QC: Jukain, Valentine, aim
GP: GatoDelFuego, frenzyplant
Overview
########
Blessed with an unique Fire / Steel typing and good bulk, Heatran is one of the best switch-ins to top-tier threats such as Latios, Latias, Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor. With its above-average base 130 Special Attack, Heatran has a lot of offensive presence, meaning it can be hard to switch into. Heatran's mediocre Speed stat is its biggest letdown, and while its typing grants it key resistances, it also leaves Heatran vulnerable to common Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-types. On the wrong team Heatran might have a hard time switching in, but if played right, it can pose quite the threat to opposing teams.
Specially Defensive
########
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Taunt / Earth Power / Roar
move 4: Protect / Stealth Rock / Earth Power
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
nature: Calm
Moves
========
Specially defensive Heatran is the most commonly used set, as it checks a lot of Pokemon that are otherwise hard to check, such as Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard Y. Lava Plume is Heatran's primary attack and can be hard to switch into due to Heatran's good Special Attack. Due to its 30% chance to burn, Lava Plume is also a really effective status spreader, capable of crippling a lot of switch-ins. Toxic is great on Heatran, allowing Heatran to be able to take on switch-ins with reliable recovery such as Latios and Latias, in addition to Fire-types that are immune to burns.
Taunt is the primary option for Heatran's third moveslot, as it allows Heatran to beat Calm Mind Clefable. In addition, it also stops slower Pokemon such as Chansey and Skarmory from utilizing their support moves. If opposing Heatran are a problem to your team, Earth Power is an option to hit them for super effective damage. Earth Power also gives Heatran a way of doing good damage to Terrakion and offensive Water-types such as Greninja and Keldeo on the switch. Roar is also an option to phaze setup sweepers such as Mega Charizard X, Clefable, and Dragonite out in a pinch, cutting their sweep short. It is also great for racking up damage from entry hazards and eventual damage from Toxic and burns. The last moveslot decides how your Heatran is going to function; Protect lets it recover more HP from Leftovers, in addition to being great for scouting against Choice-locked Pokemon and racking up status damage. Running Stealth Rock is the last moveslot is also an viable option if your team is lacking a Stealth Rock setter. It should be noted that without Protect, Heatran might struggle to recover the damage taken from entry hazards and the resisted hits it switches into. Lastly, running Earth Power over Protect or Stealth Rock is another option if Heatran and Terrakion are problems to your team.
Apart from these moves, Heatran has a few other options which are perfectly viable; if your team relies on Heatran as its main check to Mega Charizard Y and the occasional Volcarona, Stone Edge or Ancient Power can be run to severely hurt them. Lastly, Flash Cannon is a good pick if hitting Fairy-types like Mega Gardevoir and Clefable hard is needed.
Set Details
========
Leftovers is the item of choice, as it's great for healing residual damage, seeing as Heatran has no form of reliable recovery. 248 HP EVs are used to minimize entry hazard damage, while 68 Speed EVs are used to hit 207 Speed, which lets Heatran outspeed most Mega Venusaur and Suicune. This lets Heatran either KO them or Taunt them to prevent them from healing or setting up. In addition, the investment in Speed lets Heatran outspeed most Mega Scizor that try to Speed creep Heatran, as well as maximum Speed Adamant Azumarill. The rest is put in Special Defense for additional special bulk. If outspeeding these Pokemon is not a huge issue, running an EV spread of 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe is adviced. A Calm nature is used to further boost Heatran's Special Defense.
Running physically defensive Heatran is an option if it's your main check to Mega Charizard X and Talonflame. An EV spread of 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spe with a Bold nature is the best choice, which makes Heatran capable of switching into the aforementioned threats with much more ease than specially defensive Heatran.
