[Overview]
<p>Notorious for exploiting sandstorm in UU and OU, Cacturne returns for another round in the RU tier. However, there is one thing holding it back: the lack of Sand Stream. Cacturne doesn't mind though, as it still has little perks that let it see the light of day. Even though the lack of infinite sandstorm hurts, Cacturne has access to a fantastic ability in Water Absorb, making it an excellent switch in to bulky Water-types, such as Slowking. Cacturne also has an incredible base 115 Attack, as well as one of the strongest priority moves in the tier, which makes up for its low Speed. Cacturne also has an excellent movepool with little gems such as Encore and Spikes. All of this makes Cacturne a dangerous and versatile threat. However, Cacturne is not without its faults. It is extremely frail and has to rely on the easily exploitable Sucker Punch to beat faster opponents. Cacturne also receives major competiton for a teamslot with other Grass-types, such as Torterra, Roselia, and Victreebel. All in all, Cacturne is still a force to be reckoned with in the RU metagame, and should not be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move1: Swords Dance
move2: Sucker Punch
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Substitute / Low Kick
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is perhaps Cacturne's most dangerous set. With a Swords Dance under its belt, Cacturne turns from a mild-mannered cactus to a devastating sweeper. Because there is no Sand Stream in RU, Water Absorb is the best option for an ability, as it makes Cacturne an excellent switch in to the bulky Water-types in the tier. Swords Dance boosts Cacturne's Attack to 722, more than enough to smash through even the bulkiest of walls. Sucker Punch is Cacturne's main STAB move, catching and obliterating faster Pokemon before they can hit Cacturne. Seed Bomb is Cacturne's secondary STAB move, hitting bulky Water-types extremely hard. Seed Bomb also gives Cacturne a utility attack to use against bulky Ghost-types, such as Cofagrigus, who try to burn it. Substitute eases prediction with Sucker Punch, and gives you a shield to set up Swords Dance behind. Low Kick rounds out Cacturne's coverage, and lets it get the OHKO on Steelix, who could phaze Cacturne out otherwise. If running Substitute, Focus Punch is an option; however, it is illegal with Water Absorb, and becomes very unreliable if Cacturne does not have a Substitute up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Cacturne can use Encore in the fourth slot, stopping setup sweepers in their tracks. However, it is illegal with Water Absorb. If you feel Cacturne needs to be more durable, a bulkier EV spread of 200 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Def / 28 SpD can work, but Cacturne dislikes the drop in Speed. Using Focus Punch over Low Kick and Substitute over Seed Bomb is an option, but this causes Cacturne to be walled by bulky Ghost-types. Drain Punch is also an option over Low Kick, but it is also illegal with Water Absorb. Poison Jab can be used to hit Tangrowth and other Grass-types harder, but this is inadvisable due to the lack of coverage it provides. Spikes can also be used in the fourth slot for team support, but Cacturne really needs the coverage from Low Kick. Cacturne likes to have a teammate that can take on Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Moltres, who can stop Cacturne in its tracks. Slowking can take on Moltres very well, while Rhydon brings Honchkrow's reign to a screeching halt. Rotom also makes a good offensive teammate, as it can take down Flying-types, such as Moltres, with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Spikes
move1: Spikes
move2: Sucker Punch
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Encore
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Sucker Punch, Encore, and some useful resistances, Cacturne makes an excellent Spiker. This set revolves around the fact that Cacturne can force a lot of switches with Sucker Punch, leaving a free turn to set up Spikes. Encore is an excellent move on this set, locking defensive Pokemon into moves that can't harm Cacturne, which forces more switches during which Cacturne can set up more Spikes. Sucker Punch gives Cacturne priority to hit faster attackers while also giving it the ability to revenge kill weakened sweepers. Seed Bomb allows Cacturne to smash through faster Pokemon carrying Substitute, such as Rotom and Haunter, preventing themfrom stopping Cacturne cold. Substitute can be used over Encore to ease prediction with Sucker Punch and give Cacturne a shield against threats such as Honchkrow. It also helps Cacturne set up Spikes more with more ease and safety, and also allows Cacturne to use Water Absorb as an ability. However, the ability to lock defensive pokemon into a support move usually proves too useful to pass up, especially since Encore helps rack up hazard damage with all the switches it forces.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since the main objective of this set is to set up multiple layers of hazards, spinblockers make for excellent teammates. Rotom makes an excellent partner for Cacturne, as it is immune to Rapid Spin and can take on the Flying-types that Cacturne has trouble with. Dusknoir also makes a decent partner, being able to absorb Fighting-type attacks for Cacturne and burn the opponent with Will-O-Wisp. Cacturne also works well alongside strong sweepers such as Sharpedo and Honchkrow, as these Pokemon benefit greatly from the residual damage provided by entry hazards. This is because hazards let them score KOs they usually would not be able to to. Cacturne can run maximum HP investment for an extra bit of bulk, but Cacturne is very frail, not to mention it also loses a significant amount of power without maximum Attack investment. Drain Punch is an option over Encore for recovery, but it is very weak.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move1: Substitute
