[Overview]
<p>Heatran
exited generation IV left the 4th generation as the most used Pokemon in OU. This comes
at as no
suprise surprise, for Heatran's impressive defensive stats,
Fire/Steel typing
,(comma) and
useful ability
enables enable him to
wall combat a huge portion of the metagame. It is no slouch offensively,
either—a base 130 Special Attack stat combined with a good offensive movepool makes even dedicated counters
winch wince. In this generation, things appear to be even better for it. Heatran now gets
Nitro Charge Flame Charge, a move that boosts its only mediocre stat, Speed. Air Balloon, a new item, allows it to switch into Ground-type moves with ease. The popularity of Pokemon like Ferrothorn
allow allows Heatran to switch in with ease and create momentum on your side. However, with the nerf to Explosion, Blissey and Eviolite Chansey are now the perfect
counter counters to Heatran. Heatran also has to deal with Latios and Latias, previous Ubers who now find themselves in the same tier as Heatran. In addition, Fighting-type Pokemon are extremely popular, so it may have
trouble staying in more trouble making an impact than it used to. Nevertheless, it is clear that Heatran will remain a top threat for quite a while.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3:
Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Grass] Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Heatran's typing enables it to switch into a variety of attacks, and
it's its acceptable movepool also allows it to threaten many Pokemon at once. Air Balloon takes this to a whole new level by allowing Heatran to switch into Earthquake, a move that used to send chills down its spine. For example, with
a Air Balloon attached, it can check any Excadrill that does not carry Brick Break. However, Air Balloon is instantly popped if Heatran is hit by an attack. The introduction of team preview makes prediction easier, however, caution should still be exercised to ensure that Heatran does not use up its item for nothing.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is a wickedly powerful STAB move, easily destroying anything that does not resist it. If the 85% accuracy is troublesome, Flamethrower is a viable alternative. However, the loss of power may be very noticeable. Earth Power is useful in dealing with other Heatran, as well as in situations where using Fire Blast may not be a good idea (such as against a Drizzle team). The choice of Hidden
Powers Power depend depends on
with which Pokemon trouble your team
more most. Hidden Power Ice takes out Gliscor, Landorus
,(comma) and Garchomp, although it will need to attack the latter two on the switch. Hidden Power Grass is more
sutable suitable for dealing with Water-types such as Quagsire and Gastrodon. Heatran is also one of the few Pokemon who can happily use Stealth Rock without any compatibility issues.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs are very simple and
allows allow Heatran to deal as much damage as possible. A Modest nature is suggested because there are few notable Pokemon that can be outsped with Timid. Nevertheless, feel free to use Timid if outspeeding a certain Pokemon is nessessary. If Heatran already has a teammate that
already uses Stealth Rock,
then Nitro Charge, Taunt
,(comma) or Substitute may go in the fifth slot.
Nitro Charge Flame Charge boosts Heatran's only mediocre set, and can sweep quite easily
late-game once its checks and counters are removed. Taunt is notable for stopping Chansey or Blissey from setting up on Heatran, although it cannot do much to them in return. Substitute gives Heatran a safeguard from status effects and allows it to scout the opponent. Be aware, though, that Substitute does not prevent Air Balloon from being popped if the Substitute is destroyed.</p>
<p>Pokemon who naturally draw Fire-type attacks make good partners. Ferrothorn and Skarmory are some examples. These Pokemon also support Heatran by laying down entry hazards, giving it a better chance at sweeping. Scizor also naturally draws in Fire-type attacks, and can easily take on Chansey and Blissey. Celebi and Sigilyph have good defensive synergy with Heatran, and both either resist or are immune to the Fighting- and Ground-type attacks that pester it. Heatran also makes a viable addition to Sun teams, as it prevents opponents from abusing the Sun by firing off Fire-type attacks.</p>
<p>Heatran is not without its fair share of counters, though. With the nerf to Explosion, special walls such as Chansey and Blissey can easily wall this set to
Kingdom Come kingdom come. Luckily, these two walls fall very easily to powerful physical attacks. Scizor deserves a special mention here, as not only can it use Superpower to take care of them, it also naturally draws in Fire-type attacks for Heatran to abuse. Latios and Latias can also use their special bulk to shrug off most attacks (although Hidden Power Ice will hurt) and pummel Heatran with Surf. For this reason, a Tyranitar wielding a Choice Scarf may be a useful teammate. Surf will sting Tyranitar, but it can outspeed, trap, and OHKO Latios and Latias. Kingdra and Gyarados take, at worse, neutral damage from Heatran's
attack attacks, and can dent it with their STAB Water-type attacks. If it lacks Hidden Power Grass, Rotom-W can also cause Heatran some problems
as well. Thundurus can outspeed these Pokemon and either cripple them with status
,(remove) or fire off powerful Thunderbolts at them.
