NationalDex
cacturne
#332

Cacturne

Scarecrow Pokémon

GrassDark

It becomes active at night, seeking prey that is exhausted from the day’s desert heat.

Base Stats

HP 70
Attack 115
Defense 60
Sp. Atk 115
Sp. Def 60
Speed 55
Total 475

Type Effectiveness

Abilities

Held Items

Evolution Chain

cacturne Cacturne Lv. 32

Moves

Locations

Details

Category Scarecrow Pokémon
Height 1.3 m
Weight 77.4 kg
Base Exp 166
Growth Rate Medium Slow
Capture Rate 60
Base Happiness 35
Gender 50% ♂ / 50% ♀
Habitat Rough Terrain
Egg Groups Plant ,Humanshape

Sprites

cacturne Front Front
cacturne Back Back
cacturne Front Shiny Front Shiny
cacturne Back Shiny Back Shiny
cacturne Front ♀ Front ♀
cacturne Front Shiny ♀ Front Shiny ♀
cacturne Official Art Official Art
cacturne Official Art (Shiny) Official Art (Shiny)

Competitive

uu
Swords Dance
Moves
Seed Bomb / Substitute
Low Kick / Focus Punch
Item
Life Orb
Nature
Adamant
EVs
Atk 252
SpD 4
Spe 252
Spikes Lead
Item
Focus Sash
Nature
Adamant / Jolly
EVs
Atk 252
SpD 4
Spe 252
Spikes
Moves
Synthesis / Substitute
Dark Pulse / Leech Seed / Encore
Item
Leftovers
Nature
Calm
EVs
HP 252
Def 4
SpD 252

Strategy Overview

Few Pokemon are more frustrating to face than Cacturne. As a Swords Dance sweeper with STAB Sucker Punch and base 115 Attack, it would already be sufficiently threatening, but throw in a 20% chance to evade any attack in sandstorm and you have a truly evil cactus. With access to Spikes, Cacturne is also a surprisingly effective team supporter, capable of setting up multiple layers of entry hazards against some of the most common defensive Pokemon in UU. Cacturne does have its flaws, however. Its low base 55 Speed forces it to rely on the fickle Sucker Punch to take on most offensive Pokemon, and its pitiful defensive stats and weaknesses to common types such as Bug, Fighting, and Fire make it easy to KO, provided the attacks connect. Like it or not, Cacturne is a Pokemon that relies on luck to reach its full potential; one roll of the RNG dice can be the difference between a wasted team slot and a devastating sweep.

Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc