[Overview]
<p>The NU tier appears to be the perfect place for Cacturne to plant itself; not only are its Spiking abilities in high demand, but it also possesses excellent offenses and a unique typing. Unlike many other Spikes users, Cacturne isn't setup bait in any sense of the word; it has access to the deadly Sucker Punch which bypasses Cacturne's poor Speed and lets it revenge kill weakened opposition. Cacturne's typing also grants it an immunity to Psychic-type moves, which are common in the NU tier. Its Dream World ability, Water Absorb, adds another immunity to Cacturne's repertoire, letting it comfortably switch into Water-type moves from the dangerous Gorebyss and Ludicolo before threatening them out with Sucker Punch. Unfortunately, Cacturne's non-existent defenses and poor defensive typing leave it exposed to many powerful Pokemon in the tier such as Sawk, Gurdurr, and Emboar. Cacturne's terrible Speed, while partially remedied by Sucker Punch, is a severe let down when it comes to laying down Spikes; many opposing Pokemon will be able to limit Cacturne to only one or two layers at most before outspeeding and KOing through its weak defenses. Using Cacturne efficiently requires excellent prediction , as its poor bulk and reliance on Sucker Punch leave little margin for error. However, in the right hands, Cacturne will be able to leave its opposition surrounded by Spikes and trembling in fear.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Encore / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Cacturne lacks bulk when compared to Spikers such as Garbodor and Omanyte, it makes up for its frailty with offensive presence. Instead of taking hits and setting up Spikes, Cacturne can force opponents out with the threat of its powerful attacks and set up Spikes in the process. Sucker Punch is great for Cacturne as it can revenge kill weakened threats such as Gorebyss; if your opponent wishes to evade Sucker Punch, Cacturne can safely set up Spikes. Sucker Punch and Spikes can force a deadly mind game for your opponent, but keep in mind that the same applies to Cacturne. If your opponent chooses to attack Cacturne as it sets up Spikes, chances are that Cacturne will be KOed or severely weakened, with only one layer of Spikes to show for it. Bullet Seed synergies very well with Cacturne's other moves as it breaks through Substitutes set up by Pokemon such as Haunter hoping to evade Sucker Punch. Bullet Seed also has an added benefit of bypassing Sturdy on Golem and Gigalith. Since many stay in to set up Stealth Rock, Cacturne can score some easy KOs. The last slot rounds out Cacturne's prediction filled set. Encore allows Cacturne to shut down Pokemon reliant on setup moves and status; Quiver Dance users such as Butterfree can be encored into a setup move, either forcing them to switch or letting you set up numerous layers of Spikes. Substitute eases prediction and forces the opponent to attack Cacturne in order to remove its Substitute. Using Cacturne requires excellent prediction skills as it is very frail and reliant on Sucker Punch, and while Encore and Subtitute can help to some extent, Cacturne's performance is normally a measure of its trainer's skill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is a basic offensive spread that makes the most of Cacturne's offenses and Spiking ability. With 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature, Cacturne can outspeed important benchmarks such as Samurott and Timid Gorebyss without having to rely on Sucker Punch. Maximum Speed also lets Cacturne set up Spikes on as many Pokemon as possible before it gets KOed. Maximum Attack investment lets Cacturne make the most of Sucker Punch and Bullet Seed, and the remaining EVs go into HP. Investing any EVs in Cacturne's bulk is almost useless as it has numerous weaknesses and is quite frail, even with investment. Leftovers is the main option to ensure that Cacturne can continuously create Substitutes and set up Spikes without wearing itself down. However, you can opt to run Life Orb on Cacturne if you feel that the extra power is necessary. One of the greatest advantages of using Life Orb is that Cacturne can OHKO -1 Gorebyss, preventing an otherwise deadly sweeper from rampaging through your team. With prediction, Cacturne can net opportunities to mitigate its Life Orb recoil using its other ability. Water Absorb, which allows it to regain 25% of its HP upon switching into a Water-type move. Unfortunately, Water Absorb is illegal with some of Cacturne's greatest assets, Bullet Seed and Encore. If you choose to run Water Absorb, then Seed Bomb can be used over Bullet Seed, and Substitute can take the place of Encore. Swords Dance, Superpower or Drain Punch can be used in the last slot for greater offensive presence. Swords Dance enables Cacturne to potentially go on a late-game sweep, whereas Drain Punch and Superpower allow Cacturne to effectively damage Probopass and Bastiodon while potentially regaining health.</p>
