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[Overview]
<p>Heracross was always a potent Pokemon in terms of offensive capabilities. High Base Attack combined with its helpful typing and access to two ridiculously powerful STAB moves is what Heracross makes so hard to
counter(handle with). It also has access to Guts, which is still one of the best abilities for offensively orientated Pokemon, making it almost immune to any sort of status. However, with the advent of Black/White 2, the
bug (Bug that hits like a Truck) got just another great ability: Moxie! With
just a couple of
boosts (Boosts in backup), not much can stand against its powerful attacks
anymore.
However, Heracross does have its drawbacks. It's sub par speed hinders it from reaching top usage.(If it would've had just a bit more speed, it would probably be used way more often. Low Sweep could've solved this problem maybe, but for the oddest reason ever, Heracross apparently can't learn it.) Don't talk about moves that Heracross doesn't get. That has no place in the analysis. Also,
(with Black/White 2, ) the new Therian forms, especially Tornadus-T, give
(s) Heracross a real hard time.
Still, if you give Heracross the right moveset and items, it will perform very well. Just remember- (So you need to do some adjustments to get it working, which aren't all too hard in the end. Just let me give you a tip for your journey: ) Don't bug this Bug.</p>
The joke is fine, but try not to refer to the reader too much.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Sleep Talk / Night Slash
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
ability: Guts / Moxie
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is one of the best, if not the best, way to
(play) use Heracross. A Choice Scarf bypasses its Speed issues by simply sitting on +1 for free. A Jolly nature is
(therefore) the best option, so you can outspeed a lot more stuff
(most importantly, Adamant Haxorus) (, most importantly, Adamant Haxorus which just set up a Dragon Dance). Close Combat and Megahorn are the main attacking options.
(Not that both) Both have 120 Base Power and receive STAB boosts,
and with Guts activated
and (, with)Stealth Rock support, even Pokemon that resist
it's STABs, such as 252/252+ Skarmory, (them) will think twice about switching in.
(Even 252/252+ Skarmory will be 2HKO'd.)</p>
<p>Stone Edge is pretty much a must have
(move) on any Heracross set. It's meant to deal with
(most opponent) pokemonthat resist both STABs,
(this means) especially Flying-types, like the ever common Tornadus-T, which
would otherwise(else) give Heracross huge headaches.
(On) Forthe last slot,
both (either) Sleep Talk or Night Slash are viable and help Heracross
(to) cover certain
threats (threads), depending on what your team needs. Sleep Talk can be used to absorb Spore from uprising Breloom and Amoonguss, whereas Night Slash deals with pretty much any Jellicent wobbling around Heracross's path
(s).</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Heracross can abuse both of its great abilities on this set. Guts make
(s) it a valuable status absorber for Burn, Toxic and Sleep in this metagame and also has some synergy with Sleep Talk. It gains permanent power by status and acts more of a revenge killer. In contrast, Moxie transforms Heracross
(more) into a late game cleaner.
Once weakened opponents are finished off, Moxie raises Heracross's already high attack to even higher levels. (Once certain walls cannot sponge the next Close Combat anymore, Moxie continues raising Heracross already high attack stat to a very new level.) However, Moxie is hard to pull off so it needs more team support in contrast to Guts. In the end, it's just a matter of preference as both abilities have their merits and both do their jobs on Heracross, so check which your team desires more.</p>
<p>Heatran makes an exceptionally
good(well) teammate for Heracross as they resist each other's weaknesses rather well. They can form a possible offensive core for a team, leaving you open to only Water-, Electic- and Rock-type moves, which could be handled easily with Gastrodon. Even with
(all) boosts, Heracross struggles
(still) with the presence of Gliscor and Landorus,
both of which (which both) can just be 3HKO'd at best.
