Cacnea Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Swords Dance allows Cacnea to boost its already high Attack and enables its attacks to break through bulky enemies. Seed Bomb is Cacnea's main STAB move, which heavily damages opponents such as Chinchou, Drilbur, and Tirtouga. It also breaks Sturdy and Focus Sashes while breaking Substitute, which enemies may set up while Cacnea uses Sucker Punch or a Swords Dance. Drain Punch hits the Steel-types that wall Seed Bomb, particularly Pawniard and Magnemite, and Sucker Punch lets Cacnea compensate for its low Speed to an extent by hitting with priority; it also hits fairly hard and punishes frail attackers such as Abra. Set Details 196 Defense EVs with Eviolite and an Impish Nature allow Cacnea to take physical hits more reliably, most notably Fletchling's Acrobatics, which only OHKOes Cacnea 6.3% of the time. 156 Attack EVs let Cacnea hit hard without taking from Cacnea's defenses, which reach Eviolite numbers. The remaining EVs are placed in HP and Special Defense to increase Cacnea's bulk further while reaching the aforementioned Eviolite numbers. Water Absorb is Cacnea's only usable ability, and allows it to come in on Water-type foes easily as well as avoiding nasty Scald burns from Chinchou and other Water-types. If raw power is needed, a set with 36 HP / 236 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD can be used, although this lowers Cacnea's physical bulk. Usage Tips Even though Cacnea is somewhat bulky, it should not be switched in on attacks, as it will have to normally take two hits before it gets a chance to attack. As such, a slow U-turn or Volt Switch is helpful to bring Cacnea in. Cacnea can set up a Swords Dance on bulky Water-types such as Chinchou, Tirtouga, and Slowpoke and proceed to dent the opposing team. However, Sucker Punch should be used carefully, as it might give foes an opportunity to set up easily. Team Options Cacnea needs a teammate to take down the Flying-types which give it trouble. Archen, Chinchou, and Magnemite are all capable of checking them while providing decent synergy with Cacnea. They can also take on the Fire-types which trouble Cacnea. Cacnea's moves aren't as strong as it would like, so a teammate with Knock Off such as Pawniard or Mienfoo can help it by removing items from bulky enemies, including Eviolite and Berry Juice. Cacnea is susceptible to status and damage, so a cleric such as Spritzee or Lickitung can help it last longer in battle.

This is basically the best and only real way to go with Cacnea. Swords Dance boosts Cacnea's Attack stat to impressive levels. Sucker Punch is the most important move, as with high Base Power and priority, Cacnea will be dealing a ton of damage before the opponent can even hit it. The rest of the set is decided by how much you want to rely on Sand Veil and prediction. Life Orb is the default option whereas Oran Berry further backs up Sand Veil if you try to test your luck. Of course, for this set to work at optimal efficiency, Hippopotas or another means of bringing out the sandstorm is a must. Croagunk and Houndour can be a real problem for this set, so Pokemon with powerful Water- and Flying-type attacks, such as Frillish and Taillow, are helpful. Oran Berry is viable on this set, as it can buy Cacnea extra opportunities to use Substitute while it tries to snag a miss because of Sand Veil. Swords Dance and Sucker Punch are a must for this set, but the rest of the set can vary a lot depending on your own preferences. Bullet Seed gets STAB, and helps with coverage, but Substitute can work well with Sand Veil to possibly buy Cacnea a free turn. Drain Punch heals Cacnea along with providing coverage, but Focus Punch is generally preferred due to its massive Base Power. If you decide to run Substitute, then using Focus Punch and Bright Powder is the way to go with Cacnea. Leech Seed is also usable on this set, as it keeps Cacnea's health up while it's using Substitute to maximize its abuse of Sand Veil.

