For this team I tried building around a lesser used mega in Heracross. Not many people expect to face Mega Heracross and most don't really know how to deal with it outside of Toxic or Talonflame. Ironically, Heracross ends up softening up the opposition for other team members more often than breaking it. However, if Heracross does get set up, he can do some major damage. Let's get into the team in detail.
Heracross @ Heracronite
Moxie // Skill Link
Adamant // 248 HP, 56 Atk, 200 SpDef, 4 Spd
Pin Missile
Rock Blast
Earthquake
Bulk Up
The first member of the team is Mega Heracross. This spread was a creation of Chou Toshio and I’ve found it to be fairly effective. The defensive investment allows Heracross to take hits surprisingly well. For example, max attack+ Landorus-T’s Earthquake is only a possible 4HKO while Stone Edge has a 45% chance to 3HKO and Choice Band Scizor’s Bullet Punch and max attack Tyranitar’s Stone Edge are both 3HKO’s. Pin Missile, Rock Blast and Earthquake have great coverage and allow Heracross to deal with many common Pokemon. For instance, Pin Missile will always OHKO specially defensive Tyranitar and Rock Blast will always KO 0 Hp/0 Def Dragonite regardless of Multiscale. Heracross can also 2HKO 252HP/0 Def Aegislash every time, regardless of whether or not it has Leftovers. 252+ SpAtk Aegislash cannot 2HKO back with Shadow Ball. Bullk Up is a good boosting move to carry as it greatly increases damage output and boosts Heracross’s already high defense.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold // 248 HP, 252 Def, 8 SpDef
Scald
Ice Beam
Wish
Roar
Vaporeon is a big player on my team because it can take hits on both ends of the spectrum and pass recovery to teammates. Scald is to cripple physical attackers as well as provide STAB. Ice Beam provides good coverage and hits dragons like Garchomp and Dragonite for good damage. Wish helps with recovery and is a great way to support teammates with recovery. I chose to run Roar over Protect because I'd rather phaze out setup sweepers than stall for Wish recovery. Roar has helped me out on more than a few occasions. Vaporeon also takes Fire attacks for Ferrothorn while also taking neutral damage from Fighting type attacks.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Sassy // 248 HP, 48 Def, 212 SpDef
Gyro Ball
Stealth Rock
Leech Seed
Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn patches up Vaporeon's weaknesses nicely and provides hazard support for the team. The Defense EV's help to take physical attacks better while the rest of the EV's are thrown into SpDef to sponge special hits (they are enough to survive Life Orb Nidoking's Fire Blast from full). I initially went with Power Whip, but I wasn't doing enough damage to the Pokemon I was checking and countering, like Dragonite and Gengar. I chose Stealth Rock over Spikes because I don't have another rock setter and I've found rocks more valuable than Spikes on average, especially with Talonflame and Charizard running around. Leech Seed is great for extra recovery and for helping to wear down Pokemon if I don't really have another way to deal with them. Thunder Wave is a nice utility move and is largely unexpected. It helps to cripple sweepers trying to set up on Ferrothorn and make them more manageable for teammates.
Gengar @ Life Orb
Levitate
Timid // 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb
Dazzling Gleam
Substitute
Gengar provides some needed special offense for the team. Shadow Ball is great STAB and has very nice coverage. Sludge Bomb hurts Fairies a lot and provides a slightly stronger alternative to Shadow Ball if the opponent doesn't resist it. The chance to poison is small, but it's a nice bonus that helps out occasionally. Dazzling Gleam hits dragons hard, which is nice since Gengar outspeeds the likes of Dragonite, Garchomp, Hydreigon and Haxorus. Coverage against Dark types is also good to have and Dazzling Gleam also prevents Gengar from being walled by the odd Chesnaught. Substitute is an excellent utility move to have in that it makes dealing with Mega Kangaskhan much easier if they lack Crunch. Although the recoil adds up quickly, the ability to play around Sucker Punch is invaluable. Gengar usually only needs to sub once or twice per battle anyway depending on what it's facing.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Timid // 32 HP, 224 SpAtk, 252 Spd
Scald
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Starmie provides crucial spin support for the team and is able to hit relatively hard when I need it to. I chose Scald over Surf and Hydro Pump because I benefit more from the burn than from the extra power, especially with Leftovers. Ice Beam provides good coverage, especially with Thunderbolt to hit other Water types. The EV’s allow Starmie to always OHKO Dragonite after Multiscale is broken while maintaining maximum speed in case I need a quick spin. I put the remaining EV’s in HP to increase bulk a bit. Although it’s not much, it has helped me to survive hits from time to time. The main idea of this set is to balance enough power to outspeed and KO dragons while maintaining survivability so that I have more chances to clear the field for teammates, especially Talonflame.