(So) Ice-type attacks are
(obviously) needed to help Heracross
plow(find) its way through the opponent
's team. An Adamant nature can be used on Heracross to get even more power, however, the lack of speed is noticeable, making it usually inferior to Jolly. Pursuit might look tempting but it's only really useful against Latios and Latias
(after using Draco Meteor).</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge / Night Slash
move 4: Facade
item: Flame Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Guts
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In contrast to the Choice Scarf Set, this one forgoes
longetivity (longlivety) to deal as much damage as possible within
a short time frame(short time). Flame Orb allows it to activate Guts so
Heracross can get an attack boost(this set get all the power it wants). Close Combat, Megahorn and Stone Edge are its main attacking options, giving it two really strong STAB moves completed with a viable coverage move. If your team fulfills the role of taking care of Flying-types already, Night Slash gives opposing Jellicent a real hard time against this set, as
even the physically bulky sets are easily 2HKO'd (it's easily 2HKO'd even the physically bulkiest sets), factoring in Leftovers and Stealth Rock support. On the last slot,
Facade can be used for coverage, which is able to 2HKO Gliscor. (Facade adds another coverage move, Heracross cried for. With it at its disposal, Heracross got a reliable option to deal with Gliscor, potentially being able to 2HKO it.)</p>
<p>The EV spread is rather straight forward. Maxing out the Attack and Speed stat combined with an Adamant nature ensure it hits as fast and hard as possible, whereas the last 4 EVs are moved into Defense, to give Heracross an odd HP number, which might help it
handle residual damage (out in the end keeping in mind all residual damage it has to take).</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Even though Adamant is needed on this set to increase its power as high as possible, it missed the jump over Adamant natured Haxorus. A Jolly nature can fix this problem, however
(,) the drop in strength is very noticeable. Generally, Heracross's speed issues are disturbing, so Pokemon that can provide Paralysis support
such as (like) Dragonite, Rotom-W and Jirachi
, are all favorable team mates for Heracross. Jirachi also has access to wish, which helps
with (out) Heracross's problem of residual damage, giving it multiple chances to restart attacking. In case you plan to use Heracross to absorb Status moves for your team, feel free to use a Life Orb over Flame Orb, which
(for example) gives Heracross a safe 2HKO on Jellicent, something it can't do without this boost. Keep in mind this means Heracross takes even more residual damage, remarkably decreasing its already low staying power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Sleep Talk / Pursuit
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Guts
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>
This is probably Heracross's (This is Heracross probably) most fearsome set. In addition to an Adamant nature and Guts ability, this set bets on a Choice Band to pump its already high power to
absurd (absurb) levels. Close Combat
devastates (is pretty much devastating) anything in sight
, and with(. With) Megahorn and Stone Edge for coverage, there's
(no) almost no Pokemon in OU that's able to avoid getting
(at least) 2HKO'd by this set. The only exception is Gliscor, which however is no counter by any means, as it's still 3HKO'd by any move Heracross has in its disposal. With Sleep Talk, Heracross gains the opportunity to absorb Spores for the team,
(dishing out with its ridiculous power) easily taking out Breloom with both Close Combat and Megahorn, while 252/40 Amoonguss can also be OHKO'd with Megahorn without any prior damage. When Guts is activated, 252/252+ Jellicent will be OHKO'd by Pursuit 70% of the time from full HP, after Stealth Rock and Leftovers there's no chance to take it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Heracross is somewhat unique to its other sets
because there is (as there's) no status it really cares about, except for Freeze. Burn and Poison aren't bothersome for any
of the sets, but this one also handles Sleep and Paralysis well, as it's not meant to work as a Revenge Killer but more as a wallbreaker, hitting everything
(hard) that dares switching into it
hard. This again means
that(,) Heracross gets plenty of opportunities to switch into status moves and pretty much any Non-Fire-type attacking move that causes status with their secondary effect.
This (So this) Heracross loves bulky teammates that
(naturally have the ability to) lure in status, such as Scizor, Dragonite, Blissey, Vaporeon, and Gastrodon.
(Also,) Heatran
also makes a great sweeping partner to hit hard on the special side.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + 3 Attacks
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
ability: Moxie
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set runs entirely different than all other sets. Instead of betting on absurd power
and (of) the aid of Choice Scarf, this one tries to sweep with the help of Substitute. The plan is simple: Switch into something it resists, set up a Substitute and start attacking.
Close combat, Megahorn, and Stone Edge provides coverage that deals with the majority of the OU metagame. (The classic attacks with Close Combat, Megahorn and Stone Edge are, what you want, dealing with the majority of the current OU metagame.) When hiding behind a Substitute, Heracross rarely gets statused,
and that's why Moxie is the preferred option for this set to gain more power. The other advantage this set has above the others is that Heracross no longer needs to predict potential switch ins but just hits straight out behind its Substitute. This again supports its ability, hopefully getting one or two early Moxie boosts to attempt a sweep.
