Electrolyte
Wouldn't Wanna Know
Taken over from Lagaagagagagag
QC Approval: [Nollan, Mizuhime, Lolkomori, Audiosurfer, Pwnemon]
GP Stamps: [Calm Pokemaster, Pwnemon (amcheck stamped by me :D)]
Overview
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Heatran's magnificent typing and ability combination allow it to counter a multitude of threats and gives it plenty of opportunities to apply offensive pressure. Its stats are also terrific, giving it power and enough bulk to survive even super effective attacks, such as Hydro Pump from Rotom-W. To top it all off, it has a great movepool and a lot of different options to use. It has powerful STAB spread moves in Heat Wave and Eruption as well as access to coverage moves such as Earth Power and Ancient Power. Unfortunately, its 4x weakness to Ground-type moves is very exploitable, and it's also weak to Water- and Fighting-type moves, which are both fairly common. It also lacks the key coverage types it needs in order to truly be able to beat most Water- and Dragon-types. Still, Heatran's unique traits make it a top-tier threat and a popular choice for many teams.
Substitute
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name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
evs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
This set lets Heatran take advantage of its resistances and immunities in order to set up a Substitute safely and then launch its powerful attacks. With a Substitute up, Heatran becomes even harder to take down, and it can immediately impose tremendous offensive pressure with its powerful attacks. Heat Wave is a very consistent STAB spread move and is easily spammable once a Substitute is up. Earth Power provides much-needed coverage against Rock- and Fire-types, especially opposing Heatran. Protect is a great move on any Doubles Pokemon, and it is very good to use alongside Substitute, giving Heatran the ability to protect itself against being double targeted as well as scout for dangerous attacks when its Substitute is down.
Set Details
========
76 Speed Heatran outspeeds 0 Speed Rotom-W and Cresselia, and the remainder of its EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. A Modest nature is used to maximize power and because Heatran doesn't need any more Speed or bulk than the spread already provides. Leftovers is the best item choice, as it works well in tandem with Protect to help Heatran steadily replenish its health and use Substitute more. Flash Fire should be used as the ability as it lets Heatran wall threats such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y.
Usage Tips
========
This set's goal is to fire off as many powerful attacks as possible, using Substitute in order to protect itself from dangerous switch-ins. Thus, it is advised to take advantage of Heatran's resistances and immunities to switch in against Pokemon that it can easily force out, such as Amoonguss or Scizor. It can use the free turn as the opponent switches to set up a Substitute or use Heat Wave to get some damage done. From there, Heatran can continue to use Heat Wave and Protect accordingly, with Earth Power for the occasional Rock- or Fire-type. The combination of Protect and Substitute often helps Heatran avoid taking damage for significant amounts of time, as it can often recover health lost to Substitute by just alternating between Protect and an attacking move. If a check or counter switches in when Heatran does not have a Substitute up, just switch it out and send it back in later, gradually wearing down said check. Once all of Heatran's checks are taken down or weakened, it can effectively clean up the opposing team, utilizing Protect and Substitute to shield itself from status and revenge killing attempts. Do not let Heatran stay in against a Ground-type, unless Heatran has a Substitute up, as most fairly powerful Ground-type attacks can easily OHKO Heatran. Because of this, it is also often a good idea to use Protect against Pokemon such as Latios and Genesect to scout for Hidden Power Ground and other surprise Ground-type coverage attacks. Due to Heatran's numerous resistances and ability to recover gradually with Leftovers, it has no trouble switching out and switching back in, and it should thus be saved for later if an opponent still has a potentially dangerous threat that Heatran still needs to counter.
