Cacnea
Quality Control 2/2 [Skynet, Elevator Music]
Grammar Prose 2/2 [CalmPokemaster, Aeron Ee1]
[Overview]
<p>Cacnea is a Little Cup veteran and a force to be reckoned with. Although Cacnea is rarely seen on the battlefield, it is still a good choice on any sandstorm team used in Little Cup. Good offensive STABs make Cacnea very threatening once it sets up. With great offensive capabilities, a movepool to fit it, an excellent priority move in the form of Sucker Punch, and access to reliable STAB moves such as Seed Bomb, Cacnea is sure to pull its weight.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed / Substitute
move 4: Drain Punch / Focus Punch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This is basically the best and only real way to go with Cacnea. Swords Dance boosts Cacnea's Attack stat to impressive levels. Sucker Punch is the most important move, as with high Base Power and priority, Cacnea will be dealing a ton of damage before the opponent can even hit it. The rest of the set is decided by how much you want to rely on Sand Veil and prediction. Life Orb is the default option whereas Oran Berry further backs up Sand Veil if you try to test your luck. Of course, for this set to work at optimal efficiency, Hippopotas or another means of bringing out the sandstorm is a must. Croagunk and Houndour can be a real problem for this set, so Pokemon with powerful Water- and Flying-type attacks, such as Frillish and Tailow, are helpful. Oran Berry is viable on this set, as it can buy you extra opportunities to use Substitute while you try and snag a miss because of Sand Veil.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Swords Dance and Sucker Punch are a must for this set, but the rest of the set can vary a lot depending on your own preferences. Bullet Seed gets STAB, and helps with coverage, but Substitute can work well with Sand Veil to possibly buy you a free turn. Drain Punch heals Cacnea along with providing coverage, but Focus Punch is generally preferred due to its massive Base Power. If you decide to run Substitute, then using Focus Punch and BrightPowder is the way to go with Cacnea. Leech Seed is also usable on this set, as it keeps Cacnea's health up while you're using Substitute to maximize its abuse of Sand Veil.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The Swords Dance set is the only really effective set Cacnea has going for it, but that's not to say Cacnea doesn't have a variety of other viable options. Cacnea has access to Nasty Plot, but with such a mediocre Speed stat and no reliable priority, it is really lackluster. Growth can be used over Swords Dance to turn Cacnea into a mixed sweeper of sorts, though the Swords Dance set is normally better regardless. Seed Bomb is an acceptable alternative to Bullet Seed if you want a more stable STAB attack, but there is only a 25% chance that Seed Bomb will do more damage than Bullet Seed at any given turn. Oran Berry is a pretty decent item choice on Cacnea as well, especially if Cacnea is running Substitute. Cacnea can use Spikes to help support the team. Cacnea can use Destiny Bond as well, although being as slow as it is, making it work right can be downright tedious in a tier flooded with fast sweepers. Magic Coat, Encore, Switcheroo, and Grasswhistle are available as well, although they have little use or reliability in most situations.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Croagunk and Houndour are the best way to deal with our cactus friend, resisting most of its moves and able to retaliate with powerful STAB moves. If Cacnea doesn't have a Substitute up, any Pokemon that resists or survives Sucker Punch can bust through Cacnea's mediocre defenses. Koffing can status Cacnea and effectively check it as well. Cottonee can Encore most of Cacnea's moves to safely handle it. Mienfoo can check it as well.</p>