Terakion Terrakion can outspeed Heatran and proceed to attack with Close Combat, making it a notable threat. Gliscor can switch into Close Combat easily and does not mind
Terakion's Terrakion's other attacks. Gliscor also can switch into any Ground-type move aimed at Heatran.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Heatran's Speed stat has always been a severe letdown. However, with a Choice Scarf attached, it now becomes a blazingly fast Pokemon that reaches 458
speed Speed with a Timid nature, enabling it to check and
revenge-kill revenge kill many Pokemon. Overheat is a
mighty powerful STAB attack that dents
many almost any Pokemon who
dare dares to switch into Heatran. It may be strange to have Flamethrower in the second slot, as Overheat hits the same threats that Flamethrower does. However, Overheat's -2 Special Attack recoil may make it inadvisable in some situations. Earth Power gives Heatran a way to deal with opposing
Heatrans Heatran, and is your best option against Steels if Fire-type moves are inadvisable (such as against a Drizzle team). Hidden Power Ice suits this set nicely by enabling Heatran to destroy Landorus, Gliscor, and Dragon-type Pokemon who are 4x weak to Ice-type moves. Dragon Pulse is an alternative to hit Latios, Latias, and Sazandora for more damage
; , however, Hidden Power Ice is usually the better choice of the two.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>A Timid nature and 252 EVs in Speed enable Heatran to outspeed Pokemon with a base
speed Speed of 130 and below. If these Pokemon are not a huge threat, Heatran can opt to use a Modest nature instead. One important thing to notice is that this Choice Scarf set is more risky to use than the All-Out Attacker set, as Choice Scarf can allow the foe to switch into an appropriate counter with ease. Therefore, prediction is vital to using Scarf Heatran to the fullest extent. Thankfully, team preview makes prediction much
more easier.</p>
<p>Although fast, Choice Scarf Heatran is not quite as powerful as the All-Out Attacker or Choice Specs set. Teammates who can soften up the opposing team therefore make wonderful parters
to for Heatran. There are quite a few Pokemon who can do this, but some notable examples include Latios, Gyarados, Celebi
,(comma) and Scizor. All of these Pokemon share excellent defensive synergy with Heatran. Another problem that Heatran has are bulky Water-type Pokemon. Suicune, Swampert, Quagsire
,(comma) and others can switch into Overheat or Flamethrower with ease and proceed to threaten Heatran with powerful Water-type attacks. Ferrothorn does not mind Water-types much and can proceed to set up entry hazards and Leech Seed on them. On the offensive side, Thundurus, Virizion, and Celebi can hammer away at these Pokemon with their powerful attacks. Heatran can even opt to run Hidden Power Grass over Flamethrower to deal with them. The loss of Hidden Power Ice would not be too severe since Gliscor and Landorus take heavy damage from Overheat, and Garchomp is demolished by Dragon Pulse. Chansey and Blissey once again
walls wall this set, but they are fairly easy to deal with in return. Powerful physical attacks should take care of them in no time.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Unlike the Choice Scarf set, the task of this set is to tear, rip
,(comma) and burn massive holes into the opponent's team, leaving other Pokemon to clean up the remainder. With a Choice Specs attached, Overheat becomes a terrifying move. For example, Overheat cleanly
2HKOs 2HKOes Latios after Stealth Rock damage. Unfortunately, Overheat's Special Attack drop forces Heatran to become a hit-and-run Pokemon. Fire Blast enables Heatran to stay in longer, at the cost of having
a lower accuracy and
base power Base Power. Dragon Pulse and Earth Power are there primarily for coverage, the former hitting Dragon-type Pokemon while the latter is useful for opposing
