DPP Heatran (Update)*

Flashstorm1 · Jul 8, 2009

Current status: COMPLETED

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/heatran

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Changes:

Addition of team support options for each set
Addition of Team Options section
Revision and correction of any possible grammatical errors
Team support options will be underlined
Renamed "Lead" to "Stealth Rock (Lead)"
Made the 4th option for "Substitute" less cluttered, while keeping the same descriptions given in the analysis on-site
Moveset changes to the "Life Orb" set, courtesy of Vashta

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[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Naive / Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Heatran is the ultimate revenge killer, holding many dangerous threats at bay. This includes, but is not limited to, Scizor, Salamence, Lucario, and even other Heatran. With its numerous resistances and immunity to Fire-type attacks, Heatran can come in with a little prediction and force all of these Pokemon to switch or risk being KO'd. The Choice Scarf puts Heatran at 417 Speed, allowing it to outspeed all unscarfed Pokémon, bar Ninjask, in OU.

Fire Blast is your main STAB move, forcing out Scizor, Lucario, Jirachi, Celebi, and more. Coming off of an impressive 359 Special Attack, it even hurts when resisted. Earth Power is an absolute necessity, due to the popularity of Heatran, and complements Fire Blast by removing other Fire-types. Giving an enemy Heatran a Flash Fire boost is extremely dangerous, so a well predicted Earth Power is often key to winning a match. Explosion should be used when Heatran is on the verge of death, and it will likely take something down with it if pulled off successfully. Dragon Pulse is the main option for the final slot, as it provides excellent neutrality against most opponent's and still provides as a solid option to revenge kill Salamence and even Kingdra. Hidden Power Ice deals more damage to Salamence and also provides an immediate way to take out Gliscor. Hidden Power Grass is an option allows you to wear down bulky Water-type counters, who usually switch into Heatran without thinking twice. If you're mainly using Heatran as a revenge killer, Flamethrower is a reliable option over Fire Blast. The improved accuracy could be the difference between winning and losing a game if your opponent's last two Pokemon are a somewhat weakened Celebi with Earth Power and a Scizor. In a case like this, a case not particularly situational, a reliable move like Flamethrower is a better option than Fire Blast; both will KO the rest of your opponent's team, but Fire Blast has a 15% chance to miss. That chance could cost you the game. Overheat is also an option. Overheat has a slightly higher base power than Fire Blast, but you will be forced to switch out on the following turn due to the Special Attack drop. However, Fire Blast deals more damage than Overheat over the course of two turns. It should be noted that Overheat does have 5% more accuracy than Fire Blast though.

A beneficial Speed nature is not absolutely necessary, but it allows you to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados even after a Dragon Dance, Adamant Heracross even with a Choice Scarf, and all the base 130 Speed Pokemon. Additionally, given the popularity of Heatran, it is not a bad idea to at least force a speed tie should your opponent use one as well.

While Choice Scarf Heatran makes a great revenge killer to a large portion of the metagame, it faces problems against Pokémon which can attempt set up on it, particularly if they either resist or are immune to the attack Heatran is locked into. Although Stealth Rock hampers it's ability to switch in repeatedly, Jolly Dragon Dance Gyarados can easily take a Fire Blast, boost both its Attack and Speed, and KO you with Waterfall on the next turn, as Jolly variants outspeed Heatran. At most, Heatran can only manage 34.94% with Fire Blast against Gyarados, which fails to 2HKO, even with Stealth Rock and Sandstorm damage factored in. Dragon Dance Salamence can also switch into a Heatran locked into anything bar Dragon Pulse, Hidden Power Ice, or a well-timed Explosion, and set up, as Fire Blast manages, at most, 46.69%, to any variant of Salamence. Afterwards, Salamence will proceed to KO you with Earthquake or Outrage against any Pokémon you might have switched in against it. It should be noted that Salamence can't actually switch into Heatran directly, especially is running a Special Defense hindering nature, as it faces a large risk of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast, even if resisted. In fact, Salamence without any HP investment faces a 75.48% chance of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage, and will always be 2HKOed if using a Special Defense hindering nature. Latias can switch into most of Heatran's attacks with ease due to her high Special Defense stat and resistance to Fire-type attacks and proceed to set up Calm Minds or hit you with Surf. Kingdra, in particular, will cause the most trouble, as it has a 4x resistance to Fire-type attacks and is usually bulky enough to take at least 1 non-boosted attack that isn't Dragon-typed, meaning it will usually be at +2 in Attack and Speed if you attempt to revenge kill it with Heatran, which will obviously fail to outspeed Kingdra. And to top it all off, Blissey can switch into this Heatran with no trouble at all as long as it avoids Explosion. Bulky Water-types can also switch into Heatran with ease; Suicune gains a special mention as its ability, Pressure, can easily drain Fire Blast's low PP.

While the number of Pokémon that can set up on Heatran is particularly high, especially after it has revenge killed something, most of the Pokémon mentioned share common counters which pair well with Heatran. Celebi has a relatively easy time taking on Gyarados, as long as it avoids a Life Orbed Bounce, which can OHKO if Gyarados is running an Adamant nature. However, Heatran can switch back in, outspeed, and KO with Explosion, assuming you don't get screwed by Bounce's 30% paralysis rate. Celebi has many options to retaliate with against Gyarados, particularly Thunder Wave, which completely cripples Gyarados, Reflect, which halves all damage Gyarados can deal against Celebi, and finally Grass Knot, which deals anywhere from 38.86% - 46.08% to the standard 4/0 Gyarados. Kingdra faces a similar problem, as a Kingdra at +1 in Attack can only deal, at most, 72.77% with a Life Orbed Outrage against the standard Defensive Celebi; in return, Celebi can use Thunder Wave or Reflect to shrug off Kingdra's attacks and heal any damage taken with Recover. Celebi has Grass Knot and Leaf Storm to hit other bulky Water-types with as well. Celebi is also Heatran's best partner, forming the famous defensive combination known as "CeleTran". Both Pokémon, when paired together, resist 16 of the 17 types, and both are bulky enough to take resisted hits.

Salamence and Latias, unfortunately, are not countered by Celebi, so a different Pokémon is required. Salamence is best handled by a strong priority user, such as Scizor. Scizor pairs well with Heatran type-wise, as Heatran essentially negates any Fire-type attacks thrown at Scizor, and actually benefits from them thanks to its ability, Flash Fire. Choice Band Scizor manages to OHKO 4/0 Salamence with Bullet Punch, provided it has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock and one or two turns of Life Orb recoil. Sandstorm guarantees Salamence will be KOed by Bullet Punch after one turn of Life Orb recoil, as Bullet Punch will do anywhere from 58.73% - 68.98% to Salamence. Latias can also be countered by Scizor, as both U-turn and Pursuit are excellent moves in keeping Latias in check. Latias is OHKOed by U-turn if it stays in, and Pursuit manages to deal anywhere from 86.75% - 102.65% against 4/0 Latias if it stays in, a likely OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, and a definite OHKO if it switches out. Be careful though, as a Life Orbed Surf from max Special Attack Timid Latias has a likely chance of 2HKOing Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, and Hidden Power Fire will OHKO, although it is uncommon to find it on Latias. Scizor has Superpower to hit Blissey with, but one must be careful of accidently switching into Flamethrower.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Explosion
item: Shuca Berry
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran makes for a fine lead and overall user of Stealth Rock, having the ability to easily take on Metagross and Azelf, the two most commonly seen leads in OU. The only commonly seen leads that stand a chance against Heatran are Aerodactyl and Swampert, but only the former can actually prevent Heatran from laying down Stealth Rock. If you decide to not use this set as a lead, many players will assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf. Due to this, Heatran can often net surprise kills on Salamence and Gyarados with Explosion, especially with Shuca Berry ensuring that Heatran survives any Earthquakes coming from the two. Even Latias can be caught off guard with a well-timed Explosion, which can easily allow other special sweepers on the team to plow through the opponent's team, such as Calm Mind Celebi.

Shuca Berry is used here to all but guarantee that Heatran will survive one attack. The only common leads that can OHKO Heatran are Infernape, which can easily set up its own Stealth Rock and proceed to put the hurt on Heatran with Close Combat, and Tyranitar, which often does not run Choice Band and Adamant, both of which are required for an OHKO, as a lead. Life Orb Mamoswine, another Pokémon rising in popularity as a lead, always OHKOes Heatran, even through Shuca Berry. If you really fear a first turn OHKO, you can equip a Focus Sash instead; however, a 1 HP Heatran is nearly useless once your opponent gets Stealth Rock up.

Speed and Special Attack are maxed to allow Heatran to sweep as well as it can. This is important because a lot of the time you will want to save Heatran for later in the game, due to its high Special Attack, decent Speed, and huge number of useful resists, most notably to Dragon-type attacks. If you manage to keep the Shuca berry intact, you will also have a powerful weapon against opposing Heatran and anything using Earthquake. If you want to have that weapon late game regardless, this Heatran does have some effectiveness when it is not a lead. However, getting Stealth Rock up on the first turn is extremely beneficial, and this Pokemon is exceptionally good at doing just that.

Running a Timid nature is an option if you want to be guaranteed to survive Azelf's Psychic + Explosion, but even with Naive, Azelf will need to roll nearly maximum damage from Explosion and above average damage from Psychic in order to score a KO, and the 10% boost to your own Explosion is often worth the risk. As a final note, this lead is not meant to be used on a team which does poorly against Stealth Rock. It can get its own Stealth Rock up in almost every game, but unless your opponent leads with something weak to Fire, they will likely lay their own layer of Stealth Rock as well.

As the name of this set states, Heatran's primary job here is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. For this reason, any Pokémon that can prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock will be the biggest adversary to this set. Taunt, becoming increasingly more common among both suicide and bulky leads, will prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock reliably, forcing it to switch out and set it up later, unless you're lucky and the effect of Taunt only lasts the minimum of two turns on Heatran. Out of the top 10 leads used in the OU metagame, the only two most likely to carry Taunt are Azelf and Aerodactyl. Heatran resists most attacks that lead Azelf is likely to throw at it, meaning you can dispatch it with two successful Fire Blast hits. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, will prove to be more difficult to take down. Not only will Pressure drain Fire Blast's PP, but Aerodactyl also resists Fire Blast and Explosion, and is immune to Earth Power. Aerodactyl will usually do one of two choices: 1) Set up Taunt, then Stealth Rock or 2) Use Earthquake consecutively to KO Heatran. In either scenario, Heatran should not stay in on Aerodactyl. Aside from Taunt leads, other troublesome lead Pokémon you will encounter include Swampert, Infernape, and Tyranitar. Swampert will more than likely set up Stealth Rock on you and then attack with Earthquake, so unless you Explode, you cannot get past it. In a worse case scenario, Swampert can block your attempt to Explode with Protect. Infernape has Close Combat to dispatch you with, and you will be unable to even break its Focus Sash due to it outspeeding you. Tyranitar can prove troublesome if it packs Earthquake or Superpower, but you can survive either attack and set up Stealth Rock, being the overall primary objective of this set.

Proper team support will need to be provided to dispatch leads that can cause Heatran trouble. Looking at all of the previously mentioned threats, one group of Pokémon in particular can counter all of those stated: bulky Waters. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, will prove to be effective, as it has a STAB Surf to hit both Aerodactyl and Infernape with; in return, both can only do, at most, 25% to Suicune with their strongest attack, being Stone Edge / Rock Slide and Close Combat respectively. More importantly, Suicune can use Rest to heal off any damage taken. Another interesting option to consider is Vaporeon, who can also provide Wish support should you plan on Heatran being an important member on your team whose only objective wouldn't be to simply set up Stealth Rock and then Explode. Additionally, both Suicune and Vaporeon can comfortably take Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, which in return, takes Grass-types attacks thrown at them. Swampert can also be weakened through repeated Surfs, and will be unable to deal much damage to Suicune and Vaporeon. Alternatively, you can use Celebi to deal with it, since it resists both of Swampert's STAB options, and takes little damage from Ice Beam. Tyranitar won't prove to be too much of a problem due to its many weaknesses and slow speed, so as long as you switch in a Pokémon that runs 244 Speed or higher and can threaten it with a super effective attack, you should be fine. However, it is necessary to make sure that said Pokémon is actually able to take down Tyranitar, as otherwise, it can easily overcome your switch-in with repeated hits coming off of a 403 maximum Attack stat.

This Heatran can also be paired with other leads you may want to use, as Heatran has the bulk to use Stealth Rock reliably at any stage of the game. Roserade makes for an interesting lead to pair with Heatran, as it can not only put other foes to sleep with Sleep Powder, but it can also set up Toxic Spikes, which cripples most Water-types who will try to switch in on Heatran. Additionally, Heatran can take Ice- and Fire-type attacks thrown at Roserade, while Roserade takes the same Water-type attacks mentioned before. Gliscor is another good lead to consider pairing with Heatran, as it can prevent slower leads from using Stealth Rock with Taunt, and can use U-turn to scout for Ice- and Water-type attacks, with Heatran making an excellent switch-in to the former.

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
The idea behind this set is twofold: first of all, Heatran is one of the best Pokémon in the game at forcing switches, due to his nearly universal coverage, great typing, and frequent use of Choice Scarf, so it is not difficult to get a Substitute up. Second, the only Pokemon that are immune to Toxic are Steel-types — easily taken out by Fire Blast and Earth Power — and Poison-types, all of which have either poor Special Defense or a Fire- or Ground-type weakness.

Heatran should be sent out against something that will likely switch out, such as a Celebi or one of the many Steel-types in OU. In consideration of this goal, it is often useful to send Heatran out for the first time after one of your own pokemon has been KO'd; most players will assume it is holding a Choice Scarf and switch out of the expected speedy attack. Once you have a Substitute up, make your play according to what they switch to. If they for some reason switch in something weak to Fire- or Ground-type attacks, then you attack it, obviously. If they don't, then you are still OK, since most of Heatran's common switch-ins—things like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Salamence, Swampert, and the bulky Water-types—absolutely hate being poisoned. Once you Toxic them and they break your Substitute, you can switch to something to stall out their attacks, and the next time you bring in Heatran your opponent will have at least one fewer counter for it!

Toxic is recommended because it has the greatest coverage of all the options in the last slot, but it isn't that spectacular without a reasonably bulky team to take hits from Pokémon after they have been poisoned. For this reason, several other more specialized options are available if you are running a more offensive team. Explosion is an all-around useful move, carrying the ability to take out Blissey and pretty much anything else your team has trouble with. One of the cool things with Explosion is that almost no one will think to switch to a Ghost-type if you explode with a Substitute up, which just makes it all the more useful (note that a Naive nature should be used with Explosion). A certain Hidden Power can also be selected if you want to be able to quickly take out any one of either Gyarados, Salamence, or Swampert, instead of slowly waiting for Toxic to do the job. Finally, Will-O-Wisp is possibly more useful than Toxic against Gyarados, Salamence, Tyranitar, and some others, but it kills even slower than Toxic (and can even be circumvented via Recover or Roost), and the 75% accuracy is a pretty big turn off.

It may seem strange to use a +Speed nature without a Choice Scarf, but in a metagame where Heatran is as popular as it is, max Speed can be a huge aid. With full Speed, Heatran will attack before +Speed Breloom and Metagross, and before neutral Speed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Heracross; and it will nearly always outspeed the defensive base 100 Speed Pokemon. Any of these could easily OHKO or status Heatran, so getting the jump on them with Substitute or Toxic is often crucial to the outcome of a match.

This Heatran works best when paired with Pokémon who can repeatedly take hits thrown at Heatran and pose a threat to Heatran's counters. Such Pokémon include those commonly found on bulky offense teams.

In order to decide possible partners to Heatran, you have to consider which Pokémon are capable of threatening it. While Substitute greatly reduces the advantage your opponent can gain by switching in an appropriate counter, you will more often than not be forced to switch out after they break your Substitute. Common examples of such Pokémon include Gyarados, who will break your Substitute with Waterfall and then Dragon Dance, and Latias, which can set up multiple Calm Minds with ease due to Heatran's lack of coverage needed to hit it. Both Pokémon are, thankfully, effectively hindered by Toxic, lessening the threat they can pose to your team. Gyarados's best counters which can pose a threat in return are Celebi and Scarfed Pokémon which resist Waterfall or are immune to Earthquake, such as Choice Scarf Latias. Celebi will have trouble retaliating against boosted Ice Fangs, but can effectively stall out Gyarados with Recover until the effects of Toxic finish it off; however, you must be careful to avoid getting hit by Bounce, should Gyarados be carrying the move. Calm Mind Celebi makes a great choice for a bulky offense team, as it not only counters specific threats, but can also pose as a threat of its own after a few boosts; the Tinkerbell set is also a worthwhile option if your team relies on slower sweepers who appreciate paralyzed opponents. If using a Scarfed Pokémon as your check to Gyarados, it should come equipped with either an Electric-type attack or an attack with a high Base Power; in Latias's case, it has access to both Thunderbolt and Draco Meteor to hit Gyarados with. You should also make sure to watch out for possible Pursuit users your opponent might be carrying, especially Scizor and Tyranitar, which take little damage from attacks likely to be thrown at Gyarados. Latias can be handled by most Steel-types outside of Heatran, particularly those with a high Attack stat, such as Metagross, Scizor, and Jirachi. Metagross can either set up Agility or fire STAB Meteor Mashes to keep Latias at bay. Jirachi can either use Iron Head repeatedly if running Choice Scarf, or use a combination of Body Slam and Iron Head to weaken Latias. Scizor has both U-turn and Pursuit to murder Latias with. As always, make sure to watch out for Magnezone, a likely partner whose sole role is to take out Steel-types which threaten Latias. On an added note, some Latias pack Refresh, so don't over-depend on Toxic to take out Latias.

This Heatran set will also have trouble against stall, particularly because Spikes and Stealth Rock will limit the number of times it can switch in. To make it worse, Gyarados with Rest, and even Blissey, two Pokémon commonly found on stall teams, will wall this set with ease, as they are unhindered by your attempts to poison them. As such, an effective mixed sweeper is recommend as a partner to Heatran, particularly those specifically designed to weaken stall teams. Classic MixMence, Salamence's most effective wall-breaking set, makes a fantastic partner to Heatran, especially since they cover each other's weaknesses extremely well; Heatran takes Ice- and Dragon-type attacks thrown at Salamence, while it can comfortably take Water-type attacks along with an immunity to Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Be prepared to rely on prediction, such as using Brick Break on a Blissey switch-in, when using MixMence, as any expert stall player will normally be prepared for common wall breakers. There are also some other worthwhile options you can consider as well. A defensive Starmie can come in on Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran with ease and take the opportunity to use Rapid Spin to eliminate any present entry hazards. Running a defensive Starmie also allows you to have a suitable counter to Gyarados, one of the biggest threats to Heatran. Additionally, Starmie is one of the few Spinners in the game that can actually threaten Rotom-A with its STAB attack of choice and decent Special Attack stat.

If you want Heatran to run another attack instead of Toxic, such as the listed Explosion, it is often a good idea to pair Heatran with a user of Toxic Spikes. However, Toxic Spikes are unable to affect non-grounded Pokémon, so Toxic should not be completely dismissed, even with Toxic Spikes support. As mentioned before, Roserade is probably your best bet in laying down Toxic Spikes, but Smeargle is also a good option if you want something to lay down Stealth Rock as well. The fourth slot is mainly used to hit Pokemon that will attempt to wall you, so if you don't like the drawbacks to using Explosion, then Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Electric are both decent options as well, but it should be noted that neither of the two moves will be even close to being as helpful and reliable as Explosion would normally be. Also, when using either of these attacks, it is highly recommended that you pack a teammate capable of countering the Pokemon you are able to come in and set-up on the attack of your choice. For example, Gyarados will be capable of setting up on Heatran running Dragon Pulse, so running a Celebi or Starmie (or a Scarfed revenge killer such as Latias) would be almost necessary in countering Gyarados.

An additional option that this Heatran can utilize is to run Roar over the given options for the fourth slot. Roar is best used on a team which revolves around spreading damage through entry hazards, often normally regarded as a "stall-based balanced" team. Such a team utilizes heavy hitters with valuable resistances, like Heatran itself, to force switches and spread even more damage with the addition of Roar into the set. In this case, Heatran's primary partner is one who is capable of at least laying down either Spikes or Stealth Rock. In the case of Spikes, Smeargle, Forretress, and Skarmory are all decent options for reliably laying down the essential entry hazards. Smeargle is best used as a lead, where it can use Spore to immobilize the opposing lead (unless it runs Taunt or is not Choice Scarf Jirachi) and nearly always lay down at least two layers of Spikes. Skarmory and Forretress are capable on coming in on many of the attacking types found in OU due to their valuable Steel-typing, giving them ample opportunity to lay down Spikes. The choice between Skarmory and Forretress is slightly arbitrary, as both have their advantages; Skarmory has access to Roost and Whirlwind, while Forretress can provide the team with Rapid Spin capabilities. As for Stealth Rock, there are plenty of viable users to choose from, but Swampert will more than likely be your best choice, as it pairs well with Heatran type-wise and also has access to Roar itself. Next, you will also want to pair Heatran with other Pokemon capable of taking advantage of entry hazards. Namely, you'll want to at least run a Ghost-type, such as Rotom-A, to prevent your entry hazards from being spun away. Apart from that, Latias with Roar is an excellent teammate for Heatran, as both cover each other's weaknesses relatively well and can each beat each other's counters.

As always, Wish support can be used in aiding the overall longevity of Heatran, especially with Substitute taking away 25% of Heatran's health each time it is used. Vaporeon is the best option for this task, as it can easily switch in on Water-type attacks normally aimed at Heatran and even regain its HP in the process, thanks to Water Absorb.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Taunt / Explosion / Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran is a great candidate for utilizing Life Orb to further boost its already massive Special Attack stat. This set allows Heatran to act as a fluent sweeper without the restrictions that Choice Scarf and Choice Specs hold on it, while maintaining the power needed to achieve certain KOs that Heatran would otherwise miss without the boost Life Orb gives.

Fire Blast is Heatran's STAB move for this set, causing decent amounts of damage to common switch-ins such as Gyarados and Salamence, while also ruining Scizor, Jirachi, and Celebi. Earth Power complements Fire Blast by hitting other opposing Heatran that may switch-in predicting Fire Blast and looking for a Flash Fire boost, and is also necessary for removing other common Fire-type Pokemon who may otherwise try to cushion Fire Blast. Explosion is amazingly powerful, and can guarantee an OHKO on a 0 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, which may be useful to open a sweep for another Pokemon in your team. Hidden Power is optional depending on whether you wish to eliminate either Gyarados or Swampert. Taunt is also a decent option on this set, as it stops Pokemon such as Blissey and Cresselia from inflicting horrible status moves which could otherwise affect Heatran's sweeping efficiency, while also stopping any healing attempts from the two. Substitute is a useful option in easing prediction, but sadly, it comes at the cost of 25% of Heatran's health each time it's used, making it worn down much more quickly when combined with the recoil from Life Orb.

Expert Belt along with Heatran's attacks will bluff Choice Scarf, often causing the opponent to assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf and send in something like Gyarados or Swampert to take the opportunity to set up, but will fall to one of Heatran's other unnoticed attacks. A Naive nature is recommended as it boosts Heatran's Speed stat without hindering its Special Attack or Attack stat, but a Naive nature should only be used over a Timid nature if Heatran is running Explosion. The EVs maximizes Heatran's Special Attack stat for maximum damage inflicted upon foes, and allows Heatran to outspeed all neutral base 85 Speed Pokemon.

As with most of the other sweeping sets, Life Orb Heatran really appreciates outside support in weakening its counters, most notably Dragon-types that pack super effective moves, and some bulky Water-types, such as Gyarados. Blissey can also prove a bit troublesome to this set, although Taunt and Explosion limit its effectiveness. For this reason, entry hazard support is an extremely viable option to consider using with this set. Stealth Rock allows you to reduce the effectiveness of Gyarados and Salamence switch-ins, especially since they will only be able to switch in once with Stealth Rock in play, even with their resistance to Fire-type attacks. Spikes support is particularly useful in weakening grounded Pokémon that can give Heatran trouble, such as faster Suicune, Starmie, etc. And lastly, Toxic Spikes deserves a big mention here, as it is extremely effective in crippling bulky Water-types, and when you consider the recovery-nullifying effects of Taunt, the opposing Pokémon can be easily worn down by the inflicted poison. Smeargle is particularly good at setting up the first two of the mentioned entry hazards, as it makes quite the effective lead with a 100% accuracy Spore, but will usually be unable to get more than 1 layer of Spikes up, and even then, Taunt completely cripples it. Roserade is a good option for providing Toxic Spikes support, as it complements Heatran well type-wise; Roserade can take Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while Heatran takes Ice-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Roserade.

Since most of the troublesome Pokémon to this set are those that outspeed it, paralysis support is particularly useful when using this type of Heatran. When you consider that Heatran's most common switch-ins, Gyarados and Latias, are effectively crippled by paralysis, using paralysis support seems like an even more attractive option to consider. There are plenty of viable paralysis users to consider, but Celebi is arguably the best paralysis inducer to pair with Heatran. Celebi has access to Thunder Wave, and since Celebi also lures in Latias quite often, you should have no trouble paralysing it. Not only that, but Celebi makes a good counter to any Gyarados set without Bounce. If Celebi does not seem like a good option to you, Togekiss is another viable Thunder Wave user. Additionally, Togekiss and Heatran pair extremely well in regards to typing. Togekiss can switch into the Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while it can switch into Ice-type attacks aimed at Togekiss.