If your team depends on Heatran to take on or lure certain threats, like Bisharp, Breloom, Excadrill, and Mega Charizard X, higher benchmarks in Speed can be run. Running 200 Speed EVs with a neutral nature lets Heatran hit 240 Speed, which is enough to outrun base 70 Speed Pokemon with maximum Speed and a neutral nature, such as Adamant Bisharp. 208 Speed EVs with a beneficial nature makes Heatran hit 266 Speed, which lets it outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon with maximum Speed, such as Jolly Breloom and Bisharp. Lastly, running 244 Speed EVs with a beneficial nature lets Heatran hit 276 Speed, which is faster than Adamant Excadrill and most bulky Mega Charizard X. It also lets Heatran Speed tie with standard stallbreaker Mew.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best suited for balanced and bulky offensive teams. While being a great switch-in to Mega Gardevoir, Latios, and Latias, Heatran has to look out for their coverage moves, as Focus Blast and Surf, respectively, hit Heatran hard on the switch. The combination of Toxic + Protect is great for wearing down the opponent, but the use of Protect may become very predictable, and it may give your opponent a lot of free turns to switch out or set up. Thus, it's advised to play carefully with Protect, especially if your opponent has a way of using it to their favor. If running Roar you can phaze Dragons that are already set up, but Heatran shouldn't be your main answer to these setup sweepers, as boosted Outrages severely hurt Heatran. In addition to this, most sweepers run coverage moves to hit Heatran for super effective damage.
Team Options
========
Bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Amoongus are incredible partners for Heatran due to their great synergy and ability to deal with Ground- and Water-type attacks. Bulky Water-types are also very good partners, with Rotom-W, Suicune, Azumarill, and Keldeo being optimal choices. Having a solid physical wall to take on Garchomp and Terrakion is generally a good option, as they often force Heatran out. This makes Skarmory, Landorus-T, and Hippowdon all good teammates. Clefable is a great partner for Heatran, as it can easily take Fighting-type attacks, while Heatran easily takes on the Steel-types that annoy Clefable.
If running Roar, Pokemon that can set entry hazards, such as Spikes Ferrothorn and Spikes Chesnaught, make great teammates, as wearing the opponent down with shuffling becomes much easier.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Earth Power / Flamethrower
move 4: Stone Edge / Ancient Power
ability: Flash Fire
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
Overheat is the main STAB option because of its high Base Power, as Choice Scarf Heatran needs as much power as possible. Fire Blast is a more consistent STAB move, however, for its ability to clean up late-game. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that hits Fairy- and Rock-type Pokemon for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice is an option over Flash Cannon, as it gives more coverage. If hitting specially defensive Gliscor and Dragon-types like Latias, Garchomp, and Dragonite for super effective damage is important to your team, Hidden Power Ice is a good pick for the second moveslot. Earth Power offers nice coverage in general and allows Heatran to nail Fire-types like opposing Heatran and Mega Charizard X. Running a secondary Fire STAB move over Earth Power is also an option, as Flamethrower is a reliable move which fits very well on Choice Scarf Heatran for late-game cleaning. Stone Edge allows Heatran to revenge kill key threats such as Volcarona, Talonflame, and Mega Charizard Y. Ancient Power is a viable choice over Stone Edge, as it gives Heatran the ability to take on Bulk Up Talonflame, in addition to being more reliable due to its increased accuracy. It should be noted that Heatran misses out on OHKOing Mega Charizard Y and Volcarona if giving up Stone Edge, however.
Set Details
========
The EV spread is used to maximize power and Speed, allowing Heatran to outspeed Greninja. Modest is the nature of choice for this set, as the set needs as much power as possible to clean up late-game. Missing out on outspeeding +1 Dragonite, and a few less common Pokemon such as Aerodactyl and Mega Manetric, can prove to be costly, which is why Timid shouldn't be completely neglected as an option, as revenge killing these threats can be handy for your team. The extra power from a Modest nature is generally more useful than the extra Speed; in any case, Choice Scarf Heatran is best used as a late-game cleaner, meaning it prefers having extra power.
Usage Tips
========
This set is a good fit on both balanced and offensive teams, as it's one of the few Pokemon capable of switching into and revenge killing Mega Gardevoir and Mega Pinsir. While Heatran is a great switch-in to resisted hits, it has to be wary of covarge moves, as coming in on a Focus Blast or Earthquake can be fatal. Choice Scarf Heatran is often unexpected as well, which means it can use its surprise factor to its advantage, netting KOs on Pokemon expecting to outspeed Heatran.
Team Options
========
Pokemon capable of taking on opposing bulky Water-types that usually switch into Heatran make good teammates. Examples include bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoongus, Celebi, and Ferrothorn. Fighting-types such as Keldeo, Mega Heracross, and Terrakion make great teammates because they are capable of taking on Chansey, which counters Heatran. Defensively, Water-types such as Rotom-W and Azumarill are good partners, as they resist Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Pokemon capable of taking on Dragon-types that like to switch into Heatran's Fire-type STAB moves, such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T, make good teammates.
Offensive Air Balloon
########
name: Offensive Air Balloon
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Earth Power / Toxic / Flash Cannon
ability: Flash Fire
item: Air Balloon
evs: 12 HP / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is the major purpose of the set, as Heatran's ability to beat common Defog users such as Latios, Latias, Zapdos, and Scizor makes it a stellar Stealth Rock setter. Fire Blast is this set's primary offensive move, given that it's Heatran most powerful drawback-free STAB move. The offensive nature of this set makes it a preferred option over Lava Plume. Flamethrower can be used if you want more accuracy and PP, but the lower Base Power means it has a chance to miss out on important benchmarks when it comes to damage output, such as the OHKO on Mega Heracross and the chance to 2HKO specially defensive Gliscor after damage from Stealth Rock. Overheat is also a viable option, but it can make Heatran very vulnerable to being forced out and set up on. Taunt enables Heatran to beat a lot of defensively oriented threats, such as Calm Mind Clefable and stallbreaker Mew. In addition to this, it gives Heatran the ability to stop slower Defog users from Defogging, and hinder common switch-ins such as Chansey, specially defensive Mega Charizard X, specially defensive Gliscor, and bulky Water-types from healing.
The last moveslot is decided by what you want your Heatran to take on. Will-O-Wisp is a very useful tool for crippling physical attackers Heatran can't hit hard enough with its offensive moves, such as Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Azumarill, as well as a few Ground-types that will take a turn to break the balloon, such as Garchomp and Hippowdon. It also enables Heatran to bypass Sucker Punch users such as Bisharp, and it can chip away at Pokemon that enjoy switching into Heatran, such as Keldeo, Greninja, and Landorus. Earth Power provides very solid coverage, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Mega Charizard X, and enables Heatran to fully counter opposing Heatran as long as its Balloon it intact. Toxic is an option to cripple bulky Water-types, Latios, Latias, and Mega Charizard X, but because this set lacks any type of recovery, it isn't that suited for running Toxic. Lastly, Flash Cannon is a solid option to hit Fairies in general, also enabling Heatran to not be walled by a few dragons, such Latios, Latias, and Kyurem-B.
Set Details
========
244 Speed EVs with a Timid nature enable Heatran to outspeed Adamant Excadrill, Jolly Mega Heracross, and most variants of Mew. Full Special Attack investment is given in order to hit as hard as possible, and the remaining EVs are put into HP. Running 212 Speed EVs is also an option if you're not worried about Excadrill or Heracross and want some extra bulk. If you prefer power over the ability to outspeed certain threats, a Modest nature can be chosen with a spread of 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe, which lets Heatran outspeed Adamant Bisharp. You can also run up to 240 Speed with a Modest nature to outspeed Adamant Mega Heracross.
Usage Tips
========
Because Heatran is a Stealth Rock setter and it is preferred to set up Stealth Rock early-game, so leading with it is a good idea. However, it is also advised to keep Heatran's Air Balloon intact if you spot something it could let Heatran check, such as Garchomp or Sand Rush Excadrill. Thanks to its Air Balloon, Heatran forces a lot of switches, especially against Choice-locked Earthquake users; these forced switches provide great opportunities to lay down Stealth Rock. Try to send Heatran in on predicted Fire- and Ground-type moves, but don't be too reckless so you do not lose its Balloon prematurely when you would rather keep it.
Team Options
========
This set is preferably to be used on an offensive team that enjoys Heatran's ability to deal with most Fairy-, Steel-, and Grass-types, and that needs a Stealth Rock setter that can beat most Defoggers, yet doesn't want something too passive so as to kill momentum for the team. Air Balloon gives Heatran an extra immunity, which is very useful for gaining momentum on an offensive team, and lets it temporarily check a few big threats such as Garchomp, Excadrill, and Landorus-T. Heatran is vulnerable to strong Fighting-types and Water-types, particularly Terrakion, Rotom-W, and Keldeo, and also struggles with Landorus, so it's a good idea to pack answers to these. Specifically, Latios and Latias check all of these Pokemon very well, not to mention that they are usually found on offensive teams, where Air Balloon Heatran should be used. Venusaur is also a notoriously good partner and can easily run an offensive set suited for the kind of team this particular set fits on. It also deals with Azumarill, a threat to Heatran.
Other Options
########
Heatran has a few options that aren't listed in the main sets. A Choice Specs set can be used for extreme power, but it's easily walled by Chansey and is outclassed by Mega Charizard Y as a Fire-type wallbreaker. A set with Magma Storm and Protect can be used to cripple switch-ins with residual damage, but Heatran is generally better off spreading burns with Lava Plume. Torment is a cool option to use on Heatran to annoy switch-ins that have only one coverage move to hit it with, but generally the defensive set fits onto teams more easily. A set with Solar Beam holding a Power Herb is a neat idea to nail Water-types for solid damage, but it can only be used once per game. Utilizing multiple lures at the same time is also an option, and a set of Taunt + Magma Storm + Solar Beam + Earth Power with Power Herb can function as a great lure that is capable of beating Rotom-W, Tyranitar, Suicune, Slowbro, Chansey, Azumarill, and specially defensive Mega Charizard X.
Checks & Counters
########
**Special Walls**: Chansey and Blissey can take anything Heatran throws at them due to their immense special bulk. Natural Cure and Heal Bell mean they don't mind taking a Toxic either. Goodra takes little to no damage from any of Heatran's attacks, and it can retaliate with Earthquake or Muddy Water. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X fears nothing but Toxic and can OHKO Heatran with Earthquake.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T can easily OHKO Heatran with a STAB Earthquake. However, they all hate burns, Toxic cripples Landorus-T, and Lava Plume and Fire Blast does a decent chunk of damage to the latter two. Choice Scarf sets can also run Hidden Power Ice to hit them super effectively.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types are great switch-ins to most sets, but they must be wary of Toxic and burns from Lava Plume. Rotom-W, Keldeo, Manaphy, and Azumarill are all common bulky Water-types. Starmie gets a special mention for its ability to spin away Stealth Rock and has access to Natural Cure.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types like Tyranitar and Terrakion can check Heatran nicely, and with sand up, their Special Defense is increased by 50%, allowing them to easily tank a hit or two if need be. However, they must be wary of Flash Cannon and Earth Power, in addition to being burnt.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Keldeo and Conkeldurr can easily take a hit and force Heatran out with their STAB attacks. Conkeldurr can also take advantage of Toxic and burns with Guts.
GP: GatoDelFuego, frenzyplant
Overview
########
Blessed with an unique Fire / Steel typing and good bulk, Heatran is one of the best switch-ins to top-tier threats such as Latios, Latias, Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor. With its above-average base 130 Special Attack, Heatran has a lot of offensive presence, meaning it can be hard to switch into. Heatran's mediocre Speed stat is its biggest letdown, and while its typing grants it key resistances, it also leaves Heatran vulnerable to common Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-types. On the wrong team Heatran might have a hard time switching in, but if played right, it can pose quite the threat to opposing teams.
Specially Defensive
########
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Taunt / Earth Power / Roar
move 4: Protect / Stealth Rock / Earth Power
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
nature: Calm
Moves
========
Specially defensive Heatran is the most commonly used set, as it checks a lot of Pokemon that are otherwise hard to check, such as Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard Y. Lava Plume is Heatran's primary attack and can be hard to switch into due to Heatran's good Special Attack. Due to its 30% chance to burn, Lava Plume is also a really effective status spreader, capable of crippling a lot of switch-ins. Toxic is great on Heatran, allowing Heatran to be able to take on switch-ins with reliable recovery such as Latios and Latias, in addition to Fire-types that are immune to burns.
Taunt is the primary option for Heatran's third moveslot, as it allows Heatran to beat Calm Mind Clefable. In addition, it also stops slower Pokemon such as Chansey and Skarmory from utilizing their support moves. If opposing Heatran are a problem to your team, Earth Power is an option to hit them for super effective damage. Earth Power also gives Heatran a way of doing good damage to Terrakion and offensive Water-types such as Greninja and Keldeo on the switch. Roar is also an option to phaze setup sweepers such as Mega Charizard X, Clefable, and Dragonite out in a pinch, cutting their sweep short. It is also great for racking up damage from entry hazards and eventual damage from Toxic and burns. The last moveslot decides how your Heatran is going to function; Protect lets it recover more HP from Leftovers, in addition to being great for scouting against Choice-locked Pokemon and racking up status damage. Running Stealth Rock is the last moveslot is also an viable option if your team is lacking a Stealth Rock setter. It should be noted that without Protect, Heatran might struggle to recover the damage taken from entry hazards and the resisted hits it switches into. Lastly, running Earth Power over Protect or Stealth Rock is another option if Heatran and Terrakion are problems to your team.
