Alright, this is the Cacturne revamp. Not quite finished yet, but it will be done soon.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cacturne
Status: COMPLETE! (ready for uploading)
Still need to do:
Evasive Dancer - DONE
Pure Swords Dancer - DONE
Lead Spiker - DONE
Evasive Seeder - DONE
Team Options - DONE
Other Options - DONE
EVs - DONE
Opinion - DONE
Counters - DONE
[Overview]
<p>Cacturne is one of the most annoying Pokemon to combat, specifically when it's in the sand. One missed attack could be game over, as all Cacturne needs is one turn of Swords Dance set up to sweep most teams. It's one of the most threatening Swords Dance sweepers in UU, as it boasts the strongest (tied with ExtremeSpeed) priority move in the game, Sucker Punch; a solid movepool to back it up; and an excellent Attack stat. Cacturne's attacking stats are equal, so it can even run a special or mixed set.</p>
<p>Even though Cacturne is an extremely powerful sweeper, it has its downsides. Cacturne's paper-thin defenses and low Speed really hinder its effectiveness to sweep, and it is therefore very reliant on both its ability, Sand Veil, and perfect prediction to gain opportunities to set up. One misprediction may cost Cacturne's life. To activate Sand Veil, is commonly paired with Hippopotas, who can to set up a permanent sandstorm.</p>
[SET]
name: Evasive Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Substitute / Encore
move 4: Focus Punch / Seed Bomb
item: BrightPowder / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Evasive Dancer is Cacturne’s most threatening offensive set, capable of sweeping entire teams with relative ease. Boasting one of the strongest priority moves in the game, a high base 115 Attack stat, and one of the most annoying abilities, Cacturne needs only a couple of Swords Dance boosts before it can OHKO a large portion of the UU metagame.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is obviously the most important move for this set’s success, boosting Cacturne’s Attack to a sky-high 722. Sucker Punch is Cacturne's primary STAB option; its priority gives it insurance against a number of faster foes. For the last two slots, use Substitute with Focus Punch and Seed Bomb with Encore. An intact Substitute will prevent the opponent from interrupting Cacturne's Focus Punch, and Cacturne can easily set one up if the opponent attempts to avoid Sucker Punch by using non-attacking moves. Encore does not provide the same amount of security that Substitute does, so Seed Bomb is recommended if you opt for Encore. Swords Dance, Encore, and Sucker Punch is an outstanding combination. If your opponent even thinks about stalling Sucker Punch’s PP by using indirect attacks, you can use Encore and gain a free turn to Swords Dance as they switch out. If the opponent attempts to avoid Encore by attacking, then you can hit them with Sucker Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>To demonstrate the power a Swords Danced Sucker Punch has, below are several damage calculations.</p>
<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>28 HP / 0 Def Adamant Feraligatr: 82% - 97%</li>
<li>152 HP / 80 Def Modest Milotic: 78% - 93%</li>
<li>0 HP / 40 Def Modest Moltres: 85% - 101%</li>
<li>0 HP / 4 Def Adamant Torterra: 76% - 90%</li>
<li>4 HP / 0 Def Adamant Venusaur: 102% - 120%</li>
</ul>
<p>The item choice is going to reflect the third move you choose. BrightPowder, with Sand Veil activated, reduces the accuracy of 100% accurate moves to a mere 72%. It works exceptionally well with Substitute, since Cacturne can potentially score a free Substitute as the opponent’s attack misses. Leftovers is also a good option if you choose to use Substitute, allowing you to set up an extra Substitute. Life Orb makes Cacturne's attacks much more painful; Sucker Punch will be capable of OHKOing sweepers that even resist it, with Stealth Rock in play, such as Primeape, Toxicroak, and Hitmonlee. Life Orb can work well even if you choose Substitute, but Cacturne's HP will be dropping fast, so it’s best to try and avoid using Substitute if you opt for Life Orb.</p>
<p>Cacturne and Hippopotas are basically brothers. Hippopotas is the only Pokemon in UU who can summon an everlasting sandstorm, which Cacturne needs to abuse its Sand Veil ability. It can also up Stealth Rock, which can turn many of Cacturne's near OHKOs into solid OHKOs. Spikes support is also recommended for that reason. Qwilfish's reasonably high Speed makes it a great Spikes supporter; it can set up a couple of layers before being KOed. It also resists Cacturne's weaknesses to Fighting-, Ice-, and Fire-type moves, while Cacturne resists Electric- and Ground-type attacks and is immune to Psychic-type attacks aimed at Qwilfish. A bigger reason to use Qwilfish is because it can absorb Toxic Spikes set up by the opponent, an entry hazard that greatly drains Cacturne’s effectiveness.</p>
[SET]
name: Pure Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Brick Break
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the Evasive Dancer set, Cacturne attempts to utilize Swords Dance to its fullest potential by using it in an all-out offensive set, rather than taking up a moveslot to abuse Substitute or Encore.</p>
