When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Heatran can effectively take on the role of revenge killer, outpacing dangerous threats such as Lucario, Salamence, and neutral-natured Gyarados. Heatran reaches a maximum Speed stat of 417 when wielding Choice Scarf, outspeeding all Pokémon in OU, bar Ninjask.
Fire Blast serves as Heatran's main STAB move, allowing it to deal a ridiculous amount of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Pokémon such as Naive Salamence risk being 2HKOed by Fire Blast due to Heatran's impressive Special Attack stat of 359. Flamethrower is an option over Fire Blast if you prefer accuracy over power, but it should be noted that the power difference is evident if you opt for Flamethrower. Earth Power is necessary on this set because it provides Heatran with a way of disposing of other Fire-types, specifically opposing Heatran. Explosion fills the third slot, giving Heatran an effective way of eliminating Blissey and Latias who dare to switch in. For the last slot, Dragon Pulse, Hidden Power Grass, and Hidden Power Ice are all decent options. Dragon Pulse allows Heatran to revenge kill Salamence and Kingdra without having to resort to Explosion, while Hidden Power Grass is useful in wearing down Water-types who can otherwise wall you. Finally, Hidden Power Ice, although the least recommended option out of the three, is useful in guaranteeing the kill on Salamence. On an additional note, Overheat is an option over Fire Blast, but Fire Blast is the preferred option as it deals more damage over two turns, outweighing the benefits of 5% increased accuracy. A Modest or Rash nature can be considered if you feel the extra power is more beneficial to your team, but you will miss out on outpacing Adamant Gyarados, Adamant Heracross, and at least tying with opposing Scarfed Heatran. This set has trouble against Water-types and Blissey, so Pokémon that can take down both are effective options for this set. Celebi covers Heatran's weaknesses perfectly and can take down most Water-types with a STAB Grass Knot or Leaf Storm. Specifically, Celebi works best at countering Gyarados, which can set up on Heatran locked into Choice Scarf. Additionally, Heatran also covers Celebi's weaknesses. Scizor is another excellent teammate to Heatran, providing teams with extra insurance against Dragon Dance Salamence which might have set up on Heatran; not only that, but Scizor is great at luring Fire-type attacks which activate Heatran's Flash Fire ability. Latias, a common counter to Heatran, will also fall to Scizor's U-turn or Pursuit. Finally, Scizor can also dispose of Blissey with Superpower if you are unable to KO it with Heatran.
Heatran makes for a fine lead and overall user of Stealth Rock, having the ability to easily take on the ever so common Metagross and Azelf. The only commonly seen leads that stand a chance against Heatran are Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Swampert, but only the former two can actually prevent Heatran from laying down Stealth Rock. If you decide to not use this set as a lead, players may assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf. Due to this, Heatran can often net surprise kills on Salamence and Gyarados with Explosion, especially with Shuca Berry ensuring that Heatran survives any Earthquakes coming from the two. Even Latias can be caught off guard with a well-timed Explosion, which can easily allow other special sweepers on the team to plow through the opponent's team, such as Calm Mind Celebi. Shuca Berry guarantees Heatran will rarely ever be OHKOed by an Earthquake or Earth Power. Speed and Special Attack are maximized to allow Heatran to function as a special sweeper later in the game, especially with its ability to switch in fairly easily with its handy typing. Running a Timid nature is an option if you want to be guaranteed to survive Azelf's Psychic + Explosion, but even with Naive, Azelf will need to roll nearly maximum damage from Explosion and above average damage from Psychic in order to score a KO, and the 10% boost to your own Explosion is often worth the risk. This set benefits most from partners that can switch into the leads Heatran has trouble against, namely Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Swampert. Gyarados is a great choice to consider pairing with this set because not only can it set up on Infernape and Swampert with relative ease (especially if it switches in as the opponent uses Stealth Rock), but it also provides Heatran with a good Water- and Ground-type resist/immunity. Against Aerodactyl, anything not weak to Rock or Ground will be of decent consideration to pair with this set. Suicune and its bulky defenses allow it to take on all three of the aforementioned leads relatively well and it can also dispose of other Water-types which switch into Heatran with Hidden Power Electric. However, Suicune does not provide Heatran with the same type resistances that Gyarados does.
