REMOVE ALL LANDORUS-I MENTIONS
[OVERVIEW]
Heatran is a solid defensive Pokemon boasting a total of 9 resistances with 5 of them double resistances and 2 immunities (With Flash Fire) mean it can be extremely hard to wear down due to the immunity to both formes of passive damage. Solid mixed defenses and a nice HP stat combined with these resistances allow it to easily carry out its noted Specially Defensive set with ease. But Heatran is no lightweight in the offensive department either packing a huge base 130 Special attack and a limited but hardly lacking offensive movepool allow Heatran to run offensive sets. However a multitude of common weaknesses including a large 4x Weakness to Ground and no recovery moves leaves Heatran very vulnerable to revenge killing by many faster threats such as Excadrill, Colossoil and Landorus
There needs to be something about how it checks Fairies instead of just listing that it has resistances.
[SET]
name: Molten Tank (Specially Defensive)
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Earth Power / Stealth Rock
move 4: Earth Power / Roar / Taunt /Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Slashes need to be reworked, the importable set should be an actual set, not a set with Earth Power twice.
I propose:
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Earth Power / Roar / Protect / Taunt
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Lava Plume is a solid STAB move with a handy 30% chance to burn. Toxic is used to be able to defeat other walls and to build up residual damage in general. Earth Power is very useful in this set to hit possible switch ins to either Lava Plume or Toxic, most notably Mollux, Naviathan and other Heatrans. Protect is there for extra Leftovers recovery, scouting moves and works well in conjunction with Toxic. Roar is useful to rack up entry hazard damage and to stop threats from setting up, Stealth Rock can also be placed here if you have trouble finding a spot on your team and Taunt can also be used to shut down defensive threats or to stop set up as well.
Switch ordering as needed.
Set details
========
248 EVs are used to let Heatran switch into Stealth Rocks to let it take less damage from Stealth Rocks This is not true (386 HP / 8 rounds down to 48 damage, 385 HP / 8 also rounds down to 48 damage), change to 252. , max Special Defense lets it act as a great special wall with many immunities and resistances. Leftovers should be the only item used do its ability to recover small amounts of HP that Heatran cannot do outside of Rest due to no other recovery moves. Rest of the EV's in SpAtk to let Earth Power and Lava Plume still do a nice amount of damage. Flash Fire for a nice immunity and gives a power boost to Lava Plume which can be very useful. Don't bother mentioning the leftover special attack ev's.
Usage Tips
========
This set for Heatran works its way nicely into both defensive and balanced play styles. Through the spread of EVs and its useful amount of resistances, it can tank most special hits and either phase or status with Toxic/Lava Plume. Be cautious when using protect though as constant use of the move can prove to be predictable and can give your opponent a free switch in/a chance to set up. While Roar can be used to phase setup sweepers, switching Heatran into these Pokemon may not always be the best choice (eg. Quiver Dance Volcarona Volcarone, let alone Hp Ground Volcarona, sees very little use in CAP, so consider something more along the lines of Scizor), so choose your targets wisely.
Team Options
========
Bulky Grass types can prove to be the best partners for Heatran as they can deal with Ground/Water types that can prove to be a nuisance to it. Pokemon such as Necturna and Venusaur work well in this area as they are both able to take Ground, Fighting and Water moves for Heatran, while it takes Fire, Flying and Psychic. Water types that can also be great partners when also paired with a Ground Pokemon. Slowbro and Rotom for defensive partners, regular Gyarados for a more offensive teammate. Tomohawk can also pitch in due to resisting Fighting and being immune to Ground, although it will need help dealing with Water. Wish Passers can also be incredibly valuable to SpDef Tran as a way to recover lost HP without relying on Leftovers and Protect. Pokemon such as Blissey, Chansey, Jirachi, Sylveon and Latias are all very capable Wish Passers. Remove Blissey mention as its completely irrelevant.
[SET]
name: Gotta Go Fast
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Earth Power / Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Fire Blast
ability: Flash Fire
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Change the current set to this:
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Stone Edge / Hidden Power Ice
Fire Blast is slashed first as a -2 Heatran locked into Overheat is very abusable in this Colossoil infused metagame. Stone Edge is more deserving of the first slash then Hidden Power Ice due to the reduced popularity of Landorus-T and Garchomp in CAP.