Apart from these moves, Heatran has a few other options which are perfectly viable; if your team relies on Heatran as its main check to Mega Charizard Y and the occasional Volcarona, Stone Edge or Ancient Power can be run to severely hurt them. Lastly, Flash Cannon is a good pick if hitting Fairy-types like Mega Gardevoir and Clefable hard is needed.
Set Details
========
Leftovers is the item of choice, as it's great for healing residual damage, seeing as Heatran has no form of reliable recovery. 248 HP EVs are used to minimize entry hazard damage, while 68 Speed EVs are used to hit 207 Speed, which lets Heatran outspeed most Mega Venusaur and Suicune. This lets Heatran either KO them or Taunt them to prevent them from healing or setting up. In addition, the investment in Speed lets Heatran outspeed most Mega Scizor that try to Speed creep Heatran, as well as maximum Speed Adamant Azumarill. The rest is put in Special Defense for additional special bulk. If outspeeding these Pokemon is not a huge issue, running an EV spread of 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe is adviced. A Calm nature is used to further boost Heatran's Special Defense.
Running physically defensive Heatran is an option if it's your main check to Mega Charizard X and Talonflame. An EV spread of 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spe with a Bold nature is the best choice, which makes Heatran capable of switching into the aforementioned threats with much more ease than specially defensive Heatran.
If your team depends on Heatran to take on or lure certain threats, like Bisharp, Breloom, Excadrill, and Mega Charizard X, higher benchmarks in Speed can be run. Running 200 Speed EVs with a neutral nature lets Heatran hit 240 Speed, which is enough to outrun base 70 Speed Pokemon with maximum Speed and a neutral nature, such as Adamant Bisharp. 208 Speed EVs with a beneficial nature makes Heatran hit 266 Speed, which lets it outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon with maximum Speed, such as Jolly Breloom and Bisharp. Lastly, running 244 Speed EVs with a beneficial nature lets Heatran hit 276 Speed, which is faster than Adamant Excadrill and most bulky Mega Charizard X. It also lets Heatran Speed tie with standard stallbreaker Mew.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best suited for balanced and bulky offensive teams. While being a great switch-in to Mega Gardevoir, Latios, and Latias, Heatran has to look out for their coverage moves, as Focus Blast and Surf, respectively, hit Heatran hard on the switch. The combination of Toxic + Protect is great for wearing down the opponent, but the use of Protect may become very predictable, and it may give your opponent a lot of free turns to switch out or set up. Thus, it's advised to play carefully with Protect, especially if your opponent has a way of using it to their favor. If running Roar you can phaze Dragons that are already set up, but Heatran shouldn't be your main answer to these setup sweepers, as boosted Outrages severely hurt Heatran. In addition to this, most sweepers run coverage moves to hit Heatran for super effective damage.
Team Options
========
Bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Amoongus are incredible partners for Heatran due to their great synergy and ability to deal with Ground- and Water-type attacks. Bulky Water-types are also very good partners, with Rotom-W, Suicune, Azumarill, and Keldeo being optimal choices. Having a solid physical wall to take on Garchomp and Terrakion is generally a good option, as they often force Heatran out. This makes Skarmory, Landorus-T, and Hippowdon all good teammates. Clefable is a great partner for Heatran, as it can easily take Fighting-type attacks, while Heatran easily takes on the Steel-types that annoy Clefable.
If running Roar, Pokemon that can set entry hazards, such as Spikes Ferrothorn and Spikes Chesnaught, make great teammates, as wearing the opponent down with shuffling becomes much easier.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Earth Power / Flamethrower
move 4: Stone Edge / Ancient Power
ability: Flash Fire
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
Overheat is the main STAB option because of its high Base Power, as Choice Scarf Heatran needs as much power as possible. Fire Blast is a more consistent STAB move, however, for its ability to clean up late-game. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that hits Fairy- and Rock-type Pokemon for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice is an option over Flash Cannon, as it gives more coverage. If hitting specially defensive Gliscor and Dragon-types like Latias, Garchomp, and Dragonite for super effective damage is important to your team, Hidden Power Ice is a good pick for the second moveslot. Earth Power offers nice coverage in general and allows Heatran to nail Fire-types like opposing Heatran and Mega Charizard X. Running a secondary Fire STAB move over Earth Power is also an option, as Flamethrower is a reliable move which fits very well on Choice Scarf Heatran for late-game cleaning. Stone Edge allows Heatran to revenge kill key threats such as Volcarona, Talonflame, and Mega Charizard Y. Ancient Power is a viable choice over Stone Edge, as it gives Heatran the ability to take on Bulk Up Talonflame, in addition to being more reliable due to its increased accuracy. It should be noted that Heatran misses out on OHKOing Mega Charizard Y and Volcarona if giving up Stone Edge, however.
