http://serebii.net/pokedex-bw/485.shtml
[Overview]
<p>Heatran left the 4th generation as the most used Pokemon in OU. This comes as no surprise, for Heatran's impressive defensive stats, Fire/Steel typing, and useful ability enable him to combat a huge portion of the metagame. It is no slouch offensively, either—a base 130 Special Attack stat combined with a good offensive movepool makes even dedicated counters wince. In this generation, things appear to be even better for it. Air Balloon, a new item, allows it to switch into Ground-type moves safely. The popularity of Pokemon like Ferrothorn allows Heatran to switch in with ease and move the momentum to your side. However, with the nerf to Explosion, Blissey and Eviolite Chansey are now the perfect counters to Heatran. Heatran also has to deal with Latios and Latias, previous Ubers who now find themselves in the same tier as Heatran. In addition, Fighting-type Pokemon are extremely popular, so it may have more trouble making an impact than it used to. Nevertheless, it is clear that Heatran will remain a top threat for quite a while.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Heatran's typing enables it to switch into a variety of attacks, and its acceptable movepool also allows it to threaten many Pokemon at once. Air Balloon takes this to a whole new level by allowing Heatran to switch into Earthquake, a move that used to send chills down its spine. For example, with Air Balloon, it can check any Excadrill that does not carry Brick Break. However, Air Balloon is instantly popped if Heatran is hit by an attack., and while the introduction of team preview makes prediction easier, caution must still be exercised to ensure that Heatran does not use up its item for nothing.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is a wickedly powerful STAB move, easily destroying anything that does not resist it. As the 85% accuracy is troublesome, however, Flamethrower is a viable alternative, but the loss of power may be very noticeable. Earth Power is useful for dealing with other Heatran, as well as in situations where using Fire Blast may not be a good idea (such as against a Drizzle team). The choice of Hidden Power depends on which Pokemon trouble your team most. Hidden Power Ice takes out Gliscor, and Landorus, although it will need to attack the latter on the switch. Hidden Power Grass is more suitable for dealing with Water-types such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Heatran is also one of the few Pokemon who can happily use Stealth Rock without any compatibility issues.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs are very simple and allow Heatran to deal as much damage as possible. A Modest nature is suggested because there are few notable Pokemon that can be outsped with Timid. Nevertheless, feel free to use Timid if outspeeding a certain Pokemon, such as any Gliscor with 72 EVs in Speed, is necessary. If Heatran already has a teammate that uses Stealth Rock, then Flame Charge, Taunt, or Substitute may go in the last slot. Flame Charge boosts Heatran's only mediocre stat, allowing Heatran to sweep quite easily late-game once its checks and counters are removed. Taunt is notable for stopping Chansey and Blissey from setting up on Heatran, although even then it cannot do much to them in return. Substitute gives Heatran a safeguard from status effects and allows it to scout the opponent. Be aware, though, that Substitute does not prevent Air Balloon from being popped if the Substitute takes a hit.</p>
<p>Pokemon who naturally draw Fire-type attacks make good partners. Ferrothorn and Skarmory are some examples. These Pokemon also support Heatran by laying down entry hazards, giving it a better chance at sweeping and getting past walls. Scizor also naturally draws in Fire-type attacks, and can easily take on Chansey and Blissey. Celebi and Sigilyph have good defensive synergy with Heatran, and both either resist or are immune to the Fighting- and Ground-type attacks that pester it. Heatran also makes a viable addition to Sun teams, as it prevents opponents from abusing the Sun by absorbing Fire-type attacks.</p>