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Overheat is the main STAB move of choice due to high base and Scarf Heatran can do with as much power as it can get. Fire Blast is also an option for a more reliable STAB move which can be useful for sweeping late game. Flash Cannon is secondary STAB which can be used to hit Fairies. Earth Power is for coverage to hit mons that resist both of Heatran's STAB's such as Mollux. Stone Edge can also be used to snare revenge kills against Pokemon such as Talonflame, Charizard Y and Volcarona. Even with a Attack reducing nature it is still able to OHKO which is why it is preferred over Ancient Power. Hidden Power Ice is for extra coverage against Dragon types that resist Overheat/Fire Blast. Also it can be used to revenge kill both Lando-I and T and Gliscor.
Reorder as needed.
Set Details
========
The EV spread suggested gives Heatran max SpAtk and Speed. Modest is the nature of choice due to its ability to net KO's late game. With Scarf and the added EV's Heatran will reach 379 speed which out speeds max invested base 135's by twelve which means it has the ability to out speed and hit Max Speed Mega Lopunny while still retaining a lot of firepower. Timid is viable on Heatran due to its ability to out speed almost the entire CAP metagame.
Modest Heatran is suboptimal on this set as you want to outspeed and revenge everything, not get outspeed by faster threats such as Stratagem.
Usage Tips
========
Scarf Heatran is more viable on balanced teams due to its ability to clean late game, but it can still be used in Hyper Offence teams as well. Even though it can out speed most of the metagame, careful prediction is still required as being stuck with the wrong move may cause a change in momentum which can lose you the game. There are many checks to Scarf Tran so be wary when using it. Unfortunately it's not nearly as effective as it used to be due to the metagame becoming faster and faster, so be wary of this when deciding whether or no to use Scarf Heatran.
Team Options
========
Again Bulky Grass and Water Pokemon are the best teammates for Scarf Heatran. They can take all Water, Ground and Fighting type moves directed at Heatran and either stall out or directly KO. Again Wish Passers can be useful to keep Heatran at full health allowing it to switch in repetitively without worrying about hazards damage
[SET]
name: Sneaky Pebbles
move 1: Fire Blast / Magma Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flash Cannon / Taunt
move 4: Stealth Rock
ability: Flash Fire
item: Air Balloon / Leftovers Make this just Balloon. you're using this on offensively oriented teams, not stall/semi-stall, so the instant Ground immunity is much more important in terms of checking stuff than passive recovery.
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The purpose of this Heatran is for a Stealth Rock setter that is not vulnerable as some others. Fire Blast is for a consistent STAB which is the weapon of choice for punching holes in the opposition. Magma Storm can also fit in here due to its ability for continuous residual damage and also to prevent double switches which is useful for gaining the tactical advantage over your opponent. Earth Power is there for coverage against Rock-type switch ins as well as Fire types that resist Fire Blast and Flash Cannon, namely other Heatran's and Mollux. Flash Cannon again is secondary STAB to nail Rock switch ins and to hit Fairy's. Taunt can be used over Flash Cannon to prevent slower hazard setter from releasing their hazards and to also hurt defensive mons, other support Pokemon and slower set-up Pokemon
-Stealth Rock is on this set to break sashes on the opposing team and provide hefty residual damage against mons such as Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Aurumoth and both of Charizard's Megas. This needs to be in the paragraph.
Set Details
========
EV spread is for maximum Speed to outspeed Taunters who are trying to prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock such as Mandibuzz. 252 HP / 176 SpA / 80 Speed can be run on Taunt Heatran if you want to invest more in HP to tank hits. 80 Speed lets it beat neutral base 85's such as Suicune and Cresselia. With base 130 Special attack and 252 EV's means Heatran will still be hitting fairly hard with its usable STAB's and coverage moves. Timid is the Nature of choice due to the extra speed it provides to help out speed Taunters. Air Balloon is useful on this set to be able to check threats such as Mega Diancie, Stratagem and Mega Altaria, where as Leftovers is useful to provide Heatran with greater longevity. Remove the Leftovers mention.
Usage Tips
========
Stealth Rock + 3 Attack Heatran fits nicely into Hyper Offensive or Bulky Offensive teams who are in need of a relatively fast Bulky Rock Setter. Taunt can also fit in nicely to hurt other support Pokemon. With strong STABs and coverage it has the ability to hit a fair portion of the metagame super effectively. Flash Fire gives Heatran the ability to switch freely into any Fire type move and then gain a boost in the power of Fire type moves, so it can hit even harder.
