Heracross [QC 0/2]

With a dual typing that seems pretty mediocre and a somewhat slow Speed tier, at first glance, nothing stands out about Heracross other than its great Attack stat. However, upon closer inspection, Heracross proves to be one of the best Pokemon in RU thanks to a number of different aspects. High Attack coupled with the possibility of being boosted by Swords Dance, access to two powerful STAB moves in Megahorn and Close Combat, a veritable myriad of coverage moves to choose from like Knock Off, Stone Edge, and Earthquake, two very useful abilities in Moxie and Guts, and a relevant enough Speed tier all make Heracross a prime threat in RU.

Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Knock Off

Heracross has the capability to become a monstrous wallbreaker with its Guts ability + Swords Dance. Flame Orb gives Heracross a +1 boost to its Attack and when it is further boosted by Swords Dance, there is almost nothing in the tier that can reliably switch in. It also functions as an effective stallbreaker as nothing that is commonly seen on stall can take boosted hits from Guts Heracross. Close Combat is necessary STAB and hits everything that doesn't resist it or is immune to it extremely hard. Facade allows Heracross to take advantage of its statused condition and throw out a 140 Base Power attack with zero drawbacks that hits Fairy-types such as Florges and Comfey for massive damage. It also provides Heracross with a strong neutral hit on Fairy-types, which this set would struggle with otherwise. Knock Off prevents Heracross from being walled by Ghost-types, namely Doublade, and again, is an all-around useful utility move that also happens to deal a fair amount of damage, especially after a Swords Dance boost. Because Heracross can force many switches, finding opportunities to set up a Swords Dance isn't as difficult as it may seem, and with the additional boost, Heracross gains the ability to break through traditional checks and counters.

Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Knock Off
- Earthquake / Stone Edge

This is the second of Heracross's two most commonly seen sets. Choice Scarf allows Heracross to revenge kill fast threats like Zoroark, Shaymin, and +1 Feraligatr (with some prior damage). Heracross's excellent ability Moxie facilitates late-game cleaning as it easily snowballs with each additional KO due to the Attack boost. Close Combat and Megahorn are Heracross's main STAB moves that hit a large portion of the tier quite hard with the exception of Flying- and Poison-types such as Gligar and Nidoqueen. Knock Off is a great utility move and can cripple the foe by removing its item. The last slot can be customized to the team's needs, with Earthquake hitting Doublade and Stone Edge landing a powerful hit on Flying-types like Mantine and Moltres.

Although Heracross is one of the most useful and common Choice Scarf users in the tier, its usefulness has waned slightly after the addition of Feraligatr into the tier, as it fails to revenge kill Feraligatr without a decent amount of prior damage. For that reason, the Guts + Flame Orb set has become more commonplace, especially due to the huge threat it poses to slower defensive teams. Although it has rather average Speed and bulk, it can barrel through most of the tier with the correct set and move, especially since the former flaw can be eliminated with the use of a Choice Scarf. Heracross is extremely common in RU for a simple reason—it's undeniably good, so use that to your advantage and win a game or two!
 
Last edited:

phantom

Banned deucer.
the focus of the article should be a lot more on the flame orb set, not the scarf set. the flame orb set is the more influential set and one that's difficult to put a handle on in its best matchup. for instance, offense has nidoqueen/doublade to handle scarf sets and z move setup sweepers like flygon to punish choice-locked knock offs and earthquakes aimed at queen/doublade, and despite outspeeding feraligatr, it can't even ko it with a layer of sr + spikes, which has made the set a lot less appealing as a revenge killer. ftr, +1 adamant flygon outspeeds scarf heracross, so i don't think the flygon mention is a good one. as for flame orb, it can be dealt with on stall with mons like comfey/moltres and just pressuring it with passive damage, but flame orb is significantly more proficient in its best matchup vs stall than scarf is for offense because of how it requires meticulous play to maneuver around it, and it's still decent in other matchups unlike scarf where it's mostly useless vs gligar teams. from playing on the ladder and observing tour games (sm ru cup replays), i don't think scarf is that much more common, either.

also this is kinda confusing:
With a dual typing reminiscent of the obscenely powerful Pheromosa, Heracross certainly gives it a run for its money, at least in the RU tier.
maybe reword it or scrap it.

so to recap

-flame orb is the best set, always has been, and should be given far greater emphasize. the focus of the article should be shifted to reflect that.
-scarf isn't hot shit with gatr in the tier and the need to revenge kill it w/o chip being important for certain teams. still a good set, but it has taken a dip in viability.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top