<p>Swords Dance makes Cacturne twice as threatening, boosting its already-high Attack stat to even higher levels. Sucker Punch obliterates a huge portion of the UU metagame, and it’s strong enough to OHKO some Pokemon that even resist it, such as Primeape and Toxicroak. Seed Bomb hurts Pokemon such as Slowbro and Spiritomb who can avoid Sucker Punch through indirect moves. Finally, Brick Break can dispose of bulky Steel- and Dark-types, mainly Registeel and Houndoom, and can break any screens the opponent has set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stealth Rock support is strongly suggested when using Swords Dance Cacturne, since it can turn many of its 2HKOs into guaranteed OHKOs. Although not as important, sandstorm support can be helful, boosting Cacturne's evasion by 20%. Hippopotas can fit both of those roles. Even though Cacturne is a very powerful Swords Dancer, it does come across problems. Hitmontop, Moltres, and Drapion are a few examples of Pokemon who can put an end to Cacturne’s sweep. Hitmontop has the ability Intimidate, which cuts Cacturne’s Attack in half, and can easily finish it off with Mach Punch; Moltres can set up Substitute as Cacturne uses Sucker Punch and can take it down from there with Toxic or Flamethrower; and Drapion can take Sucker Punch with ease and proceed to destroy Cacturne with Cross Poison. To deal with these aforementioned threats, Milotic should be considered, specifically a RestTalk variant. Milotic has the bulk to take on all three threats, though it cannot reliably counter Swords Dance Drapion. If you are deathly afraid of Swords Dance Drapion, Donphan is capable of surviving its moves and finishing it off with Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Encore
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Seed Bomb / Protect
item: Focus Sash
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cacturne is often seen as an extremely dangerous Swords Dance sweeper; however, this set attempts to utilize two of Cacturne’s generally overlooked moves: Spikes and Encore. Both of those moves, combined with Sucker Punch, allow Cacturne to spill out multiple layers of Spikes and lock the opponent into a non-damaging move with Encore if they try to avoid a hard-hitting Sucker Punch. It's also one of the very few Pokemon who can set up Spikes but still retain some offensive prowess, meaning Cacturne can easily fit into an offensive team in need of some extra hazards support.</p>
<p>Spikes and Encore are the two important moves on this set. Encore in particular is what makes Cacturne much more effective, since it's capable of trapping opposing leads into repeating an indirect move, such as Stealth Rock, which buys Cacturne time to throw out more Spikes. Also, Sucker Punch, as mentioned before, works extremely well in tandem with Encore. The last moveslot is open to Seed Bomb or Protect. Seed Bomb is an excellent secondary STAB move and gives Cacturne a surefire way to hit the opposing Pokemon, while Protect allows Cacturne to scout the opponent's moves and also helps immensely against Fake Out leads, such as Ambipom and Persian.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If Cacturne lacks Protect, Ambipom and Persian will be the bane of this set, especially if they have Taunt. Their powerful Fake Out attacks will knock off Cacturne’s Focus Sash and deal a huge amount of damage, followed by Return to finish it off. Moltres and Arcanine are also common leads that can come on top of Cacturne; the former beats it down with Fire Blast, while the latter destroys it with Flare Blitz and ExtremeSpeed. With that being said, it’s recommended to pack Pokemon that can deal with these threats; otherwise Cacturne will have a hard time doing its job. Rhyperior is definitely a worthy switch-in to both Ambipom and Persian, as its high Defense lets it take hits like a champ, and it's never OHKOed by the occasional Low Kick from Ambipom. This gives it the perfect opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish, and it still retains that offensive momentum your team would be looking for. To deal with the two Fire-types, Azumarill works like a charm. It can easily switch into their Fire-type attacks and can destroy them with Aqua Jet. It's also definitely recommended to use sweepers who can take advantage of the Spikes Cacturne sets up, especially ones who can turn their 2HKOs into solid OHKOs. Blaziken, Swellow, and Aggron are great examples of such Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Evasive SubSeeder
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Focus Punch
item: BrightPowder / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cacturne really takes the SubSeed combination to the next level. With sandstorm support, Cacturne becomes an extremely threatening SubSeeder, as the opponent has a good chance for their attacks to miss. This gives Cacturne many opportunities to set up Substitute without taking any damage and proceed to cripple the opponent with Leech Seed. Not only that, but it also boasts the strongest priority move in the game (tying with ExtremeSpeed), Sucker Punch, as well as a powerful Focus Punch, all of which are backed up by a high base 115 Attack stat. There aren’t many Pokemon who possess all of these traits, which makes Cacturne a primary choice when it comes to selecting an effective Leech Seeder.</p>
<p>Leech Seed is obviously the crux of this set’s success, sapping 12% of the opposing Pokemon’s HP every turn. Substitute is an excellent move to take advantage of Leech Seed and also blocks status, preventing them from draining Cacturne’s effectiveness. Since Substitute generally encourages the opponent to attack, Sucker Punch becomes extremely helpful in those situations. Focus Punch rounds off the set nicely, and since Substitute gives Cacturne protection against attacks, Focus Punch is almost guaranteed to work.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>BrightPowder and Leftovers are both excellent items to use, so it's difficult to decide on which item is better for you. BrightPowder increases Cacturne's evasion, which makes it much harder for the opponent to land a hit on Cacturne. This gives it many opportunities to set up Substitute without taking any damage and use Leech Seed to restore the health lost, not to mention how frustrating it will be your opponent to break the Substitute as well. On the other hand, Leftovers gives added HP recovery, letting Cacturne restore a total of 18% of its health each turn, assuming the opponent has been hit by Leech Seed. This helps Cacturne set up more Substitutes than usual and restore more health each turn, which is very beneficial for a SubSeeder. As said before, both items are perfectly viable, so it's really up to personal preference when deciding which one to use.</p>
<p>Sandstorm support is almost mandatory when using this set, as it makes Cacturne's job much more effective; the ability to set up free Substitutes is too much to throw away. With that being said, Hippopotas immediately comes to mind, summoning an everlasting sandstorm. Besides sandstorm support, Cacturne experiences a couple of problems when it comes to SubSeeding. The biggest issue is Grass-types that share a typing that makes them resist Focus Punch, such as Jumpluff and Venusaur. Jumpluff can easily hit Cacturne with Encore, making Cacturne close to useless in that situation, while Venusaur can keep setting up Swords Dance as Cacturne tries to Sucker Punch. Houndoom and Blaziken can effectively handle the aforementioned threats, blazing them with their STAB Fire-type attacks. Another big issue is Toxic Spikes, because they immediately make Cacturne less effective upon switching into them. Poison-types are recommended to absorb them, and Drapion and Toxicroak can do just that. Also, both Drapion and Toxicroak can set up Swords Dance and attempt to finish off the opponent's weakened team from Cacturne's Leech Seed, so Cacturne and them have great synergy with each other.<p>
[Team Options]
<p>Hippopotas is the greatest teammate Cacturne can hope for. Its permanent sandstorm gives Cacturne many more opportunities to set up without taking any damage, which it really enjoys due to its poor defenses. Hippopotas can also set up Stealth Rock, which turns many of Cacturne's OHKOs into solid OHKOs. Spikes support is also recommended due to this factor. Qwilfish is a reasonable option for setting up multiple layers of Spikes. It boasts a relatively high Speed stat, keeps the offensive momentum going, and has the typing to absorb Toxic Spikes, which can greatly cripple Cacturne's effectiveness.</p>
<p>Ghost-types, such as Mismagius and Rotom, can prove to be troublesome for Cacturne, as they can use Will-O-Wisp or set up Substitutes as Cacturne attempts to obliterate them with Sucker Punch. Spiritomb deserves to be considered because of this problem; it is resistant to Shadow Ball and neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, can Rest off any status taken, and finish them off with its STAB Dark Pulse.</p>
<p>Toxicroak, Hitmontop, and Arcanine are massive problems to Cacturne. Toxicroak resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can use Vacuum Wave to outpace Cacturne's Sucker Punch and KO Cacturne; Hitmontop's Intimidate, resistance to Sucker Punch, and access to Mach Punch will easily end Cacturne's sweep; and Arcanine has Intimidate, a resistance to Seed Bomb, and ExtremeSpeed to make Cacturne's Sucker Punch fail. It's recommended to carry Pokemon that can defeat some, if not all, of these threats, or else Cacturne will have a hard time sweeping. Milotic is capable of handling all three to a reasonable extent, restoring any damage taken with Recover and retaliating with Ice Beam against Toxicroak[still, Milotic is not a very good Toxicroak counter] and Surf or Hydro Pump against Hitmontop and Arcanine. Slowbro is another great Pokemon to handle these threats, as it packs high defensive bulk, an instant recovery move in Slack Off, Psychic to destroy Toxicroak and Hitmontop, and Surf to bring down Arcanine. Also, Slowbro and Milotic are great at taking various priority moves, such as Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, and ExtremeSpeed, that threaten Cacturne.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Cacturne can effectively make use of Destiny Bond to bring down the opposing Pokemon along with it. Endure, Focus Punch, and a Salac Berry are excellent options in conjunction with Destiny Bond, guaranteeing that Cacturne brings down at least one or two of the opponent's Pokemon. The execution of the set is rather simple: once Cacturne is about to be hit by an attack that will KO it, use Endure to activate its Salac Berry. Once that has been accomplished, proceed to use Destiny Bond to attempt to bring down the opposing Pokemon or fire off powerful Focus Punches if they try to avoid Destiny Bond's effect.</p>
<p>Choice Band and Choice Specs are decent items that Cacturne can abuse. With Choice Band, Cacturne can use a set consisting of Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, Superpower, and Payback to great effectiveness. The only drawbacks to using Choice Band Cacturne are its pitiful Speed and defenses and the fact that being locked into Sucker Punch opens up many opportunities for the opponent to set up, not to mention its lackluster physical movepool. Choice Specs Cacturne with a set of Dark Pulse, Energy Ball, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Fire is also quite effective. However, it experiences nearly the same problem as Choice Band Cacturne. Its below average Speed and terrible defensive stats makes it difficult for Cacturne to do its job at sweeping. Choice Scarf Cacturne is not very viable, because its Speed only reaches a maximum of 343 with a positive Speed nature, which is still low for a Scarfer. Its offensive stats will also be lower than usual, which means Cacturne will not be as threatening.</p>
