Heracross

Heracross, The Singlehorn Pokémon. It’s proud of its thick horn. In Alola, its biggest rival is Vikavolt, which it’s always fighting with It roams through forests searching for sweet nectar. Although it boasts fantastic physical strength, it’s not that good at flying. With its Herculean powers, it can easily throw around an object that is 100 times its own weight.

Overview

With strong typing and good stats, Heracross has been a powerful threat since its release. Heracross boasts a decent typing overall, resisting common moves such as Earthquake which allows Heracross to be a strong pivot option. However, Bug typing is a problem for Heracross as it is weak to common types such as Fire, Rock, and Flying, limiting its defensive utility. These weaknesses are very problematic in any standard format though, and they ultimately keep Heracross below the big guys, roaming as a powerful wallbreaker and potential revenge killer in other formats.
Positives
Stats - Heracross has great stats across the board with only Speed being subpar and Special Attack being terrible, but Heracross never uses it. 125 Attack is not as good as it used to be but is still massive and applies heavy pressure to the enemy team. This pairs well with 80 base HP and 75/95 defenses that ultimately make Heracross a fairly durable bug.
Powerful Attacks - While its STAB combination is a mixed bag, it boasts access to very powerful options in Megahorn and Close Combat to abuse its impressive Attack stat. It also has access to strong coverage options such as Earthquake and Stone Edge, as well as Facade for Guts sets.

Negatives
Speed - While it was mentioned that Heracross has good overall stats, its Speed is a problem as 85 base is far from good anymore. This means that Heracross has to be played carefully as faster threats easily force Heracross out and makes it very easy to revenge kill.
Item Dependence - This ties in with Heracross's low Speed, Heracross needs specific items to really work. This means that Heracross is very linear, always using Choice Scarf, Flame Orb, or Heracronite.

Abilities

Guts - Raise Attack by 1.5x when affected by status - This has always been a strong option, Guts is still a powerful ability as it turns Heracross into a terrifying wallbreaker as well as status sponge.
Swarm - Raise Bug moves by 1.5x when below 33% health - The worst of Heracross's abilities, this has little use as Heracross excels at being a pivot/revenge killer with access to 2 great abilities, and doesn't have the speed to capitalize on the Swarm boost.
Moxie - Raise Attack by 1 stage when KOing a Pokemon - Heracross's best ability overall, this allows Heracross to really abuse a Choice Scarf to sweep as well as Substitute for wall-breaking.

Movesets

Wallbreaker

-Close Combat
-Knock Off
-Facade
-Swords Dance
Item Attached: Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature

With the Flame Orb to trigger Guts, Heracross becomes a powerful wall breaker that has multiple switch-in opportunities with its ability to act as a status absorber once burned. Close Combat is the primary STAB move, allowing Heracross to punch huge holes in anything that doesn't resist Fighting-type moves. Facade is the main coverage move with good base damage and neutral coverage while Knock Off cripples Psychic and Ghost switch ins. Swords Dance rounds out the moves to allow Heracross to 2HKO most of the tier, as well as pressure out stall teams.

Revenge Killer

-Close Combat
-Knock Off
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge / Megahorn
Item Attached: Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature

Slightly worse off than the Guts set, Choice Scarf allows Heracross to revenge kill threats or look to sweep off the boost from Moxie. Close Combat is the main STAB move again due to its raw power. Knock Off makes a return with its ability to cripple walls and pressure Psychic- and Ghost-type threats. Earthquake hits Nidoking and Nidoqueen hard what otherwise are a problem for the set. Stone Edge is a nice final option to nail Mega Aerodactyl and Togekiss while Megahorn hits Psychic- and Grass-types harder.

Other Options& Partners

Guts + Choice Band - A hybrid set, if Heracross can get hit with status it becomes a nightmare to deal with, having power close to the power of the standard Guts set with an immediate boost. Pursuit is a nice option over Swords Dance here to hit things trying to run while Stone Edge or Earthquake are nice for Togekiss and Nidoking respectively.

