|
-
Swarm
- Boosts power of Bug-type moves by 50% when at 1/3 HP or less.
-
Guts
- Attack is increased by 50% when afflicted with status.
-
Moxie
- Boosts Attack by one stage if the wielder knocks out another Pokemon.
|
Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
80
|
- |
301 |
364 |
- |
| Atk |
125
|
257 |
286 |
349 |
383 |
| Def |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| SpA |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| SpD |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
| Spe |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
Overview
Blessed with a base 125 Attack stat and two great abilities in Guts and Moxie, Heracross is a wrecking ball that can demolish unprepared teams. Heracross's famous dual 120 Base Power STAB moves, Close Combat and Megahorn, are a big part of what makes this stag beetle so dangerous. Heracross has always been one of the best revenge killers in the UU metagame, and now with Moxie it has become one of the best late-game sweepers too. From a Choice Scarf set to a Swords Dance set, Heracross has a large amount of options for a Pokemon that only hits physically. However, a middling base 85 Speed and a dependence on the inaccurate Stone Edge for coverage mean this wrecking ball will sometimes come up short. Nevertheless, Heracross is one of the biggest threats in the UU tier and is to be underestimated at your own peril.
Using a Choice Scarf, Heracross becomes one of the best revenge killers in the UU metagame, and with Moxie it can double as a potent late-game sweeper. Heracross's two powerful STAB moves, Close Combat and Megahorn, are part of the reason Heracross is such a wrecking ball, being able to 2HKO most of the tier with just those moves. Stone Edge is a brilliant coverage move for Heracross, as it allows it to hit the pesky Flying-types such as Zapdos and Crobat that resist its STAB moves. While using Earthquake with Close Combat might seem redundant due to their similar coverage, it actually hits Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Qwilfish, all of which don't mind tanking hits from the other three moves on this set. However, by employing Sleep Talk over Earthquake, Heracross can absorb Sleep-inducing moves from Pokemon such as Roserade, which is especially great when Heracross opts to use Guts. Keep in mind, however, that in order for this to work, you not only need to run into a Sleep inducer, but predict when the move will be used and give up Earthquake's coverage, so it's in your best interest to weigh the pros and cons carefully.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Heracross's EVs are dumped into Attack and Speed for maximum damage output and Speed. While an Adamant nature provides some extra power, a Jolly nature gives Heracross the Speed to outpace Adamant Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Krookodile and ensure it will always be faster than Chandelure. Pursuit is an option on this set to trap weakened Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Azelf and Chandelure, but it is a horrible move to get locked into in the current metagame due to the plethora of Fighting-types. Night Slash can be used to hit the bulky Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus and Golurk that would normally wall it, but they are quite uncommon in UU so the opportunity cost might not be worth it. Aerial Ace may seem like an odd choice, but it could come in handy against opposing Heracross.
Moxie is generally the preferred ability on the Choice Scarf set as it allows Heracross to keep on garnering boosts, making it more efficient as a late-game sweeper, but Guts can also be used, not only benefiting from status but getting an Attack boost from a burn that would normally cripple it. Heracross is a great partner for Chandelure because it is capable of taking out its two counters: Snorlax and Porygon2. Heracross appreciates a teammate to take out Gligar as it is completely walled by it; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Milotic are good for this job. Cofagrigus and Golurk also give Heracross trouble, so Pokemon such as Shaymin, who can give both of them a great deal of trouble, make for good partners.
Heracross has access to Swords Dance, one of the best boosting moves in the game, and can make use of it to become a fearsome sweeper against slower teams. Megahorn and Close Combat are dangerous to most of the metagame unbooosted, and at +2 almost nothing can withstand them. Stone Edge is the best coverage move for Heracross as it clips the wings of pesky Flying-types that resist its STAB moves, such as Zapdos and Crobat.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
While the purpose of the given EVs is obvious, Heracross can also run a potent defensive Swords Dance set with an EV spread of 208 HP / 136 Atk / 20 Def / 144 Spe. Using Heracross's often-unexplored bulk and defensive typing, this set aims to check most Fighting-types in the metagame. Although this Heracross might appear to lack power, an Adamant nature and the aforementioned EV spread provides more power than 252 Attack EVs and a neutral nature. The speed given is enough to outspeed Adamant Honchkrow. The bulk really helps Heracross out, allowing it to survive revenge killing attempts from the likes of Flygon and Sharpedo; it even has the capacity to stand its ground against a Heat Wave from Life Orb Zapdos and retaliate with a powerful Stone Edge.
An Adamant nature can be used for extra power, but a Jolly nature gets the jump on Timid Togekiss and Timid Chandelure, which is quite important. Guts is the best ability on this set due to Heracross not being fast enough to properly take advantage of Moxie. Heracross finds it hard to sweep due to its lackluster Speed, but provides team support by destroying walls and aiding its teammates to sweep through the opponent's team; that said, if all Pokemon that outspeed Heracross are taken out and Heracross gets up a Swords Dance, it is nigh impossible to stop it. As with all offensive Pokemon, Heracross appreciates hazard support; with Stealth Rock up Heracross gets the guaranteed OHKO on both physically defensive Milotic and physically defensive Arcanine with a +2 Close Combat. Heracross can be used alongside Mienshao to beat your opponent's Fighting-type checks by simply overwhelming them. Paralysis support from teammates such as Slowbro and Togekiss is also worth some serious consideration, as when used properly, can open up opportunities for Heracross to sweep faster teams.
Leftovers is typically used to give Heracross some longevity in the face of the defensive teams its meant to break. However, you may opt to use a Toxic Orb instead and Facade over Stone Edge to give Heracross enough power to absolutely destroy the entire UU metagame, but this sacrifices any semblance of longevity Heracross could ever hope to maintain and is typically not worth it, as Swords Dance alone already provides it with enough power to beat even the mightiest of physical walls, Gligar.
A Choice Band further improves Heracross's amazing Attack stat, allowing to destroy almost everything without the need to set up. STAB Close Combat and Megahorn give Heracross great coverage and incredible power to go with the Choice Band. Stone Edge is by far the best coverage move for Heracross, hitting most of the Pokemon that resist its STAB moves super effectively. Sleep Talk helps both Heracross and your team against sleep-inducers, turning Heracross into a sleep absorber that can fire off Guts-boosted attacks. However, Earthquake can be used over Sleep Talk to get powerful hits on Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Qwilfish; although none of them will enjoy Choice Band boosted hits from its other moves anyway.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs give Heracross the most Attack and Speed it can achieve. Pursuit is an option to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Azelf, Chandelure, and Mismagius, but it is not a good move to get locked into, and if your opponent knows Heracross is holding a Choice Band, they may very well stay in and beat Heracross rather than switching out. Night Slash hits Ghost-types such as Golurk and Cofagrigus hard but has little use otherwise.
Guts is the superior ability on this set because Heracross isn't fast enough to take advantage of Moxie and Guts gives it a huge boost if it manages to get statused. However, Moxie has its merits if you pair Heracross with a teammate that can take care of or paralyze faster threats, such as Togekiss. Any teammates that benefit from the removal Porygon2 and Snorlax such as Chandelure and Raikou can benefit from Heracross's presence on the team. Chandelure can also help Heracross by taking out Golurk and Cofagrigus. Gligar, the ever present thorn in Heracross's side, hard walls Heracross even with the boost from Choice Band, so a bulky Water-type such as Slowbro makes for a good partner.
This set takes advantage of the many switches caused by Heracross to set up a Substitute and smash the switch-in with the appropriate move. Close Combat and Megahorn's coverage and power are the reasons why this set is viable, allowing Heracross to hit most of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Stone Edge hits most of the Pokemon that Close Combat and Megahorn do not hit very hard. If you manage to set up a Substitute late-game, Heracross has a clear shot at sweeping a weakened team as the Moxie boosts stack.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs are tailored for maximum damage output and Speed. An Adamant nature can be used to achieve more power, but a Jolly nature allows Heracross to jump the gun on Timid Togekiss and Chandelure, which is quite important. Heracross can use a Salac Berry over Leftovers to pick up a Speed boost late-game, further aiding its sweeping capabilities. It can also use an Expert Belt to bluff a Choice item and give it a bit more power if it's hitting a foe super effectively. Focus Punch can be used over Close Combat to recreate the classic SubPunch strategy; while it's not as reliable since it's not always guaranteed that you'll have a Substitute up, it brings immense power to the table.
When using this Heracross set it's advised to have Rapid Spin support, as the set hates entry hazards, especially Spikes. It is absolutely necessary to have a teammate to take out Gligar lest Heracross become dead weight on your team. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro are best suited for this role. Blastoise can also do this job and has the added advantage of providing Rapid Spin support. Like Gligar, Golurk and Cofagrigus also need to be taken out; Weavile is a good teammate for this job. Guts and Toxic Orb in conjunction with Substitute throws all hopes of longevity out of the window, but if you manage to get a Substitute up, Heracross can wreck the opponent's team while they try to break the Substitute.
Other Options
Heracross can run a classic RestTalk set from the days of old, utilizing a more defensive spread, but it is less effective than the other sets listed. For those who don't want to use Swords Dance or Substitute but also don't want to get locked into one move, Heracross can run 4 attacks with a Toxic Orb or a Life Orb. Finally, Heracross can use Bulk Up with a defensive EV spread, but getting Bulk Up boosts is harder than getting Swords Dance boosts; Heracross can also use Bulk Up + RestTalk using Megahorn as its only attack, but due to the many Fighting-types and generally mediocre coverage, it won't get you very far.
Checks and Counters
Although Heracross's hard counters are hard to come by, there are a few, along with quite a few checks. Heracross's best counter is Gligar; this ever-present thorn in Heracross's side can take anything that Heracross can dish out and nullify the damage with Roost, slowly wearing Heracross down. While Gligar gives Heracross trouble, it is also hard walled by Dusclops and Cofagrigus, whose Will-O-Wisp can cripple Heracross that use Moxie. Flying-types such as Zapdos, Crobat, and Yanmega can take Heracross's STAB attacks but get hit hard by Stone Edge. Nidoking and Nidoqueen resist all of Heracross's common moves except for Earthquake and can retaliate with a Sheer Force boosted Fire Blast. Qwilfish is another check to Heracross, resisting its STAB moves coupled with Intimidate to further weaken Heracross's attacks. Arcanine also has Intimidate to soften Heracross's blows, so physically defensive variants can check Heracross and hit back with a STAB Flare Blitz, but it must be wary of Stone Edge. Weezing can take anything that Heracross could care to dish out bar a +2 Facade with Guts activated and has Fire Blast to hurt Heracross with. With the Choice sets, prediction is the best counter. When all other options are gone, Heracross can be revenge killed by faster Choice Scarf users such as Victini and Darmanitan.