Team Options
========
For partners, Heatran seeks Pokemon that can remove its checks and counters quickly so that it can begin to clean up the opposing team. Grass-types enjoy Heatran's ability to tackle Fire-types and Talonflame and can remove Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types in return. Shaymin-S, Amoonguss, and Venusaur are prime examples, all of which can take Water- and Fighting-type attacks for Heatran. Ludicolo can also help sponge Water-type attacks, but cannot take too many Fighting-type attacks. Follow Me / Rage Powder Pokemon can redirect attacks and give Heatran openings to set up. Togekiss gets a special mention for beating Fighting-types as well. Water-types beat Ground-types and can hit airborne Fire-types that wall Heatran. Rotom-W is great, as it can burn Fighting-types and pummel opposing Fire-types with Hydro Pump. It also keeps Landorus-T and other Earthquake users away. Thundurus is a great partner, as it can support Heatran with priority Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Tailwind, preventing the opponent's Pokemon from using Taunt and Wide Guard. Heatran is great at removing Steel-types, which can open up sweeps for offensive teammates such as Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Scizor, making them great partners as well. Fairy-types can also return the favor by keeping Dragon-types away or removing them completely. Gardevoir and Latios form great offensive cores with Heatran, as they lure in Steel-types for Heatran to set up Substitute on. Latios also disposes of Garchomp and can set up a Tailwind for Heatran to function better. Hitmontop is also a possible option for offensive support. Its Intimidate, Wide Guard, and Fake Out support greatly help Heatran fulfill its role. It also has Feint, which hits through opposing Wide Guard, letting Heatran more reliably use Heat Wave. Icy Wind or Trick Room Cresselia is a great partner too. Icy Wind provides Speed control for Heatran and also hits Ground-types fairly hard, while Trick Room support helps minimum Speed Heatran by helping it outpace most Ground-types and other faster threats. Also, Cresselia can pass Heatran its Levitate with Skill Swap, alleviating the latter's greatest weakness.
ErupTran
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name: ErupTran
move 1: Eruption
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Charcoal / Shuca Berry
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
Moves
========
With this set, Heatran takes advantage of its super powerful Eruption to deal heavy damage to its opponents. Eruption is extremely powerful; when Heatran is at full health, it hits 270 Base Power after STAB and the Charcoal boost, and it is also a spread move. Heat Wave is there as a backup STAB spread move, being more powerful than Eruption after Heatran's HP dips below 64%. Fire Blast can be used instead of Heat Wave as a great single-target option to hit Wide Guard opponents. Earth Power is for coverage against Fire- and Rock-types that resist Eruption. Protect is great for scouting and messing up offensive strategies.
Set Details
========
Heatran's Speed stat is minimized, as this set should be used with Trick Room support. However, it can be run with 31 Speed IVs so that it can maintain some leverage outside of Trick Room. Maximum Special Attack investment makes Heatran as powerful as possible, and full HP investment gives it solid mixed bulk. Charcoal is the best item here, as it boosts the power of Eruption while still letting Heatran use its other moves. A Shuca Berry can also be used to allow Heatran to sponge one Ground-type attack if Heatran does not have sufficient team support against opposing Ground-type attacks. A Sitrus Berry can be used to recover HP quickly and at the same time replenish Eruption's power, but on average Charcoal is better because its boost makes up for the power loss. Leftovers can also be used for this, but are slower at doing so than Sitrus Berry.
Usage Tips
========
Eruption is the main move to utilize on this set. It's so powerful when Heatran is at maximum health that it hits even resistant opponents harder than Earth Power does, so it should be what Heatran uses most of the time. After taking damage, Heatran becomes far less powerful, so it is important to keep it healthy so it can spam Eruption over the course of the match. Do not use Eruption and Heat Wave against an obvious Wide Guard user such as Hitmontop unless Heatran is supported by a Feint user that can remove the protection. Once Heatran loses more than 36% of its health, Heat Wave will become more powerful than Eruption and should be used instead.
Team Options
========
Trick Room setters are pretty much mandatory partners unless other forms of Speed control are provided. Cresselia, Gourgeist-S, and Trevenant get their own mentions here. Cresselia is a great supporter for Heatran, as it can both set up Trick Room and support Heatran's spread moves with Helping Hand. Cresselia also has Skill Swap, which can be used to pass Heatran its Levitate and give it an immunity to Ground, at least until Heatran switches out. It is also immune to Ground-type attacks and can easily switch in to take them. Trevenant also has great synergy with Heatran, as it OHKOes Rotom-W and burns threatening Fighting- and Ground-types. It can even use Will-O-Wisp on Heatran to activate Flash Fire and boost the power of Eruption. Trevenant and other Grass-types also enjoy Heatran's ability to tank Fire-type attacks and wall Talonflame, and can even carry Sunny Day to power up Heatran's attacks. Tailwind can also be used to support Heatran; 24 Speed EVs are all Heatran needs to outspeed maximum Speed Thundurus at +2. Latios is a great partner for this, as it can also remove opposing Dragon-types that wall Heatran. Other forms of Speed control that Heatran would enjoy include Thunder Wave support, which can be provided by Pokemon such as Thundurus, which also has Taunt and priority on its status moves. Hitmontop is also a great partner for Heatran, as it provides Intimidate, Helping Hand, and Fake Out support as well as Feint support to remove opposing Wide Guard. Water-types help beat Ground- and Rock-types as well as airborne Fire-types that wall Heatran. Examples include Jellicent, which can support Heatran with Trick Room, and Suicune, which has access to Tailwind. They also bait in Grass-types for Heatran to take down.