Mega Aerodactyl - An aggressive partner, Mega Aerodactyl pressures a lot of the metagame, most of which it wants to come into are threats Heracross brings in. With its massive Flying weakness, Heracross tends to lure in easy set up fodder for Mega Aerodactyl while chunking bulky Water-types that can bother Mega Aerodactyl, as well as Weavile. However, both have to be wary of Scizor which is a very common threat.
Scizor - Resisting Fairy- and Psychic-types, Scizor is a nice option to switch into threats that can harass Heracross and Pursuit trap Ghost- and Psychic-types, while revenge killing Fairies with Bullet Punch. Scizor also has access to U-Turn to give Heracross a free switch in as well as Defog to prevent residual damage from stacking up. However, be mindful of stacking Fire weaknesses.

Countering Heracross

Flying-types - With a quad weakness, stray Flying-type moves and Pokemon are some of the best ways to answer Heracross. Mega Aerodactyl is one of the best answer with its massive power and strong presence. Mantine and Moltres are also strong options with their good bulk. Mantine can just Roost off the damage and scare off non Guts sets with Scald while Moltres just blows it up.
Fairy-types - Similar to Flying-types, Fairies have a natural resistance to Fighting-type moves, making them excellent answers to Heracross. Togekiss is the front runner here with a quad resistance thanks to its Flying typing and Air Slash. Mega Altaria and Sylveon are strong options as well with their good bulk and access to Hyper Voice for Substitutes, however rare that is.

Mega Corner

Heracross, The Singlehorn Pokémon. It can grip things with its two horns and lift 500 times its own body weight. A tremendous influx of energy builds it up, but when Mega Evolution ends, Heracross is bothered by terrible soreness in its muscles.

Overview

With its shiny new Mega Stone, Heracross cements itself as a powerful wallbreaker. Skill Link brings heavy support for these sets, being able to break Substitutes and Focus Sashes to shut down foes relying on such strategies. This makes it a deadly wallbreaker with even greater bulk to function as an effective tank. However, it suffers from the same issues as its regular form, namely suffering from an awkward defensive typing by virtue of being a Bug-type. It also becomes slightly slower which makes its already awkward Speed tier even worse, being too fast for Trick Room and too slow for sweeping. All that being said, Mega Heracross may not be a threat that appears often in standard play but it's still something that can rip apart unprepared teams with ease.

Abilities

Skill Link - Multi-hit moves always hit 5 times - This was out of left field but makes Mega Heracross an amazing stallbreaker with its ability to break Substitutes and Focus Sash. Mega Heracross also has a useful assortment of moves to abuse this ability to full effect.

Movesets

Wallbreaker

-Swords Dance
-Close Combat
-Rock Blast
-Pin Missile / Bullet Seed / Substitute
Item Attached: Heracronite
Ability: Skill Link (Moxie on Heracross)
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Mega Heracross really needs Swords Dance to set itself apart from other wall breakers such as Greninja and Kyurem Black, allowing Mega Heracross to muscle through most walls. Close Combat is actually better than Arm Thrust (120 base power vs 75 base power) and pairs well with Rock Blast for good neutral coverage. Pin Missile provides as strong secondary STAB that abuses Skill Link well, though Bullet Seed is an alternative to break bulky Water-types such as Tapu Fini easier. Substitute on the other hand allows Mega Heracross to get a free swing onto some threats it otherwise wouldn't be able to hit such as Charizard.

Partners

Landorus Therian - With Intimidate and access to Stealth Rock, Landorus Therian is a strong option as a partner with Mega Heracross. With powerful Earthquakes and access to Stone Edge to scare off Flying-type threats such as Mega Pinsir, Landorus Therian does an excellent job answering some of the best answers to Mega Heracross. U-turn also allows a free switch in as well for Mega Heracross, providing great momentum that it really needs. Magearna - With an Assault Vest, Magearna becomes a powerful pivot, able to switch into many threats that would beat Mega Heracross such as Tapu Lele and Latios, and pressure them while also providing Volt Switch momentum for Mega Heracross.