<p>Nasty Plot Cacturne is probably Cacturne's most threatening special set, boosting its Special Attack to absurd levels. It can also abuse powerful STAB Dark Pulse and Energy Ball attacks, along with Focus Blast to achieve excellent type coverage. This is where the praise is cut short, however, as Cacturne's middling Speed, lack of special priority moves, and horrible defensive stats won't give it many opportunities to set up and sweep. Swords Dance Cacturne is almost always better than Nasty Plot Cacturne, since it has access to a powerful priority move, Sucker Punch, and strong physical moves, such as Focus Punch. Also, Houndoom can pull off a much better Nasty Plot set than Cacturne ever will, as it has higher Speed and excellent offensive typing. A mixed Nasty Plot set can be proven useful because Cacturne can then use Sucker Punch to deal with faster foes; however, it is still usually an inferior Swords Dance Cacturne and mixed Nasty Plot Houndoom.</p>
<p>Counter can be used in tandem with a Focus Sash to eliminate strong physical attackers. Drain Punch can be very helpful on Swords Dance Cacturne, restoring large amounts of its HP that it might've lost. Faint Attack and Payback are alternative Dark-type moves Cacturne can use alongside Sucker Punch, but it's usually not recommended. Low Kick has its uses against heavy Pokemon, such as Steelix and Aggron. Needle Arm can always be used instead of Seed Bomb, despite its 20 less Base Power, as it has a 30% flinch rate; however, Cacturne needs all the power it can get, so Seed Bomb is generally the better way to go. Revenge can be useful because of Cacturne's low Speed, but since it has pathetic defenses, it may not be able to survive the opposing Pokemon's attack. Giga Drain and Grass Knot are viable options for a special-based Cacturne, the former restoring health and the latter having the ability to hit for 120 Base Power against heavy foes. Lastly, ThunderPunch is capable of hurting Flying-types like Honchkrow and Moltres that cause Cacturne trouble.</p>
<p>Cacturne has several supportive moves it can use to its advantage as well. Cotton Spore can lower the opposing Pokemon's Speed by two stages so Cacturne has a chance to outpace them. Grasswhistle, despite its poor accuracy, can be used to put Cacturne's counters and checks to sleep. Ingrain can be used on the SubSeeder set, giving Cacturne even more HP recovery per turn. Magic Coat helps block status, especially Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, from the likes of Weezing and Dusclops. Finally, Spite can reduce the opponent's PP and can be especially helpful on Cacturne with sandstorm support, and Swagger can power up the opponent's Attack and make them hit themselves in confusion for bigger damage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Any Pokemon that is faster than Cacturne and has access to Encore can easily shut it down. Jumpluff and Alakazam are excellent examples of Pokemon that can switch into Cacturne as it uses Substitute, Swords Dance, or Sucker Punch and use Encore to force Cacturne out. Fast Encore users are one of the most valuable counters to Cacturne, since Cacturne is full of setting up and firing off Sucker Punches. Pokemon that can use Substitute to avoid Sucker Punch are also excellent options, especially if they resist or are immune to Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, as they can set up Substitute once Cacturne uses Sucker Punch and proceed to finish it off with their respective moves. Espeon, Raikou, and Feraligatr are perfect examples of this, the former two being able to boost their stats via Calm Mind, while the latter can use Dragon Dance or Swords Dance; or, they can go straight for the kill once they've successfully set up a Substitute.</p>
<p>Mismagius and Rotom may seem like bad choices to use against Cacturne, but they are actually quite effective. Each of them are capable of burning Cacturne with Will-O-Wisp or setting up a Substitute as Cacturne uses Sucker Punch; however, prediction is required at this point, since if the opponent can win the match-up by playing Cacturne smartly, such as by using Seed Bomb on Substitute. Drifblim deserves a special mention due to its resistance to Seed Bomb, making it a viable Ghost-type to use against Cacturne as well. Weezing works nearly the same way. With its high Defense, access to Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split, a super effective Flamethrower, in conjunction with its resistance to Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, it can threaten Cacturne instantly.</p>
<p>Toxicroak is one of the best counters to Cacturne, as it is resistant to the common moves Cacturne uses, such as Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, and Focus Punch. It also has access to Vacuum Wave, which it can use to avoid Sucker Punch, since a Swords Dance boosted Sucker Punch from Cacturne will still do heavy damage to Toxicroak. Hitmontop and Arcanine are also excellent switch-ins to Cacturne. They both have Intimidate to lower Cacturne's Attack, decent defensive stats to take neutral hits, and priority moves to make Cacturne's Sucker Punch fail.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cacturne
