Mega Bleh-racross - a finale to the badmons revamps by DOU C&C people
[OVERVIEW]
Despite possessing an enormous base 185 Attack stat, Mega Heracross is held back by an unfortunate Speed tier and an inability to take on a few common threats such as Aegislash and Landorus-T. Its ability Skill Link allows its powerful multi-hit moves to hit many foes for quite a lot of damage and break a potential Focus Sash on Weavile or Breloom. Sadly, weaknesses to common attacking types in Fire, Flying, and Fairy often prevent Mega Heracross from getting off such attacks before being KOed. It's also almost directly outclassed by Mega Kangaskhan, which has better Speed and typing as well as access to priority moves and methods of setup. All in all, your Mega slot is mostly wasted on Mega Heracross.
[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Pin Missile
move 3: Rock Blast
move 4: Protect
item: Heracronite
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is Mega Heracross's primary attack, with high Base Power and perfect accuracy making it a reliable option on all targets that don't resist it. Pin Missile takes advantage of Skill Link and is Mega Heracross's secondary STAB move, taking on Focus Sash users such as Weavile and Breloom as well as Psychic-types like Cresselia that may try to switch in on Close Combat. Rock Blast also takes advantage of Skill Link while nailing the Fire- and Flying-types that might try to defeat Mega Heracross such as Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus. Protect allows Heracross to shield itself from attacks or stall out certain field conditions.
Set Details
========
Guts is chosen as the pre-Mega ability so that Heracross has the option to postpone Mega Evolution and fire off boosted Close Combats should it be targeted by Will-O-Wisp. Power is prioritized in Mega Heracross's EV spread, with the remaining EVs split in a variety of possible ways between Speed and HP. Most of the time, Mega Heracross should use maximum Speed to outspeed standard bulky Mega Charizard Y or Mega Gardevoir sets, among others, as there are few relevant bulk benchmarks worth aiming for. However, if you wish to invest a bit more in bulk, there are a few lower Speed benchmarks worth considering. 216 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allow Mega Heracross to outspeed Breloom and OHKO it with Pin Missile before it is put to sleep by Spore. If Breloom is not an issue, an Adamant nature may be used instead for more power while still outpacing standard Bisharp. If Mega Heracross is being used on a team that features Trick Room, the Speed EVs may be moved to HP and a Brave nature may be used instead.
Usage Tips
========
Heracross can opt to hold off on Mega Evolving as needed in order to take advantage of the higher base Speed, as it outspeeds base 80 Pokemon such as Hoopa-U before it Mega Evolves. However, it should only do so on a turn in which it plans to attack if burned. Use Pin Missile to take on Focus Sash users and Close Combat against Sitrus Berry Pokemon if there's no difference in type effectiveness. Mega Heracross generally operates best as a late-game cleaner when opposing Intimidate users and Flying-types have been removed, though it is also effective at applying pressure early- or mid-game with its sheer power. While Mega Heracross's attacking power is nothing to scoff at, there are few, if any, teams in which it will not be outclassed, so make sure that Mega Kangaskhan would not fit the team in question better.
Team Options
========
Speed control is almost essential for Mega Heracross to have a shot at success, so common Tailwind setters like Zapdos and Latios fit well on Mega Heracross teams. Partners to take on Talonflame and Landorus-T are similarly important, so Rotom-W often fits well. Bisharp and Landorus are two solid options that take on both Aegislash and Landorus-T, which wall Mega Heracross. An Aegislash on Mega Heracross's own side of the field provides Wide Guard support to shield it from Heat Wave and Pixilate Hyper Voice and also beats troublesome Fairy-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
A couple coverage moves could be worth consideration—Knock Off allows Mega Heracross to hit Aegislash, which normally doesn't fear it at all, and Bullet Seed nails bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune. Sadly, these force Mega Heracross to sacrifice Rock Blast, which lets it take on Flying- and Fire-types that try to switch in. Moxie is a generally inferior ability to Guts, but it can come in handy if Heracross is able to pick off a weakened threat before it Mega Evolves.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire-type Pokemon**: Faster Fire-types such as Infernape and Talonflame easily OHKO Mega Heracross with their STAB moves, and Talonflame also has priority Brave Bird to circumvent any potential speed control that Heracross's side may have set.
**Psychic-type Pokemon**: Fast Psychic-types like Deoxys-A and Latios can remove Mega Heracross with ease, though they cannot switch in for fear of Pin Missile.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir outspeed and OHKO Mega Heracross, though they cannot switch in on it. Sylveon is bulky enough to take any of Mega Heracross's attacks with ease and easily knocks it out with Hyper Voice.
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is the only relevant Pokemon that resists all of Heracross's common moves, and it has a colossal Defense stat while in Shield forme that prevents Mega Heracross from dealing more than a small amount of chip damage.