It is very worth noting(Probably most important for this set is,) that Tornadus-T will be OHKO'd by Stone Edge, factoring in Stealth Rock support, giving
Heracross (it) the ability to deal with its biggest counter.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set has just one
goaltarget: To get a Moxie boost as soon as possible. This set trades speed and raw power for being safe against attacks for limited time and the ability to freely
choose(choice) between its moves. If it fails to earn one or two boosts quickly, it'll have huge problems
establishing (to establish) itself in battle.<p>
<p>If Jellicent causes problems, Night Slash might help out, however,
watch out for burns if Heracross is running Moxie. (without Guts, be careful for Will-O-Wisp and Scald, which would cripple this set. Not to mention it's still a 3HKO at best without any Moxie boosts.) Focus Punch is another option
(for its Fighting STAB), as it gives Heracross a lot more power and has nice synergy with Substitute but it just lacks the bulk to keep
(up) Substitute
up for a longer period of time. This again means
that (,) he can't use Focus Punch safely, making it a bit unreliable.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Heracross has
(access to) some other interesting options in its disposal. For instance, Swords Dance can be used to set up, giving it a nice power boost, turning a lot of 3HKOs into 2HKOs and some 2HKOs into potential OHKOs. Bulk Up and RestTalk can be combined to turn Heracross into a Monoattacker
however (. However,) Heracross
does not have (has not) many moves that can be used for it. Megahorn has no negative side effects, and STAB, making it the only
option worth using,(worth option,) despite the fact its unhandy accuracy.</p>
<p>
(Salac Berry can be used together with Substitue or endure to give Heracross a 200 Base Power Reversal. No HP EVs gives it 301 HP, to achieve this with just 4 Substitutes. This in the end might just be a gimmick in OU though, as residual damage and priority really don't give Heracross any favors, making it very unreliable.) This doesn't need its own paragraph. Add this to the bottom paragraph the way I type it.</p>
<p>In terms of offensive options, Heracross has
(access to) a nice number of alternatives.
Salac Berry can be used with Substitute or endure to give Heracross a 200 Base Power Reversal. Low Kick and Brick Break can be used as its Fighting STAB move, as the former one has constantly high power in OU, while the
latter (ladder) helps break
(ing) through Dual Screen
(er)s
and (while) both don't drop its defense stats
but (. But) they can't be compared to the pure power Close Combat offers. Earthquake
is (gives) another great move, helping
Heracross handle (to break through) Jirachi and Metagross, which
without Earthquake (else) might be troublesome. Rock Slide is an option over Stone Edge, trading power for more accuracy and a good secondary effect for the Choice Scarf set. Bulldoze is a neat move, as it drops the opponents Speed Stat but Flying-types and
(Pokemon and) Levitate
pokemon are immune to it, so it's not as useable as Low Sweep could be. Heracross
also has access to Return and Retaliate, two other Normal-type moves, but they're mostly inferior to Facade.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Heracross absolutely hates Flying-types.
(Especially) Tornadus-T, Gliscor and Skarmory can trouble it when
it is locked (it locks) into the wrong move on the choice sets. In addition to its Flying-type, Landorus-T
also (even) has Intimidate, so Heracross can't manage to 2HKO it. Forretress
, when maxed out on physical defense
, has a good chance to survive 2 Close Combat
s (in a row), giving it the opportunity to set up hazards, deal a lot of damage with Gyro Ball and gain momentum with Volt Switch. Without Nigh Slash, Jellicent might be problematic as it shrugs off Heracross's STABs and might be able to deal with its shaky accurate Stone Edge.</p>
<p>
Anything else (Else, anything) that's
faster or have strong priority attacks can check Herracross.(faster than Heracross, which is at least half of the OU metagame right now, or have access to a priority move that's not Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave, can check Heracross mostly, if not being able to counter.) Most noticeable Pokemon are Jirachi, Scizor, both Landorus forms, both Tornadus forms, Volcarona, and
(even) Tentacruel.</p>