Status: COMPLETE! (ready for uploading)
Still need to do:
Evasive Dancer - DONE
Pure Swords Dancer - DONE
Lead Spiker - DONE
Evasive Seeder - DONE
Team Options - DONE
Other Options - DONE
EVs - DONE
Opinion - DONE
Counters - DONE
[Overview]
<p>Cacturne is one of the most annoying Pokemon to combat, specifically when it's in the sand. One missed attack could be game over, as all Cacturne needs is one turn of Swords Dance set up to sweep most teams. It's one of the most threatening Swords Dance sweepers in UU, as it boasts the strongest (tied with ExtremeSpeed) priority move in the game, Sucker Punch; a solid movepool to back it up; and an excellent Attack stat. Cacturne's attacking stats are equal, so it can even run a special or mixed set.</p>
<p>Even though Cacturne is an extremely powerful sweeper, it has its downsides. Cacturne's paper-thin defenses and low Speed really hinder its effectiveness to sweep, and it is therefore very reliant on both its ability, Sand Veil, and perfect prediction to gain opportunities to set up. One misprediction may cost Cacturne's life. To activate Sand Veil, is commonly paired with Hippopotas, who can to set up a permanent sandstorm.</p>
[SET]
name: Evasive Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Substitute / Encore
move 4: Focus Punch / Seed Bomb
item: BrightPowder / Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Evasive Dancer is Cacturne’s most threatening offensive set, capable of sweeping entire teams with relative ease. Boasting one of the strongest priority moves in the game, a high base 115 Attack stat, and one of the most annoying abilities, Cacturne needs only a couple of Swords Dance boosts before it can OHKO a large portion of the UU metagame.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is obviously the most important move for this set’s success, boosting Cacturne’s Attack to a sky-high 722. Sucker Punch is Cacturne's primary STAB option; its priority gives it insurance against a number of faster foes. For the last two slots, use Substitute with Focus Punch and Seed Bomb with Encore. An intact Substitute will prevent the opponent from interrupting Cacturne's Focus Punch, and Cacturne can easily set one up if the opponent attempts to avoid Sucker Punch by using non-attacking moves. Encore does not provide the same amount of security that Substitute does, so Seed Bomb is recommended if you opt for Encore. Swords Dance, Encore, and Sucker Punch is an outstanding combination. If your opponent even thinks about stalling Sucker Punch’s PP by using indirect attacks, you can use Encore and gain a free turn to Swords Dance as they switch out. If the opponent attempts to avoid Encore by attacking, then you can hit them with Sucker Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>To demonstrate the power a Swords Danced Sucker Punch has, below are several damage calculations.</p>
<ul class=”damage_calculation”>
<li>28 HP / 0 Def Adamant Feraligatr: 82% - 97%</li>
<li>152 HP / 80 Def Modest Milotic: 78% - 93%</li>
<li>0 HP / 40 Def Modest Moltres: 85% - 101%</li>
<li>0 HP / 4 Def Adamant Torterra: 76% - 90%</li>
<li>4 HP / 0 Def Adamant Venusaur: 102% - 120%</li>
</ul>
<p>The item choice is going to reflect the third move you choose. BrightPowder, with Sand Veil activated, reduces the accuracy of 100% accurate moves to a mere 72%. It works exceptionally well with Substitute, since Cacturne can potentially score a free Substitute as the opponent’s attack misses. Leftovers is also a good option if you choose to use Substitute, allowing you to set up an extra Substitute. Life Orb makes Cacturne's attacks much more painful; Sucker Punch will be capable of OHKOing sweepers that even resist it, with Stealth Rock in play, such as Primeape, Toxicroak, and Hitmonlee. Life Orb can work well even if you choose Substitute, but Cacturne's HP will be dropping fast, so it’s best to try and avoid using Substitute if you opt for Life Orb.</p>
<p>Cacturne and Hippopotas are basically brothers. Hippopotas is the only Pokemon in UU who can summon an everlasting sandstorm, which Cacturne needs to abuse its Sand Veil ability. It can also up Stealth Rock, which can turn many of Cacturne's near OHKOs into solid OHKOs. Spikes support is also recommended for that reason. Qwilfish's reasonably high Speed makes it a great Spikes supporter; it can set up a couple of layers before being KOed. It also resists Cacturne's weaknesses to Fighting-, Ice-, and Fire-type moves, while Cacturne resists Electric- and Ground-type attacks and is immune to Psychic-type attacks aimed at Qwilfish. A bigger reason to use Qwilfish is because it can absorb Toxic Spikes set up by the opponent, an entry hazard that greatly drains Cacturne’s effectiveness.</p>
[SET]
name: Pure Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Brick Break
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the Evasive Dancer set, Cacturne attempts to utilize Swords Dance to its fullest potential by using it in an all-out offensive set, rather than taking up a moveslot to abuse Substitute or Encore.</p>
