ZU Cacturne [Done]

S1nn0hC0nfirm3d

aka Ho3nConfirm3d
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[OVERVIEW]

Cacturne is an powerful Pokemon that has a niche for its offensive Grass / Dark typing and coverage. It can function as a mixed attacker that threatens walls like Golem, Poliwrath, Pyukumuku, and Dusclops while also taking on faster attackers like Electivire and Kadabra with a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch. Spikes are a rare entry hazard that Cacturne can afford to fit, as its offensive presence gives it opportunities to set them when forcing switches. With Swords Dance, Cacturne becomes a sweeper with powerful priority that can also break through walls like Mareanie, Torterra, and Lickiliky. However, Cacturne is very frail, which gives it limited opportunities to set up or wallbreak. This is compounded by its vulnerability to all forms of entry hazards and reliance on Life Orb to break through major defensive targets and its weakness to common coverage, especially to U-turn from users like Silvally-Dark and Furfrou. Cacturne also relies on Sucker Punch to patch up its mediocre Speed, which means it has a hard time against faster attackers that resist Dark like Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, and Monferno. Lack of a usable physical Dark-type move outside of Sucker Punch allows more Pokemon like Gourgeist-XL, Muk, Rapidash, and Rotom-S to wall it or play around Sucker Punch and renders both sets unable to break Shiinotic. This makes Cacturne hard to support on teams, as it has limited windows of opportunity to perform as a sweeper or revenge killer.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Giga Drain is a reliable Grass-type attack that has recovery to combat Life Orb recoil. Sucker Punch allows Cacturne to still be offensively threatening to faster Pokemon like Swanna and Mr. Mime that may try to revenge kill it.

Set Details
========

An investment that prioritizes Cacturne's Special Attack rather than its Attack grants it reliable STAB attacks in Giga Drain and Dark Pulse and avoids having to rely on Sucker Punch for physical Dark-type coverage. 252 Speed EVs allow Cacturne to be faster than Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash. A Mild nature is chose to maximize the power of Cacturne's special moves while retaining the strength of Sucker Punch.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should be utilized early-game to threaten entry hazard setters like Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash; all the while, it can force these Ground-types to switch out and capitalize by setting Spikes. Some walls like Gourgeist-XL, Mareanie, and Torterra may lack coverage to effectively deal with Cacturne, so it may find an opportunity to switch in on them and attack or set Spikes. Setting Spikes might be futile, however, if the opponent has reliable Defog users that beat Cacturne like Silvally-Fighting, Silvally-Dark, and Rotom-S. Try instead to wear them down with Giga Drain and Dark Pulse if they try to switch in on Cacturne. While Sucker Punch can 2HKO many faster Pokemon, watch out for those that can evade it like Roost Swanna, Substitute Raichu, and Encore Mr. Mime. In these cases, it might be better to not rely on Cacturne to revenge kill these threats unless absolutely necessary. Cacturne is more reliable revenge killing Choice Scarf users like Electivire and Silvally, but these threats still need to be worn down for Cacturne to OHKO them; otherwise, Cacturne's poor bulk prevents it from stomaching their hits.

Team Options
========

Spikes Cacturne works on teams that want the extra entry hazard support to wear down walls and put them in range of the team's setup sweepers. Sweepers like Combusken, Swanna, Simisear, and Bibarel appreciate that their checks like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Poliwrath are put in compromising positions with constant Spikes pressure. In return, Cacturne can rely on their complementary Fire and Water typings when trying to deal with opposing Grass- and Fire-types. Defensive Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Mareanie, and Mawile can be great switch-ins for when Cacturne is being threatened by common pivots like Silvally-Fighting and Furfrou. Mawile in particular can run Rocky Helmet to further wear down these U-turn users. Flying-types like Swanna, Rotom-S, and Toucannon help target Shiinotic as well as Fighting- and Bug-types for Cacturne, while Cacturne helps deal with some of their checks like Metang, Bronzor, and Golem. Rotom-S and Toucannon are also offensive pivots, and other pivot options like Electivire, Silvally-Dragon, and Komala make great teammates to help bring in Cacturne safely.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Sucker Punch can OHKO multiple faster threats after a Swords Dance, including Electivire, Simisage, and Floatzel. Superpower can break through Pokemon that work around Cacturne's other coverage like Bronzor, Bouffalant, Mawile, and Pawniard. Substitute over Superpower can help Cacturne avoid status attempts, and Cacturne can set Substitute up safely against the likes of Bronzor and Mareanie. However, lacking Superpower's coverage makes Cacturne less efficient as a wallbreaker, and Substitute only wears down Cacturne further.

Set Details
========

Life Orb with 252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature provides Cacturne with enough strength to OHKO frail attackers such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna and mixed Simisear after Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should find opportunities to revenge kill vulnerable Pokemon like Golem, Choice Specs Exeggutor and Beheeyem, Komala, and Marowak. In the case of Choice Specs Exeggutor or Beheeyem locked into Psychic, Cacturne can have a rare opportunity to set up Swords Dance safely, though it may still set up on the others when they switch out. Faster Pokemon like Swanna, Rapidash, Chatot, and Kadabra can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock or similar chip damage, but they may have status coverage like Roost or Encore to deter it; try scouting for the sets and coverage before relying on Cacturne to revenge kill these targets. If not using Sucker Punch, Cacturne may still risk going for Swords Dance on the aforementioned Pokemon that it can revenge kill on the prediction that they will switch out. Cacturne can be preserved as a late-game cleaner, as after boosting with Swords Dance, it can OHKO walls like Poliwrath and Sandslash, as well as faster threats like Electivire and Silvally-Dragon. Without a Swords Dance boost, Cacturne can still clean late-game with enough prior chip damage, but you should avoid relying on it on situations where Pokemon like Will-O-Wisp Rotom-S, Substitute Simisear, and Z-Celebrate Leafeon are still in the game, as they can play around Sucker Punch. Instead of sweeping itself, Cacturne can offer its wallbreaking capabilities against slower teams to bait threats that lack reliable recovery like Silvally-Water, Mawile, and Granbull to trade hits and put them in a workable range for setup sweepers.

Team Options
========

Cacturne fits on teams that appreciate its strong priority and wallbreaking capabilities to support and revenge other sweepers. Swords Dance Combusken, Bouffalant, and Crustle are physical sweepers that appreciate Cacturne for targeting walls like Golem, Mareanie, Poliwrath, and Pyukumuku for them. They in return help Cacturne by wearing down or breaking through some of its checks like Gougeist-XL, Muk, Shiinotic, and Rotom-S. Entry hazard support is crucial to put multiple threats into KO range from Cacturne's Sucker Punch, and teammates that can provide Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes support can be Mawile, Marowak, Shuckle, and Mareanie. Shuckle also provides Sticky Web, which can allow Cacturne to revenge kill more targets like defensive Silvally-Water and Bibarel. Pivoting support from Rotom-S, Silvally-Fighting, and Furfrou is integral for bringing in Cacturne safely. Pivots can also help scout sets, and in the case of knowing if the opposing target is Choice-locked, Cacturne is able to safely use Sucker Punch or set up. Rotom-S and Silvally-Fighting also check threats for Cacturne; Rotom-S is able to take on Fighting-types, while Silvally-Fighting takes on Dark-types. To prevent relying on Sucker Punch, use alternative revenge killers; Choice Scarf users like Swanna, Electivire, and Silvally work well, as do faster Pokemon such as Kadabra, Floatzel, and Rapidash.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============

Poison Jab can OHKO Shiinotic, a wall that otherwise counters Cacturne's sets, but lacks any other targets that Cacturne's existing coverage already hits. Similarly, Stomping Tantrum can OHKO Muk after a Swords Dance boost and still hits Steel-types like Mawile and Pawniard but leaves Cacturne reliant on Sucker Punch to break through other Pokemon that resist Grass like Bronzor and Bouffalant. Cacturne can try a physical set with Spikes, but it lacks a reliable pair of STAB attacks compared to the special variant. A Nasty Plot set can function as a dangerous wallbreaker. However, it tends to be less effective than the Swords Dance set, as it fails to boost its priority move and thus makes Cacturne more vulnerable to revenge killers.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Faster Fighting-type Pokemon can easily manage Cacturne offensively while resisting Sucker Punch. In addition, Combusken and Monferno resist Cacturne's Grass-type coverage, Silvally-Fighting pressures with U-turn, and Poliwrath takes it on with priority in Vacuum Wave.

**U-turn**: U-turn is 4x super effective against Cacturne, causing it to be either forced out or KOed when up against pivots like Silvally-Dragon, Silvally-Dark, Toucannon, and Furfrou. These pivots do have to be weary of Sucker Punch if they are weakened into its KO range, though.

**Defog Users**: Many Defog users like Silvally-Dark, Silvally-Fighting, Altaria, and Rotom-S can work around Cacturne's coverage, revenge kill it, and remove its Spikes.

**Muk**: Due to Cacturne's unreliable physical coverage and frailty, Muk can wall both variants of Cacturne and revenge kill with Poison Jab.

**Shiinotic**: Shiinotic resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Moonblast. Shiinotic only has to worry about the unlikely chance that Cacturne runs Poison Jab just for it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[5gen, 296755], [uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [estronic, 240732]]
 
Last edited:

5gen

jumper
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
comments in bold
[OVERVIEW]

  • Cacturne is an powerful Pokemon that has a niche for its offensive Grass / Dark typing and coverage.
  • It can function as a mixed attacker that threatens walls like Golem, Poliwrath, Pyukumyuku, and Dusclops while still having a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch to threaten faster attackers like Electivire and Kadabra.
  • Spikes are a rare entry hazard that Cacturne can afford to fit, as its offensive presence gives it opportunities to set them when forcing switches.
  • With Swords Dance, Cacturne becomes a priority sweeper with powerful priority that can also break through walls like Mareanie, Torterra, and Lickiliky. "Priority sweeper" doesn't really sound right
  • These offensive traits come at the downside that However, Cacturne is very frail, which gives it limited opportunities to set up or wallbreak. More concise
  • To make matters worse, Cacturn's typing makes it weak to common coverage from Ice-, Fire-, Flying-, Fairy-, Poison-, and Fighting-type attacks, and its x4 Bug-type weakness makes it easily lose to U-turn users like Silvally-Dark and Furfrou. Listing off weaknesses is fluff. Instead, you can say poor defensive typing and then go on about U-turn
  • Cacturne also relies on Sucker Punch to patch its mediocre Speed, which means it has a hard time sweeping against faster attackers that resist Dark like Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, and Monferno. Sweeping implies the SD set, while "against" will cover Cacturne in general. Small nitpick
  • Cacturne's coverage prevents it from having a straightforward Dark-type attack for the physical sets also lacks a usable physical Dark-type move outside of Sucker Punch, allowing more Pokemon like Gourgiest-XL, Altaria, Rapidash, and Rotom-Fan to wall it or play around Sucker Punch, and both sets being unable to break walls like Muk and Shiinotic. First part was a little unclear. Underlined part should also be edited because Muk fits with the initial examples (able to wall Cac b/c it doesn't have good Dark STAB outside of Sucker) but Shiinotic would wall it regardless.
  • This makes Cacturne hard to support on teams, as it has limited windows of opportunity to preform as a sweeper or revenge killer.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes Setter
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Giga Drain is a reliable Grass-type attack that has recovery to combat Life Orb recoil.
  • Sucker Punch allows Cacturne to still be offensively threatening to faster Pokemon like Swanna and Mr. Mime that may try and revenge kill it.

Set Details
========

  • An investment that prioritizes Cacturne's SpA rather than its Atk is so that it may have reliable STAB attacks in Giga Drain and Dark Pulse rather than relying on Sucker Punch for physical Dark-type coverage.
  • 252 Spe allows Cacturne to be faster than Golem, Marowack, and Sandslash.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cacturne should be utilized in the early game to threaten entry hazard setters like Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash; all the while, it can force these Ground-types to switch out and capitalize by setting Spikes.
  • Some walls like Gourgiest-XL, Mareanie, and Torterra may lack coverage to effectively deal with Cacturne, so it may find an opportunity to switching in on them and attack or set Spikes.
  • Setting Spikes might be futile, however, if the opponent has reliable Defog users that beat Cacturne like Silvally-Fighting, Silvally-Dark, and Rotom-Fan. Try instead to wear them down with Giga Drain and Dark Pulse if they try to switch in on Cacturne.
  • Cacturne's Sucker Punch can 2HKO many faster Pokemon, but watch out for those that can proc it to fail like Roost Swanna, Substitute Raichu, and Encore Mr. Mime. In these cases, it might be better to not rely on Cacturne to revenge kill these threats unless absolutely necessary.
  • Cacturne is more reliable revenge killing Choice Scarf users like Electivire and Silvally thanks to Sucker Punch not having a chance to fail, but these threats still need to be worn down for Cacturne to 1HKO; otherwise, Cacturne's poor bulk won't stomach their hits.