Attacker
########
name: Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power / Stone Edge
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Flash Cannon / Stone Edge
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Shuca Berry
evs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
With this set, Heatran's main goal is to continuously launch an onslaught of attacks at the opponent. Heat Wave is a spread STAB attack that can readily rip apart unprepared teams. Fire Blast can be used for its greater power, but has slightly less accuracy in comparison to Heat Wave and cannot hit both targets. In the second slot, Earth Power is used to hit Rock-types and Fire-types that resist Heatran's Fire-type STAB attack. Stone Edge can also be used to nail Fire-types such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y. Ancient Power is another option to hit airborne Fire-types, but it is less likely to OHKO Mega Charizard Y even with the Modest nature. Hidden Power Ice surprises Ground-type switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Garchomp and also hits Dragon-types hard. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB attack that can also be used in the third slot to hit Dragon- and Rock-types, and it also hits Fairy-types super effectively. If Earth Power is needed, Stone Edge can also be used in the third slot.
Set Details
========
A Modest nature and 200 Speed EVs allow Heatran to outspeed neutral-natured maximum 252 Speed Adamant Bisharp and below, also covering threats such as Rotom-W and Cresselia. Timid can also be used with the same spread in order to outpace Jolly Breloom and below, at the cost of some power. 252 Special Attack EVs make Heatran as powerful as possible, and the rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk. An alternate spread of 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe with a Modest nature can work as well for maximum power, some more bulk, and the ability to still outspeed Rotom-W and Cresselia, if it is not important for Heatran to outspeed invested base 70 Speed Pokemon. A Shuca Berry is used to guard against Earthquakes from the likes of Landorus-T and Garchomp, helping Heatran effectively lure them in for the surprise OHKO with Hidden Power Ice. It also guards Heatran from surprise Ground-type coverage moves such as Hidden Power Ground. A Sitrus Berry can be used for recovery. Charcoal could also work to boost the power of Heatran's Fire-type attacks. Finally, Life Orb can be used to boost the power of Heatran's attacks significantly at the cost of some health.
Usage Tips
========
What this set lacks in power or setup utility, it makes up for with coverage. With coverage, Heatran becomes incredibly difficult to wall, especially seeing as its attacks are backed by such a high Special Attack stat. Heatran can also try to feign a Substitute or Eruption set to lure in counters and KO them. Most of the time, Heatran should fire off Heat Wave or Fire Blast to deal steady damage. The Shuca Berry will guard Heatran against one Ground-type attack, so Heatran can lure in Ground-types, absorb their attack, and KO them with Hidden Power Ice. Do not reveal Heatran's coverage moves unless absolutely necessary, as they should be used to surprise the opponent and take down its typical walls. Do not be afraid to let Heatran sponge a few hits; it lasts a long time and can switch out and come back if necessary.
Team Options
========
Heatran greatly appreciates support from any Pokemon that can eliminate Pokemon it can't get past. Grass-types are great partners to tackle the Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that Heatran can't muscle past. These include Shaymin-S, Amoonguss, and Breloom, the first of which can also take down Fighting-types, and the last two of which can support Heatran with Spore. This Heatran set eats up Steel-types, so anything walled by them appreciates the defensive opening created. Fairy-types in particular are great partners, especially Mega Gardevoir, which can help Heatran muscle past specially defensive Pokemon and also remove Fighting-types. Mega Charizard Y provides Drought to boost Heatran's Fire-type STAB attacks. Psychic-, Flying-, and Fairy-types are all useful as they remove Fighting-type threats. Defensively, Wide Guard is this set's best friend. Without Substitute and Eruption to deter Ground-types, this set is more susceptible to Earthquake, which Wide Guard protects against. Wide Guard also protects against Muddy Water, another attack that hits Heatran hard. Speed control support is also really helpful for this set, and Trick Room support can be paired with minimal Speed Heatran. Cresselia is great as it can set Trick Room, use Helping Hand, and set up dual screens. Tailwind is also beneficial. Partners such as Suicune, Talonflame, and Latias can provide this support. Fake Out support can stun Ground-types so Heatran can take them out with Hidden Power Ice. Intimidate support weakens opponents and makes Heatran "bulkier". Hitmontop is a great partner as it provides Wide Guard, Fake Out, and Intimidate support.