After Heatran has completed its job of weakening down the opponent's team, any Pokémon that works well in cleaning up what Heatran couldn't finish off is a great offensive partner to this set. Choice Band Scizor is an extremely good and powerful Pokémon that can fill this role, as its Bullet Punch is able to put a dent on a lot of opposing Pokémon. For example, after switching into Heatran's Fire Blast, Scizor can easily take out Salamence and Latias who have opted not to recover any damage taken. Scizor also allows you to scout for Heatran's potential counters with U-turn, since it often lures in Flying-types with moves capable of dealing super effective damage on Heatran. Additionally, Scizor has access to Pursuit to "trap" Latias, which allows Heatran to sweep with far more ease. However, Scizor is incapable of switching into Surfs aimed at Heatran, so it is often best to switch to a bulky Water-type beforehand, then switch to Scizor to take the expected Dragon-type attack.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs equipped, the damage from Heatran's Fire Blast rivals that of Choice Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor, absolutely destroying most Pokémon that don't resist it. If you can get a Flash Fire boost, even Blissey will fear it, possibly being 2HKOed with Stealth Rock damage. Overheat is even more ridiculous, with the first hit dealing up to 50% damage even to Blissey, though Overheat's negative effect will severely reduce the power of Heatran's next attack. It's a matter of preference, and depends on the rest of your team: do you need Heatran to be a hit and run attacker, handily nuking whatever switches in, or do you want consistent yet high damage? The accuracy is also an issue, with Overheat being 90% accurate, and Fire Blast being 85% accurate. Over the course of two turns, however, Fire Blast deals more damage.

Like with any Choice user, prediction is required. Quite often, your opponent will predict a Fire-type attack coming from miles away. They will likely switch in a bulky Water-type or a Flash Fire Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass should 2HKO the majority of bulky Waters, while Earth Power destroys Fire-types. By carefully removing these pokemon, Heatran can eventually set your team up for a sweep.

While not as much of a team supporter as the other Heatran sets, Choice Specs Heatran is worth considering as a high powered special sweeper, and will greatly benefit most teams. The Speed EVs allow you to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. If you chose Fire Blast as your sweeping move, use Dragon Pulse in the last moveslot. If you chose Overheat, put Flamethrower in the final slot to make it easier to sweep late game and to combat PP loss.

This Heatran requires a bit more support from its teammates than the previous sets, as Heatran, while dealing an insane amount of damage to most Pokémon when coupled with Choice Specs, will have trouble retaliating against faster foes due to its less than spectacular Speed stat. The first idea to probably come to mind when using this type of Heatran is to provide it with paralysis support, which in fact, is a recommended strategy to consider if you want Heatran to outspeed Pokémon that will attempt to switch in. There are many viable Thunder Wave users in OU, but very few actually complement Heatran well type-wise. For example, Jirachi shares Heatran's weakness to Ground-types, Porygon2 shares Heatran's weakness to Fighting-types, and Togekiss takes neutral damage from most attacks thrown at Heatran, except for Ground-type attacks for obvious reasons. However, there is one Thunder Wave user that outshines the rest when paired with Heatran, and that special Pokémon is Celebi. As mentioned multiple times in the analysis, Celebi is the best partner imaginable to Heatran, particularly for its ability to take most bulky hits that are not super effective. Both the "Defensive" and "Tinkerbell" sets can use Thunder Wave effectively. The "Defensive" set is more adept at taking hits, while the "Tinkerbell" set allows you to beat counters to Celebi, such as Scizor and Tyranitar. By using Celebi, you should be able to handily cripple key counters to Heatran, such as Gyarados and Latias without Refresh, but you must also watch out for boosted hits thrown at Celebi, particularly if they are special-based or hit it for super effective. Additionally, Celebi makes a great switch in to most Water-types who will attempt to wall Heatran.

Although Celebi can Thunder Wave most of Heatran's counters, there are a few Pokémon who can set up on Heatran and also defeat Celebi one-on-one, making any attempts to use Thunder Wave futile. Such examples include Offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Calm Mind Latias, and Dragon Dance Salamence, although it will take a large amount of damage even from a resisted Fire Blast, due to its low Special Defense stat, coupled with the boost from Choice Specs. Salamence will often carry Earthquake as well, so it's recommended Heatran switches out regardless, especially if you depend on it for your sweeping duties. Unfortunately, none of the noted counters above share similar counters, but there are Pokémon who can hinder those noted. Suicune can be a bit difficult to switch into due to its attacking options hitting most of the Pokémon in the OU metagame for super effective damage; however, a strong Electric-type which outspeeds it, such as max speed Rotom-A or Zapdos, can switch in and deal a large amount of damage with their STAB attacks, even through a Calm Mind boost. Latias is susceptible to Scizor as long as you avoid switching into a Life Orbed Surf, which has the potential to 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage; Scizor can also check Salamence with Bullet Punch after it has taken previous damage. Choice Scarf Latias is also a worthwhile option, as it has Thunderbolt to hit Suicune with, and Draco Meteor to cover both Latias and Salamence, as long as you avoid switching into Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse respectively.

Entry hazards are particularly useful for this set, as they prevent most of Heatran's counters from switching in repeatedly, and also helps weaken those counters that are slower than Heatran. Stealth Rock should be used regardless, as it prevents Gyarados and Latias from switching in freely. Spikes can be used to weaken Vaporeon and defensive versions of Suicune, which will take a total of 37.5% from a layer of Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes when switching in. The only worthwhile options to consider for Spikes support alongside Heatran are Smeargle andFroslass, as other common Spikers, such as Skarmory and Forretress, have trouble fitting into an offensive team. Smeargle gets access to both Spore and Stealth Rock, making it slightly more useful than Froslass. However, Froslass does have access to Destiny Bond, which allows you to take down slower foes once you faint. Both have their uses undoubtedly, but both must also watch out for Taunt from Azelf and Aerodactyl, which will render any attempts to set up Spikes useless.

[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Lava Plume / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 56 SpA / 204 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
While Heatran lacks any form of recovery outside of Rest and Sleep Talk, its large number of resistances and above average defenses make it an excellent status absorber and special wall. Typically it would be better to choose a special sponge that had access to instant recovery, but Heatran is sturdy enough that it doesn't matter, and his huge Special Attack stat makes him a difficult wall to switch into. With Heatran's decent typing and good defenses it can easily take on special attackers such as Celebi, Rotom-A, Jirachi, Zapdos, and many others. This Heatran can even beat Blissey one on one, thanks to the burn rate of Lava Plume, and the Special Defense dropping effects of Earth Power.

Lava Plume makes physical attackers think twice before switching in, as a 30% burn rate is nothing to scoff at. Fire Blast, on the other hand, carries significantly more raw power, and Sleep Talk makes Fire Blast's low PP a non issue. However, since this is a defensive set, Lava Plume is still the primary option because it provides better team support. Earth Power has excellent coverage with Lava Plume, hitting Fire-types and Rock-types who resist it.

A more offensive spin on the Rest + Sleep Talk set is achieved by changing to Timid nature, using an EV spread of 248 HP/ 36 SpA / 224 Spe, and giving Heatran a Life Orb. This outruns Adamant Heracross. This variation functions as a sweeper by giving Heatran back its monstrous Special Attack and decent Speed, and at the same time retaining the ability to shrug off status and heal itself. Note that Fire Blast should be used in this case, as the extra power is significant.

This variant of Heatran works great on a defensive team that is in need of a good status absorber, along with one that would make perfect use of Heatran's typing. Since this Heatran is meant to be played defensively, any Pokémon that could potentially set up on this set would be the most troublesome for Heatran. This list includes, but is not limited to, Pokémon that resist or are immune to both Fire- and Ground-type attacks. Pokémon that come to mind here are Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias, in which all three resist Heatran's Fire-type attacks and are immune to its Earth Power. Salamence can easily come in on a predicted Earth Power or Rest with relative ease, but must be wary of Lava Plume's 30% burn rate. Gyarados works in much the same way, but its higher Special Defense stat, as compared to Salamence, allows it to take even less from Heatran's Fire-type attack of choice. However, both are just about equal in the nuisance they can be to Heatran. Both Salamence and Gyarados can easily set up a Dragon Dance, especially when you consider Heatran's low investment in Special Attack, and then proceed to take out Heatran with a boosted Earthquake or Waterfall, respectively. Latias works in a similar way, except it has less to fear from Lava Plume since it is primarily a special attacker. Latias can easily set up Calm Mind, and unlike the former two, heal off any damage with Recover; Heatran won't enjoy taking boosted Surfs either. Outside of the three aforementioned sweepers, bulky Water-types will give Heatran the most trouble. Vaporeon can easily come in and use the time to pass Wish to other weakened Pokémon on the team, Suicune wouldn't mind setting up Calm Mind, and Swampert can easily set up Curse. For this reason, when using this set, it is important that you are able to switch into the attacking types that Heatran is weak to, and either stall out the Pokémon or use offensive means to take it out before it sets up.

Generally, a team that makes use of this set will be defensively oriented, so it is important to consider Pokémon that have a viable form of recovery along with high defensive stats, which will allow such a Pokémon to remain active through the match. When switching into Salamence, it is essential that you know what set it is running, as each set requires a different Pokémon to combat it. The Dragon Dancer is best handled by Pokémon that can survive a boosted Outrage, or one that resists Dragon-type attacks and won't be KO'd by a boosted Earthquake or Fire Blast. Swampert makes a decent choice to handle Dragon Dance Salamence, as it is never OHKOed by a +1 Outrage when at full health. In return, Swampert will always OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage. Speaking of which, Stealth Rock support is very useful to consider on a team that makes use of Rest + Sleep Talk Heatran. From the counters mentioned in the previous paragraph, two in particular will be hit hard when switching into Stealth Rock: Salamence and Gyarados. Swampert is a great candidate to set up Stealth Rock, especially in the lead position, where very few Pokémon are able to KO it. As always, the drawback to Swampert is that it lacks a form of recovery, so it is best to keep it healthy if you plan on using it as your answer to physical variants of Salamence. Mixed variants of Salamence can give defensive teams a lot of trouble, since it is capable of dealing a large amount of damage to just about anything with no set-up required. As such, Stealth Rock is required to at least force Salamence to Roost when it's low on health, giving you an ample oppurtunity to switch in your response to it. Since Heatran lures out Ground-type attacks, anything that can switch into Earthquake (or Brick Break) and outspeed Salamence can serve as a great teammate to Heatran. Calm Mind Latias is a worthwhile choice here, as it is capable of hitting Salamence hard with a STAB Dragon Pulse, and can even take the time to set up if you predict Salamence is going to switch out. As a bonus, Heatran can easily switch into Dragon-, Ice-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks aimed at Latias, which in turn is more than willing to switch into Water- and Fighting-type attacks, as well as the previously mentioned Ground-type attacks. However, using Latias as a direct counter to mixed Salamence can be a bit risky, as Salamence is fully capable of KOing it with Draco Meteor on an untimely switch. In such a case, a user of priority can also server as a good check to Salamence. Scizor is a fine choice thanks to Technician and its access to STAB Bullet Punch, but finds little use on a defensively oriented team. After considering a check to Salamence, you must remember to also pack a counter to Gyarados. Anything that can switch into Water-type attacks, and isn't weak to Rock-, Ground-, or Ice-type attacks makes a great choice here. Vaporeon and Suicune are both solid choices to fill this role, as they not only have the sufficient defenses to easily take any of Gyarados's attacks, even when boosted, but both can easily take down Gyarados with well timed Hidden Power Electric. Heatran also complements both type-wise, as it is able to easily switch into most Grass- and Electric-type attacks that can give Vaporeon and Suicune trouble. Celebi is also another great option, as even a boosted Ice Fang, although super effective, does little to Celebi, which can easily take down Gyarados with a 120 BP STAB Grass Knot. In turn, Celebi is also able to switch into all of Heatran's weaknesses. In extreme cases, Celebi can even use Heal Bell, which can immediately cure Heatran of its sleep status. In short, most Salamence and all Gyarados you will encounter will be physically based, so any strong, durable physical wall, which preferably complements Heatran type-wise, is a good choice for team support.

After you consider what can give Heatran trouble on the physical side of the spectrum, you will also want to pack a response to Pokémon who can give you trouble on the special side of the spectrum. As previously mentioned, your biggest concerns will be Latias and bulky Water-types. Latias commonly carries Dragon- and Water-type attacks, namely Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor and Surf, so anything that preferably resists Dragon-type attacks and is not hit super effective by Water-type attacks, or is simply capable of shrugging off special attacks without much difficulty, makes a good choice here. Unfortunately, most Steel-types are also weak to the same Ground-type attacks that give Heatran trouble; nevertheless, they are still the best candidates to choose from. Scizor is ultimately regarded as the #1 Latias counter, as it has access to both U-turn and Pursuit to cripple Latias; the bad news is, a Life Orb Surf, which will obviously be aimed at Heatran, is capable of 2HKOing the standard 248/0 Scizor, so if you desire Scizor as your response to Latias, you will need to use an EV spread which allows you to survive two Life Orb Surfs after Stealth Rock damage. Other feasible options include Metagross and Jirachi, although they offer little support to Heatran apart from countering Latias efficiently. Another interesting option to consider is a specially defensive Tyranitar. It's ability to set up a sandstorm can be particularly useful to a defensive team, especially when you consider that Heatran is immune to the effects of it; however, Tyranitar and Heatran complement each other poorly type-wise, and as such, is not the bestoption. Blissey, although being the best special wall in the game, is notrecommended, because it offers little in the offensive department and teams using this variant of Heatran should also be able to pose an offensive threat to the opponent. bulky Water-types are much easier to handle than Latias, as they pack a definite list of counters. Celebi remains an effective choice to take on most bulky Water-types, as its most commonly seen Grass-type attack, Grass Knot, gets at least 100 BP on most of the Water-types you are likely to encounter; the only exception is Vaporeon, which can't really do much to you in return anyways. Outside of Celebi, you can also use Latias to handle most of the Bulky Water-types you are likely to come across.

Apart from being able to counter Pokémon that give this set trouble, Heatran (when running this set) can benefit from additional support that can make its role as a defensive tank much easier. Although there aren't too many useful support options, there are a few which makes Heatran's job much easier. Toxic Spikes support is highly recommended on this set, as this set is great at tanking multiple hits while the poison would help weaken the opponent. In particular, Toxic Spikes best helps against grounded Water-type Pokémon, which will enjoy coming into Heatran. Outside of Water-types, the number of Pokémon actually hindered by the "badly poisoned" status is severely limited. Heatran is best at switching into Steel-types, none of which are affected by Toxic Spikes. If you plan on using Heatran to force multiple switches, then Spikes support is also a useful option. However, due to the presence of Leftovers, Heatran is unlikely to pose as much of an offensive threat as the other sets, in turn limiting the number of times your opponent is likely to switch. When using this strategy, you will want to switch Heatran into Pokémon, such as Scizor, which will nearly always switch out due to the impending presence of your Fire-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Burn Support
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Roar / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 16 SpA / 240 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
For physical attacking switch-ins, this Heatran is definitely not what they were expecting. Overall, the goal is to set up Stealth Rock as soon as possible, while hopefully luring out a Salamence, Gyarados, or Tyranitar. Later in the battle, once you're sure they will switch in said physical attacking counter, you can use Will-O-Wisp on the switch, crippling your counter, or Roar to chip away at your opponent's team with Stealth Rock and other entry hazards you may have placed.

Will-O-Wisp is an extremely effective move, and can seriously damage entire teams if used cleverly. Most Gyarados, Salamence, and Tyranitar usually have little worry when switching into an unsuspecting Heatran. Will-O-Wisp is a panacea for Heatran's worries, rendering your opponent's physical attacker nearly helpless, losing 12.5% of its HP every turn(or more depending on what entry hazards you have placed),and a halved Attack stat.

With the given EVs, this Heatran is an especially effective Gengar check. Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast will never KO Heatran, even if Heatran switches into a Shadow Ball first. Meanwhile, Heatran will always OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Gengar with Overheat. With its high Special Defense, Heatran can even afford to take a Suicune's Surf and Roar it away to deal with later in the battle.

This Heatran is a bit more difficult to utilize in a specific team than the other sets, as its moveset necessitates proper support from other teammates. As a general note, this set works best when used on a balanced team that can benefit from the typing provided by Heatran. Generally, the teammates for Heatran remain consistent, as Heatran has a very specific role on a team: spreading status and damage through the use of entry hazards. On a balanced team, you will definitely need something that can reliably set up Spikes and pose an offensive threat (or make a good lead) as well. Smeargle is an excellent teammate to Heatran in this regard. Although it shares a Fighting-type weakness with Heatran, Smeargle is one of the most effective leads in the current OU metagame; Smeargle can easily use Spore against a slower opponent, incapacitating it, and then proceed to set up at least one layer of Spikes. On a more defensive team, both Skarmory and Forretress are worthwhile choices to consider. Skarmory has the advantage of being able to easily come in on Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, and it even has access to a suitable form of recovery. Forretress, on the otherhand, has two qualities to it that Skarmory does not: the ability to also lay down Toxic Spikes, and more importantly, the ability to Rapid Spin. Heatran is also capable of switching into Fire-type attacks aimed at both thanks to its ability, Flash Fire.

After proving Heatran with some entry hazards support, you will generally want to include a bulky sweeper who is capable of coming into attacks aimed at Heatran. Dragonite is a good choice here, as it has the defenses to take multiple hits from burned opponents. Dragonite also gets access to Light Screen, which reduces the amount of damage your team takes from special attacks, making it extremely easy for Dragonite to get multiple Dragon Dances set up. Heatran is even capable of taking out the Steel-types which can prevent Dragonite from sweeping thanks to Overheat. If you feel Dragonite is a bit outclassed in the OU metagame, there are other solid bulky sweepers you can choose from. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an excellent choice, as its above average Special Defense and HP, combined with Intimidate, allow it to easily come in on Pokémon that can give Heatran trouble, such as Lucario or Flygon. Generally, any sweeper who appreciates its main counter being weakened by Spikes makes a great addition here, as long as said Pokémon doesn't share too many of the same weaknesses with Heatran.

As with any Pokémon, Heatran will need to watch out for Pokémon who can switch in and give it a lot of trouble. Latias will definitely be one of the things that will enjoy switching into Heatran, as Overheat does mediocre damage to it, and it doesn't really mind being burned, as it would protect it from other crippling status moves. Suicune works in a similar way, as it can also set up Calm Mind against Heatran and wear it down with boosted Surfs. For this reason, it is essential that you have a way to handle Latias, and any bulky Water-type in general. As with the Rest + Sleep Talk set, Scizor makes a good choice in being able to take down Latias, thanks to its access to U-turn and Pursuit. Bulky Water-types have trouble against Celebi, as its naturally high defensive stats allow it to take multiple hits - just make sure to keep Celebi away from Ice Beam, particularly if they are boosted by Life Orb or Calm Mind. Vaporeon is also a worthwhile choice to consider. It's ability, Water Absorb, makes it immune to any Water-type attacks directed at Heatran, and Hidden Power Electric allows it to wear down most bulky Water-types as well. Additionally, Vaporeon can even utilize Wish, which is essential in keeping Heatran's HP at a suitable level, as it can tend to get worn down over an extended period of time, especially with its lack of recovery.

[SET]
name: Taunt
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Metal Sound / Stealth Rock
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Because of its reasonable bulk and plethora of resistances, Taunt Heatran can prevent your opponent from both setting up and inflicting nasty status attacks. Metal Sound is an effective way to beat Blissey (though if your team needs Stealth Rock support then that is a helpful option as well). Merely Taunt as they switch in Blissey, and then it will be unable to use Thunder Wave, Wish, Softboiled, or Protect. You can then Metal Sound them, making Fire Blast a clean 3HKO. Earth Power is for other Heatran, but you will have to catch them on the switch to avoid being taken out by Earth Power. Hidden Power Grass allows you to dent bulky Water-type counters after a Metal Sound. The ability to lure in and take out Blissey is vital to teams that have trouble with her, and the surprise value should not be underestimated. Taunt Heatran is easily as effective as the other sets, and is a dangerous threat in its own right.

Unfortunately, this Heatran has to be a lot slower than the other builds to be effective. 380 HP allows Heatran to take 4 Seismic Tosses, even after Stealth Rock damage, and still survive with 1 HP left. This allows you to defeat any kind of Blissey, no matter what moveset they are running. The Special Attack is maximized for a high damage output. The remaining Speed EVs, by an interesting coincidence, put you at 197, which outruns base 80s without any Speed investment.

Taunt Heatran is an undermined beauty that can be a really great team player. Taunt is a move that cannot be described by mere words, especially when you examine just how much Heatran's possible partners can benefit from it. The crux of this set obviously revolves around Taunt, whose effect is to force the opponent to use attacks that deal damage. As such, when choosing partners to this set, you should ask the following question: Which Pokémon can switch into Heatran's main counters when they are affected by Taunt? First, you should outline a quick list of Pokémon that will repeatedly switch into Heatran; such Pokémon include bulky Waters like Suicune, Swampert, and Gyarados, Latias, which resists Heatran's main form of attack, and Blissey, who can take any of Heatran's attacks with ease. From here, you should choose effective sweepers that can set up on those Pokémon noted previously.

Switching into Bulky Waters can be a bit difficult for an offensive team, as they often carry attacks that can hit Pokémon that resist Water-type attacks for super effective damage. The most common attacks you can expect from bulky Waters include Surf/Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric. Sadly, there is no one Pokémon in OU which can freely set up against the combination of Water-, Ice-, and Electric-type attacks without expecting to take at least neutral damage, except for Lanturn, which is hardly ever seen outside of the UU tier. However, it is important to keep in mind that the opponent will be unable to set up as well, due to Taunt, so any Pokémon who can at least switch into a Water-type attack and set up makes a beneficial partner to this set. Calm Mind Latias is a great example, as it can easily switch into most Water-types, use Calm Mind while the opponent either switches or deals mediocre damage with their Ice-type attack, Recover off any damage as needed, and proceed to sweep. Life Orb Starmie is a great option to consider as well, as it handily beats most bulky Water-types one-on-one, and is a general menace to any offensive team.

A different list of Pokémon that can set up on Latias can be considered to use as other possible partners to Heatran. Latias will normally carry Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor, Surf, and Thunderbolt as her main attacking options, so any Pokémon who isn't weak to any of the listed attacks will greatly benefit from a Latias who is unable to use either Calm Mind or Recover. The first set of Pokémon to come to mind are Steel-types, as they resist Dragon-type attacks. Scizor can set up Swords Dance against a crippled Latias as it either attacks or switches out, while Metagross can use Agility and hit incoming Pokémon with a Life Orbed Meteor Mash; both can easily plow through a weakened team. The same bulky Water-type counters listed in the previous paragraph will also make it easier for either Scizor or Metagross to sweep. A Blissey crippled by Taunt can be set up on by pretty much any physically based Pokémon in OU, as Seismic Toss deals a fixed amount of damage, as well as Heatran itself, assuming you are running Metal Sound. Dragon Dance Salamence and Dragon Dance Gyarados are both great options to consider pairing with Taunt Heatran, as both can set up and proceed to use Outrage or Waterfall respectively against the opponent's incoming counters; it is even better when you consider that Salamence and Gyarados absolutely hate being statused, so Heatran's Taunt can eliminate that fear completely. Note that in this case, Salamence and Gyarados can also switch into Fighting- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran as well.

Although not as necessary, there are other options you can consider using with Taunt Heatran. Choice Scarf Roserade is an amazing lead to pair with Taunt Heatran running Stealth Rock, as Roserade not only complements Heatran type-wise by taking Water-type attacks directed at it, but it will nearly always prevent your opponent from setting up Stealth Rock (as most people expect the Focus Sash set), making it much easier to switch in other team members repeatedly; in particular, Salamence and Gyarados will appreciate not having to take damage from Stealth Rock. Wish support works well with Taunt Heatran if you desire for it to last a while, which, unlike other sets, usually does.

[Team Options]
As with most other offensive Pokémon, Heatran appreciates having a layer of Stealth Rock on the field, as it prevents Salamence and Gyarados from switching in too freely on a resisted Fire Blast, especially when you consider that both Pokémon can set up against you and possibly sweep through the rest of your team. It is worth noting that after Stealth Rock damage, Heatran has a 75% chance of 2HKOing 4/0 Salamence with Fire Blast, and it will always be 2HKOed if running a Special Defense hindering nature, which is extremely beneficial if your Heatran is equipped with Choice Scarf. Toxic Spikes support is also a worthwhile option to consider when using Heatran, as most of the bulky Water-types that enjoy coming in on Heatran are effectively crippled by Toxic Spikes; however, Suicune usually has Rest to cure itself of status, and Gyarados is immune to Toxic Spikes. Roserade is the best user of Toxic Spikes in OU, and pairs extremely well with Heatran type-wise. Additionally, Spikes support helps in further weakening grounded Pokémon attempting to wall you, such as Blissey. However, most Pokémon that learns Spikes don't pair well with Heatran, due to either shared weaknesses or the defensive nature of most of the given Pokémon. If opting for Spikes support, Froslass and Smeargle will be your best options to lay them down, but the prevelance of Taunt leads can make any attempts to lay down Spikes ineffective.