<p>Taunt users such as Skuntank and Rapid Spinners such as Armaldo are the greatest threats to not only Cacturne, but also its ability to effectively lay down Spikes. Skuntank can easily Taunt Cacturne to prevent any Spikes from being laid down while also resisting both of Cacturne's STAB attacks. Armaldo can also scare Cacturne out and Rapid Spin away Cacturne's hard work. Therefore, Golem is an excellent teammate for Cacturne as it can both set up Stealth Rock and destroy Skuntank and Armaldo with its STAB attacks. It also has Sucker Punch which can help revenge kill Pokemon not defeated by Cacturne's Sucker Punch. Golem also attracts Water-type attacks for Cacturne to switch into.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Drain Punch / Encore / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Much like the dangerous Swords Dance Absol, Swords Dance Cacturne aims to sweep the opponent with a boosted Attack stat and devastating Sucker Punch. Although Cacturne may not seem to have the Speed to sweep through most teams, it can use the extremely powerful Sucker Punch to strike first and annihilate the opposition. However, Cacturne can differentiate itself from the Disaster Pokemon with a secondary STAB move and access to unique support moves. Bullet Seed is Cacturne's secondary STAB of choice and gels well with Sucker Punch, as it shares excellent neutral coverage with it while being able to break through Substitutes set up by Pokemon hoping to avoid Sucker Punch, and bypasses Golem's Sturdy. The last slot can either help Cacturne to set up or give it greater coverage. Drain Punch gives Cacturne perfect neutral coverage in the NU tier, hitting Pokemon such as Skuntank who would otherwise resist Cacturne's STAB attacks. It also lets Cacturne easily get past Bastiodon and Probopass while also restoring health and negating Life Orb recoil. Encore lets Cacturne lock opponents into ineffective moves such as a setup move or entry hazards. Cacturne can then either set up Swords Dance or let a teammate switch in safely. Substitute protects Cacturne from status and acts as a one time buffer from revenge killers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature enable Cacturne to hit extremely hard, even without any boosts. Maximum Speed investment minimizes Cacturne's reliance on Sucker Punch, while also opening up more opportunities to use Encore or Substitute against slower, more defensive Pokemon. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed opponents such as Gorebyss; however, most of the time, Sucker Punch will be more than enough to OHKO fast, frail opponents. A Life Orb grants Cacturne even more power, and the loss of bulk is negligible as Cacturne is already very frail. However, Leftovers is also a valid item choice, especially if Cacturne chooses to run Substitute in the last slot. Just keep in mind that the power loss is noticeable. Seed Bomb can replace Bullet Seed as the Grass-type STAB move of choice if you find that you need the reliability of Seed Bomb. However, it cannot OHKO Golem through Sturdy, and Bullet Seed hits just as hard on average. Sand Veil is once again the standard ability, as Bullet Seed and Encore are both illegal with Water Absorb. However, Cacturne's Dream World ability can be very useful, giving Cacturne an easy setup on Water-type moves such as the ubiquitous Scald and Gorebyss's Surf. If you choose to use Water Absorb, then replace Bullet Seed with Seed Bomb. As Encore is illegal with Water Absorb, Substitute is the most useful move to use; however, another option is Spikes. With Spikes, Cacturne can bluff a Spikes set early on in the game while also weakening opponents for its late game sweep.</p>
<p>Tangela walls Cacturne cold, and can stop it setting up further with either Sleep Powder or Hidden Power Ice. Charizard and Emboar are good teammates because they can both comfortably take on Tangela with STAB Fire-type attacks. Misdreavus is immune to the Fighting-type attacks that Cacturne hates, while the cactus can switch into Dark and Ghost-type assaults directed at Misdreavus. Golem is another useful teammate as it can easily set up Stealth Rock to hamper Flying and Fire-types that commonly switch into Cacturne. Golem also lures in Grass- and Water-type attacks for Cacturne to set up on.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although most Cacturne sets choose to attack from the physical side, Cacturne has an oft overlooked Special Attack stat, which can be further boosted by Nasty Plot. Unfortuantely, this means that Cacturne loses out on Sucker Punch, which is one of its biggest selling points. As a result, specially-based Cacturne are far easier to revenge kill as they rarely run Sucker Punch. Cacturne can also run a Choice set, being able to utilize Choice Band, Choice Specs, and even Choice Scarf. With Switcheroo, Cacturne can cripple walls and switch around items. Unfortunately, Switcheroo is illegal with Bullet Seed, and a Choice-locked Cacturne loses its ability to effectively Spikes-stack. Cacturne can also run a decent SubPunch set which hits extremely hard off its base 115 Attack stat; however, Cacturne can rarely set up a Substitute safely, and it would be better off using the spare turn to either set up Spikes or boost its stats. Grasswhistle round out Cacturne's rather shallow movepool. Keep in mind that Grasswhistle is extremely inaccurate and is likely to miss almost half the time.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Cacturne's reliance on Sucker Punch means that certain Pokemon can take advantage of it. Quiver Dancing Bug-types or Substitute users, such as Butterfree or Haunter, can both set up on Cacturne as it tries, in vain, to strike with Sucker Punch. Both resist Cacturne's Grass-type STAB move, which enables them to set up with ease. The only hope Cacturne has is if it can Encore their setup move or have perfect prediction with Sucker Punch. Fighting-types also spell doom for Cacturne, as they resist its Sucker Punch; faster Fighting-types such as Sawk and Emboar can strike Cacturne down with STAB Fighting- or Fire-type moves, while Gurdurr can easily set up multiple Bulk Ups on Cacturne. Being a scarecrow, it is quite ironic that Cacturne fears birds such as Braviary and Murkrow. Braviary can devastate Cacturne with Brave Bird, although a boosted Sucker Punch KOes it after Stealth Rock. Murkrow is even more dangerous, as it resists both of Cacturne's STAB moves, can prevent Spikes with Taunt, and finish off Cacturne with Brave Bird. Due to Cacturne's excellent Attack stat and access to Swords Dance, it can be hard to wall Cacturne; however, the premier physical wall of NU, Tangela, can easily put a stop to Cacturne's sweeping attempts. It can even take a +6 Sucker Punch and cut down Cacturne with Hidden Power Ice or put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. Tangela does have to be wary of the rare specially based sets since they target Tangela's vulnerable Special Defense stat. Armaldo also counters Cacturne, taking a +2 Bullet Seed and retaliating with a powerful X-Scissor. Armaldo can also use Rapid Spin to blow away Cacturne's Spikes. Although Cacturne is rarely able to sweep a team, the Spikes it lays down can be far harder to get rid of, so Rapid Spin users are always helpful when facing Cacturne.</p>
<p>The NU tier appears to be the perfect place for Cacturne to plant itself; not only are its Spiking abilities in high demand, but it also possesses excellent offenses and a unique typing. Unlike many other Spikes users, Cacturne isn't setup bait in any sense of the word; it has access to the deadly Sucker Punch which bypasses Cacturne's poor Speed and lets it revenge kill weakened opposition. Cacturne's typing also grants it an immunity to Psychic-type moves, which are common in the NU tier. Its Dream World ability, Water Absorb, adds another immunity to Cacturne's repertoire, letting it comfortably switch into Water-type moves from the dangerous Gorebyss and Ludicolo before threatening them out with Sucker Punch. Unfortunately, Cacturne's non-existent defenses and poor defensive typing leave it exposed to many powerful Pokemon in the tier such as Sawk, Gurdurr, and Emboar. Cacturne's terrible Speed, while partially remedied by Sucker Punch, is a severe let down when it comes to laying down Spikes; many opposing Pokemon will be able to limit Cacturne to only one or two layers at most before outspeeding and KOing through its weak defenses. Using Cacturne efficiently requires excellent prediction , as its poor bulk and reliance on Sucker Punch leave little margin for error. However, in the right hands, Cacturne will be able to leave its opposition surrounded by Spikes and trembling in fear.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Encore / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Cacturne lacks bulk when compared to Spikers such as Garbodor and Omanyte, it makes up for its frailty with offensive presence. Instead of taking hits and setting up Spikes, Cacturne can force opponents out with the threat of its powerful attacks and set up Spikes in the process. Sucker Punch is great for Cacturne as it can revenge kill weakened threats such as Gorebyss; if your opponent wishes to evade Sucker Punch, Cacturne can safely set up Spikes. Sucker Punch and Spikes can force a deadly mind game for your opponent, but keep in mind that the same applies to Cacturne. If your opponent chooses to attack Cacturne as it sets up Spikes, chances are that Cacturne will be KOed or severely weakened, with only one layer of Spikes to show for it. Bullet Seed synergies very well with Cacturne's other moves as it breaks through Substitutes set up by Pokemon such as Haunter hoping to evade Sucker Punch. Bullet Seed also has an added benefit