<p>Swords Dance makes Cacturne twice as threatening, boosting its already-high Attack stat to even higher levels. Sucker Punch obliterates a huge portion of the UU metagame, and it’s strong enough to OHKO some Pokemon that even resist it, such as Primeape and Toxicroak. Seed Bomb hurts Pokemon such as Slowbro and Spiritomb who can avoid Sucker Punch through indirect moves. Finally, Brick Break can dispose of bulky Steel- and Dark-types, mainly Registeel and Houndoom, and can break any screens the opponent has set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stealth Rock support is strongly suggested when using Swords Dance Cacturne, since it can turn many of its 2HKOs into guaranteed OHKOs. Although not as important, sandstorm support can be helful, boosting Cacturne's evasion by 20%. Hippopotas can fit both of those roles. Even though Cacturne is a very powerful Swords Dancer, it does come across problems. Hitmontop, Moltres, and Drapion are a few examples of Pokemon who can put an end to Cacturne’s sweep. Hitmontop has the ability Intimidate, which cuts Cacturne’s Attack in half, and can easily finish it off with Mach Punch; Moltres can set up Substitute as Cacturne uses Sucker Punch and can take it down from there with Toxic or Flamethrower; and Drapion can take Sucker Punch with ease and proceed to destroy Cacturne with Cross Poison. To deal with these aforementioned threats, Milotic should be considered, specifically a RestTalk variant. Milotic has the bulk to take on all three threats, though it cannot reliably counter Swords Dance Drapion. If you are deathly afraid of Swords Dance Drapion, Donphan is capable of surviving its moves and finishing it off with Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Encore
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Seed Bomb / Protect
item: Focus Sash
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cacturne is often seen as an extremely dangerous Swords Dance sweeper; however, this set attempts to utilize two of Cacturne’s generally overlooked moves: Spikes and Encore. Both of those moves, combined with Sucker Punch, allow Cacturne to spill out multiple layers of Spikes and lock the opponent into a non-damaging move with Encore if they try to avoid a hard-hitting Sucker Punch. It's also one of the very few Pokemon who can set up Spikes but still retain some offensive prowess, meaning Cacturne can easily fit into an offensive team in need of some extra hazards support.</p>
<p>Spikes and Encore are the two important moves on this set. Encore in particular is what makes Cacturne much more effective, since it's capable of trapping opposing leads into repeating an indirect move, such as Stealth Rock, which buys Cacturne time to throw out more Spikes. Also, Sucker Punch, as mentioned before, works extremely well in tandem with Encore. The last moveslot is open to Seed Bomb or Protect. Seed Bomb is an excellent secondary STAB move and gives Cacturne a surefire way to hit the opposing Pokemon, while Protect allows Cacturne to scout the opponent's moves and also helps immensely against Fake Out leads, such as Ambipom and Persian.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If Cacturne lacks Protect, Ambipom and Persian will be the bane of this set, especially if they have Taunt. Their powerful Fake Out attacks will knock off Cacturne’s Focus Sash and deal a huge amount of damage, followed by Return to finish it off. Moltres and Arcanine are also common leads that can come on top of Cacturne; the former beats it down with Fire Blast, while the latter destroys it with Flare Blitz and ExtremeSpeed. With that being said, it’s recommended to pack Pokemon that can deal with these threats; otherwise Cacturne will have a hard time doing its job. Rhyperior is definitely a worthy switch-in to both Ambipom and Persian, as its high Defense lets it take hits like a champ, and it's never OHKOed by the occasional Low Kick from Ambipom. This gives it the perfect opportunity to set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish, and it still retains that offensive momentum your team would be looking for. To deal with the two Fire-types, Azumarill works like a charm. It can easily switch into their Fire-type attacks and can destroy them with Aqua Jet. It's also definitely recommended to use sweepers who can take advantage of the Spikes Cacturne sets up, especially ones who can turn their 2HKOs into solid OHKOs. Blaziken, Swellow, and Aggron are great examples of such Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Evasive SubSeeder
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Focus Punch
item: BrightPowder / Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cacturne really takes the SubSeed combination to the next level. With sandstorm support, Cacturne becomes an extremely threatening SubSeeder, as the opponent has a good chance for their attacks to miss. This gives Cacturne many opportunities to set up Substitute without taking any damage and proceed to cripple the opponent with Leech Seed. Not only that, but it also boasts the strongest priority move in the game (tying with ExtremeSpeed), Sucker Punch, as well as a powerful Focus Punch, all of which are backed up by a high base 115 Attack stat. There aren’t many Pokemon who possess all of these traits, which makes Cacturne a primary choice when it comes to selecting an effective Leech Seeder.</p>