Other Options
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Heatran can also use Hidden Power Grass to hit Water-types for more damage. A utility set with Will-O-Wisp and Taunt can be used to great effect. A Shuca or Chople Berry on the Substitute and Eruption sets can be used to help Heatran shrug off super effective attacks temporarily. Choice Specs can be utilized for even more impressive power, but is quite risky and easy to punish with smart switches. Similarly, a Choice Scarf can be used to outspeed opponents and hit them hard. A Sitrus Berry can be used to recover Heatran's health quickly. Air Balloon can also be used instead of a Shuca Berry to give Heatran a temporary immunity to Ground.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Gastrodon can just OHKO Heatran. However, those that don't resist its Fire-type STAB attacks must watch out when they switch in lest they take a load of damage. Hidden Power Ground can be used on a multitude of special attackers to surprise and take down Heatran. Other Heatran can threaten with a Speed tie if your own Heatran doesn't have a Substitute up and possibly force your own to flee. Fighting-types are also threatening as many are bulky enough to sponge attacks, and some even have priority Mach Punch to bypass speed control support.
**Rain Teams**: Politoed and other rain setters are Heatran's biggest enemy, halving the power of its Fire-type STAB attacks. The Water-types that are common on rain teams also give Heatran a lot of trouble, taking very little damage from its attacks and easily taking it down with rain-boosted super effective Water-type attacks. Notable examples of these include Ludicolo, Rotom-W, Gyarados, and Keldeo.
**Utility**: Taunt prevents Heatran from using Substitute, Encore locks Heatran into it, and Wide Guard blocks Heat Wave. Perish Song forces Heatran out, even if it has a Substitute up.
**Assault Vest Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Assault Vest Goodra, Ludicolo, Scrafty, and Conkeldurr can easily sponge Heatran's attacks and chip away at its health with STAB attacks and coverage moves.
QC Approval: [Nollan, Mizuhime, Lolkomori, Audiosurfer, Pwnemon]
GP Stamps: [Calm Pokemaster, Pwnemon (amcheck stamped by me :D)]
Overview
########
Heatran's magnificent typing and ability combination allow it to counter a multitude of threats and gives it plenty of opportunities to apply offensive pressure. Its stats are also terrific, giving it power and enough bulk to survive even super effective attacks, such as Hydro Pump from Rotom-W. To top it all off, it has a great movepool and a lot of different options to use. It has powerful STAB spread moves in Heat Wave and Eruption as well as access to coverage moves such as Earth Power and Ancient Power. Unfortunately, its 4x weakness to Ground-type moves is very exploitable, and it's also weak to Water- and Fighting-type moves, which are both fairly common. It also lacks the key coverage types it needs in order to truly be able to beat most Water- and Dragon-types. Still, Heatran's unique traits make it a top-tier threat and a popular choice for many teams.
Substitute
########
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Leftovers
evs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
This set lets Heatran take advantage of its resistances and immunities in order to set up a Substitute safely and then launch its powerful attacks. With a Substitute up, Heatran becomes even harder to take down, and it can immediately impose tremendous offensive pressure with its powerful attacks. Heat Wave is a very consistent STAB spread move and is easily spammable once a Substitute is up. Earth Power provides much-needed coverage against Rock- and Fire-types, especially opposing Heatran. Protect is a great move on any Doubles Pokemon, and it is very good to use alongside Substitute, giving Heatran the ability to protect itself against being double targeted as well as scout for dangerous attacks when its Substitute is down.
Set Details
========
76 Speed Heatran outspeeds 0 Speed Rotom-W and Cresselia, and the remainder of its EVs are invested in HP and Special Attack. A Modest nature is used to maximize power and because Heatran doesn't need any more Speed or bulk than the spread already provides. Leftovers is the best item choice, as it works well in tandem with Protect to help Heatran steadily replenish its health and use Substitute more. Flash Fire should be used as the ability as it lets Heatran wall threats such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y.