Heatran should be sent out against something that will likely switch out, such as Celebi or a Steel-type. It is often useful to send Heatran out for the first time after your opponent KOs one of your Pokemon; most players assume it has a Choice Scarf and will switch out. This, along with Heatran's powerful offense and great resistances, allows Heatran to easily get up a Substitute. Then Heatran can stall with Toxic, using Fire Blast and Earth Power for the Poison and Steel Pokemon that are immune to it. Most of Heatran's switch-ins, like Salamence, Tyranitar, and Water-types, hate being poisoned. However, Toxic is less effective if your team is not bulky. You can use Explosion, instead, as it takes out most problem Pokemon in one hit. Few players will predict an Explosion coming from a Heatran behind a Substitute, so they are unlikely to bring in something to take it, like a Ghost. Alternatively, Heatran can use Hidden Power to take out Pokemon like Salamence, Gyarados, or Swampert, if you want a more offensive alternative to Toxic. Heatran can Roar on defensive teams that have Stealth Rock and Spikes. Another option is Will-O-Wisp, but it kills even slower than Toxic and has worse accuracy in exchange for weakening physical moves. If you want to use a move other than Toxic, it is helpful to pair Heatran with Toxic Spikes, but keep in mind that they won't hit Gyarados or Salamence. It may seem strange to use a +Speed nature without a Choice Scarf, but due to Heatran's popularity, max Speed can be a huge aid. Heatran can attack before +Speed Breloom and Metagross; neutral nature Gyarados, Dragonite, and Heracross; and defensive base 100 Pokemon. These can all OHKO Heatran, so being faster is crucial. This set partners best with Pokémon that can take advantage of a poisoned Water-type or Latias, or even both. For this reason, a Water-type of your own makes a decent partner to this set. Curse + RestSTalk Swampert is one of the best partners to this set because it can take hits repeatedly, due to Rest, while Toxic wears down the opponent's Pokémon. Swords Dance Scizor, albeit not a Water-type, also pairs well with this set because Water-types, primarily Gyarados, have no trouble walling the set otherwise. This Heatran also benefits from Wish. This is because you'll be wanting to switch into attacks often, and you are losing HP due to using Substitute. Vaporeon is probably the best option for this due to Water Absorb.
Torment, combined with Heatran’s impressive set of resistances and considerable bulk, turns Heatran into one of the toughest Pokemon to KO in the game. The idea behind this set is that not many Pokemon carry more than one attack powerful enough to break Heatran’s Substitutes. With that in mind, Torment allows you to stay safe by using Protect to prevent your opponent from breaking your Substitute with their STAB or super effective attack. That means that every other turn, you can attack with Lava Plume for free without having to worry about being damaged. This set slowly chips away at your opponent while maintaining your Substitute at the end of the duel when they faint. Lava Plume is the move of choice on this set, due to its high PP and 30% burn rate. Many Heatran switch-ins (such as Gyarados, Tyranitar, and Swampert) do not like getting burned. The chance to burn also helps slowly drain your opponent’s HP, meaning you do not even have to attack. Instead, Heatran can alternate between Substitute and Protect to rack up residual damage. If you do not want to use Lava Plume, Taunt is another viable option to fill the 4th move slot. It prevents Pokemon from healing and forces them to attack your Substitutes in vain. Pokemon such as mono-attacking Blissey and Suicune will struggle every other turn if Taunted. Taunt can help Heatran beat certain Pokemon that would otherwise completely counter it; however, Taunt also makes Heatran lose to other Pokemon that he would normally be able to beat. In fact, any Pokemon with more than one attack, or a faster Pokemon with Taunt will be able to beat this set unless you can inflict a status condition. Although this set is effective on its own, with the proper team support it can single-handedly run through a team. If you manage to set up two layers of Toxic Spikes before sending this in, Heatran (especially those with Taunt) will beat Blissey, Swampert, Vaporeon, Milotic, Porygon2, and other common switch-ins lacking Rest. This brings up the bane of this set: Rest + Sleep Talk stat uppers. Pokemon such as Suicune, Snorlax, Swampert, and Tyranitar running the aforementioned strategy can walk all over this Heatran. This is why it is suggested that your team has a Choiced Trick supporter or two to prevent these set up Pokemon from beating Heatran. On top of that, remember that any Choiced Pokemon will Struggle against Torment