Heatrans Heatran. Hidden Power Grass takes care of bulky variants of Rotom-W, Gyarados, and other Water-types. If Heatran already has teammates that can take care of them, then Flamethrower is an alternative. It may seem redundant to run two Fire-type moves on one set
;(semicolon) ,(remove) however, keep in mind that both Fire Blast and Overheat have negative qualities about them that may make using those moves unsuitable in certain scenarios.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Just like the All-Out Attacker set,
xaximum maximum Special Attack and a Modest nature are desirable for Heatran to wreak as much damage as possible. A Timid nature may be useful if a certain threat needs to be outsped. Since Heatran will hopefully cause massive damage to the opponent's team, Pokemon who can clean up and pick off any survivors make good teammates. Conkeldurr, Scizor, and
Azumaril Azumarill can use their powerful priority attacks to accomplish this. Pokemon who wield
do a good job at Choice Scarf, such as Garchomp, or Pokemon who are naturally fast, such as Latios or Starmie, also make good cleaners.</p>
<p>Once again, Chansey and Blissey can sponge Heatran, although repeated attacks will quickly wear them down. Due to the sheer power of Choice Specs, bulky Water-type Pokemon may have some difficulty switching in. However, if Heatran does not run Hidden Power Grass, then Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Gyarados
,(comma) and Suicune can usually survive an attack and retaliate. Beside these, this set shares similar checks and counters to the All-Out Attacker set. The only difference, though, is that counters will have a hard time switching in without losing a massive chunk of health.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Protect / Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Stealth Rock / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
<p>Although Heatran is primarily used as an offensive Pokemon, one should not forget about its defensive options. Base 106 defenses, immunity to Toxic and a wide
supportive support movepool makes it a powerful wall. A specially defensive set is used over a physically defensive set because Lava Plume's high burn rate enables Heatran to shrug off physical hits
most of the time. In addition, the most common physical moves aimed at Heatran are usually
high-powered moves such as Close Combat, High Jump Kick
,(comma) and Earthquake, attacks that would easily OHKO
- or 2HKO Heatran regardless of investment in
Heatran's Defense
stat.</p>
<p>Lava Plume is chosen due to its high 30% burn rate, which makes Heatran incredibly difficult to take down on the physical side. Toxic enables it to dispose of Chansey, Blissey, bulky Water-type Pokemon, and other defensive Pokemon who would otherwise wall Heatran. The third moveslot depends on how you wish to use Heatran. Protect takes a defensive route by shielding Heatran from attacks while also enabling it to recover health as the foe slowly dies to burn or poison damage. Substitute is a viable alternative to Protect, and can potentially
provide protection for last longer. However, Pokemon immune
to Toxic, such as Tentacruel, Gliscor, and opposing Heatran
,(comma) can trouble it if it chooses to run these moves. Therefore, Earth Power and Hidden Power Ice are recommended to take out threats. The last moveslot is geared to support Heatran's teammates. Steath Rock makes it easier for offensive teammates to sweep the opponent's team, whereas Roar is useful for phazing out an enemy sweeper or troublesome wall.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Team support is vital in order to fully abuse specially defensive Heatran. For starters, Heatran greatly appreciates Toxic Spikes support, as this enables it to forgo Toxic for another move. Forretress can lay down Toxic Spikes (and other entry hazards) and attracts Fire-type attacks for Heatran to soak up. Tentacruel can also do the same job, and resists Heatran's Fighting-type weakness in exchange for sharing a weakness to Ground-type moves. If this is done, then a spinblocker is required.