Countering Mega Heracross

Celesteela - With the typing of Skarmory, solid bulk, and access to Air Slash and Flamethrower, Celesteela is a decent answer to Mega Heracross. Leech Seed also plays well into this as Celesteela can just Leech Seed and stall for health with Protect, but it can get blown back by a +2 Close Combat if this gets predicted. Celesteela also has a harder time with Substitute Mega Heracross as it can dodge Leech Seed and needs an Air Slash or Flamethrower to break the Substitute, meaning it needs to eat either 2 Close Combats or a +2 Close Combat.
Landorus Therian - The generic physical sponge, Intimidate makes Mega Heracross a lot more manageable. Landorus Therian also resist Mega Heracross's STABs meaning Rock Blast is the most effective way to actually hurt it. However, Landorus Therian can't do a lot to Mega Heracross as it resists Earthquake and forces the use of Stone Edge, unless Flyinium Z is being used.



Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in Game

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Route 29, Route 30, Route 31, Route 32, Route 33, Route 42, Route 43, Route 44, Route 45, Route 46 (Gold/Silver)
Route 29, Route 30, Route 31, Route 32, Route 33, Route 34, Route 36, Route 37, Route 38, Route 39, Azalea Town, Lake of Rage, Route 26, Route 27 (Crystal)

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Safari Zone

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Pattern Bush

Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Nascour in Realgam Tower Colosseum ( Colosseum)
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen (XD)

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Honey Trees

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Routes 7, 11, 16, 28, 33, 42, 44, 45, 46 & 47, Azalea Town Vermillion City, Celadon City, Mt. Silver

Black/White:
Route 12

Black 2/White 2:
Route 12, Lostlorn Forest (Black 2)
Hidden Grotto - Lostlorn Forest (White 2)

X/Y:
Route 12, Friend Safari (Y)
Friend Safari (X)

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Safari Zone

Sun/Moon:
Trade from Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Poni Grove

Animé Appearences

Heracross has made a few appearances in the anime. Most notably it was used by Ash in his Johto, Battle Frontier and Sinnoh League campaigns.

