Heracross
Credits to kokoloko for the original analysis
[Overview]
<p>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 in Close Combat and Megahorn are 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 mean this wrecking ball will sometimes miss its target. Nevertheless, Heracross is one of the biggest threats in the UU tier and is to be underestimated at your own peril.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake / Sleep Talk
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Moxie / Guts
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Using a Choice Scarf, Heracross becomes one of the best revenge killers in the entire UU metagame, and with Moxie released 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 that doesn't resist them. 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 Heracross's STAB moves. While using Earthquake with Close Combat might seem redundant due to their similar coverage, it can get useful coverage on Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Qwilfish, the former two of which resist every other move on the set. Heracross can also absorb sleep that comes from Pokemon such as Roserade by using Sleep Talk, but getting Heracross to sleep isn't guaranteed and it can sometimes be dead weight on the movepool.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Heracross's EVs are dumped into Attack and Speed for maximum damage output and Speed. While an Adamant nature provides extra power for it, a Jolly nature gives Heracross the Speed to outpace both Adamant Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Adamant Choice Scarf Krookodile. Pursuit is an option on this set to trap frail Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Azelf and Chandelure, but it is a horrible move to get locked into in the current metagame with an influx of Fighting-types, and the aforementioned targets can be handled easily with Heracross's other moves too. Night Slash can be used to hit the bulky Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus and Dusclops that would normally wall it, although they are quite uncommon in UU and with the amount of Fighting-types in UU it's not a good move to get locked into. Aerial Ace may seem weird, but it's useful for opposing Heracross that might come your way, and also quite useful for other Fighting-types in UU, but most are hit harder by Close Combat anyway.</p>
<p>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 needs 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 Dusclops also give Heracross trouble, so using Pokemon that can take them out such as Chandelure or offensive variants of Froslass are good teammates; Froslass can also set up Spikes to help Heracross sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Heracross has access to Swords Dance, one of the best boosting moves in the game for a physical attacker. 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. Leftovers is just used to give Heracross some extra longevity.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While the EVs given are obvious in use, 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.</p>
<p>An Adamant nature is 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 the Attack boosts that Moxie would provide. 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 Mienshaoto beat your opponent's Fighting-type checks by simply overwhelming them. Teammates that can take out Gligar are needed because even at +2, Heracross still has trouble getting through it; bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowbro are good choices for handling Gligar. The aforementioned Mienshao can also beat Gligar with Hidden Power Ice</p>
<p>Using a Toxic Orb and Facade alongside Swords Dance gives Heracross the power to destroy the entire UU metagame, even beating Gligar, but this sacrifices Heracross's longevity due to entry hazards and the poison—racking up damage very fast—while in most cases Swords Dance provides enough power. If using a Toxic Orb, Wish support can help Heracross out, but is hard to come by, the best Wish passer in the tier being Umbreon.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move1: Close Combat
move2: Megahorn
move3: Stone Edge
move4: Sleep Talk / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Choice Band further improves Heracross's amazing Attack stat, allowing to destroy almost everything without setup. 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 Quilfish.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs give Heracross the most Attack and Speed it can achieve. Pursuit is an option to trap frail 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 a Choice Band set, they can just stay in and beat Heracross rather than switching out. Night Slash hits Ghost-types that wall Heracross such as Dusclops and Cofagrigus hard but has little use otherwise. Aerial Ace could be useful in taking out opposing Heracross and other Fighting-types, although Close Combat hits most Fighting-types harder and a Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge deals hefty damage to opposing Heracross already.</p>
<p>Guts is the superior ability on this set because Heracross isn't fast enough to take advantage of the boosts received from Moxie, while Guts gives it a consistent boost if it manages to get statused; however, Moxie has its merits if you have a teammate that can take care of faster threats to Heracross. Any teammates that benefit from the removal Porygon2 and Snorlax such as Chandelure and Raikou can benefit from Heracross. Chandelure can also help Heracross by taking out Dusclops and Cofagrigus. Gligar, the ever present thorn in Heracross's side, hard walls Heracross even with the boost from Choice Band. Bulky Water-types can take care of it for Heracross.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute
move1: Substitute
move2: Close Combat
move3: Megahorn
move4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly / Adamant
ability: Moxie
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of the 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.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>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 fake a Choice item and give it a bit more power if it's hitting a foe super effectively. Focus Punch over Close Combat can be used on this set to recreate the classic Subsitute + Focus Punch 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.</p>
<p>When using this Heracross set it's advised to have Rapid Spin support, as the set hates all hazards, especially Toxic Spikes. It is absolutely necessary to have a teammate to take out Gligar or the purpose of this set is lost. 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, Dusclops and Cofagrigus are also necessary to take out; Chandelure 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.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>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.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>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 just 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 fast Choice Scarf users such as Victini and Darmanitan.</p>