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Gale Wings
Jolly // 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
Roost
Swords Dance
Talonflame is a great cleaner and revenge killer that I usually save for late game. I run Jolly to always guarantee at least a speed tie with opposing Talonflame. This makes it so I can at least have a chance of Brave Birding them to leave them at low health before going down. Their own recoil often takes care of the rest. I tried Life Orb for a while but the heavy recoil was often too much and caused Talonflame to die early. Sharp Beak gives a little extra bite to Brave Bird while also not revealing my item, allowing me to act as though I’m choice locked and get a surprise KO in certain situations. Talonflame also forces a lot of switches, so using that free turn for a Swords Dance can often allow me to KO a potential check. For instance, Vaporeon can take a +0 Brave Bird and do heavy damage with a water move, but +2 Brave Bird OHKO’s it. Roost is great for recovery and baiting the occasional Sucker Punch, allowing me to come away with more HP that I started, even if I end up switching out. Many times, after Heracross has battered down the opponent’s defensive Pokemon, Talonflame can sweep the remainder of the team if they have been worn down some by attacks and hazards. Talonflame and Heracross work especially well together when you consider that Heracross can eliminate Talonflame’s main counter in Tyranitar as well as defeat Aegislash so Talonflame doesn’t have to risk hitting King’s Shield or take big recoil from Flare Blitz.
Conclusion
This team is pretty fun to play with and is largely effective against most builds. Almost every Pokemon on the team can handle itself without too much team support, so if I lose a member it’s usually not catastrophic. I am continually looking for ways to refine and improve it and all help is welcome.
Heracross @ Heracronite
Moxie // Skill Link
Adamant // 248 HP, 56 Atk, 200 SpDef, 4 Spd
Pin Missile
Rock Blast
Earthquake
Bulk Up
The first member of the team is Mega Heracross. This spread was a creation of Chou Toshio and I’ve found it to be fairly effective. The defensive investment allows Heracross to take hits surprisingly well. For example, max attack+ Landorus-T’s Earthquake is only a possible 4HKO while Stone Edge has a 45% chance to 3HKO and Choice Band Scizor’s Bullet Punch and max attack Tyranitar’s Stone Edge are both 3HKO’s. Pin Missile, Rock Blast and Earthquake have great coverage and allow Heracross to deal with many common Pokemon. For instance, Pin Missile will always OHKO specially defensive Tyranitar and Rock Blast will always KO 0 Hp/0 Def Dragonite regardless of Multiscale. Heracross can also 2HKO 252HP/0 Def Aegislash every time, regardless of whether or not it has Leftovers. 252+ SpAtk Aegislash cannot 2HKO back with Shadow Ball. Bullk Up is a good boosting move to carry as it greatly increases damage output and boosts Heracross’s already high defense.