Team Options
========

  • Spikes Cacturne works on teams that want the extra entry hazard support to wear down walls and put them in range of the team's setup sweepers.
  • Sweepers like Combusken, Swanna, Simisear, and Bibarel appreciate that their checks like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Poliwrath are put in compromising positions with constant Spike pressure. In return, these sweepers have complementary Fire- and Water-typings that Cacturne can rely on when trying to deal with opposing Grass- and Fire-types, respectfully.
  • Defensive Pokemon that resist U-turn such as Poliwrath, Mareanie, and Mawile can be great switch-ins for when Cacturne is being threatened by Silvally-Fighting and Furfrou. Mawile in particular can run Rocky Helmet to further wear down these U-turn users.
  • Flying-type Pokemon like Swanna, Rotom-Fan, and Toucannon help target Fighting- and Bug-type Pokemon for Cacturne, while Cacturne helps deal with some of their checks like Metang, Bronzor, and Golem. Flying-types also check Shiinotic, who would otherwise wall Cacturne
  • Rotom-Fan and Touccannon are also offensive pivots, and are great teammates along with other pivots such as Electivire, Silvally-Dragon, and Komala so that Cacturne can be brought in safely.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Sucker Punch can 1HKO multiple faster threats after a Swords Dance, including Electivire, Rapidash Simisage, and Floatzel. Rap is mentioned earlier as something that can play around Sucker
  • Superpower can break through Pokemon that work around Cacturne's other coverage like Bronzor, Bouffalant, Mawile, and Pawniard.
  • Substitute over Superpower can help Cacturne proc opposing attacks for Sucker Punch, and Cacturne can set Substitute up safely against the likes of Bronzor and Mareanie. However, lacking Superpower coverage makes Cacturne less efficient as a wallbreaker.

Set Details
========

  • Life Orb with 252 Atk and an Adamant nature provides Cacturne with enough strength to 1HKO frail attackers such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna, Rapidash, and mixed Simisear after Stealth Rock damage. Makes it more consistent with the Sucker point

Usage Tips
========

  • Cacturne should find opportunities to revenge kill on vulnerable Pokemon like Golem, Choice Specs Exeggutor and Behyeeyem, Komala, and Marowak. In the case of Choice Specs Exeggutor or Beheeyem being locked into Psychic, Cacturne can have a rare opportunity to set up Swords Dance safely. I think the second line extends past Eggy and Bem being choice locked into Psychic. More specifically, since Cacturne forces all these Pokemon out it can use it as a chance to set up SD or make aggressive predictions (i.e go for kills if they're weakened enough). Point should be adjusted accordingly
  • Faster Pokemon like Swanna, Rapidash, Chatot, and Kadabra can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock or similar chip damage, but may have status coverage like Roost or Encore to deter it; try scouting for the sets and coverage before relying on Cacturne to revenge kill these targets.
  • If not Sucker Punch, Cacturne may still risk going for Swords Dance on the aforementioned Pokemon that it can revenge kill on the prediction that they will switch out.
  • Cacturne can be preserved as a late game cleaner, as after boosting with Swords Dance, it can 1HKO walls like Poliwrath and Sandslash, as well as faster threats like Electivire and Silvally-Dragon.
  • Without a Swords Dance boost, Cacturne can still clean late game with enough prior chip damage, but avoid relying on it on situations where Pokemon like Will-O-Wisp Rotom-Fan, Substitute Simisear, and Z-Celebrate Leafeon are still in the game, as they can play around Sucker Punch.
  • Instead of a sweeper itself, Cacturne can offer its wallbreaking capabilities to bait threats that lack reliable recovery like Silvally-Water, Mawile, and Granbull to trade hits and put them in a workable range for the team's setup sweeper. Mention that this is more suitable against slower teams

Team Options
========

  • Cacturne fits on teams that appreciate its strong priority and wall breaking capabilities to support and revenge other sweepers.
  • Swords Dance Combusken, Bouffalant, and Crustle are physical sweepers that appreciate Cacturne for targeting walls like Golem, Mareanie, Poliwrath, and Pyukumuku for them. They in return help Cacturne by wearing down or breaking through some of its checks like Gougiest-XL, Muk, Shiinotic, and Rotom-Fan.
  • Entry hazard support is crucial to put multiple threats into 1HKO range from Cacturne's Sucker Punch, and teammates that can provide Stealth Rock or Toxic Spike support can be Mawile, Marowack, Shuckle, and Mareanie. Shuckle also provides Sticky Web, which can make more targets like defensive Silvally-Water and Bibarel be revenge killed by Cacturne.
  • Pivoting support from Rotom-Fan, Silvally-Fighting, and Frofrou Furfrou is integral for bringing in Cacturne safely. Pivots can also help scout sets, and in the case of knowing if the opposing target is Choice-locked, Cacturne is be able to safely Sucker Punch or setup. Rotom-S and Silv-Fighting also check things for Cacturne. Rotom-S is able to take on Fighting-types while Silvally-Fighting takes on Dark-types
  • To prevent relying on Sucker Punch, Choice Scarf users like Swanna, Electivire, and Silvally can help the team out with revenge killing; the latter two would also be additional pivots for Cacturne. Faster Pokemon such as Kadabra, Floatzel, and Rapidash fit this point too to a lesser extent

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Leftovers and Leech Seed can extend Cacturne's longevity if it runs Substitute, but the lack of immediate firepower makes this set underwhelming. Personally never really seen this set and I'm inclined to remove it.
  • Poison Jab can 1HKO Shiinotic, a wall that otherwise counters Cacturne's sets, but lacks any other targets that Cacturne's existing coverage already hits, and thus is undesirable.
  • Cacturne can try a physical set with Spikes or a setup set with Nasty Plot, but lacking reliable dual STAB attacks or boosted priority, respectfully, makes these variants less viable. This should be split up into two points to make it easier to read.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: The tier's Fighting-type Pokemon in Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, Poliwrath, and Monferno either resist Cacturne's STAB attacks, and / or can revenge kill Cacturne thanks to their better Speed or super effective priority in the case of Vacuum Wave Poliwrath. Think this should be rewritten to be clearer. While I understand the point, the way the examples are laid out and categorized can be improved. Can just say smth like "Fighting-types threaten to OHKO Cacturne and heavily limit it as a result. Combusken and Monferno resist Cacturne's STAB attacks, while Silvally-Fighting and offensive Poliwrath resist Dark..."

