Welcome to Pokemon of the Week! This week marks the first week I've covered a Pokemon from the second generation. This week, we will be discussing Heracross!

Heracross is one of the only Pokemon to have been good since his release in the second generation. Alongside Machamp, Heracross paved the way for the first Fighting type in the OU tier. Though Machamp used his powerful Cross Chop, Heracross did not have access to a powerful, reliable Fighting type move at the time. What it did have is a signiture move called Megahorn, and this gave it a means to stop Psychic types from switching directly into it.

Fast forward three generations, and Heracross itself has only gotten better. It gained an awesome ability in Guts in generation 3, gained Close Combat as a Fighting STAB move in generation 4, and in generation 5, it gained another great ability in Moxie. With so much going for it, it is hard to understand why Heracross isn't one of the top players in OU, and even more curious is why it has fallen to UU. The simple answer is that there are so many good Fighting types in OU that Heracross has a tough job finding a spot. This is made even harder by the fact that Heracross has a middling base 85 Speed, with no way to boost it outside of Choice Scarf.

Even with these things in mind, Heracross has a strong presence in UU, works well in OU when used properly, and even has a niche in Ubers. I'll cover all of these in this analysis.

While Heracross isn't a top OU threat as it was in generation 3, it is still a brutal Pokemon to face in lower tiers, and fares well in OU with some team support.

Heracross@ Choice Scarf Moxie / Guts Jolly nature (+Speed, -Sp. Attack) / Adamant nature (+Attack, -Sp. Attack) EVs: 252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 Defense Megahorn Close Combat Stone Edge Earthquake / Sleep Talk / Night Slash

Equipped with a Choice Scarf, Heracross's Speed is no longer an issue, and it becomes both a deadly revenge killer, and a fast late-game sweeper. Megahorn and Close Combat are Heracross's STAB moves, both with great power and coverage. Megahorn's accuracy can be annoying at times, but it is the more powerful STAB attack. Close Combat, however, has better coverage and perfect accuracy, though it comes with defense and sp. defense drops. Stone Edge deals with Flying types that switch into Heracross, looking to take advantage of his quad weakness, and their resistance to Fighting and Bug STABs. Hit them on the switch, however, as Stone Edge will generally not be enough to OHKO most Flying types. Stealth Rock brings some of them into range, however, so keep that in mind.

The last slot is tier dependent, to a point. Earthquake is for UU, dealing with both Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Qwilfish and other Poison types that Heracross can't touch. Sleep Talk allows Heracross to switch into Roserade's Sleep Powder in UU, or Breloom's Spore in OU. What this does is it activates Sleep Clause as well as activating Guts. Night Slash, however, gives Heracross a way to deal with Ghosts, which are immune to Close Combat and resistant to Megahorn. This option is mostly useful in OU.

Heracross@ Leftovers Guts Jolly nature (+Speed, -Sp. Attack) / Adamant nature (+Attack, -Sp. Attack) EVs: 252 Speed / 252 Attack / 4 Defense Swords Dance Megahorn Close Combat Stone Edge

With Swords Dance, Heracross becomes an incredibly dangerous setup sweeper. After a single boost, Heracross sits at 698 Attack if Jolly, 766 if Adamant, and has two STABs with incredible base 120 power. If this isn't frightening enough, Heracross sports a handy resistance to Fighting and Ground moves, two of the most common attacking types, which gives it ample time to setup a boost and prepare a sweep. Megahorn and Close Combat make up the STAB core as usual, and after an SD, their incredible power will be impossible to deny. The last slot has been given to Stone Edge, due to the important coverage it gives to Heracross. It is Super Effective vs. Flying types, as well as Fire types, which Heracross appreciates greatly, allowing it to continue with it's sweep uninterrupted by them, should it be faster than them. Unfortunately, Heracross's base Speed can let it down, so it may be wise to keep the opponent's team in mind, and hit these on the switch before you use attempt a sweep, if possible.

This set greatly appreciates all forms of team support. Thunder Wave support to slow the opponent's sweepers will aid Heracross immensely, removing his Speed issues and allowing him to strike with powerful boosted hits before the opponent can do anything about it. While not necessary, Reflect and Light Screen support can give Heracross some nice bulk to setup Swords Dance and begin his sweep. All forms of entry hazards are appreciated to chip the last bit of health off some of the bulkier Pokemon that would otherwise survive Heracross's assault. Baton Passing some Speed boosts would make Heracross a much more serious and dangerous threat. Finally, Tailwind can be used to give Heracross a little bit of time to beat faster threats, though this is not very reliable at all, as it will generally end too soon to be of much help.

