According to Webster's Dictionary:
HERACROPHILIA noun /(ˌ)her-a-krə-ˈfi-lē-ə/
Definition: Obsession with and stimulation by Heracross, particularly in the Underused tier.
"After using this team on the ladder, I was later diagnosed with Heracrophilia by my doctor."
HERACROPHILIA noun /(ˌ)her-a-krə-ˈfi-lē-ə/
Definition: Obsession with and stimulation by Heracross, particularly in the Underused tier.
"After using this team on the ladder, I was later diagnosed with Heracrophilia by my doctor."
HERACROPHILIA
TEAM BUILDING
This team has peaked #3 on the UU Beta ladder, with a current ACRE of 2266 at that position. This team was also designed to work in the initial UU Beta phase, meaning that Kyurem-B, Manaphy and Drizzle were allowed. It remains, however, effective.
When the UU Beta ladder went public, I was in the middle of testing out MegaHeracross in the OU tier. More specifically, I was trying to find out what sets it could run besides Swords Dance, which I found too slow to be effective in the higher tiers. So, after some outside work with calculations, I decided that a Sub + Focus Punch set would be a really effective strategy for MegaHeracross. It did very well in the OU tier, but as UU began to take form, I thought "Hey, why not take this guy with me to the lower tiers? I'm sure it will be pretty effective." Boy, was that an understatement.
SubPunch MegaCross is a very powerful threat, but I found that the lack of recovery really hindered it for use in the long run of battles. An effective SubPuncher has to be able to come in at specific times in battle, Sub up and punch holes into the opposing team. MegaHera's Fire weakness was also a sore spot hindering its potential. Looking at the list of Pokemon that fell down to the Underused tier along with Heracross, I spotted Vaporeon. Vaporeon's capacity to Wish pass massive amounts of HP, plus maintain posture against threats both physical and special and resist key moves, is a boon for SubPunch MegaHeracross teams, providing both status support and longevity for MegaHeracross and its eventual teammates.
Still looking around the "depths" of Underused, I spotted Thundurus-Therian. Thundurus-I may have stolen its thunder (ha!) in the upper tiers, but its massive Base 145 Special Attack, access to Volt Absorb and unique movepool makes it a prime candidate as a scout for MegaHeracross. I needed something to lead off with that immediately puts offensive pressure on opponents while having generally favorable match-ups against most opposing leads, like Tornadus-T. Thundurus-T made the perfect fit onto the team.
With offensive pressure and hole-punching comes hazard pressure, and there's no better abuser of hazards and weather in the UU tier than Hippowdon. Its massive Physical bulk allows it to switch into a myriad of opposing threats and scare them away, setting up both Sand and Stealth Rock in the process. A crucial glue for the team.
My team needed some additional offensive support, something that could apply pressure constantly while having good bulk and survivability. Latias fit that bill pretty nicely, and it's an effective tool against most teams. Its versatility and ability to threaten pretty much anything and everything in the metagame makes it a good fit on the team.
Along with an additional Ice resist, my team needed something that could threaten the Fairy types roaming around in the tier while also dealing with strong Special attackers, specifically Latias and MegaGardevoir, offensively. Bisharp is truly a monster in this tier, and has proven to be one of the most useful components on this team. It has made a great fit for the overall composition of the team.
POKEMON AND MOVESETS
HIPPOWDON
Ability: Sandstream
EV's: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
Moveset:
--Stealth Rock--
--Earthquake--
--Slack Off--
--Whirlwind--
Every good team that centers around offense, even Bulky Offense, requires some hazard support. Hippowdon is an excellent Pokemon as it is - it sports a massive Base 108 HP and 118 Defense, making this one of the premier physical tanks in the UU metagame. While Sandstorm can be an effective tool for an entire playstyle, it is also an excellent addition to teams that want to rack up additional damage and neuter opponent's Leftovers on their bulky walls or threats. Stealth Rock support is crucial for this team, considering that the main objective is to take advantage of consistent offensive and defensive pressure each Pokemon places on the opponent, which forces tons of switches and puts the opponent in a lot of uncomfortable positions he/she does not wish to be in.
The moveset is pretty bog standard, but it's standard for a reason. Stealth Rock is there for hazards support and is pretty much Hippowdon's primary goal for the team. Earthquake gives it a strong attacking option, seeing as though its Base 112 Attack is also very good. Slack Off provides it with more opportunities to switch in later on in the match. Whirlwind is essential in phazing out boosting threats, ensuring that a clean sweep of my team is prevented in the nick of time. Leftovers adds to its longetivity and gives it the upper hand in the Sand against opposing Pokemon who are susceptible to damaging weather.
LATIAS
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Moveset:
--Dragon Pulse--
--Psyshock--
--Hidden Power Fighting--
--Recover--
Latias is a great all-around Pokemon in the metagame, sporting above average bulk (especially Special bulk) a good Special Attack stat and a great Speed stat. Combined with strong Dragon STAB and a STAB option that hits Special walls hard, and you have yourself a Pokemon that can switch in and deal damage regardless of what it's facing. Latias can serve a multitude of roles with an offensive Life Orb set in Underused - 110 Speed is among the fastest in the tier excluding Megas, meaning it can be an effective cleaner on some teams or even a revenge killer. When it gets a break or forces a switch, it can heal itself for later. It can even wallbreak to an extent. It's essentially a Swiss Army Knife for the team that, while not a monstrous powerhouse or defensive stalwart, fills in a lot of gaps if played correctly.
Dragon Pulse is selected over Draco Meteor due to DMeteor's nasty -2 SpA drop. While a Life Orb boosted Draco Meteor may hit extremely hard, the offensive drop opens up opportunities for Pokemon to come in and threaten Latias out completely, even Pokemon that normally wouldn't threaten Latias naturally. Dragon Pulse still packs enough of a punch to hit things hard while maintaining power for its coverage moves. Psyshock allows Latias to hit its normal checks like Florges, Chansey and Assault Vest Snorlax for massive damage, meaning that Special walls aren't nearly as safe switching into Latias as the would be against Latias carrying Psychic. Hidden Power Fighting is exclusively for Bisharp switch-ins expecting Latias to switch out, as a Life Orb-boosted HP Fighting is a guaranteed OHKO on all variants of Bisharp after Stealth Rock (barring Assault Vest). Recover is great for healing up damage against resisted and weak 'hits, as well as recover Life Orb recoil, making Latias last much longer in the battle than your opponent wants it to.
THUNDURUS-T
Ability: Volt Absorb
EV's: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Naive
Moveset:
--Volt Switch--
--Focus Blast--
--Grass Knot--
--Knock Off--
Normally, one would expect Thundurus-T to run some sort of offensive attacker role. With strong Electric STAB, base 145 SpA and access to both Agility and Nasty Plot, many players prefer to use this Pokemon to sweep. However, for my team, I needed something that had the ability to switch in, cause big damage and change the momentum in favor of my team. Giving the team a crucial Flying resist, plus a Ground and Electric immunity, Thundurus-T gels very well with the team compared to Tornadus-T while chipping away massive chunks of damage with its STAB and coverage moves. Thundurus-T is often my go-to lead, as it either can deal massive damage, switch out to an appropriate Pokemon or screw over unsuspecting leads with Knock Off.
Volt Switch is weaker than Thunderbolt, but the utility it provides for the team is very helpful in forcing switches and setting up opportunities for teammates to switch in. Many a time has a Latias tried to switch in only to be met with a Bisharp counter-switch. Focus Blast crushes most things that resist Electric, while Grass Knot is specifically for Ground types like Hippowdon and Quagsire who try to switch in on Volt Switch. Knock Off is the wild card move here, but it's one that makes a pivot Thundurus-T set so effective. Most common switch-ins to Thundurus-T, specifically Chansey, Latias and Florges, HATE having their item removed. Any switch-in with Leftovers is now susceptible to Sandstorm passive damage as a result, for example. Not many people expect Knock Off on Thundurus-T, but the sheer utility of the move makes it invaluable. Leftovers is chosen over Life Orb to help recover passive Sandstorm damage while healing back small chunks of damage after switching in and using Volt Switch. Survivability is key, especially when your pivot is weak to Stealth Rock. Instead of taking 16% damage after LO recoil, I'm breaking even.
VAPOREON
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Nature: Bold
Moveset:
--Scald--
--Wish--
--Protect--
--Roar--
One of the more underrated Pokemon in the Underused tier at the moment, Vaporeon has a rare blend of overall bulk and utility that not many other Pokemon share within the tier. You need something to combat strong Physical threats while having the ability to cause Burn status? Vaporeon has you covered. Need a good Wish passer with key resists? Yep, Vaporeon can do that too. Need a phazer? Why not Vaporeon? Vaporeon is an excellent tool for Bulky Offensive teams that rely on increased defensive prowess and lack a secondary healing source outside of Leftovers. For a team based around MegaHeracross, Vaporeon is the perfect partner in crime.