**U-turn**: U-turn is x4 super effective against Cacturne, causing it to be either forced out or KO'd when up against pivots like Silvally-Dragon, Silvally-Dark, Toucannon, and Furfrou. These pivots do have to be weary of Sucker Punch if they are weakened or if Cacturne sets up with Swords Dance, though.

**Defog Users**: Many Defog users like Silvally-Dark, Silvally-Fighting, Altaria, and Rotom-Fan can work around Cacturne's coverage, revenge kill it, and remove its Spikes attempts.

**Muk**: Due to Cacturne's unreliable physical coverage and frailty, Muk can wall both variants of Cacturne and revenge kill with Poison Jab.

**Shiinotic**: Shiintoic resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can 1HKO it with Moonblast. Shiinotic only has to worry about the unlikely chance that Cacturne runs Poison Jab for it and only it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

qc 1/2
 

Greybaum

GENTLEMAN, THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
[OVERVIEW]

  • Cacturne is an powerful Pokemon that has a niche for its offensive Grass / Dark typing and coverage.
  • It can function as a mixed attacker that threatens walls like Golem, Poliwrath, Pyukumyuku, and Dusclops while still having a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch to threaten faster attackers like Electivire and Kadabra. Optional, but Bronzor is one of the major Pokemon you pressure - I'd like to see it on here, ideally over Poliwrath which (uncommonly) can run some speed even on defensive sets and can catch you offguard.
  • Spikes are a rare entry hazard that Cacturne can afford to fit, as its offensive presence gives it opportunities to set them when forcing switches.
  • With Swords Dance, Cacturne becomes a sweeper with powerful priority that can also break through walls like Mareanie, Torterra, and Lickiliky.
  • However, Cacturne is very frail, which gives it limited opportunities to set up or wallbreak. This is compounded by Cacturne's vulnerability to all forms of entry hazards and reliance on Life Orb to break through major defensive targets
  • To make matters worse, Cacturn's typing makes it weak to common coverage, and its x4 Bug-type weakness makes it easily lose to U-turn users like Silvally-Dark and Furfrou.
  • Cacturne also relies on Sucker Punch to patch its mediocre Speed, which means it has a hard time against faster attackers that resist Dark like Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, and Monferno.
  • Cacturne also lacks a usable physical Dark-type move outside of Sucker Punch, allowing more Pokemon like Gourgiest-XL, Muk, Rapidash, and Rotom-Fan to wall it or play around Sucker Punch, and both sets being unable to break Shiinotic.
  • This makes Cacturne hard to support on teams, as it has limited windows of opportunity to preform as a sweeper or revenge killer.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes Setter
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves

========
  • Giga Drain is a reliable Grass-type attack that has recovery to combat Life Orb recoil.
  • Sucker Punch allows Cacturne to still be offensively threatening to faster Pokemon like Swanna and Mr. Mime that may try and revenge kill it.

Set Details
========
  • An investment that prioritizes Cacturne's SpA rather than its Atk is so that it may have reliable STAB attacks in Giga Drain and Dark Pulse rather than relying on Sucker Punch for physical Dark-type coverage.
  • 252 Spe allows Cacturne to be faster than Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash.
  • Why Mild over other options? Specify.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cacturne should be utilized in the early game to threaten entry hazard setters like Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash; all the while, it can force these Ground-types to switch out and capitalize by setting Spikes.
  • Some walls like Gourgiest-XL, Mareanie, and Torterra may lack coverage to effectively deal with Cacturne, so it may find an opportunity to switch in on them and attack or set Spikes.
  • Setting Spikes might be futile, however, if the opponent has reliable Defog users that beat Cacturne like Silvally-Fighting, Silvally-Dark, and Rotom-Fan. Try instead to wear them down with Giga Drain and Dark Pulse if they try to switch in on Cacturne.
  • Cacturne's Sucker Punch can 2HKO many faster Pokemon, but watch out for those that can proc it to fail like Roost Swanna, Substitute Raichu, and Encore Mr. Mime. In these cases, it might be better to not rely on Cacturne to revenge kill these threats unless absolutely necessary.
  • Cacturne is more reliable revenge killing Choice Scarf users like Electivire and Silvally thanks to Sucker Punch not having a chance to fail, but these threats still need to be worn down for Cacturne to 1HKO; otherwise, Cacturne's poor bulk won't stomach their hits.

Team Options
========

  • Spikes Cacturne works on teams that want the extra entry hazard support to wear down walls and put them in range of the team's setup sweepers.
  • Sweepers like Combusken, Swanna, Simisear, and Bibarel appreciate that their checks like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Poliwrath are put in compromising positions with constant Spike pressure. In return, these sweepers have complementary Fire- and Water-typings that Cacturne can rely on when trying to deal with opposing Grass- and Fire-types, respectfully.
  • Defensive Pokemon that resist U-turn such as Poliwrath, Mareanie, and Mawile can be great switch-ins for when Cacturne is being threatened by Silvally-Fighting and Furfrou. Mawile in particular can run Rocky Helmet to further wear down these U-turn users. Rather than resisting U-turn, I'd rewrite this point to focus more on how they can generally switch into common pivots i.e. Furfrou/Silvally-Dark/Silvally-Fighting regardless. Resisting a base 70, typically non-STAB move isn't worth mentioning alone.
  • Flying-type Pokemon like Swanna, Rotom-Fan, and Toucannon help target Shiinotic as well as Fighting- and Bug-type Pokemon for Cacturne, while Cacturne helps deal with some of their checks like Metang, Bronzor, and Golem.
  • Rotom-Fan and Touccannon are also offensive pivots, and are great teammates along with other pivots such as Electivire, Silvally-Dragon, and Komala so that Cacturne can be brought in safely. I think this should be rewritten as well just to generally clarify that Cacturne works well with pivots - this currently reads like a suggestion of running Fan, Touc and a third pivot which is really overkill.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Sucker Punch can 1HKO multiple faster threats after a Swords Dance, including Electivire, Simisage, and Floatzel.
  • Superpower can break through Pokemon that work around Cacturne's other coverage like Bronzor, Bouffalant, Mawile, and Pawniard.
  • Substitute over Superpower can help Cacturne proc opposing attacks for Sucker Punch, and Cacturne can set Substitute up safely against the likes of Bronzor and Mareanie. However, lacking Superpower coverage makes Cacturne less efficient as a wallbreaker. Inviting in attacks for Sucker Punch isn't what I'd say the main benefit; focus instead on how it helps Cacturne avoid status from the likes of Bronzor (and maybe add a note about it forcing the opponent to attack if you really want). Also, make a note of how Substitute doesn't help Cacturne's pre-existing "worn down easily" issue.

Set Details
========

  • Life Orb with 252 Atk and an Adamant nature provides Cacturne with enough strength to 1HKO frail attackers such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna and mixed Simisear after Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

  • Cacturne should find opportunities to revenge kill on vulnerable Pokemon like Golem, Choice Specs Exeggutor and Behyeeyem, Komala, and Marowak. In the case of Choice Specs Exeggutor or Beheeyem being locked into Psychic, Cacturne can have a rare opportunity to set up Swords Dance safely, or it may still set up on the others when they switch out.
  • Faster Pokemon like Swanna, Rapidash, Chatot, and Kadabra can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock or similar chip damage, but may have status coverage like Roost or Encore to deter it; try scouting for the sets and coverage before relying on Cacturne to revenge kill these targets.
  • If not Sucker Punch, Cacturne may still risk going for Swords Dance on the aforementioned Pokemon that it can revenge kill on the prediction that they will switch out.
  • Cacturne can be preserved as a late game cleaner, as after boosting with Swords Dance, it can 1HKO walls like Poliwrath and Sandslash, as well as faster threats like Electivire and Silvally-Dragon.
  • Without a Swords Dance boost, Cacturne can still clean late game with enough prior chip damage, but avoid relying on it on situations where Pokemon like Will-O-Wisp Rotom-Fan, Substitute Simisear, and Z-Celebrate Leafeon are still in the game, as they can play around Sucker Punch.
  • Instead of a sweeper itself, Cacturne can offer its wallbreaking capabilities against slower teams to bait threats that lack reliable recovery like Silvally-Water, Mawile, and Granbull to trade hits and put them in a workable range for setup sweepers.

Team Options
========

  • Cacturne fits on teams that appreciate its strong priority and wall breaking capabilities to support and revenge other sweepers.
  • Swords Dance Combusken, Bouffalant, and Crustle are physical sweepers that appreciate Cacturne for targeting walls like Golem, Mareanie, Poliwrath, and Pyukumuku for them. They in return help Cacturne by wearing down or breaking through some of its checks like Gougiest-XL, Muk, Shiinotic, and Rotom-Fan.
  • Entry hazard support is crucial to put multiple threats into 1HKO range from Cacturne's Sucker Punch, and teammates that can provide Stealth Rock or Toxic Spike support can be Mawile, Marowack, Shuckle, and Mareanie. Shuckle also provides Sticky Web, which can make more targets like defensive Silvally-Water and Bibarel be revenge killed by Cacturne.
  • Pivoting support from Rotom-Fan, Silvally-Fighting, and Furfrou is integral for bringing in Cacturne safely. Pivots can also help scout sets, and in the case of knowing if the opposing target is Choice-locked, Cacturne is be able to safely Sucker Punch or setup. Rotom-S and Silv-Fighting also check things for Cacturne; Rotom-S is able to take on Fighting-types while Silvally-Fighting takes on Dark-types Quick note but try to avoid things like "Silv-Fighting". Also, give examples of mons they check.
  • To prevent relying on Sucker Punch, Choice Scarf users like Swanna, Electivire, and Silvally can help the team out with revenge killing; the latter two would also be additional pivots for Cacturne. Faster Pokemon such as Kadabra, Floatzel, and Rapidash help patch up Cacturne's Speed as well but to a lesser extent. Combine this into one point; Sucker Punch is unreliable, so alternative revenge killers like Scarfers and Fast mons should be used. Also, Cacturne's speed isn't the negative here, it's the unreliability in using it to revenge kill fast threats. Could maybe tie this into the Sticky Web bullet, but i'll leave that up to you.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============
  • Poison Jab can 1HKO Shiinotic, a wall that otherwise counters Cacturne's sets, but lacks any other targets that Cacturne's existing coverage already hits, and thus is undesirable.
  • Similarly, Stomping Tantrum can OHKO Muk after a Swords Dance boost and still hits Steel-types like Mawile and Pawniard but leaves Cacturne reliant on Sucker Punch to break through other Grass-resists like Bronzor and Bouffalant
  • Cacturne can try a physical set with Spikes, but lacks a reliable dual STAB attacks compared to the special variant.
  • Nasty Plot can function as a dangerous wallbreaker. However, it tends to be less efective than the Swords Dance set as it fails to boost any priority coverage, and thus makes Cacturne more vulnerable to revenge killers.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-type Pokemon can easily manage Cacturne offensively while resisting Sucker Punch. In addition, Combusken and Monferno resist Cacturne's Grass-type coverage, Silvally-Fighting is faster, and Poliwrath has access to priority with Vacuum Wave. Hate to nitpick, but not all of them; specify faster Pokemon for this bullet as mons like Machoke can't reliably switch in.


**U-turn**: U-turn is x4 super effective against Cacturne, causing it to be either forced out or KO'd when up against pivots like Silvally-Dragon, Silvally-Dark, Toucannon, and Furfrou. These pivots do have to be weary of Sucker Punch if they are weakened into range or if Cacturne sets up with Swords Dance, though. Silvally-Dark, and to a lesser extent Furfrou, aren't ruined by +2 Sucker Punch.

**Defog Users**: Many Defog users like Silvally-Dark, Silvally-Fighting, Altaria, and Rotom-Fan can work around Cacturne's coverage, revenge kill it, and remove its Spikes attempts.


**Muk**: Due to Cacturne's unreliable physical coverage and frailty, Muk can wall both variants of Cacturne and revenge kill with Poison Jab.


