Shaqtus
Overview
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Pros:
Swords Dance Wallbreaker
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Drain Punch//Low Kick
move 4: Swords Dance
ability:Water Absorb
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Set Details
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Team Options
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Spikes
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name:Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Destiny Bond/Encore
ability: Water Absorb/Sand Veil
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Set Details
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Usage Tips
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Team Options
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Other Options
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Checks & Counters
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This is my first attempt at C&C so suggestions and constructive criticism is very appreciated!
n.n

Overview
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Pros:
- Can come in on a variety of walls like Slowking, Jellicent, and Gastrodon with little fear due to its great ability and psychic immunity.
- Has incredible 115 offensive stats and awesome STAB combo
- Powerful priority in Sucker Punch to make up for low speed
- Has moves like Swords Dance and Spikes to make use of free turns it could be given against walls
- Extremely slow and frail
- Reliance on Sucker Punch can lead to very unfavorable mind games
- Struggles Dealing with all forms of status, limiting its effectiveness against walls
- Very weak to some common offensive threats in the tier
- Faces a lot of competition from Accelgor as a spiker
- Without a +2 it can often be just a little to weak to beat what it's supposed to
- Faces heavy competition from Shiftry due to Defog and higher speed
- Has to worry about coverage from bulky waters such as Slowking's Fire Blast
Swords Dance Wallbreaker
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Drain Punch//Low Kick
move 4: Swords Dance
ability:Water Absorb
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Adamant
Moves
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- Seed Bomb and Sucker Punch are STABS and sucker punch also allows cacturne to somewhat mitigate its poor speed
- Drain Punch allows Cacturne to hit steels super effectively and offers recovery on the Life Orb set.
- Low Kick is also a fighting move that can be used on the Sash set and as a harder hit on heavy steels like Registeel, though weaker against the lighter Pokemon of the tier.
- Swords Dance allows Cacturne to boost its attack to frightening levels that let it OHKO to 2HKO most of the tier
- Substitute as a third move and Leftovers as an item will make Cacturne harder to revenge kill and also help protect from status and ease Sucker Punch prediction
Set Details
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- Nature and EVs allow Cacturne to hit as hard and fast as possible
- Life Orb gives Cacturne a lot of power and lets it beat walls with less difficulty though Focus Sash will allow Cacturne to set up easier against offensive threats and more powerful moves
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- Used primarily as a wallbreaker, not a sweeper
- Should be brought in on predicted switches into walls Cacturne can beat or predicted water and psychic moves
- If predicting a switch SD or go for the appropriate coverage move
- Be careful of bulky waters with Ice Beam or things such as Gligar with U-turn as Cacturne will very rarely be able to take a SE hit
- Watch out for faster priority/Substitute users and setup sweepers as well as status since cacturne wont appreciate any of these things
Team Options
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- Pokemon that struggle with bulky Waters and other walls that Cacturne can break like Fletchinder and Slurpuff will appreciate Cacturne's services
- Cacturne appreciates hazards from pokemon like Accelgor, Rhyperior, and Coballion to punish foes for switching around it and opening up holes for it to secure KOs
- Cacturne also appreciates a bulky water or something to handle Hitmonlee and Fletchinder such as Doublade if it is attempting to function as a sweeper since these mons will stop it cold
- A cleric like Aromatisse or SDef Meloetta isn't a bad choice with Cacturne as it hates any form of status
Spikes
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name:Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Destiny Bond/Encore
ability: Water Absorb/Sand Veil
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
nature: Jolly
Moves
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- Seed Bomb and Sucker Punch seve as obligatory STABs
- Sucker Punch serves as priority and the most powerful dark type moves Cacturne has
- Spikes are the main purpose of the set and allow Cacturne to support it's team
- Encore allows Cacturne to disrupt the opposing Pokemon and lock them into some sort of non damaging or weak move to set up more Spikes, but it must use Sand Veil
- Destiny Bond allows Cacturne to keep Water Absorb as it's ability and also has use as a disrupting move to allow Cacturne to lay more hazards
Set Details
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- Evs and nature allow Cactune to be as fast as possible to potentially get more layers of spikes but still allow for high power Sucker Punches
Usage Tips
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- Lead and get up a Spike, then depending on the opposing lead Encore or try to get up a second layer before you die
- If outsped by the opposing lead then Sucker Punch for damage or just switch if you feel Cacturne can be used for extra hazards later in the game
Team Options
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- Pokemon that enjoy having their checks weakened to get past them with less difficulty such as Hitmonlee, Jolteon, Fletchinder, Sharpedo, and Zoroark to name a few.
- A spinblocker like Doublade or Mega Banette and a Pokemon to stop/discourage defog in Braviary needed to ensure Cacturne's hazards can stay on the field for as long as possible
Other Options
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- Special Cacturne though no Sucker Punch is a let down
- Mixed is also an option but splitting up Evs will make Cacturne rather weak
- Both of these sets face competition from Shiftry due to Shifty's higher speed and access to high power STABs like Leaf Storm
- Bullet Seed to break subs/sturdy/sash on the spikes set
Checks & Counters
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- All forms of status
- Gligar
- Faster priority (Hitmonlee Fletchinder)
- Bronzong
- Pokemon that use Substitute or a set up move can often play around Sucker Punch and kill Cacturne
- Bulky grass types like Tangrowth and Virizion
This is my first attempt at C&C so suggestions and constructive criticism is very appreciated!
n.n
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