Generally speaking, most Heatran will have trouble taking out foes that meet either of the following criteria: 1) a Pokémon which can take Fire-type attacks with ease, and doesn't fear much from Heatran's other potential attacks, 2) a Pokémon which can potentially set up on a Choiced Heatran, and 3) any Pokémon which is faster than Heatran and has access to an attack which deals super effective damage on it. The most common Pokémon you'll encounter that meet the first criteria are bulky Water-types, Latias, and Blissey. Any Pokémon which resists Water-type attacks and can outspeed common bulky Water-types, being Swampert, Suicune, and Gyarados, will more often than not be a beneficial partner for Heatran. Calm Mind Celebi is a great option to handle all of the Pokémon noted above, as it can use Calm Mind to lessen the damage taken from Ice Beam, and can then hit back hard with Grass Knot; just make sure to watch out for Gyarados's Bounce, as that will KO the green pixie. Another good option to consider is Life Orb Starmie or an Electric-type such as Rotom-A, both of whom have access to Thunderbolt, which hits most Water-types for a high amount of damage. Latias can easily be handled by any sturdy Pursuit user. Scizor is a good choice because it resists Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor, and takes neutral damage from Surf; be warned though, as a Life Orbed Surf has a good chance of 2HKOing the standard 248/0 Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Scizor also lures in Fire-type attacks, which can often net Heatran a free boost from Flash Fire. Blissey can be handled by any strong physical hitter who doesn't mind potentially switching into a Thunder Wave. As for the second criteria, the most common Pokémon you will encounter that will attempt to set up on a Choiced Heatran are Dragon Dance Gyarados and Salamence. Both can be reliably checked through Choice Scarf Latias, which has access to Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt to hit Salamence and Gyarados respectively. Choice Band Scizor works in a similar way, but Quick Attack is required to reliably revenge kill Gyarados. The third criteria includes most of the Pokémon already mentioned, but other Pokémon that can potentially give you trouble includes Lucario. Lucario can be reliably countered through a bulky Intimidate user, such as Salamence or Gyarados, or a Rotom-A with at least 280 Speed, which outruns Adamant Lucario.

Upon taking a closer look, you might notice that Heatran's weaknesses can usually be covered by just a single Pokémon, as Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks offer similar coverage in the OU metagame. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an excellent partner to Heatran, as it reliably takes all of the attacks listed previously. Not only that, but after a boost or two, Gyarados can easily plow through a weakened team. Dragon Dance Salamence works in a similar way; although it hits much harder than Gyarados through Outrage, it risks taking more damage from attacks likely to be thrown at it. In both scenarios, Stealth Rock can hamper both Gyarados and Salamence's ability to switch in repeatedly, so it's a good idea to analyze Heatran's counters on the opponent's team and come up with a plan which will allow you to sweep. Calm Mind Latias, particularly if its carrying Refresh, can easily be considered of one Heatran's best partners. Calm Mind Latias can easily switch into Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, and thanks to Levitate, it is even immune to Ground-type attacks; however, Fighting-type attacks can still give it trouble since most will hit Latias on her frailer Defense stat. Refresh is mentioned because it allows you to switch into possible Thunder Waves directed at Heatran, and it also allows you to beat any variant of Blissey, outside of the Calm Mind set, one-on-one.

The single most common teammate you will find for any of the counters repeatedly mentioned in the analysis is Scizor. Without a doubt, Heatran reliably counters Scizor, as long as you avoid switching into Superpower. There aren't other threatening teammates you are likely to encounter, as you usually find a Bulky Water-type, Gyarados, and Salamence/Latias all on the same team anyways. If facing against Blissey, common teammates you are likely to encounter are Forretress, Skarmory, and Gyarados. A Dragon Dance Salamence has access to Fire Blast to hit any Steel-types expecting to wall it, and a +1 Life Orb Outrage can KO even the most defensive of Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Salamence's Classic MixMence set works in much the same way, but requires no set-up, little prediction, and it also has access to Roost, which is important if you plan on switching in repeatedly. Heatran can also beat Forretress and Skarmory on its own.

[Other Options]
Hidden Power Electric can get surprise kills on Gyarados, especially if you use it on Choice Scarf Heatran as you will be able to outrun Gyarados with a Dragon Dance under its belt. Hidden Power Rock has the advantage of scoring 2HKOs on both Gyarados and Salamence, while maintaining neutrality against other Heatran, easing prediction somewhat with the Choice sets. However, it will leave you walled badly by Swampert, and the loss of one speed point means that you will never speed tie other Heatran with the same nature. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast on many of the sets if you fear accuracy, though Fire Blast deals more damage on average. Heatran's signature attack, Magma Storm, can be used to trap something like Blissey and Explode on them, freeing you to sweep with special attackers. This is risky, however, as Magma Storm only has 70% accuracy. Dragon Pulse deserves a mention as well, since it is your best weapon against Kingdra and it still puts a significant dent in the other Dragon-types. For item choices, Shuca Berry and Shed Shell can work on a few of the sets. Shuca Berry allows you to survive a powerful Ground attack, which is a good way to kill enemy Heatran. Shed Shell allows you to escape from Dugtrio and Magnezone. A Salac Berry is usable for a Speed boost when coupled with Substitute.

Do not be tempted to use moves like Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and AncientPower. Their type coverage is poor, and Heatran's Fire Blast will hit for the same or greater damage on nearly everything in OU.

[EVs]
Always maximize Heatran's Special Attack unless you are running a defensive set. Then decide what you would like to outrun. 128 EVs and a Modest nature beats Adamant Tyranitar. Modest and 216 EVs beats Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. On the Scarf set, just maximize Speed. You don't want to lose a speed tie with another Scarftran if it comes down to it.

[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):

<dl>
<dt>Hidden Power Grass</dt>
<dd>Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>

<dt>Hidden Power Ice</dt>
<dd>Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Naive: 30 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Rash: 30 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def</dd>

<dt>Hidden Power Electric</dt>
<dd>Modest: 23 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Naive: 30 SpARash: 27 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Timid: 30 SpA</dd>
</dl>

[Opinion]
Heatran is the anti-metagame Pokemon, capable of keeping top threats such as Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, and Salamence in check. With the ability to counter some of the biggest threats in the game and being neutral to Stealth Rock, he is far beyond the level of any other Fire-type in Pokemon. The secondary Steel typing gives him a lot of good resistances, and Flash Fire allows him to take on his fellow Fire-types quite easily. While the weaknesses to extremely common moves such as Earthquake, Surf, and Close Combat hinder its walling potential, its ability as a defensive Pokemon should not be overlooked. With decent defensive typing, neutrality to Stealth Rock, and one of the highest Special Attack stats in the Overused tier, Heatran should not be underestimated.

Heatran will be seen on a lot of teams, so be prepared for it. It's a sturdy tank, a great team player, and a frightening sweeper. His frequent presence near the top of the usage list is for a good reason, and if your team is not prepared to deal with it then you cannot expect to have a healthy winning record.

[Counters]
Bulky Waters such as Milotic, Suicune, Slowking, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, and Swampert can counter Heatran quite effectively, but Specs boosted Hidden Power Grass and Earth Power can take them down. Suicune is the best of these, as its high defenses allow it to take an Explosion as well as most Special Attacks, it is faster than the defensive Heatran sets, and its Pressure forces Heatran to watch its remaining Fire Blast PP. Gyarados can handle Heatran on occasion, but Stealth Rock, potential burns, and the occasional Hidden Power Electric on Heatran are a nuisance. Porygon2 is an interesting counter. It traces Flash Fire and isn't weak to any other moves. Porygon2 can then paralyze Heatran and wear it down with Thunderbolt, using Recover as necessary. Latias and Kingdra can come in on Heatran and set up unless they switch into a Dragon Pulse.

Blissey is a fairly good counter to Heatran, provided she has some means of hitting it. With the increase in Fire-type attacks thanks to Scizor, getting a Flash Fire boost is easier, which means Blissey might have to take boosted Fire-type attacks. Explosion also gets rid of Blissey, but at the cost of Heatran's own life. Heatran counters itself as long as it doesn't come into Earth Power. Adamant Choice Scarf Dugtrio can trap and KO Heatran no matter the set, and Magnezone do the same if Heatran is locked into Hidden Power or Dragon Pulse.

Snorlax can come into Heatran with relative impunity thanks to Thick Fat and threaten it back with Earthquake. Hariyama does the same, but uses Fighting-type attacks instead. Like Blissey, both will fall to Explosion. A Careful Tyranitar can shrug off any hits not boosted by Choice Specs, even Earth Power, which barely 4HKOes.

Most Heatran you face will be Choiced. Take advantage of this when deciding what you will switch in.

____________

Updates:

7/13/09 - All sets updated by Flashstorm1 have been completed
7/23/09 - Added team options for "Rest + Sleep Talk"
7/24/09 - Added team options for "Burn Support"
8/3/09 - Fireburn's proofread edited in
8/17/09 - Secondary update

____________

Credits:

Vashta, for helping out with the "Life Orb" set

gorm · Jul 8, 2009

[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Lava Plume / Fire Blasy

taunt set needs mention of toxic to help it crush bliss ;D

egg shell · Jul 10, 2009

add dragon pulse to the sub set and mention its usefulness with toxic spikes

YTP · Jul 11, 2009

Celebi has Grass Knot and Leaf Storm to hit other Bulky Waters with as well. Celebi is also Heatran's best partner, forming the famous defensive combination known as "CeleTran". Both Pokémon, when paired together, resist all 17 types, and both are bulky enough to take resisted hits.

Celetran doesn't resist Rock.

bojangles · Jul 11, 2009

Flashstorm1 said:
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Naive / Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Heatran is the ultimate revenge killer, holding many dangerous threats at bay. This includes, but is not limited to, Scizor, Salamence, Lucario, and even other Heatran. With its numerous resistances and immunity to Fire-type moves, Heatran can come in with a little prediction and force all of these Pokemon to switch out or risk being KOed. The Choice Scarf puts Heatran at 417 Speed, allowing it to outspeed all non-Choice Scarfed Pokémon, bar Ninjask, in OU.

Fire Blast is your STAB move, forcing out Scizor, Lucario, Jirachi, Celebi, and more. Coming off of an impressive 359 Special Attack, it even hurts when it's resisted. Earth Power is an absolute necessity, due to the popularity of Heatran, and it complements Fire Blast by removing other Fire-types. Giving an enemy Heatran a Flash Fire boost is extremely dangerous, so a well predicted Earth Power is often key to winning a match. Hidden Power Ice allows you to revenge kill Dragon Dance Salamence, once it goes into an Outrage, and gives you a 100% accurate move for taking out Gliscor. Hidden Power Grass allows you to wear down bulky Water-type counters, who usually switch into Heatran without thinking twice. Dragon Pulse is also a usable option for greater neutral coverage, while still denting the OU Dragon-types, in particular Kingdra, who only takes neutral damage from any other type of attack. Lastly, Explosion is for when Heatran is on the verge of death, and it will likely take something down with it. If you're mainly using Heatran as a revenge killer, Flamethrower is a reliable option over Fire Blast. The improved accuracy could be the difference between winning and losing a game if your opponent's last two Pokemon are a somewhat weakened Celebi with Earth Power and a Scizor. In a case like this, a case not particularly situational, a reliable move like Flamethrower is a better option than Fire Blast; both will KO the rest of your opponent's team, but Fire Blast has a 15% chance to miss. That chance could cost you the game. Overheat is also an option, as it does more damage up front, but will force Heatran to switch out, or do heavily reduced damage, giving the set more of a hit-and-run feel.

A Speed-boosting nature is not absolutely necessary, but it allows you to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados, even after a Dragon Dance, Adamant Heracross, even with a Choice Scarf, and all the base 130 Speed Pokemon. Additionally, given the popularity of Heatran, it is not a bad idea to at least force a speed tie, should your opponent use one as well.

While Choice Scarf Heatran makes a great revenge killer to a large portion of the metagame, it faces problems against Pokémon which can attempt set up on it, particularly if they either resist or are immune to the attack Heatran is locked into. Although Stealth Rock hampers it's ability to switch in repeatedly, Jolly Dragon Dance Gyarados can easily take a Fire Blast, boost both its Attack and Speed, and KO you with Waterfall on the next turn, as Jolly variants outspeed Heatran. At most, Heatran can only manage 34.94% with Fire Blast against Gyarados, which fails to 2HKO, even with Stealth Rock and Sandstorm damage factored in. Dragon Dance Salamence can also switch into a Heatran locked into anything, bar Dragon Pulse and set up, as Fire Blast manages at most, 46.69%, to any variant of Salamence. Afterwards, Salamence will proceed to KO you with Earthquake, or Outrage against any Pokémon you might have switched in against it. It should be noted that Salamence can't actually switch into Heatran directly, especially is running a Special Defense-hindering nature, as it faces a large risk of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast, even if resisted with Stealth Rock in play. In fact, Salamence without any HP investment faces a 75.48% chance of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage, and will always be 2HKOed if using a Special Defense-hindering nature. Latias can switch into most of Heatran's attacks with ease, due to its high Special Defense stat and resistance to Fire-type attacks, and proceed to set up Calm Mind or hit you with Surf. Kingdra, in particular, will cause the most trouble, as it has a 4x resistance to Fire-type attacks, and it usually bulky enough to take at least 1 non-boosted attack that isn't Dragon-typed, meaning it will usually be at +2 in Attack and Speed if you attempt to revenge kill it with Heatran, who Kingdra will then obviously easily outspeed. And to top it all off, Blissey can switch into this Heatran with no trouble at all, as long as it avoids Explosion. Bulky Water-types can also switch into Heatran with ease; Suicune gains a special mention as its ability, Pressure, can easily drain Fire Blast's low PP.

While the number of Pokémon that can set up on Heatran is particularly high, especially after it has revenge killed something, most of the Pokémon mentioned share common counters which pair well with Heatran. Celebi has a relatively easy time taking on Gyarados, as long as it avoids a Life Orbed Bounce, which can OHKO Celebi, if Gyarados is running an Adamant nature. However, Heatran can switch back in, outspeed, and KO with Explosion, assuming you don't get crippled by Bounce's 30% paralysis rate. Celebi has many options to relaliate with against Gyarados, particularly Thunder Wave, which completely cripples Gyarados, Reflect, which halves all damage Gyarados can deal against Celebi, and finally Grass Knot, which deals anywhere from 38.86% - 46.08% to the standard 4/0 Gyarados. Kingdra faces a similar problem, as a Kingdra at +1 in Attack can only deal, at most, 72.77% with a Life Orbed Outrage against the standard Defensive Celebi; in return, Celebi can use Thunder Wave or Reflect to shrug off Kingdra's attacks and heal any damage taken with Recover. Celebi has Grass Knot and Leaf Storm to hit other Bulky Water-types with as well. Celebi is also Heatran's best partner, forming the famous defensive combination known as "CeleTran". Both Pokémon, when paired together, resist all 17 types, and both are bulky enough to take resisted hits.

Salamence and Latias, unfortunately, are not countered by Celebi, so an additional Pokémon is required. Salamence is best handled by a strong priority user, such as Scizor. Scizor pairs well with Heatran type-wise, as Heatran essentially negates any Fire-type attacks thrown at Scizor, and actually benefits from them, thanks to its ability, Flash Fire. Choice Band Scizor manages to OHKO 4/0 Salamence with Bullet Punch, provided it has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock and either one or two turns of Life Orb recoil. Sandstorm guarantees Salamence will be KOed by Bullet Punch after one turn of Life Orb recoil, as Bullet Punch will do anywhere from 58.73% - 68.98% to Salamence. Latias can also be countered by Scizor, as both U-turn and Pursuit are excellent moves for keeping Latias in check. Latias is OHKOed by U-turn if it stays in, and Pursuit manages to deal anywhere from 86.75% - 102.65% against 4/0 Latias if it stays in, a likely OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, and a definite OHKO if it switches out. Be careful though, as a Life Orb Surf from max Special Attack Timid Latias has a likely chance of 2HKOing Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, and Hidden Power Fire will OHKO, although it is uncommon to find it on Latias. Scizor has Superpower to hit Blissey with, but one must be careful of not switching into Flamethrower.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Explosion
item: Shuca Berry
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Although Heatran may seem like an inferior suicide lead, due to its low speed, it more than makes up for it in surprise value and utility (its not really that surprising anymore). One of the biggest advantages of the set is that most players will assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf - as most Heatran do - and make their plays accordingly. The most immediate, and probably most beneficial, consequence of this is that very few players will ever try to Taunt Heatran, meaning that you will get Stealth Rock up on turn one almost every game. The assumption of Choice Scarf also causes players to switch out of, and attempt set up, on Heatran, only to watch in horror as their prized sweeper is blown to smithereens by Explosion. Another more subtle aid is that, depending on the situation, you can switch out of Heatran immediately after using Stealth Rock on turn one, and your opponent will have absolute confidence when you send it back in later for a "revenge kill" on his Lucario or Infernape.

Shuca Berry is used here to guarantee that Heatran will survive one attack. The only (removed "even") common leads that can OHKO Heatran are Infernape, which will likely assume Choice Scarf and use Stealth Rock on the first turn instead of attacking, and Tyranitar, which often does not run Choice Band and Adamant, both of which are required for an OHKO, as a lead. Life Orb Mamoswine, another Pokémon rising in popularity as a lead, also OHKOes Heatran, even through Shuca Berry. If you really fear a first turn OHKO you can use Focus Sash instead; however, a 1 HP Heatran is nearly useless once your opponent gets Stealth Rock up.

Speed and Special Attack are maxed to allow Heatran to sweep as well as possible. This is important because a lot of the time you will want to save Heatran for later in the game, due to its high Special Attack, decent Speed, and huge number of useful resistances, most notably to Dragon-type attacks. If you manage to keep the Shuca Berry intact, you will also have a powerful weapon against opposing Heatran and anything using Earthquake. If you want to have that weapon late game regardless, this Heatran does have some effectiveness when it is not a lead (this sentence doesn't make that much sense, awkward). However, getting Stealth Rock up on the first turn is exceedingly beneficial, and this Pokemon is exceptionally good at doing just that.

Timid nature is an option, if you want to be guaranteed to survive Azelf's Psychic + Explosion, but even with Naive, Azelf will need to roll nearly maximum damage from Explosion and above average damage from Psychic in order to score a KO, and the 10% boost to your own Explosion is often worth the risk. As a final note, this lead is not meant to be used on a team which does poorly against Stealth Rock. It can get its own Stealth Rock up in almost every game, but unless your opponent leads with something weak to Fire-type mvoes, they will likely lay their own rocks as well.

As the name of this set states, Heatran's primary job here is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. For this reason, any Pokémon that can prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock will be the biggest adversary to this set. Taunt, becoming increasingly more common among both suicide and bulky leads, will prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock reliably, forcing it to switch out and set it up later, unless you're lucky and the effect of Taunt only lasts the minimum of two turns on Heatran. Out of the top 10 leads used in the OU metagame, the only two most likely to carry Taunt are Azelf and Aerodactyl. Heatran resists most attacks that lead Azelf is likely to throw at it, meaning you can dispatch it with two successful Fire Blast hits. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, will prove to be more difficult to take down. Not only will Pressure drain Fire Blast's PP, but Aerodactyl also resists both Fire Blast and Explosion, and is immune to Earth Power. Aerodactyl will usually do one of two choices: 1) Set up Taunt, then Stealth Rock or 2) Use Earthquake consecutively to KO Heatran. In either scenario, Heatran should not stay in on Aerodactyl. Aside from Taunt leads, other troublesome lead Pokémon you will encounter include Swampert, Infernape, and Tyranitar. Swampert will more than likely set up Stealth Rock against you and then attack with Earthquake, so unless you Explode, you cannot get past it. In a worse case scenario, Swampert can block your attempt to Explode with Protect. Infernape has Close Combat to dispatch you with, and you will be unable to even break its Focus Sash, due to it being able to outspeed you. Tyranitar can prove troublesome if it packs Earthquake or Superpower, but you can survive either attack and set up Stealth Rock, being the overall primary objective of this set.

Proper team support will need to be provided to dispatch the leads who can cause Heatran trouble. Looking at all of the previously mentioned threats, one group of Pokémon in particular can counter all of those stated: Bulky Water-types. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, will prove to be effective, as it has a STAB Surf to hit both Aerodactyl and Infernape with; in return, both can only do, at most, 25% to Suicune with their strongest attack, which is Stone Edge / Rock Slide and Close Combat respectively. More importantly, Suicune can use Rest to heal off any damage taken. Another interesting option to consider is Vaporeon, who can also provide Wish support, should you plan on making Heatran (removed "being") an important member on your team, rather than a Pokémon whose only objective would be to simply set up Stealth Rock and then Explode. Additionally, both Suicune and Vaporeon can comfortably take Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, who in return, takes Grass-types attacks thrown at them. Swampert can also be weakened through repeated Surfs, and will be unable to deal much damage to Suicune and Vaporeon. Alternatively, you can use Celebi to deal with it, since it resists both of Swampert's STAB options, and takes little damage from Ice Beam, while demolishing it with STAB Grass Knot. Tyranitar won't prove to be too much of a problem, due to its many weaknesses and slow Speed, so as long as you switch in a Pokémon that runs 244 Speed or higher and can threaten it with a super effective attack, you should be fine.

This Heatran can also be paired with other leads you may want to use, as Heatran has the bulk to use Stealth Rock reliably at any stage of the game. Roserade makes an interesting lead to pair with Heatran, as it can not only put other foes to sleep with Sleep Powder, but it can also set up Toxic Spikes, which cripples most Water-types who will try to switch in on Heatran. Additionally, Heatran can take Ice- and Fire-type attacks thrown at Roserade, while Roserade takes the same Water-type attacks mentioned before. Gliscor is another good lead to consider pairing with Heatran, as it can prevent slower leads from using Stealth Rock with Taunt, and can use U-turn to scout for Ice- and Water-type attacks, with Heatran making an excellent switch into the former.

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
The idea behind this set is twofold: first of all, Heatran is one of the best Pokémon in the game at forcing switches, due to his nearly universal coverage, great typing, and frequent use of Choice Scarf, so it is not difficult to get a Substitute up. Second, the only Pokemon that are immune to Toxic are Steel-types — who are easily taken out by Fire Blast and Earth Power — and Poison-types, all of which have either poor Special Defense or a Fire- or Ground-type weakness.

Heatran should be sent out against something that will likely switch out, such as (removed "a") Celebi or one of the many Steel-types in OU. In consideration of this goal, it is often useful to send Heatran out for the first time after one of your own Pokemon has been KOed; most players will assume it is holding a Choice Scarf and switch out of the expected speedy attack (this wont work with leftovers if they have sr or spikes down). Once you have a Substitute up, make your play according to what they switch to. If they, for some reason, switch in something weak to Fire- or Ground-type attacks then you attack it, obviously. If they don't, then you are still OK, since most of Heatran's common switch-ins—Pokémon like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Salamence, Swampert, and the bulky Water-types—absolutely hate being poisoned. Once you Toxic them and they break your Substitute, you can switch to something to stall out their attacks, and the next time you bring in Heatran your opponent's counter to Heatran will be weakened, if not dead, allowing Heatran to potential start a sweep.

Toxic is recommended because it has the greatest coverage of all the options in the last slot, but it isn't that spectacular without a reasonably bulky team to take hits from the Pokemon after they have been poisoned. For this reason, several other more specialized options are available if you are running a more offensive team. Explosion is an all-around useful move, carrying the ability to take out Blissey or pretty much anything else your team has trouble with. One of the cool things with Explosion is that almost no one will think to switch to a Ghost-type if you explode with a Substitute up, which just makes it all the more useful (note that a Naive nature should be used with Explosion). A certain Hidden Power can also be selected if you want to be able to quickly take out any one of either Gyarados, Salamence, or Swampert instead of slowly waiting for Toxic to do the job. Finally, Will-O-Wisp is possibly more useful than Toxic against Gyarados, Salamence, Tyranitar, and some others, but it kills even slower than Toxic (and can even be circumvented via Recover or Roost), and the 75% accuracy is a pretty big turn off.

It may seem strange to use a +Speed nature without a Choice Scarf, but in a metagame where Heatran is as popular as it is, max Speed can be a huge aid. With full Speed, Heatran will attack before +Speed Breloom and Metagross, and before neutral Speed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Heracross; and it will nearly always outspeed the defensive base 100 Speed Pokemon. Any of these could easily OHKO or status Heatran, so getting the jump on them with Substitute or Toxic is often crucial to the outcome of a match.

This Heatran works best when paired with Pokémon who can repeatedly take hits thrown at Heatran, and pose a threat to Heatran's counters. Such Pokémon include those commonly found on bulky offense teams.

