http://serebii.net/pokedex-bw/556.shtml
Boss Flower Cactus
75/86/67/106/67/60
[Overview]
- Has two great abilities via normal gameplay, Water Absorb and Chlorophyll.
- Has a respectable base 106 Special Attack stat, coupled with a usable 86 base attack.
- Has great STAB in Wood Hammer and priority in Sucker Punch.
- Acess to Spikes like his cousin Cacturne, but comes in bulkier with a 75/67/67 defensive spread along with recovery in the form of Synthesis, letting him fill a niche as a defensive spiker.
- Unlike Cacturne, he doesn't have acess to Encore.
- Base 60 speed means most of the time he needs Sun to pull off a sweep.
- His offensive movepool is pretty barren, with his physical side having more options than the special side.
- Can raise it's offensive stats in the form of Growth, it's defense in the form of Cotton Gaurd, or possibly both with Accupressure.
Name: Defensive Spiker
Move 1: Spikes
Move 2: Synthesis
Move 3: Grass Knot
Move 4: Protect / Substitute / Safegaurd
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Water Absorb
Evs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD
[Set Description]
- Marakacchi fills a nice niche as a defensive Spiker with acess to instant recovery, allowing you to set up.
- Water Absorb allows you to come in on a water type attack, heal off any entry hazard damage, and start spiking.
- Grass Knot is obligatory STAB to hit anything for damage.
- Protect is meant to be used if you have Toxic Spikes support, allowing you to Toxic Stall. However, Substitute can allow you to survive longer than you normally would. Safegaurd can be useful to block out your opponent's status moves, so you can switch in without fearing Thunder Wave, Spore, Will-O-Wisp, etc.
- If you want more attacking options, Giga Drain can take the place of Synthesis, but is very a inferior option, especially with no SpA EVs, though if you really want it, it could also replace Grass Knot, though it is still quite inferior.
- Focus Sash can be used if your afraid of being OHKO'd, allowing you to set up an extra layer of spikes if you outspeed the opponent.
- Cotton Gaurd can be used in the last slot to raise your defense to survive longer, but is relatively inferior to Protect/ Substitute.
- Furijio can come in and take any special hits Marakacchi can dish out, Rapid Spin, and take it down with Ice Beam.
- Pokemon like Froslass and bulky Mismagius can come in and block Rapid Spin and force a switch/ set up respectively.
- Marakacchi likes Toxic Spikes support if running protect, and Forretress makes a good partner as it resists Poison and takes nuetral damage from Flying moves that can be aimed at Marakacchi (though both are weak to fire)
- Swampert with Stealth Rock and Roar helps abuse Spikes and Stealth Rock with it's phazing, and takes the fire and Ice attacks that can be aimed at Marakacchi, with the cactus taking the grass attacks aimed at Swampert.
Name: Lead Spiker
Move 1: Spikes
Move 2: Sucker Punch
Move 3: Protect
Move 4: Seed Bomb / Leech Seed
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly / Adamant
ABility: Water Absorb
Evs: 252 Att / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Description]
- This set ries to set up Spikes early on in the battle to allow more residual damage to occur, and Furijio isn't so bad anymore with it's paper thin physical defense.
- Sucker Punch lets you get in one more hit before you get KO'd.
- Protect is there if you want to scout out your opponents, and if you want Marakacchi to survive for later spiking use, allows you to bring in a safe switch.
- Seed Bomb is just there for STAB, and hits leads like Swampert and Hippowdon for super effective damage, but Leech Seed can, if you get KO'd, allow your switch in to get health from the opposing pokemon or set up on their switch.
- If you decide you want to use Marakacchi periodically throughout the battle and have something to set up sun, the Chlorophyll can be used in place of Water Absorb.
- Toxic can be used in conjunction with Protect to stall, but is not very useful otherwise.
- This set is more supportive than offensive, so a team shouldn't be built around it.
- Hippowdon and Swampert can come in and phaze away the opponent's team, which makes it easier for frail sweepers, such as Infernape, to score KOs.
- Overconfidence Zuruzrukin love residual damage, as it lets them score easier KO's and take advantage of their abilities.
- Forretress and Torkoal can shrug off Maraccachi's attacks and Rapid Spin.
- Gengar or Mismagius can block these two pokemon and set up on them as well.
Name: Special Sunny Day "Sweeper"
Move 1: Sunny Day / Substitute
Move 2: Synthesis / Leech Seed
Move 3: Solarbeam / Grass Knot / Petal Dance
Move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
Item: Life Orb / Heat Rock
Nature: Timid / Modest
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[Set Description]
- Sadly, Marakacchi's special movepool is, for lack of a better word, pretty awful, but it still has some options.
- Setting up Sunny Day is top priority, as it raises your speed to 480 with a timid nature or 438 with a Modest nature, allowing it to sweep under the right conditions. However, if you have something else to set up the sun for you, Substitute allows you to take one extra hit.
- Synthesis allows longer survivability, especially with increased healing rate under the sun. However, Giga Drain can be used if you want to do damage and recover your health. Leech Seed works well with Substitute, but is proably inferior to the other recovery options.