# -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics
121 A Sappy Ending Collide! Heracross vs. Pinsir! Pics
122 Roll On, Pokémon Donphan's Valley! Pics
124 Flower Power Bellossom's Battle Dancing Pics
125 Spinarak Attack Spinarak! The Ultimate Detective Job! Pics
126 Snubbull Snobbery Snubbull's Magnificent Life!? Pics
WV2 Pikachu's Winter Vacation: Winter Games Let's Play on the Ice! Pics
Pikachu's Winter Vacation: Stantler's Little Helpers Christmas Night Pics
130 The Whistle Stop Ledyba's Flute! Pics
132 A Bout With Sprout Pokemon School and Bellsprout's Tower! Pics
133 Fighting Flyer with Fire! Violet Gym! Sky Battle! Pics
138 Chikorita's Big Upset Chikorita's Jealousy! Pics
139 Foul Weather Friends Hoppip's Jealousy! Battle In the Big Prarie! Pics
142 Wired For Battle Battle! Heracross vs. Scizor!! Pics
144 A Shadow of a Drought Azalea Town! Slowpoke's Well! Pics
145 Goin' Apricorn Pineco and the Apricorns! Mountain-side Battle! Pics
147 A Farfetch'd Tale Ilex Forest! Search for Farfetch'd! Pics
148 Tricks Of The Trade Wobbuffet and the Pokémon Exchange! Pics
149 The Fire-ring Squad Burn Squirtle Squad! Like a Fire!! Pics
162 Air Time Radio Tower Battle! Center Crossover!  
171 Beauty and the Breeder Sayonara Vulpix! Beauty Contest! Pics
196 The Ring Masters Feraligatr Vs. Blastoise! Sumo Match! Pics
204 The Big Balloon Blow-Up Pokémon Balloon Race! Pass Through The Storm! Pics
M4 Celebi: Voice of the Forest Celebi: A Timeless Encounter Pics
227 Bulbasaur...The Ambassador! Goodbye Bulbasaur! Adventure at Oak's Residence!! Pics
271 The Ties That Bind Tournament Finals! Full Battle 6 vs 6!! Pics
272 Can't Beat the Heat! Rival Confrontation! Charizard VS Blatoise! Pics
C8 Showdown at the Oak Corral! Epic Battle at Oak's Lab! Pics
290 All In A Day's Wurmple! Double Battle & Double Wurmple!?! Pics
C14 Journey To The Starting Line! Pallet Town! The Setting off of the Pokémon Trainer! Pics
384 Absol-ute Disaster!! Absol! Creeping Shadow Of Disaster!! Pics
399 Deceit And Assist! Fierce Fighting! Grand Festival! (2)! Pics
410 The Right Place at the Right Mime Oak's Laboratory! All Member's Gather! Pics
441 Ka Boom With A View Fierce Fighting! Jungle Battle at the Battle Palace! Pics
443 Curbing the Crimson Tide! The Red Inazuma SkyScraper! Pics
520 Smells Like Team Spirit Tag Battle! The Finals! Pics
M11 Giratina & The Sky Warrior Giratina & The Bouquet of the Sky - Shaymin Pics
578 Steeling Peace of Mind! Riley & Lucario! Pics
579 Saving the World from Ruins The Hidden Ruins of Iron Island! Pics
M12 Arceus & The Jewel of Life Arceus - Towards Conquering Space-Time Pics
606 Strategy Begins At Home Dawn VS Mom! Showdown Between Parent & Child!! Pics
608 Historical Mystery Tour Natu, Xatu...Mysterious Forest! Pics
628 A Marathon Rivalry! Get Fired Up Snorlax! Prince of Pokéthlon! Pics
650 An Old Family Blend! The Eve of the Fierce Fighting! The Big Gathering of Ash's Pokémon! Pics
651 League Unleashed! Opening! Sinnoh League - Suzuran Tournament!! Pics
657 The Semi-Final Frontier Sinnoh League Semi-Final! Darkrai Appears! Pics
803 Dream Continues! My Dream: Pokémon Master! Pics
S35 Pokémon Mega Evolution Special I Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act 1~ Pics
838 The Forest Champion The Forest Champion! Enter Hawlucha!! Pics
S41 Pokémon Mega Evolution IV Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act IV~ Pics
M19 Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Volcanion & The Ingenious Magearna Pics
M22 Pokémon The Power of Us Pokémon: Everyone's Story  
1064 A Recipe for Success! Mallow's Valiant Effort! The Forest Pokémon Café!! Pics
1068 A Timeless Encounter! Ash: A Timeless Encounter! Pics
1122 Trade, Borrow, and Steal! Who Wants to Trade Pokémon? Pics
1124 Gotta Catch a What?! I Got Pikachu Pics
1135 Getting More Than You Battled For! Battling & Getting! Mewtwo Comes Back Pics
1136 Crowning the Chow Crusher! Pokémon Champion! The Battle of Big Eaters!! Pics
M22 Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle Pokémon: Koko  
1148 When a House is Not a Home! The Lost Grookey! Who is its Trainer!? Pics
1151 Not Too Close for Comfort! Woebegone Drizzile! Pics
1155 Under Color of Darkness! Flabébé's White Flower!! Pics
1157 Advice for Goh! Rivals for Goh?! The Road to Mew!! Pics
1159 Take My Thief! Please! Please Get Morpeko!! Pics
1183 Suffering the Flings and Arrows! The Heracross Loss and the Pinsir in Love Pics
1196 Big Brother to the Rescue! Help Us, Big Bro Yamper! Pics
1203 Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit! Fire Training Battle! Ash VS Paul!! Pics
1212 Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! The Semifinals II: Dazzle Pics
1213 Valor: A Strategic Part of Battling! The Semifinals III: Valor Pics
1214 Whittle While You Work! The Semifinals IV: Impact Pics
1218 A Flood of Torrential Gains The Finals I: Torrent Pics
1219 Toying With Your Motions! The Finals II: Toying Pics
1220 Paring Pokémon While Parrying! The Finals III: Smashing Pics
1221 Partners in Time! The Finals IV: Partner Pics
1224 Heroes Unite! Pokémon! I Am Glad I Got To Meet You Pics
1225 These Could be the Start of Something Big! Ash and Goh! Setting Off Anew!! Pics
1232 Ride, Lapras, Ride! Riding on Lapras! Pics
1236 The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master! Pics
47 TBC Liko and Floragato, Put All Your Heart Into It Pics
57 TBC A Terapagos I Don't Know! Pics