**Shiinotic**: Shiintoic *Shiinotic resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can 1HKO it with Moonblast. Shiinotic only has to worry about the unlikely chance that Cacturne runs Poison Jab for it and only it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[5gen, 296755], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]


Good stuff, 2/2

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Lumari

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GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Cacturne is an powerful Pokemon that has a niche for its offensive Grass / Dark typing and coverage. It can function as a mixed attacker that threatens walls like Golem, Poliwrath, Pyukumyuku Pyukumuku, and Dusclops while still having a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch to threaten also taking on faster attackers like Electivire and Kadabra with a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch. Spikes are a rare entry hazard that Cacturne can afford to fit, as its offensive presence gives it opportunities to set them when forcing switches. With Swords Dance, Cacturne becomes a sweeper with powerful priority that can also break through walls like Mareanie, Torterra, and Lickiliky. However, Cacturne is very frail, which gives it limited opportunities to set up or wallbreak. This is compounded by Cacturne's its vulnerability to all forms of entry hazards and reliance on Life Orb to break through major defensive targets To make matters worse, Cacturn's typing makes it and its weaknesses to common coverage, and its x4 Bug-type weakness makes it easily lose to especially to U-turn from users like Silvally-Dark and Furfrou. Cacturne also relies on Sucker Punch to patch up its mediocre Speed, which means it has a hard time against faster attackers that resist Dark like Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, and Monferno. Cacturne also lacks Lack of a a usable physical Dark-type move outside of Sucker Punch, allowing allows more Pokemon like Gourgiest-XL Gourgeist-XL, Muk, Rapidash, and Rotom-Fan Rotom-S to wall it or play around Sucker Punch (RC) and renders both sets being unable to break Shiinotic. This makes Cacturne hard to support on teams, as it has limited windows of opportunity to preform perform as a sweeper or revenge killer.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes Setter
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Giga Drain is a reliable Grass-type attack that has recovery to combat Life Orb recoil. Sucker Punch allows Cacturne to still be offensively threatening to faster Pokemon like Swanna and Mr. Mime that may try and to revenge kill it.

Set Details
========

An investment that prioritizes Cacturne's Special Attack rather than its Attack is so that it may have grants it reliable STAB attacks in Giga Drain and Dark Pulse rather than relying and avoids having to rely on Sucker Punch for physical Dark-type coverage. 252 Speed EVs allows Cacturne to be faster than Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash. A Mild nature is chose to maximize the power of Cacturne's special coverage moves while retaining the strength of Sucker Punch.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should be utilized in the early-game (AH) to threaten entry hazard setters like Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash; all the while, it can force these Ground-types to switch out and capitalize by setting Spikes. Some walls like Gourgiest-XL Gourgeist-XL, Mareanie, and Torterra may lack coverage to effectively deal with Cacturne, so it may find an opportunity to switch in on them and attack or set Spikes. Setting Spikes might be futile, however, if the opponent has reliable Defog users that beat Cacturne like Silvally-Fighting, Silvally-Dark, and Rotom-Fan Rotom-S. Try instead to wear them down with Giga Drain and Dark Pulse if they try to switch in on Cacturne. Its While Sucker Punch can 2HKO many faster Pokemon, but watch out for those that can proc it to fail evade it like Roost Swanna, Substitute Raichu, and Encore Mr. Mime. In these cases, it might be better to not rely on Cacturne to revenge kill these threats unless absolutely necessary. Cacturne is more reliable revenge killing Choice Scarf users like Electivire and Silvally thanks to Sucker Punch not having a chance to fail, but these threats still need to be worn down for Cacturne to 1HKO OHKO them; otherwise, Cacturne's poor bulk won't prevents it from stomaching their hits.

Team Options
========

Spikes Cacturne works on teams that want the extra entry hazard support to wear down walls and put them in range of the team's setup sweepers. Sweepers like Combusken, Swanna, Simisear, and Bibarel appreciate that their checks like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Poliwrath are put in compromising positions with constant Spike Spikes pressure. In return, these sweepers have complementary Fire- and Water-typings that Cacturne can rely on their complementary Fire and Water typings when trying to deal with opposing Grass- and Fire-types, respectfully. Defensive Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Mareanie, and Mawile can be great switch-ins for when Cacturne is being threatened by common pivots like Silvally-Fighting and Furfrou. Mawile in particular can run Rocky Helmet to further wear down these U-turn users. Flying-type Pokemon like Swanna, Rotom-Fan Rotom-S, and Toucannon help target Shiinotic as well as Fighting- and Bug-type Pokemon for Cacturne, while Cacturne helps deal with some of their checks like Metang, Bronzor, and Golem. Rotom-Fan Rotom-S and Toucannon are also offensive pivots, and other pivot options like Electivire, Silvally-Dragon, and Komala make great teammates to help bring in Cacturne safely.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Sucker Punch can 1HKO OHKO multiple faster threats after a Swords Dance, including Electivire, Simisage, and Floatzel. Superpower can break through Pokemon that work around Cacturne's other coverage like Bronzor, Bouffalant, Mawile, and Pawniard. Substitute over Superpower can help Cacturne avoid status attempts, and Cacturne can set Substitute up safely against the likes of Bronzor and Mareanie. However, lacking Superpower's coverage makes Cacturne less efficient as a wallbreaker, and Substitute only wears down Cacturne further.

Set Details
========

Life Orb with 252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature provides Cacturne with enough strength to 1HKO OHKO frail attackers such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna and mixed Simisear after Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should find opportunities to revenge kill on vulnerable Pokemon like Golem, Choice Specs Exeggutor and Behyeeyem Beheeyem, Komala, and Marowak. In the case of Choice Specs Exeggutor or Beheeyem being locked into Psychic, Cacturne can have a rare opportunity to set up Swords Dance safely, or though it may still set up on the others when they switch out. Faster Pokemon like Swanna, Rapidash, Chatot, and Kadabra can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock or similar chip damage, but they may have status coverage like Roost or Encore to deter it; try scouting for their sets and coverage before relying on Cacturne to revenge kill these targets. If not using Sucker Punch, Cacturne may still risk going for Swords Dance on the aforementioned Pokemon that it can revenge kill on the prediction that they will switch out. Cacturne can be preserved as a late-game (AH) cleaner, as after boosting with Swords Dance, it can 1HKO OHKO walls like Poliwrath and Sandslash, as well as faster threats like Electivire and Silvally-Dragon. Without a Swords Dance boost, Cacturne can still clean late-game (AH) with enough prior chip damage, but you should avoid relying on it on situations where Pokemon like Will-O-Wisp Rotom-Fan Rotom-S, Substitute Simisear, and Z-Celebrate Leafeon are still in the game, as they can play around Sucker Punch. Instead of a sweeper itself sweeping itself, Cacturne can offer its wallbreaking capabilities against slower teams to bait threats that lack reliable recovery like Silvally-Water, Mawile, and Granbull to trade hits and put them in a workable range for setup sweepers.

