Cacturne (NU Revamp)

Oglemi

Borf
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http://www.smogon.com/rs/pokemon/cacturne

[Overview]

The immediate thing to notice about Cacturne is its access to Spikes. It is one of only three usable Spikers available in NU, meaning it has a very secure niche within the tier. On top of that, it has amazing mixed attacking stats and a decent offensive typing. With that said, it doesn't have a solid STAB move that can make use of its great attacking stats. What's more, it is very slow, extremely frail, and has an awful defensive typing in a tier dominated by Fighting-, Poison-, and Flying-types. Still, it has a lot of perks over Glalie and Roselia, and since Spikes is the only form of entry hazards in NU, you'll probably make a team with Cacturne on it at some point.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain / Needle Arm
move 3: Hidden Power Dark / Hidden Power Psychic
move 4: Destiny Bond / Thunder Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines all of Cacturne's best aspects to get as much mileage out of it as possible. The main reason you'd use Cacturne over Glalie or Roselia as a Spiker is that Cacturne is significantly harder to switch into, and with a wide array of coverage moves available, Cacturne ensures just that with this set. Giga Drain or Needle Arm should be used as Cacturne's primary STAB move. Giga Drain offers passive recovery, which can let Cacturne take on Water- and Rock-types slightly better, while Needle Arm has far more PP and has a chance to flinch the target. Hidden Power Dark is recommended as a secondary STAB move, and Dark-type attacks are hard to come by in the tier, which allows Cacturne to act as one of the few decent checks to Chimecho. However, Hidden Power Psychic can be used instead to nail Hitmonchan looking for a free switch in to spin away Cacturne's Spikes, and it also gets a decent hit on the Poison-types in the tier.

Destiny Bond is a great tool for ensuring the opposing Pokemon goes down with Cacturne, and Cacturne is one of the few with access to the move in the tier. As a bonus, it may also scare the opponent into switching the next turn, freeing up time for Cacturne to lay another layer of Spikes. Because Cacturne is rather slow, Destiny Bond is kind of hard to use effectively or consistently, which is why Thunder Punch is also suggested in the last slot. Normally, Murkrow and Pidgeot have a fairly safe switch into Cacturne, but Thunder Punch ensures that that is not the case, OHKOing the former and easily 2HKOing the latter.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature and maximum Speed investment allow Cacturne to outrun maximum Speed Jolly Pupitar, with the rest of the EVs pumped into Special Attack so that Cacturne hits as hard as possible. A special attacking set is preferred due to Cacturne's STAB types being special. As for other move options, Toxic is a decent option for crippling Hitmonchan and bulkier walls like Lickitung and Kecleon. Different Hidden Powers can be used depending on your team's needs, but Dark and Psychic are by far the most useful.

Teams that don't want to use Glalie because of its typing and don't like Roselia because of its physical frailty will really like Cacturne. While it's frail both specially and physically, its resistances allow it to stand up to some attacks the other two cannot. Cacturne fits best on heavy offense teams since it doesn't last long itself but is capable of dishing out a ton of damage. Unfortunately, Hitmonchan probably has the easiest time switching into Cacturne out of the Spikers and can either easily OHKO it with Sky Uppercut or spin away Cacturne's Spikes. To combat Hitmonchan, Haunter and Chimecho are recommended as teammates, and they have decent synergy with Cacturne outside of checking Hitmonchan. Murkrow and Pidgeot easily switch into anything apart from Thunder Punch and threaten to KO Cacturne with their Flying-type STAB moves, making Rock-types like Relicanth and Sudowoodo and Steel-types like Mawile good teammates. Rock-types also make good use of the Spikes Cacturne sets up and lure in bulky Water-types, which Cacturne can then easily switch into and threaten out.

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Leech Seed / Destiny Bond
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Despite the lack of STAB moves, this is Cacturne's hardest hitting set. Special attacking sets are far more common, and the Pokemon that counter those sets, such as Lickitung and Kecleon, are easily taken out by Focus Punch. Substitute is needed to allow Cacturne to fire off Focus Punch without flinching. Hidden Power Ghost forms perfect coverage with Focus Punch and is needed to hit Haunter and Chimecho. The last slot is mostly filler, but Leech Seed is probably the most useful option because it creates a makeshift SubSeed set, which can push some bulky Pokemon like Kingler into KO range of Focus Punch. However, Destiny Bond is a useful tool for threatening an instant KO against the foe. Both choices are great, and both allow an opportunity to fire off a free Focus Punch by forcing switches.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is designed to hit as hard as possible while outrunning maximum Speed Modest Huntail. Running a Grass- or Dark-type STAB move in the last slot is an option, but they're pretty weak with an Adamant nature and no investment, even with Cacturne's high Special Attack stat. Other physical move options include Brick Break and Double-Edge for a strong, reliable attack when without a Substitute. Glalie is an ideal teammate for this set, as Cacturne forces a lot of switches between Focus Punch and Leech Seed or Destiny Bond, and Spikes helps capitalize on those forced switches.

This set can lure in and take out common switch-ins to Cacturne like Hitmonchan and Murkrow, meaning Pokemon that can sweep with their removal are good teammates. Rock-types, Pupitar in particular, love having Hitmonchan out of the picture. Hitmonchan of your own and Chimecho love having Murkrow and Pidgeot out of the way. This set is probably the best switch-in to Chimecho in the tier, particularly Calm Mind variants, as most don't carry a move that can hit Cacturne effectively, while Cacturne can easily 2HKO Chimecho by targeting its weaker defensive stat. This fact further increases the synergy between Cacturne and Hitmonchan and also makes Cacturne a valued teammate of Poison-types like Haunter and Arbok. Finally, this set is totally walled by Swalot, making Ground-types like Piloswine good teammates as well.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Encore
move 3: Hidden Power Dark
move 4: Needle Arm / Leech Seed / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines Cacturne's good offensive presence and its ability to set Spikes, disrupt the opponent's team, and force switches. In order to get the best out of this set, switch in on a foe using a setup or status move like Reflect and use Encore on it. From there, set up Spikes, or if you can predict what Pokemon your opponent is going to switch to, use the appropriate STAB move. Hidden Power Dark is more useful than Needle Arm for its broader neutral coverage, higher power, and ability to rip apart Chimecho and Haunter. The best options over Needle Arm are Leech Seed and Substitute, both of which best utilize the switches Encore will force and can lead to even more switches by the opponent.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The Speed EVs outspeed minimum base 60 Speed Pokemon and max Speed Adamant Sudowoodo as a bonus. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP to give Cacturne a bit of bulk, and Special Attack is maxed out to make use of Cacturne's Special Attack as best as possible. However, the EVs as a whole are pretty flexible, and EVs can be moved from Special Attack or Speed to the defenses to better cushion common attacks Cacturne resists like Earthquake and Surf.

As a support Pokemon, this set is less dependent on having teammates that support it, but having teammates that can capitalize on the Spikes Cacturne provides is important. Offensive Pokemon like Pidgeot, Raticate, Hitmonchan, and Vigoroth are good examples of Pokemon that make use of Spikes and enjoy having Cacturne's offensive presence on the team to remove problematic Pokemon like Rock-types and Chimecho. Cacturne also has an easy time switching in on defensive Pokemon like Whiscash and Lickitung and forcing them out with Encore, making it a good partner for Fire-types and special attackers like Plusle.

[Other Options]

A Choice Band set and a Swords Dance set are both possible, but Cacturne's physical coverage is too lacking outside of Focus Punch and Hidden Power Ghost to really make use of Choice Band, and Cacturne isn't quite quick enough to sweep with Swords Dance. Counter is a good option for surprising an opponent using a non-super effective STAB move, but without Focus Sash in ADV it's really hard to pull off with Cacturne's frailty. Finally, Toxic and GrassWhistle are options as status moves, but Leech Seed or Encore will generally be more useful than either of those two.

[Checks and Counters]

Murkrow has an exceptionally easy time switching into Cacturne, as it resists both of Cacturne's STAB moves, resists Hidden Power Ghost, only really fears Thunder Punch or Focus Punch, and immediately threatens Cacturne with Drill Peck. Pidgeot can similarly switch in and threaten Cacturne with Aerial Ace, but it can't switch in quite as safely as Murkrow. Hitmonchan easily annihilates Cacturne with Sky Uppercut and resists Hidden Power Dark; it even spins away Cacturne's Spikes. Flareon can easily tank anything from the special attacking sets and can eliminate Cacturne with Fire Blast.

Defensively, Swalot fears almost nothing from Cacturne and even enjoys switching into Leech Seed because of Liquid Ooze. Venomoth isn't even fazed by Cacturne's Grass-type attacks nor Focus Punch and threatens Cacturne with Sludge Bomb in return. Finally, defensive Bellossom and Roselia both generally beat Cacturne one-on-one due to their significantly higher special bulk and immunity to Leech Seed.
 
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frenzyplant

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[Overview]

The immediate thing to notice about Cacturne is its access to Spikes. It is one of only three usable Spikers available in NU, meaning it has a very secure niche within the tier. On top of that, it has amazing mixed attacking stats and a decent offensive typing. However, with that said, (a bit repetitive with each other) it doesn't have a useful STAB move to make use of its great attacking stats. What's more, it is very slow, is extremely frail, and has an awful defensive typing in a tier dominated by Fighting-, Poison-, and Flying-types. Still, it has a lot of perks over Glalie and Roselia, and since Spikes are is the only form of entry hazards in NU, you'll probably make a team with Cacturne on it at some point.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain / Needle Arm
move 3: Hidden Power Dark / Hidden Power Psychic
move 4: Destiny Bond / Thunder Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines all of Cacturne's best aspects in one set (a little repetitive) to get as much mileage out of it as possible. The main reason you'd use Cacturne over Glalie or Roselia as a Spiker is that Cacturne is significantly harder to switch into, and with a wide array of coverage moves available, Cacturne accomplishes just that (accomplishing a quality (in this case, being harder to switch into) doesn't make too much sense to me. maybe "ensures just that"?) with this set. Giga Drain or Needle Arm should be used as Cacturne's primary STAB move. Giga Drain offers passive recovery, (comma) which can let it Cacturne take on Water- and Rock-types slightly better, while Needle Arm has far more PP and has a chance to flinch the target. opponent. Hidden Power Dark is recommended as a secondary STAB move, and Dark-type attacks are hard to come by in the tier, which allows Cacturne to act as one of the few decent checks to Chimecho. However, Hidden Power Psychic can be used instead to nail Hitmonchan looking for a free switch in to spin away Cacturne's Spikes, and it also gets a decent hit on the Poison-types in the tier.

Destiny Bond is a great tool to ensure the opponent opposing Pokemon goes down with Cacturne, and Cacturne is one of the few with access to the move in the tier. As a bonus, it may also scare the opponent into switching the next turn, freeing up space for Cacturne to lay another layer of Spikes. Because Cacturne is rather slow, Destiny Bond is kind of hard to use effectively or consistently, which is why ThunderPunch is also suggested in the last slot. Normally, Murkrow and Pidgeot have a fairly safe switch into Cacturne, but ThunderPunch ensures that that is not the case, OHKOing the former and easily 2HKOing the latter.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature and maximum Speed investment (otherwise "rest of the EVs" is a little confusing because you have not mentioned EVs so far) outruns maximum Speed Jolly Pupitar, with the rest of the EVs pumped into Special Attack so that Cacturne hits as hard as possible. A special attacking set is preferred due to Cacturne's typing, which is where because its available STAB moves lie in the special category. (or some similar rewording. the original sentence seemed to say that Cacturne's STAB moves were of its types, which is true by definition) As for other move options, Toxic is a decent option to cripple Hitmonchan and bulkier walls like Lickitung and Kecleon. Different Hidden Powers can be used depending on your team's needs, but Dark and Psychic are by far the most useful.