Tran, which makes Tricking a Choice item an all around superb support option for this set. The HP EVs allow Heatran to hit its highest Leftovers number, which is very important, considering you will be seeing a lot of Leftovers recovery with this set. The Speed EVs bring Heatran to 245 Speed, which allows you to outspeed Zapdos and Celebi at 244 Speed. Getting your Substitute up before being hit by Thunder Wave is very important for this set. The Special Defense EVs allow Heatran to take 24% max from a neutral natured, 0 Special Attack Rotom’s Discharge, meaning they will never break your Substitute. This is important because you really do not want Heatran to randomly get paralyzed from Discharge. The Special Attack EVs ensure that you do a minimum of 33% to max HP Machamp, meaning that the Rest + Sleep Talk sets will be 3HKOed. You don’t have to worry about DynamicPunch with Torment. Heatran always 3HKOs bulky Rotom, so not even the Rest + Sleep Talk versions can stop you. The four biggest non-Resting threats to this set are Gyarados, Swampert, non-Choiced Heatran, and Latias. The first two usually carry two moves that can break Heatran’s Substitutes, while resisting Lava Plume. Latias can alternate between Calm Mind and Surf to beat Heatran. It is therefore recommended that you pair this Heatran with Celebi, who can handle Gyarados and Swampert. Also, the CeleTran combo is always great in terms of synergy. Tyranitar also makes a great support Pokemon for this set by giving you a reliable Heatran and Latias switch-in, while also setting up Sand Stream, which will chip away at opposing Pokemon without damaging Heatran. Also, keep in mind that if Latias comes in on Torment, it cannot use Surf on your Tyranitar switch-in, guaranteeing its safety.
Heatran is a great candidate for utilizing Life Orb to further boost its already massive Special Attack stat. This set allows Heatran to act as a fluent sweeper without the restrictions of a Choice item,while maintaining the power needed to achieve certain KOs that Heatran would otherwise miss without the boost Life Orb gives. Fire Blast is Heatran's STAB move for this set, causing decent amounts of damage to common switch-ins such as Gyarados and Salamence, while also ruining Scizor, Jirachi, and Celebi. Earth Power is essential in providing Heatran with a way of eliminating opposing Fire-types. The third moveslot is used to hit Water-types who may try to wall you and hit back for super effective damage. Hidden Power Grass should be used if Swampert is more of a concern while Hidden Power Electric works best against Gyarados. For the last moveslot, Taunt, Explosion, and Substitute are all great options that benefit this set. Taunt negates any of your opponent's attempts to heal or set up. Explosion is an option that complements this set by providing a surefire way of taking out Blissey, OHKOing even max Defense versions after Stealth Rock, and other Pokémon that resist your Fire-type attack of choice. Finally, Substitute eases prediction at the cost of 25% of Heatran's HP each time it is used. Expert Belt can be used over Life Orb to bluff a Choice Scarf. Many players will attempt to set up on what they believe to be a Choiced Heatran only to be promptly KOed by a super effective attack (or Explosion). In any case, a Naive nature is recommended when running Explosion in order to deal as much damage as possible; otherwise, a Timid nature should be used. Special Attack and Speed are maxed to provide Heatran with the best sweeping potential, being able to 2HKO Salamence with Fire Blast after Stealth Rock and outpacing all neutral base 85's and below. This set benefits greatly from Stealth Rock support, ensuring that Heatran gets the 2HKO on 4/0 Gyarados and Salamence with Fire Blast. Azelf and Swampert can both efficiently lay down Stealth Rock. Azelf is particularly useful because it can Taunt opposing leads who may try to set up Stealth Rock and can use Explosion to create a free switch-in for Heatran, giving it more chances to attack if it comes in unscathed. Swampert is a reliable lead that has much more durability than Azelf, and it is also great for luring out Will-O-Wisps that provide Heatran with a free Flash Fire boost. Heatran also covers Swampert's weakness to Grass. Paralysis support is also a decent option to consider, giving Heatran a much easier time in taking down opposing Pokémon who otherwise outspeed it. Celebi is a great candidate to take this role, as it can not only use Thunder Wave effectively, but it also provides Heatran with valuable resistances to Fighting, Water, and Ground. Finally, Choice Band Scizor also pairs well with this set as Bullet Punch can take out foes Heatran has weakened. Specifically, Scizor works great at taking out Salamence and weakened Gyarados which may have attempted to set up on Heatran.