In order to decide possible partners to Heatran, you have to consider which Pokémon are capable of threatening it. While Substitute greaty reduces the advantage your opponent can gain by switching in an appropriate counter, you will more often than not be forced to switch out after they break your Substitute. Common examples of such Pokémon include Gyarados, who will break your Substitute with Waterfall and then Dragon Dance, and Latias, which can set up multiple Calm Minds with ease due to Heatran's lack of coverage needed to hit it. Both Pokémon are, thankfully, effectively hindered by Toxic, lessening the threat they can pose to your team (what if Latias has refresh?). Gyarados's best counters which can pose a threat in return are Celebi and Choice Scarfed Pokémon who resist Waterfall or are immune to Earthquake, such as Choice Scarf Latias. Celebi will have trouble retaliating against boosted Ice Fangs, but can effectively stall out Gyarados with Recover, until the effects of Toxic finish it off; however, you must be careful to avoid getting hit by Bounce, should Gyarados be carrying the move. Calm Mind Celebi makes a great choice for a bulky offense team, as it not only counters specific threats, but can also pose as a threat of its own after a few boosts; the Tinkerbell set is also a worthwhile option if your team relies on slower sweepers who appreciate paralyzed opponents. If you are using a Choice Scarfed Pokémon as your check to Gyarados, it should come equipped with either an Electric-type attack or an attack with a high Base Power; in Latias's case, it has access to both Thunderbolt and Draco Meteor to hit Gyarados with. You should also make sure to watch out for possible Pursuit users your opponent might be carrying, especially Scizor and Tyranitar, who take little damage from the attacks likely to be thrown at Gyarados. Latias can be handled by most Steel-types, outside of Heatran, particularly those with a high Attack stat, such as Metagross, Scizor, and Jirachi. Metagross can either set up Agility or fire STAB Meteor Mashes to keep Latias at bay. Jirachi can either use Iron Head repeatedly if running Choice Scarf, or use a combination of Body Slam and Iron Head to weaken Latias. Scizor has both U-turn and Pursuit with which to murder Latias. As always, make sure to watch out for Magnezone, a likely partner whose sole role is to take out Steel-types who threaten Latias. On an added note, some Latias pack Refresh, so don't over-depend on Toxic to take out Latias.

This Heatran set will also have trouble against stall, particularly because Spikes and Stealth Rock will limit the number of times it can switch it in. To make it worse, Gyarados with Rest, and even Blissey, two Pokémon commonly found on stall teams, will wall this set ease, as they are unbothered by your attempts to poison them. As such, an effective mixed sweeper is recommend as a partner to Heatran, particularly those specifically designed to weaken stall teams. Classic MixMence, Salamence's most effective wall-breaking set, makes a fantastic partner to Heatran, especially since they cover each other's weaknesses extremely well; Heatran takes Ice- and Dragon-type attacks thrown at Salamence, while Salamence can comfortably take Water-type attacks along with an immunity to the Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Be prepared to rely on prediction, such as using Brick Break on a Blissey switch in, when using MixMence, as any expert stall player will normally be prepared for common wall breakers.

If you want Heatran to run another attack instead of Toxic, such as the listed Explosion, it is often a good idea to pair Heatran with a user of Toxic Spikes. However, Toxic Spikes are unable to affect non-grounded Pokémon, so Toxic should not be completely dismissed, even with Toxic Spikes support.

As always, Wish support can be used in aiding the overall longevity of Heatran, especially with Substitute taking away 25% of Heatran's health each time it is used.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Taunt / Explosion
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran is a great candidate for utilizing Life Orb to further boost its already massive Special Attack stat. This set allows Heatran to act as a fluent sweeper without the restrictions that Choice Scarf or Choice Specs hold (removed "on it"), while maintaining the power needed to achieve certain KOs that Heatran would otherwise miss without the boost Life Orb gives.

Fire Blast is Heatran's STAB move for this set, causing decent amounts of damage to common switch-ins, such as Gyarados and Salamence, while also ruining Scizor, Jirachi, and Celebi. Earth Power complements Fire Blast by hitting other opposing Heatran that may switch-in predicting Fire Blast and looking for a Flash Fire boost, and is also necessary for removing other common Fire-type Pokemon who may otherwise try to cushion Fire Blast. Explosion is amazingly powerful, and can guarantee an OHKO on a 0 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, which may be useful to open a sweep for another Pokemon in your team. Hidden Power is optional depending on what you wish to eliminate either Gyarados, or Swampert. Taunt is also a decent option on this set, as it stops Pokemon such as Blissey and Cresselia from inflicting horrible status moves, which could otherwise affect Heatran's sweeping efficiency, while also stopping any healing attempts from the two.

Expert Belt along with Heatran's attacks will bluff Choice Scarf, often causing the opponent to assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf and send in something like Gyarados or Swampert to take the opportunity to set up, but will fall to one of Heatran's other unnoticed attacks. A Naive nature is recommended, as it boosts Speed without hindering Heatran's Special Attack or Attack, and allows Heatran to take Scizor's Bullet Punch more easily. The EVs maximizes Heatran's Special Attack stat for maximum damage inflicted upon foes, and allows Heatran to outspeed all neutral base 85 Pokemon.

(you may want to mention substitute on this set, as it is viable with LO too.)

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs equipped, the damage from Heatran's Fire Blast rivals that of Choice Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor, absolutely destroying most Pokémon that don't resist it. If you can get a Flash Fire boost, even Blissey will fear it, possibly being 2HKOed with Stealth Rock damage. Overheat is even more ridiculous, with the first hit dealing up to 50% damage even to Blissey, though Overheat's negative effect will severely reduce the power of Heatran's next attack. It's a matter of preference, and depends on the rest of your team: do you need Heatran to be a hit and run attacker, handily nuking whatever switches in, or do you want consistent yet high damage? The accuracy is also an issue, with Overheat being 90% accurate, and Fire Blast being 85% accurate. Over the course of two turns, however, Fire Blast does more damage.

Like with any Choice user, prediction is required. Quite often, your opponent will predict a Fire-type attack coming from miles away. They will likely switch in a bulky Water-type or a Flash Fire Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass should 2HKO the majority of bulky Water-types, while Earth Power destroys Fire-types. By carefully removing these Pokémon, Heatran can eventually set your team up for a sweep.

While not as much of a team supporter as the other Heatran sets, Choice Specs Heatran is worth considering as a high powered special sweeper, and will greatly benefit most teams. The Speed EVs allow you to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. If you chose Fire Blast as your sweeping move, use Dragon Pulse in moveslot 4. If you chose Overheat, put Flamethrower in the final slot to make it easier to sweep late game and to combat PP loss.

This Heatran requires a bit more support from its teammates than the previous sets, as Heatran, while dealing an insane amount of damage to most Pokémon when coupled with Choice Specs, will have trouble retaliating against faster foes, due to its less than spectacular Speed stat. The first idea to probably come to mind when using this type of Heatran is to provide it with paralysis support, which in fact, is a recommended strategy to consider, if you want Heatran to outspeed Pokémon that will attempt to switch in. There are many viable Thunder Wave users in OU, but very few actually complement Heatran well type-wise. For example, Jirachi shares Heatran's weakness to Ground-types, Porygon2 shares Heatran's weakness to Fighting-types, and Togekiss takes neutral damage from most attacks thrown at Heatran, except for Ground-type attacks for obvious reasons. However, there is one Thunder Wave user that outshines the rest when paired with Heatran, and that special Pokémon is Celebi. As mentioned multiple times in the analysis, Celebi is the best partner imaginable to Heatran, particularly for its ability to take most bulky hits that are not super effective. Both the "Defensive" and "Tinkerbell" sets can use Thunder Wave effectively. The "Defensive" set is more adept at taking hits, while the "Tinkerbell" set allows you to beat counters to Celebi, such as Scizor and Tyranitar. By using Celebi, you should be able to handily cripple key counters to Heatran, such as Gyarados and Latias without Refresh, but you must also watch out for boosted hits thrown at Celebi, particularly if they are special-based or hit it for super effective damage. Additionally, Celebi makes a great switch in to most Water-types, who will attempt to wall Heatran.

Although Celebi can Thunder Wave most of Heatran's counters, there are a few Pokémon who can set up on Heatran and also defeat Celebi one-on-one, making any attempts to use Thunder Wave futile. Such examples include Offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Calm Mind Latias, and Dragon Dance Salamence, although it will take a large amount of damage even from a resisted Fire Blast, due to its low Special Defense stat, coupled with the boost from Choice Specs. Salamence will often carry Earthquake as well, so it's recommended Heatran switches out regardless, especially if you depend on it for your sweeping duties. Unfortunately, none of the noted Pokémon above share similar counters, but there are Pokémon who can hinder those noted. Suicune can be a bit difficult to switch into, due to its attacking options hitting most of the Pokémon in the OU metagame for super effective damage; however, a strong Electric-type which outspeeds it, such as max speed Rotom-A or Zapdos, can switch in and deal a large amount of damage with their STAB attacks, even through a Calm Mind boost (i think Jolteon works too, especially since it can switch in on HP electric). Latias is susceptible to Scizor, as long as you avoid switch into a Life Orb Surf (what about the rarer Hidden Power Fire?), which has the potential to 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage; Scizor can also check Salamence with Bullet Punch, but only after it has taken previous damage. Choice Scarf Latias is also a worthwhile option, as it has Thunderbolt to hit Suicune with, and Draco Meteor to cover both Latias and Salamence, as long as you avoid switching into Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse.

Entry hazards are particularly useful for this set, as they prevent most of Heatran's counters from switching in repeatedly, and they also help weaken those counters who are slower than Heatran. Stealth Rock should be used regardless, as it prevents Gyarados and Latias from switching in freely. Spikes can be used to weaken Vaporeon and defensive versions of Suicune, both of whom will take a total of 37.5% from a layer of Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes when switching in. The only worthwhile options to consider for Spikes support, alongside Heatran, are Smeargle and Frosslass, as other common Spikers, such as Skarmory and Forretress, have trouble fitting into an offensive team. Smeargle gets access to both Spore and Stealth Rock, making it slightly more useful than Frosslass. However, Frosslass does have access to Destiny Bond, which allows you to take down slower foes once you faint. Both have their uses undoubtedly, but both must also watch out for Taunt from Azelf and Aerodactyl, which will render any attempts to set up Spikes useless.

[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Lava Plume / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 56 SpA / 204 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
While Heatran lacks any form of recovery outside of Rest and Sleep Talk, its large number of resistances and above average defenses make it an excellent status absorber and special wall. Typically it would be better to choose a special sponge that had access to instant recovery, but Heatran is sturdy enough that it doesn't matter, and its huge Special Attack stat makes it a difficult wall to switch into. With Heatran's decent typing and good defenses it can easily take on special attackers such as Celebi, Rotom-Appliance, Jirachi, Zapdos, and many others. This Heatran can even beat Blissey one on one, thanks to the burn rate of Lava Plume, and the Special Defense dropping effects of Earth Power.

Lava Plume makes physical attackers think twice before switching in, as a 30% burn rate is nothing to scoff at. Fire Blast, on the other hand, carries significantly more raw power, and Sleep Talk makes Fire Blast's low PP a non issue. However, since this is a defensive set, Lava Plume is still the primary option, because it provides better team support. Earth Power has excellent coverage with Lava Plume, hitting Fire-types and Rock-types who resist it.

A more offensive spin on the Rest Sleep Talk set is achieved by changing to Timid nature, using an EV spread of 248 HP, 36 SpA, and 224 Spe EVs, and giving Heatran a Life Orb. This outruns Adamant Heracross (maybe try and combine this with another sentence, its a bit awkward by itself). This variation functions as a sweeper by giving Heatran back its monstrous attack and decent speed, and at the same time retaining the ability to shrug off status and heal itself. Note that Fire Blast should be used in this case, as the extra power is significant.

[SET]
name: Burn Support
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Roar / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 16 SpA / 240 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
For physical attacking switch-ins, this Heatran is definitely not what they were expecting. Overall, the goal is to set up Stealth Rock as soon as possible, while hopefully luring out a Salamence, Gyarados, or Tyranitar. Later in the battle, once you're sure they will switch in said physical attacking counter, you can use Will-O-Wisp on the switch, crippling the sweeper, or Roar to chip away at your opponent's team with Stealth Rock and other entry hazards that you may have placed.

Will-O-Wisp is an extremely effective move, and can seriously damage entire teams if used cleverly. Most Gyarados, Salamence, and Tyranitar usually have little worry when switching into an unsuspecting Heatran. Will-O-Wisp is a panacea for Heatran's worries, rendering your opponent's physical attacker nearly helpless, making them lose 12.5% of their HP per turn (or more when they switch in, depending on what entry hazards you have placed) and a halving their Attack stat.

With the given EVs, this Heatran is an especially effective Gengar check. Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast will never KO Heatran, even if Heatran switches into a Shadow Ball first. Meanwhile, Heatran will always OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Gengar with Overheat. With its high Special Defense, Heatran can even afford to take a Suicune's Surf and Roar it away to deal with later in the battle.

[SET]
name: Taunt
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Metal Sound / Stealth Rock
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Because of its reasonable bulk and plethora of resistances, Taunt Heatran can prevent your opponent from both setting up and inflicting nasty status attacks. Metal Sound is an effective way to beat Blissey (though if your team needs Stealth Rock support then that is a helpful option as well). Merely Taunt as they switch in Blissey, and then it will be unable to use Thunder Wave, Wish, Softboiled or Protect. You can then Metal Sound them, making Fire Blast a clean 3HKO. Earth Power is for other Heatran, but you will have to catch them on the switch to avoid being taken out by Earth Power yourself. Hidden Power Grass allows you to dent bulky Water-type counters after a Metal Sound. The ability to lure in and take out Blissey is vital to teams that have trouble with her, and the surprise value should not be underestimated. Taunt Heatran is easily as effective as the other sets, and is a dangerous threat in its own right.

Unfortunately, this Heatran has to be a lot slower than the other builds to be effective. 380 HP allows Heatran to take 4 Seismic Tosses, even after Stealth Rock damage, and still survive with 1 HP left. This allows you to defeat any kind of Blissey, no matter what moveset they are running. The Special Attack is maximized for a high damage output. The remaining Speed EVs, by an interesting coincidence, put you at 197, which outruns base 80s without any Speed investment.

This Heatran makes a fine lead, as no one in their right mind would Taunt a Heatran (this may not be so true anymore, given the popularity of heatran leads). The threat of being Choice Scarfed will usually convince Azelf to set up Stealth Rock and forgo Taunt. This allows you to set up Stealth Rock fairly safely, and then start attacking. It's a great deal harder to beat Blissey, as it takes as many hits to kill without Metal Sound, but you can still take it down if you get a Flash Fire boost, provided it doesn't switch out.

Taunt Heatran is an undermined beauty that can be a really great team player. Taunt is a move that cannot be described by mere words, especially when you examine just how much Heatran's possible partners can benefit from it. The crux of this set obviously revolves around Taunt, whose effect is to force the opponent to use attacks that deal damage. As such, when choosing partners to this set, you should ask the following question: Which Pokémon can switch into Heatran's main counters when they are affected by Taunt? First, you should outline a quick list of Pokémon that will repeatedly switch into Heatran; such Pokémon include Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Gyarados, as well as Latias, which resists Heatran's main form of attack, and Blissey, who can take any of Heatran's attacks with ease. From here, you should choose effective sweepers that can set up on those Pokémon noted previously.

Switching into Bulky Water-types can be a bit difficult for an offensive team, as they often carry attacks that can hit Pokémon that resist Water-type attacks for super effective damage. The most common attacks you can expect from Bulky Waters include Surf/Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric. Sadly, there is no one Pokémon in OU which can freely set up against the combination of Water-, Ice-, and Electric-type attacks without expecting to take at least neutral damage. However, it is important to keep in mind that the opponent will be unable to set up as well, due to Taunt, so any Pokémon who can at least switch into a Water-type attack and set up makes a beneficial partner to this set. Calm Mind Latias is a great example, as it can easily switch into most Water-types, use Calm Mind while the opponent either switches or deals mediocre damage with their Ice-type attack, Recover off any damage as needed, and proceed to sweep. Life Orb Starmie is a great option to consider as well, as it handily beats most Bulky Water-types one-on-one, and is a general menace to any offensive team.

A different list of Pokémon that can set up on Latias can be considered to use as other possible partners to Heatran. Latias will normally carry Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor, Surf, and Thunderbolt as her main attacking options, so any Pokémon who isn't weak to any of the listed attacks will greatly benefit from a Latias who is unable to use either Calm Mind or Recover. The first set of Pokémon to come to mind are Steel-types, as they resist Dragon-type attacks. Scizor can set up Swords Dance against a crippled Latias as it either attacks or switches out, while Metagross can use Agility and hit incoming Pokémon with a Life Orbed Meteor Mash; both of whom can easily plow through a weakened team. The same Bulky Water-type counters listed in the previous paragraph will also make it easier for either Scizor or Metagross to sweep. A Blissey crippled by Taunt can be set up on by pretty much any physically based Pokémon in OU, as Seismic Toss deals a fixed amount of damage, as well as Heatran itself, assuming you are running Metal Sound. Dragon Dance Salamence and Dragon Dance Gyarados are both great options to consider pairing with Taunt Heatran, as both can set up and proceed to use Outrage or Waterfall, respectively, against incoming the opponent's incoming counters; it is even better when you consider that Salamence and Gyarados absolutely hate being statused, so Heatran's Taunt can eliminate that fear completely. Note that in this case, Salamence and Gyarados can also switch into Fighting- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran.

Although not as necessary, there are other options you can consider using with Taunt Heatran. Choice Scarf Roserade is an amazing lead to pair with Taunt Heatran running Stealth Rock, as Roserade not only complements Heatran type-wise by taking Water-type attacks directed at it, but it will nearly always prevent your opponent from setting up Stealth Rock (as most people expect the Focus Sash set), making it much easier to switch in other team members repeatedly; in particular, Salamence and Gyarados will appreciate not having to take damage from Stealth Rock. Wish support works well with Taunt Heatran if you desire for it to last a while, which, unlike other sets, usually does.

[Other Options]
Hidden Power Electric can get surprise kills on Gyarados, especially if you use it on Choice Scarf Heatran, as you will be able to outspeed Gyarados, even with a Dragon Dance under its belt. Hidden Power Rock has the advantage of scoring 2HKOs on both Gyarados and Salamence, while maintaining neutrality against other Heatran, easing prediction somewhat with the Choice sets. However, it will leave you walled badly by Swampert, and the loss of one speed point means that you will never speed tie other Heatran with the same nature, allowing them to hit you with Earth Power before you can attack them. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast on many of the sets if you fear accuracy, though Fire Blast deals more damage on average. Heatran's signature attack, Magma Storm, can be used to trap something like Blissey and Explode on them, freeing you to sweep with special attackers. This is risky, however, as Magma Storm only has 70% accuracy. Dragon Pulse deserves a mention as well, since it is your best weapon against Kingdra, and it still puts a significant dent in the other Dragon-types. For item choices, Shuca Berry and Shed Shell can work on a few of the sets. Shuca Berry allows you to survive a powerful Ground-type attack, which is a good way to kill enemy Heatran. Shed Shell allows you to escape Dugtrio. A Salac Berry is usable for a Speed boost when coupled with Substitute.

Do not be tempted to use moves like Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, or AncientPower. Their type coverage is poor, and Heatran's Fire Blast will hit for the same or greater damage on nearly everything in OU.

[EVs]
Always maximize Heatran's Special Attack, unless you are running a defensive set. Then decide what you would like to outrun. 128 EVs and a Modest nature beats Adamant Tyranitar. Modest and 216 EVs beats Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. On the Scarf set, just maximize Speed. You don't want to lose a speed tie with another Choice Scarf Heatran if it comes down to that.

[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):

Hidden Power Grass
Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA

Hidden Power Ice
Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def
Naive: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Rash: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def

Hidden Power Electric
Modest: 23 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 30 SpARash: 27 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 30 SpA

[Team Options]
As with most other offensive Pokémon, Heatran appreciates having a layer of Stealth Rock on the field, as it prevents Salamence and Gyarados from switching in too freely on a resisted Fire Blast, especially when you consider that both Pokémon can set up against you and possibly sweep through the rest of your team. It is worth noting that after Stealth Rock damage, Heatran has a 75% chance of 2HKOing 4/0 Salamence with Fire Blast, and Salamence will always be 2HKOed if it's running a Special Defense-hindering nature, which is extremely beneficial if your Heatran is equipped with Choice Scarf. Toxic Spikes support is also a worthwhile option to consider when using Heatran, as most of the Bulky Water-types that enjoy coming into Heatran are effectively crippled by Toxic Spikes; however, Suicune usually has Rest to cure itself of status, and Gyarados is immune to Toxic Spikes. Roserade is the best user of Toxic Spikes in OU, and pairs extremely well with Heatran type-wise. Additionally, Spikes support helps in further weakening grounded Pokémon attempting to wall you, such as Blissey. However, most Pokémon that learns Spikes don't pair well with Heatran, due to either shared weaknesses or the defensive nature of most of the given Pokémon. If opting for Spikes support, Frosslass and Smeargle will be your best options to lay them down, but the prevelance of Taunt leads can make any attempts to lay down Spikes ineffective.

[Opinion]
Heatran is the anti-metagame Pokemon, capable of keeping top threats, such as Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, and Salamence, in check. With the ability to counter some of the biggest threats in the game and being neutral to Stealth Rock, it is far beyond the level of any other Fire-type in Pokemon. The secondary Steel-typing gives Heatran a lot of good resistances, and Flash Fire allows it to take on its fellow Fire-types quite easily. While the weaknesses to extremely common moves such as Earthquake, Surf, and Close Combat hinder its walling potential, its ability as a defensive Pokemon should not be overlooked. With decent defensive typing, neutrality to Stealth Rock, and one of the highest Special Attack stats in the Overused tier, Heatran should not be underestimated.

Heatran will be seen on a lot of teams, so be prepared for it. It's a sturdy tank, a great team player, and a frightening sweeper. Its frequent presence near the top of the usage list is for a good reason, and if your team is not prepared to deal with it, then you cannot expect to have a healthy winning record.

[Counters]
Bulky Water-types, such as Milotic, Suicune, Slowking, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, and Swampert, can counter Heatran quite effectively, but Choice Specs boosted Hidden Power Grass and Earth Power can take them down. Suicune is the best of these, as its high defenses allow it to take an Explosion, as well as most special attacks, it is faster than the defensive Heatran sets, and its Pressure forces Heatran to watch its remaining Fire Blast PP. Gyarados can handle Heatran on occasion, but Stealth Rock, potential burns, and the occasional Hidden Power Electric on Heatran are a nuisance. Porygon2 is an interesting counter. It traces Flash Fire and isn't weak to any (removed "other", its not weak to Fire Blast either) moves that Heatran carries. Porygon2 can then paralyze Heatran and wear it down with Thunderbolt, using Recover as necessary. Latias and Kingdra can come in on Heatran and set up, unless they switch into a Dragon Pulse.

Blissey is a fairly good counter to Heatran, provided she has some means of hitting it. With the increase in Fire-type attacks, thanks to Scizor, getting a Flash Fire boost is easier, which means Blissey might have to take boosted Fire-type attacks. Explosion also gets rid of Blissey, but at the cost of Heatran's own life. Heatran counters itself as long as it doesn't come into Earth Power. Adamant Choice Scarf Dugtrio can trap and KO Heatran no matter the set, and Magnezone can do the same if Heatran is locked into Hidden Power or Dragon Pulse.

Snorlax can come into Heatran with relative impunity thanks to Thick Fat and threaten it back with Earthquake. Hariyama does the same, but uses Fighting-type attacks instead. Like Blissey, both will fall to Explosion. A Careful Tyranitar can shrug off any hits not boosted by Choice Specs, even Earth Power, which barely 4HKOes.

Most Heatran you face will be Choiced. Take advantage of this when deciding what you will switch in.

Nice job Flash, comments in parentheses. I'll proofread the rest of the team sections when you post them.

VKCA · Jul 11, 2009

Dragon Dance Salamence can also switch into a Heatran locked into anything bar Dragon Pulse and set up, as Fire Blast manages at most, 46.69%, to any variant of Salamence.

If mence is naive with min iv's in sp def and hp, then heatran's Fire Blast can do over 50%

359 Atk vs 148 Def & 300 HP (120 Base Power): 156 - 184 (52.00% - 61.33%)

edit:
Maybe they are not a very good breeder.

Flashstorm1 · Jul 11, 2009

Mr.Dreavus said:
If mence is naive with min iv's in sp def and hp, then heatran's Fire Blast can do over 50%

Why would anyone run 0 IVs in HP and Special Defense?

Flashstorm1 · Jul 11, 2009

I just wanted to post a quick update stating that I have finished the portion of the analysis that I planned on working on myself. Vashta will be assisting me on writing up team options for the Life Orb set, while iKitsune has offered to write up the updates for the Burn Support and Rest + Sleep Talks sets.

All proofreading edits will be edited it after the entire analysis has been updated,

gorm said:
taunt set needs mention of toxic to help it crush bliss ;D

I've tested the Taunt set myself in a few matches, and I can reliably tell you that the given options are much superior to Toxic. With Taunt, Blissey will be forced to attack, meaning you can basically switch in anything else. On another note, you won't be beating Blissey regardless, as she can just switch out.

egg shell said:
add dragon pulse to the sub set and mention its usefulness with toxic spikes

Care to explain why you recommend this? I'm all ears and will gladly mention it if you explain the usefulness for having Dragon Pulse.

cim · Jul 11, 2009

name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast

Slash in Flamethrower. The last thing you want a pinch revenge killer to ever do is miss.

egg shell · Jul 22, 2009

with toxic spike support toxic on the sub heatran set become redundant as the only levitater\flying pokemon able to beat heatran are latios and gyarados, dragon pulse is more reliable than fireblast against gyarados and has more pp combine with a stealth rock weakness and no immunity to weather gyarados can only switch in once, salamence dies to stealth rock + dragon pulse, blissey is beaten by toxic spike + fire blast, tyranitar is beaten by toxic spike with earth power bulky water can be sub stall than finish with earth power basically dragon pulse is superior over toxic is toxic spike is available (except in the case of tentacruel and rosemaride who would just absorb it) dusknoir spiritomb and rotom-a is needed however to prevent rapid spin

Stellar · Jul 22, 2009

Just because Toxic becomes redundant when used with Toxic Spikes, there is no reason to omit it from the set. Latios' tier is still being decided, so I'm sure you meant Latias.

Flashstorm1 · Jul 24, 2009

I've finished updating the Heatran analysis. Now all it needs is proofreading and it should be good to go.

egg shell · Jul 31, 2009

yes i meant latias and no i didn't mean remove toxic just add dragon pulse for the reasons i mentioned

Flashstorm1 · Aug 1, 2009

egg shell said:
yes i meant latias and no i didn't mean remove toxic just add dragon pulse for the reasons i mentioned

The thing is, you didn't mention any reason whatsoever...

Anyways, Toxic is far superior to Dragon Pulse on the Substitute. Calm Mind Latias can still set up on you since it outspeeds, while Salamence is still crippled by Toxic. You're going to have to post better reasoning here to convince me that Dragon Pulse is a worthwhile option on the Substitute set.

Fireburn · Aug 2, 2009

Fixes in Bold

Flashstorm1 said:
Current status: COMPLETED, in need or proofreading

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/heatran

____________

Changes:

Addition of team support options for each set

Addition of Team Options section

Revision and correction of any possible grammatical errors

Team support options will be underlined

Renamed "Lead" to "Stealth Rock (Lead)"

Made the 4th option for "Substitute" less cluttered, while keeping the same descriptions given in the analysis on-site

Moveset changes to the "Life Orb" set, courtesy of Vashta

____________

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Naive / Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Heatran is the ultimate revenge killer, holding many dangerous threats at bay. This includes, but is not limited to, Scizor, Salamence, Lucario, and even other Heatran. With its numerous resistances and immunity to Fire, Heatran can come in with a little prediction and force all of these Pokemon to switch or risk being KO'd. The Choice Scarf puts Heatran at 417 Speed, allowing it to outspeed all unscarfed Pokémon, bar Ninjask, in OU.

Fire Blast is your STAB move, forcing out Scizor, Lucario, Jirachi, Celebi, and more. Coming off of an impressive 359 Special Attack, it even hurts when resisted. Earth Power is an absolute necessity, due to the popularity of Heatran, and complements Fire Blast by removing other Fire-types. Giving an enemy Heatran a Flash Fire boost is extremely dangerous, so a well predicted Earth Power is often key to winning a match. Hidden Power Ice allows you to revenge kill Dragon Dance Salamence once it goes into an Outrage and gives you a 100% accurate move for taking out Gliscor. Hidden Power Grass allows you to wear down bulky Water counters, who usually switch into Heatran without thinking twice. Dragon Pulse is also a usable option for greater neutral coverage while still denting the OU Dragons, in particular Kingdra, who only takes neutral damage from any other type of attack. Lastly, Explosion is for when Heatran is on the verge of death, and it will likely take something down with it. If you're mainly using Heatran as a revenge killer, Flamethrower is a reliable option over Fire Blast. The improved accuracy could be the difference between winning and losing a game if your opponent's last two Pokemon are a somewhat weakened Celebi with Earth Power and a Scizor. In a case like this, a case not particularly situational, a reliable move like Flamethrower is a better option than Fire Blast; both will KO the rest of your opponent's team, but Fire Blast has a 15% chance to miss. That chance could cost you the game. Overheat is also an option. (What benefits does it have?)

A beneficial Speed nature is not absolutely necessary, but it allows you to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados even after a Dragon Dance, Adamant Heracross even with a Choice Scarf, and all the base 130 Speed Pokemon. Additionally, given the popularity of Heatran, it is not a bad idea to at least force a speed tie should your opponent use one as well.

While Choice Scarf Heatran makes a great revenge killer to a large portion of the metagame, it faces problems against Pokémon which can attempt set up on it, particularly if they either resist or are immune to the attack Heatran is locked into. Although Stealth Rock hampers it's ability to switch in repeatedly, Jolly Dragon Dance Gyarados can easily take a Fire Blast, boost both its Attack and Speed, and KO you with Waterfall on the next turn, as Jolly variants outspeed Heatran. At most, Heatran can only manage 34.94% with Fire Blast against Gyarados, which fails to 2HKO, even with Stealth Rock and Sandstorm damage factored in. Dragon Dance Salamence can also switch into a Heatran locked into anything bar Dragon Pulse (Or HP Ice, or a well-timed Explosion) and set up, as Fire Blast manages, at most, 46.69%, to any variant of Salamence. Afterwards, Salamence will proceed to KO you with Earthquake or Outrage against any Pokémon you might have switched in against it. It should be noted that Salamence can't actually switch into Heatran directly, especially is running a Special Defense-hindering nature, as it faces a large risk of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast, even if resisted. In fact, Salamence without any HP investment faces a 75.48% chance of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage, and will always be 2HKOed if using a Special Defense-hindering nature. Latias can switch into most of Heatran's attacks with ease due to its high Special Defense stat and resistance to Fire-type attacks, and proceed to set up Calm Mind or hit you with Surf. Kingdra, in particular, will cause the most trouble, as it has a 4x resistance to Fire-type attacks and it usually bulky enough to take at least 1 non-boosted attack that isn't Dragon-typed, meaning it will usually be at +2 in Attack and Speed if you attempt to revenge kill it with Heatran, which it will obviously fail to outspeed Kingdra. And to top it all off, Blissey can switch into this Heatran with no trouble at all as long as it avoids Explosion. Bulky Waters can also switch into Heatran with ease; Suicune gains a special mention as its ability, Pressure, can easily drain Fire Blast's low PP.

While the number of Pokémon that can set up on Heatran is particularly high, especially after it has revenge killed something, most of the Pokémon mentioned share common counters which pair well with Heatran. Celebi has a relatively easy time taking on Gyarados, as long as it avoids a Life Orbed Bounce, which can OHKO if Gyarados is running an Adamant nature. However, Heatran can switch back in, outspeed, and KO with Explosion, assuming you don't get screwed by Bounce's 30% paralysis rate. Celebi has many options to retaliate with against Gyarados, particularly Thunder Wave, which completely cripples Gyarados, Reflect, which halves all damage Gyarados can deal against Celebi, and finally Grass Knot, which deals anywhere from 38.86% - 46.08% to the standard 4/0 Gyarados. Kingdra faces a similar problem, as a Kingdra at +1 in Attack can only deal, at most, 72.77% with a Life Orbed Outrage against the standard Defensive Celebi; in return, Celebi can use Thunder Wave or Reflect to shrug off Kingdra's attacks and heal any damage taken with Recover. Celebi has Grass Knot and Leaf Storm to hit other Bulky Waters with as well. Celebi is also Heatran's best partner, forming the famous defensive combination known as "CeleTran". Both Pokémon, when paired together, resist 16 of the 17 types, and both are bulky enough to take resisted hits.

Salamence and Latias, unfortunately, are not countered by Celebi, so a different Pokémon is required. Salamence is best handled by a strong priority user, such as Scizor. Scizor pairs well with Heatran type-wise, as Heatran essentially negates any Fire-type attacks thrown at Scizor, and actually benefits from them thanks to its ability, Flash Fire. Choice Band Scizor manages to OHKO 4/0 Salamence with Bullet Punch, provided it has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock and either one or two turns of Life Orb recoil. Sandstorm guarantees Salamence will be KOed by Bullet Punch after one turn of Life Orb recoil, as Bullet Punch will do anywhere from 58.73% - 68.98% to Salamence. Latias can also be countered by Scizor, as both U-turn and Pursuit are excellent moves in keeping Latias in check. Latias is OHKOed by U-turn if it stays in, and Pursuit manages to deal anywhere from 86.75% - 102.65% against 4/0 Latias if it stays in, a likely OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, and a definite OHKO if it switches out. Be careful though, as a Life Orbed Surf from max Special Attack Timid Latias has a likely chance of 2HKOing Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, and Hidden Power Fire will OHKO, although it is uncommon to find it on Latias. Scizor has Superpower to hit Blissey with, but one must be careful of (Removed not) switching into Flamethrower.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Explosion
item: Shuca Berry
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Although Heatran may seem like an inferior suicide lead due to its low speed, it more than makes up for it in surprise value and utility. One of the biggest advantages of the set is that most players will assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf - as most Heatran do - and make their plays accordingly. The most immediate and probably most beneficial consequence of this is that very few players will ever try to Taunt Heatran, meaning that you will get Stealth Rock up on turn one almost every game. The assumption of Choice Scarf also causes players to switch out of and attempt set up on Heatran, only to watch in horror as their prized sweeper is blown to smithereens via Explosion. Another more subtle aid is that, depending on the situation, you can switch out of Heatran immediately after using Stealth Rock on turn one, and your opponent will have absolute confidence when you send it back in later for a "revenge kill" on his Lucario or Infernape.

Shuca Berry is used here to all but guarantee that Heatran will survive one attack. The only even common leads that can OHKO Heatran are Infernape, which will likely assume Choice Scarf and use Stealth Rock on the first turn instead of attacking, and Tyranitar, which often does not run Choice Band and Adamant, both of which are required for an OHKO, as a lead. Life Orb Mamoswine, another Pokémon rising in popularity as a lead, also OHKOes Heatran, even through Shuca Berry. If you really fear a first turn OHKO you can use Focus Sash instead; however, a 1 HP Heatran is nearly useless once your opponent gets Stealth Rock up.

Speed and Special Attack are maxed to allow Heatran to sweep as well as it can. This is important because a lot of the time you will want to save Heatran for later in the game, due to its high Special Attack, decent Speed, and huge number of useful resists, most notably to Dragon-type attacks. If you manage to keep the Shuca berry intact, you will also have a powerful weapon against opposing Heatran and anything using Earthquake. If you want to have that weapon late game regardless, this Heatran does have some effectiveness when it is not a lead. However, getting Stealth Rock up on the first turn is extremely (horribly does not sound right here) beneficial, and this Pokemon is exceptionally good at doing just that.

Timid nature is an option if you want to be guaranteed to survive Azelf's Psychic + Explosion, but even with Naive, Azelf will need to roll nearly maximum damage from Explosion and above average damage from Psychic in order to score a KO, and the 10% boost to your own Explosion is often worth the risk. As a final note, this lead is not meant to be used on a team which does poorly against Stealth Rock. It can get its own Stealth Rock up in almost every game, but unless your opponent leads with something weak to Fire they will likely lay their own rocks as well.

As the name of this set states, Heatran's primary job here is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. For this reason, any Pokémon that can prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock will be the biggest adversary to this set. Taunt, becoming increasingly more common among both suicide and bulky leads, will prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock reliably, forcing it to switch out and set it up later, unless you're lucky and the effect of Taunt only lasts the minimum of two turns on Heatran. Out of the top 10 leads used in the OU metagame, the only two most likely to carry Taunt are Azelf and Aerodactyl. Heatran resists most attacks that lead Azelf is likely to throw at it, meaning you can dispatch it with two successful Fire Blast hits. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, will prove to be more difficult to take down. Not only will Pressure drain Fire Blast's PP, but Aerodactyl also resists Fire Blast and Explosion, and is immune to Earth Power. Aerodactyl will usually do one of two choices: 1) Set up Taunt, then Stealth Rock or 2) Use Earthquake consecutively to KO Heatran. In either scenario, Heatran should not stay in on Aerodactyl. Aside from Taunt leads, other troublesome lead Pokémon you will encounter include Swampert, Infernape, and Tyranitar. Swampert will more than likely set up Stealth Rock on you and then attack with Earthquake, so unless you Explode, you cannot get past it. In a worse case scenario, Swampert can block your attempt to Explode with Protect. Infernape has Close Combat to dispatch you with, and you will be unable to even break its Focus Sash due to it outspeeding you. Tyranitar can prove troublesome if it packs Earthquake or Superpower, but you can survive either attack and set up Stealth Rock, being the overall primary objective of this set.

Proper team support will need to be provided to dispatch leads that can cause Heatran trouble. Looking at all of the previously mentioned threats, one group of Pokémon in particular can counter all of those stated: Bulky Waters. Bulky Waters such as Suicune will prove to be effective, as it has a STAB Surf to hit both Aerodactyl and Infernape with; in return, both can only do, at most, 25% to Suicune with their strongest attack, being Stone Edge / Rock Slide and Close Combat respectively. More importantly, Suicune can use Rest to heal off any damage taken. Another interesting option to consider is Vaporeon, who can also provide Wish support should you plan on Heatran being an important member on your team whose only objective wouldn't be to simply set up Stealth Rock and then Explode. Additionally, both Suicune and Vaporeon can comfortably take Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, which in return, takes Grass-types attacks thrown at them. Swampert can also be weakened through repeated Surfs, and will be unable to deal much damage to Suicune and Vaporeon. Alternatively, you can use Celebi to deal with it, since it resists both of Swampert's STAB options, and takes little damage from Ice Beam. Tyranitar won't prove to be too much of a problem due to its many weaknesses and slow speed, so as long as you switch in a Pokémon that runs 244 Speed or higher and can threaten it with a super effective attack, you should be fine. (That won't do much good if said Pokemon is weak or takes tons of damage from TTar's attacks.)

This Heatran can also be paired with other leads you may want to use, as Heatran has the bulk to use Stealth Rock reliably at any stage of the game. Roserade makes an interesting lead to pair with Heatran, as it can not only put other foes to sleep with Sleep Powder, but it can also set up Toxic Spikes, which cripples most Water-types who will try to switch in on Heatran. Additionally, Heatran can take Ice- and Fire-type attacks thrown at Heatran, while Roserade takes the same Water-type attacks mentioned before. Gliscor is another good lead to consider pairing with Heatran, as it can prevent slower leads from using Stealth Rock with Taunt, and can use U-turn to scout for Ice- and Water-type attacks, with Heatran making an excellent switch in to the former.

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
The idea behind this set is twofold: first of all, Heatran is one of the best Pokémon in the game at forcing switches, due to his nearly universal coverage, great typing, and frequent use of Choice Scarf, so it is not difficult to get a Substitute up. Second, the only Pokemon that are immune to Toxic are Steel-types — easily taken out by Fire Blast and Earth Power — and Poison-types, all of which have either poor Special Defense or a Fire or Ground weakness.

Heatran should be sent out against something that will likely switch out, such as a Celebi or one of the many Steel types in OU. In consideration of this goal, it is often useful to send Heatran out for the first time after one of your own pokemon has been KO'd; most players will assume it is holding a Choice Scarf and switch out of the expected speedy attack. Once you have a Substitute up, make your play according to what they switch to. If they for some reason switch in something weak to Fire or Ground then you attack it, obviously. If they don't, then you are still OK, since most of Heatran's common switch-ins—things like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Salamence, Swampert, and the bulky Water-types—absolutely hate being poisoned. Once you Toxic them and they break your Substitute, you can switch to something to stall out their attacks, and the next time you bring in Heatran your opponent will have at least one fewer counter for it!

Toxic is recommended because it has the greatest coverage of all the options in the last slot, but it isn't that spectacular without a reasonably bulky team to take hits from Pokemon after they have been poisoned. For this reason several other more specialized options are available if you are running a more offensive team. Explosion is an all-around useful move, carrying the ability to take out Blissey and pretty much anything else your team has trouble with. One of the cool things with Explosion is that almost no one will think to switch to a Ghost if you explode with a Substitute up, which just makes it all the more useful (note that a Naive nature should be used with Explosion). A certain Hidden Power can also be selected if you want to be able to quickly take out any one of either Gyarados, Salamence, or Swampert instead of slowly waiting for Toxic to do the job. Finally, Will-O-Wisp is possibly more useful than Toxic against Gyarados, Salamence, Tyranitar, and some others, but it kills even slower than Toxic (and can even be circumvented via Recover or Roost), and the 75% accuracy is a pretty big turn off.

It may seem strange to use a +Speed nature without a Choice Scarf, but in a metagame where Heatran is as popular as it is, max speed can be a huge aid. With full Speed, Heatran will attack before +Speed Breloom and Metagross, and before neutral speed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Heracross; and it will nearly always outspeed the defensive base 100 Speed Pokemon. Any of these could easily OHKO or status Heatran, so getting the jump on them with Substitute or Toxic is often crucial to the outcome of a match.

This Heatran works best when paired with Pokémon who can repeatedly take hits thrown at Heatran and pose a threat to Heatran's counters. Such Pokémon include those commonly found on bulky offense teams.

In order to decide possible partners to Heatran, you have to consider which Pokémon are capable of threatening it. While Substitute greatly reduces the advantage your opponent can gain by switching in an appropriate counter, you will more often than not be forced to switch out after they break your Substitute. Common examples of such Pokémon include Gyarados, who will break your Substitute with Waterfall and then Dragon Dance, and Latias, which can set up multiple Calm Minds with ease due to Heatran's lack of coverage needed to hit it. Both Pokémon are, thankfully, effectively hindered by Toxic, lessening the threat they can pose to your team. Gyarados's best counters which can pose a threat in return are Celebi and Scarfed Pokémon which resist Waterfall or are immune to Earthquake, such as Choice Scarf Latias. Celebi will have trouble retaliating against boosted Ice Fang's, but can effectively stall out Gyarados with Recover until the effects of Toxic finish it off; however, you must be careful to avoid getting hit by Bounce should Gyarados be carrying the move. Calm Mind Celebi makes a great choice for a bulky offense team, as it not only counters specific threats, but can also pose as a threat of its own after a few boosts; the Tinkerbell set is also a worthwhile option if your team relies on slower sweepers who appreciate paralyzed opponents. If using a Scarfed Pokémon as your check to Gyarados, it should come equipped with either an Electric-type attack or an attack with a high Base Power; in Latias's case, it has access to both Thunderbolt and Draco Meteor to hit Gyarados with. You should also make sure to watch out for possible Pursuit users your opponent might be carrying, especially Scizor and Tyranitar, which take little damage from attacks likely to be thrown at Gyarados. Latias can be handled by most Steel-types outside of Heatran, particularly those with a high Attack stat, such as Metagross, Scizor, and Jirachi, Metagross can either set up Agility or fire STAB Meteor Mashes to keep Latias at bay. Jirachi can either use Iron Head repeatedly if running Choice Scarf, or use a combination of Body Slam and Iron Head to weaken Latias. Scizor has both U-turn and Pursuit to murder Latias with. As always, make sure to watch out for Magnezone, a likely partner whose sole role is to take out Steel-types which threaten Latias. On an added note, some Latias pack Refresh, so don't over-depend on Toxic to take out Latias.

This Heatran set will also have trouble against stall, particularly because Spikes and Stealth Rock will limit the number of times it can switch it in. To make it worse, Gyarados with Rest, and even Blissey, two Pokémon commonly found on stall teams, will wall this set with ease, as they are unhindered by your attempts to poison them. As such, an effective mixed sweeper is recommend as a partner to Heatran, particularly those specifically designed to weaken stall teams. Classic MixMence, Salamence's most effective wall-breaking set, makes a fantastic partner to Heatran, especially since they cover each other's weaknesses extremely well; Heatran takes Ice- and Dragon-type attacks thrown at Salamence, while it can comfortably take Water-type attacks along with an immunity to Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Be prepared to rely on prediction, such as using Brick Break on a Blissey switch in, when using MixMence, as any expert stall player will normally be prepared for common wall breakers.

If you want Heatran to run another attack instead of Toxic, such as the listed Explosion, it is often a good idea to pair Heatran with a user of Toxic Spikes. However, Toxic Spikes are unable to affect non-grounded Pokémon, so Toxic should not be completely dismissed, even with Toxic Spikes support.(Who makes a good user of TSpikes?)

As always, Wish support can be used in aiding the overall longevity of Heatran, especially with Substitute taking away 25% of Heatran's health each time it is used.(Who can best provide Wish support?)

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Taunt / Explosion
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran is a great candidate for utilizing Life Orb to further boost its already massive Special Attack stat. This set allows Heatran to act as a fluent sweeper without the restrictions that Choice Scarf and Choice Specs hold on it, while maintaining the power needed to achieve certain KOs that Heatran would otherwise miss without the boost Life Orb gives.

Fire Blast is Heatran's STAB move for this set, causing decent amounts of damage to common switch-ins such as Gyarados and Salamence, while also ruining Scizor, Jirachi, and Celebi. Earth Power complements Fire Blast by hitting other opposing Heatran that may switch-in predicting Fire Blast and looking for a Flash Fire boost, and is also necessary for removing other common Fire-type Pokemon who may otherwise try to cushion Fire Blast. Explosion is amazingly powerful, and can guarantee an OHKO on a 0 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, which may be useful to open a sweep for another Pokemon in your team. Hidden Power is optional depending on whether you wish to eliminate either Gyarados (Removed comma) or Swampert. Taunt is also a decent option on this set, as it stops Pokemon such as Blissey and Cresselia from inflicting horrible status moves which could otherwise affect Heatran's sweeping efficiency, while also stopping any healing attempts from the two.

Expert Belt along with Heatran's attacks will bluff Choice Scarf, often causing the opponent to assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf and send in something like Gyarados or Swampert to take the opportunity to set up, but will fall to one of Heatran's other unnoticed attacks. A Naive nature is recommended as it boosts Speed without hindering Heatran's Special Attack or Attack, and allows Heatran to take Scizor's Bullet Punch with greater ease. The EVs maximizes Heatran's Special Attack stat for maximum damage inflicted upon foes, and allows Heatran to outspeed all neutral base 85 Pokemon.

As with most of the other sweeping sets, Life Orb Heatran really appreciates outside support in weakening its counters, most notably Dragon-types that pack super effective moves, and some Bulky Water-types, such as Gyarados. Blissey can also prove a bit troublesome to this set, although Taunt and Explosion limit its effectiveness. For this reason, entry hazard support is an extremely viable option to consider using with this set. Stealth Rock allows you to reduce the effectiveness of Gyarados and Salamence switch-ins, especially since they will only be able to switch in once with Stealth Rock in play, even with their resistance to Fire-type attacks. Spikes support is particularly useful in weakening grounded Pokémon that can give Heatran trouble, such as faster Suicune, Starmie, etc. And lastly, Toxic Spikes deserves a big mention here, as it is extremely effective in crippling Bulky Water-types, and when you consider the recovery-nullifying effects of Taunt, the opposing Pokémon can be easily worn down by the inflicted poison. Smeargle is particularly good at setting up the first two of the mentioned entry hazards, as it makes quite the effective lead with a 100% accuracy Spore, but will usually be unable to get more than 1 layer of Spikes up, and even then, Taunt completely cripples it. Roserade is a good option for providing Toxic Spikes support, as it complements Heatran well type-wise; Roserade can take Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while Heatran takes Ice-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Roserade.

Since most of the troublesome Pokémon to this set are those that outspeed it, paralysis support is particularly useful when using this type of Heatran. When you consider that Heatran's most common switch-ins, Gyarados and Latias, are effectively crippled by paralysis, using paralysis support seems like an even more attractive option to consider. There are plenty of viable paralysis users to consider, but Celebi is arguably the best paralysis inducer to pair with Heatran. Celebi has access to Thunder Wave, and since Celebi also lures in Latias quite often, you should have no trouble paralysing it. Not only that, but Celebi makes a good counter to any Gyarados set without Bounce. If Celebi does not seem like a good option to you, Togekiss is another viable Thunder Wave user. Additionally, Togekiss and Heatran pair extremely well type-wise. Togekiss can switch into the Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while it can switch into Ice-type attacks aimed at Togekiss.

After Heatran has completed its job of weakening down the opponent's team, any Pokémon that works well in cleaning up what Heatran couldn't finish off is a great offensive partner to this set. Choice Band Scizor is an extremely good and powerful Pokémon that can fill this role, as its Bullet Punch is able to put a dent on a lot of opposing Pokémon. For example, after switching into Heatran's Fire Blast, Scizor can easily take out Salamence and Latias who have opted not to recover off any damage taken. Scizor also allows you to scout for Heatran's potential counters with U-turn, since it often lures in Flying-types with moves capable of dealing super effective damage on Heatran. Additionally, Scizor has access to Pursuit to "trap" Latias, which allows Heatran to sweep with far more ease. However, Scizor is incapable of switching into Surfs aimed at Heatran, so it is often best to switch to a Bulky Water-type beforehand, then switch to Scizor to take the expected Dragon-type attack.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs equipped, the damage from Heatran's Fire Blast rivals that of Choice Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor, absolutely destroying most Pokémon that don't resist it. If you can get a Flash Fire boost, even Blissey will fear it, possibly being 2HKOed with Stealth Rock damage. Overheat is even more ridiculous, with the first hit dealing up to 50% damage even to Blissey, though Overheat's negative effect will severely reduce the power of Heatran's next attack. It's a matter of preference, and depends on the rest of your team: do you need Heatran to be a hit and run attacker, handily nuking whatever switches in, or do you want consistent yet high damage? The accuracy is also an issue, with Overheat being 90% accurate, and Fire Blast being 85% accurate. Over the course of two turns, however, Fire Blast does more damage.

