I have been saying this for a while on Discord, but now finally I raise this nom
UR -> B
It's a shock to see that Heracross is unranked!
Guts Heracross is an amazing breaker ; it can 6-0 Stall and break Balance cores (if played right) with a set of :
Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Facade
- Throat Chop
Close Combat demolishes anything that doesn't resist it; Megahorn OHKOes Slowbro and Tangrowth; Facade is a 140BP coverage move to 2HKO STAB resists like Gliscor, Clefable; Throat Chop beats the rare Shedinja, as well as punishes Mismagius if it's switching in.
What makes its stall matchup even better is that stuff like Tangrowth and Gliscor don't do much back to it, thus it can afford to miss Megahorn vs the former and it can run an Adamant Nature to beat the latter. This is why I believe that it is the best stallbreaker in BDSP OU, even better than Crawdaunt (as it can struggle vs itemless Tangrowth if forgoing Sludge Bomb. It also can't switch in as easily as Heracross, since it is vulnerable to status) and Nidoking (it needs Focus Punch and correct prediction to beat Blissey, which means that it forgoes a valuable coverage move)
While its matchup versus offense is not as good, it can still check Breloom well after Flame Orb activation, and come in on Weavile, Crawdaunt, Tyranitar locked into a Dark move (only after a kill, or through slow pivoting; it's a parallel to Weavile checking Dragapult in SS OU). It also gets a kill opportunity if it's facing Scizor or a chipped defensive Rotom-Wash (doesn't care about burn as well), who are the most popular glues on Offense teams.
Heracross does have issues though; it gets worn down easily by burn, hazards, weak attacks like Gliscor's Earthquake, and, unlike Crawdaunt, it can fold easily to offensive mons like Alakazam, Latios, Infernape. This is why I think B rank is perfect for it currently, where we can also see Staraptor (who has the same strengths and weaknesses as Heracross).
Calcs :
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 178-211 (53.2 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Megahorn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 422-500 (107.1 - 126.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Megahorn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 390-458 (96.5 - 113.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 214-252 (54.3 - 63.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Facade (140 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 202-238 (57.3 - 67.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Scizor: 280-331 (81.3 - 96.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Guts Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Wash: 216-255 (71 - 83.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Replay :
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8bdspou-1545659879-efwr20tw1wty9pzkzewxyyjldyrksxfpw