Although mainly seen as a revenge killer, Choice Specs provides Heatran with quite a bit of destructive power. For example, even Blissey risks being 2HKOed by a Flash Fire-boosted Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage, and anything that doesn't resist Fire will be permanently destroyed. Between Fire Blast and Overheat, Fire Blast deals more damage over two turns with no Special Attack drop, while Overheats deals much more damage on the first turn and has slightly better accuracy. As with other Choice users, prediction is required. Earth Power will OHKO opposing Heatran who may try to nab a free Flash Fire boost, while Hidden Power Grass will 2HKO the majority of Water-types. As such, using either move when initially switching in Heatran is a good idea to catch the opponent off guard. For the last slot, Dragon Pulse and Flamethrower are both decent options to consider. Dragon Pulse can be used to eliminate Latias, a common switch-in to Heatran, while Flamethrower deals consistent damage and also helps you sweep later in the game if you are using Overheat. While not as much of a team supporter as the other Heatran sets, Choice Specs Heatran is worth considering as a high powered special sweeper, and will greatly benefit most teams. The Speed EVs allow you to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. Max Special Attack is a must to deal as much damage as possible. Running a +Speed nature can be considered at the risk of some crucial 2HKOes, such as those on bulkier Water-types. This set, much like the Life Orb set, benefits from entry hazards to further weaken the opponent. Smeargle is a good choice to lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock early in the game, also having access to Spore to cause further trouble for the opponent. At the very least, Stealth Rock should be used to guarantee a 2HKO on 4/0 Gyarados and Salamence; Spikes, in turn, will make it easier to land KOes on Blissey and Water-types like Suicune. Individual Pokémon that pair well with this set are Rotom-A and Scizor. Rotom-A works well at taking out Water-types with its STAB Thunderbolt and respectable 105 base Special Attack stat, while Trick can be utilized to further incapacitate Blissey. Finally, Scizor is a great Pokémon to lure out Fire-type attacks which can nab Heatran a Flash Fire boost. Additionally, Scizor makes a great check to Latias, Salamence, and Gyarados, all three being threats this set must watch out for.
While Heatran lacks any form of recovery outside of Rest and Sleep Talk, its large number of resistances and above average defenses make it an excellent status absorber and special wall. Typically, it would be better to choose a special sponge that had access to instant recovery, but Heatran is sturdy enough that it doesn't matter, and his huge Special Attack stat makes him a difficult wall to switch into. With Heatran's decent typing and good defenses it can easily take on special attackers such as Celebi, Rotom-A, Jirachi, Zapdos, and many others. Lava Plume makes physical attackers think twice before switching in, as a 30% burn rate is nothing to scoff at. Fire Blast, on the other hand, carries significantly more raw power, and Sleep Talk makes Fire Blast's low PP a non-issue. However, since this is a defensive set, Lava Plume is still the primary option because it provides better team support. Earth Power has excellent coverage with Lava Plume, hitting Fire- and Rock-types who resist it. A more offensive spin on the Rest + Sleep Talk set is achieved by changing to Timid nature, using an EV spread of 248 HP/ 36 SpA / 224 Spe, and giving Heatran a Life Orb. This outruns Adamant Heracross. This variation functions as a sweeper by giving Heatran back its monstrous Special Attack and decent Speed, and at the same time retaining the ability to shrug off status and heal itself. Note that Fire Blast should be used in this case, as the extra power is significant. This set has trouble against Pokémon which resist the combination of Fire and Ground, which includes, but is not limited to, Latias, Salamence, and Gyarados. As such, Latias makes a decent partner to this set for its ability to take on all three of the noted Pokémon, to some extent. Particularly, the Choice Scarf set works best here, as it outpaces even Salamence and Gyarados with +1 Speed whle packing enough power to OHKO both. Latias will also benefit from Heatran's weaknesses to Ground and Fighting, often proving Latias with a free switch-in. Heatran, in return, can cover Scizor and Tyranitar, both common counters to Latias, with Lava Plume and Earth Power respectively. Toxic Spikes support also works decently with this set to further make use of Heatran's durability. Mainly, Toxic Spikes should be considered to eliminate Water-types which wall this set entirely, while even allowing Heatran to outstall Blissey and cause havoc to Pokémon immune to Toxic Spikes with Lava Plume's 30% burn rate. Roserade is a good candidate for laying down Toxic Spikes which also packs a handy resist to Heatran's weakness to Water-type attacks.