<p>Heatran is not without its fair share of counters, though. With the nerf to Explosion, special walls such as Chansey and Blissey can easily wall this set to kingdom come. Luckily, these two walls fall to powerful physical attacks. Scizor deserves a special mention here, as not only can it use Superpower to take care of them, it also naturally draws in Fire-type attacks for Heatran to abuse. Latios and Latias can also use their special bulk to shrug off most attacks (although Hidden Power Ice will hurt) and pummel Heatran with Surf. For this reason, a Tyranitar wielding a Choice Scarf may be a useful teammate. Surf will sting Tyranitar, but it can outspeed, trap, and OHKO Latios and Latias. Kingdra and Gyarados take, at worse, neutral damage from Heatran's attacks, and can beat it with their STAB Water-type attacks. If Heatran lacks Hidden Power Grass, Rotom-W can also cause it some problems. Thundurus can outspeed these Pokemon and either cripple them with status or fire off powerful Thunderbolts at them, even if it might struggle to switch in. Terrakion can outspeed Heatran and proceed to attack with Close Combat, making it a notable threat. Gliscor can switch into Close Combat easily and does not mind Terrakion's other attacks. Gliscor also can switch into any Ground-type move aimed at Heatran.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Heatran's Speed stat has always been a severe letdown. However, with a Choice Scarf attached, it now becomes a blazingly fast Pokemon that reaches 417 Speed with a Timid nature, enabling it to check or revenge kill many Pokemon. Overheat is a powerful STAB attack that dents almost any Pokemon who dares to switch in to Heatran. It may be strange to have Flamethrower in the second slot, as Overheat hits the same threats that Flamethrower does. However, Overheat's Special Attack drop makes it inadvisable in some situations, and Flamethrower allows it to cleanup in the endgame if necessary. Earth Power gives Heatran a way to deal with opposing Heatran, and is your best option against Steels if Fire-type moves are inadvisable (such as against a Drizzle team). Hidden Power Ice suits this set nicely by enabling Heatran to destroy Landorus, Gliscor, and Dragon-type Pokemon who are 4x weak to Ice-type moves. Dragon Pulse is an alternative to hit Latios, Latias, and Sazandora for more damage; however, Hidden Power Ice is usually the better choice of the two.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>A Timid nature and 252 EVs in Speed enable Heatran to outspeed Pokemon with a base Speed of 130 and below. However, if these Pokemon are not huge threats, Heatran can opt to use a Modest nature instead. One important thing to notice is that this set is more risky to use than the Offensive set, as Choice Scarf can allow the foe to switch in and set up an appropriate sweeper with ease. Therefore, prediction is vital to using Scarf Heatran to the fullest extent. Thankfully, team preview makes prediction much easier.</p>
<p>Although fast, Choice Scarf Heatran is not quite as powerful as the Offensive or Choice Specs set, so teammates who can soften up the opposing team make wonderful parters for Heatran. There are quite a few Pokemon who can do this, but some notable examples include Latios, Gyarados, Celebi, and Scizor, all of whom share excellent defensive synergy with Heatran. Another problem that Heatran has are bulky Water-type Pokemon. Suicune, Swampert, Quagsire, and others can switch into Overheat or Flamethrower with ease and proceed to threaten Heatran with powerful Water-type attacks. Ferrothorn does not mind Water-types much and can proceed to set up entry hazards and Leech Seed on them. On the offensive side, Thundurus, Virizion, and Celebi can hammer away at these Pokemon with their powerful attacks. Heatran can even opt to run Hidden Power Grass over Flamethrower to deal with them. The loss of Hidden Power Ice would not be too severe since Gliscor and Landorus take heavy damage from Overheat, although it does leave Heatran unable to hurt the dragons. Chansey and Blissey once again wall this set, but they are fairly easy to deal with using other Pokemon. Powerful physical attacks should take care of them in no time.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Unlike the Choice Scarf set, the task of this set is to tear, rip, and burn massive holes into the opponent's team, leaving other Pokemon to clean up the remainder. With a Choice Specs attached, Overheat becomes a terrifying move. For example, Overheat cleanly 2HKOes Latios after Stealth Rock damage. Unfortunately, Overheat's Special Attack drop forces Heatran to become a hit-and-run Pokemon, although this is how a Choice Specs set would generally play anyway. Fire Blast enables Heatran to stay in longer, at the cost of having a lower accuracy and Base Power. Dragon Pulse and Earth Power are there primarily for coverage, the former hitting Dragon-type Pokemon while the latter is useful for opposing Heatran. Hidden Power Grass takes care of bulky variants of Rotom-W and other Water-types. If Heatran already has teammates that can take care of them, then Flamethrower is an alternative. It may seem redundant to run two Fire-type moves on one set; however, keep in mind that both Fire Blast and Overheat have negative qualities about them that may make using those moves unsuitable in certain scenarios.