Usage Tips
========
This set's goal is to fire off as many powerful attacks as possible, using Substitute in order to protect itself from dangerous switch-ins. Thus, it is advised to take advantage of Heatran's resistances and immunities to switch in against Pokemon that it can easily force out, such as Amoonguss or Scizor. It can use the free turn as the opponent switches to set up a Substitute or use Heat Wave to get some damage done. From there, Heatran can continue to use Heat Wave and Protect accordingly, with Earth Power for the occasional Rock- or Fire-type. The combination of Protect and Substitute often helps Heatran avoid taking damage for significant amounts of time, as it can often recover health lost to Substitute by just alternating between Protect and an attacking move. If a check or counter switches in when Heatran does not have a Substitute up, just switch it out and send it back in later, gradually wearing down said check. Once all of Heatran's checks are taken down or weakened, it can effectively clean up the opposing team, utilizing Protect and Substitute to shield itself from status and revenge killing attempts. Do not let Heatran stay in against a Ground-type, unless Heatran has a Substitute up, as most fairly powerful Ground-type attacks can easily OHKO Heatran. Because of this, it is also often a good idea to use Protect against Pokemon such as Latios and Genesect to scout for Hidden Power Ground and other surprise Ground-type coverage attacks. Due to Heatran's numerous resistances and ability to recover gradually with Leftovers, it has no trouble switching out and switching back in, and it should thus be saved for later if an opponent still has a potentially dangerous threat that Heatran still needs to counter.
Team Options
========
For partners, Heatran seeks Pokemon that can remove its checks and counters quickly so that it can begin to clean up the opposing team. Grass-types enjoy Heatran's ability to tackle Fire-types and Talonflame and can remove Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types in return. Shaymin-S, Amoonguss, and Venusaur are prime examples, all of which can take Water- and Fighting-type attacks for Heatran. Ludicolo can also help sponge Water-type attacks, but cannot take too many Fighting-type attacks. Follow Me / Rage Powder Pokemon can redirect attacks and give Heatran openings to set up. Togekiss gets a special mention for beating Fighting-types as well. Water-types beat Ground-types and can hit airborne Fire-types that wall Heatran. Rotom-W is great, as it can burn Fighting-types and pummel opposing Fire-types with Hydro Pump. It also keeps Landorus-T and other Earthquake users away. Thundurus is a great partner, as it can support Heatran with priority Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Tailwind, preventing the opponent's Pokemon from using Taunt and Wide Guard. Heatran is great at removing Steel-types, which can open up sweeps for offensive teammates such as Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Scizor, making them great partners as well. Fairy-types can also return the favor by keeping Dragon-types away or removing them completely. Gardevoir and Latios form great offensive cores with Heatran, as they lure in Steel-types for Heatran to set up Substitute on. Latios also disposes of Garchomp and can set up a Tailwind for Heatran to function better. Hitmontop is also a possible option for offensive support. Its Intimidate, Wide Guard, and Fake Out support greatly help Heatran fulfill its role. It also has Feint, which hits through opposing Wide Guard, letting Heatran more reliably use Heat Wave. Icy Wind or Trick Room Cresselia is a great partner too. Icy Wind provides Speed control for Heatran and also hits Ground-types fairly hard, while Trick Room support helps minimum Speed Heatran by helping it outpace most Ground-types and other faster threats. Also, Cresselia can pass Heatran its Levitate with Skill Swap, alleviating the latter's greatest weakness.
ErupTran
########
name: ErupTran
move 1: Eruption
move 2: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Charcoal / Shuca Berry
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Quiet
Moves
========
With this set, Heatran takes advantage of its super powerful Eruption to deal heavy damage to its opponents. Eruption is extremely powerful; when Heatran is at full health, it hits 270 Base Power after STAB and the Charcoal boost, and it is also a spread move. Heat Wave is there as a backup STAB spread move, being more powerful than Eruption after Heatran's HP dips below 64%. Fire Blast can be used instead of Heat Wave as a great single-target option to hit Wide Guard opponents. Earth Power is for coverage against Fire- and Rock-types that resist Eruption. Protect is great for scouting and messing up offensive strategies.
Set Details
========
Heatran's Speed stat is minimized, as this set should be used with Trick Room support. However, it can be run with 31 Speed IVs so that it can maintain some leverage outside of Trick Room. Maximum Special Attack investment makes Heatran as powerful as possible, and full HP investment gives it solid mixed bulk. Charcoal is the best item here, as it boosts the power of Eruption while still letting Heatran use its other moves. A Shuca Berry can also be used to allow Heatran to sponge one Ground-type attack if Heatran does not have sufficient team support against opposing Ground-type attacks. A Sitrus Berry can be used to recover HP quickly and at the same time replenish Eruption's power, but on average Charcoal is better because its boost makes up for the power loss. Leftovers can also be used for this, but are slower at doing so than Sitrus Berry.