For physical attacking switch-ins, this Heatran is definitely not what they were expecting. Overall, the goal is to quickly set up Stealth Rock, while hopefully luring out a Salamence, Gyarados, or Tyranitar. Later in the battle, once you're sure they will switch in said physical attacking counter, you can cripple them with Will-O-Wisp, or Roar to chip away at your opponent's team with Stealth Rock and other entry hazards you may have placed. Will-O-Wisp is an extremely effective move, and can seriously damage entire teams if used cleverly. Most Gyarados, Salamence, and Tyranitar usually have little worry when switching into an unsuspecting Heatran. Will-O-Wisp is a panacea for Heatran's worries, rendering your opponent's physical attacker nearly helpless, losing 12.5% of its HP every turn, and having a halved Attack stat. With the given EVs, this Heatran is an especially effective Gengar check. Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast will never KO Heatran, even if Heatran switches into a Shadow Ball first. Meanwhile, Heatran will always OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Gengar with Overheat. With its high Special Defense, Heatran can even afford to take a Suicune's Surf and Roar it away to deal with later. With Will-O-Wisp crippling the physical spectrum of sweepers, this set benefits from Pokémon which can set up on such Pokémon. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an extremely attractive choice to complement this set. Gyarados can come in on Ground- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Heatran with little worry, while hopefully being able to set up Dragon Dance and sweep. Latias also works as a decent partner to this set, provided Lava Plume will likely burn Tyranitar making Pursuit a non-issue. Latias will also find itself being able to set up Calm Minds with ease due to its excellent resistances and increased durability against physical attackers. As an added bonus, Latias provides Heatran with a Fighting and Water-type resist along with a Ground immunity. This set also benefits from entry-hazard support to increase the effectiveness of Roar. As this set can take quite a bit of hits, you can afford to run more defensive Spikers alongside this set compared to others. Both Skarmory and Forretress are effectively options to take on this role. Specially defensive Skarmory, in particular, can set up Spikes against most bulky Water-types with relative ease and can force them out with Whirlwind if they attempt to set up. Skarmory also provides Heatran with a reliable Latias counter, which walls this set completely and could care less about being burned.
Because of its reasonable bulk and plethora of resistances, Taunt Heatran can prevent your opponent from both setting up and inflicting nasty status attacks. Metal Sound is an effective way to beat Blissey (though if your team needs Stealth Rock support then that is a helpful option as well). Merely Taunt as they switch in Blissey, and then it will be unable to use Thunder Wave, Wish, Softboiled, or Protect. You can then Metal Sound them, making Fire Blast a clean 3HKO. Earth Power is for other Heatran, but you will have to catch them on the switch to avoid being taken out by Earth Power. Hidden Power Grass allows you to dent bulky Water-type counters after a Metal Sound. The ability to lure in and take out Blissey is vital to teams that have trouble with her, and the surprise value should not be underestimated. Taunt Heatran is easily as effective as the other sets, and is a dangerous threat in its own right. Unfortunately, this Heatran has to be a lot slower than the other builds to be effective. 380 HP allows Heatran to take 4 Seismic Tosses, even after Stealth Rock damage, and still survive with 1 HP left. This allows you to defeat any kind of Blissey, no matter what moveset they are running. The Special Attack is maximized for a high damage output. The remaining Speed EVs, coincidentally put you at 197, which outruns base 80s who lack Speed investment. Eliminating opposing Water-types should be a main priority when running this set, as most are capable of dealing immediate damage to Heatran and don't care about being Taunted. Life Orb Starmie is a good choice to fill this role, as it can murder opposing Water-types with Thunderbolt coming off of a respectable base 100 Special Attack stat. Aside from covering Water-types, partners which can set up on Taunted opponents will also work wonders here. Swords Dance Scizor can set up on Latias without Hidden Power Fire with little to no trouble, provided it has some Special Defense investment, while Gyarados and Salamence can both Dragon Dance on Taunted Blissey. Suicune, on the other hand, can handle Taunted Salamence and Gyarados with Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric respectively.