Set Details
========
The EV spread is used to maximize power and Speed, allowing Heatran to outspeed Greninja. Modest is the nature of choice for this set, as the set needs as much power as possible to clean up late-game. Missing out on outspeeding +1 Dragonite, and a few less common Pokemon such as Aerodactyl and Mega Manetric, can prove to be costly, which is why Timid shouldn't be completely neglected as an option, as revenge killing these threats can be handy for your team. The extra power from a Modest nature is generally more useful than the extra Speed; in any case, Choice Scarf Heatran is best used as a late-game cleaner, meaning it prefers having extra power.
Usage Tips
========
This set is a good fit on both balanced and offensive teams, as it's one of the few Pokemon capable of switching into and revenge killing Mega Gardevoir and Mega Pinsir. While Heatran is a great switch-in to resisted hits, it has to be wary of covarge moves, as coming in on a Focus Blast or Earthquake can be fatal. Choice Scarf Heatran is often unexpected as well, which means it can use its surprise factor to its advantage, netting KOs on Pokemon expecting to outspeed Heatran.
Team Options
========
Pokemon capable of taking on opposing bulky Water-types that usually switch into Heatran make good teammates. Examples include bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoongus, Celebi, and Ferrothorn. Fighting-types such as Keldeo, Mega Heracross, and Terrakion make great teammates because they are capable of taking on Chansey, which counters Heatran. Defensively, Water-types such as Rotom-W and Azumarill are good partners, as they resist Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Pokemon capable of taking on Dragon-types that like to switch into Heatran's Fire-type STAB moves, such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T, make good teammates.
Offensive Air Balloon
########
name: Offensive Air Balloon
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Earth Power / Toxic / Flash Cannon
ability: Flash Fire
item: Air Balloon
evs: 12 HP / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
========
Stealth Rock is the major purpose of the set, as Heatran's ability to beat common Defog users such as Latios, Latias, Zapdos, and Scizor makes it a stellar Stealth Rock setter. Fire Blast is this set's primary offensive move, given that it's Heatran most powerful drawback-free STAB move. The offensive nature of this set makes it a preferred option over Lava Plume. Flamethrower can be used if you want more accuracy and PP, but the lower Base Power means it has a chance to miss out on important benchmarks when it comes to damage output, such as the OHKO on Mega Heracross and the chance to 2HKO specially defensive Gliscor after damage from Stealth Rock. Overheat is also a viable option, but it can make Heatran very vulnerable to being forced out and set up on. Taunt enables Heatran to beat a lot of defensively oriented threats, such as Calm Mind Clefable and stallbreaker Mew. In addition to this, it gives Heatran the ability to stop slower Defog users from Defogging, and hinder common switch-ins such as Chansey, specially defensive Mega Charizard X, specially defensive Gliscor, and bulky Water-types from healing.
The last moveslot is decided by what you want your Heatran to take on. Will-O-Wisp is a very useful tool for crippling physical attackers Heatran can't hit hard enough with its offensive moves, such as Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Azumarill, as well as a few Ground-types that will take a turn to break the balloon, such as Garchomp and Hippowdon. It also enables Heatran to bypass Sucker Punch users such as Bisharp, and it can chip away at Pokemon that enjoy switching into Heatran, such as Keldeo, Greninja, and Landorus. Earth Power provides very solid coverage, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Mega Charizard X, and enables Heatran to fully counter opposing Heatran as long as its Balloon it intact. Toxic is an option to cripple bulky Water-types, Latios, Latias, and Mega Charizard X, but because this set lacks any type of recovery, it isn't that suited for running Toxic. Lastly, Flash Cannon is a solid option to hit Fairies in general, also enabling Heatran to not be walled by a few dragons, such Latios, Latias, and Kyurem-B.