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Water Absorb
Bold // 248 HP, 252 Def, 8 SpDef
Scald
Ice Beam
Wish
Roar
Vaporeon is a big player on my team because it can take hits on both ends of the spectrum and pass recovery to teammates. Scald is to cripple physical attackers as well as provide STAB. Ice Beam provides good coverage and hits dragons like Garchomp and Dragonite for good damage. Wish helps with recovery and is a great way to support teammates with recovery. I chose to run Roar over Protect because I'd rather phaze out setup sweepers than stall for Wish recovery. Roar has helped me out on more than a few occasions. Vaporeon also takes Fire attacks for Ferrothorn while also taking neutral damage from Fighting type attacks.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Sassy // 248 HP, 48 Def, 212 SpDef
Gyro Ball
Stealth Rock
Leech Seed
Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn patches up Vaporeon's weaknesses nicely and provides hazard support for the team. The Defense EV's help to take physical attacks better while the rest of the EV's are thrown into SpDef to sponge special hits (they are enough to survive Life Orb Nidoking's Fire Blast from full). I initially went with Power Whip, but I wasn't doing enough damage to the Pokemon I was checking and countering, like Dragonite and Gengar. I chose Stealth Rock over Spikes because I don't have another rock setter and I've found rocks more valuable than Spikes on average, especially with Talonflame and Charizard running around. Leech Seed is great for extra recovery and for helping to wear down Pokemon if I don't really have another way to deal with them. Thunder Wave is a nice utility move and is largely unexpected. It helps to cripple sweepers trying to set up on Ferrothorn and make them more manageable for teammates.
Gengar @ Life Orb
Levitate
Timid // 252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Spd
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb
Dazzling Gleam
Substitute
Gengar provides some needed special offense for the team. Shadow Ball is great STAB and has very nice coverage. Sludge Bomb hurts Fairies a lot and provides a slightly stronger alternative to Shadow Ball if the opponent doesn't resist it. The chance to poison is small, but it's a nice bonus that helps out occasionally. Dazzling Gleam hits dragons hard, which is nice since Gengar outspeeds the likes of Dragonite, Garchomp, Hydreigon and Haxorus. Coverage against Dark types is also good to have and Dazzling Gleam also prevents Gengar from being walled by the odd Chesnaught. Substitute is an excellent utility move to have in that it makes dealing with Mega Kangaskhan much easier if they lack Crunch. Although the recoil adds up quickly, the ability to play around Sucker Punch is invaluable. Gengar usually only needs to sub once or twice per battle anyway depending on what it's facing.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Timid // 32 HP, 224 SpAtk, 252 Spd
Scald
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Starmie provides crucial spin support for the team and is able to hit relatively hard when I need it to. I chose Scald over Surf and Hydro Pump because I benefit more from the burn than from the extra power, especially with Leftovers. Ice Beam provides good coverage, especially with Thunderbolt to hit other Water types. The EV’s allow Starmie to always OHKO Dragonite after Multiscale is broken while maintaining maximum speed in case I need a quick spin. I put the remaining EV’s in HP to increase bulk a bit. Although it’s not much, it has helped me to survive hits from time to time. The main idea of this set is to balance enough power to outspeed and KO dragons while maintaining survivability so that I have more chances to clear the field for teammates, especially Talonflame.
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Gale Wings
Jolly // 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spd
Brave Bird
Flare Blitz
Roost
Swords Dance
Talonflame is a great cleaner and revenge killer that I usually save for late game. I run Jolly to always guarantee at least a speed tie with opposing Talonflame. This makes it so I can at least have a chance of Brave Birding them to leave them at low health before going down. Their own recoil often takes care of the rest. I tried Life Orb for a while but the heavy recoil was often too much and caused Talonflame to die early. Sharp Beak gives a little extra bite to Brave Bird while also not revealing my item, allowing me to act as though I’m choice locked and get a surprise KO in certain situations. Talonflame also forces a lot of switches, so using that free turn for a Swords Dance can often allow me to KO a potential check. For instance, Vaporeon can take a +0 Brave Bird and do heavy damage with a water move, but +2 Brave Bird OHKO’s it. Roost is great for recovery and baiting the occasional Sucker Punch, allowing me to come away with more HP that I started, even if I end up switching out. Many times, after Heracross has battered down the opponent’s defensive Pokemon, Talonflame can sweep the remainder of the team if they have been worn down some by attacks and hazards. Talonflame and Heracross work especially well together when you consider that Heracross can eliminate Talonflame’s main counter in Tyranitar as well as defeat Aegislash so Talonflame doesn’t have to risk hitting King’s Shield or take big recoil from Flare Blitz.
Conclusion
This team is pretty fun to play with and is largely effective against most builds. Almost every Pokemon on the team can handle itself without too much team support, so if I lose a member it’s usually not catastrophic. I am continually looking for ways to refine and improve it and all help is welcome.
Last edited:
