QC: AM | ben gay | TheEnder
GP: antemortem | Weebl
Toxic Orb
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name: Toxic Orb
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Facade
move 4: Swords Dance
ability: Guts
item: Toxic Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Close Combat hits very hard after the Guts boost and checks and OHKOs a lot of common Pokemon such as Heatran, Bisharp, Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Mega Lopunny. It can even 2HKO bulky Pokemon that it hits neutrally such as Skarmory and Keldeo. Megahorn hits as hard as Close Combat, but has a fair chance to miss and doesn't have the spectacular coverage Close Combat does. Nevertheless, it allows Heracross to differentiate itself as a Fighting-type, able to crush slow Psychic-types such as Mew, Celebi, Cresselia, and Mega Slowbro. With Megahorn, Heracross can also switch into and 2HKO Mega Sableye, a Pokemon most Fighting-types cannot deal with. Facade is a great complementary move to Heracross's STAB moves. Clefable, Sylveon, Togekiss, Zapdos, Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Mega Altaria resist Close Combat and Megahorn, and Heracross easily can deal with them thanks to Facade, which is boosted to a reliable 140 Base Power move once Heracross is poisoned by its Toxic Orb. Swords Dance may seem counterintuitive on a hit-and-run Pokemon such as Heracross, but it's actually very important, as it lets Heracross OHKO Magic Guard Clefable with Facade instead of having to 2HKO it and take a Moonblast in the process. Swords Dance allows Heracross to also act as a premier Gliscor switch-in, as Heracross doesn't mind any of Gliscor's moves, and can therefore set up on Gliscor and defeat it with Facade. Swords Dance won't be used in all games, but it's necessary to deal with various defensive cores, namely those involving Clefable and Gliscor, but also any others with slow Pokemon that can take an unboosted attack from Heracross and OHKO it back, such as Mega Altaria.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed EVs and a Jolly nature are used for outspeeding Pokemon with base 80 Speed, such as Togekiss and Mamoswine, as well as Adamant Excadrill outside of sand. Maximum Attack EVs are used for hitting as hard as possible. Toxic Orb reliably activates Guts.
Usage Tips
========
Against most teams, Guts Heracross acts as a hit-and-run wallbreaker. Try getting Heracross in for free; it is worn down easily by Toxic damage and doesn't like having to take a hit on the switch. A slow U-turn or Volt Switch user is extremely useful for getting Heracross in. With that said, Heracross is not that frail, and can pivot in on weaker moves, such as Mega Sableye's Shadow Ball and Alomomola's Scald, if necessary. Once in, Heracross should use one of its STAB moves. This part is pretty self explanatory: if Heracross is up against Slowbro, Cresselia, or Mega Sableye, it should use Megahorn, and if it's up against Heatran, Ferrothorn, or Tyranitar, it should use Close Combat. Facade should be used against Pokemon that resist both STAB moves, such as Clefable, Gliscor, and Mega Altaria. If you aim to break these threats without either Heracross being either stalled out or severely damaged, Heracross needs to use Swords Dance first. This can be tricky, but try to get Heracross in against a defensive Pokemon that cannot touch it, such as Hippowdon, Mandibuzz, or Alomomola.
Team Options
========
The activation of Toxic Orb is very important; Heracross really needs that 1.5x boost to its Attack to be threatening. It's very important to get Heracross in safely at the end of a turn so that it doesn't have to attack without the boost at any time. Therefore, slow U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Landorus-T, Rotom-W, Jirachi, and Choice Band Scizor are really useful. Additionally, Heracross is great at breaking through bulky Psychic-types such as Mew, Cresselia, and Mega Slowbro, making it a great partner for Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Landorus-T, Heatran, Landorus, and Keldeo, which struggle to defeat them. Pokemon that appreciate Steel-types such as Heatran being removed, such as Clefable, also make good teammates. Furthermore, Pokemon that desire a teammate capable of setting up on Gliscor, such as Landorus-T and Landorus that lack Hidden Power Ice, enjoy having Heracross as a partner. On the flip side, Heracross enjoys Pokemon that can deal with Gengar, such as tanks and walls in the vein of Goodra, Hippowdon, and Mandibuzz, as well as revenge killers such as Mega Alakazam. Additionally, Heracross finds itself easily revenge killed by Fire-, Flying-, and Psychic-types. Tyranitar helps out against all three, Rhyperior helps with the first two, and bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia and offensive Dark-types such as Weavile take care of the third.
GP: antemortem | Weebl
Toxic Orb
########
name: Toxic Orb
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Facade
move 4: Swords Dance
ability: Guts
item: Toxic Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Close Combat hits very hard after the Guts boost and checks and OHKOs a lot of common Pokemon such as Heatran, Bisharp, Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Mega Lopunny. It can even 2HKO bulky Pokemon that it hits neutrally such as Skarmory and Keldeo. Megahorn hits as hard as Close Combat, but has a fair chance to miss and doesn't have the spectacular coverage Close Combat does. Nevertheless, it allows Heracross to differentiate itself as a Fighting-type, able to crush slow Psychic-types such as Mew, Celebi, Cresselia, and Mega Slowbro. With Megahorn, Heracross can also switch into and 2HKO Mega Sableye, a Pokemon most Fighting-types cannot deal with. Facade is a great complementary move to Heracross's STAB moves. Clefable, Sylveon, Togekiss, Zapdos, Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Mega Altaria resist Close Combat and Megahorn, and Heracross easily can deal with them thanks to Facade, which is boosted to a reliable 140 Base Power move once Heracross is poisoned by its Toxic Orb. Swords Dance may seem counterintuitive on a hit-and-run Pokemon such as Heracross, but it's actually very important, as it lets Heracross OHKO Magic Guard Clefable with Facade instead of having to 2HKO it and take a Moonblast in the process. Swords Dance allows Heracross to also act as a premier Gliscor switch-in, as Heracross doesn't mind any of Gliscor's moves, and can therefore set up on Gliscor and defeat it with Facade. Swords Dance won't be used in all games, but it's necessary to deal with various defensive cores, namely those involving Clefable and Gliscor, but also any others with slow Pokemon that can take an unboosted attack from Heracross and OHKO it back, such as Mega Altaria.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed EVs and a Jolly nature are used for outspeeding Pokemon with base 80 Speed, such as Togekiss and Mamoswine, as well as Adamant Excadrill outside of sand. Maximum Attack EVs are used for hitting as hard as possible. Toxic Orb reliably activates Guts.
Usage Tips
========
Against most teams, Guts Heracross acts as a hit-and-run wallbreaker. Try getting Heracross in for free; it is worn down easily by Toxic damage and doesn't like having to take a hit on the switch. A slow U-turn or Volt Switch user is extremely useful for getting Heracross in. With that said, Heracross is not that frail, and can pivot in on weaker moves, such as Mega Sableye's Shadow Ball and Alomomola's Scald, if necessary. Once in, Heracross should use one of its STAB moves. This part is pretty self explanatory: if Heracross is up against Slowbro, Cresselia, or Mega Sableye, it should use Megahorn, and if it's up against Heatran, Ferrothorn, or Tyranitar, it should use Close Combat. Facade should be used against Pokemon that resist both STAB moves, such as Clefable, Gliscor, and Mega Altaria. If you aim to break these threats without either Heracross being either stalled out or severely damaged, Heracross needs to use Swords Dance first. This can be tricky, but try to get Heracross in against a defensive Pokemon that cannot touch it, such as Hippowdon, Mandibuzz, or Alomomola.
Team Options
========
The activation of Toxic Orb is very important; Heracross really needs that 1.5x boost to its Attack to be threatening. It's very important to get Heracross in safely at the end of a turn so that it doesn't have to attack without the boost at any time. Therefore, slow U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Landorus-T, Rotom-W, Jirachi, and Choice Band Scizor are really useful. Additionally, Heracross is great at breaking through bulky Psychic-types such as Mew, Cresselia, and Mega Slowbro, making it a great partner for Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Landorus-T, Heatran, Landorus, and Keldeo, which struggle to defeat them. Pokemon that appreciate Steel-types such as Heatran being removed, such as Clefable, also make good teammates. Furthermore, Pokemon that desire a teammate capable of setting up on Gliscor, such as Landorus-T and Landorus that lack Hidden Power Ice, enjoy having Heracross as a partner. On the flip side, Heracross enjoys Pokemon that can deal with Gengar, such as tanks and walls in the vein of Goodra, Hippowdon, and Mandibuzz, as well as revenge killers such as Mega Alakazam. Additionally, Heracross finds itself easily revenge killed by Fire-, Flying-, and Psychic-types. Tyranitar helps out against all three, Rhyperior helps with the first two, and bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia and offensive Dark-types such as Weavile take care of the third.
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