Set Details
========
244 Speed EVs with a Timid nature enable Heatran to outspeed Adamant Excadrill, Jolly Mega Heracross, and most variants of Mew. Full Special Attack investment is given in order to hit as hard as possible, and the remaining EVs are put into HP. Running 212 Speed EVs is also an option if you're not worried about Excadrill or Heracross and want some extra bulk. If you prefer power over the ability to outspeed certain threats, a Modest nature can be chosen with a spread of 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe, which lets Heatran outspeed Adamant Bisharp. You can also run up to 240 Speed with a Modest nature to outspeed Adamant Mega Heracross.
Usage Tips
========
Because Heatran is a Stealth Rock setter and it is preferred to set up Stealth Rock early-game, so leading with it is a good idea. However, it is also advised to keep Heatran's Air Balloon intact if you spot something it could let Heatran check, such as Garchomp or Sand Rush Excadrill. Thanks to its Air Balloon, Heatran forces a lot of switches, especially against Choice-locked Earthquake users; these forced switches provide great opportunities to lay down Stealth Rock. Try to send Heatran in on predicted Fire- and Ground-type moves, but don't be too reckless so you do not lose its Balloon prematurely when you would rather keep it.
Team Options
========
This set is preferably to be used on an offensive team that enjoys Heatran's ability to deal with most Fairy-, Steel-, and Grass-types, and that needs a Stealth Rock setter that can beat most Defoggers, yet doesn't want something too passive so as to kill momentum for the team. Air Balloon gives Heatran an extra immunity, which is very useful for gaining momentum on an offensive team, and lets it temporarily check a few big threats such as Garchomp, Excadrill, and Landorus-T. Heatran is vulnerable to strong Fighting-types and Water-types, particularly Terrakion, Rotom-W, and Keldeo, and also struggles with Landorus, so it's a good idea to pack answers to these. Specifically, Latios and Latias check all of these Pokemon very well, not to mention that they are usually found on offensive teams, where Air Balloon Heatran should be used. Venusaur is also a notoriously good partner and can easily run an offensive set suited for the kind of team this particular set fits on. It also deals with Azumarill, a threat to Heatran.
Other Options
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Heatran has a few options that aren't listed in the main sets. A Choice Specs set can be used for extreme power, but it's easily walled by Chansey and is outclassed by Mega Charizard Y as a Fire-type wallbreaker. A set with Magma Storm and Protect can be used to cripple switch-ins with residual damage, but Heatran is generally better off spreading burns with Lava Plume. Torment is a cool option to use on Heatran to annoy switch-ins that have only one coverage move to hit it with, but generally the defensive set fits onto teams more easily. A set with Solar Beam holding a Power Herb is a neat idea to nail Water-types for solid damage, but it can only be used once per game. Utilizing multiple lures at the same time is also an option, and a set of Taunt + Magma Storm + Solar Beam + Earth Power with Power Herb can function as a great lure that is capable of beating Rotom-W, Tyranitar, Suicune, Slowbro, Chansey, Azumarill, and specially defensive Mega Charizard X.
Checks & Counters
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**Special Walls**: Chansey and Blissey can take anything Heatran throws at them due to their immense special bulk. Natural Cure and Heal Bell mean they don't mind taking a Toxic either. Goodra takes little to no damage from any of Heatran's attacks, and it can retaliate with Earthquake or Muddy Water. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X fears nothing but Toxic and can OHKO Heatran with Earthquake.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T can easily OHKO Heatran with a STAB Earthquake. However, they all hate burns, Toxic cripples Landorus-T, and Lava Plume and Fire Blast does a decent chunk of damage to the latter two. Choice Scarf sets can also run Hidden Power Ice to hit them super effectively.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types are great switch-ins to most sets, but they must be wary of Toxic and burns from Lava Plume. Rotom-W, Keldeo, Manaphy, and Azumarill are all common bulky Water-types. Starmie gets a special mention for its ability to spin away Stealth Rock and has access to Natural Cure.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types like Tyranitar and Terrakion can check Heatran nicely, and with sand up, their Special Defense is increased by 50%, allowing them to easily tank a hit or two if need be. However, they must be wary of Flash Cannon and Earth Power, in addition to being burnt.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types like Keldeo and Conkeldurr can easily take a hit and force Heatran out with their STAB attacks. Conkeldurr can also take advantage of Toxic and burns with Guts.
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