So, I love Mega Heracross in the meta right now, so I tried to build a somewhat decent team that I've had mild success with. Only thing is I get stuck around the 1600s and I can't progress any higher. Whether that's because I suck (which I do) or the team I dunno, but hopefully you guys and gals can help improve it.
At a Glance:
Mega-Heracross was the starting point of the team and what the team was based around
Looking at what M-Hera couldn't OHKO or 2HKO, which was basically Doublade, Skarmory, Lando-T (if defensive) and the like. All these threats Volcanion can beat with ease, and everything Volcanion can't 2HKO M-Hera does for it. These two are amazing together and are the two mons I want the team to be based off, everything else can be swapped without too much fuss.
With basically my two offensive mons done, I thought I should add some defensive backbone to the team, and who better than one of the most overused Pokemon in the meta, Lando-T. This also provided the team with stealth rocks, and also u-turn which is really good to get Mega Hera and Volc in and do some damage.
I needed someone to switch into special attacks, and to provide some offense along side my other mons, Raikou was the first Pokemon that came to mine, being able to come in on other offensive electric types (Thundurus namely) and to deal with bulky water types that aren't Seismitoad, Quag or Gastrodon.
At this point, my team was weak to Keldeo (well, switching between Volc, Lando-T and Raikou sorta dealt with it), so I thought why not add Latias, who also adds hazard removal to the team, and is great support with healing wish to bring back M-Hera and Volc from the brink of death.
Finally, the team was super weak to Mega Gardevoir, and wish support for the team would be reeeaaaally good as nothing on the team has any form of recovery, SpDef Rachi fit nicely, and gave the team and all round check to fairies, and helps deal with Mega Medi and Mega Lopunny (I'll explain later).
In Depth:
Heracross-Mega @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 136 HP / 136 Atk / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Substitute
So Mega Heracross was the first pokemon I chose for the team. I absolutely just love this thing, wish game freak gave it speed instead of bulk but oh well, can't have everything. Moxie for the occasional kill I snatch on opposing pokemon with low health to get a nice attack boost. 236 in speed is to outspeed neutral natured 252 ev'd base 70's, such as Breloom and Bisharp, and to outspeed 32 speed Celebi and Mew, and 16 speed Garchomp. The rest of the ev's are pumped into attack with an adamant nature to hit extremely hard, and into hp for some good bulk to be able to take hits better. Close Combat is a given, although I guess Arm Thrust could be used but it has 20 base power lower and is innacurate. Pin Missile is the hardest hitting bug stab Mega-Heracross has and is more reliable than Megahorn. Rock Blast to hit flying types and the likes of Skarm and Lando-T who take it neutrally. Substitute is to get initiative on the switch to ease predictions, say if the opponent has two mons he could bring in, and rock blast would hit one super effectively, but the other not, stuff like that. I have run Swords Dance in the past but never really found the time to use it, I suppose if I were Jolly I'd be better off with it. I've been tempted to run Bullet Seed in the last slot so I can take down bulky waters and hippo quicker, but I have other guys in the back to handle them.
Volcanion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Volcanion was put on the team to kill everything that Mega Heracross couldn't, and boy does it do a good job of it. Max Special Attack with Modest lets this thing hit ridiculously hard, and max speed to outspeed uninvested base 100s like Jirachi or Celebi, and to speedtie with Specs Magnezone running HP Fire. 8 ev's could be dropped from speed and put into hp or defense, but I don't know if it's worth it. The thing I love about this set is the Expert Belt. This thing normally runs Specs, and everyone expects it. So when people bring in Ferro on a Steam Eruption, or Heatran/Seismitoad on a Flamethrower, they don't expect me to just switch my move and kill them. And to be honest, with the coverage Volcanion has, it's normally hitting everything super effectively anyway, and I find that the loss of damage is negligible, considering everything that can switch into this thing baring the Lati twins is usually slower than it and can hit with super effective damage the next turn. Steam Eruption and Flamethrower for STAB, HP Grass for the water types that switch in, and Earth Power for other Volcanion's, although I'm thinking of potentially Sludge Bomb, but this thing 2HKO's Clefable anyway.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Because this thing is on every team Lando-T is on the team to take physical hits and punish them with Rocky Helmet. It also is a nice check to the always scary Mega Charizard X. Max HP and Defense to take pretty much any physical attack barring ice moves. Stealth Rocks to put pressure on the opponent when switching, EdgeQuake as mandatory attacking options on this mon, and U-turn to gain initiative and give switch ins to the two behemoths mentioned above.
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
I needed a mon to switch into special attackers, specifically electric types as they kinda ruin my team at the moment. This guy provides a decent check to Mega Manectric, as well as threatening the likes of Tornadus and Starmie and other such water types. Max Speed and max Special Attack to outspeed base 100s and 110s like Garchomp, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, the Lati twins and so on. Speed ties with Starmie, although even if Starmie wins, Raikou is getting the better end of the deal as he kills it. Assault Vest to eat many special hits, and then retaliate back with Raikou's decent Special Attack stat. Thunderbolt is obviously the main STAB, with Volt Switch being secondary STAB that provides switch initiative and gives a nice Volt-Turn core with Lando-T and Rachi to bring in the main attacking mons. HP Ice for ground and grass types, and Shadow Ball to be able to hit the likes of Mega Metagross for super effective damage, and to be able to kill off threats without the fear of bringing in a ground type to be immune to the electric STAB.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Pretty standard support Latias, the hp ev's to maximise Latias' bulk to take on Keldeo and offensive electric types like Thundurus and Mega Manectric better. Draco as the main STAB of choice, hitting every mon that doesn't resist it hard. Psyshock as secondary STAB and deals nice damage to the likes of Chansey, Clefable and Azumarill. Defog for hazard removal, especially for Volcanion and Raikou and finally, Healing Wish to bring back Pokemon as no one has recovery except for Jirachi.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Protect
Jirachi was added simply because the team needed a fairy resist, mainly to counter Mega Gardevoir as the thing ripped through my team. Also, this mon helps Lando-T check physical attackers like Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham and Mega Metagross, being able to switch in to Ice Punches after the Initmidate, and depending on which mon it's facing, U-turn back into Lando-T to take it on. Specially Defensive Rachi allows me to take on basically any special attacker in the game, barring fire types. The 32 speed ev's are to outrun max speed Ttar and the likes of Bisharp and Breloom. Iron Head as main STAB and my only way of dealing super effective damage to fairy types. Wish+Protect for recovery and also to pass wishes to other pokemon who need it. U-turn is for getting Mega Heracross and Volcanion in safely, and to get out of Specs Zone's traps.
This thing is a big threat to the team as I don't have a switch in for it. The plan is basically keep Mega Heracross healthy, and switch him in on Knock Offs. If Heracross is gone, it becomes very hard to deal with this thing. Volcanion eats a Knock Off and KOs with Flamethrower, and Raikou can take a Sucker Punch if it comes to it.
This is similar to Bisharp. Bring in Lando-T on the Knock Off, then switch to either Rachi or Volcanion to take the ice move (preferably Rachi) and then switch either back to Lando-T on the second Knock Off or into Mega Heracross.
I just lose if it sets up. Volcanion takes it on if it's taken around 23% and is only at plus 1. If it sets up two Quiver Dances that's basically gg. Lando-T can sometimes take a +1 Fire Blast or a +2 Fiery Dance if it's at full hp, and then die next turn as Stone Edge misses...I cry evrytim
This is just to name a few, there's a lot more out there. Stupid Mega Banette.
Thanks everyone who reads this and provides feedback, it would be much appreciated. There's probably a lot of things that can be changed to improve this team, possibly Ttar over Raikou or having something defensive with recovery. Sorry if there's a glaring change to be made and I haven't picked up on it.
At a Glance:
Mega-Heracross was the starting point of the team and what the team was based around
Looking at what M-Hera couldn't OHKO or 2HKO, which was basically Doublade, Skarmory, Lando-T (if defensive) and the like. All these threats Volcanion can beat with ease, and everything Volcanion can't 2HKO M-Hera does for it. These two are amazing together and are the two mons I want the team to be based off, everything else can be swapped without too much fuss.
With basically my two offensive mons done, I thought I should add some defensive backbone to the team, and who better than one of the most overused Pokemon in the meta, Lando-T. This also provided the team with stealth rocks, and also u-turn which is really good to get Mega Hera and Volc in and do some damage.
I needed someone to switch into special attacks, and to provide some offense along side my other mons, Raikou was the first Pokemon that came to mine, being able to come in on other offensive electric types (Thundurus namely) and to deal with bulky water types that aren't Seismitoad, Quag or Gastrodon.
At this point, my team was weak to Keldeo (well, switching between Volc, Lando-T and Raikou sorta dealt with it), so I thought why not add Latias, who also adds hazard removal to the team, and is great support with healing wish to bring back M-Hera and Volc from the brink of death.
Finally, the team was super weak to Mega Gardevoir, and wish support for the team would be reeeaaaally good as nothing on the team has any form of recovery, SpDef Rachi fit nicely, and gave the team and all round check to fairies, and helps deal with Mega Medi and Mega Lopunny (I'll explain later).
In Depth:
Heracross-Mega @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 136 HP / 136 Atk / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Substitute
So Mega Heracross was the first pokemon I chose for the team. I absolutely just love this thing, wish game freak gave it speed instead of bulk but oh well, can't have everything. Moxie for the occasional kill I snatch on opposing pokemon with low health to get a nice attack boost. 236 in speed is to outspeed neutral natured 252 ev'd base 70's, such as Breloom and Bisharp, and to outspeed 32 speed Celebi and Mew, and 16 speed Garchomp. The rest of the ev's are pumped into attack with an adamant nature to hit extremely hard, and into hp for some good bulk to be able to take hits better. Close Combat is a given, although I guess Arm Thrust could be used but it has 20 base power lower and is innacurate. Pin Missile is the hardest hitting bug stab Mega-Heracross has and is more reliable than Megahorn. Rock Blast to hit flying types and the likes of Skarm and Lando-T who take it neutrally. Substitute is to get initiative on the switch to ease predictions, say if the opponent has two mons he could bring in, and rock blast would hit one super effectively, but the other not, stuff like that. I have run Swords Dance in the past but never really found the time to use it, I suppose if I were Jolly I'd be better off with it. I've been tempted to run Bullet Seed in the last slot so I can take down bulky waters and hippo quicker, but I have other guys in the back to handle them.
Volcanion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Volcanion was put on the team to kill everything that Mega Heracross couldn't, and boy does it do a good job of it. Max Special Attack with Modest lets this thing hit ridiculously hard, and max speed to outspeed uninvested base 100s like Jirachi or Celebi, and to speedtie with Specs Magnezone running HP Fire. 8 ev's could be dropped from speed and put into hp or defense, but I don't know if it's worth it. The thing I love about this set is the Expert Belt. This thing normally runs Specs, and everyone expects it. So when people bring in Ferro on a Steam Eruption, or Heatran/Seismitoad on a Flamethrower, they don't expect me to just switch my move and kill them. And to be honest, with the coverage Volcanion has, it's normally hitting everything super effectively anyway, and I find that the loss of damage is negligible, considering everything that can switch into this thing baring the Lati twins is usually slower than it and can hit with super effective damage the next turn. Steam Eruption and Flamethrower for STAB, HP Grass for the water types that switch in, and Earth Power for other Volcanion's, although I'm thinking of potentially Sludge Bomb, but this thing 2HKO's Clefable anyway.
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
I needed a mon to switch into special attackers, specifically electric types as they kinda ruin my team at the moment. This guy provides a decent check to Mega Manectric, as well as threatening the likes of Tornadus and Starmie and other such water types. Max Speed and max Special Attack to outspeed base 100s and 110s like Garchomp, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, the Lati twins and so on. Speed ties with Starmie, although even if Starmie wins, Raikou is getting the better end of the deal as he kills it. Assault Vest to eat many special hits, and then retaliate back with Raikou's decent Special Attack stat. Thunderbolt is obviously the main STAB, with Volt Switch being secondary STAB that provides switch initiative and gives a nice Volt-Turn core with Lando-T and Rachi to bring in the main attacking mons. HP Ice for ground and grass types, and Shadow Ball to be able to hit the likes of Mega Metagross for super effective damage, and to be able to kill off threats without the fear of bringing in a ground type to be immune to the electric STAB.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Pretty standard support Latias, the hp ev's to maximise Latias' bulk to take on Keldeo and offensive electric types like Thundurus and Mega Manectric better. Draco as the main STAB of choice, hitting every mon that doesn't resist it hard. Psyshock as secondary STAB and deals nice damage to the likes of Chansey, Clefable and Azumarill. Defog for hazard removal, especially for Volcanion and Raikou and finally, Healing Wish to bring back Pokemon as no one has recovery except for Jirachi.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Protect
Jirachi was added simply because the team needed a fairy resist, mainly to counter Mega Gardevoir as the thing ripped through my team. Also, this mon helps Lando-T check physical attackers like Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham and Mega Metagross, being able to switch in to Ice Punches after the Initmidate, and depending on which mon it's facing, U-turn back into Lando-T to take it on. Specially Defensive Rachi allows me to take on basically any special attacker in the game, barring fire types. The 32 speed ev's are to outrun max speed Ttar and the likes of Bisharp and Breloom. Iron Head as main STAB and my only way of dealing super effective damage to fairy types. Wish+Protect for recovery and also to pass wishes to other pokemon who need it. U-turn is for getting Mega Heracross and Volcanion in safely, and to get out of Specs Zone's traps.
Heracross-Mega @ Heracronite
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 136 HP / 136 Atk / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Substitute
Volcanion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Protect
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 136 HP / 136 Atk / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
- Substitute
Volcanion @ Expert Belt
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Earth Power
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Shadow Ball
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Healing Wish
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Protect
This thing is a big threat to the team as I don't have a switch in for it. The plan is basically keep Mega Heracross healthy, and switch him in on Knock Offs. If Heracross is gone, it becomes very hard to deal with this thing. Volcanion eats a Knock Off and KOs with Flamethrower, and Raikou can take a Sucker Punch if it comes to it.
This is similar to Bisharp. Bring in Lando-T on the Knock Off, then switch to either Rachi or Volcanion to take the ice move (preferably Rachi) and then switch either back to Lando-T on the second Knock Off or into Mega Heracross.
I just lose if it sets up. Volcanion takes it on if it's taken around 23% and is only at plus 1. If it sets up two Quiver Dances that's basically gg. Lando-T can sometimes take a +1 Fire Blast or a +2 Fiery Dance if it's at full hp, and then die next turn as Stone Edge misses...
This is just to name a few, there's a lot more out there. Stupid Mega Banette.
Thanks everyone who reads this and provides feedback, it would be much appreciated. There's probably a lot of things that can be changed to improve this team, possibly Ttar over Raikou or having something defensive with recovery. Sorry if there's a glaring change to be made and I haven't picked up on it.