Heracross@ Choice Band Guts Adamant nature (+Attack, -Sp. Attack) / Jolly nature (+Speed, -Sp. Attack) EVs: 252 Speed / 252 Attack / 4 Defense Megahorn Close Combat Stone Edge Sleep Talk / Earthquake / Pursuit

A Choice Banded Heracross is something to fear. STAB Megahorn and Close Combat off of Heracross's amazing attack can take large chunks of damage off many Pokemon. Standard fair with Stone Edge in the third slot, hitting Flying types that attempt to switch into Heracross, and this set arguably does that better than the rest if your opponent thinks you're the standard Scarf Heracross, and looks to take advantage by bringing their Flying type in on you. Not only will they be surprised when you predict correctly, but the added power from Choice Band and damage from Stealth Rock will likely be enough to knock them out completely.

Once again, the last move is sort of tier-dependant. Sleep Talk works in UU or OU, absorbing Sleep Powder from Amoonguss in UU, and taking Breloom's Spore in OU, which will activate Guts, and turn all of Heracross's already powerful moves into absolute nightmares. What's even worse for your opponent, to a degree, is that they can't predict your move, since you can't either, which means that walls that are immune to one STAB and not the other could still be knocked out.

Aside from Sleep Talk, Earthquake can be used in UU to deal with the Poison types, such as Nidoking and Qwilfish, which resist all of Heracross's other moves. Pursuit, however, can be used in OU to trap-kill Ghost types, as well as anything else that has been weakened and fears Heracross.

Heracross@ Choice Scarf Guts Adamant nature (+Attack, -Sp. Attack) / Jolly nature (+Speed, -Sp. Attack) EVs: 252 Speed / 252 Attack / 4 HP Megahorn Close Combat Sleep Talk Stone Edge / Night Slash / Pursuit

Given Heracross's powerful STAB Megahorn, Guts ability, and resistance to Dark Pulse and Focus Blast, Heracross becomes a near-perfect switch-in to Darkrai. Switching into Darkrai's Dark Void activates Guts, and allows Heracross to utilize powerful attacks via Sleep Talk. Megahorn hits a vast majority of Ubers hard, especially as the tier is filled with many Psychic types. Close Combat deals with Steel types, such as Excadrill, Dialga, and Ferrothorn. The last slot is sort of dependant on the user, but the best choice, in my opinion (as someone that plays Ubers quite a lot), is Stone Edge. The reason behind this is not only to hit Flying Dragons such as Rayquaza, but because Night Slash will not deal significant enough damage to Giratina or Arceus-Ghost. Pursuit is an option to trap-kill Psychic types and weakened Pokemon, but this is situational, and Heracross often doesn't have the power to do so without a Guts boost.

When using Heracross in Ubers, try to remember that... you're using Heracross in Ubers. Heracross is frail, and relies heavily on the Guts boost to deal significant damage to the opponent. While it's a great switch-in to Darkrai, many other Pokemon simply laugh at it, especially if it's lacking a the Guts boost. Other Scarfers like Kyogre, simply don't care about it at all, and will wash it away with Rain boosted Water Spouts. Bulky variants of Groudon won't mind it very much either, hitting it with Sun boosted Fire attacks. Should Heracross Sleep Talk Megahorn or Night Slash, Blaziken can setup a Swords Dance on it, Protect the next turn, outspeed and OHKO Heracross with Flare Blitz.

If Heracross uses Adamant nature, Rayquaza will outspeed it after a Dragon Dance, and obviously OHKO it. Jolly will outspeed even +1 Rayquaza and 252 Speed Attack Deoxys, however there is quite a significant loss of power, and an even heavier dependence on Guts.

Heracross can be found in both Black2 and White2, though they're more accessible in Black2. In Black2, they can be found on Route 12, Lostlorn Forest, and the Hidden Hallow in Lostlorn Forest, while White2 has them only in the aforementioned Hidden Hallow in Lostlorn Forest. Training a Heracross in-game is pretty easy, really, and quite rewarding. The Fighting type and high Attack power allow it to smash through many opponents without much trouble at all. Using a Heart Scale to re-teach Night Slash will also allow Heracross to get past Ghost types, and damage Psychic types until it learns it's famed Megahorn. Stone Edge can be taught via TM, which rounds out Heracross's moveset and makes him a great contributor to your team. And indeed, that is our in-game moveset:

Heracross Close Combat Megahorn Night Slash Stone Edge

Explained above... I should have thought that through. Oh well, I'd have to edit things at 5 AM to fix it now, and... you're not even reading this are you? Are you? D:

To be 100% honest, I have never raised a Heracross, but I have used it before. I feel like I never gave it a chance when it has really deserved it all along. It is not the best Fighting type there is, but it has what it needs to be a potent threat, even in OU. As you may, or may not know, Fighting happens to be my favorite type, and has been since gen 3. I love dual-type Fighting types, and Heracross has a unique type all to itself. Heracross also just looks pretty darn cool. It looks relatively docile, while still being menacing with that powerful horn that threatens to puncture your skin at any moment. I would say that Heracross is a pretty under-rated Pokemon, and probably deserves more love than it gets.

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