Mention that it works as an offensive Stealth Rock setter that uses Air Balloon and strong STAB moves to pressure Ground-types.
Team Options
========
Due to the amount of residual damage that Stealth Rock could be inflicting, Pokemon such as Cawmodore, Landorus-Incarnate, Mega Altaria, Mega Diancie and Mega Metagross are useful partners to finish off the opposing team. However on the defensive side many of the previously mentioned partners can still apply. Mega Venusaur, Rotom-Wash, Gyarados all fit into this category. Bulky Wish Passers will help Heatran survive multiple attacks so that it can continue to set Rocks if the opposing team has a Spinner/Defogger.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Specs Heatran is also a viable option to be run. With Specs, Eruption can be run to absolutely devastate the opposing team. Unfortunately it is an Event move and restricts Heatran to running a Quiet nature (+SpAtk, -Speed) which mainly limits it to Trick Room teams. Stall Breaker Heatran is also a viable set. Through the use of Taunt, Magma Storm and Toxic, it can trap and then proceed to wear away at walls through residual damage from Magma Storm and Toxic, while Taunt prevents them from recovering HP. Max Speed Heatran is advised to get a quick Taunt on defensive mons before they can touch you. Heatran can also run Power Herb Solarbeam to nail Water types such as Keldeo, Argonaut and Azumarill as they switch in for a fair amount of damage, however it is only one time use so careful prediction is required.
Checks & Counters
========
**Ground Types & Ground type coverage**: Fast Ground types are some of the best Heatran checks/counters. Scarf Excadrill, Landorus-I, Scarf Landorus-T and Scarf Garchomp can all out speed and OHKO Heatran with Super Effective Earthquake/Earth Power which makes them the best checks. However both formes of Landorus and Garchomp will have to be aware of Hidden Power Ice if they switch in. AV Colossoil is also a fantastic switch in to Heatran. Even though Heatran can pack Toxic, through the use of Rebound it can avoid getting statused, or with Guts can use the boost in Attack to hit harder. The tendency for random mons to run HP Ground in CAP is also detrimental for Heatran.
Many other Pokemon also carry Ground type coverage such as Mega Diancie, Stratagem, Kyurem-B, Scolipede and Hydreigon also carry Ground type moves as coverage against Steel types and therefore are considered checks
**Special Walls**: Chansey can take anything Heatran throws at it due to its immense special bulk and can deal with Toxic due to Natural Cure. SpDef Gliscor can also switch in fairly easily and thanks to Poison Heal can switch into a Toxic or absorb others status's. However any other Special wall that isn't Steel or Poison won't like taking a Toxic.Magma Storm + Taunt can beat Chansey.
**Water types**: Bulky Water types can switch in to almost any move, but have to be wary of Toxic on SpDef Tran. Rotom-W, Jellicent, Keldeo are all able to switch into Heatran and then KO. Also faster Water types such as Scarf Volkraken can either switch in to an appropriate move and KO or just revenge kill it easily.
**Rock types**: Mega Diancie is a fantastic check to SpDef Heatran. It has Magic Bounce to reflect all of Heatran's status moves which can cripple it and hit it with Earth Power for Super Effective damage. However Naive Mega Diancie misses out on a KO when Heatran is at full health, so it is advised to bring it in after Heatran has already taken prior damage. Stratagem is also very effective as it can out speed Modest Scarf Heatran and also hit Heatran with Earth Power. However it also cannot net an OHKO on SpDef Tran at full health too. Assault Vest or Mega Tyranitar are very good checks to most Heatran sets due to the SpDef boost that Sandstorm brings, although Toxic can cripple and Flash Cannon can be a problem. Scarf Terrakion can check Heatran offensively, but must also be wary of Flash Cannon.
I'm really confused why Rock-types is even a section, it's not like Rock-types are all-around good checks to Heatran (many of them hate earth power, flash cannon, or being burned), and these mostly just fall under the category of having Ground-type coverage, which is already covered earlier. Remove this section.
**Fighting types**: Fighting types like Keldeo and Conkeldurr can easily take a hit and force Heatran out with their STAB attacks. Conkeldurr can easily switch in as well due to it not fearing Toxic due to Guts.