Like with any Choice user, prediction is required. Quite often, your opponent will predict a Fire-type attack coming from miles away. They will likely switch in a bulky Water or a Flash Fire Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass should 2HKO the majority of bulky Waters, while Earth Power destroys Fire-types. By carefully removing these pokemon, Heatran can eventually set your team up for a sweep.

While not as much of a team supporter as the other Heatran sets, Choice Specs Heatran is worth considering as a high powered special sweeper, and will greatly benefit most teams. The Speed EVs allow you to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. If you chose Fire Blast as your sweeping move, use Dragon Pulse in moveslot 4. If you chose Overheat, put Flamethrower in the final slot to make it easier to sweep late game and to combat PP loss.

This Heatran requires a bit more support from its teammates than the previous sets, as Heatran, while dealing an insane amount of damage to most Pokémon when coupled with Choice Specs, will have trouble retaliating against faster foes due to its less than spectacular Speed stat. The first idea to probably come to mind when using this type of Heatran is to provide it with paralysis support, which in fact, is a recommended strategy to consider if you want Heatran to outspeed Pokémon that will attempt to switch in. There are many viable Thunder Wave users in OU, but very few actually complement Heatran well type-wise. For example, Jirachi shares Heatran's weakness to Ground-types, Porygon2 shares Heatran's weakness to Fighting-types, and Togekiss takes neutral damage from most attacks thrown at Heatran, except for Ground-type attacks for obvious reasons. However, there is one Thunder Wave user that outshines the rest when paired with Heatran, and that special Pokémon is Celebi. As mentioned multiple times in the analysis, Celebi is the best partner imaginable to Heatran, particularly for its ability to take most bulky hits that are not super effective. Both the "Defensive" and "Tinkerbell" sets can use Thunder Wave effectively. The "Defensive" set is more adept at taking hits, while the "Tinkerbell" set allows you to beat counters to Celebi, such as Scizor and Tyranitar. By using Celebi, you should be able to handily cripple key counters to Heatran, such as Gyarados and Latias without Refresh, but must also watch out for boosted hits thrown at Celebi, particularly if they are special-based or hit it for super effective. Additionally, Celebi makes a great switch in to most Water-types who will attempt to wall Heatran.

Although Celebi can Thunder Wave most of Heatran's counters, there are a few Pokémon who can set up on Heatran and also defeat Celebi one-on-one, making any attempts to use Thunder Wave futile. Such examples include Offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Calm Mind Latias, and Dragon Dance Salamence, although it will take a large amount of damage even from a resisted Fire Blast, due to its low Special Defense stat, coupled with the boost from Choice Specs. Salamence will often carry Earthquake as well, so it's recommended Heatran switches out regardless, especially if you depend on it for your sweeping duties. Unfortunately, none of the noted counters above share similar counters, but there are Pokémon who can hinder those noted. Suicune can be a bit difficult to switch into due to its attacking options hitting most of the Pokémon in the OU metagame for super effective damage; however, a strong Electric-type which outspeeds it, such as max speed Rotom-A or Zapdos, can switch in and deal a large amount of damage with their STAB attacks, even through a Calm Mind boost. Latias is susceptible to Scizor as long as you avoid switch into a Life Orbed Surf, which has the potential to 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage; Scizor can also check Salamence with Bullet Punch after it has taken previous damage. Choice Scarf Latias is also a worthwhile option, as it has Thunderbolt to hit Suicune with, and Draco Meteor to cover both Latias and Salamence, as long as you avoid switching into Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse.

Entry hazards are particularly useful for this set, as they prevent most of Heatran's counters from switching in repeatedly, and also helps weaken those counters that are slower than Heatran. Stealth Rock should be used regardless, as it prevents Gyarados and Latias from switching in freely. Spikes can be used to weaken Vaporeon and defensive versions of Suicune, which will take a total of 37.5% from a layer of Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes when switching in. The only worthwhile options to consider for Spikes support alongside Heatran are Smeargle and Froslass, as other common Spikers, such as Skarmory and Forretress, have trouble fitting into an offensive team. Smeargle gets access to both Spore and Stealth Rock, making it slightly more useful than Froslass. However, Froslass does have access to Destiny Bond, which allows you to take down slower foes once you faint. Both have their uses undoubtedly, but both must also watch out for Taunt from Azelf and Aerodactyl, which will render any attempts to set up Spikes useless.

[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Lava Plume / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 56 SpA / 204 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
While Heatran lacks any form of recovery outside of Rest and Sleep Talk, its large number of resistances and above average defenses make it an excellent status absorber and special wall. Typically it would be better to choose a special sponge that had access to instant recovery, but Heatran is sturdy enough that it doesn't matter, and his huge Special Attack stat makes him a difficult wall to switch into. With Heatran's decent typing and good defenses it can easily take on special attackers such as Celebi, Rotom-Appliance, Jirachi, Zapdos, and many others. This Heatran can even beat Blissey one on one, thanks to the burn rate of Lava Plume, and the Special Defense dropping effects of Earth Power.

Lava Plume makes physical attackers think twice before switching in, as a 30% burn rate is nothing to scoff at. Fire Blast, on the other hand, carries significantly more raw power, and Sleep Talk makes Fire Blast's low PP a non issue. However, since this is a defensive set, Lava Plume is still the primary option because it provides better team support. Earth Power has excellent coverage with Lava Plume, hitting Fire-types and Rock-types who resist it.

A more offensive spin on the Rest Sleep Talk set is achieved by changing to Timid nature, using an EV spread of 248 HP, 36 SpA and 224 Spe, and giving Heatran a Life Orb. This outruns Adamant Heracross. This variation functions as a sweeper by giving Heatran back its monstrous attack and decent speed, and at the same time retaining the ability to shrug off status and heal itself. Note that Fire Blast should be used in this case, as the extra power is significant.

This variant of Heatran works great on a defensive team that is in need of a good status absorber, along with one that would make perfect use of Heatran's typing. Since this Heatran is meant to be played defensively, any Pokémon that could potentially set up on this set would be the most troublesome for Heatran. This list includes, but is not limited to, Pokémon that resist or are immune to both Fire- and Ground-type attacks. Pokémon that come to mind here are Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias, in which all three resist Heatran's Fire-type attacks and are immune to its Earth Power. Salamence can easily come in on a predicted Earth Power or Rest with relative ease, but must be wary of Lava Plume's 30% burn rate. Gyarados works in much the same way, but its higher Special Defense stat, as compared to Salamence, allows it to take even less from Heatran's Fire-type attack of choice. However, both are just about equal in the nuisance they can be to Heatran. Both Salamence and Gyarados can easily set up a Dragon Dance, especially when you consider Heatran's low investment in Special Attack, and then proceed to take out Heatran with a boosted Earthquake or Waterfall, respectively. Latias works in a similar way, except it has less to fear from Lava Plume since its primarily a special attacker. Latias can easily set up Calm Mind, and unlike the former two, heal off any damage with Recover; Heatran won't enjoy taking boosted Surfs either. Outside of the three aforementioned sweepers, Bulky Water-types will give Heatran the most trouble. Vaporeon can easily come in and use the time to pass Wish to other weakened Pokémon on the team, Suicune wouldn't mind setting up Calm Mind, and Swampert can easily set up Curse. For this reason, when using this set, it is important that you are able to switch into the attacking types that Heatran is weak to, and either stall out the Pokémon or use offensive means to take it out before it sets up.

Generally, a team that makes use of this set will be defensively oriented, so it is important to consider Pokémon that have a viable form of recovery along with high defensive stats, which will allow such a Pokémon to remain active through the match. When switching into Salamence, it is essential that you know what set it is running, as each set requires a different Pokémon to combat it. The Dragon Dancer is best handled by Pokémon that can survive a boosted Outrage, or one that resists Dragon-type attacks and won't be KO'd by a boosted Earthquake or Fire Blast. Swampert makes a decent choice to handle Dragon Dance Salamence, as it is never OHKOed by a +1 Outrage when at full health. In return, Swampert will always OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage. Speaking of which, Stealth Rock support is very useful to consider on a team that makes use of Rest + Sleep Talk Heatran. From the counters mentioned in the previous paragraph, two in particular will be hit hard when switching into Stealth Rock: Salamence and Gyarados. Swampert is a great candidate to set up Stealth Rock, especially in the lead position, where very few Pokémon are able to KO it. As always, the drawback to Swampert is that it lacks a form of recovery, so it is best to keep it healthy if you plan on using it as your answer to physical variants of Salamence. Mixed variants of Salamence can give defensive teams a lot of trouble, since it is capable of dealing a large amount of damage to just about anything with no set-up required. As such, Stealth Rock is required to at least force Salamence to Roost when it's low on health, giving you an ample oppurtunity to switch in your response to it. Since Heatran lures out Ground-type attacks, anything that can switch into Earthquake (or Brick Break) and outspeed Salamence can serve as a great teammate to Heatran. Calm Mind Latias is a worthwhile choice here, as it is capable of hitting Salamence hard with a STAB Dragon Pulse, and can even take the time to set up if you predict Salamence is going to switch out. As a bonus, Heatran can easily switch into Dragon-, Ice-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks aimed at Latias, which in turn is more than willing to switch into Water- and Fighting-type attacks, as well as the previously mentioned Ground-type attacks. However, using Latias as a direct counter to mixed Salamence can be a bit risky, as Salamence is fully capable of KO'ing it with Draco Meteor on an untimely switch. In such a case, a user of priority can also server as a good check to Salamence. Scizor is a fine choice thanks to Technician and its access to STAB Bullet Punch, but finds little use on a defensively oriented team. After considering a check to Salamence, you must remember to also pack a counter to Gyarados. Anything that can switch into Water-type attacks, and isn't weak to Rock-, Ground-, or Ice-type attacks makes a great choice here. Vaporeon and Suicune are both solid choices to fill this role, as they not only have the sufficient defenses to easily take any of Gyarados's attacks, even when boosted, but both can easily take down Gyarados with well timed Hidden Power Electric. Heatran also complements both type-wise, as it is able to easily switch into most Grass- and Electric-type attacks that can give Vaporeon and Suicune trouble. Celebi is also another great option, as even a boosted Ice Fang, although super effective, does little to Celebi, which can easily take down Gyarados with a 120 BP STAB Grass Knot. In turn, Celebi is also able to switch into all of Heatran's weaknesses. In extreme cases, Celebi can even use Heal Bell, which can immediately cure Heatran of its sleep status. In short, most Salamence and all Gyarados you will encounter will be physically based, so any strong, durable physical wall, which preferably complements Heatran type-wise, is a good choice for team support.

After you consider what can give Heatran trouble on the physical side of the spectrum, you will also want to pack a response to Pokémon who can give you trouble on the special side of the spectrum. As previously mentioned, your biggest concerns will be Latias and Bulky Water-types. Latias commonly carries Dragon- and Water-type attacks, namely Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor and Surf, so anything that preferably resists Dragon-type attacks and is not hit super effective by Water-type attacks, or is simply capable of shrugging off special attacks without much difficulty, makes a good choice here. Unfortunately, most Steel-types are also weak to the same Ground-type attacks that give Heatran trouble; nevertheless, they are still the best candidates to choose from. Scizor is ultimately regarded as the #1 Latias counter, as it has access to both U-turn and Pursuit to cripple Latias; the bad news is, a Life Orb Surf, which will obviously be aimed at Heatran, is capable of 2HKOing the standard 248/0 Scizor, so if you desire Scizor as your response to Latias, you will need to use an EV spread which allows you to survive two Life Orb Surfs after Stealth Rock damage. Other feasible options include Metagross and Jirachi, although they offer little support to Heatran apart from countering Latias efficiently. Another interesting option to consider is specially defensive Tyranitar. It's ability to set up a sandstorm can be particularly useful to a defensive team, especially when you consider that Heatran is immune to the effects of it; however, Tyranitar and Heatran complement each other poorly type-wise, and as such, is not the best option. Blissey, although being the best special wall in the game, is not recommended, because it offers little in the offensive department and teams using this variant of Heatran should also be able to pose an offensive threat to the opponent. Bulky Water-types are much easier to handle than Latias, as they pack a definite list of counters. Celebi remains an effective choice to take on most Bulky Water-types, as its most commonly seen Grass-type attack, Grass Knot, gets at least 100 BP on most of the Water-types you are likely to encounter; the only exception is Vaporeon, which can't really do much to you in return anyways. Outside of Celebi, you can also use Latias to handle most of the Bulky Water-types you are likely to come across.

Apart from being able to counter Pokémon that give this set trouble, Heatran (when running this set) can benefit from additional support that can make its role as a defensive tank much easier. Although there aren't too many useful support options, there are a few which makes Heatran's job much easier. Toxic Spikes support is highly recommended on this set, as this set is great at tanking multiple hits while the poison would help weaken the opponent. In particular, Toxic Spikes best helps against grounded Water-type Pokémon, which will enjoy coming into Heatran. Outside of Water-types, the number of Pokémon actually hindered by the "badly poisoned" status is severely limited. Heatran is best at switching into Steel-types, none of which are affected by Toxic Spikes. If you plan on using Heatran to force multiple switches, then Spikes support is also a useful option. However, due to the presence of Leftovers, Heatran is unlikely to pose as much of an offensive threat as the other sets, in turn limiting the number of times your opponent is likely to switch. When using this strategy, you will want to switch Heatran into Pokémon, such as Scizor, which will nearly always switch out due to the impending presence of your Fire-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Burn Support
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Stealth Rock / Substitute
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Roar / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 16 SpA / 240 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
For physical attacking switch-ins, this Heatran is definitely not what they were expecting. Overall, the goal is to set up Stealth Rock as soon as possible, while hopefully luring out a Salamence, Gyarados, or Tyranitar. Later in the battle, once you're sure they will switch in said physical attacking counter, you can use Will-O-Wisp on the switch, crippling your counter, or Roar to chip away at your opponent's team with Stealth Rock and other entry hazards you may have placed.

Will-O-Wisp is an extremely effective move, and can seriously damage entire teams if used cleverly. Most Gyarados, Salamence, and Tyranitar usually have little worry when switching into an unsuspecting Heatran. Will-O-Wisp is a panacea for Heatran's worries, rendering your opponent's physical attacker nearly helpless, losing 12.5% of its HP every turn (or more depending on what entry hazards you have placed), and a halved Attack stat.

With the given EVs, this Heatran is an especially effective Gengar check. Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast will never KO Heatran, even if Heatran switches into a Shadow Ball first. Meanwhile, Heatran will always OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Gengar with Overheat. With its high Special Defense, Heatran can even afford to take a Suicune's Surf and Roar it away to deal with later in the battle.

This Heatran is a bit more difficult to utilize in a specific team than the other sets, as its moveset necessitates proper support from other teammates. As a general note, this set works best when used on a balanced team that can benefit from the typing provided by Heatran, or on an offensive stall team, which still revolves around residual damage, but also includes a possible late game heavy hitter. Generally, the teammates for Heatran remain consistent, as Heatran has a very specific role on a team: spreading status and damage through the use of entry hazards. On a balanced team, you will definitely need something that can reliably set up Spikes and pose an offensive threat (or make a good lead) as well. Smeargle is an excellent teammate to Heatran in this regard. Although it shares a Fighting-type weakness with Heatran, Smeargle is one of the most effective leads in the current OU metagame; Smeargle can easily use Spore against a slower opponent, incapacitating it, and then proceed to set up at least one layer of Spikes. On a more defensive team, both Skarmory and Forretress are worthwhile choices to consider. Skarmory has the advantage of being able to easily come in on Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, and it even has access to a suitable form of recovery. Forretress, on the otherhand, has two qualities to it that Skarmory does not: the ability to also lay down Toxic Spikes, and more importantly, the ability to Rapid Spin. Heatran is also capable of switching into Fire-type attacks aimed at both thanks to its ability, Flash Fire.

After proving Heatran with some entry hazards support, you will generally want to include a bulky sweeper who is capable of coming into attacks aimed at Heatran. Dragonite is a good choice here, as it has the defenses to take multiple hits from burned opponents. Dragonite also gets access to Light Screen, which reduces the amount of damage your team takes from special attacks, making it extremely easy for Dragonite to get multiple Dragon Dances set up. Heatran is even capable of taking out the Steel-types which can prevent Dragonite from sweeping thanks to Overheat. If you feel Dragonite is a bit outclassed in the OU metagame, there are other solid bulky sweepers you can choose from. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an excellent choice, as its above average Special Defense and HP, combined with Intimidate, allow it to easily come in on Pokémon that can give Heatran trouble, such as Lucario or Flygon. Generally, any sweeper who appreciates its main counter being weakened by Spikes makes a great addition here, as long as said Pokémon doesn't share too many of the same weaknesses with Heatran.

As with any Pokémon, Heatran will need to watch out for Pokémon who can switch in and give it a lot of trouble. Latias will definitely be one of the things that will enjoy switching into Heatran, as Overheat does mediocre damage to it, and it doesn't really mind being burned, as it would protect it from other crippling status moves. Suicune works in a similar way, as it can also set up Calm Mind against Heatran and wear it down with boosted Surfs. For this reason, it is essential that you have a way to handle Latias, and any Bulky Water-type in general. As with the Rest + Sleep Talk set, Scizor makes a good choice in being able to take down Latias, thanks to its access to U-turn and Pursuit. Bulky Water-types have trouble against Celebi, as its naturally high defensive stats allow it to take multiple hits - just make sure to keep Celebi away from Ice Beam, particularly if they are boosted by Life Orb or Calm Mind. Vaporeon is also a worthwhile choice to consider. It's ability, Water Absorb, makes it immune to any Water-type attacks directed at Heatran, and Hidden Power Electric allows it to wear down most Bulky Water-types as well. Additionally, Vaporeon can even utilize Wish, which is essential in keeping Heatran's HP at a suitable level, as it can tend to get worn down over an extended period of time, especially with its lack of recovery.

[SET]
name: Taunt
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Metal Sound / Stealth Rock
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 228 HP / 252 SpA / 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Because of its reasonable bulk and plethora of resistances, Taunt Heatran can prevent your opponent from both setting up and inflicting nasty status attacks. Metal Sound is an effective way to beat Blissey (though if your team needs Stealth Rock support then that is a helpful option as well). Merely Taunt as they switch in Blissey, and then it will be unable to use Thunder Wave, Wish, Softboiled or Protect. You can then Metal Sound them, making Fire Blast a clean 3HKO. Earth Power is for other Heatran, but you will have to catch them on the switch to avoid being taken out by Earth Power. Hidden Power Grass allows you to dent bulky Water counters after a Metal Sound. The ability to lure in and take out Blissey is vital to teams that have trouble with her, and the surprise value should not be underestimated. Taunt Heatran is easily as effective as the other sets, and is a dangerous threat in its own right.

Unfortunately, this Heatran has to be a lot slower than the other builds to be effective. 380 HP allows Heatran to take 4 Seismic Tosses, even after Stealth Rock damage, and still survive with 1 HP left. This allows you to defeat any kind of Blissey, no matter what moveset they are running. The Special Attack is maximized for a high damage output. The remaining Speed EVs, by an interesting coincidence, put you at 197, which outruns base 80s without any Speed investment.

This Heatran makes a fine lead, as no one in their right mind would Taunt a Heatran. The threat of being Scarfed will usually convince Azelf to set up Stealth Rock and forgo Taunt. This allows you to set up Stealth Rock fairly safely, and then start attacking. It's a great deal harder to beat Blissey as it takes as many hits to kill, but you can still take it down if you get a Flash Fire boost.

Taunt Heatran is an undermined beauty that can be a really great team player. Taunt is a move that cannot be described by mere words, especially when you examine just how much Heatran's possible partners can benefit from it. The crux of this set obviously revolves around Taunt, whose effect is to force the opponent to use attacks that deal damage. As such, when choosing partners to this set, you should ask the following question: Which Pokémon can switch into Heatran's main counters when they are affected by Taunt? First, you should outline a quick list of Pokémon that will repeatedly switch into Heatran; such Pokémon include Bulky Waters such as Suicune, Swampert, and Gyarados, Latias, which resists Heatran's main form of attack, and Blissey, who can take any of Heatran's attacks with ease. From here, you should choose effective sweepers that can set up on those Pokémon noted previously.

Switching into Bulky Waters can be a bit difficult for an offensive team, as they often carry attacks that can hit Pokémon that resist Water-type attacks for super effective damage. The most common attacks you can expect from Bulky Waters include Surf/Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric. Sadly, there is no one Pokémon in OU which can freely set up against the combination of Water-, Ice-, and Electric-type attacks without expecting to take at least neutral damage (Lanturn resists all three btw, but your call whether you want to add it or not.). However, it is important to keep in mind that the opponent will be unable to set up as well, due to Taunt, so any Pokémon who can at least switch into a Water-type attack and set up makes a beneficial partner to this set. Calm Mind Latias is a great example, as it can easily switch into most Water-types, use Calm Mind while the opponent either switches or deals mediocre damage with their Ice-type attack, Recover off any damage as needed, and proceed to sweep. Life Orb Starmie is a great option to consider as well, as it handily beats most Bulky Waters one-on-one, and is a general menace to any offensive team.

A different list of Pokémon that can set up on Latias can be considered to use as other possible partners to Heatran. Latias will normally carry Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor, Surf, and Thunderbolt as her main attacking options, so any Pokémon who isn't weak to any of the listed attacks will greatly benefit from a Latias who is unable to use either Calm Mind or Recover. The first set of Pokémon to come to mind are Steel-types, as they resist Dragon-type attacks. Scizor can set up Swords Dance against a crippled Latias as it either attacks or switches out, while Metagross can use Agility and hit incoming Pokémon with a Life Orbed Meteor Mash; both can easily plow through a weakened team. The same Bulky Water counters listed in the previous paragraph will also make it easier for either Scizor or Metagross to sweep. A Blissey crippled by Taunt can be set up on by pretty much any physically based Pokémon in OU, as Seismic Toss deals a fixed amount of damage, as well as Heatran itself, assuming you are running Metal Sound. Dragon Dance Salamence and Dragon Dance Gyarados are both great options to consider pairing with Taunt Heatran, as both can set up and proceed to use Outrage or Waterfall respectively against incoming the opponent's incoming counters; it is even better when you consider that Salamence and Gyarados absolutely hate being statused, so Heatran's Taunt can eliminate that fear completely. Note that in this case, Salamence and Gyarados can also switch into Fighting- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran.

Although not as necessary, there are other options you can consider using with Taunt Heatran. Choice Scarf Roserade is an amazing lead to pair with Taunt Heatran running Stealth Rock, as Roserade not only complements Heatran type-wise by taking Water-type attacks directed at it, but it will nearly always prevent your opponent from setting up Stealth Rock (as most people expect the Focus Sash set), making it much easier to switch in other team members repeatedly; in particular, Salamence and Gyarados will appreciate not having to take damage from Stealth Rock. Wish support works well with Taunt Heatran if you desire for it to last a while, which, unlike other sets, usually does.

[Team Options]
As with most other offensive Pokémon, Heatran appreciates having a layer of Stealth Rock on the field, as it prevents Salamence and Gyarados from switching in too freely on a resisted Fire Blast, especially when you consider that both Pokémon can set up against you and possibly sweep through the rest of your team. It is worth noting that after Stealth Rock damage, Heatran has a 75% chance of 2HKOing 4/0 Salamence with Fire Blast, and it will always be 2HKOed if running a Special Defense (Removed -)hindering nature, which is extremely beneficial if your Heatran is equipped with Choice Scarf. Toxic Spikes support is also a worthwhile option to consider when using Heatran, as most of the Bulky Waters that enjoy coming into Heatran are effectively crippled by Toxic Spikes; however, Suicune usually has Rest to cure itself of status, and Gyarados is immune to Toxic Spikes. Roserade is the best user of Toxic Spikes in OU, and pairs extremely well with Heatran type-wise. Additionally, Spikes support helps in further weakening grounded Pokémon attempting to wall you, such as Blissey. However, most Pokémon that learns Spikes don't pair well with Heatran, due to either shared weaknesses or the defensive nature of most of the given Pokémon. If opting for Spikes support, Froslass and Smeargle will be your best options to lay them down, but the prevelance of Taunt leads can make any attempts to lay down Spikes ineffective.

Generally speaking, most Heatran will have trouble taking out foes that meet either of the following criteria: 1) a Pokémon which can take Fire-type attacks with ease, and doesn't fear much from Heatran's other potential attacks, 2) a Pokémon which can potentially set up on a Choiced Heatran, and 3) any Pokémon which is faster than Heatran and has access to an attack which deals super effective damage on it. The most common Pokémon you'll encounter that meet the first criteria are Bulky Water-types, Latias, and Blissey. Any Pokémon which resists Water-type attacks and can outspeed common Bulky Water-types, being Swampert, Suicune, and Gyarados, will more often than not be a beneficial partner for Heatran. Calm Mind Celebi is a great option to handle all of the Pokémon noted above, as it can use Calm Mind to lessen the damage taken from Ice Beam, and can then hit back hard with Grass Knot; just make sure to watch out for Gyarados's Bounce, as that will KO the green pixie. Another good option to consider is Life Orb Starmie or an Electric-type such as Rotom-A, both of whom have access to Thunderbolt, which hits most Water-types for a high amount of damage. Latias can easily be handled by any sturdy Pursuit user. Scizor is a good choice because it resists Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor, and takes neutral damage from Surf; be warned though, as a Life Orbed Surf has a good chance of 2HKOing the standard 248/0 Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Scizor also lures in Fire-type attacks, which can often net Heatran a free boost from Flash Fire. Blissey can be handled by any strong physical hitter who doesn't mind potentially switching into a Thunder Wave. As for the second criteria, the most common Pokémon you will encounter that will attempt to set up on a Choiced Heatran are Dragon Dance Gyarados and Salamence. Both can be reliably checked through Choice Scarf Latias, which has access to Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt to hit Salamence and Gyarados respectively. Choice Band Scizor works in a similar way, but Quick Attack is required to reliably revenge kill Gyarados. The third criteria includes most of the Pokémon already mentioned, but other Pokémon that can potentially give you trouble includes Lucario. Lucario can be reliably countered through a bulky Intimidate user such as Salamence or Gyarados, or a Rotom-A with at least 280 Speed, which outspeeds Adamant Lucario.

Upon taking a closer look, you might notice that Heatran's weaknesses can usually be covered by just a single Pokémon, as Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks offer similar coverage in the OU metagame. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an excellent partner to Heatran, as it reliably takes all of the attacks listed previously. Not only that, but after a boost or two, Gyarados can easily plow through a weakened team. Dragon Dance Salamence works in a similar way; although it hits much harder than Gyarados through Outrage, it risks taking more damage from attacks likely to be thrown at it. In both scenarios, Stealth Rock can hamper both Gyarados and Salamence's ability to switch in repeatedly, so it's a good idea to analyze Heatran's counters on the opponent's team and come up with a plan which will allow you to sweep. Calm Mind Latias, particularly if its carrying Refresh, can easily be considered of one Heatran's best partners. Calm Mind Latias can easily switch into Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, and thanks to Levitate, it is even immune to Ground-type attacks; however, Fighting-type attacks can still give it trouble since most will hit Latias on her frailer Defense stat. Refresh is mentioned because it allows you to switch into possible Thunder Waves directed at Heatran, and it also allows you to beat any variant of Blissey, outside of the Calm Mind set, one-on-one.

The single most common teammate you will find for any of the counters repeatedly mentioned in the analysis is Scizor. Without a doubt, Heatran reliably counters Scizor, as long as you avoid switching into Superpower. There aren't other threatening teammates you are likely to encounter, as you usually find a Bulky Water-type, Gyarados, and Salamence/Latias all on the same team anyways. If facing against Blissey, common teammates you are likely to encounter are Forretress, Skarmory, and Gyarados. (Mention that Heatran beats Skarm and Forry itself here) A Dragon Dance Salamence has access to Fire Blast to hit any Steel-types expecting to wall it, and a +1 Life Orb Outrage can KO even the most defensive of Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Salamence's Classic MixMence set works in much the same way, but requires no set-up, little prediction, and it also has access to Roost, which is important if you plan on switching in repeatedly.

[Other Options]
Hidden Power Electric can get surprise kills on Gyarados, especially if you use it on Choice Scarf Heatran as you will be able to outspeed Gyarados with a Dragon Dance under its belt. Hidden Power Rock has the advantage of scoring 2HKOs on both Gyarados and Salamence, while maintaining neutrality against other Heatran, easing prediction somewhat with the Choice sets. However, it will leave you walled badly by Swampert, and the loss of one speed point means that you will never speed tie other Heatran with the same nature. Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast on many of the sets if you fear accuracy, though Fire Blast deals more damage on average. Heatran's signature attack, Magma Storm, can be used to trap something like Blissey and Explode on them, freeing you to sweep with special attackers. This is risky, however, as Magma Storm only has 70% accuracy. Dragon Pulse deserves a mention as well, since it is your best weapon against Kingdra and it still puts a significant dent in the other Dragons. For item choices, Shuca Berry and Shed Shell can work on a few of the sets. Shuca Berry allows you to survive a powerful Ground attack, which is a good way to kill enemy Heatran. Shed Shell allows you to escape from Dugtrio and Magnezone. A Salac Berry is usable for a Speed boost when coupled with Substitute.

Do not be tempted to use moves like Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon and AncientPower. Their type coverage is poor, and Heatran's Fire Blast will hit for the same or greater damage on nearly everything in OU.

[EVs]
Always maximize Heatran's Special Attack unless you are running a defensive set. Then decide what you would like to outrun. 128 EVs and a Modest nature beats Adamant Tyranitar. Modest and 216 EVs beats Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. On the Scarf set, just maximize Speed. You don't want to lose a speed tie with another Scarftran if it comes down to it.

[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):

Hidden Power Grass
Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA

Hidden Power Ice
Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def
Naive: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Rash: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def

Hidden Power Electric
Modest: 23 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 30 SpARash: 27 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 30 SpA

[Opinion]
Heatran is the anti-metagame Pokemon, capable of keeping top threats such as Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, and Salamence in check. With the ability to counter some of the biggest threats in the game and being neutral to Stealth Rock, he is far beyond the level of any other Fire-type in Pokemon. The secondary Steel typing gives him a lot of good resistances, and Flash Fire allows him to take on his fellow Fire-types quite easily. While the weaknesses to extremely common moves such as Earthquake, Surf, and Close Combat hinder its walling potential, its ability as a defensive Pokemon should not be overlooked. With decent defensive typing, neutrality to Stealth Rock, and one of the highest Special Attack stats in the Overused tier, Heatran should not be underestimated.

Heatran will be seen on a lot of teams, so be prepared for it. It's a sturdy tank, a great team player, and a frightening sweeper. His frequent presence near the top of the usage list is for a good reason, and if your team is not prepared to deal with it then you cannot expect to have a healthy winning record.

[Counters]
Bulky Waters such as Milotic, Suicune, Slowking, Tentacruel, Vaporeon, and Swampert can counter Heatran quite effectively, but Specs boosted Hidden Power Grass and Earth Power can take them down. Suicune is the best of these, as its high defenses allow it to take an Explosion as well as most Special Attacks, it is faster than the defensive Heatran sets, and its Pressure forces Heatran to watch its remaining Fire Blast PP. Gyarados can handle Heatran on occasion, but Stealth Rock, potential burns, and the occasional Hidden Power Electric on Heatran are a nuisance. Porygon2 is an interesting counter. It traces Flash Fire and isn't weak to any other moves. Porygon2 can then paralyze Heatran and wear it down with Thunderbolt, using Recover as necessary. Latias and Kingdra can come in on Heatran and set up unless they switch into a Dragon Pulse.

Blissey is a fairly good counter to Heatran, provided she has some means of hitting it. With the increase in Fire-type attacks thanks to Scizor, getting a Flash Fire boost is easier, which means Blissey might have to take boosted Fire-type attacks. Explosion also gets rid of Blissey, but at the cost of Heatran's own life. Heatran counters itself as long as it doesn't come into Earth Power. Adamant Choice Scarf Dugtrio can trap and KO Heatran no matter the set, and Magnezone do the same if Heatran is locked into Hidden Power or Dragon Pulse.

Snorlax can come into Heatran with relative impunity thanks to Thick Fat and threaten it back with Earthquake. Hariyama does the same, but uses Fighting-type attacks instead. Like Blissey, both will fall to Explosion. A Careful Tyranitar can shrug off any hits not boosted by Choice Specs, even Earth Power, which barely 4HKOes.

Most Heatran you face will be Choiced. Take advantage of this when deciding what you will switch in.

____________

Updates:

7/13/09 - All sets updated by Flashstorm1 have been completed

7/23/09 - Added team options for "Rest + Sleep Talk"

7/24/09 - Added team options for "Burn Support"

____________

Credits:

Vashta, for helping out with the "Life Orb" set

Very nice, Flash. Just a few nitpicks and fixes here and there.

haunter · Aug 2, 2009

On the life orb set, since explosion is only listed as a second option, shouldn't you put timid as your first suggested nature or, at least, mention it as an optional nature?

darkie · Aug 2, 2009

[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):

Hidden Power Grass
Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA

Hidden Power Ice
Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def
Naive: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Rash: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def

Hidden Power Electric
Modest: 23 Atk / 30 SpA
Naive: 30 SpARash: 27 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid: 30 SpA

that formatting is completely wrong. If you use that, you'll get something that looks like:

Hidden Power Grass Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA

and so on. The way I formatted it in the Raikou and Heatran analyses was through a dictionary list. i.e.:

[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):

<dl>
<dt>Hidden Power Grass</dt>
<dd>Modest: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Naive: 26 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Rash: 26 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>

<dt>Hidden Power Ice</dt>
<dd>Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Naive: 30 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Rash: 30 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def</dd>

<dt>Hidden Power Electric</dt>
<dd>Modest: 23 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Naive: 30 SpARash: 27 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dd>Timid: 30 SpA</dd>
</dl>

This will get you the result you see in http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/raikou.

Flashstorm1 · Aug 3, 2009

I edited in all of the changes suggested after my last post in this thread. Thanks guys!

Flashstorm1 · Aug 14, 2009

What is Toxic Spikes ISN'T available? You forget that this set is also capable of working independently.

Also, you seem to forget that some of Heatran's common switch-ins like Gyarados and Latias are actually crippled by Toxic, so I don't see why you want to completely dismiss Toxic as an option on the set. While I agree Dragon Pulse would have its uses, Explosion is just a lot better on the set anyways, since it allows you to hit a greater variety of opposing Pokemon for higher damage.

EDIT: I went ahead and added some comments since you seem to insist that they are actually effective, but I made sure to note that they are, in most cases, an inferior option to Explosion.

I also added some team options in regards to running Roar on Heatran (on the Substitute set), seeing as LoveDestiny has popularized the set and may be seeing more use now.

Scofield · Aug 16, 2009

Great job, a few things:

1. On the choice scarf set, shouldn't Hidden Power Electric be slashed in there? I know you don't want slashitis in the analysis, but I think that all 3 HP's are viable on the choice set. Heatran can easily outspeed non max jolly gyarados after a dd, and revenging it without suiciding is rather beneficial.

2. On the restalk set, why is life orb on there? This set is rarely run any more, so I'd like to hear some other opinions, but doesn't life orb really defeat the purpose here? I mean, I can think of no other restalk sets on smogon that list LO as an option next to lefties.

3. On the life orb set, maybe slash in substitute next to taunt/explosion? I know you really want to differentiate sets and there is already a sub set, but this set is somewhat popular, and the sub lets you decide what attack to use, ie 2 hidden power whatevers to ohko the bulky water that just switched in, instead of a fire blast and a hidden power which wouldn't ko it.

Flashstorm1 · Aug 18, 2009

As for the first suggestion, I'm quite hesitant in adding Hidden Power Electric as an option, primarily because Gyarados has a higher base Speed than Heatran. Not only would the attack be "just for Gyarados", but it's even more useless if Gyarados is Jolly.

Taking out Life Orb on the RestSTalk set. I was mainly carrying it over from DP, and I tested Leftovers when using the set, so yes, I often found myself thinking Leftovers was the better choice (or rather, I didn't feel a need to be using Life Orb).

Knowing users like ReyScarface have popularized Substitute on the LO Tran set, I'll definitely add it as an option.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Scofield · Aug 18, 2009

Yeah gyarados does have a higher base speed, my reasoning was 2/3 of gyarados (66.6%) run adamant with 20.7% running jolly (I figure the rest are impish). 1/5 of all gyarados is quite a bit, so I'm inclined to say it's a judgement call, whatever you want. Although I wouldn't exactly call hp electric "just for gyarados" when you have hp grass "just for swampert". Both of these attacks hit things like vappy or cune equally hard.

Flashstorm1 · Aug 18, 2009

Regardless, I've mentioned HP Electric in Other Options, primarily because HP Grass is better on the Life Orb and Choice Specs sets, and Explosion just has better coverage than Hidden Power Electric in my opinion on the Scarf set.

Also, could you leave some feedback on the bolded parts I added on the analysis? I really need to know what to do in the situation. Thanks.

Scofield · Aug 18, 2009

Yeah, I read the bolded parts, I agree with you on both of them, non choiced heatran is becoming a lot more common, so go ahead and do what you suggested.

HD · Aug 18, 2009

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Naive / Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf Heatran is the ultimate revenge killer, holding many dangerous threats at bay. This includes, but is not limited to, Scizor, Salamence, Lucario, and even other Heatran. With its numerous resistances and immunity to Fire-type attacks, Heatran can come in with a little prediction and force all of these Pokemon to switch or risk being KO'd. The Choice Scarf puts Heatran at 417 Speed, allowing it to outspeed all unscarfed Pokémon, bar Ninjask, in OU.

Fire Blast is your main STAB move, forcing out Scizor, Lucario, Jirachi, Celebi, and more. Coming off of an impressive 359 Special Attack, it even hurts when resisted. Earth Power is an absolute necessity, due to the popularity of Heatran, and complements Fire Blast by removing other Fire-types. Giving an enemy Heatran a Flash Fire boost is extremely dangerous, so a well predicted Earth Power is often key to winning a match. Explosion should be used when Heatran is on the verge of death, and it will likely take something down with it if pulled off successfully. Dragon Pulse is the main option for the final slot, as it provides excellent neutrality against most opponent's and still provides as a solid option to revenge kill Salamence and even Kingdra. Hidden Power Ice deals more damage to Salamence and also provides an immediate way to take out Gliscor. Hidden Power Grass is an option that [I think that should be 'Hidden Power Grass is an option that' instead of what you had there because it sounds better] allows you to wear down bulky Water-type counters, who usually switch into Heatran without thinking twice. If you're mainly using Heatran as a revenge killer, Flamethrower is a reliable option over Fire Blast. The improved accuracy could be the difference between winning and losing a game if your opponent's last two Pokemon are a somewhat weakened Celebi with Earth Power and a Scizor. In a case like this, a case not particularly situational, a reliable move like Flamethrower is a better option than Fire Blast; both will KO the rest of your opponent's team, but Fire Blast has a 15% chance to miss. That chance could cost you the game. Overheat is also an option.[space]Overheat has a slightly higher base power than Fire Blast, but you will be forced to switch out on the following turn due to the Special Attack drop, and Fire Blast deals more damage over two turns anyways[this part seems odd, and it doesn't really flow with the sentence. You could either put a semi-colon before and and or make that statemnt it's own sentence. If you choose the second option I'd suggest: 'Fire Blast deals more damage than Overheat over the course of two turns']. It should be noted that Overheat does have 5% more accuracy than Fire Blast.

A beneficial Speed nature is not absolutely necessary, but it allows you to revenge kill Adamant Gyarados even after a Dragon Dance, Adamant Heracross even with a Choice Scarf, and all the base 130 Speed Pokemon. Additionally, given the popularity of Heatran, it is not a bad idea to at least force a speed tie should your opponent use one as well.

While Choice Scarf Heatran makes a great revenge killer to a large portion of the metagame, it faces problems against Pokémon which can attempt set up on it, particularly if they either resist or are immune to the attack Heatran is locked into. Although Stealth Rock hampers it's ability to switch in repeatedly, Jolly Dragon Dance Gyarados can easily take a Fire Blast, boost both its Attack and Speed, and KO you with Waterfall on the next turn, as Jolly variants outspeed Heatran. At most, Heatran can only manage 34.94% with Fire Blast against Gyarados, which fails to 2HKO[in my opnion it sounds better if you said ', which is only a 3HKO],[there should be a semi-colon before even since your making a new thought] even with Stealth Rock and Sandstorm damage factored in. Dragon Dance Salamence can also switch into a Heatran locked into anything bar Dragon Pulse, Hidden Power Ice, or a well-timed Explosion, and set up, as Fire Blast manages, at most, 46.69%, to any variant of Salamence. Afterwards, Salamence will proceed to KO you with Earthquake or Outrage against any Pokémon you might have switched in against it. It should be noted that Salamence can't actually switch into Heatran directly, especially is running a Special Defense hindering nature, as it faces a large risk of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast, even if resisted. In fact, Salamence without any HP investment faces a 75.48% chance of being 2HKOed by Fire Blast after Stealth Rock damage, and will always be 2HKOed if using a Special Defense hindering nature. Latias can switch into most of Heatran's attacks with ease due to her high Special Defense stat and resistance to Fire-type attacks and proceed to set up Calm Minds or hit you with Surf. Kingdra, in particular, will cause the most trouble, as it has a 4x resistance to Fire-type attacks and is usually bulky enough to take at least 1 non-boosted attack that isn't Dragon-typed, meaning it will usually be at +2 in Attack and Speed if you attempt to revenge kill it with Heatran, which will obviously fail to outspeed Kingdra. And to top it all off, Blissey can switch into this Heatran with no trouble at all as long as it avoids Explosion. Bulky Water-types can also switch into Heatran with ease; Suicune gains a special mention as its ability, Pressure, can easily drain Fire Blast's low PP.

While the number of Pokémon that can set up on Heatran is particularly high, especially after it has revenge killed something, most of the Pokémon mentioned share common counters which pair well with Heatran. Celebi has a relatively easy time taking on Gyarados, as long as it avoids a Life Orbed Bounce, which can OHKO if Gyarados is running an Adamant nature. However, Heatran can switch back in, outspeed, and KO with Explosion, assuming you don't get screwed by Bounce's 30% paralysis rate. Celebi has many options to retaliate with against Gyarados, particularly Thunder Wave, which completely cripples Gyarados, Reflect, which halves all damage Gyarados can deal against Celebi, and finally Grass Knot, which deals anywhere from 38.86% - 46.08% to the standard 4/0 Gyarados. Kingdra faces a similar problem, as a Kingdra at +1 in Attack can only deal, at most, 72.77% with a Life Orbed Outrage against the standard Defensive Celebi; in return, Celebi can use Thunder Wave or Reflect to shrug off Kingdra's attacks and heal any damage taken with Recover. Celebi has Grass Knot and Leaf Storm to hit other bulky Water-types with as well. Celebi is also Heatran's best partner, forming the famous defensive combination known as "CeleTran". Both Pokémon, when paired together, resist 16 of the 17 types, and both are bulky enough to take resisted hits.

Salamence and Latias, unfortunately, are not countered by Celebi, so a different Pokémon is required. Salamence is best handled by a strong priority user, such as Scizor. Scizor pairs well with Heatran type-wise, as Heatran essentially negates any Fire-type attacks thrown at Scizor, and actually benefits from them thanks to its ability, Flash Fire. Choice Band Scizor manages to OHKO 4/0 Salamence with Bullet Punch, provided it has taken previous damage from Stealth Rock and either['either' should be taken out since it doesn't matter whether it is one or two turns of recoil, since both accomplish the same] one or two turns of Life Orb recoil. Sandstorm guarantees Salamence will be KOed by Bullet Punch after one turn of Life Orb recoil, as Bullet Punch will do anywhere from 58.73% - 68.98% to Salamence. Latias can also be countered by Scizor, as both U-turn and Pursuit are excellent moves in keeping Latias in check. Latias is OHKOed by U-turn if it stays in, and Pursuit manages to deal anywhere from 86.75% - 102.65% against 4/0 Latias if it stays in, a likely OHKO after Stealth Rock damage, and a definite OHKO if it switches out. Be careful though, as a Life Orbed Surf from max Special Attack Timid Latias has a likely chance of 2HKOing Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, and Hidden Power Fire will OHKO, although it is uncommon to find it on Latias. Scizor has Superpower to hit Blissey with, but one must be careful of accidently switching into Flamethrower.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Explosion
item: Shuca Berry
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Although Heatran may seem like an inferior suicide lead due to its low Speed, it more than makes up for it in surprise value and utility. One of the biggest advantages of the set is that most players will assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf - as most Heatran do - and make their plays accordingly. The most immediate and probably most beneficial consequence of this is that very few players will ever try to Taunt Heatran, meaning that you will get Stealth Rock up on turn one almost every game. The assumption of Choice Scarf also causes players to switch out of and attempt set up on Heatran, only to watch in horror as their prized sweeper is blown to smithereens via Explosion. Another more subtle aid is that, depending on the situation, you can switch out of Heatran immediately after using Stealth Rock on turn one, and your opponent will have absolute confidence when you send it back in later for a "revenge kill" on his Lucario or Infernape.

Comment: I feel that the above paragraph needs to be re-written since it's not longer accurate, so I instead propose of replacing the above with the following:

Heatran makes for a fine lead and overall user of Stealth Rock, being able[I prefer 'having the ability to', but it doesn't matter] to easily take on Metagross and Azelf, the two most commonly seen leads in OU. The only commonly seen leads that stand a chance against Heatran are Aerodactyl and Swampert, but only the former can actually prevent Heatran from laying down Stealth Rock. If you decide to not use this set as a lead, many players will assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf. Due to this, Heatran can often net surprise kills on Salamence and Gyarados with Explosion, especially with Shuca Berry ensuring that Heatran survives any Earthquakes coming from the two. Even Latias can be caught off guard with a well-timed Explosion, which can easily allow other special sweepers on the team to plow through the opponent's team, such as Calm Mind Celebi.
You should replace the previous paragraph with your's since your's is much better.

Shuca Berry is used here to all but guarantee that Heatran will survive one attack. The only even[this should be taken out] common leads that can OHKO Heatran are[this is supposed to be an 'is'] Infernape, which can easily set up its own Stealth Rock and proceed to put the hurt on Heatran with Close Combat, and Tyranitar, which often does not run Choice Band and Adamant, both of which are required for an OHKO, as a lead[I don't get this part. Since it can't OHKO Heatran without Choice Band and Adamant, which most Tyranitar leads aren't using; why is it being mentioned?]. Life Orb Mamoswine, another Pokémon rising in popularity as a lead, also OHKOes Heatran, even through Shuca Berry[you should change this 'always OHKOes Heatran, even through Shuca Berry']. If you really fear a first turn OHKO, you can use Focus Sash instead; however, a 1 HP Heatran is nearly useless once your opponent gets Stealth Rock up.

Speed and Special Attack are maxed to allow Heatran to sweep as well as it can. This is important because a lot of the time you will want to save Heatran for later in the game, due to its high Special Attack, decent Speed, and huge number of useful resists, most notably to Dragon-type attacks. If you manage to keep the Shuca berry intact, you will also have a powerful weapon against opposing Heatran and anything using Earthquake. If you want to have that weapon late game regardless, this Heatran does have some effectiveness when it is not a lead. However, getting Stealth Rock up on the first turn is extremely beneficial, and this Pokemon is exceptionally good at doing just that.

Running a Timid nature is an option if you want to be guaranteed to survive Azelf's Psychic + Explosion, but even with Naive, Azelf will need to roll nearly maximum damage from Explosion and above average damage from Psychic in order to score a KO, and the 10% boost to your own Explosion is often worth the risk. As a final note, this lead is not meant to be used on a team which does poorly against Stealth Rock. It can get its own Stealth Rock up in almost every game, but unless your opponent leads with something weak to Fire, they will likely lay their own layer of Stealth Rock as well.

As the name of this set states, Heatran's primary job here is to set up Stealth Rock as early as possible[this was mentioned several times prior]. For this reason, any Pokémon that can prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock will be the biggest adversary to this set. Taunt, becoming increasingly more common among both suicide and bulky leads, will prevent Heatran from setting up Stealth Rock reliably, forcing it to switch out and set it up later, unless you're lucky and the effect of Taunt only lasts the minimum of two turns on Heatran. Out of the top 10 leads used in the OU metagame, the only two most likely to carry Taunt are Azelf and Aerodactyl. Heatran resists most attacks that lead Azelf is likely to throw at it, meaning you can dispatch it with two successful Fire Blast hits. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, will prove to be more difficult to take down. Not only will Pressure drain Fire Blast's PP, but Aerodactyl also resists Fire Blast and Explosion, and is immune to Earth Power. Aerodactyl will usually do one of two choices: 1) Set up Taunt, then Stealth Rock or 2) Use Earthquake consecutively to KO Heatran. In either scenario, Heatran should not stay in on Aerodactyl. Aside from Taunt leads, other troublesome lead Pokémon you will encounter include Swampert, Infernape, and Tyranitar. Swampert will more than likely set up Stealth Rock on you and then attack with Earthquake, so unless you Explode, you cannot get past it. In a worse case scenario, Swampert can block your attempt to Explode with Protect. Infernape has Close Combat to dispatch you with, and you will be unable to even break its Focus Sash due to it outspeeding you. Tyranitar can prove troublesome if it packs Earthquake or Superpower, but you can survive either attack and set up Stealth Rock, being the overall primary objective of this set.

Proper team support will need to be provided to dispatch leads that can cause Heatran trouble. Looking at all of the previously mentioned threats, one group of Pokémon in particular can counter all of those stated: bulky Waters. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, will prove to be effective, as it has a STAB Surf to hit both Aerodactyl and Infernape with; in return, both can only do, at most, 25% to Suicune with their strongest attack, being Stone Edge / Rock Slide and Close Combat respectively. More importantly, Suicune can use Rest to heal off any damage taken. Another interesting option to consider is Vaporeon, who can also provide Wish support should you plan on Heatran being an important member on your team whose only objective wouldn't be to simply set up Stealth Rock and then Explode. Additionally, both Suicune and Vaporeon can comfortably take Water- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, which in return, takes Grass-types attacks thrown at them. Swampert can also be weakened through repeated Surfs, and will be unable to deal much damage to Suicune and Vaporeon. Alternatively, you can use Celebi to deal with it, since it resists both of Swampert's STAB options, and takes little damage from Ice Beam. Tyranitar won't prove to be too much of a problem due to its many weaknesses and slow speed, so as long as you switch in a Pokémon that runs 244 Speed or higher and can threaten it with a super effective attack, you should be fine. However, it is necessary to make sure that said Pokémon is actually able to take down Tyranitar, as otherwise, it can easily overcome your switch-in with repeated hits coming off of a 403 maximum Attack stat.