Jellicient Jellicent is a good candidate due to its excellent synergy with Heatran. Wish support is also recommended because Heatran has no form of recovery outside of Rest and Leftovers. Chansey does a good job at this, but one must be wary of their
shared weakness to Fighting-type moves. Vaporeon works well
too, as she can literally absorb any Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran. Although a bit unorthodox, Wish + Dragon Tail Salamence has excellent synergy with Heatran and should
also be considered.</p>
<p>One common Pokemon who can
dangeously counter this set
almost entirely is Guts Conkeldurr, who can easily abuse
Burn burn or Toxic damage to power up its
attack Attack. Heatran can't do much to it since it is not running any EVs in Special Attack. Gliscor deals with Conkeldurr easily, especially Fling + Acrobat versions
[May want to change this, since the Gliscor analysis doesn't actually have a Fling + Acrobat set on it]. A strong special attacker that resists Mach Punch, such as
Tornundus Tornadus or Starmie, also works. If Heatran does not run Roar, then Calm Mind Reuniclus can slowly work its way up to +6 Special Attack, and deal severe damage with Focus Blast. Reuniclus absolutely hates powerful, super-effective physical attacks from the likes of Scizor or Tyranitar, though.</p>
[SET]
name: TormenTran
move 1: Torment
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Lava Plume / Taunt
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 244 HP / 44 SpD / 220 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This is the notoriously infamous Torment Heatran set that
once upon a time made players rip their hair, gouge out their eyeballs, and jump out of a window as soon as they
encounter encountered it. The idea behind the set is that very few Pokemon carry more than one attack that can severely hurt Heatran, and by using Torment
of on them, said Pokemon must either switch out or stay in and engage in a long, brutal stall war. Pokemon who wield a Choice item are especially affected by Torment, for they must Struggle every other turn if they choose to stay in. Substitute and Protect allows Heatran to both scout and shield itself from moves that can harm it. Lava Plume is chosen so that Heatran can slowly chip away the opponent's health. Taunt may
also be useful for preventing opponents from setting up on Heatran.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs in HP give Heatran the highest possible Leftovers number, and the EVs invested in Speed ensure that Heatran will outspeed Jolly Tyranitar. Like the specially defensive set, Toxic Spikes support is recommended.
Both All three of Roserade, Scolipede
,(comma) and Forretress can accomplish this and draw in Fire-type attacks for Heatran to soak up. Sandstorm support is also recommended, but not required. Hippowdon is recommended because it functions better on stall and semi-stall teams than Tyranitar. Tyranitar and Heatran also share three weaknesses together. Pokemon who can phaze Heatran out and Rest off the damage, such as RestTalk Suicune, Gyarados, Vaporeon, and Milotic are troublesome. Thundurus and Celebi can take care of them with their powerful STAB Thunderbolt and Leaf Storm, respectedly. In addition, be aware that there are many Pokemon who outspeed Heatran, and can land a dangerous attack on Heatran if it loses its Substitute or does not use Protect in time. Prediction is extremely important to make this set work.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There aren't too many other options that Heatran has. Moves such as Flash Cannon or Dark Pulse sound appealing, but a STAB Fire Blast or Overheat will usually outdamage these moves, even if they are
super effective. Heatran can opt to use Eruption with a Quiet nature on a Trick Room team. If this is done, it is advised to carry another Fire-type move, as repeated damage slowly makes Eruption useless. Magma Storm is a buffed-up Fire Spin and enables Heatran to trap its foes. Sadly, its 75% accuracy makes it difficult to utilize. Finally, Heatran can run a RestTalk set to tank hits and recover health at the same time.</p>
[Checks & Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon are a big threat to Heatran, especially to sets that do not run Hidden Power Grass. If these Pokemon can cure themselves from status, they can also take on
the Torment and Specially Defensive sets. Hydration Vaporeon, ChestoRest Kingdra and CroCune are a few example of Pokemon who can do this. Chansey and Blissey do not mind any attacks except for Toxic, and can wall it quite easily. Latios and Latias may not like Hidden Power Ice or Dragon Pulse, but they can usually survive an attack and pummel Heatran with Surf. On the offensive side,
Air Balloon
Terakion Terrakion can outspeed any non-
boosed boosted Heatran, takes neutral damage from its attacks at worse, and can proceed to KO with Close Combat. Speaking of Air Balloon, popping the item makes Heatran suddenly vulnerable to Pokemon such as Excadrill and Garchomp.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Heatran's Dream World ability is Flame Body. This may be useful on some defensive sets in order to buff up Heatran's defense. In addition, Flame Body prevents the rare, but incredibly annoying, Trace Gardevior and Porygon2 from setting up on it. However, Flash Fire is usually the better option, otherwise, it would be taking neutral damage from Fire-type attacks. The more resistance, the better.</p>