The purpose of this Heatran is to trap your opponent’s switch-in with Magma Storm and deal with it accordingly. This set is designed to eliminate most of Heatran’s common counters, including Swampert, Blissey, Latias, and Salamence. Magma Storm does not only force opposing Pokemon to stay in, but it deals 6.25% of extra damage at the end of every turn, allowing Heatran to do just enough damage to score KOs that it otherwise would not be able to. Much like other baiting sets, the purpose of HeaTrap is to help clear the way for other Pokemon to sweep later on by eliminating common counters. What separates this set from the pack is that once Heatran lands a Magma Storm, Heatran's opponent cannot switch out to scout if it is indeed a bait set or not; the KO is essentially guaranteed. >>> More...Team OptionsAs with any other offensively oriented Pokémon, entry hazards support benefits Heatran's sweeping capabilities. Stealth Rock, in particular, is the most helpful out of the three types. For example, Stealth Rock gives Heatran a 75% chance of 2HKOing Naive/Rash Salamence with Fire Blast, very helpful if Heatran is Scarfed. Azelf and Swampert are both effective leads which can reliably set up Stealth Rock. Toxic Spikes can be considered to wear down Water-types which commonly try to wall Heatran, such as Swampert, Vaporeon, and Suicune. Roserade is an effective lead who can lay down Toxic Spikes while also shutting down slower leads without Lum Berry with Sleep Powder. Additionally, Roserade provides Heatran with a valuable Water resist. Finally, Spikes is helpful in further weakening grounded counters to Heatran, most notably Blissey and Water-types, but is not nearly as beneficial as Stealth Rock. Smeargle is a good option in laying down Spikes, particularly because Heatran can take on Azelf one-on-one. Offensively speaking, partners to Heatran should aim to take out bulky Waters and to check Pokémon which can set up on Heatran's more common attacks. Celebi and Rotom-A are both excellent options in taking out Water-types. Both Celebi and Rotom-A pack STAB moves capable of hitting Water-types for super effective, while both also provide Heatran with a valuable Ground and Fighting resist. Additionally, Celebi also resists Water-type attacks commonly aimed at Heatran. In turn, Heatran provides Celebi and Rotom-A with a Dark and Ghost resist, while further providing the former with a resist to Bug and an immunity to Fire. Rotom-A and Celebi also make excellent checks to Lucario provided they outspeed it. Choice Band Scizor is a good partner which fulfills the second requirement. Scizor's Bullet Punch will KO Salamence after Stealth Rock and one turn of Life Orb recoil, Quick Attack can take down weakened Gyarados (albeit both Celebi and Rotom-A wall it as well), while both Bullet Punch and Pursuit keep Latias in check. Heatran also takes advantage of Scizor's weakness to Fire, possibly nabbing a free Flash Fire boost. On another note, Superpower can also eliminate Blissey, perhaps Heatran's #1 counter. Defensively speaking, partners to Heatran should be able to switch into Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks. Luckily, OU is blessed with many Pokémon that either resist or are immune to all three types of attacks. As such, Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias all make excellent defensive partners to this set. Salamence and Gyarados can easily set up Dragon Dance and proceed to wreak havoc on the opponent's team, which might even create a hole in the opponent's team for Heatran to sweep. Latias can wreak havoc on the special side of the spectrum, setting up Calm Mind and obliterating any Water-type who tries to wall Heatran. If carrying Refresh, Latias can even beat Blissey one-on-one. The single most common teammate you will find for any of the counters repeatedly mentioned in the analysis is Scizor. Heatran itself reliably counters opposing Scizor, as long as you avoid switching into Superpower. There aren't any other threatening teammates you are likely to encounter that hasn't been mentioned thus far. If facing Blissey, common teammates you are likely to encounter are Forretress, Skarmory, and Gyarados. A Dragon Dance Salamence has access to Fire Blast to hit any Steel-types expecting to wall it, and a +1 Life Orb Outrage can KO even the most defensive of Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Salamence's Classic MixMence set works in much the same way, but requires no set-up, little prediction, and it also has access to Roost, which is important if you plan on switching in repeatedly. Heatran can also beat Forretress and Skarmory on its own. Other OptionsHidden Power Electric can be used to nab a surprise kill on Gyarados, especially if they suspect you are Choiced. Hidden Power Rock gets 2HKOes on both Gyarados and Salamence while also hitting opposing Heatran for neutral, easing prediction on Choiced sets. However, running either will leave you completely walled by Swampert. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast on most sets if you prefer accuracy at the cost of some important KOes. Magma Storm, Heatran's signature move, can be used to trap Blissey and subsequently KO with Explosion, but is not a recommended option otherwise due to its shaky 70% accuracy. Dragon Pulse is an option on sets other than Choice Scarf to hit Kingdra, Latias, and Salamence for super effective while also maintaining neutrality on Gyarados and other Water-types. As far as items go, Shed Shell can be used to escape Dugtrio and Magnezone's clutches while a Salac Berry can be used on Substitute sets to gain a Speed boost and possibly sweep. Do not be tempted to use moves like Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and AncientPower. Their type coverage is poor, and Heatran's Fire Blast will hit for the same or greater damage on nearly everything in OU. EVsAlways maximize Heatran's Special Attack unless you are running a defensive set. Then decide what you would like to outrun. 128 EVs and a Modest nature beats Adamant Tyranitar. Modest and 216 EVs beats Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. On the Scarf set, just maximize Speed. You don't want to lose a Speed tie with another Scarftran if it comes down to it. Legal IVs for Hidden PowerThe following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):
OpinionHeatran is the anti-metagame Pokemon, capable of keeping top threats such as Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, and Salamence in check. With the ability to counter some of the biggest threats in the game and being neutral to Stealth Rock, he is far beyond the level of any other Fire-type in Pokemon. The secondary Steel typing gives him a lot of good resistances, and Flash Fire allows him to take on his fellow Fire-types quite easily. While the weaknesses to extremely common moves such as Earthquake, Surf, and Close Combat hinder its walling potential, its ability as a defensive Pokemon should not be overlooked. With decent defensive typing and one of the highest Special Attack stats in the Overused tier, Heatran should not be underestimated. Heatran will be seen on a lot of teams, so be prepared for it. It's a sturdy tank, a great team player, and a frightening sweeper. His frequent presence near the top of the usage list is for a good reason, and if your team is not prepared to deal with it then you cannot expect to have a healthy winning record. CountersBulky Waters such as Milotic, Suicune, Slowking, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, and Swampert can counter Heatran quite effectively, but Specs boosted Hidden Power Grass and Earth Power can take them down. Suicune is the best of these, as its high defenses allow it to take an Explosion as well as most special attacks, it is faster than the defensive Heatran sets, and its Pressure forces Heatran to watch its remaining Fire Blast PP. Gyarados can handle Heatran on occasion, but Stealth Rock, potential burns, and the occasional Hidden Power Electric are a nuisance. Porygon2 is an interesting counter. It traces Flash Fire and isn't weak to any other moves. Porygon2 can then paralyze Heatran and wear it down with Thunderbolt, using Recover as necessary. Latias and Kingdra can come in on Heatran and set up unless they switch into a Dragon Pulse. Blissey is a fairly good counter to Heatran, provided she has some means of hitting it. With the increase in Fire-type attacks thanks to Scizor, getting a Flash Fire boost is easier, which means Blissey might have to take boosted Fire-type attacks. Explosion also gets rid of Blissey, but at the cost of Heatran's own life. Heatran counters itself as long as it doesn't come into Earth Power. Adamant Choice Scarf Dugtrio can trap and KO Heatran no matter the set, and Magnezone does the same if Heatran is locked into a Hidden Power or Dragon Pulse. Snorlax can come into Heatran with relative impunity thanks to Thick Fat and can threaten it back with Earthquake. Hariyama does the same, but uses Fighting-type attacks instead. Like Blissey, both will fall to Explosion. A Careful Tyranitar can shrug off any hits not boosted by Choice Specs, even Earth Power, which barely 4HKOes. |
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