Is Cacturne good for Emerald playthrough?
Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.
Cacturne is one of the worse Pokemon in Emerald. Its strongest move is return, which does not get STAB when used by Cacturne. Cacturne also has low speed and defenses and weaknesses to the common ice and flying types, so it does not get many opportunities to move in battle.
Use Vileplume or Sharpedo if you want a good grass or dark Pokemon. Sharpedo is naturally very fast, and Vileplume can easily raise its speed with sunny day and chlorophyll. Route 118 Oddish comes already knowing sleep powder. You can teach it sludge bomb immediately after catching it and solar beam and petal dance a bit later. Carvanha comes already knowing crunch, and you can teach it surf and ice beam immediately after catching it.source
Cacturne has some pretty polarizing issues in the context of an ingame playthrough, but I don’t think it’s one of the worst Pokemon available in the game. It can be salvaged and has a few niches Vileplume and Breloom can’t claim, like its Psychic immunity. I’ll go over its main issues in this answer for you to keep in mind for if you want to use it.
Recommended final learnset:Needle ArmFeint AttackReturn/Strength/Secret Power/FacadeLeech Seed/Giga Drain
Ultimately, Cacturne can be used and it does possess good matchups against major battles like Juan, but its issues may put you off from using it, and Vileplume, Breloom, Sceptile, and arguably Tropius are better choices for a Grass type. However, its unique Dark type might be worth considering as most of the Dark type Pokemon in the Hoenn Pokedex are really terrible, with only Mightyena notably standing out for earlygame utility.
I’m always looking for fun Mons to use in playthroughs. Cacturne isn’t one that I’ve spent much time with, but looking at its movepool and stats in Emerald, it looks like a promising option.
@hoennseptile, who I’m commenting after, brought up some great ideas and brought out it’s playthrough strengths well. Giga Drain is always a nice move for Grass-Types, especially since you’ll be getting some health back after using it! However, just to present another option, Cacturne eventuall learns Needle Arm, its signature move. Like Giga Drain, it has a base power of 60 and deals special damage. However, instead of healing for a little bit of HP afterwards, it has a 30% chance to make the target flinch, which when fighting Gym Leaders could end up being a life saver!
As for the rest of the move set, @hoennseptile pretty much brought out the rest of the best options. Using an HM or two on it will give it some utility along with its damage output. Growth is another option if you want a way to give Cacturne a small damage boost. That’s about the gist of Cacturne’s best options. Good luck with your playthrough!