This Heatran can also be paired with other leads you may want to use, as Heatran has the bulk to use Stealth Rock reliably at any stage of the game. Roserade makes for an interesting lead to pair with Heatran, as it can not only put other foes to sleep with Sleep Powder, but it can also set up Toxic Spikes, which cripples most Water-types who will try to switch in on Heatran. Additionally, Heatran can take Ice- and Fire-type attacks thrown at Roserade, while Roserade takes the same Water-type attacks mentioned before. Gliscor is another good lead to consider pairing with Heatran, as it can prevent slower leads from using Stealth Rock with Taunt, and can use U-turn to scout for Ice- and Water-type attacks, with Heatran making an excellent switch-in to the former.

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Toxic / Explosion
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
The idea behind this set is twofold: first of all, Heatran is one of the best Pokémon in the game at forcing switches, due to his nearly universal coverage, great typing, and frequent use of Choice Scarf, so it is not difficult to get a Substitute up. Second, the only Pokemon that are immune to Toxic are Steel-types — easily taken out by Fire Blast and Earth Power — and Poison-types, all of which have either poor Special Defense or a Fire- or Ground-type weakness.

Heatran should be sent out against something that will likely switch out, such as a Celebi or one of the many Steel-types in OU. In consideration of this goal, it is often useful to send Heatran out for the first time after one of your own pokemon has been KO'd; most players will assume it is holding a Choice Scarf and switch out of the expected speedy attack. Once you have a Substitute up, make your play according to what they switch to. If they for some reason switch in something weak to Fire- or Ground-type attacks, then you attack it, obviously. If they don't, then you are still OK, since most of Heatran's common switch-ins—things like Gyarados, Tyranitar, Salamence, Swampert, and the bulky Water-types—absolutely hate being poisoned. Once you Toxic them and they break your Substitute, you can switch to something to stall out their attacks, and the next time you bring in Heatran your opponent will have at least one fewer counter for it!

Toxic is recommended because it has the greatest coverage of all the options in the last slot, but it isn't that spectacular without a reasonably bulky team to take hits from Pokémon after they have been poisoned. For this reason, several other more specialized options are available if you are running a more offensive team. Explosion is an all-around useful move, carrying the ability to take out Blissey and pretty much anything else your team has trouble with. One of the cool things with Explosion is that almost no one will think to switch to a Ghost-type if you explode with a Substitute up, which just makes it all the more useful (note that a Naive nature should be used with Explosion). A certain Hidden Power can also be selected if you want to be able to quickly take out any one of either Gyarados, Salamence, or Swampert, instead of slowly waiting for Toxic to do the job. Finally, Will-O-Wisp is possibly more useful than Toxic against Gyarados, Salamence, Tyranitar, and some others, but it kills even slower than Toxic (and can even be circumvented via Recover or Roost), and the 75% accuracy is a pretty big turn off.

It may seem strange to use a +Speed nature without a Choice Scarf, but in a metagame where Heatran is as popular as it is, max Speed can be a huge aid. With full Speed, Heatran will attack before +Speed Breloom and Metagross, and before neutral Speed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Heracross; and it will nearly always outspeed the defensive base 100 Speed Pokemon. Any of these could easily OHKO or status Heatran, so getting the jump on them with Substitute or Toxic is often crucial to the outcome of a match.

This Heatran works best when paired with Pokémon who can repeatedly take hits thrown at Heatran and pose a threat to Heatran's counters. Such Pokémon include those commonly found on bulky offense teams.[this was mentioned previously]

In order to decide possible partners to Heatran, you have to consider which Pokémon are capable of threatening it. While Substitute greatly reduces the advantage your opponent can gain by switching in an appropriate counter, you will more often than not be forced to switch out after they break your Substitute. Common examples of such Pokémon include Gyarados, who will break your Substitute with Waterfall and then Dragon Dance, and Latias, which can set up multiple Calm Minds with ease due to Heatran's lack of coverage needed to hit it. Both Pokémon are, thankfully, effectively hindered by Toxic, lessening the threat they can pose to your team. Gyarados's best counters which can pose a threat in return are Celebi and Scarfed Pokémon which resist Waterfall or are immune to Earthquake, such as Choice Scarf Latias. Celebi will have trouble retaliating against boosted Ice Fangs, but can effectively stall out Gyarados with Recover until the effects of Toxic finish it off; however, you must be careful to avoid getting hit by Bounce, should Gyarados be carrying the move. Calm Mind Celebi makes a great choice for a bulky offense team, as it not only counters specific threats, but can also pose as a threat of its own after a few boosts; the Tinkerbell set is also a worthwhile option if your team relies on slower sweepers who appreciate paralyzed opponents. If using a Scarfed Pokémon as your check to Gyarados, it should come equipped with either an Electric-type attack or an attack with a high Base Power; in Latias's case, it has access to both Thunderbolt and Draco Meteor to hit Gyarados with. You should also make sure to watch out for possible Pursuit users your opponent might be carrying, especially Scizor and Tyranitar, which take little damage from attacks likely to be thrown at Gyarados. Latias can be handled by most Steel-types outside of Heatran, particularly those with a high Attack stat, such as Metagross, Scizor, and Jirachi. Metagross can either set up Agility or fire STAB Meteor Mashes to keep Latias at bay. Jirachi can either use Iron Head repeatedly if running Choice Scarf, or use a combination of Body Slam and Iron Head to weaken Latias. Scizor has both U-turn and Pursuit to murder Latias with. As always, make sure to watch out for Magnezone, a likely partner whose sole role is to take out Steel-types which threaten Latias. On an added note, some Latias pack Refresh, so don't over-depend on Toxic to take out Latias.

This Heatran set will also have trouble against stall, particularly because Spikes and Stealth Rock will limit the number of times it can switch in. To make it worse, Gyarados with Rest, and even Blissey, two Pokémon commonly found on stall teams, will wall this set withease[that's two words 'with ease'], as they are unhindered by your attempts to poison them. As such, an effective mixed sweeper is recommend as a partner to Heatran, particularly those specifically designed to weaken stall teams. Classic MixMence, Salamence's most effective wall-breaking set, makes a fantastic partner to Heatran, especially since they cover each other's weaknesses extremely well; Heatran takes Ice- and Dragon-type attacks thrown at Salamence, while it can comfortably take Water-type attacks along with an immunity to Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Be prepared to rely on prediction, such as using Brick Break on a Blissey switch-in, when using MixMence, as any expert stall player will normally be prepared for common wall breakers. There are also some other worthwhile options you can consider as well. A defensive Starmie can come in on Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran with ease and take the opportunity to use Rapid Spin to eliminate any present entry hazards. Running a defensive Starmie also allows you to have a suitable counter to Gyarados, one of the biggest threats to Heatran. Additionally, Starmie is one of the few Spinners in the game that can actually threaten Rotom-A with its STAB attack of choice and decent Special Attack stat.

If you want Heatran to run another attack instead of Toxic, such as the listed Explosion, it is often a good idea to pair Heatran with a user of Toxic Spikes. However, Toxic Spikes are unable to affect non-grounded Pokémon, so Toxic should not be completely dismissed, even with Toxic Spikes support. As mentioned before, Roserade is probably your best bet in laying down Toxic Spikes, but Smeargle is also a good option if you want something to lay down Stealth Rock as well. The fourth slot is mainly used to hit Pokemon that will attempt to wall you, so if you don't like the drawbacks to using Explosion, then Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Electric are both decent options as well, but it should be noted that neither of the two moves will be even close to being as helpful and reliable as Explosion would normally be. Also, when using either of these attacks, it is highly recommended that you pack a teammate capable of countering the Pokemon you are able to come in and set-up on the attack of your choice. For example, Gyarados will be capable of setting up on Heatran running Dragon Pulse, so running a Celebi or Starmie (or a Scarfed revenge killer such as Latias) would be almost necessary in countering Gyarados.

An additional option that this Heatran can utilize is to run Roar over the given options for the fourth slot. Roar is best used on a team which revolves around spreading damage through entry hazards, often normally regarded as a "stall-based balanced" team. Such a team utilizes heavy hitters with valuable resistances, like Heatran itself, to force switches and spread even more damage with the addition of Roar into the set. In this case, Heatran's primary partner is one who is capable of at least laying down either Spikes or Stealth Rock. In the case of Spikes, Smeargle, Forretress, and Skarmory are all decent options for reliably laying down the essential entry hazards. Smeargle is best used as a lead, where it can use Spore to immobilize the opposing lead (unless it runs Taunt or is not Choice Scarf Jirachi) and nearly always lay down at least two layers of Spikes. Skarmory and Forretress are capable on coming in on many of the attacking types found in OU due to their valuable Steel-typing, giving them ample opportunity to lay down Spikes. The choice between Skarmory and Forretress is slightly arbitrary, as both have their advantages; Skarmory has access to Roost and Whirlwind, while Forretress can provide the team with Rapid Spin capabilities. As for Stealth Rock, there are plenty of viable users to choose from, but Swampert will more than likely be your best choice, as it pairs well with Heatran type-wise and also has access to Roar itself. Next, you will also want to pair Heatran with other Pokemon capable of taking advantage of entry hazards. Namely, you'll want to at least run a Ghost-type, such as Rotom-A, to prevent your entry hazards from being spun away. Apart from that, Latias with Roar is an excellent teammate for Heatran, as both cover each other's weaknesses relatively well and can each beat each other's counters.

As always, Wish support can be used in aiding the overall longevity of Heatran, especially with Substitute taking away 25% of Heatran's health each time it is used. Vaporeon is the best option for this task, as it can easily switch in on Water-type attacks normally aimed at Heatran and even regain its HP in the process, thanks to Water Absorb.

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Taunt / Explosion / Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran is a great candidate for utilizing Life Orb to further boost its already massive Special Attack stat. This set allows Heatran to act as a fluent sweeper without the restrictions that Choice Scarf and Choice Specs hold on it, while maintaining the power needed to achieve certain KOs that Heatran would otherwise miss without the boost Life Orb gives.

Fire Blast is Heatran's STAB move for this set, causing decent amounts of damage to common switch-ins such as Gyarados and Salamence, while also ruining Scizor, Jirachi, and Celebi. Earth Power complements Fire Blast by hitting other opposing Heatran that may switch-in predicting Fire Blast and looking for a Flash Fire boost, and is also necessary for removing other common Fire-type Pokemon who may otherwise try to cushion Fire Blast. Explosion is amazingly powerful, and can guarantee an OHKO on a 0 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, which may be useful to open a sweep for another Pokemon in your team. Hidden Power is optional depending on whether you wish to eliminate either Gyarados or Swampert. Taunt is also a decent option on this set, as it stops Pokemon such as Blissey and Cresselia from inflicting horrible status moves which could otherwise affect Heatran's sweeping efficiency, while also stopping any healing attempts from the two. Substitute is a useful option in easing prediction, but sadly, it comes at the cost of 25% of Heatran's health each time it's used, making it worn down much more quickly when combined with the recoil from Life Orb.

Expert Belt along with Heatran's attacks will bluff Choice Scarf, often causing the opponent to assume that Heatran is holding a Choice Scarf and send in something like Gyarados or Swampert to take the opportunity to set up, but will fall to one of Heatran's other unnoticed attacks. A Naive nature is recommended as it boosts Heatran's Speed stat without hindering its Special Attack or Attack stat, but a Naive nature should only be used over a Timid nature if Heatran is running Explosion. The EVs maximizes Heatran's Special Attack stat for maximum damage inflicted upon foes, and allows Heatran to outspeed all neutral base 85 Speed Pokemon.

As with most of the other sweeping sets, Life Orb Heatran really appreciates outside support in weakening its counters, most notably Dragon-types that pack super effective moves, and some bulky Water-types, such as Gyarados. Blissey can also prove a bit troublesome to this set, although Taunt and Explosion limit its effectiveness. For this reason, entry hazard support is an extremely viable option to consider using with this set. Stealth Rock allows you to reduce the effectiveness of Gyarados and Salamence switch-ins, especially since they will only be able to switch in once with Stealth Rock in play, even with their resistance to Fire-type attacks. Spikes support is particularly useful in weakening grounded Pokémon that can give Heatran trouble, such as faster Suicune, Starmie, etc. And lastly, Toxic Spikes deserves a big mention here, as it is extremely effective in crippling bulky Water-types, and when you consider the recovery-nullifying effects of Taunt, the opposing Pokémon can be easily worn down by the inflicted poison. Smeargle is particularly good at setting up the first two of the mentioned entry hazards, as it makes quite the effective lead with a 100% accuracy Spore, but will usually be unable to get more than 1 layer of Spikes up, and even then, Taunt completely cripples it. Roserade is a good option for providing Toxic Spikes support, as it complements Heatran well type-wise; Roserade can take Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while Heatran takes Ice-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Roserade.

Since most of the troublesome Pokémon to this set are those that outspeed it, paralysis support is particularly useful when using this type of Heatran. When you consider that Heatran's most common switch-ins, Gyarados and Latias, are effectively crippled by paralysis, using paralysis support seems like an even more attractive option to consider. There are plenty of viable paralysis users to consider, but Celebi is arguably the best paralysis inducer to pair with Heatran. Celebi has access to Thunder Wave, and since Celebi also lures in Latias quite often, you should have no trouble paralysing it. Not only that, but Celebi makes a good counter to any Gyarados set without Bounce. If Celebi does not seem like a good option to you, Togekiss is another viable Thunder Wave user. Additionally, Togekiss and Heatran pair extremely well type-wise[you say type-wise a lot. Try something different.]. Togekiss can switch into the Ground-type attacks aimed at Heatran, while it can switch into Ice-type attacks aimed at Togekiss.

After Heatran has completed its job of weakening down the opponent's team, any Pokémon that works well in cleaning up what Heatran couldn't finish off is a great offensive partner to this set. Choice Band Scizor is an extremely good and powerful Pokémon that can fill this role, as its Bullet Punch is able to put a dent on a lot of opposing Pokémon. For example, after switching into Heatran's Fire Blast, Scizor can easily take out Salamence and Latias who have opted not to recover off [off doesnt make a lot of sense, so you should take it out]any damage taken. Scizor also allows you to scout for Heatran's potential counters with U-turn, since it often lures in Flying-types with moves capable of dealing super effective damage on Heatran. Additionally, Scizor has access to Pursuit to "trap" Latias, which allows Heatran to sweep with far more ease. However, Scizor is incapable of switching into Surfs aimed at Heatran, so it is often best to switch to a bulky Water-type beforehand, then switch to Scizor to take the expected Dragon-type attack.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With Choice Specs equipped, the damage from Heatran's Fire Blast rivals that of Choice Specs Salamence's Draco Meteor, absolutely destroying most Pokémon that don't resist it. If you can get a Flash Fire boost, even Blissey will fear it, possibly being 2HKOed with Stealth Rock damage. Overheat is even more ridiculous, with the first hit dealing up to 50% damage even to Blissey, though Overheat's negative effect will severely reduce the power of Heatran's next attack. It's a matter of preference, and depends on the rest of your team: do you need Heatran to be a hit and run attacker, handily nuking whatever switches in, or do you want consistent yet high damage? The accuracy is also an issue, with Overheat being 90% accurate, and Fire Blast being 85% accurate. Over the course of two turns, however, Fire Blast deals more damage.

Like with any Choice user, prediction is required. Quite often, your opponent will predict a Fire-type attack coming from miles away. They will likely switch in a bulky Water-type or a Flash Fire Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass should 2HKO the majority of bulky Waters, while Earth Power destroys Fire-types. By carefully removing these pokemon, Heatran can eventually set your team up for a sweep.

While not as much of a team supporter as the other Heatran sets, Choice Specs Heatran is worth considering as a high powered special sweeper, and will greatly benefit most teams. The Speed EVs allow you to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and Adamant Metagross. If you chose Fire Blast as your sweeping move, use Dragon Pulse in moveslot 4[this sounds better as 'the last moveslot']. If you chose Overheat, put Flamethrower in the final slot to make it easier to sweep late game and to combat PP loss.

This Heatran requires a bit more support from its teammates than the previous sets, as Heatran, while dealing an insane amount of damage to most Pokémon when coupled with Choice Specs, will have trouble retaliating against faster foes due to its less than spectacular Speed stat. The first idea to probably come to mind when using this type of Heatran is to provide it with paralysis support, which in fact, is a recommended strategy to consider if you want Heatran to outspeed Pokémon that will attempt to switch in. There are many viable Thunder Wave users in OU, but very few actually complement Heatran well type-wise. For example, Jirachi shares Heatran's weakness to Ground-types, Porygon2 shares Heatran's weakness to Fighting-types, and Togekiss takes neutral damage from most attacks thrown at Heatran, except for Ground-type attacks for obvious reasons. However, there is one Thunder Wave user that outshines the rest when paired with Heatran, and that special Pokémon is Celebi. As mentioned multiple times in the analysis, Celebi is the best partner imaginable to Heatran, particularly for its ability to take most bulky hits that are not super effective. Both the "Defensive" and "Tinkerbell" sets can use Thunder Wave effectively. The "Defensive" set is more adept at taking hits, while the "Tinkerbell" set allows you to beat counters to Celebi, such as Scizor and Tyranitar. By using Celebi, you should be able to handily cripple key counters to Heatran, such as Gyarados and Latias without Refresh, but you must also watch out for boosted hits thrown at Celebi, particularly if they are special-based or hit it for super effective. Additionally, Celebi makes a great switch in to most Water-types who will attempt to wall Heatran.

Although Celebi can Thunder Wave most of Heatran's counters, there are a few Pokémon who can set up on Heatran and also defeat Celebi one-on-one, making any attempts to use Thunder Wave futile. Such examples include Offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Calm Mind Latias, and Dragon Dance Salamence, although it will take a large amount of damage even from a resisted Fire Blast, due to its low Special Defense stat, coupled with the boost from Choice Specs. Salamence will often carry Earthquake as well, so it's recommended Heatran switches out regardless, especially if you depend on it for your sweeping duties. Unfortunately, none of the noted counters above share similar counters, but there are Pokémon who can hinder those noted. Suicune can be a bit difficult to switch into due to its attacking options hitting most of the Pokémon in the OU metagame for super effective damage; however, a strong Electric-type which outspeeds it, such as max speed Rotom-A or Zapdos, can switch in and deal a large amount of damage with their STAB attacks, even through a Calm Mind boost. Latias is susceptible to Scizor as long as you avoid switching into a Life Orbed Surf, which has the potential to 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage; Scizor can also check Salamence with Bullet Punch after it has taken previous damage. Choice Scarf Latias is also a worthwhile option, as it has Thunderbolt to hit Suicune with, and Draco Meteor to cover both Latias and Salamence, as long as you avoid switching into Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse respectively.

Entry hazards are particularly useful for this set, as they prevent most of Heatran's counters from switching in repeatedly, and also helps weaken those counters that are slower than Heatran. Stealth Rock should be used regardless, as it prevents Gyarados and Latias from switching in freely. Spikes can be used to weaken Vaporeon and defensive versions of Suicune, which will take a total of 37.5% from a layer of Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes when switching in. The only worthwhile options to consider for Spikes support alongside Heatran are Smeargle andFroslass, as other common Spikers, such as Skarmory and Forretress, have trouble fitting into an offensive team. Smeargle gets access to both Spore and Stealth Rock, making it slightly more useful than Froslass. However, Froslass does have access to Destiny Bond, which allows you to take down slower foes once you faint. Both have their uses undoubtedly, but both must also watch out for Taunt from Azelf and Aerodactyl, which will render any attempts to set up Spikes useless.

The Rest+Sleep Talk, Burn Support and Taunt are great. I suggest you do paragraph switch thing under the Taunt set.

[Team Options]
As with most other offensive Pokémon, Heatran appreciates having a layer of Stealth Rock on the field, as it prevents Salamence and Gyarados from switching in too freely on a resisted Fire Blast, especially when you consider that both Pokémon can set up against you and possibly sweep through the rest of your team. It is worth noting that after Stealth Rock damage, Heatran has a 75% chance of 2HKOing 4/0 Salamence with Fire Blast, and itwill[two words 'it will'] always be 2HKOed if running a Special Defense hindering nature, which is extremely beneficial if your Heatran is equipped with Choice Scarf. Toxic Spikes support is also a worthwhile option to consider when using Heatran, as most of the bulky Water-types that enjoy coming in on Heatran are effectively crippled by Toxic Spikes; however, Suicune usually has Rest to cure itself of status, and Gyarados is immune to Toxic Spikes. Roserade is the best user of Toxic Spikes in OU, and pairs extremely well with Heatran type-wise. Additionally, Spikes support helps in further weakening grounded Pokémon attempting to wall you, such as Blissey. However, most Pokémon that learns Spikes don't pair well with Heatran, due to either shared weaknesses or the defensive nature of most of the given Pokémon. If opting for Spikes support, Froslass and Smeargle will be your best options to lay them down, but the prevelance of Taunt leads can make any attempts to lay down Spikes ineffective.

Generally speaking, most Heatran will have trouble taking out foes that meet either of the following criteria: 1) a Pokémon which can take Fire-type attacks with ease, and doesn't fear much from Heatran's other potential attacks, 2) a Pokémon which can potentially set up on a Choiced Heatran, and 3) any Pokémon which is faster than Heatran and has access to an attack which deals super effective damage on it. The most common Pokémon you'll encounter that meet the first criteria are bulky Water-types, Latias, and Blissey. Any Pokémon which resists Water-type attacks and can outspeed common bulky Water-types, being Swampert, Suicune, and Gyarados, will more often than not be a beneficial partner for Heatran. Calm Mind Celebi is a great option to handle all of the Pokémon noted above, as it can use Calm Mind to lessen the damage taken from Ice Beam, and can then hit back hard with Grass Knot; just make sure to watch out for Gyarados's Bounce, as that will KO the green pixie. Another good option to consider is Life Orb Starmie or an Electric-type such as Rotom-A, both of whom have access to Thunderbolt, which hits most Water-types for a high amount of damage. Latias can easily be handled by any sturdy Pursuit user. Scizor is a good choice because it resists Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor, and takes neutral damage from Surf; be warned though, as a Life Orbed Surf has a good chance of 2HKOing the standard 248/0 Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Scizor also lures in Fire-type attacks, which can often net Heatran a free boost from Flash Fire. Blissey can be handled by any strong physical hitter who doesn't mind potentially switching into a Thunder Wave. As for the second criteria, the most common Pokémon you will encounter that will attempt to set up on a Choiced Heatran are Dragon Dance Gyarados and Salamence. Both can be reliably checked through Choice Scarf Latias, which has access to Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt to hit Salamence and Gyarados respectively. Choice Band Scizor works in a similar way, but Quick Attack is required to reliably revenge kill Gyarados. The third criteria includes most of the Pokémon already mentioned, but other Pokémon that can potentially give you trouble includes Lucario. Lucario can be reliably countered through a bulky Intimidate user, such as Salamence or Gyarados, or a Rotom-A with at least 280 Speed, which outruns Adamant Lucario.

Upon taking a closer look, you might notice that Heatran's weaknesses can usually be covered by just a single Pokémon, as Ground-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks offer similar coverage in the OU metagame. Dragon Dance Gyarados is an excellent partner to Heatran, as it reliably takes all of the attacks listed previously. Not only that, but after a boost or two, Gyarados can easily plow through a weakened team. Dragon Dance Salamence works in a similar way; although it hits much harder than Gyarados through Outrage, it risks taking more damage from attacks likely to be thrown at it. In both scenarios, Stealth Rock can hamper both Gyarados and Salamence's ability to switch in repeatedly, so it's a good idea to analyze Heatran's counters on the opponent's team and come up with a plan which will allow you to sweep. Calm Mind Latias, particularly if its carrying Refresh, can easily be considered of one Heatran's best partners. Calm Mind Latias can easily switch into Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran, and thanks to Levitate, it is even immune to Ground-type attacks; however, Fighting-type attacks can still give it trouble since most will hit Latias on her frailer Defense stat. Refresh is mentioned because it allows you to switch into possible Thunder Waves directed at Heatran, and it also allows you to beat any variant of Blissey, outside of the Calm Mind set, one-on-one.

The single most common teammate you will find for any of the counters repeatedly mentioned in the analysis is Scizor. Without a doubt, Heatran reliably counters Scizor, as long as you avoid switching into Superpower. There aren't other threatening teammates you are likely to encounter, as you usually find a Bulky Water-type, Gyarados, and Salamence/Latias all on the same team anyways. If facing against Blissey, common teammates you are likely to encounter are Forretress, Skarmory, and Gyarados. A Dragon Dance Salamence has access to Fire Blast to hit any Steel-types expecting to wall it, and a +1 Life Orb Outrage can KO even the most defensive of Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Salamence's Classic MixMence set works in much the same way, but requires no set-up, little prediction, and it also has access to Roost, which is important if you plan on switching in repeatedly. Heatran can also beat Forretress and Skarmory on its own.

The Other Options, EVs, Opnion and Counter sections we're all great.

This is my first time doing this so. Edit and comments in Bold.

DPP Heatran (Update)*

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