Is Cacturne Good in Emerald Playthrough?
Grass/Dark with AbilitySand Veil. Cacturne hits hard on both Attack and Special but rarely strikes first. Grass handles Juan and Wallace's Water teams. Dark handles Phoebe. In Emerald, the dual coverage across three endgame fights is valuable if Cacturne survives the first hit.
Cacnea resists most of Roxanne's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacnea has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Flannery's team hits Cacnea's weaknesses hard.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Winona's team hits Cacnea's weaknesses hard.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Cacturne resists most of Juan's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Cacturne resists most of Phoebe's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace's team.
Catch Cacnea on Route 111 (walking, Lv 20-22, rare).
- After Brawly
- TM43NormalSecret Power70100%20
- LV 29DarkFeint Attack60100%20
- After Norman
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
- After Winona
- TM22GrassSolar Beam180100%10
- TM19GrassGiga Drain113100%10
- LV 37GrassNeedle Arm90100%15
- After Juan
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
Your Cacnea should hit Level 32 before you reach Tate & Liza, at typical leveling pace.
- STARTING (Lv 32)
- LV 32DarkFeint Attack90100%20
- After Roxanne
- HM04NormalStrength80100%15
- After Norman
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Winona
- TM22GrassSolar Beam180100%10
- TM19GrassGiga Drain113100%10
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- LV 41GrassNeedle Arm90100%15
- After Juan
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
How to Get Cacturne in Emerald
Can't catch Cacturne directly. Start with Cacnea at moderate rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 32. The 2-stage line from Cacnea to Cacturne is where the leveling time goes.
Catch Cacnea at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Cacturne.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
- 1Catch Cacnea
- 2Evolve Cacturneat Lv.32
Badge 3How to Obtain Cacturne in E
Step 1Catch CacneaRoute 111 - DesertLv.20-22GrassRate 6%
Step 2Cacturne ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Cacturne egg.
Cacturne Weakness
Cacturne is weak to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. Watch out for Bug attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Psychic-type moves entirely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Cacturne Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Cacturne
 Dustox BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Dustox builds →Sludge Bomb 2x66-79% Gust 2x21-26% | ||
 Makuhita Fighting | C | |
 Zubat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Zubat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x62-74% Leech Life 4x21-26% | ||
 Taillow Normal | C | |
 Torchic Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Torchic builds →Ember 2x41-49% Peck 2x21-26% | ||
 Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Combusken builds →Ember 2x44-52% Double Kick 2x33-40% Peck 2x24-29% | ||
Dustox BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Dustox builds →Sludge Bomb 2x64-76% Gust 2x20-24% | ||
Makuhita Fighting | C | |
 Oddish GrassPoison | C | |
 Gulpin Poison | C | |
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x214-252%KO Sludge Bomb 2x86-102%KO | ||
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Combusken builds →Focus Punch 2x153-181%KO Flamethrower 2x98-116%KO Peck 2x25-30% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x170-201%KO Flamethrower 2x44-52% | ||
 Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 4x139-164%KO Focus Punch 2x90-107%KO | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x217-255%KO Sludge Bomb 2x86-102%KO | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Combusken builds →Focus Punch 2x154-182%KO Overheat 2x144-169%KO Peck 2x24-30% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x173-204%KO Flamethrower 2x45-53% | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 4x140-166%KO Focus Punch 2x90-106%KO | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x221-261%KO Sludge Bomb 2x89-105%KO | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Combusken builds →Focus Punch 2x157-185%KO Overheat 2x146-173%KO Aerial Ace 2x42-51% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x177-209%KO Flamethrower 2x45-55% | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 4x143-170%KO Focus Punch 2x92-109%KO Aerial Ace 2x39-46% | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | A | |
 Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Blaziken builds →Focus Punch 2x205-242%KO Overheat 2x179-211%KO Aerial Ace 2x56-66% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x220-259%KO Sludge Bomb 2x89-105%KO | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Houndoom builds →Overheat 2x179-211%KO Sludge Bomb 2x66-78% Rock Smash 2x15-19% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | A | |
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Blaziken builds →Focus Punch 2x205-242%KO Overheat 2x179-211%KO Aerial Ace 2x56-66% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x220-259%KO Sludge Bomb 2x89-105%KO | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Houndoom builds →Overheat 2x179-211%KO Sludge Bomb 2x66-78% Rock Smash 2x15-19% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Heracross builds →Megahorn 4x341-401%KO Focus Punch 2x213-250%KO | ||
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Blaziken builds →Focus Punch 2x205-241%KO Overheat 2x178-210%KO Aerial Ace 2x55-65% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x220-259%KO Sludge Bomb 2x88-105%KO | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodSky Pillar Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Rayquaza builds →Overheat 2x155-183%KO Fly 2x118-139%KO Ice Beam 2x106-125%KO Brick Break 2x83-98% | ||
In Emerald, Blaziken's Fire Blast hits Cacturne for 82-96%. Machamp's Rock Slide hits Cacturne for 44-52%.
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityBlaze ItemSalacberry NatureHasty Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Blaziken builds →Fire Blast 2x82-96% | ||
 Machamp Fighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityGuts ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Machamp builds →Rock Slide44-52% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Haunter builds →Thunderbolt14-17% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x77-91% Thunderbolt13-15% Thunder15-18% | ||
Cacturne Evolutions
Cacturne is what Cacnea becomes. Breed it for Cacnea eggs (average hatch time). A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolution from Cacnea pushed Cacturne to 475 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +30. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Cacturne to get Cacnea eggs easily using 35 partners from the Plant and Humanshape egg groups. Notable egg moves include Acid, Counter, Dynamic Punch and 2 more.
E Cacturne Best Moveset
Grass/Dark typing with 115 in both Attack and Sp. Atk lets Cacturne run a mixed moveset that few Pokemon can safely switch into. AbilitySand Veil pairs with sandstorm teams for evasion, though 55 base Speed means it needs team support to survive long enough to hit.
Best Build
Cacturne best EVs are Sp. Def and Speed
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Dark
- Leech Seed
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Cacturne gets Acid and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Poison and Bug coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Solar Beam and Giga Drain.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
After spending thousands of years in harsh deserts, its blood transformed into the same substances as sand. It is nocturnal, so it hunts at night.
Cacturne Emerald Guide
In Emerald, Cacturne looks average on paper at 475 BST. But Water Absorb is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier cannon on our tier list. Spikes with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Emerald, Cacturne's biggest threats include Scyther (Bug), Blaziken (Fire), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Scyther is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Sand Veil is the go-to ability for Cacturne. It increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. It's Cacturne's only ability.
Cacturne is a special attacker with base 115 Sp. Atk. Speed tells the real story. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the cannon role.
For Emerald, the core moveset is Spikes, Giga Drain, Hiddenpowerdark, and Leech Seed. Spikes leads at 0% usage. This set covers the cannon role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacturne appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves