Statistics
|
Stat |
| HP |
80
|
363 |
| Atk |
125
|
348 |
| Def |
75
|
248 |
| SpA |
40
|
178 |
| SpD |
95
|
288 |
| Spe |
85
|
268 |
The standard Heracross is a Sleep Talker—with well-rounded defenses and a huge Attack score, it suits him perfectly. Attack as you see fit, and when Heracross gets low on health, Rest and Sleep Talk for more hits. Poison-types and things like Steelix that resist Megahorn will get Earthquaked. Be careful though, as Flying-types totally shut this down. You can put many other options in that last slot, such as Hidden Power Rock (for Flying and Fire-types), Seismic Toss (for Skarmory), Curse (to boost Megahorn's power and Heracross's Defense), and Hidden Power Fighting (extra STAB).
Other Options
If you have a Heal Beller, you can abandon Sleep Talk and make Heracross a mean sweeper. One option to utilize is Curse + Counter. After one Curse, Heracross can survive any Flying attack, so you can Curse, and then surprise the bird with Counter when it Drill Pecks or whatever. A sweeping Heracross will more than likely need Curse, so your last slot can be really any attack you use—Hidden Power Rock might be your best bet generally because otherwise Zapdos will still shut you down. Another option is to use Endure + Reversal. While it needs a good deal of help (mainly a Heal Beller for status and a Rapid Spinner for Spikes) to last more than one turn, if Heracross is faster than its opponent, the opponent will sustain a ridiculous amount of damage.
Opinion
Heracross is an awesome Pokémon. His durability is probably what makes this thing so effective—It can withstand quite a few attacks with just enough HP so it can keep playing the Rest + Sleep Talk game. Also, the fact that it resists the ever-powerful Ground-type attacks gives it ample opportunities to switch in. Its main problem is the fact that some very, very common things shut it down almost completely. However, if you can get that one thing out of the way, Heracross can be brutal when you least expect it.
Counters
It all comes down to what the set is, so when fighting a Heracross you might want to scout for that fourth move to counter its weaknesses. For Seismic Toss Heracross, Poison-types like Gengar and Nidoking with Flamethrower can usually hold it at bay, and Fire-types shouldn't have much of a problem. For Earthquake Heracross and Curse Heracross, tough Flying-types like Skarmory still pretty much do the job. However, a Sleep Talking Drill Peck Zapdos is probably the best sure counter for pretty much any set Heracross could have—Hidden Power Rock isn't too much of a threat if you keep Zapdos's health high.