Usage Tips
========
Eruption is the main move to utilize on this set. It's so powerful when Heatran is at maximum health that it hits even resistant opponents harder than Earth Power does, so it should be what Heatran uses most of the time. After taking damage, Heatran becomes far less powerful, so it is important to keep it healthy so it can spam Eruption over the course of the match. Do not use Eruption and Heat Wave against an obvious Wide Guard user such as Hitmontop unless Heatran is supported by a Feint user that can remove the protection. Once Heatran loses more than 36% of its health, Heat Wave will become more powerful than Eruption and should be used instead.
Team Options
========
Trick Room setters are pretty much mandatory partners unless other forms of Speed control are provided. Cresselia, Gourgeist-S, and Trevenant get their own mentions here. Cresselia is a great supporter for Heatran, as it can both set up Trick Room and support Heatran's spread moves with Helping Hand. Cresselia also has Skill Swap, which can be used to pass Heatran its Levitate and give it an immunity to Ground, at least until Heatran switches out. It is also immune to Ground-type attacks and can easily switch in to take them. Trevenant also has great synergy with Heatran, as it OHKOes Rotom-W and burns threatening Fighting- and Ground-types. It can even use Will-O-Wisp on Heatran to activate Flash Fire and boost the power of Eruption. Trevenant and other Grass-types also enjoy Heatran's ability to tank Fire-type attacks and wall Talonflame, and can even carry Sunny Day to power up Heatran's attacks. Tailwind can also be used to support Heatran; 24 Speed EVs are all Heatran needs to outspeed maximum Speed Thundurus at +2. Latios is a great partner for this, as it can also remove opposing Dragon-types that wall Heatran. Other forms of Speed control that Heatran would enjoy include Thunder Wave support, which can be provided by Pokemon such as Thundurus, which also has Taunt and priority on its status moves. Hitmontop is also a great partner for Heatran, as it provides Intimidate, Helping Hand, and Fake Out support as well as Feint support to remove opposing Wide Guard. Water-types help beat Ground- and Rock-types as well as airborne Fire-types that wall Heatran. Examples include Jellicent, which can support Heatran with Trick Room, and Suicune, which has access to Tailwind. They also bait in Grass-types for Heatran to take down.
Attacker
########
name: Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power / Stone Edge
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Flash Cannon / Stone Edge
move 4: Protect
ability: Flash Fire
item: Shuca Berry
evs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
nature: Modest / Timid
Moves
========
With this set, Heatran's main goal is to continuously launch an onslaught of attacks at the opponent. Heat Wave is a spread STAB attack that can readily rip apart unprepared teams. Fire Blast can be used for its greater power, but has slightly less accuracy in comparison to Heat Wave and cannot hit both targets. In the second slot, Earth Power is used to hit Rock-types and Fire-types that resist Heatran's Fire-type STAB attack. Stone Edge can also be used to nail Fire-types such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y. Ancient Power is another option to hit airborne Fire-types, but it is less likely to OHKO Mega Charizard Y even with the Modest nature. Hidden Power Ice surprises Ground-type switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Garchomp and also hits Dragon-types hard. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB attack that can also be used in the third slot to hit Dragon- and Rock-types, and it also hits Fairy-types super effectively. If Earth Power is needed, Stone Edge can also be used in the third slot.
Set Details
========
A Modest nature and 200 Speed EVs allow Heatran to outspeed neutral-natured maximum 252 Speed Adamant Bisharp and below, also covering threats such as Rotom-W and Cresselia. Timid can also be used with the same spread in order to outpace Jolly Breloom and below, at the cost of some power. 252 Special Attack EVs make Heatran as powerful as possible, and the rest of the EVs are put into HP for bulk. An alternate spread of 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe with a Modest nature can work as well for maximum power, some more bulk, and the ability to still outspeed Rotom-W and Cresselia, if it is not important for Heatran to outspeed invested base 70 Speed Pokemon. A Shuca Berry is used to guard against Earthquakes from the likes of Landorus-T and Garchomp, helping Heatran effectively lure them in for the surprise OHKO with Hidden Power Ice. It also guards Heatran from surprise Ground-type coverage moves such as Hidden Power Ground. A Sitrus Berry can be used for recovery. Charcoal could also work to boost the power of Heatran's Fire-type attacks. Finally, Life Orb can be used to boost the power of Heatran's attacks significantly at the cost of some health.