**Intimidate and Burns**: As a physical attacker, Mega Heracross is held back by Intimidate users and any Pokemon that can burn it. Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence also benefit from their Flying-type granting a resistance to Mega Heracross's STAB combo. However, the latter two must be wary of Rock Blast. Gengar is immune to Close Combat and able to outspeed Mega Heracross and burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
[OVERVIEW]
Despite possessing an enormous base 185 Attack stat, Mega Heracross is held back by an unfortunate Speed tier and an inability to take on a few common threats such as Aegislash and Landorus-T. Its ability Skill Link allows its powerful multi-hit moves to hit many foes for quite a lot of damage and break a potential Focus Sash on Weavile or Breloom. Sadly, weaknesses to common attacking types in Fire, Flying, and Fairy often prevent Mega Heracross from getting off such attacks before being KOed. It's also almost directly outclassed by Mega Kangaskhan, which has better Speed and typing as well as access to priority moves and methods of setup. All in all, your Mega slot is mostly wasted on Mega Heracross.
[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Pin Missile
move 3: Rock Blast
move 4: Protect
item: Heracronite
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is Mega Heracross's primary attack, with high Base Power and perfect accuracy making it a reliable option on all targets that don't resist it. Pin Missile takes advantage of Skill Link and is Mega Heracross's secondary STAB move, taking on Focus Sash users such as Weavile and Breloom as well as Psychic-types like Cresselia that may try to switch in on Close Combat. Rock Blast also takes advantage of Skill Link while nailing the Fire- and Flying-types that might try to defeat Mega Heracross such as Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus. Protect allows Heracross to shield itself from attacks or stall out certain field conditions.
Set Details
========
Guts is chosen as the pre-Mega ability so that Heracross has the option to postpone Mega Evolution and fire off boosted Close Combats should it be targeted by Will-O-Wisp. Power is prioritized in Mega Heracross's EV spread, with the remaining EVs split in a variety of possible ways between Speed and HP. Most of the time, Mega Heracross should use maximum Speed to outspeed standard bulky Mega Charizard Y or Mega Gardevoir sets, among others, as there are few relevant bulk benchmarks worth aiming for. However, if you wish to invest a bit more in bulk, there are a few lower Speed benchmarks worth considering. 216 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allow Mega Heracross to outspeed Breloom and OHKO it with Pin Missile before it is put to sleep by Spore. If Breloom is not an issue, an Adamant nature may be used instead for more power while still outpacing standard Bisharp. If Mega Heracross is being used on a team that features Trick Room, the Speed EVs may be moved to HP and a Brave nature may be used instead.
Usage Tips
========
Heracross can opt to hold off on Mega Evolving as needed in order to take advantage of the higher base Speed, as it outspeeds base 80 Pokemon such as Hoopa-U before it Mega Evolves. However, it should only do so on a turn in which it plans to attack if burned. Use Pin Missile to take on Focus Sash users and Close Combat against Sitrus Berry Pokemon if there's no difference in type effectiveness. Mega Heracross generally operates best as a late-game cleaner when opposing Intimidate users and Flying-types have been removed, though it is also effective at applying pressure early- or mid-game with its sheer power. While Mega Heracross's attacking power is nothing to scoff at, there are few, if any, teams in which it will not be outclassed, so make sure that Mega Kangaskhan would not fit the team in question better.
Team Options
========
Speed control is almost essential for Mega Heracross to have a shot at success, so common Tailwind setters like Zapdos and Latios fit well on Mega Heracross teams. Partners to take on Talonflame and Landorus-T are similarly important, so Rotom-W often fits well. Bisharp and Landorus are two solid options that take on both Aegislash and Landorus-T, which wall Mega Heracross. An Aegislash on Mega Heracross's own side of the field provides Wide Guard support to shield it from Heat Wave and Pixilate Hyper Voice and also beats troublesome Fairy-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
A couple coverage moves could be worth consideration—Knock Off allows Mega Heracross to hit Aegislash, which normally doesn't fear it at all, and Bullet Seed nails bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune. Sadly, these force Mega Heracross to sacrifice Rock Blast, which lets it take on Flying- and Fire-types that try to switch in. Moxie is a generally inferior ability to Guts, but it can come in handy if Heracross is able to pick off a weakened threat before it Mega Evolves.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire-type Pokemon**: Faster Fire-types such as Infernape and Talonflame easily OHKO Mega Heracross with their STAB moves, and Talonflame also has priority Brave Bird to circumvent any potential speed control that Heracross's side may have set.
**Psychic-type Pokemon**: Fast Psychic-types like Deoxys-A and Latios can remove Mega Heracross with ease, though they cannot switch in for fear of Pin Missile.
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir outspeed and OHKO Mega Heracross, though they cannot switch in on it. Sylveon is bulky enough to take any of Mega Heracross's attacks with ease and easily knocks it out with Hyper Voice.
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is the only relevant Pokemon that resists all of Heracross's common moves, and it has a colossal Defense stat while in Shield forme that prevents Mega Heracross from dealing more than a small amount of chip damage.
**Intimidate and Burns**: As a physical attacker, Mega Heracross is held back by Intimidate users and any Pokemon that can burn it. Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence also benefit from their Flying-type granting a resistance to Mega Heracross's STAB combo. However, the latter two must be wary of Rock Blast. Gengar is immune to Close Combat and able to outspeed Mega Heracross and burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
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