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Just like the Offensive set, maximum Special Attack and a Modest nature are desirable so Heatran can wreak as much havoc as possible. A Timid nature may be useful if a certain threat, notably the standard Gliscor set, needs to be outsped. Since Heatran will hopefully cause massive damage to the opponent's team, Pokemon who can clean up and pick off any survivors make good teammates. Conkeldurr, Scizor, and Azumarill can use their powerful priority attacks to accomplish this. Pokemon who wield Choice Scarf, or Pokemon who are naturally fast, such as Latios or Starmie, also make good cleaners.</p>
<p>Once again, Chansey and Blissey can sponge Heatran's attacks, although repeated attacks will quickly wear them down. Due to the sheer power of Choice Specs, bulky Water-type Pokemon may have some difficulty switching in. However, if Heatran does not run Hidden Power Grass, then Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Suicune can usually survive an attack and retaliate. Beside these, this set shares similar checks and counters to the Stealth Rock set. The only difference, though, is that counters will have a hard time switching in without losing a massive chunk of health.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Substitute / Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Stealth Rock / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
<p>Although Heatran is primarily used as an offensive Pokemon, one should not forget about its defensive options. Base 106 defenses, immunity to Toxic and a wide support movepool makes it a powerful wall. A specially defensive set is used over a physically defensive set because Lava Plume's high burn rate enables Heatran to shrug off physical hits most of the time. In addition, the most common physical moves aimed at Heatran are usually high-powered moves such as Close Combat, Hi Jump Kick, and Earthquake, attacks that would easily OHKO or 2HKO Heatran regardless of investment in Defense.</p>
<p>Lava Plume is chosen due to its high 30% burn rate, which makes Heatran incredibly difficult to take down on the physical side. Toxic enables it to dispose of Chansey, Blissey, bulky Water-type Pokemon, and other defensive Pokemon who would otherwise wall Heatran. The third moveslot depends on how you wish to use Heatran. Substitute takes a defensive route by shielding Heatran from attacks and status conditions while also enabling it to recover health as the foe slowly dies to burn or poison damage. Protect is a viable alternative to Substitute, and leaves Heatran's health intact. However, Pokemon immune to Toxic, such as Tentacruel, Gliscor, and opposing Heatran, can trouble it if it chooses to run these moves. Therefore, Earth Power and Hidden Power Ice are recommended to take out threats. The last moveslot is geared to support Heatran's teammates. Steath Rock makes it easier for offensive teammates to sweep the opponent's team, whereas Roar is useful for phazing out an enemy sweeper or troublesome wall.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Team support is vital in order to fully abuse specially defensive Heatran. For starters, Heatran greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support, as this enables it to forgo Toxic for another move. Forretress can lay down Toxic Spikes (and other entry hazards) and attracts Fire-type attacks for Heatran to soak up. Tentacruel can also do the same job, and resists Heatran's Fighting-type weakness in exchange for sharing a weakness to Ground-type moves. If this is done, then a spinblocker is also required. Jellicent is a good candidate due to its excellent synergy with Heatran. Wish support is also recommended because Heatran has no form of recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers. Chansey does a good job at this, but one must be wary of their shared weakness to Fighting-type moves. Vaporeon works well too, as she can literally absorb any Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Although a bit unorthodox, Wish + Dragon Tail Salamence has excellent synergy with Heatran and should also be considered.</p>
<p>One common Pokemon who can counter this set almost entirely is Guts Conkeldurr, who can easily abuse burn or Toxic damage to power up its Attack. Heatran can't do much to it since it is not running any EVs in Special Attack. Gliscor deals with Conkeldurr easily and, as a bonus, is immune to the Ground-type attacks that Heatran loathes. A strong special attacker that resists Mach Punch, such as Tornadus or Starmie, also works. If Heatran does not run Roar, then Calm Mind Reuniclus can slowly work its way up to +6 Special Attack, and deal severe damage with Focus Blast. However, Reuniclus can be beaten by powerful, super-effective physical attacks from the likes of Scizor or Tyranitar.</p>
[SET]
name: TormenTran
move 1: Torment
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Lava Plume / Taunt
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 244 HP / 44 SpD / 220 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This is the notoriously infamous Torment Heatran set that once upon a time made players rip their hair, gouge out their eyeballs, and jump out of a window as soon as they encountered it. The idea behind the set is that very few Pokemon carry more than one attack that can severely hurt Heatran, and by using Torment on them, said Pokemon must either switch out or stay in and engage in a long, brutal stall war. Pokemon who wield a Choice item are especially affected by Torment, for they must Struggle every other turn if they choose to stay in. Substitute and Protect allows Heatran to both scout and shield itself from moves that can harm it. Lava Plume is chosen so that Heatran can slowly chip away the opponent's health. Taunt may also be useful for preventing opponents from setting up on Heatran.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs in HP give Heatran the highest possible Leftovers number, and the EVs invested in Speed ensure that Heatran will outspeed Jolly Tyranitar. Like the specially defensive set, Toxic Spikes support is recommended. All three of Roserade, Scolipede, and Forretress can accomplish this and draw in Fire-type attacks for Heatran to soak up if it uses Lava Plume. Sandstorm support is also recommended, but not required. Hippowdon is recommended because it functions better on stall and semi-stall teams than Tyranitar. Tyranitar and Heatran also share three weaknesses together. Pokemon who can phaze Heatran out and Rest off the damage, such as RestTalk Suicune, Gyarados, Vaporeon, and Milotic are troublesome. Thundurus and Celebi can take care of them with their powerful STAB Thunderbolt and Leaf Storm, respectively. In addition, be aware that there are many Pokemon who outspeed Heatran, and can land a dangerous attack on Heatran if it loses its Substitute or does not use Protect in time. Prediction is extremely important to make this set work.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There aren't too many other options that Heatran has. Moves such as Flash Cannon or Dark Pulse sound appealing, but a STAB Fire Blast or Overheat will usually outdamage these moves, even if they are super effective. Heatran can opt to use Eruption with a Quiet nature on a Trick Room team. If this is done, it is advised to carry another Fire-type move, as repeated damage slowly makes Eruption useless. Magma Storm is a buffed-up Fire Spin and enables Heatran to trap its foes. Sadly, its 75% accuracy makes it difficult to utilize. Finally, Heatran can run a RestTalk set to tank hits and recover health at the same time.</p>
[Checks & Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon are a big threat to Heatran, especially to sets that do not run Hidden Power Grass. If these Pokemon can cure themselves from status, they can also take on the Torment and Specially Defensive sets. Hydration Vaporeon, ChestoRest Kingdra, and CroCune are a few example of Pokemon who can do this. Chansey and Blissey do not mind any attacks except for Toxic, and can wall it quite easily. Latios and Latias may not like Hidden Power Ice or Dragon Pulse, but they can usually survive an attack and pummel Heatran with Surf. On the offensive side, Air Balloon Terrakion can outspeed any non-boosted Heatran, take Hidden Power Grass at worse, and can proceed to KO with Close Combat. Speaking of Air Balloon, popping the item makes Heatran suddenly vulnerable to Pokemon such as Excadrill and Landorus.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Heatran's Dream World ability is Flame Body. This may be useful on some defensive sets in order to buff up Heatran's defense. In addition, Flame Body prevents the rare, but incredibly annoying, Trace Gardevior and Porygon2 from setting up on it. However, Flash Fire is usually the better option, otherwise, it would be taking neutral damage from Fire-type attacks. The more resistances, the better.</p>