of bypassing Sturdy on Golem and Gigalith. Since many stay in to set up Stealth Rock, Cacturne can score some easy KOs. The last slot rounds out Cacturne's prediction filled set. Encore allows Cacturne to shut down Pokemon reliant on setup moves and status; Quiver Dance users such as Butterfree can be encored into a setup move, either forcing them to switch or letting you set up numerous layers of Spikes. Substitute eases prediction and forces the opponent to attack Cacturne in order to remove its Substitute. Using Cacturne requires excellent prediction skills as it is very frail and reliant on Sucker Punch, and while Encore and Subtitute can help to some extent, Cacturne's performance is normally a measure of its trainer's skill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is a basic offensive spread that makes the most of Cacturne's offenses and Spiking ability. With 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature, Cacturne can outspeed important benchmarks such as Samurott and Timid Gorebyss without having to rely on Sucker Punch. Maximum Speed also lets Cacturne set up Spikes on as many Pokemon as possible before it gets KOed. Maximum Attack investment lets Cacturne make the most of Sucker Punch and Bullet Seed, and the remaining EVs go into HP. Investing any EVs in Cacturne's bulk is almost useless as it has numerous weaknesses and is quite frail, even with investment. Leftovers is the main option to ensure that Cacturne can continuously create Substitutes and set up Spikes without wearing itself down. However, you can opt to run Life Orb on Cacturne if you feel that the extra power is necessary. One of the greatest advantages of using Life Orb is that Cacturne can OHKO -1 Gorebyss, preventing an otherwise deadly sweeper from rampaging through your team. With prediction, Cacturne can net opportunities to mitigate its Life Orb recoil using its other ability. Water Absorb, which allows it to regain 25% of its HP upon switching into a Water-type move. Unfortunately, Water Absorb is illegal with some of Cacturne's greatest assets, Bullet Seed and Encore. If you choose to run Water Absorb, then Seed Bomb can be used over Bullet Seed, and Substitute can take the place of Encore. Swords Dance, Superpower or Drain Punch can be used in the last slot for greater offensive presence. Swords Dance enables Cacturne to potentially go on a late-game sweep, whereas Drain Punch and Superpower allow Cacturne to effectively damage Probopass and Bastiodon while potentially regaining health.</p>
<p>Taunt users such as Skuntank and Rapid Spinners such as Armaldo are the greatest threats to not only Cacturne, but also its ability to effectively lay down Spikes. Skuntank can easily Taunt Cacturne to prevent any Spikes from being laid down while also resisting both of Cacturne's STAB attacks. Armaldo can also scare Cacturne out and Rapid Spin away Cacturne's hard work. Therefore, Golem is an excellent teammate for Cacturne as it can both set up Stealth Rock and destroy Skuntank and Armaldo with its STAB attacks. It also has Sucker Punch which can help revenge kill Pokemon not defeated by Cacturne's Sucker Punch. Golem also attracts Water-type attacks for Cacturne to switch into.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Drain Punch / Encore / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Much like the dangerous Swords Dance Absol, Swords Dance Cacturne aims to sweep the opponent with a boosted Attack stat and devastating Sucker Punch. Although Cacturne may not seem to have the Speed to sweep through most teams, it can use the extremely powerful Sucker Punch to strike first and annihilate the opposition. However, Cacturne can differentiate itself from the Disaster Pokemon with a secondary STAB move and access to unique support moves. Bullet Seed is Cacturne's secondary STAB of choice and gels well with Sucker Punch, as it shares excellent neutral coverage with it while being able to break through Substitutes set up by Pokemon hoping to avoid Sucker Punch, and bypasses Golem's Sturdy. The last slot can either help Cacturne to set up or give it greater coverage. Drain Punch gives Cacturne perfect neutral coverage in the NU tier, hitting Pokemon such as Skuntank who would otherwise resist Cacturne's STAB attacks. It also lets Cacturne easily get past Bastiodon and Probopass while also restoring health and negating Life Orb recoil. Encore lets Cacturne lock opponents into ineffective moves such as a setup move or entry hazards. Cacturne can then either set up Swords Dance or let a teammate switch in safely. Substitute protects Cacturne from status and acts as a one time buffer from revenge killers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature enable Cacturne to hit extremely hard, even without any boosts. Maximum Speed investment minimizes Cacturne's reliance on Sucker Punch, while also opening up more opportunities to use Encore or Substitute against slower, more defensive Pokemon. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed opponents such as Gorebyss; however, most of the time, Sucker Punch will be more than enough to OHKO fast, frail opponents. A Life Orb grants Cacturne even more power, and the loss of bulk is negligible as Cacturne is already very frail. However, Leftovers is also a valid item choice, especially if Cacturne chooses to run Substitute in the last slot. Just keep in mind that the power loss is noticeable. Seed Bomb can replace Bullet Seed as the Grass-type STAB move of choice if you find that you need the reliability of Seed Bomb. However, it cannot OHKO Golem through Sturdy, and Bullet Seed hits just as hard on average. Sand Veil is once again the standard ability, as Bullet Seed and Encore are both illegal with Water Absorb. However, Cacturne's Dream World ability can be very useful, giving Cacturne an easy setup on Water-type moves such as the ubiquitous Scald and Gorebyss's Surf. If you choose to use Water Absorb, then replace Bullet Seed with Seed Bomb. As Encore is illegal with Water Absorb, Substitute is the most useful move to use; however, another option is Spikes. With Spikes, Cacturne can bluff a Spikes set early on in the game while also weakening opponents for its late game sweep.</p>
<p>Tangela walls Cacturne cold, and can stop it setting up further with either Sleep Powder or Hidden Power Ice. Charizard and Emboar are good teammates because they can both comfortably take on Tangela with STAB Fire-type attacks. Misdreavus is immune to the Fighting-type attacks that Cacturne hates, while the cactus can switch into Dark and Ghost-type assaults directed at Misdreavus. Golem is another useful teammate as it can easily set up Stealth Rock to hamper Flying and Fire-types that commonly switch into Cacturne. Golem also lures in Grass- and Water-type attacks for Cacturne to set up on.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although most Cacturne sets choose to attack from the physical side, Cacturne has an oft overlooked Special Attack stat, which can be further boosted by Nasty Plot. Unfortuantely, this means that Cacturne loses out on Sucker Punch, which is one of its biggest selling points. As a result, specially-based Cacturne are far easier to revenge kill as they rarely run Sucker Punch. Cacturne can also run a Choice set, being able to utilize Choice Band, Choice Specs, and even Choice Scarf. With Switcheroo, Cacturne can cripple walls and switch around items. Unfortunately, Switcheroo is illegal with Bullet Seed, and a Choice-locked Cacturne loses its ability to effectively Spikes-stack. Cacturne can also run a decent SubPunch set which hits extremely hard off its base 115 Attack stat; however, Cacturne can rarely set up a Substitute safely, and it would be better off using the spare turn to either set up Spikes or boost its stats. Grasswhistle round out Cacturne's rather shallow movepool. Keep in mind that Grasswhistle is extremely inaccurate and is likely to miss almost half the time.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Cacturne's reliance on Sucker Punch means that certain Pokemon can take advantage of it. Quiver Dancing Bug-types or Substitute users, such as Butterfree or Haunter, can both set up on Cacturne as it tries, in vain, to strike with Sucker Punch. Both resist Cacturne's Grass-type STAB move, which enables them to set up with ease. The only hope Cacturne has is if it can Encore their setup move or have perfect prediction with Sucker Punch. Fighting-types also spell doom for Cacturne, as they resist its Sucker Punch; faster Fighting-types such as Sawk and Emboar can strike Cacturne down with STAB Fighting- or Fire-type moves, while Gurdurr can easily set up multiple Bulk Ups on Cacturne. Being a scarecrow, it is quite ironic that Cacturne fears birds such as Braviary and Murkrow. Braviary can devastate Cacturne with Brave Bird, although a boosted Sucker Punch KOes it after Stealth Rock. Murkrow is even more dangerous, as it resists both of Cacturne's STAB moves, can prevent Spikes with Taunt, and finish off Cacturne with Brave Bird. Due to Cacturne's excellent Attack stat and access to Swords Dance, it can be hard to wall Cacturne; however, the premier physical wall of NU, Tangela, can easily put a stop to Cacturne's sweeping attempts. It can even take a +6 Sucker Punch and cut down Cacturne with Hidden Power Ice or put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. Tangela does have to be wary of the rare specially based sets since they target Tangela's vulnerable Special Defense stat. Armaldo also counters Cacturne, taking a +2 Bullet Seed and retaliating with a powerful X-Scissor. Armaldo can also use Rapid Spin to blow away Cacturne's Spikes. Although Cacturne is rarely able to sweep a team, the Spikes it lays down can be far harder to get rid of, so Rapid Spin users are always helpful when facing Cacturne.</p>