Cacnea's excellent offensive stats are often offset by its mediocre Speed. Luckily Cacnea can get 14 Speed, so with a Choice Scarf Cacnea becomes a potent revenge killer who can outpace all other non Choice Scarfed Pokemon. Unlike the other sets, Dark Pulse is chosen over Sucker Punch, as Cacnea can reliably dispose of Pokemon such as non-Choice Scarf Gastly thanks to the increase in Speed. Brick Break is vital on this set as it hits Pokemon like Houndour who would otherwise wall this set. Brick Break also allows Cacnea to strike the likes of Munchlax and Steel-types such as Aron and Shieldon for super effective damage. Cacnea has two options for a STAB move: Needle Arm and Seed Bomb. Although Needle Arm has 20 less Base Power than Seed Bomb, it has a handy 30% chance to flinch your opponent. Hidden Power Ice is preferred over Hidden Power Fire in the last slot, as it allows Cacnea to strike the ever so common Gligar, who would otherwise stop Cacnea cold. However, Hidden Power Fire has the benefit of hitting Croagunk and Bronzor for super effective damage, making it decent option over Hidden Power Ice. With sandstorm in play, Cacnea becomes very frustrating for your opponent to take down. Hippopotas makes a great teammate for Cacnea, as it provides it with sandstorm support, activating Cacnea's ability, Sand Veil. Hippopotas can also set up Stealth Rock, allowing Cacnea to turn some 2HKOes into OHKOes. Houndour is troublesome for this set, as it can come in on a locked Seed Bomb or Dark Pulse, and dispose of Cacnea with either Pursuit as it switches out, or a STAB Fire-type move if Cacnea stays in. Munchlax is a great switch-in against Houndour, as it resist Houndour's Fire-type moves thanks to Thick Fat, while threatening Houndour with a super effective Earthquake. If it's not using Hidden Power Ice, Gligar will prove troublesome, as it can shrug off Cacnea's attacks and can OHKO with Aerial Ace. For this reason, pairing up Cacnea with a Pokemon who can handle Gligar is recommended. Slowpoke is an excellent teammate, as it can handle Gligar with STAB Surf, and has good synergy type-wise with Cacnea. Without Hidden Power Fire, Cacnea is more vulnerable to Croagunk, meaning you should have a way to handle it. For this reason, pairing Cacnea up with a Pokemon such as Gligar or Duskull can help, as they both handle Croagunk well. Duskull can burn Croagunk with Will-O-Wisp to reduce its Attack, and can stall out Croagunk's Sucker Punch. Gligar can dispose of the aforementioned Croagunk with a STAB Earthquake, making it a good teammate alongside Cacnea.

Cacnea is one of the most threatening Swords Dance sweepers in LC since it has access to Sucker Punch, the strongest priority move in the game. After one Swords Dance, Cacnea's already great Attack stat is boosted to a sky-high 38, allowing it to fire off deadly attacks that can OHKO many LC Pokemon. Sucker Punch should never to be underestimated even without the STAB boost; Cacnea has two other options to choose from for the third slot: Focus Punch and Seed Bomb. The choice of secondary attacking move is dependent on your final move. If you select Substitute then Focus Punch is the preferred move as it is more powerful and provides better coverage than Seed Bomb, and it gives Cacnea a shield to ensure Focus Punch hits. It's also very helpful should your opponent try to out-stall Cacnea's Sucker Punch PP, as it gives you the perfect opportunity to set up Substitute. On the other hand, if you select Encore, then Seed Bomb should be used. This is because Encore doesn't provide a shield like Substitute does, so Focus Punch tends to be a riskier option. Swords Dance, Encore, and Sucker Punch are also a ridiculously good trio. If your opponent even thinks about stalling out Sucker Punch's PP, they'll be hit with Encore, easily giving you a free Swords Dance boost as they are forced to switch out. If they attempt to avoid Encore by attacking, they will be hit by Sucker Punch. Either way, Cacnea is always going to be in a win-win situation with either Substitute or Encore, so it's really up to personal preference. The items listed are also going to be determined by your chosen moveset. If you opt to use Substitute, Oran Berry is the primary item as it lets Cacnea potentially set up without being at 1 HP afterwards or gives it more chances to fish for a miss due to Sand Veil (while a sandstorm is in effect), which gives it the chance to set up a Substitute. Focus Sash is suggested if you are