Competitive Information for Cacturne [Black/White]
Grass / Dark
Abilities:
If Sandstorm is active, this Pokemon's evasiveness is 1.25x; immunity to Sandstorm.
This Pokemon heals 1/4 of its max HP when hit by Water moves; Water immunity.
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Note: Pokemon with the Water Absorb ability are immune to Water attacks.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Cacturne? These builds are optimized for Black/White Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Black/White metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Cacturne is here! This wonderful Pokémon is Grass and Dark-typed and ready to shine! Cacturne is a common Pokémon to see in the BW metagame. Don't underestimate it; it can be a hidden gem in the meta. It is weak to Bug, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-typed attacks. Check out the movesets listed below to learn more about Cacturne's strategies.
Item: Life Orb / Magnet
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Thunder Punch / Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch / Payback
- Seed Bomb / Needle Arm
- Superpower / Brick Break
Cacturne is a sensational Physical Sweeper. The purpose of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. White Herb will reset Cacturne's negative stat changes once (specifically for when it uses Superpower). Focus Sash helps protect Cacturne from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacturne's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacturne heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity. Thunder Punch was added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Payback is a physical STAB-boosted 50-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if your Cacturne moves after the target).
♦ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a good amount of damage.
♦ Needle Arm is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Grass-type move (30% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Cacturne's attack and defense by 1 stage).
♦ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gaa14c
Item: Life Orb / Miracle Seed
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Dark Pulse
- Hyper Beam / Round
- Venoshock / Acid
Cacturne is an awesome Special Sweeper. It's primary goal is to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Cacturne from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacturne's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacturne heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Giga Drain is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Grass-type move (Cacturne recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Cacturne cannot move next turn).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
♦ Venoshock is a special 65-base power Poison-type move (power doubles if the target is poisoned).
♦ Acid is a special 40-base power Poison-type move (10% chance to lower the foes special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gba14c
Item: Red Card
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 231 Hp / 231 SpA / 48 Spe
Moveset:
- Nasty Plot
- Energy Ball
- Focus Blast
- Dark Pulse
Cacturne is an astounding Special Tank. It attempts to take a nice amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. With Water Absorb, Cacturne heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Energy Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Focus Blast is a special 120-base power Fighting-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gca14c
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Cacturne? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Black/White Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Black/White metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Life Orb / Magnet
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Thunder Punch / Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch / Payback
- Seed Bomb / Needle Arm
- Superpower / Brick Break
Cacturne is an extraordinary Physical Sweeper. It is designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. White Herb will reset Cacturne's negative stat changes once (specifically for when it uses Superpower). Focus Sash helps protect Cacturne from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacturne's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacturne heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity. Thunder Punch was added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Payback is a physical STAB-boosted 50-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if your Cacturne moves after the target).
♦ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a hefty amount of damage.
♦ Needle Arm is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Grass-type move (30% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Cacturne's attack and defense by 1 stage).
♦ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/haa14c
Item: Life Orb / Miracle Seed
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Dark Pulse
- Acid / Venoshock
- Hyper Beam / Round
Cacturne is an extraordinary Special Sweeper. This moveset attempts to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Cacturne from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacturne's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacturne heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Giga Drain is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Grass-type move (Cacturne recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Acid is a special 40-base power Poison-type move (10% chance to lower the foes special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Venoshock is a special 65-base power Poison-type move (power doubles if the target is poisoned).
♦ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Cacturne cannot move next turn).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/hba14c
Movepool
Want to know what moves Cacturne can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Black/White generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Cacturne.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Cacturne can perform in Black/White. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive BW Move and Ability Combos for Cacturne
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Sunny day + Growth
- Moves: Swagger + Foul play
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Drain punch
- Moves: Substitute + Leech seed
- Moves: Ingrain + Leech seed
- Moves: Toxic + Leech seed
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Dynamic Punch
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Sucker Punch
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Cacturne's stats
- Growth
- Nasty Plot
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Cacturne
- Destiny Bond
- Protect
- Rest
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Cacturne in Black and White
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Cacturne. Top rated Cacturne Black/White movesets. You can find Cacturne builds Black/White. Cacturne movesets Black/White are listed here. VGC Cacturne Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Cacturne in Black/White along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution