move Details
Type Grass
Category Special
Power Varies
Accuracy 100%
PP 20 (max. 32)

Grass Knot is a Grass-type special attack move that trips the target Pokémon for variable damage.

It has no base power; rather, the damage it deals relies on the weight of the target Pokémon.

Like the Fighting-type move Low Kick, Grass Knot does more damage to heavier targets.

The full details of how this move is calculated can be seen in the table below:

Effectiveness of Grass Knot by Weight Range
Kilograms Pounds Base Power
0.1 – 9.9 kg 0.1 – 21.8 lbs. 20
10.0 – 24.9 kg 21.9 – 54.9 lbs. 40
25.0 – 49.9 kg 55.1 – 110.0 lbs. 60
50.0 – 99.9 kg 110.2 – 220.2 lbs. 80
100.0 – 199.9 kg 220.4 – 440.7 lbs. 100
200.0+ kg 440.9+ lbs. 120

Chris Haygood

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Chris is an American freelance writer and lifelong gamer. RPGs have been his genre of choice ever since he got Pokémon Blue in 1867, but if he finds a good rhythm game, he will prioritize playing it over both eating and breathing.

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