move2: Focus Punch
move3: Seed Bomb / Encore
move4: Sucker Punch / Encore
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite frailty, low Speed, and common weaknesses, Cacturne has all the necessary tools to make an excellent Subpuncher. However, most of those tools are illegal with Water Absorb, so Cacturne will have to make do without it. Substitute, as with all SubPunchers, is the crux of this set. It shields Cacturne from status, cushions it from stronger attacks, and most importantly, allows Cacturne to shoot a Focus Punch into the opposing Pokemon's face without being interrupted. Focus Punch, despite its unreliablity, hits Pokemon such as Steelix and Aggron for huge damage; it is also the most powerful move on this set. Seed Bomb gives Cacturne a way to hit Ghost-types, such as SubSplit Rotom, who can use Substitute to bypass Sucker Punch and carries an immunity to Focus Punch. Encore is an option for locking defensive Pokemon into support moves or pathetically weak attacks. Encore also allows Cacturne to bring a teammate in safely, or just set up right in front of the opposition. Sucker Punch gives Cacturne a strong priority move, allowing it to revenge kill opponents such as Porygon-Z and Galvantula. If you feel the priority isn't needed, but you still want Seed Bomb, Encore can be used over Sucker Punch. However, this means Cacturne misses out on the chance to become a revenge killer.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Due to the nature of this set, a bulkier EV spread of 200 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Def / 28 SpD is viable, allowing Cacturne to shrug off more hits. It highly dislikes the drop in speed, however, as it loses the ability to outpace and KO certain threats. Drain Punch is an option over Seed Bomb for recovery, but it is very weak compared to Cacturne's other attacks. Cacturne likes to have paralysis support on its side, helping it outspeed Pokemon that are usually faster than it. Slowking is an excellent choice for spreading paralysis, as it resists the Fire- and Ice-type moves that Cacturne can't handle. Slowking also takes on Moltres, who is a huge threat to Cacturne. Lanturn also makes a good teammate in this respect, taking on Moltres while being able to spread paralysis with Discharge. Variants of Cacturne lacking Encore are walled by the likes of Tangrowth and Gligar. Pokemon that can easily break through these walls are a good idea; powerful Ice-type attacks, such as Ice Punch, can easily KO Gligar. While Tangrowth laughs at Ice Punch due to its gargantuan Defense stat, Pokemon that pack Ice Beam, such as Cryogonal, can easily KO the pile of living vines.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Cacturne has a handful of other options it can use. For one thing, Destiny Bond can be used to score a surprise KO on any counters to it. However, due to Cacturne's low Speed, Destiny Bond is not to be relied on. Other attacking moves, such as ThunderPunch and Poison Jab, can be used to hit threats such as Moltres and Tangrowth; however, outside of these specific roles, they see little use. Cacturne has access to a handful of other Fighting-type moves, but they are usually outclassed by Low Kick. Cacturne has access to Leech Seed, but with its poor bulk and low Speed, Cacturne is outclassed in this role. Cacturne has the movepool to pull off a Nasty Plot set, but with its low Speed and lack of a powerful priority move, Nasty Plot falls into obscurity.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to the enormous amount of firepower a boosted Cacturne has, it can be difficult to stop if it sets up. By far the easiest way to beat Cacturne is by using a Pokemon that is faster than it who either resists Sucker Punch, or has priority of its own. Honchkrow is one of the biggest threats to Cacturne, resisting both of its STABs and having a priority move. SubRoost Moltres is also a big threat to Cacturne, having access to Substitute to bypass Sucker Punch while resisting both of Cacturne's other attacks. Moltres can easily OHKO Cacturne with Flamethrower, whilst Entei can easily destroy Cacturne with a +2 priority Extremespeed, which bypasses Cacturne's Sucker Punch. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan resist Sucker Punch and can easily KO Cacturne with Mach Punch, but they cannot switch in on Seed Bomb. Mandibuzz has an easy time walling all non-SubPunch variants of Cacturne, resisting both of its STABs and being able to easily recover off damage. Mandibuzz can easily outspeed Cacturne, and can easily KO it with Brave Bird. Tangrowth and Gligar also have an easy time walling Cacturne, but are vulnerable to Encore.</p>