Team Options
========

Cacturne fits on teams that appreciate its strong priority and wall breaking wallbreaking capabilities to support and revenge other sweepers. Swords Dance Combusken, Bouffalant, and Crustle are physical sweepers that appreciate Cacturne for targeting walls like Golem, Mareanie, Poliwrath, and Pyukumuku for them. They in return help Cacturne by wearing down or breaking through some of its checks like Gougiest-XL Gourgeist-XL, Muk, Shiinotic, and Rotom-Fan Rotom-S. Entry hazard support is crucial to put multiple threats into 1HKO OHKO range from Cacturne's Sucker Punch, and teammates that can provide Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes support can be Mawile, Marowack Marowak, Shuckle, and Mareanie. Shuckle also provides Sticky Web, which can make allow Cacturne to revenge kill more targets like defensive Silvally-Water and Bibarel be revenge killed by Cacturne. Pivoting support from Rotom-Fan Rotom-S, Silvally-Fighting, and Furfrou is integral for bringing in Cacturne safely. Pivots can also help scout sets, and in the case of knowing if the opposing target is Choice-locked, Cacturne is be able to safely use Sucker Punch or setup set up. Rotom-S and Silvally-Fighting also check things threats for Cacturne; Rotom-S is able to take on Fighting-types, (AC) while Silvally-Fighting takes on Dark-types. To prevent relying on Sucker Punch, use alternative revenge killers; Choice Scarf users like Swanna, Electivire, and Silvally work well, as do faster Pokemon such as Kadabra, Floatzel, and Rapidash.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============

Poison Jab can 1HKO OHKO Shiinotic, a wall that otherwise counters Cacturne's sets, but lacks any other targets that Cacturne's existing coverage already hits, and thus is undesirable. Similarly, Stomping Tantrum can OHKO Muk after a Swords Dance boost and still hits Steel-types like Mawile and Pawniard but leaves Cacturne reliant on Sucker Punch to break through other Grass-resists Pokemon that resist Grass like Bronzor and Bouffalant. (AP) Cacturne can try a physical set with Spikes, but it lacks a reliable dual pair of STAB attacks compared to the special variant. A Nasty Plot set can function as a dangerous wallbreaker. However, it tends to be less efective effective than the Swords Dance set, (AC) as it fails to boost any priority coverage, its priority move and thus makes Cacturne more vulnerable to revenge killers.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Faster Fighting-type Pokemon can easily manage Cacturne offensively while resisting Sucker Punch. In addition, Combusken and Monferno resist Cacturne's Grass-type coverage, Silvally-Fighting pressures it with U-turn, and Poliwrath has access to takes it on with priority with Vacuum Wave.

**U-turn**: U-turn is x4 4x super effective against Cacturne, causing it to be either forced out or KO'd KOed when up against pivots like Silvally-Dragon, Silvally-Dark, Toucannon, and Furfrou. These pivots do have to be weary of Sucker Punch if they are weakened into its KO range, (AC) though.

**Defog Users**: Many Defog users like Silvally-Dark, Silvally-Fighting, Altaria, and Rotom-Fan Rotom-S can work around Cacturne's coverage, revenge kill it, and remove its Spikes attempts.

**Muk**: Due to Cacturne's unreliable physical coverage and frailty, Muk can wall both variants of Cacturne and revenge kill it with Poison Jab.

**Shiinotic**: Shiinotic resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and can 1HKO OHKO it with Moonblast. Shiinotic only has to worry about the unlikely chance that Cacturne runs Poison Jab just for it and only it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[5gen, 296755], [@uhuhuhu, 407249]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

Astra

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
add remove
[OVERVIEW]

Cacturne is an powerful Pokemon that has a niche for its offensive Grass / Dark typing and coverage. It can function as a mixed attacker that threatens walls like Golem, Poliwrath, Pyukumuku, and Dusclops while also taking on faster attackers like Electivire and Kadabra with a strong priority attack in Sucker Punch. Spikes are a rare entry hazard that Cacturne can afford to fit, as its offensive presence gives it opportunities to set them when forcing switches. With Swords Dance, Cacturne becomes a sweeper with powerful priority that can also break through walls like Mareanie, Torterra, and Lickiliky. However, Cacturne is very frail, which gives it limited opportunities to set up or wallbreak. This is compounded by its vulnerability to all forms of entry hazards and reliance on Life Orb to break through major defensive targets and its weakness to common coverage, especially to U-turn from users like Silvally-Dark and Furfrou. Cacturne also relies on Sucker Punch to patch up its mediocre Speed, which means it has a hard time against faster attackers that resist Dark like Combusken, Silvally-Fighting, and Monferno. Lack of a usable physical Dark-type move outside of Sucker Punch allows more Pokemon like Gourgeist-XL, Muk, Rapidash, and Rotom-S to wall it or play around Sucker Punch and renders both sets unable to break Shiinotic. This makes Cacturne hard to support on teams, as it has limited windows of opportunity to perform as a sweeper or revenge killer.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Mild
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves

========

Giga Drain is a reliable Grass-type attack that has recovery to combat Life Orb recoil. Sucker Punch allows Cacturne to still be offensively threatening to faster Pokemon like Swanna and Mr. Mime that may try to revenge kill it.

Set Details
========

An investment that prioritizes Cacturne's Special Attack rather than its Attack grants it reliable STAB attacks in Giga Drain and Dark Pulse and avoids having to rely on Sucker Punch for physical Dark-type coverage. 252 Speed EVs allow Cacturne to be faster than Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash. A Mild nature is chose to maximize the power of Cacturne's special moves while retaining the strength of Sucker Punch.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should be utilized early-game to threaten entry hazard setters like Golem, Marowak, and Sandslash; all the while, it can force these Ground-types to switch out and capitalize by setting Spikes. Some walls like Gourgeist-XL, Mareanie, and Torterra may lack coverage to effectively deal with Cacturne, so it may find an opportunity to switch in on them and attack or set Spikes. Setting Spikes might be futile, however, if the opponent has reliable Defog users that beat Cacturne like Silvally-Fighting, Silvally-Dark, and Rotom-S. Try instead to wear them down with Giga Drain and Dark Pulse if they try to switch in on Cacturne. While Sucker Punch can 2HKO many faster Pokemon, watch out for those that can evade it like Roost Swanna, Substitute Raichu, and Encore Mr. Mime. In these cases, it might be better to not rely on Cacturne to revenge kill these threats unless absolutely necessary. Cacturne is more reliable revenge killing Choice Scarf users like Electivire and Silvally, but these threats still need to be worn down for Cacturne to OHKO them; otherwise, Cacturne's poor bulk prevents it from stomaching their hits.

Team Options
========

Spikes Cacturne works on teams that want the extra entry hazard support to wear down walls and put them in range of the team's setup sweepers. Sweepers like Combusken, Swanna, Simisear, and Bibarel appreciate that their checks like Silvally-Water, Silvally-Dragon, and Poliwrath are put in compromising positions with constant Spikes pressure. In return, Cacturne can rely on their complementary Fire and Water typings when trying to deal with opposing Grass- and Fire-types. Defensive Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Mareanie, and Mawile can be great switch-ins for when Cacturne is being threatened by common pivots like Silvally-Fighting and Furfrou. Mawile in particular can run Rocky Helmet to further wear down these U-turn users. Flying-types Pokemon like Swanna, Rotom-S, and Toucannon help target Shiinotic as well as Fighting- and Bug-types Pokemon for Cacturne, while Cacturne helps deal with some of their checks like Metang, Bronzor, and Golem. Rotom-S and Toucannon are also offensive pivots, and other pivot options like Electivire, Silvally-Dragon, and Komala make great teammates to help bring in Cacturne safely.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Sucker Punch can OHKO multiple faster threats after a Swords Dance, including Electivire, Simisage, and Floatzel. Superpower can break through Pokemon that work around Cacturne's other coverage like Bronzor, Bouffalant, Mawile, and Pawniard. Substitute over Superpower can help Cacturne avoid status attempts, and Cacturne can set Substitute up safely against the likes of Bronzor and Mareanie. However, lacking Superpower's coverage makes Cacturne less efficient as a wallbreaker, and Substitute only wears down Cacturne further.

Set Details
========

Life Orb with 252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature provides Cacturne with enough strength to OHKO frail attackers such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna and mixed Simisear after Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

Cacturne should find opportunities to revenge kill vulnerable Pokemon like Golem, Choice Specs Exeggutor and Beheeyem, Komala, and Marowak. In the case of Choice Specs Exeggutor or Beheeyem locked into Psychic, Cacturne can have a rare opportunity to set up Swords Dance safely, though it may still set up on the others when they switch out. Faster Pokemon like Swanna, Rapidash, Chatot, and Kadabra can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock or similar chip damage, but they may have status coverage like Roost or Encore to deter it; try scouting for the sets and coverage before relying on Cacturne to revenge kill these targets. If not using Sucker Punch, Cacturne may still risk going for Swords Dance on the aforementioned Pokemon that it can revenge kill on the prediction that they will switch out. Cacturne can be preserved as a late-game cleaner, as after boosting with Swords Dance, it can OHKO walls like Poliwrath and Sandslash, as well as faster threats like Electivire and Silvally-Dragon. Without a Swords Dance boost, Cacturne can still clean late-game with enough prior chip damage, but you should avoid relying on it on situations where Pokemon like Will-O-Wisp Rotom-S, Substitute Simisear, and Z-Celebrate Leafeon are still in the game, as they can play around Sucker Punch. Instead of sweeping itself, Cacturne can offer its wallbreaking capabilities against slower teams to bait threats that lack reliable recovery like Silvally-Water, Mawile, and Granbull to trade hits and put them in a workable range for setup sweepers.

Team Options
========

Cacturne fits on teams that appreciate its strong priority and wallbreaking capabilities to support and revenge other sweepers. Swords Dance Combusken, Bouffalant, and Crustle are physical sweepers that appreciate Cacturne for targeting walls like Golem, Mareanie, Poliwrath, and Pyukumuku for them. They in return help Cacturne by wearing down or breaking through some of its checks like Gougeist-XL, Muk, Shiinotic, and Rotom-S. Entry hazard support is crucial to put multiple threats into 1HKO range from Cacturne's Sucker Punch, and teammates that can provide Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes support can be Mawile, Marowak, Shuckle, and Mareanie. Shuckle also provides Sticky Web, which can allow Cacturne to revenge kill more targets like defensive Silvally-Water and Bibarel. Pivoting support from Rotom-Fan Rotom-S, Silvally-Fighting, and Furfrou is integral for bringing in Cacturne safely. Pivots can also help scout sets, and in the case of knowing if the opposing target is Choice-locked, Cacturne is able to safely use Sucker Punch or set up. Rotom-S and Silvally-Fighting also check threats for Cacturne; Rotom-S is able to take on Fighting-types, while Silvally-Fighting takes on Dark-types. To prevent relying on Sucker Punch, use alternative revenge killers; Choice Scarf users like Swanna, Electivire, and Silvally work well, as do faster Pokemon such as Kadabra, Floatzel, and Rapidash.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============

Poison Jab can OHKO Shiinotic, a wall that otherwise counters Cacturne's sets, but lacks any other targets that Cacturne's existing coverage already hits. Similarly, Stomping Tantrum can OHKO Muk after a Swords Dance boost and still hits Steel-types like Mawile and Pawniard but leaves Cacturne reliant on Sucker Punch to break through other Pokemon that resist Grass like Bronzor and Bouffalant. Cacturne can try a physical set with Spikes, but it lacks a reliable pair of STAB attacks compared to the special variant. A Nasty Plot set can function as a dangerous wallbreaker. However, it tends to be less effective than the Swords Dance set, as it fails to boost its priority move and thus makes Cacturne more vulnerable to revenge killers.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Fighting-types**: Faster Fighting-type Pokemon can easily manage Cacturne offensively while resisting Sucker Punch. In addition, Combusken and Monferno resist Cacturne's Grass-type coverage, Silvally-Fighting pressures with U-turn, and Poliwrath takes it on with priority in Vacuum Wave.

**U-turn**: U-turn is 4x super effective against Cacturne, causing it to be either forced out or KOed when up against pivots like Silvally-Dragon, Silvally-Dark, Toucannon, and Furfrou. These pivots do have to be weary of Sucker Punch if they are weakened into its KO range, though.

**Defog Users**: Many Defog users like Silvally-Dark, Silvally-Fighting, Altaria, and Rotom-S can work around Cacturne's coverage, revenge kill it, and remove its Spikes.

**Muk**: Due to Cacturne's unreliable physical coverage and frailty, Muk can wall both variants of Cacturne and revenge kill with Poison Jab.

**Shiinotic**: Shiinotic resists both of Cacturne's STAB attacks and canO1HKO can OHKO it with Moonblast. Shiinotic only has to worry about the unlikely chance that Cacturne runs Poison Jab just for it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[5gen, 296755], [@uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
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