Competitive Information for Cacnea [X/Y]
Grass
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 Cacnea? These builds are optimized for X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Get hyped for Cacnea, a terrific Pokémon with Grass typing! Cacnea is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. It often dominates battles in the LC tier (Little Cup). It is weak to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-typed attacks. Want to master Cacnea's movesets? Dive into our detailed strategies below!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 120 Hp / 252 Atk / 68 Def / 68 SpD
Moveset:
- Drain Punch / Thunder Punch
- Seed Bomb / Needle Arm
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch / Payback
Cacnea is a marvelous Physical Sweeper. This moveset is designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Cacnea from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Cacnea's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Water Absorb, Cacnea heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity. Drain Punch or Thunder Punch are added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Thunder Punch is a physical 75-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
♦ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a considerable amount of damage.
♦ Needle Arm is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Grass-type move (30% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Payback is a physical 50-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if your Cacnea moves after the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iaa14b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 120 Hp / 68 Def / 252 SpA / 68 SpD
Moveset:
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Dark Pulse
- Venoshock / Acid
- Round / Snore
Cacnea is a decent Special Sweeper. It's designed to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Cacnea's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacnea's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacnea 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 (Cacnea recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ 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).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
♦ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Cacnea must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iba14b
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Cacnea? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y 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 X/Y metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 120 Hp / 252 Atk / 68 Def / 68 SpD
Moveset:
- Drain Punch / Thunder Punch
- Seed Bomb / Needle Arm
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch / Payback
Cacnea is popular Physical Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Cacnea from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Cacnea's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Water Absorb, Cacnea heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity. Drain Punch or Thunder Punch are added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Thunder Punch is a physical 75-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
♦ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a nice amount of damage.
♦ Needle Arm is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Grass-type move (30% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Poison Jab is a physical 80-base power Poison-type move (30% chance to poison the target).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Payback is a physical 50-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if your Cacnea moves after the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jaa14b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 120 Hp / 68 Def / 252 SpA / 68 SpD
Moveset:
- Energy Ball / Giga Drain
- Acid / Venoshock
- Dark Pulse
- Round / Snore
Cacnea is a decent Special Sweeper. It is primarily designed to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Cacnea's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Cacnea's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Water Absorb, Cacnea 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 (Cacnea recovers 50% of the damage dealt).
♦ 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).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
♦ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Cacnea must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jba14b
Movepool
Want to know what moves Cacnea can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y 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 Cacnea.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Cacnea can perform in X/Y. 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 XY Move and Ability Combos for Cacnea
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Sunny day + Growth
- 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 Cacnea's stats
- Fell Stinger
- Growth
- Nasty Plot
- Power-Up Punch
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Cacnea
- Destiny Bond
- Protect
- Rest
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Cacnea in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Cacnea's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
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 Cacnea. Top rated Cacnea X/Y movesets. You can find Cacnea builds X/Y. Cacnea movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Cacnea Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Cacnea in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for Cacturne evolution