Cacturne
GrassDark
Best attacking moveset: Sucker Punch and Grass Knot, worth 13.4 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Cacturne can learn 15 combinations. Sucker Punch with Grass Knot does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Jab | Poison | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Sand Attack | Ground | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Sucker Punch | Dark | 5 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Pulse | Dark | 80 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Dynamic Punch | Fighting | 85 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Grass Knot | Grass | 90 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Payback | Dark | 95 | 2.0s | -100 |
| Trailblaze | Grass | 65 | 2.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Cacturne has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,598 at level 50, 2,298 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,313 CP at level 20, or 1,641 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,243 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 221 attack · 115 defense · 172 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.3 m and 77.4 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Cacturne does not have one best moveset, it has 8. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Rock, Ground, Water.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Sand Attack + Grass Knot | 19.5 |
| Ground | Sucker Punch + Grass Knot | 18.5 |
| Water | Sucker Punch + Grass Knot | 18.5 |
| Ghost | Sucker Punch + Payback | 17.3 |
| Psychic | Sucker Punch + Payback | 17.3 |
| Steel | Sand Attack + Dynamic Punch | 16.4 |
| Normal | Sucker Punch + Dynamic Punch | 15.7 |
| Ice | Sucker Punch + Dynamic Punch | 15.7 |
| Dark | Sand Attack + Dynamic Punch | 15.2 |
| Fairy | Poison Jab + Grass Knot | 14.5 |
| Electric | Sand Attack + Grass Knot | 13.9 |
| Grass | Poison Jab + Payback | 13.9 |
| Poison | Sand Attack + Payback | 12.8 |
| Fire | Sand Attack + Payback | 12.8 |
| Fighting | Sand Attack + Grass Knot | 12.8 |
| Sucker Punch + Payback | 12.3 | |
| Bug | Sucker Punch + Payback | 12.3 |
| Dragon | Sucker Punch + Payback | 12.3 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Cacturne is actually for.
Counters: what beats Cacturne
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 69.7 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 58.8 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 57.5 |
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 56.0 |
 Heracross | BugFighting | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 55.3 |
 Kleavor | BugRock | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 54.7 |
 Genesect | BugSteel | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 54.5 |
 Vikavolt | BugElectric | Bug Bite + X Scissor | 54.2 |
 Yanmega | Bug | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 51.8 |
 Pinsir | Bug | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 51.6 |
Ranked by damage per second against Cacturne's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.