Teams that don't want to use Glalie because of its typing, (remove comma) and don't like Roselia because of its physical frailty will really like Cacturne. While it's frail both specially and physically, its resistances allow it to stand up to some attacks the other two cannot. Cacturne fits best on heavy offense teams since it doesn't last long itself but is capable of dishing out a ton of damage. Unfortunately, Hitmonchan probably has the easiest time switching into Cacturne and can either easily OHKO it with Sky Uppercut or spin away Cacturne's Spikes. To try and combat Hitmonchan, Haunter and Chimecho are recommended as teammates, and they have decent synergy with Cacturne outside of checking Hitmonchan. Murkrow and Pidgeot easily switch into anything apart from ThunderPunch and threaten to KO Cacturne with their Flying-type STAB moves, making Rock-types like Graveler and Sudowoodo and Steel-types like Mawile good teammates. Rock-types also make good use of the Spikes Cacturne sets up and lure in bulky Water-types, (comma) which Cacturne can then easily switch into and threaten out.

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Leech Seed / Destiny Bond
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Despite the lack of STAB moves, this is Cacturne's hardest hitting set. Special attacking sets are far more common, and the Pokemon that counter that set, such as Lickitung and Kecleon, are easily taken out by Focus Punch. Hidden Power Ghost forms perfect coverage with Focus Punch, (remove comma) and is needed to hit Haunter and Chimecho. The last slot is mostly filler, but Leech Seed is probably the most useful option because as it creates a makeshift SubSeed set, (comma) which can push some bulky Pokemon like Kingler into KO range of Focus Punch. However, Destiny Bond is a useful tool to threaten an instant KO against the foe. opponent. Both choices are great, (comma) and both allow an opportunity to fire off a free Focus Punch by forcing switches.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is designed to hit as hard as possible while still outrunning maximum Speed Modest Huntail. Running a Grass- or Dark-type STAB move in the last slot is an option, but they're pretty weak with an Adamant nature and no investment, even with Cacturne's high Special Attack stat. Other physical move options include Brick Break and Double-Edge for a strong, reliable attack outside of the Substitute. Glalie is an ideal teammate for this set, (comma) as Cacturne forces a lot of switches between Focus Punch and Leech Seed or Destiny Bond, and Spikes helps capitalize on those forced switches.

This set can lure in and take out common switch-ins to Cacturne like Hitmonchan and Murkrow, meaning a Pokemon that can sweep with their removal are good teammates. Rock-types, Pupitar in particular, love having Hitmonchan out of the picture. Hitmonchan of your own or and Chimecho love having Murkrow and Pidgeot out of the way. This set is probably the best switch-in to Chimecho in the tier, particularly Calm Mind variants, as most don't carry a move that can hit Cacturne effectively while Cacturne can easily 2HKO Chimecho on by targeting its weaker defense Defense stat. This fact further increases the synergy between Cacturne and Hitmonchan, (remove comma) and also makes Cacturne a valued teammate of Poison-types like Haunter and Arbok. Finally, this set is totally walled by Swalot, making Ground-type Ground-types like Piloswine good teammates as well.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Encore
move 3: Hidden Power Dark
move 4: Needle Arm / Leech Seed / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines Cacturne's good offensive presence and its ability to set Spikes, disrupt the enemy's team, and force switches. In order to get the best out of this set, switch in on an enemy using a set up setup or status move like Reflect and Encore it. From there, set up Spikes or, (comma) if you can predict what Pokemon your opponent is going to switch to, (comma) use the appropriate STAB move. The Dark-type STAB move is more important (than a Grass-type STAB move?) for its broader neutral coverage, higher power, and ability to rip apart Chimecho and Haunter. The best options over Needle Arm are Leech Seed and Substitute, both of which best utilize the switches Encore will force and can lead to even more switches by the opponent.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The Speed EVs outspeed minimum base 60s and maximum (I don't know if there is a consensus about the likes of "max" and "vs"; if there is not, I think they should be spelled out or replaced with an alternative like "full", "top", "fully invested", or similar in the meantime) Speed Adamant Sudowoodo as a bonus. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP to give Cacturne a bit of bulk, and Special Attack is maxed out to make use of Cacturne's Special Attack as best as possible. However, the EVs as a whole are pretty flexible, and more EVs (no EVs have been moved to the defenses) can be moved from Special Attack or Speed and moved to the defenses to better cushion common attacks Cacturne resists like Earthquake and Surf.

As a support Pokemon, this set is less dependent on having teammates that support it, but having teammates that can capitalize on the Spikes Cacturne provides is important. Offensive Pokemon like Pidgeot, Raticate, Hitmonchan, and Vigoroth are good examples of Pokemon that make use of Spikes and enjoy Cacturne's offensive presence on the team to remove problematic Pokemon like Rock-types and Chimecho. Cacturne also has an easy time switching in on defensive Pokemon like Whiscash and Lickitung and forcing them out with Encore, making it a good partner for Fire-types and special attackers like Plusle.

[Other Options]

A Choice Band or set and a Swords Dance set are both possible, but Cacturne's physical coverage is pretty lacking outside of Focus Punch and Hidden Power Ghost to really make use of Choice Band, and Cacturne isn't really quick enough to sweep with Swords Dance. Counter is a good option to surprise an opponent using a non-super effective STAB move, but without Focus Sash in ADV it's really hard to pull off with Cacturne's general frailty. Finally, Toxic and GrassWhistle are options as status moves, but generally Leech Seed or Encore will be more useful than either of those two.

[Checks and Counters]

Murkrow has an exceptionally easy time switching into Cacturne as it resists both of Cacturne's STAB moves, resists Hidden Power Ghost, and only really fears Thunder Punch or Focus Punch, while it immediately threatens Cacturne with Drill Peck. Pidgeot can similarly switch in and threaten Cacturne with Aerial Ace, but it can't switch in quite as safely as Murkrow. Hitmonchan easily annihilates Cacturne with Sky Uppercut and resists Hidden Power Dark; it even spins away Cacturne's Spikes. Flareon can easily tank anything from the special attacking sets and can eliminate Cacturne with Double-Edge or Overheat.

Defensively, Swalot fears almost nothing from Cacturne and even enjoys switching into Leech Seed because of Liquid Ooze. Venomoth isn't even phazed fazed by Cacturne's Grass-type STAB choice or Focus Punch and threatens Cacturne with its own Bug-type STAB moves in return. Finally, defensive Bellossom and Roselia both generally beat Cacturne one-on-one due to their significantly higher special bulk, and they are immune to Leech Seed to top it off.
 

GP 2/2
remove add comments

[Overview]

The immediate thing to notice about Cacturne is its access to Spikes. It is one of only three usable Spikers available in NU, meaning it has a very secure niche within the tier. On top of that, it has amazing mixed attacking stats and a decent offensive typing. With that said, it doesn't have a useful solid STAB move to that can make use of its great attacking stats. What's more, it is very slow, extremely frail, and has an awful defensive typing in a tier dominated by Fighting-, Poison-, and Flying-types. Still, it has a lot of perks over Glalie and Roselia, and since Spikes is the only form of entry hazards in NU, you'll probably make a team with Cacturne on it at some point.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Giga Drain / Needle Arm
move 3: Hidden Power Dark / Hidden Power Psychic
move 4: Destiny Bond / Thunder Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines all of Cacturne's best aspects to get as much mileage out of it as possible. The main reason you'd use Cacturne over Glalie or Roselia as a Spiker is that Cacturne is significantly harder to switch into, and with a wide array of coverage moves available, Cacturne ensures just that with this set. Giga Drain or Needle Arm should be used as Cacturne's primary STAB move. Giga Drain offers passive recovery, which can let Cacturne take on Water- and Rock-types slightly better, while Needle Arm has far more PP and has a chance to flinch the target. Hidden Power Dark is recommended as a secondary STAB move, and Dark-type attacks are hard to come by in the tier, which allows Cacturne to act as one of the few decent checks to Chimecho. However, Hidden Power Psychic can be used instead to nail Hitmonchan looking for a free switch in to spin away Cacturne's Spikes, and it also gets a decent hit on the Poison-types in the tier.

Destiny Bond is a great tool to ensure for ensuring the opposing Pokemon goes down with Cacturne, and Cacturne is one of the few with access to the move in the tier. As a bonus, it may also scare the opponent into switching the next turn, freeing up space time for Cacturne to lay another layer of Spikes. Because Cacturne is rather slow, Destiny Bond is kind of hard to use effectively or consistently, which is why Thunder(space)Punch is also suggested in the last slot. Normally, Murkrow and Pidgeot have a fairly safe switch into Cacturne, but Thunder(space)Punch ensures that that is not the case, OHKOing the former and easily 2HKOing the latter.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

A Timid nature and maximum Speed investment allows Cacturne to outrun maximum Speed Jolly Pupitar, with the rest of the EVs pumped into Special Attack so that Cacturne hits as hard as possible. A special attacking set is preferred due to Cacturne's typing, because its available STAB moves lie on the special side STAB types being special. As for other move options, Toxic is a decent option to cripple for crippling Hitmonchan and bulkier walls like Lickitung and Kecleon. Different Hidden Powers can be used depending on your team's needs, but Dark and Psychic are by far the most useful.

Teams that don't want to use Glalie because of its typing and don't like Roselia because of its physical frailty will really like Cacturne. While it's frail both specially and physically, its resistances allow it to stand up to some attacks the other two cannot. Cacturne fits best on heavy offense teams since because it doesn't last long itself but is capable of dishing out a ton of damage. Unfortunately, Hitmonchan probably has the easiest time switching into Cacturne out of the Spikers and can either easily OHKO it with Sky Uppercut or spin away Cacturne's Spikes. To try and combat Hitmonchan, Haunter and Chimecho are recommended as teammates, and they have decent synergy with Cacturne outside of checking Hitmonchan. Murkrow and Pidgeot easily switch into anything apart from Thunder(space)Punch and threaten to KO Cacturne with their Flying-type STAB moves, making Rock-types like Relicanth and Sudowoodo and Steel-types like Mawile good teammates. Rock-types also make good use of the Spikes Cacturne sets up and lure in bulky Water-types, which Cacturne can then easily switch into and threaten out.

[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ghost
move 4: Leech Seed / Destiny Bond
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Despite the lack of STAB moves, this is Cacturne's hardest hitting set. Special attacking sets are far more common, and the Pokemon that counter those sets, such as Lickitung and Kecleon, are easily taken out by Focus Punch. (Please put a sentence explaining Substitute somewhere around here) Hidden Power Ghost forms perfect coverage with Focus Punch and is needed to hit Haunter and Chimecho. The last slot is mostly filler, but Leech Seed is probably the most useful option because it creates a makeshift SubSeed set, which can push some bulky Pokemon like Kingler into KO range of Focus Punch. However, Destiny Bond is a useful tool to for threatening an instant KO against the foe. Both choices are great, and both allow an opportunity to fire off a free Focus Punch by forcing switches.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The EV spread is designed to hit as hard as possible while still outrunning maximum Speed Modest Huntail. Running a Grass- or Dark-type STAB move in the last slot is an option, but they're pretty weak with an Adamant nature and no investment, even with Cacturne's high Special Attack stat. Other physical move options include Brick Break and Double-Edge for a strong, reliable attack outside of the when without a Substitute. Glalie is an ideal teammate for this set, as Cacturne forces a lot of switches between Focus Punch and Leech Seed or Destiny Bond, and Spikes helps capitalize on those forced switches.

This set can lure in and take out common switch-ins to Cacturne like Hitmonchan and Murkrow, meaning a Pokemon that can sweep with their removal are good teammates. Rock-types, Pupitar in particular, love having Hitmonchan out of the picture. Hitmonchan of your own and Chimecho love having Murkrow and Pidgeot out of the way. This set is probably the best switch-in to Chimecho in the tier, particularly Calm Mind variants, as most don't carry a move that can hit Cacturne effectively, (comma) while Cacturne can easily 2HKO Chimecho by targeting its weaker defensive stat. This fact further increases the synergy between Cacturne and Hitmonchan and also makes Cacturne a valued teammate of Poison-types like Haunter and Arbok. Finally, this set is totally walled by Swalot, making Ground-types like Piloswine good teammates as well.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Encore
move 3: Hidden Power Dark
move 4: Needle Arm / Leech Seed / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This set combines Cacturne's good offensive presence and its ability to set Spikes, disrupt the enemy's opponent's team, and force switches. In order to get the best out of this set, switch in on an enemy a foe using a setup or status move like Reflect and use Encore on it. From there, set up Spikes, or if you can predict what Pokemon your opponent is going to switch to, use the appropriate STAB move. The Dark-type STAB move Hidden Power Dark is more important useful than its Grass-type one Needle Arm for its broader neutral coverage, higher power, and ability to rip apart Chimecho and Haunter. The best options over Needle Arm are Leech Seed and Substitute, both of which best utilize the switches Encore will force and can lead to even more switches by the opponent.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

The Speed EVs outspeed minimum base 60s Speed Pokemon and maximum Speed Adamant Sudowoodo as a bonus. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP to give Cacturne a bit of bulk, and Special Attack is maxed out to make use of Cacturne's Special Attack as best as possible. However, the EVs as a whole are pretty flexible, and EVs can be moved from Special Attack or Speed to the defenses to better cushion common attacks Cacturne resists like Earthquake and Surf.

As a support Pokemon, this set is less dependent on having teammates that support it, but having teammates that can capitalize on the Spikes Cacturne provides is important. Offensive Pokemon like Pidgeot, Raticate, Hitmonchan, and Vigoroth are good examples of Pokemon that make use of Spikes and enjoy having Cacturne's offensive presence on the team to remove problematic Pokemon like Rock-types and Chimecho. Cacturne also has an easy time switching in on defensive Pokemon like Whiscash and Lickitung and forcing them out with Encore, making it a good partner for Fire-types and special attackers like Plusle.

[Other Options]

A Choice Band set and a Swords Dance set are both possible, but Cacturne's physical coverage is pretty too lacking outside of Focus Punch and Hidden Power Ghost to really make use of Choice Band, and Cacturne isn't really quick enough to sweep with Swords Dance. Counter is a good option to surprise for surprising an opponent using a non-super effective STAB move, but without Focus Sash in ADV it's really hard to pull off with Cacturne's general frailty. Finally, Toxic and GrassWhistle are options as status moves, but generally Leech Seed or Encore will generally be more useful than either of those two.

[Checks and Counters]

Murkrow has an exceptionally easy time switching into Cacturne, (comma) as it resists both of Cacturne's STAB moves, resists Hidden Power Ghost, and only really fears Thunder Punch or Focus Punch, while it and immediately threatens Cacturne with Drill Peck. Pidgeot can similarly switch in and threaten Cacturne with Aerial Ace, but it can't switch in quite as safely as Murkrow. Hitmonchan easily annihilates Cacturne with Sky Uppercut and resists Hidden Power Dark; it even spins away Cacturne's Spikes. Flareon can easily tank anything from the special attacking sets and can eliminate Cacturne with Fire Blast.

Defensively, Swalot fears almost nothing from Cacturne and even enjoys switching into Leech Seed because of Liquid Ooze. Venomoth isn't even fazed by Cacturne's Grass-type STAB attack choice nor Focus Punch and threatens Cacturne with Sludge Bomb in return. Finally, defensive Bellossom and Roselia both generally beat Cacturne one-on-one due to their significantly higher special bulk, (comma) and they are immune to Leech Seed to top it off and immunity to Leech Seed.
 
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