Scald is the infamous utility attack of choice, smacking foes with deceptively high Special Attack and a 30% Burn rate. Wish and Protect enable Vaporeon to play the role of cleric extremely well, and with max investment in HP, Vaporeon can pass Wishes that are as high as 232 HP. To illustrate, that's around 64% of MegaHeracross' max health, or 70% of Bisharp's max health. Outstanding. The last move of choice is Roar, which specifically helps against things like CroCune and the like. Bulky boosting threats would otherwise give my team nightmares, and by jettisoning the opponent's Pokemon, my team regains offensive momentum that would have otherwise been lost.
BISHARP
Ability: Defiant
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
Moveset:
--Knock Off--
--Sucker Punch--
--Iron Head--
--Pursuit--
With the nerf to Steel typing, the Knock Off buff and the Defog buff, Bisharp has dramatically risen in usage and has been a very powerful Pokemon in the XY metagame. Underused currently houses a great number of Defog users compared to Rapid Spin users, and both a lack of Dark resists and a plethora of Dark weak Pokemon makes it extremely effective in this lower tier. Its strong base Attack, Steel / Dark typing, access to priority and access to STAB Knock Off makes it both an offensive and defensive threat that should never be taken lightly.
At first glance, this set seems unorthodox. One, under most circumstances the use of three attacking moves of the same type on one moveset is met with ridicule and "in-game" shaming. However, this is more of a testament to the power of Dark in XY and less of a testament of how I am bad and should feel bad [I hope...]. All three moves are vastly different from one another: Knock Off is the major damage dealer that also disrupts incoming Pokemon by removing their items, Sucker Punch is extremely strong priority that nails faster threats and Pursuit traps annoying Pokemon for MegaHeracross, like Latias, Chandelure and Crobat, and obliterates them. Iron Head is the lone non-Dark move on the set, but it has great coverage with Dark and nails Fairy types for huge damage. The EV's are also a bit unorthodox: I decided to go for a more bulky build for Bisharp as opposed to max Speed. This Bisharp is designed to switch into Pokemon, take a resisted hit and retaliate. The number of things that it "needs" to out-run, as a result, is fairly small, and it appreciates some extra breathing room defensively. Max HP investment ensures that it takes less damage from incoming attacks and even allows it to live weaker Super Effective hits. Since the set runs three Dark moves, Dread Plate gives both its priority and trapping moves additional power without sacrificing its bulk, unlike Life Orb. It greatly benefits from the 20% increase in damage as well, so while Assault Vest is tempting, Dread Plate actually scores some impressive KO's and ensures that Sucker Punch can actually take care of weakened foes in the end game.
MEGA HERACROSS
Ability: Skill Link (Guts)
EV's: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Nature: Adamant
Moveset:
--Substitute--
--Focus Punch--
--Pin Missile--
--Rock Blast--
The star of the show by far, Mega Heracross is a behemoth in the Underused tier, and is arguably the biggest threat in the metagame. Sporting an unreal Base 185 Attack (five more than Deoxys-A), access to Skill Link + Pin Missile and Rock Blast and great 80 / 115 / 105 defensive bulk, Mega Heracross is incredibly hard to take down. Its typing is great defensively, save a 4x weakness to Flying, and Bug / Fighting coverage is resisted by only Ghost and Poison types, both either rare or unable to overcome MegaHeracross' sheer power even with resists. Not many things can stand up to Mega Heracross and live to tell the tale.
As stated before, this Mega Heracross is a Substitute + Focus Punch variant, designed to come in against frail or weaker threats, Sub up and cause huge amounts of damage to prey and checks alike. Substitute with near max HP investment is tough to break and prevents nasty status from afflicting my main hole puncher. For example, while Jellicent may resist Mega Heracross' STAB attacks, it cannot break its Substitute with Scald, meaning that Rock Blast has the potential to 2HKO it after Stealth Rock damage That's one check down. Latias tries to switch in on an expected Close Combat? Another check down. Focus Punch is insanely powerful, even against resists. It 2HKO's things like Hippowdon and Nidoqueen, for example, without batting an eye. Pin Missile is the reliable STAB option that hits hard even against resists. Rock Blast hits what its STABs cannot, and most common Mega Heracross checks are conveniently weak to Rock. EV's are put in to maximize Mega Heracross' Substitute bulk and sheer power. The remaining 8 EV's are put into Speed to out-pace zero investment Base 65 Speed Pokemon, specifically Vaporeon and other bulky variants of Mega Heracross that keep the 8 EV's in Special Defense. Out-speeding and 2HKO'ing certain Pokemon is often the difference between keeping Mega Heracross alive or ensuring its demise. Guts on the initial Heracross build allows it to still be somewhat effective after untimely Burns, although it's rare that this Mega Heracross is played without ensuring that status will be prevented before its introduction.
THREATS
PAST THREATS
MANAPHY
This team has a record of 27-4. Three of those four losses came against teams that had Manaphy on them. Thankfully,this pixie piece of crap that spawned from Hell itself Manaphy was recently placed in BL and is no longer a part of the metagame. Still, for historical reference, Manaphy's awesome bulk and access to Tail Glow made it incredibly hard to take down once Thundurus-T took enough damage.
CURRENT THREATS
MEGA GARDEVOIR
Mega Gardevoir, thanks to Hyper Voice, makes for a very hard challenge for this team. I currently do not have a Fairy resist on the team, meaning that under the right circumstances Mega Gardevoir can come in and hit at least one Pokemon for huge damage, potentially a KO. Thankfully, both Thundurus-T and Latias are faster than it, Sandstorm and Stealth Rock wear it down and Bisharp can OHKO it with either Pursuit or Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Still, a well-played Mega Gardevoir can do a number to this team.
INFILTRATOR
Fast users of Infiltrator are fairly tough to combat, seeing as though an incorrect Sub on Mega Heracross forces a switch, and their strong STAB attacks can do a number against my team. Still, they are almost all frail in nature, weak to Stealth Rock and take huge damage from Pursuit if the right move is predicted, so all is not lost against these threats.
VICTINI
Similar to Mega Gardevoir, the sheer power of this thing simply means that "something is taking big damage". V-Create hits like a truck, even against Hippowdon. However, since it is normally Choice Scarf or Choice Band, I can play around it with Vaporeon and Thundurus-T, and its numerous weaknesses to things like Dark, Rock, Ground and Water (plus Stealth Rock weakness) makes it easier to take down than Mega Gardevoir
IMPORTABLE
TEAM BUILDING
This team has peaked #3 on the UU Beta ladder, with a current ACRE of 2266 at that position. This team was also designed to work in the initial UU Beta phase, meaning that Kyurem-B, Manaphy and Drizzle were allowed. It remains, however, effective.
When the UU Beta ladder went public, I was in the middle of testing out MegaHeracross in the OU tier. More specifically, I was trying to find out what sets it could run besides Swords Dance, which I found too slow to be effective in the higher tiers. So, after some outside work with calculations, I decided that a Sub + Focus Punch set would be a really effective strategy for MegaHeracross. It did very well in the OU tier, but as UU began to take form, I thought "Hey, why not take this guy with me to the lower tiers? I'm sure it will be pretty effective." Boy, was that an understatement.
SubPunch MegaCross is a very powerful threat, but I found that the lack of recovery really hindered it for use in the long run of battles. An effective SubPuncher has to be able to come in at specific times in battle, Sub up and punch holes into the opposing team. MegaHera's Fire weakness was also a sore spot hindering its potential. Looking at the list of Pokemon that fell down to the Underused tier along with Heracross, I spotted Vaporeon. Vaporeon's capacity to Wish pass massive amounts of HP, plus maintain posture against threats both physical and special and resist key moves, is a boon for SubPunch MegaHeracross teams, providing both status support and longevity for MegaHeracross and its eventual teammates.
Still looking around the "depths" of Underused, I spotted Thundurus-Therian. Thundurus-I may have stolen its thunder (ha!) in the upper tiers, but its massive Base 145 Special Attack, access to Volt Absorb and unique movepool makes it a prime candidate as a scout for MegaHeracross. I needed something to lead off with that immediately puts offensive pressure on opponents while having generally favorable match-ups against most opposing leads, like Tornadus-T. Thundurus-T made the perfect fit onto the team.
With offensive pressure and hole-punching comes hazard pressure, and there's no better abuser of hazards and weather in the UU tier than Hippowdon. Its massive Physical bulk allows it to switch into a myriad of opposing threats and scare them away, setting up both Sand and Stealth Rock in the process. A crucial glue for the team.
My team needed some additional offensive support, something that could apply pressure constantly while having good bulk and survivability. Latias fit that bill pretty nicely, and it's an effective tool against most teams. Its versatility and ability to threaten pretty much anything and everything in the metagame makes it a good fit on the team.
Along with an additional Ice resist, my team needed something that could threaten the Fairy types roaming around in the tier while also dealing with strong Special attackers, specifically Latias and MegaGardevoir, offensively. Bisharp is truly a monster in this tier, and has proven to be one of the most useful components on this team. It has made a great fit for the overall composition of the team.
POKEMON AND MOVESETS
HIPPOWDON
Ability: Sandstream
EV's: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Nature: Impish
Moveset:
--Stealth Rock--
--Earthquake--
--Slack Off--
--Whirlwind--
Every good team that centers around offense, even Bulky Offense, requires some hazard support. Hippowdon is an excellent Pokemon as it is - it sports a massive Base 108 HP and 118 Defense, making this one of the premier physical tanks in the UU metagame. While Sandstorm can be an effective tool for an entire playstyle, it is also an excellent addition to teams that want to rack up additional damage and neuter opponent's Leftovers on their bulky walls or threats. Stealth Rock support is crucial for this team, considering that the main objective is to take advantage of consistent offensive and defensive pressure each Pokemon places on the opponent, which forces tons of switches and puts the opponent in a lot of uncomfortable positions he/she does not wish to be in.
The moveset is pretty bog standard, but it's standard for a reason. Stealth Rock is there for hazards support and is pretty much Hippowdon's primary goal for the team. Earthquake gives it a strong attacking option, seeing as though its Base 112 Attack is also very good. Slack Off provides it with more opportunities to switch in later on in the match. Whirlwind is essential in phazing out boosting threats, ensuring that a clean sweep of my team is prevented in the nick of time. Leftovers adds to its longetivity and gives it the upper hand in the Sand against opposing Pokemon who are susceptible to damaging weather.
LATIAS
Ability: Levitate
EV's: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Timid
Moveset:
--Dragon Pulse--
--Psyshock--
--Hidden Power Fighting--
--Recover--
Latias is a great all-around Pokemon in the metagame, sporting above average bulk (especially Special bulk) a good Special Attack stat and a great Speed stat. Combined with strong Dragon STAB and a STAB option that hits Special walls hard, and you have yourself a Pokemon that can switch in and deal damage regardless of what it's facing. Latias can serve a multitude of roles with an offensive Life Orb set in Underused - 110 Speed is among the fastest in the tier excluding Megas, meaning it can be an effective cleaner on some teams or even a revenge killer. When it gets a break or forces a switch, it can heal itself for later. It can even wallbreak to an extent. It's essentially a Swiss Army Knife for the team that, while not a monstrous powerhouse or defensive stalwart, fills in a lot of gaps if played correctly.
Dragon Pulse is selected over Draco Meteor due to DMeteor's nasty -2 SpA drop. While a Life Orb boosted Draco Meteor may hit extremely hard, the offensive drop opens up opportunities for Pokemon to come in and threaten Latias out completely, even Pokemon that normally wouldn't threaten Latias naturally. Dragon Pulse still packs enough of a punch to hit things hard while maintaining power for its coverage moves. Psyshock allows Latias to hit its normal checks like Florges, Chansey and Assault Vest Snorlax for massive damage, meaning that Special walls aren't nearly as safe switching into Latias as the would be against Latias carrying Psychic. Hidden Power Fighting is exclusively for Bisharp switch-ins expecting Latias to switch out, as a Life Orb-boosted HP Fighting is a guaranteed OHKO on all variants of Bisharp after Stealth Rock (barring Assault Vest). Recover is great for healing up damage against resisted and weak 'hits, as well as recover Life Orb recoil, making Latias last much longer in the battle than your opponent wants it to.
THUNDURUS-T
Ability: Volt Absorb
EV's: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Naive
Moveset:
--Volt Switch--
--Focus Blast--
--Grass Knot--
--Knock Off--
Normally, one would expect Thundurus-T to run some sort of offensive attacker role. With strong Electric STAB, base 145 SpA and access to both Agility and Nasty Plot, many players prefer to use this Pokemon to sweep. However, for my team, I needed something that had the ability to switch in, cause big damage and change the momentum in favor of my team. Giving the team a crucial Flying resist, plus a Ground and Electric immunity, Thundurus-T gels very well with the team compared to Tornadus-T while chipping away massive chunks of damage with its STAB and coverage moves. Thundurus-T is often my go-to lead, as it either can deal massive damage, switch out to an appropriate Pokemon or screw over unsuspecting leads with Knock Off.
Volt Switch is weaker than Thunderbolt, but the utility it provides for the team is very helpful in forcing switches and setting up opportunities for teammates to switch in. Many a time has a Latias tried to switch in only to be met with a Bisharp counter-switch. Focus Blast crushes most things that resist Electric, while Grass Knot is specifically for Ground types like Hippowdon and Quagsire who try to switch in on Volt Switch. Knock Off is the wild card move here, but it's one that makes a pivot Thundurus-T set so effective. Most common switch-ins to Thundurus-T, specifically Chansey, Latias and Florges, HATE having their item removed. Any switch-in with Leftovers is now susceptible to Sandstorm passive damage as a result, for example. Not many people expect Knock Off on Thundurus-T, but the sheer utility of the move makes it invaluable. Leftovers is chosen over Life Orb to help recover passive Sandstorm damage while healing back small chunks of damage after switching in and using Volt Switch. Survivability is key, especially when your pivot is weak to Stealth Rock. Instead of taking 16% damage after LO recoil, I'm breaking even.
VAPOREON
Ability: Water Absorb
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Nature: Bold
Moveset:
--Scald--
--Wish--
--Protect--
--Roar--
One of the more underrated Pokemon in the Underused tier at the moment, Vaporeon has a rare blend of overall bulk and utility that not many other Pokemon share within the tier. You need something to combat strong Physical threats while having the ability to cause Burn status? Vaporeon has you covered. Need a good Wish passer with key resists? Yep, Vaporeon can do that too. Need a phazer? Why not Vaporeon? Vaporeon is an excellent tool for Bulky Offensive teams that rely on increased defensive prowess and lack a secondary healing source outside of Leftovers. For a team based around MegaHeracross, Vaporeon is the perfect partner in crime.
Scald is the infamous utility attack of choice, smacking foes with deceptively high Special Attack and a 30% Burn rate. Wish and Protect enable Vaporeon to play the role of cleric extremely well, and with max investment in HP, Vaporeon can pass Wishes that are as high as 232 HP. To illustrate, that's around 64% of MegaHeracross' max health, or 70% of Bisharp's max health. Outstanding. The last move of choice is Roar, which specifically helps against things like CroCune and the like. Bulky boosting threats would otherwise give my team nightmares, and by jettisoning the opponent's Pokemon, my team regains offensive momentum that would have otherwise been lost.
BISHARP
Ability: Defiant
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Adamant
Moveset:
--Knock Off--
--Sucker Punch--
--Iron Head--
--Pursuit--
With the nerf to Steel typing, the Knock Off buff and the Defog buff, Bisharp has dramatically risen in usage and has been a very powerful Pokemon in the XY metagame. Underused currently houses a great number of Defog users compared to Rapid Spin users, and both a lack of Dark resists and a plethora of Dark weak Pokemon makes it extremely effective in this lower tier. Its strong base Attack, Steel / Dark typing, access to priority and access to STAB Knock Off makes it both an offensive and defensive threat that should never be taken lightly.
At first glance, this set seems unorthodox. One, under most circumstances the use of three attacking moves of the same type on one moveset is met with ridicule and "in-game" shaming. However, this is more of a testament to the power of Dark in XY and less of a testament of how I am bad and should feel bad [I hope...]. All three moves are vastly different from one another: Knock Off is the major damage dealer that also disrupts incoming Pokemon by removing their items, Sucker Punch is extremely strong priority that nails faster threats and Pursuit traps annoying Pokemon for MegaHeracross, like Latias, Chandelure and Crobat, and obliterates them. Iron Head is the lone non-Dark move on the set, but it has great coverage with Dark and nails Fairy types for huge damage. The EV's are also a bit unorthodox: I decided to go for a more bulky build for Bisharp as opposed to max Speed. This Bisharp is designed to switch into Pokemon, take a resisted hit and retaliate. The number of things that it "needs" to out-run, as a result, is fairly small, and it appreciates some extra breathing room defensively. Max HP investment ensures that it takes less damage from incoming attacks and even allows it to live weaker Super Effective hits. Since the set runs three Dark moves, Dread Plate gives both its priority and trapping moves additional power without sacrificing its bulk, unlike Life Orb. It greatly benefits from the 20% increase in damage as well, so while Assault Vest is tempting, Dread Plate actually scores some impressive KO's and ensures that Sucker Punch can actually take care of weakened foes in the end game.
MEGA HERACROSS
Ability: Skill Link (Guts)
EV's: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Nature: Adamant
Moveset:
--Substitute--
--Focus Punch--
--Pin Missile--
--Rock Blast--
The star of the show by far, Mega Heracross is a behemoth in the Underused tier, and is arguably the biggest threat in the metagame. Sporting an unreal Base 185 Attack (five more than Deoxys-A), access to Skill Link + Pin Missile and Rock Blast and great 80 / 115 / 105 defensive bulk, Mega Heracross is incredibly hard to take down. Its typing is great defensively, save a 4x weakness to Flying, and Bug / Fighting coverage is resisted by only Ghost and Poison types, both either rare or unable to overcome MegaHeracross' sheer power even with resists. Not many things can stand up to Mega Heracross and live to tell the tale.
As stated before, this Mega Heracross is a Substitute + Focus Punch variant, designed to come in against frail or weaker threats, Sub up and cause huge amounts of damage to prey and checks alike. Substitute with near max HP investment is tough to break and prevents nasty status from afflicting my main hole puncher. For example, while Jellicent may resist Mega Heracross' STAB attacks, it cannot break its Substitute with Scald, meaning that Rock Blast has the potential to 2HKO it after Stealth Rock damage That's one check down. Latias tries to switch in on an expected Close Combat? Another check down. Focus Punch is insanely powerful, even against resists. It 2HKO's things like Hippowdon and Nidoqueen, for example, without batting an eye. Pin Missile is the reliable STAB option that hits hard even against resists. Rock Blast hits what its STABs cannot, and most common Mega Heracross checks are conveniently weak to Rock. EV's are put in to maximize Mega Heracross' Substitute bulk and sheer power. The remaining 8 EV's are put into Speed to out-pace zero investment Base 65 Speed Pokemon, specifically Vaporeon and other bulky variants of Mega Heracross that keep the 8 EV's in Special Defense. Out-speeding and 2HKO'ing certain Pokemon is often the difference between keeping Mega Heracross alive or ensuring its demise. Guts on the initial Heracross build allows it to still be somewhat effective after untimely Burns, although it's rare that this Mega Heracross is played without ensuring that status will be prevented before its introduction.
THREATS
PAST THREATS
MANAPHY
This team has a record of 27-4. Three of those four losses came against teams that had Manaphy on them. Thankfully,
CURRENT THREATS
MEGA GARDEVOIR
Mega Gardevoir, thanks to Hyper Voice, makes for a very hard challenge for this team. I currently do not have a Fairy resist on the team, meaning that under the right circumstances Mega Gardevoir can come in and hit at least one Pokemon for huge damage, potentially a KO. Thankfully, both Thundurus-T and Latias are faster than it, Sandstorm and Stealth Rock wear it down and Bisharp can OHKO it with either Pursuit or Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Still, a well-played Mega Gardevoir can do a number to this team.
INFILTRATOR
Fast users of Infiltrator are fairly tough to combat, seeing as though an incorrect Sub on Mega Heracross forces a switch, and their strong STAB attacks can do a number against my team. Still, they are almost all frail in nature, weak to Stealth Rock and take huge damage from Pursuit if the right move is predicted, so all is not lost against these threats.
VICTINI
Similar to Mega Gardevoir, the sheer power of this thing simply means that "something is taking big damage". V-Create hits like a truck, even against Hippowdon. However, since it is normally Choice Scarf or Choice Band, I can play around it with Vaporeon and Thundurus-T, and its numerous weaknesses to things like Dark, Rock, Ground and Water (plus Stealth Rock weakness) makes it easier to take down than Mega Gardevoir
IMPORTABLE
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sandstream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
Ability: Sandstream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fighting
- Recover
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power Fighting
- Recover
Thundurus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Volt Switch
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
- Knock Off
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Volt Switch
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
- Knock Off
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Roar
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Roar
Bisharp @ Dread Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Pin Missile
- Rock Blast
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