- Solerbeam offers great STAB, but if your worried about weather negations, Grass Knot or Petal Dance can be used, though the later's confusion is somewhat unappealing.
- Hidden Power Ice hits Dragons who resist your STAB, like Dragonite and Salemence. However, Hidden Power Fire hits Steel types, who also wall you otherwise. Hidden Power Ground hits Heatran and other Steels, but pokemon like Sazandora and Dragon/Flying types completely wall you if you opt for this.
- Life Orb lets you hit harder, but if you want the sun out longer, Heat Rock is an option too.
- Expert Belt lets you hit bulky waters alot harder with Solerbeam, but has little use outside that.
- Growth can be used to up your special attack, but it has a hard time finding a slot to fit into.
- Any pokemon that can set up sun is a friend of Marakacchi's. Fast leads such as Persian and Ambipom can Fake Out, Taunt, Sunny Day, and U-Turn into Marakacchi so it can cause damage early in the game.
- Sand Streamers like Hippowdon or Abomasnow with it's Snow Warning can come in and ruin your fun with a change of weather, and phaze or hit you with an Ice attack respectively
- Mixed Infernape hits both hard, Hippowdon with Hidden Power Ice and Abomasnow with any fire attack.
Name: Mixed Sunny Day "Sweeper"
Move 1: Growth / Accupressure
Move 2: Synthesis / Giga Drain
Move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
Move 4: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb / Sucker Punch
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Hasty/ Naive
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Att / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
- Similar to the set above, but this one depends on it's teammates to set up sun.
- Growth raises both of it's offensive stats, allowing it greater chances of sweeping, however, Accupressure also has a chance of raising your defensive and evasive stats, letting you live longer.
- Synthesis vs Giga Drain is for the same reasons above, as well are the Hidden Powers.
- Wood Hammer is a fantastic physical STAB move with great base power. However, if the recoil is a turn off, Seed Bomb is an alternative option. Sucker Punch, on the other hand, lets you pick off weaker pokemon who may carry priority Ice Shard, like Weavile.
- As mentioned above, Expert Belt can be used if you don't like LO recoil and if you want Wood Hammer to hit bulky Waters harder.
- Solerbeam is an option, but it significantly limits your coverage.
- Again, fast pokemon who can set up sun and U-Turn into Marakacchi help it attempt a sweep.
- Cousin Cacturne walls you if you have Hidden Power Ground.
- Mixed Wall-breakers like Blaziken and Magmortar easily dispose of Cacturne and any other opposing Grass or Steel types (if you don't carry Hidden Power Fire).
Name: Supportive Cactus
Move 1: Toxic / Grasswhistle
Move 2: Synthesis / Safegaurd / Substitute
Move 3: Protect / Cotton Gaurd
Move 4: Grass Knot / Energy Ball
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Surprisingly, despite lack of fantastic bulk, Marakacchi has enough moves to pull off a, though gimmicky, support set.
- Toxic is always a nice move, as the more residuel damage the better. However, Grasswhistls putting the opponent to sleep is nice too, but with 55 accuracy, it's rarely going to pull through for you.
- Synthesis is purly for recovery purposes, while Safegaurd prevents your team from being statused, which is good for physical sweepers to set up without fear of burn. Substitute can also be used, but that only really benefits Marakacchi.
- Protect allows for Toxic stalling or scouting, both which could really help in the long run. However, if running Substitute, Cotton Gaurd makes it harder for the opponent to break through.
- Grass Knot is there for STAB and damage. If your worried about Lightweights, Energy Ball is an option too.
- Water Absorb lets you come in on water attacks, heal off any possible SR/ Spikes damage, and start "supporting".
- Leech Seed can be used, but you'd just become a subseeder, outclassed by the likes of pokemon like Sceptile.
- Blissey laughs at this set, as it can always switch out to get rid of Toxic damage and Toxic stall you yourself if you don't have Safegaurd.
- Pokemon like SD Scizor and Terakkion can take care of Blissey and appreciate not having to be worried about being statused if Marakacchi set up Safegaurd, allowing them to safely set up.
- Taunt users like Erufunn, and Weavile completely stop you, and they they are free to set up on your switch.
- Infernape makes a good counter to Erufunn when it attacks when Erufunn doesn't sub.
- Phazers like Swampert like Spikes on the field, as the let him set up SR and start Roaring for nice residuel damage.
- Frail fast sweepers like Spikes too, as it lets them pick off entry hazard battered pokemon.
- Pokemon with Overconfidence, like Warubariru, appreciate Spikes support to batter down incoming pokemon, as it lets it KO the opponent more easily and lets it take advantage of the Atk raise.
- For the Chlorophyll sets, fast pokemon who set up Sunny Day, like Persian, really help the Chlorophyll variants out.
- Marakacchi can run a Subseeding set, but it's too slow to pull it off, and is outclassed by Sceptile and Jaroda.
- A banded or Specs set can be used, but it's movepool is just too barren to abuse either one.
- Blissey can take all of Marakacchi's special moves and Toxic stall it or paralyze it.
- Furijio can Rapid Spin and Ice Beam Marakacchi, and if you don't carry a physical move, it can take you out.
- Steel types, especially Registeel, wall you if you don't carry Hidden Power Fire or Ground.