Usage Tips
========
What this set lacks in power or setup utility, it makes up for with coverage. With coverage, Heatran becomes incredibly difficult to wall, especially seeing as its attacks are backed by such a high Special Attack stat. Heatran can also try to feign a Substitute or Eruption set to lure in counters and KO them. Most of the time, Heatran should fire off Heat Wave or Fire Blast to deal steady damage. The Shuca Berry will guard Heatran against one Ground-type attack, so Heatran can lure in Ground-types, absorb their attack, and KO them with Hidden Power Ice. Do not reveal Heatran's coverage moves unless absolutely necessary, as they should be used to surprise the opponent and take down its typical walls. Do not be afraid to let Heatran sponge a few hits; it lasts a long time and can switch out and come back if necessary.
Team Options
========
Heatran greatly appreciates support from any Pokemon that can eliminate Pokemon it can't get past. Grass-types are great partners to tackle the Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that Heatran can't muscle past. These include Shaymin-S, Amoonguss, and Breloom, the first of which can also take down Fighting-types, and the last two of which can support Heatran with Spore. This Heatran set eats up Steel-types, so anything walled by them appreciates the defensive opening created. Fairy-types in particular are great partners, especially Mega Gardevoir, which can help Heatran muscle past specially defensive Pokemon and also remove Fighting-types. Mega Charizard Y provides Drought to boost Heatran's Fire-type STAB attacks. Psychic-, Flying-, and Fairy-types are all useful as they remove Fighting-type threats. Defensively, Wide Guard is this set's best friend. Without Substitute and Eruption to deter Ground-types, this set is more susceptible to Earthquake, which Wide Guard protects against. Wide Guard also protects against Muddy Water, another attack that hits Heatran hard. Speed control support is also really helpful for this set, and Trick Room support can be paired with minimal Speed Heatran. Cresselia is great as it can set Trick Room, use Helping Hand, and set up dual screens. Tailwind is also beneficial. Partners such as Suicune, Talonflame, and Latias can provide this support. Fake Out support can stun Ground-types so Heatran can take them out with Hidden Power Ice. Intimidate support weakens opponents and makes Heatran "bulkier". Hitmontop is a great partner as it provides Wide Guard, Fake Out, and Intimidate support.
Other Options
########
Heatran can also use Hidden Power Grass to hit Water-types for more damage. A utility set with Will-O-Wisp and Taunt can be used to great effect. A Shuca or Chople Berry on the Substitute and Eruption sets can be used to help Heatran shrug off super effective attacks temporarily. Choice Specs can be utilized for even more impressive power, but is quite risky and easy to punish with smart switches. Similarly, a Choice Scarf can be used to outspeed opponents and hit them hard. A Sitrus Berry can be used to recover Heatran's health quickly. Air Balloon can also be used instead of a Shuca Berry to give Heatran a temporary immunity to Ground.
Checks & Counters
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**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Gastrodon can just OHKO Heatran. However, those that don't resist its Fire-type STAB attacks must watch out when they switch in lest they take a load of damage. Hidden Power Ground can be used on a multitude of special attackers to surprise and take down Heatran. Other Heatran can threaten with a Speed tie if your own Heatran doesn't have a Substitute up and possibly force your own to flee. Fighting-types are also threatening as many are bulky enough to sponge attacks, and some even have priority Mach Punch to bypass speed control support.
**Rain Teams**: Politoed and other rain setters are Heatran's biggest enemy, halving the power of its Fire-type STAB attacks. The Water-types that are common on rain teams also give Heatran a lot of trouble, taking very little damage from its attacks and easily taking it down with rain-boosted super effective Water-type attacks. Notable examples of these include Ludicolo, Rotom-W, Gyarados, and Keldeo.
**Utility**: Taunt prevents Heatran from using Substitute, Encore locks Heatran into it, and Wide Guard blocks Heat Wave. Perish Song forces Heatran out, even if it has a Substitute up.
**Assault Vest Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Assault Vest Goodra, Ludicolo, Scrafty, and Conkeldurr can easily sponge Heatran's attacks and chip away at its health with STAB attacks and coverage moves.
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