Heracross (Analysis) [QC 3/3]

Heraboss

Cool user Oglemi gave me permission to take this over.

[Overview]
- it beats Chansey
- and Bonsly

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Pursuit / Knock Off
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- incredible power + average speed = Choice Scarf
- Close Combat and Megahorn are powerful STABs
- Stone Edge most Pokemon that resist Bug+Fighting, especially Flying-types
- Pursuit can OHKO fleeing Mismagius and heavily damage offensive Psychic-types
- Knock Off ruins Dusclops and Gligar (who wall this set forever otherwise) allowing Heracross to hit them hard next time

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Night Slash for bulkier Ghost-types
- Earthquake for Nidoqueen and Nidoking
- Toxic for bulky Waters that wall you
- Sleep Talk to absorb Sleep Powders and gain Guts boost (and it actually works for more than 1 turn this gen)
- Jolly recommended as there are plenty of Scarfers in this Speed range, but Adamant can OHKO Victini after SR and 2HKO bulky Arcanine
- can't beat Gligar or Dusclops even after Knocking Off Eviolite, but most special attackers can
- can't beat Nidoking, Nidoqueen, or Weezing so bring a Psychic-type
- Hitmontop, Cofagrigus, Rotom, Suicune, Milotic, Donphan, Golurk will all slow Heracross down but can't really do much to him because Guts discourages status
- as a Scarfer, he obviously appreciates Rapid Spin

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Facade / Night Slash
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- ridiculously strong (hits 1047 Atk at +2 with Guts activated)
- OHKOes almost everything, 2HKOes everything else (except Dusclops without Night Slash or Gligar without Facade)
- Facade has better neutral coverage and power, allowing Heracross to OHKO usual checks like Zapdos, Nidoqueen, Crobat
- Night Slash is for Ghosts, especially Dusclops

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Flame Orb if you think Heracross will be out for 4+ turns, which it probably won't
- nearly impossible to switch into this set, but very easy to revenge kill, especially for Flying-types like Moltres
- Stealth Rock wears down Flying-type revenge killers quickly and also allows Heracross to 2HKO Dusclops without Night Slash
- paralysis support for super ownage

[SET]
name: Offensive RestTalk
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Life Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- Life Orb + Guts + 125 base Atk + 120 BP STAB moves = ouchywawa
- pokes huge holes in teams without much effort
- sleeping Heracross does close to 50% to Physically Defensive Zapdos with a resisted STAB move
- very dangerous against teams that have nothing that can OHKO it

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- loses to Dusclops, Cofagrigus, Gligar, Crobat
- most other things won't want to switch in, even if they resist both STABs
- fast Flying-types beat it
- Taunt beats it once it goes to sleep
- paralysis support for mega pwnage

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Pursuit / Facade / Substitute
item: Choice Band / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- perhaps Heracross's most immediately threatening set
- very good at coming in, severely weakening a wall, then switching out to try again later
- Stone Edge complements STABs for great coverage
- powerful Pursuit trapper, OHKOing many Ghosts and 2HKOing most offensive Pokemon in general if they flee
- Facade works well with Toxic Orb allowing Heracross to hit Nidoqueen and Weezing much harder
- Substitute eases prediction and allows Heracross to safely nail its faster counters with the right move before switching out

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Leftovers and 16 HP EVs for more conservative Sub + 3 Attacks
- Night Slash hits bulky Ghosts that stay in
- NEEDS entry hazards. 1 layer of Spikes alone turns Nidoqueen, Suicune, Hitmontop, and Donphan from 3HKOs to 2HKOs; Stealth Rock turns Arcanine and Zapdos from 2HKOs to OHKOs.
- will never beat Gligar and Dusclops, but nothing else is safe, especially before the full set is revealed
- appreciates Rapid Spin support more than most other sets since he wants to switch in, punch a wall in the gonads, and switch back out a lot
- paralysis support for extreme dominationage

[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Low Kick / Rest
move 4: Stone Edge / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
- slower boosting than Swords Dance, but possibility for more boosts and longer sweep thanks to greater survivability
- Megahorn is the main attack
- Low Kick > Close Combat because it doesn't reduce defenses
- Stone Edge for coverage
- can also use RestTalk as a Mono-Attacker to abuse Guts, stay alive longer, and really destroy stall

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Night Slash in the last slot
- Brick Break over Low Kick for more consistent power, always 2HKO Chansey at +1
- could use a boosting item (Life Orb or Toxic Orb) but then you're probably better off with a different set
- EVs increase general bulk to make setting up easier, Speed beats Jolly Mamoswine
- Mono-Attacker is completely countered by Moltres and Crobat
- Fire-, Flying-, and Bug-types all resist Megahorn; they also all hate Stealth Rock, so bring some of that
- Weezing can Haze away boosts and take unboosted hits easily
- Nidoqueen walls you and hits hard with Fire Blast
- Cofagrigus walls you and can Haze away boosts, but it can't really beat the Mono-Attacker
- Gligar and Dusclops wall you but they can't do much back with their standard sets
- paralysis support for bombtastic bamboozlage

[Other Options]
- Earthquake for Nidos
- Aerial Ace for enemy Heracross!
- Shadow Claw == Night Slash
- Reversal/Flail
- Feint
- Counter

[Checks and Counters]
- Nidos
- Gligar
- Dusclops
- Cofagrigus
- Zapdos
- Golurk
- Rotom-H
- Rotom
- Weezing
- anything faster with a Flying attack

[Dream World]
- Moxie

knock oooooooooff

best slash in slot 4 of scarf. I think it breaks mismagius' subs, too.

adamant seems silly since hera speed ties have actually been game deciders for me at times.

as far as I know, just have toxic orb instead of flame orb; the former does less damage until the fourth turn.

Alright, this should be ready for QC now.

(I hope some sets get rejected or this is gonna be a bitch to write up)

maybe mention sub and lefties on the SD set? Helps with prediction and everyone switches out of Hera anyways so its pretty much a free sub.

hmmm yeah that's a lot of sets for something that isn't Mew...

IMO you can just combine the All-Out Attacker and Sub + 3 Attacks set. The AC might get to be a bit long but they basically play the same way and have the same EVs/item/nature, teammates, and counters (and yes I do play Sub with Toxic Orb, beware ^.^).

You can combine the two Bulk Up sets too. I don't like the look of the mono-attacker one in the first place, but I do know that Bulk Up is still decent on Heracross.

Will get back to you later.

Alright, merged those sets. 5 sets is a little more managable than 7...

QC 1/3

Thank god you've got offensive RestTalk there. People are STILL sceptical about it.

So, I've been testing Offensive RestTalk Hera, and it has been quite phenomenal. The only thing that it really needs is paralysis support and probably Stealth Rock. Actually, you might want to mention that most of the sets, with the exception of Choice Scarf, really appreciate paralysis support.

Seriously, no one ever expects Rest Talk, it is SO GOOD.

Good point, I'll make sure to mention paralysis support quite a bit.

edit: Thanks PK Ninja.

Be sure to mark down Guts>Swarm somewhere.

Why is Knock Off slashed before Pursuit...? Or really even slashed at all? Even if it does Knock Off Gligar or Dusclops' Eviolite it isn't going to be able to beat them anyways (I know you already stated this in the analysis). In my opinion a Choice Scarf Pokemon has no business using such a weak move as Knock Off especially since it doesn't allow him to beat anything he would with their item. Pursuit just has much more use being able to get rid of Ghosts like Froslass or Mismagius allowing him to then spam CC.

If anything I think it should go in AC.

I agree now that you mention it, but I'm hesitant to change it without hearing from QC now that this is approved. I'll get that figured out before I start writing.

Edit: Okie dokie.

Pursuit > Knock Off

smashlloyd i guess has this taken over for Honko

moving