using Encore, as Substitute renders your Focus Sash useless. If you do decide to use Focus Sash then it also guarantees Cacnea at least one Swords Dance boost, as long as entry hazards are not present. Even though Oran Berry and Focus Sash are the preferred items, Life Orb can also be useful. With Life Orb, Cacnea's attacks are powered up by 30%, making it a much larger offensive threat. This gives Sucker Punch that extra kick to OHKO Pokemon such as Porygon, Paras, and Wailmer, assuming Cacnea has used Swords Dance and Stealth Rock is on the field. Since Cacnea has the ability Sand Veil, Hippopotas' sandstorm can be used to take advantage of the evasion boost so it can Swords Dance or Substitute easier. When it comes to sweeping, Duskull can stop Cacnea cold if it lacks Seed Bomb. Duskull's amazing Defense, immunity to Focus Punch, and access to Will-O-Wisp will scare off Cacnea with ease. Sucker Punch will be useless against it, as Duskull generally won't bother to attack Cacnea. To deal with Duskull, Houndour is by far the most effective counter, absorbing Will-O-Wisp for added fire power and destroying it with Dark Pulse or Fire Blast. Speaking of Houndour, if Cacnea lacks Focus Punch, Houndour can easily switch into Sucker Punch, Seed Bomb, or Swords Dance and eliminate it. Munchlax is a great switch-in to Houndour, thanks to its Fire-type resistance due to Thick Fat, great overall bulk, and access to super effective Earthquake. Croagunk will always be a troublesome threat no matter which attack Cacnea decides to use, as it is resistant to all of them. It's best to pack a Pokemon who can dispose of Croagunk, or Cacnea will have a hard time sweeping. Diglett and Gligar are both excellent options, the former trapping it because of Arena Trap and finishing it off with Earthquake, while the latter switching into almost anything Croagunk uses (excluding Ice Punch) and destroying it with Earthquake.

While Cacnea is typically seen either running Swords Dance or Substitute and Focus Punch, this set is an excellent alternative, allowing Cacnea to make use of its remarkable Attack and Special Attack stats to dish out respectable amounts of damage to a number of Pokemon. Sucker Punch is Cacnea's main attack, compensating for Cacnea's low base Speed and dealing a respectable amount of damage to most Pokemon. Brick Break provides excellent coverage alongside Sucker Punch, hitting Munchlax and Steel-types, such as Aron and Shieldon. The choice between Seed Bomb or Energy Ball depends if you'd rather hit physically weak Pokemon such as Mantyke, or specially weak Pokemon such as Gligar. If you have no preference, Energy Ball is the best choice as it has a 10% chance to lower the opponent's Special Defense by one stage. Hidden Power Ice is Cacnea's best way to dispose of Gligar, but Hidden Power Fire has better overall coverage and can strike Croagunk, who otherwise resists most of Cacnea's moves. Life Orb is the preferred item because its 30% power boost offers Cacnea the ability to OHKO many Pokemon it otherwise wouldn't be able to. The EV spread is rather simple. With 156 Attack and 76 Special Attack EVs, Cacnea reaches 17 Attack and 16 Special Attack, enough for it to have a shot at 2HKOing max HP/min Def Munchlax with Brick Break and score a 2HKO on Croagunk with Hidden Power Fire. With max Speed, Cacnea is capable of reaching a Speed stat of 14, just enough to tie with neutral nature Croagunk. With sandstorm support, Cacnea's evasion will increase by 20% and it will cause plenty of grief for your opponent. For this reason, Hippopotas pairs up well with Cacnea, as it summons permanent sandstorm with its ability Sand Stream. In addition, Hippopotas can provide Stealth Rock support, helping Cacnea sweep. When it comes to sweeping, Gligar can potentially stop Cacnea in its tracks if it lacks Hidden Power Ice, and dispose of Cacnea with Aerial Ace. If Cacnea lacks Hidden Power Fire, Croagunk will prove bothersome as it resists the majority of Cacnea's moveset, and can strike Cacnea with a super effective Ice Punch. Slowpoke can dispose of the aforementioned Gligar with a STAB Surf and Slowpoke also pairs up with Cacnea well, type-wise, since they both resist each other's weaknesses. To deal with Croagunk, pairing Cacnea with a Pokemon who can handle it, such as Duskull or Gligar, is recommended. Gligar threatens Croagunk with a super effective Earthquake, while Duskull can reduce Croagunk's Attack with Will-O-Wisp, making it much more manageable.