<p>Leech Seed is obviously the crux of this set’s success, sapping 12% of the opposing Pokemon’s HP every turn. Substitute is an excellent move to take advantage of Leech Seed and also blocks status, preventing them from draining Cacturne’s effectiveness. Since Substitute generally encourages the opponent to attack, Sucker Punch becomes extremely helpful in those situations. Focus Punch rounds off the set nicely, and since Substitute gives Cacturne protection against attacks, Focus Punch is almost guaranteed to work.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>BrightPowder and Leftovers are both excellent items to use, so it's difficult to decide on which item is better for you. BrightPowder increases Cacturne's evasion, which makes it much harder for the opponent to land a hit on Cacturne. This gives it many opportunities to set up Substitute without taking any damage and use Leech Seed to restore the health lost, not to mention how frustrating it will be your opponent to break the Substitute as well. On the other hand, Leftovers gives added HP recovery, letting Cacturne restore a total of 18% of its health each turn, assuming the opponent has been hit by Leech Seed. This helps Cacturne set up more Substitutes than usual and restore more health each turn, which is very beneficial for a SubSeeder. As said before, both items are perfectly viable, so it's really up to personal preference when deciding which one to use.</p>
<p>Sandstorm support is almost mandatory when using this set, as it makes Cacturne's job much more effective; the ability to set up free Substitutes is too much to throw away. With that being said, Hippopotas immediately comes to mind, summoning an everlasting sandstorm. Besides sandstorm support, Cacturne experiences a couple of problems when it comes to SubSeeding. The biggest issue is Grass-types that share a typing that makes them resist Focus Punch, such as Jumpluff and Venusaur. Jumpluff can easily hit Cacturne with Encore, making Cacturne close to useless in that situation, while Venusaur can keep setting up Swords Dance as Cacturne tries to Sucker Punch. Houndoom and Blaziken can effectively handle the aforementioned threats, blazing them with their STAB Fire-type attacks. Another big issue is Toxic Spikes, because they immediately make Cacturne less effective upon switching into them. Poison-types are recommended to absorb them, and Drapion and Toxicroak can do just that. Also, both Drapion and Toxicroak can set up Swords Dance and attempt to finish off the opponent's weakened team from Cacturne's Leech Seed, so Cacturne and them have great synergy with each other.<p>
[Team Options]
<p>Hippopotas is the greatest teammate Cacturne can hope for. Its permanent sandstorm gives Cacturne many more opportunities to set up without taking any damage, which it really enjoys due to its poor defenses. Hippopotas can also set up Stealth Rock, which turns many of Cacturne's OHKOs into solid OHKOs. Spikes support is also recommended due to this factor. Qwilfish is a reasonable option for setting up multiple layers of Spikes. It boasts a relatively high Speed stat, keeps the offensive momentum going, and has the typing to absorb Toxic Spikes, which can greatly cripple Cacturne's effectiveness.</p>
<p>Ghost-types, such as Mismagius and Rotom, can prove to be troublesome for Cacturne, as they can use Will-O-Wisp or set up Substitutes as Cacturne attempts to obliterate them with Sucker Punch. Spiritomb deserves to be considered because of this problem; it is resistant to Shadow Ball and neutral to Hidden Power Fighting, can Rest off any status taken, and finish them off with its STAB Dark Pulse.</p>
<p>Toxicroak, Hitmontop, and Arcanine are massive problems to Cacturne. Toxicroak resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can use Vacuum Wave to outpace Cacturne's Sucker Punch and KO Cacturne; Hitmontop's Intimidate, resistance to Sucker Punch, and access to Mach Punch will easily end Cacturne's sweep; and Arcanine has Intimidate, a resistance to Seed Bomb, and ExtremeSpeed to make Cacturne's Sucker Punch fail. It's recommended to carry Pokemon that can defeat some, if not all, of these threats, or else Cacturne will have a hard time sweeping. Milotic is capable of handling all three to a reasonable extent, restoring any damage taken with Recover and retaliating with Ice Beam against Toxicroak[still, Milotic is not a very good Toxicroak counter] and Surf or Hydro Pump against Hitmontop and Arcanine. Slowbro is another great Pokemon to handle these threats, as it packs high defensive bulk, an instant recovery move in Slack Off, Psychic to destroy Toxicroak and Hitmontop, and Surf to bring down Arcanine. Also, Slowbro and Milotic are great at taking various priority moves, such as Vacuum Wave, Mach Punch, and ExtremeSpeed, that threaten Cacturne.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Cacturne can effectively make use of Destiny Bond to bring down the opposing Pokemon along with it. Endure, Focus Punch, and a Salac Berry are excellent options in conjunction with Destiny Bond, guaranteeing that Cacturne brings down at least one or two of the opponent's Pokemon. The execution of the set is rather simple: once Cacturne is about to be hit by an attack that will KO it, use Endure to activate its Salac Berry. Once that has been accomplished, proceed to use Destiny Bond to attempt to bring down the opposing Pokemon or fire off powerful Focus Punches if they try to avoid Destiny Bond's effect.</p>
<p>Choice Band and Choice Specs are decent items that Cacturne can abuse. With Choice Band, Cacturne can use a set consisting of Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, Superpower, and Payback to great effectiveness. The only drawbacks to using Choice Band Cacturne are its pitiful Speed and defenses and the fact that being locked into Sucker Punch opens up many opportunities for the opponent to set up, not to mention its lackluster physical movepool. Choice Specs Cacturne with a set of Dark Pulse, Energy Ball, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Fire is also quite effective. However, it experiences nearly the same problem as Choice Band Cacturne. Its below average Speed and terrible defensive stats makes it difficult for Cacturne to do its job at sweeping. Choice Scarf Cacturne is not very viable, because its Speed only reaches a maximum of 343 with a positive Speed nature, which is still low for a Scarfer. Its offensive stats will also be lower than usual, which means Cacturne will not be as threatening.</p>
<p>Nasty Plot Cacturne is probably Cacturne's most threatening special set, boosting its Special Attack to absurd levels. It can also abuse powerful STAB Dark Pulse and Energy Ball attacks, along with Focus Blast to achieve excellent type coverage. This is where the praise is cut short, however, as Cacturne's middling Speed, lack of special priority moves, and horrible defensive stats won't give it many opportunities to set up and sweep. Swords Dance Cacturne is almost always better than Nasty Plot Cacturne, since it has access to a powerful priority move, Sucker Punch, and strong physical moves, such as Focus Punch. Also, Houndoom can pull off a much better Nasty Plot set than Cacturne ever will, as it has higher Speed and excellent offensive typing. A mixed Nasty Plot set can be proven useful because Cacturne can then use Sucker Punch to deal with faster foes; however, it is still usually an inferior Swords Dance Cacturne and mixed Nasty Plot Houndoom.</p>
<p>Counter can be used in tandem with a Focus Sash to eliminate strong physical attackers. Drain Punch can be very helpful on Swords Dance Cacturne, restoring large amounts of its HP that it might've lost. Faint Attack and Payback are alternative Dark-type moves Cacturne can use alongside Sucker Punch, but it's usually not recommended. Low Kick has its uses against heavy Pokemon, such as Steelix and Aggron. Needle Arm can always be used instead of Seed Bomb, despite its 20 less Base Power, as it has a 30% flinch rate; however, Cacturne needs all the power it can get, so Seed Bomb is generally the better way to go. Revenge can be useful because of Cacturne's low Speed, but since it has pathetic defenses, it may not be able to survive the opposing Pokemon's attack. Giga Drain and Grass Knot are viable options for a special-based Cacturne, the former restoring health and the latter having the ability to hit for 120 Base Power against heavy foes. Lastly, ThunderPunch is capable of hurting Flying-types like Honchkrow and Moltres that cause Cacturne trouble.</p>
<p>Cacturne has several supportive moves it can use to its advantage as well. Cotton Spore can lower the opposing Pokemon's Speed by two stages so Cacturne has a chance to outpace them. Grasswhistle, despite its poor accuracy, can be used to put Cacturne's counters and checks to sleep. Ingrain can be used on the SubSeeder set, giving Cacturne even more HP recovery per turn. Magic Coat helps block status, especially Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, from the likes of Weezing and Dusclops. Finally, Spite can reduce the opponent's PP and can be especially helpful on Cacturne with sandstorm support, and Swagger can power up the opponent's Attack and make them hit themselves in confusion for bigger damage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Any Pokemon that is faster than Cacturne and has access to Encore can easily shut it down. Jumpluff and Alakazam are excellent examples of Pokemon that can switch into Cacturne as it uses Substitute, Swords Dance, or Sucker Punch and use Encore to force Cacturne out. Fast Encore users are one of the most valuable counters to Cacturne, since Cacturne is full of setting up and firing off Sucker Punches. Pokemon that can use Substitute to avoid Sucker Punch are also excellent options, especially if they resist or are immune to Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, as they can set up Substitute once Cacturne uses Sucker Punch and proceed to finish it off with their respective moves. Espeon, Raikou, and Feraligatr are perfect examples of this, the former two being able to boost their stats via Calm Mind, while the latter can use Dragon Dance or Swords Dance; or, they can go straight for the kill once they've successfully set up a Substitute.</p>
<p>Mismagius and Rotom may seem like bad choices to use against Cacturne, but they are actually quite effective. Each of them are capable of burning Cacturne with Will-O-Wisp or setting up a Substitute as Cacturne uses Sucker Punch; however, prediction is required at this point, since if the opponent can win the match-up by playing Cacturne smartly, such as by using Seed Bomb on Substitute. Drifblim deserves a special mention due to its resistance to Seed Bomb, making it a viable Ghost-type to use against Cacturne as well. Weezing works nearly the same way. With its high Defense, access to Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split, a super effective Flamethrower, in conjunction with its resistance to Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, it can threaten Cacturne instantly.</p>
<p>Toxicroak is one of the best counters to Cacturne, as it is resistant to the common moves Cacturne uses, such as Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, and Focus Punch. It also has access to Vacuum Wave, which it can use to avoid Sucker Punch, since a Swords Dance boosted Sucker Punch from Cacturne will still do heavy damage to Toxicroak. Hitmontop and Arcanine are also excellent switch-ins to Cacturne. They both have Intimidate to lower Cacturne's Attack, decent defensive stats to take neutral hits, and priority moves to make Cacturne's Sucker Punch fail.</p>
