5th Gen Pokemon of the Week #10: Maractus

[Sydian]

#556: Maractus, the Cactus Pokemon

It uses an up-tempo song and dance to drive away the bird Pokémon that prey on its flower seeds. Arid regions are their habitat. They move rhythmically, making a sound similar to maracas. When it moves rhythmically, it makes a sound similar to maracas, making the surprised Pokémon flee.​

Maractus is a Grass-type Pokemon that can be found in the Desert Resort in Unova. It can be elusive, but it's worth finding if you want to complete your Pokedex!

Did you manage to find a Maractus while adventuring through Unova? Have you ever used one? Was it helpful for your team? How do you feel about its design? Add anything else you can think of!

 

[Hikamaru]

I remember a certain B2/W2 Nuzlocke which had a Maractus used in it... unfortunately the member behind it retired from Nuzlockes after it due to the bad note it ended on.

But anyways, speaking of Maractus it is a very forgotten Pokemon in the eyes of most Pokemon fans, likely due to being a cactus who people think isn't any better than Cacturne but there's still some stuff Maractus can do.

It has Chlorophyll to easily use Solar Beam and of course, move faster in the sun. Water Absorb to make it able to heal just from being hit by Water moves, Spiky Shield for protection against moves, and of course Cotton Guard to buff its defensiveness.

While Maractus was a rare encounter, it is still adorable and I found it to not be as bad as most people think.

 

[Bellsprout]

i secretly love maractus for its design and because i love grass types, but i havent gotten around to actually using it because there's a lot of grass types that seem a little more worth it. it's on my long list of pokemon i admire from afar but havent used... im getting to it!

 

[llysender]

Maractus is a ok grass type, just annoying to find with a annoying catch rate in a area with 100% sandstorm with no sandstorm immunity. When I used it it was ok as a mixed attacker(got naughty) but its movepool was pretty unique. Used mine with Giga drain, Sucker punch, drain punch, cottonguard with a big root and water absorb.

while its nice its not a grass type that I would search for and would only use it if I found one before I found a sigilith

 

[Sydian]

Time to reply to my own poll! Anyway, I think Maractus has a really cute and unique design. Definitely a cool looking Pokemon and I love the idea of a cactus Pokemon, even though we already have another. They're both styled different, so they both can stand out in their own way.

I used Maractus in my White for the Hall of Fame challenge, but I'm honestly not remembering much about it. Went back to my blogs for that and checked, but it doesn't look like the lil guy left an impression on me. It gained like...one level it looks like, lmao. And the moveset is boring, but this is a four year old blog (oh my god where has the time gone...) so maybe my tastes in sets have changed since then.

I am willing to give it another shot though, just to see what happens. Perhaps I will in my next playthrough. :)

 

[Hikamaru]

Hm, I used to think that, it was a Cacnea ripoff but, I don't think it actually is. It really needs an evolution though, I think the fact that made it flop and pass under the radar is, being kinda weak overall.

I do feel the same way as you. Maractus does have a cool design but maybe a Mega Evolution or something might give the poor thing a boost.

 

[Ho-Oh]

Never used Maractus in any of my playthroughs. I remember it was hard to find it in the desert (like Sigilyph). It actually doesn't have a bad design at all, but it just seems like a throwaway design and that the creators never really gave it a chance to have any sort of purpose in the games. It's just desert filler. :(