Heatran (BW2 Revamp)

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Heatran

[Overview]

<p>Once the king of DPP OU, Heatran is still one of the best Fire-types in standard play. Versatility is one of Heatran's fortes, as can be seen by its ability to use a range of defensive, offensive, and supportive sets. A stellar Fire / Steel typing coupled with a great ability in Flash Fire gives Heatran some amazing resistances to Grass-, Ice-, Dragon-, and Bug-type attacks, and an immunity to Fire-type moves. Along with its acceptable 91 / 106 / 106 bulk, Heatran makes a great answer to some of OU's most powerful attackers, including Volcarona, Venusaur, and Scizor. With a mighty base 130 Special Attack and an exceptional movepool, Heatran's firepower is sure to leave a scorching impact.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Heatran, the prevalence of Drizzle Politoed makes it difficult to compete in a rain-soaked metagame. Powerful threats in Terrakion and Keldeo do not make life any easier, as their offensive prowess quickly extinguishes Heatran's flame. Moreover, the ubiquity of Ground-types, such as Dugtrio, takes quite a toll on Heatran's defensive potential, forcing it to maneuver carefully in battle. A lackluster base 77 Speed does Heatran no favors either, as it often finds itself being outpaced by most offensive teams and has a hard time sweeping. Though it has gathered quite a few foes in the transition to BW2, Heatran's ability to defeat sun teams single-handedly gives it quite the niche. It should be considered when building a team, as it can be both an invaluable team player or a menacing adversary.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Protect
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent set of resistances and great bulk, Heatran can halt powerful sweepers such as Venusaur, Volcarona, and Jirachi with ease. Lava Plume is Heatran's best defensive STAB, allowing it to spread burns while dealing acceptable damage. Protect allows Heatran to scout the opponent's moves and accumulate Leftovers recovery. Roar works quite well with entry hazard support, letting Heatran wear down its counters and simultaneously preventing setup sweepers, such as Latias and Volcarona, from doing much. Toxic goes hand in hand with Protect, allowing Heatran to stall out its enemy. Will-O-Wisp is quite useful in crippling incoming physical attackers such as Dugtrio, thus lessening the need for prediction when dealing with it. Last but not least, Stealth Rock can work if your team is in need of an entry hazard setter or a backup Stealth Rock user.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>To take full advantage Heatran's resistances, a specially defensive spread is most optimal; however there are a few other spreads that can be used. 248 of the Special Defense EVs can be put into Speed so that Heatran can outspeed and OHKO Adamant Breloom and Jolly Scizor. If Heatran decides to run Hidden Power Ice, then it can also use the Speed EVs to outspeed and OHKO defensive Gliscor. Speaking of alternative attacks, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Taunt, Substitute, and Torment are all acceptable options in the final moveslot. Heatran can run Flamethrower instead of Lava Plume so that it has a better chance of defeating Ferrothorn in the rain. Earth Power does well in OHKOing other Heatran and dealing respectable damage to Terrakion. Taunt can stop slower walls from phazing Heatran or its incoming switch-in, while Substitute works efficiently with Toxic Spikes down. Torment is a good option because it can render Choice-locked attackers useless. Sun teams often rely on Dugtrio to deal with Heatran; if your team is particularly weak to such teams without Heatran, consider utilizing Shed Shell for an effective second life against them.</p>

<p>Heatran's lack of reliable recovery hurts its defensive potential, so it's best to pair it with Wish users such as Chansey, Blissey, or Vaporeon. Chansey and Blissey can pass bigger Wishes, but Vaporeon's typing synergizes better with Heatran. Other Water-types that work well with Heatran include Jellicent, who can cover Heatran's Fighting- and Water-type weakness, while, Heatran can take Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at it. If Heatran is not running Toxic, then Toxic Spikes support from Tentacruel or Forretress is recommended in order to better break down the opposing team. To make it easier for Heatran to stall, entry hazard users, such as Celebi and Forretress, who can provide Stealth Rock and Spikes support respectively, have great potential as teammates.. Speaking of Spikes support, Roserade makes a great partner, as it can sponge any Water-type moves aimed at Heatran and set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Finally, RestTalk Gyarados synergizes quite well with Heatran by being able to tank Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks and add more phazing shenanigans of its own.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With acceptable Speed, good coverage, and a high Special Attack, Heatran's Choice Scarf set makes a good utility check to some of the metagame's most powerful setup sweepers, namely Jirachi, Volcarona, and Scizor. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful attack, capable of OHKOing Kyurem-B with entry hazard support, but Fire Blast keeps enough power to roast Alakazam and Lucario without the Special Attack drops. Earth Power is a good way to deal with opposing Heatran and Fire-type resists, such as Terrakion. Hidden Power Ice damages Dragon-types such as Garchomp, as well as Flying-types such as Tornadus in the rain. While it can't hit Garchomp as hard, Dragon Pulse does more damage to Latios, making it an appealing option. Finally, Flamethrower is Heatran's reliable STAB; while not as powerful as Overheat or Fire Blast, its perfect accuracy and consistency make it a great option to have late-game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As a revenge killer, Heatran can use a few specialized options to take on a different array of foes. Hidden Power Electric allows Heatran to revenge kill Adamant Dragon Dance Gyarados at +1. Hidden Power Grass fries Gastrodon; both give super effective coverage against most Water-types, particularly Starmie, making them strong potential choices.</p>

<p>Heatran is often prone to being setup bait when locked into certain moves, as its Choice Scarf leaves much to be desired in terms of overall damage output. To remedy this issue, powerful mixed attackers such as Kyurem-B and Thundurus-T make excellent partners for their ability to weaken the opposing team and dispose of troublesome walls, such as Chansey and Tentacruel. By weakening the opposition, there will be little concern when Heatran is locked into a resisted attack, as the enemy combatant will be too weak to take another. Residual damage provided by entry hazards from the likes of Skarmory or Ferrothorn also does well in breaking down the opposing team while simultaneously discouraging switches. Weather inducers such as Tyranitar and Hippowdon provide some much-needed residual damage, courtesy of their ability, Sand Stream. Speaking of weather inducers, Ninetales does well in powering up Heatran's Fire Blast with Drought, making it easier to sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its stellar resistances, acceptable bulk, and amazing coverage, Heatran's offensive set provides the best of both worlds in terms of power and bulk. Fire Blast is Heatran's best STAB, being the sweet spot between Overheat's power and Flamethrower's accuracy. Earth Power is a great coverage move that hits opposing Heatran while damaging Tyranitar and Terrakion. The choice of Hidden Power largely depends on what your team needs. With Hidden Power Ice and an Air Balloon, Heatran becomes an excellent check to some Dragon-types, easily OHKOing Dragonite after Stealth Rock. If Dragon-types are of little issue, Hidden Power Grass does well in simmering Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Gastrodon. Due to Heatran's ability to force switches, it can find plenty of time to set up Stealth Rock to support its team. Toxic can be used to cripple Jellicent, a Pokemon that Heatran has difficulty breaking through. Taunt is also quite useful as it can stop annoying Custap Berry leads such as Skarmory and Forretress from setting up their entry hazards.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Leftovers seems counter-intuitive on an offensive set, the gradual recovery provided lets Heatran repeatedly come in and wall threats such as Scizor and not be worn down by its attacks and/or entry hazards. Air Balloon is another useful item that gives Heatran a temporary Ground-type immunity, allowing it to check some of OU's most fearsome attackers, such as Garchomp and Salamence. Do note that Air Balloon will pop if Heatran is hit by an attack, i.e. caution must be taken when using this item. Life Orb gives Heatran the ability to OHKO Mamoswine with Fire Blast; however, it wears Heatran out too quickly and is often inferior to either Leftovers or Air Balloon for that reason.</p>

<p>A Timid nature is best, as it allows Heatran to outspeed Breloom and Adamant Dragonite and OHKO them with Fire Blast and Hidden Power Ice, respectively. A defensive spread consisting of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe can be used to give Heatran more durability, though Heatran will be unable to outspeed key threats like defensive Gliscor and Adamant Dragonite. Will-O-Wisp can be used in the final slot to cripple incoming physical attackers such as Terrakion and Landorus. Flame Charge is also useful in patching up Heatran's middling Speed, which in turn gives it the opportunity to sweep late-game. When paired with Air Balloon, Flame Charge is an especially potent weapon against sun teams. Dragon Pulse and Roar both present interesting possibilities. Dragon Pulse lets Heatran do considerable damage to opposing Dragon-types, as well as having the added benefit of inflicting more pain to Hydreigon and Latias.</p>

<p>Ninetales partners well with Heatran, as it is able to fend off Politoed's rain and power up Heatran's Fire Blast. With the support of Ninetales, Venusaur becomes a great offensive partner, as Venusaur has no difficulty setting up on bulky Water-types, while Heatran can check pesky Dragon-types. Just like Ninetales, Tyranitar can also keep the rain away, Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility can also come in handy when dealing with Latios, Latias, and Chansey. Celebi and Jellicent form an excellent defensive core with Heatran, as all three of them can cover each other's weaknesses exceptionally well. Electric-types, such as Thundurus-T and Rotom-W, also make excellent partners for their ability to dispose of Water-types, such as Gyarados, and having great synergy in general. Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon do well in taking on the plethora of Fighting- and Ground-types that force Heatran out. Just like Ninetales and Tyranitar, Hippowdon does well in keeping Politoed's Drizzle in check. Abomasnow is another weather inducer that pairs well with Heatran, by tanking Ground-, Electric-, and Water-type attacks aimed at it, while Heatran can take the Fire- and Bug-type attacks Abomasnow loathes.</p>

[SET]
name: Weather Trapper
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Magma Storm
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb / Chople Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Politoed and Tyranitar are common switch-ins to Heatran because they take little from most of its attacks. This Heatran seeks to turn this match-up on its head by catching them off-guard and winning the weather war, or at least replacing the opposing team's favored weather condition with sun. In some situations, Heatran can even trap incoming Water-types, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W.</p>

<p>Sunny Day is the key move, changing the weather and thus disrupting the momentum of the opposing weather inducers. Sunny Day does a few things: strip away Tyranitar's Special Defense boost in the sand, weaken Politoed's Water-type STABs significantly, and give Heatran enough power to fry the two threats. Magma Storm is just as significant as Sunny Day, allowing Heatran to trap the aforementioned weather inducers while dealing considerable damage. SolarBeam is Heatran's most powerful weapon against Politoed and Tyranitar, capable of 2HKOing even the bulkiest versions of the two threats. The choice of Earth Power or Hidden Power Ice is dependent on what your team needs most. Earth Power is there for other Heatran while Hidden Power Ice destroys Dragon-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The item choice is essentially dependent on which weather inducer you want to trap. Air Balloon is primarily for Hippowdon and Earthquake versions of Tyranitar, as it gives Heatran a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks. Life Orb is best used against Politoed, allowing Heatran to OHKO 252 HP / 0 SpD variants with SolarBeam outright if Stealth Rock is up. Chople Berry works especially well against Superpower Tyranitar and Focus Blast Politoed, as it lets Heatran avoid a possible OHKO from offensive versions of the two Pokemon.</p>

<p>This Heatran works well on both weatherless teams and sun teams, as both benefit from Heatran's ability to remove Tyranitar and Politoed. Venusaur and other Chlorophyll sweepers benefit from Heatran's ability to setup Sunny Day, as they can easily take advantage of the situation to set up or sweep. Pokemon with trapping abilities can function as superb backups. Wobbuffet and Gothitelle can take out Fighting-types that Heatran has difficulty dealing with, and also deal relatively well with Politoed themselves. Dugtrio can take on opposing Heatran and Tyranitar. Pokemon who can deal with Chansey and Blissey are good partners too. Of them, sun sweepers, such as Infernape and Victini are prime candidates.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Heatran's offensive and defensive prowess often forces switches; this makes a Substitute set workable. Substitute allows Heatran to attack without worry of being OHKOed by powerful attacks, such as Terrakion's Close Combat and Landorus's Earth Power. Substitute also works strategically by lessening the need for prediction when dealing with powerful Choice Specs or Choice Band users, such as Keldeo. Fire Blast pairs well with Substitute by providing a handy safety net in case it misses. Earth Power destroys opposing Heatran and dents offensive Tyranitar. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ice is quite useful in destroying Dragon-types such as Garchomp. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp both provide unique utility in tandem with Substitute. Toxic is great for crippling bulky Water-types, which would otherwise wall Heatran. On the other hand, Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers, helping Heatran maintain its Substitute.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are a few other ways to tweak this set. Hidden Power Grass is one way, being more effective against squishier Water-types or those that can easily cure themselves of status, such as Starmie. Heatran can also invest more in HP or Defense for a more durable Substitute, but doing so does not really add much to the set and the loss in power or Speed will make Heatran noticeably less proficient offensively.</p>

<p>Status absorbers such as Blissey and Chansey are quite the problem for this set; Conkeldurr does well in slaughtering the two threats, while it can even take advantage of their status afflictions to acquire a Guts Attack boost. Tyranitar and Ninetales benefit from Heatran's presence, given its capability to wear down Politoed with Toxic and thus win the weather war. Pokemon that can take advantage of Heatran's ability to spread status benefit from it too. Latias in particular can set up Calm Mind on burned physical attackers, while Substitute + Calm Mind can stall out a poisoned Jellicent. Defensively, Celebi partners perfectly with Heatran, as they both cover each other's weaknesses to a tee.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Ever thought about walling Heatran? Well, you can throw those absurd notions out the window against this set. With a Choice Specs equipped, Heatran's offensive capability goes through the roof. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful move, capable of OHKOing Dragonite with sun support after Stealth Rock. Fire Blast is slightly more reliable and is able to 2HKO Chansey and Blissey with entry hazard and sun support. Earth Power destroys Terrakion and opposing Heatran, and 2HKOes offensive Tyranitar. The choice between Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Ice depends on which threats you want to hit harder. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragonite and Garchomp; however, Dragon Pulse OHKOs Kyurem-B and offensive versions of Latios and Latias after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Grass works well in demolishing Water-types such as Jellicent and Starmie. While Flamethrower might seem redundant, there are times when the move's reliability comes in handy, as Overheat tends to be more one-off and Fire Blast has accuracy issues.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is best, as it gives Heatran enough firepower to demolish Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Chansey on the switch. Timid can also be useful, as Timid Heatran can outspeed neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Dragonite. In terms of alternate spreads, Heatran can use 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Def with Eruption and a Quiet nature. Though the Speed loss and Eruption's mechanics make it dependent on the support of Trick Room users like Cresselia or Reuniclus, Rapid Spin users, such as Tentacruel, and Wish passers, such as Chansey.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommended, as it gives Heatran the ability to achieve many OHKOs it otherwise would not on threats like Dragonite, Latias, and Jellicent. Dugtrio and Forretress are both good partners that can set up Stealth Rock; Dugtrio can remove Tyranitar while the latter can even lay Spikes. Ninetales support is also recommended, with the sun, Heatran has the capability to 2HKO the most durable special walls, Chansey and Blissey. With the help of this Heatran's wallbreaking capabilities, Chlorophyll sweepers, such as Victreebel and Venusaur, will have no difficulty taking out weakened teams. For the same reason, Agility Thundurus-T also makes an acceptable partner.</p>

[Other Options]

<P>Heatran's above-average movepool gives it a few other moves to work with. AncientPower and Stone Edge can both be used to defeat Volcarona and Gyarados; however, Heatran is often strapped for moveslots as is, so these options are generally unappealing. Flash Cannon can be used on the Choice Specs set, allowing Heatran to 2HKO defensive Tyranitar and OHKO Terrakion in the sand, but it offers relatively poor coverage outside of that. Heatran's once famous Torment set consisting of Substitute, Protect, Torment, and Lava Plume is also a decent option, though the influx of offensive teams in the tier makes it difficult to use. Finally, Magma Storm can be used outside of the Sunny Day set; however, those two moves generally work more effectively together. Grass Gem is also a good option on the Sunny Day set, as it allows Heatran to more efficiently take out Politoed and Tyranitar with SolarBeam.</p>

[Checks & Counters]

<p>Chansey and Blissey are the best checks to Heatran, being able to wear it down with Seismic Toss and recover off any damage. Both Chansey and Blissey only have to fear a sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast. Offensive Gyarados makes a great check as it can take all of Heatran's attacks and use it as setup bait, but Gyarados must be wary of Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, as either status affliction will cripple it. So long as Stealth Rock is off the field, RestTalk Gyarados makes a much more solid check. As long as it lacks Hidden Power Grass, other bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, Starmie, Slowking, and Gastrodon are also great counters, as they can easily force Heatran out with their Water-type STABs; however, Toxic can cripple all but Starmie. Defensive Latias is a great check given its ability to use weaker Heatran as setup bait, though it must watch for offensive Heatran's coverage moves or an incoming Toxic.</p>

<p>While Politoed has trouble taking a Hidden Power Grass and dislikes Toxic, its ability to summon rain allows Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Mamoswine to survive Heatran's Fire-type attacks and retaliate. In a similar vein, defensive Tyranitar makes a great check, as the Special Defense boost provided by the sand allows it to beat Heatran in most situations. If Heatran lacks Earth Power or SolarBeam, Tentacruel works well too, being able to 2HKO Heatran with a rain-boosted Scald while taking very little from its other attacks. So long as Dragonite's Multiscale is intact, it can take any attack from Heatran and OHKO with Earthquake (watch out for Air Balloon variants).</p>

<p>Dugtrio is quite possibly the best offensive check. Thanks to Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability and its STAB Earthquake, it can quickly dispose of Heatran. Keep in mind, however, that while Dugtrio's Focus Sash enables it to survive any attack from Heatran (provided that it's at full health), Magma Storm or Will-O-Wisp will prevent it from doing its job. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Garchomp are all excellent checks, as they can tank Heatran's main STAB and retaliate appropriately, although they must all watch out for Heatran's coverage attacks. Azumarill can take Heatran out with Aqua Jet; however, it must be cautious when switching in on either Heatran's coverage moves or a Will-O-Wisp. It might have difficulty switching in, but Choice Scarf Landorus-T makes a good answer to Heatran for its ability to always outspeed and OHKO Heatran. In a similar vein, Breloom makes a decent check, as it can OHKO offensive Heatran after Stealth Rock with Mach Punch. Ironically, Heatran can even check itself. Air Balloon versions of Heatran take very little from its own coverage attacks and can OHKO with Earth Power.</p>

<p>While it is an unconventional way to deal with Heatran, Pokemon that Heatran normally defeat, such as Volcarona and Venusaur, can lure Heatran out and nail it with Ground-type attacks. At +1, Life Orb Volcarona can OHKO Heatran with Hidden Power Ground, while Venusaur can invest in 88 Attack EVs to OHKO Heatran with Earthquake after Stealth Rock.</p>

Overview Skeletion
Heatran struggles somewhat in a metagame dominated by rain
On every corner, there's always a Water- or Fighting-type Pokémon/Attack waiting to defeat him, or a Dugtrio waiting to trap him
Latis and Tyranitar on every corner don't help either, as Heatran struggles to damage them
This is not to speak about its crippling 4x weakness to Ground
Although this is not as crippling as the above weakness, as Ground is an easy weakness to cover with so many Pokémon immune to it
Still, Heatran is one of the few Fire-types easy to fit on teams
It takes out most Steel- and Grass-types with its Fire STAB
Speaking of Steel-types, many of them almost always use moves that don't threathen Heatran at all, giving it free switches
Heatran can easily counter any sun team that doesn't have Dugtrio or whose Dugtrio has been take out
Heatran is versatile, can run defensive sets, offensive support sets, and even trapping sets

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Taunt
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Perhaps the best offensive supporter for teams around
Can fit on any non-rain team, especially those looking for a way to setup Stealth Rock reliably, a way to deal with Dragon-types that lack a Fighting- or Water-type attack, or simply a way to wall sun teams
Fire Blast is the best STAB to run on this set, it can OHKO/2HKO any Steel- and Grass-type, many of them can be 2HKOed even on rain
Earth Power is there so that opposing Heatran do not wall him, so, it is a necessity (even more so than Fire Blast). However, it is also useful to, for example, 2HKO Terrakion (not that you would stay in on him; but you can discourage him from switching-in a second time).
Hidden Power Ice is the recommended Hidden Power. Is the combination of it and Air Balloon that allows Heatran to check most Dragon-types
Hidden Power Grass is a viable option to deal with Water-types, especially Rotom-W, Politoed, Starmie, and Gastrodon, all which can take the other attacks with ease
As for the last slot, Stealth Rock is the primary option. Heatran setups Stealth Rock reliably, thanks to the switches that it forces
If something else can set up Stealth Rock on your team, Toxic is the other main option to shut down common switch-ins like bulky Water-types, and beat Volcarona one on kne
Taunt shuts down common switch-ins, like the blobs and defensive Water-types, and also shut down Baton Pass
It can also surprise things expecting to use Heatran as setup fodder, like Gyarados
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Instead of Toxic, you can run Will-O-Wisp. It has the advantage of being capable of crippling Fighting-types not named Conkeldurr, as well as Gyarados
Flame Charge can be used to sweep late-game. It also lets Heatran beat Dugtrio, by hitting him on the switch, outspeeding, and then OHKOing with Fire Blast or a super-effective Hidden Power
Apart from those, Roar is yet another option, capable of surprising switches and setup sweepers. Unlike Taunt, it can rack up hazard damage
Dragon Pulse is an option on the last slot if you run Hidden Power Grass, as you can then still cover Dragons, which would not be possible with Hidden Power Ice. It works better when Life Orb is used as the item, since otherwise Heatran may not have the power to OHKO most Dragon-types after Stealth Rock damage
Overall, the last slot is mainly filler; choose which option you think that is the best for your team
Air Balloon is the primary item to avoid Ground-type attacks, Spikes, and being trapped by Dugtrio. Life Orb can be used to buff its attacks, especially when using Flame Charge, as the extra power is appreciated to sweep
Apart from Air Balloon and Life Orb, Leftovers can also be used, but being able to be immune to Ground-type attacks has generally more utility than having extra longevity
252 SpA to hit as hard as possible, 4 SpD to prevent the rare but annoying Porygon2 from grabbing an SpA boost from Heatran
A bulky spread can be used, with 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe can be used, with a Modest nature, as Heatran appreciates the extra bulk, but it will miss out outspeeding Adamant Dragonite, defensive Gliscor, and Breloom
The reason why a Timid nature is chosen, is because Heatran can outspeed Breloom (Jolly or Adamant), and Adamant Dragonite, and OHKO them with Fire Blast or Hidden Power Ice (after Multiscale has been broken), respectively
As for partners, Pokémon that attract Fire-type attacks are good partners, examples being Forretress, Ferrothorn, and Scizor
The former two are able to setup hazards to help Heatran dishing out more damage, and the latter can easily dispose of Blissey and Chansey, two notable counters to this set. Scizor also checks Lati@s, Tyranitar, and Terrakion, things that either Heatran struggles to damage, or is forced to run away from
Ninetales is a good partner to power up Fire Blast, making Heatran a dangerous sweeper even mid-game if it chooses to run Flame Charge
Tyranitar is another good partner to dispose of the pink blobs, as well as Lati@s, two things that can wall Heatran (Hidden Power Ice hurts, though, but does not 2HKO)
Celebi and Jellicent are two great partners that resist Heatran's weakness. The former easily disposes of bulky Water-types that counter this set, and the latter is immune to the only two weakness that Heatran have (with Air Balloon). Both counter Keldeo, a notable counter to this Heatran
Landorus-T can counter Terrakion, and thus is a notable partner. It can be easily fitten on offensive teams. Gengar is another check to Terrakion, as it is immune to Close Combat, outspeed, and do heavy damage with Focus Blast.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Protect
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran is sturdy and has a lot of key resistances, a wide support movepool, so it makes a good special wall, even though it has no reliable recovery
It also not setup bait, thanks to its 130 base SpA and Lava Plume's high burn chance
Lava Plume is, of course, the best STAB move to use on this set. High burn chance and reability are the reasons for this.
Stealth Rock is the primary option due to the switches that Heatran forces, but if there is something else that can setup it on your team, Roar is preferred to phaze and rack up hazard damage
Protect scouts choiced moves, and gives more Leftovers recovery, in adittion to racking up more residual damage on the opponent
Toxic and Will-O-Wisp are both status moves that can be used. The former is preferred because of Lava Plume's high burn chance
But instead, you can run Earth Power. Earth Power allows Heatran to take out opposing Heatran, as well as other Fire-types, that can wall this set otherwise. Earth Power from offensive Heatran sets do not OHKO this Heatran, but it has 78% chance to OHKO back with its own Earth Power. Another viable option is Hidden Power Ice, which defeats Dragon-types, Gliscor, and Landorus(-T)
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
The reason why a specially defensive set is chosen over a physical one, is because most Heatran's resistances are specially-based, and the most common physical attacks aimed at Heatran hit it super-effectively, such as Close Combat and Earthquake, and would OHKO or 2HKO even with maximum investiment. In adittion, Heatran can already use Lava Plume to burn opponents and shrug off physical hits.
Earth Power, Torment, Substitute and Taunt (moves not necessarily in best order at the moment)
An EV spread of 248 HP / 16 SpA / 244 SpD with a Modest nature and Flamethrower as the main attacking move can be used, it lets Heatran hit a little harder, which can be useful on many situations. For example, it can be used to OHKO standard Ferrothorn on rain 60% of time, something that even standard defensive Heatran cannot do
Another viable EV spread is a faster one, with 248 HP / 12 SpD / 248 Spe and a Calm nature. This lets Heatran outrun Adamant Breloom and Jolly Scizor, and take them down with Lava Plume. It can also outspeed SubD-Tail Kyurem-B, and Roar him before it can phaze Heatran with Dragon Tail. This spread can also outspeed Gliscor and Landorus-T, which is a boon if you are using Hidden Power Ice.
Toxic Spikes support is appreciated if Heatran plans to run Earth Power instead of a status move, but Toxic Spikes is somewhat ineffective in this new metagame
Forretress can do this job, and it can attract Fire-type attacks that Heatran can easily absorb
Wish support is appreciated because Heatran lacks reliable recovery. Vaporeon is a great teammate because it can provide this, and absorb Water-type attacks aimed at Heatran
Jellicent also absorbs Water-attacks, and as a bonus, is immune to 2 of Heatran's weakness
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran has the tendency to force switches, and this set trys to take advantage of this, to setup a free Substitute
Fire Blast is the best STAB to run on this set, especially as Substitute means that Heatran can usually afford to miss
Earth Power is recommended to take out opposing Heatran, but Hidden Power Ice is this Heatran's only means of damaging Dragon-types.
The last slot goes to a status move. Toxic is the recommended option to surprise bulky Water-types; it can't be stalled out by reliable recovery and is more accurate
However, Will-O-Wisp can cripple any physical sweeper not named Conkeldurr
Another option is to use both Earth Power and Hidden Power Ice, forgoing the use of a status move althogeter. This is not recommended, though, as Heatran likes to have a way to cripple bulky Water-types while it is behind a Substitute
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Hidden Power Grass can be used to damage bulky Water-types, but this set has a better way to deal with them: crippling them with status
You can use more HP EVs to make Heatran bulkier, but you have to take out EVs from SpA, as Heatran needs all speed that it can get to preserve its substitute whenever possible
Please note that Pokémon with Natural Cure will not mind being statused, so this Heatran is yet another set that can't deal well with the blobs
This is not to mention that Vaporeon can simply cure itself from status if it's raining
Scizor can deal with the former, and Ferrothorn can deal with the latter. Both can also attract Fire-type attacks that Heatran can absorb
It's recommended that you use a partner that can take out opposing Heatran, like Dugtrio, if you are not using Earth Power.
This Heatran can toxic stall Politoed and Tyranitar, so your own Tyranitar or Ninetales can take advantage of this
Anything that can take advantage of poisoned or burned opponents is a good partner. For example, setup sweepers like Latias are able to use poisoned bulky Water-types as setup fodder, while Toxic puts them at KO range, or force switches.
Celebi is peharps the best partner for Heatran, as it can deal with bulky Water-type Pokémon that do not mind status, such as Starmie and Hydration Vaporeon. They have awesome synergy in general.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Heatran can also function as a good revenge killer. Its base 77 Speed lets it outrun up to Base 130s
Overheat is the recommended option because Heatran will be usually switching out anyway, and it is more accurate and lets Heatran dish out as much damage as possible
Fire Blast can be used instead to stay out for longer
Earth Power because again, you don't want to give free switch-ins to opposing Heatran and Rock-types
Hidden Power Ice revenge kills Dragons, and is a more reliable way to deal with Gliscor and Landorus, than using its innacurate Fire attacks
Dragon Pulse deals more damage to Dragons 2x weak to Ice (such as Lati@s and Hydreigon), but those 4x weak to Ice take more damage from Hidden Power Ice, which is why the latter is the preferred option. However, Dragon Pulse hits Kyurem-B, and Kingdra, two Dragons neutral to Hidden Power Ice. Dragon Pulse is also this Heatran's best attack against Rotom-W
Flamethrower to sweep late-game or in situations where Overheat is inadivsable
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Unfortunately, this set is not as powerful as other offensive sets, and is prone to becoming setup bait if you choose the wrong attack.
However, this set can also deal with Dugtrio. The only other of Heatran's sets that can do this are those that carry Air Balloon or Flame Charge
Hidden Power Grass is yet another option to deal with Gastrodon and Quagsire
Hidden Power Electric lets you revenge kill Gyarados. The loss of Hidden Power Ice is not too bad, as Heatran can OHKO Landorus and Gliscor with Fire Blast/Overheat. However, you must then use Dragon Pulse instead of Flamethrower, to not be walled by Dragon-types
Ninetales is a good partner to power up Overheat, letting it revenge kill almost anything that doesn't resist it
On sun teams, Chlorophyll sweepers such as Venusaur easily take out bulky Water-types that tend to wall this set. Venusaur can even defeat the pink blobs in a strange yet effective way.
A partner that can deal with Pokémon that may try to take advantage of a Choice-locked Heatran is appreciated. Some examples are Terrakion, Keldeo, Dragonite, Salamence, Latias, and Gyarados. Scizor, Celebi, Mamoswine, Hippowdon, and Landorus-T are some examples.
[SET]
name: Weather Trapper
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Magma Storm
move 3: Solarbeam
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb / Chople Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

I'm considering just reusing the current analysis text for this section.
Heatran can use Sunny Day alongside Magma Storm to win weather wars
Apart from them, Solarbeam is there to smack Politoed and Tyranitar, as well as any bulky Water-type foolish enough to switch-in, suck as Rotom-W, Starmie, Jellicent, and Gastrodon.
As Magma Storm will trap them, they have no choice but to be 2HKOed, and there's little they can do back.
Earth Power is a necessity to dispose of opposing Heatran, and thus is the recommended option
Hidden Power Ice is better used if you have a partnered Dugtrio, but in any case, it disposes of Dragon-types without relying on Magma Storm's shaky accuracy
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
This set can be used on non-sun teams, but seriously, it functions much better on them, and you should have better ways to win the weather war otherwise
For this reason, Ninetales is the best partner. Ninetales generally is the weather inducer that has the hardest time winning weather wars, so it appreciates this Heatran as a partner as well
Timid Venusaur is a partner that can deal with dangerous Pokémon like Terrakion. Under sun, it can outspeed even Scarf variants, and can also deal with Scarf Politoed, the only Politoed set that can beat this Heatran.
Trapping support from the likes of Dugtrio and Wobbuffet is appreciated to deal with Pokémon that give this set trouble, such as faster Fighting-types or weather inducers
The former can even free up a moveslot to Hidden Power Ice on Heatran
Something that can deal with Chansey and Blissey is a good partner. Xatu will beat them 1x1 due to a combination of Toxic, Roost, and Magic Bounce. Darmanitan and Victini OHKO them on the sun, SubToxic Gliscor setups on them, and Terrakion simply makes them run away
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Flamethrower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
This set is the most powerful set that Heatran has. It opens holes on the opponent's teams, and leave the rest to Heatran's teammates
Fire Blast is so powerful under sun that it can 2HKO some Pokémon that resist it, and even the pink blobs can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock damage
Overheat can replace it to dish out the most damage possible. However, it forces Heatran to switch after it uses this
Earth Power is there to not be walled by opposing Heatran
Dragon Pulse covers Dragon-types, and is Heatran's most effective option against the likes of Lati@s. Hidden Power Ice is more effective against Dragon-types 4x weak to it, as well as being more accurate against Landorus and Gliscor. However, the latter are already OHKOed by Fire-type attacks
And using Hidden Power Ice does not let Heatran use Hidden Power Grass, which gives important coverage against bulky Water-types.
But Flamethrower can replace Hidden Power Grass, especially if you are using Overheat. It may seem to be redundant to run 2 Fire moves on this set, but there are times when Flamethrower will be preferred over Fire Blast because it is more accurate, or over Overheat because it doesn't force Heatran to switch
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
A Modest nature is the main option to deal as much damage as possible, but Timid can be used, especially if you use Hidden Power Ice, to outspeed Adamant Dragonite and OHKO him.
A spread with 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD with a Quiet nature is viable and makes use of the move Eruption. Eruption is so powerful when boosted by Choice Specs and sun, that it can even 2HKO Chansey without Stealth Rock support. However, Eruption is a move that is only legal with a Quiet nature; this means that Heatran should be used with Trick Room support, obviously. Physically defensive Trick Room Cresselia is possibly the best partner (apart from Ninetales) for this reason.
Ninetales is appreciated as a partner, to power up Fire Blast, making it excessively powerful and capable of beating even the pink blobs
Also, on a sun team, Heatran can open holes for Chlorophyll sweepers like Venusaur, to take advantage of them later on battle
Although Terrakion hates coming on Earth Power or repeated sun-boosted Fire Blasts, it nonetheless can use a -2 Heatran as setup bait, and potentially wreck the entire sun team with a SubSalac set. Timid Venusaur can revenge kill this Terrakion's set, but Gliscor or Forretress can also deal with this Terrakion too.
[Other Options]
A TormentTran set can be used, but Toxic Spikes sucks on this metagame, and this set is hard to pull off
Shed Shell is another way which Heatran can deal with Dugtrio, not by defeating him, but by being capable of switching out. However,
Scarf/Balloon/Flame Charge/Magma Storm sets are much more effective in terms of dealing with Dugtrio; you are also forced to forfeit a valuable item, like Leftovers or Life Orb
Flash Cannon can be used as a secondary STAB to hit Rock-types harder, but Heatran has Earth Power, which has no STAB but also cover Rock-types, but has better coverage. Flash Cannon works as a STAB option on rain teams, though. (Fire-type STAB still comes handy against things like Ferrothorn)
Dark Pulse and AncientPower are poor in terms of coverage, and even when super-effective, are often outdamaged by a neutral Fire Blast
Metal Sound can force switches or force the opponent to take heavy damage, but it is unreliable and gimmicky
Stone Edge is an option to take out Volcarona, OHKOing 4/0 variants even with a negative nature. But it has no use otherwise
Heatran can use a RestTalk set, since it is its only mean of recovery. However, awful sleep mechanics hinder this set's viability
Don't use Flame Body. Flash Fire is what lets Heatran counter sun teams effectively, and most physical sweepers have a way to 2HKO or OHKO Heatran anyway.
Lastly, Heatran can use a Magma Storm set without Sunny Day, or vice-versa, but both are more effective when used thogether
[Checks & Counters]
Chansey and Blissey are the only foolproof counters to Heatran, they take nothing from most attacks and are immune to status, but they must watch out for Specs sun-boosted Fire Blast which will 2HKO.
Bulky Water-types that are not weak to Earth Power, but they must watch out for Hidden Power Grass/Electric.
Keldeo hates Hidden Power Grass/Electric and repeated sun-boosted Fire-type attacks, but it can usually switch-in safely and OHKO with any of its STAB moves.
Terrakion is generally a good switch-in for Heatran. It hates coming out on Earth Power (which will 2HKO if sandstorm is not up), but Heatran does not straight away use Earth Power because it wants to use the opportunity to setup Stealth Rock, which is like if Heatran was saying "Hey Terrakion, you can come here free!". With sandstorm active, Terrakion does not mind Earth Power either, as it only has a very small chance to be 2HKOed. Heatran does not to want staying in because it will be OHKOed by Close Combat; Terrakion can take advantage of this to setup a SD/RP/Sub. It does have to watch out for Will-O-Wisp and Lava Plume, however.
Other Fighting-types can also work, but each of them has a unfortunate drawback that makes them shaky checks. Conkeldur is 2HKOed by Fire Blast, Lucario is hard pressed to find an opportunity to switch on Heatran, and Breloom does not even OHKO with Mach Punch without a boost, while Fire Blast easily OHKO back. All of them except Conkeldurr also loathe status
Anything with Earthquake is able to easily dispose of Heatran, but Heatran can carry Air Balloon, and with so many foes immune to Earthquake, one must think twice about using this move
Dugtrio often carry Focus Sash to switch out safely on any attack except Magma Storm, trap Heatran, and defeat him with Earthquake, or even Reversal. It must watch out for sets with Choice Scarf or Flame Charge, however.
Landorus (both Therian and Incarnate) can outspeed and defeat Heatran, but it cannot switch on Hidden Power Ice, or Fire-type attacks. The same applies to Garchomp.
Opposing Heatran with Air Balloon are good counters, as long as your own Heatran does not carry Air Balloon
CM Latias takes little damage from most attacks, even Hidden Power Ice, and proceeds to setup on it with impunity. Latios also works, but it loathes Hidden Power Ice and sun-boosted Fire-type attacks.
Tyranitar is generally a good counter. It takes little damage from even Earth Power on sandstorm. Weather Trapper sets will 2HKO with Solarbeam under sun, but the most common variant of Tyranitar, Choice Band, OHKO with Superpower, not giving Heatran time to setup sun or attack back.
Mamoswine does not fear even Air Balloon variants, as it often carry Superpower to deal with them
If Heatran lacks Earth Power, opposing Heatran have free reign, and if Heatran lacks Hidden Power Ice, Dragon-types are generally capable of walling and defeating Heatran
Without Hidden Power Grass, Gastrodon and Rotom-W wall Heatran forever. However, it must also watch out for Toxic
Things that Heatran usually defeat can instead defeat him with the appropriate move. For example, Heatran cannot switch on Scizor's Superpower, Venusaur's Earthquake, Celebi's Earth Power, etc.
 
Thanks BKC. I'm not going to move this into the GP stage just yet, I'm gonna wait a day or two to get some more input. If nothing happens in that time, then I'll move this into the copyediting stage.
 
specially defensive set says nothing about what Heatran checks / counters. You have to tell the reader what Heatran deals with for why he or she would use Heatran. Think: Latios, non-HP Ground Volcarona, most Venusaur, etc.

offensive sc said:
With Hidden Power Ice, Heatran becomes an excellent check to most Dragon-types, easily OHKOing Dragonite after Stealth Rock.
"most" is misleading. Be specific; Salamence, most Latios, Latias, and Hydreigon still destroy Heatran. Instead, I'd leave it at Dragonite and maybe non-speedy Landorus-T.
If Dragon-types are of little issue, Hidden Power Grass does well in simmering Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Gastrodon.
Jellicent is probably the most relevant to mention here. Starmie outspeeds Heatran, while Gastrodon is rare. You can still mention it though.
In the final slot, Heatran can utilize Stealth Rock to better support its team.
You should mention something about how Heatran forces lots of switches due to its resistances and thus has many opportunities to set up Stealth Rock.
sdef sc said:
Roar works quite well with entry hazard support, letting Heatran wear down its counters and simultaneously preventing setup sweepers from doing much.
CM Latias and QD Volcarona are the main reasons you run Roar, so I'd specifically mention them.
scarf sc said:
With acceptable Speed, good coverage, and a high Special Attack, Heatran's Choice Scarf set makes a good check to some of the metagame's most powerful setup sweepers, namely Swords Dance Lucario and Adamant Dragon Dance Dragonite.
Come up with better examples. SD Lucario and DD Nite are not the premier setup sweepers in this metagame. Think more like Landorus, Keldeo, Jirachi, Volcarona, etc.

Checks & Counters
You don't mention a very common method of beating Heatran: luring it out. You have stuff like HP Ground Volcarona / Latios / Ninetales (not common but w/e) and Earthquake Venusaur. Also, shoot mixed Kyurem-Kyurem-B/N a mention for Earth Power variants. Slowking is also an incredibly solid counter, though rare. You're also missing Ground- and Fighting-types in general. Think the Landorus formes. There are lots of examples and you have few if any of them.
 
If I didn't respond to your other suggestions, it means I agree and I added them.

"most" is misleading. Be specific; Salamence, most Latios, Latias, and Hydreigon still destroy Heatran. Instead, I'd leave it at Dragonite and maybe non-speedy Landorus-T.

With the balloon, salamence can't really touch heatran outside of lol brick break. Hydreigon has to use superpower or the unreliable focus blast to to beat it, which doesn't OHKO btw.

4 Atk Life Orb Hydreigon Superpower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 224-265 (69.34 - 82.04%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I'd say most is accurate. I might specify, "with an air balloon" and change it "some" though.

You don't mention a very common method of beating Heatran: luring it out. You have stuff like HP Ground Volcarona / Latios / Ninetales (not common but w/e) and Earthquake Venusaur. Also, shoot mixed Kyurem-Kyurem-B/N a mention for Earth Power variants. Slowking is also an incredibly solid counter, though rare. You're also missing Ground- and Fighting-types in general. Think the Landorus formes. There are lots of examples and you have few if any of them.

Yeah, I read that in the previous analysis. Although, I'm quite iffy on it. It seems like it would bloat CC. That's like adding choice specs HP fire starmie as a counter for ferrothorn. Does it works? Technically yes. But it's just so awkward and seems kinda unneeded to list it. I just really dislike these kinds of things to CC, just b/c it's so unreliable. Not sure about slowking though, I kinda avoid adding niche, lower tier counters unless it's needed.
 
well i've always thought Heatran was good in D/P/PT but when 5th gen came out heatran shined more than ever and i can't wait to see what the future holds for heatran.
 
Slowking is solid; it also counters Keldeo, bulky Starmie, and a bunch of other special mons. I don't see it as such a niche Pokemon as you denote it.

If you're going to forgo Latios / Ninetales / whatever, at least mention HP Ground Volcarona and Earthquake Venusaur, which are actually worth worrying about. Earth Power Kyurem-B/N are common, as are both Landorus formes.
 
Quick mention: Grass Gem for OO or Slash for Weather Trapping Heatran. (In the rare event you fight those SDef version of Politoed or TTar). I'd put Weather Trapper much higher on this list as well (at least, it's better than Choice Scarf Heatran and Substitute Heatran ffs...)

On Offensive Tran, I've found Flame Charge must more useful than Taunt or Toxic (I mean, it's OFFENSIVE Heatran, not defensive) so I'd put Flame Charge over them on Slash or toss either Taunt ot Toxic in the OO and put Flame Charge as a main slash (mention how it's a beast in Sun; Fire Blast is practically unwalled).

OO mention or Slash Torment on Substitute Heatran.


Also, didn't read other comments. Sorry if some of these things have already been mentioned.
 
KK, most above suggestions made. However, seeing as how this passed 3 QC checks already, I won't make controversial changes like set order or slash changes unless QC says otherwise.
 
On Offensive Tran, I've found Flame Charge must more useful than Taunt or Toxic (I mean, it's OFFENSIVE Heatran, not defensive) so I'd put Flame Charge over them on Slash or toss either Taunt ot Toxic in the OO and put Flame Charge as a main slash (mention how it's a beast in Sun; Fire Blast is practically unwalled).

No one ever plays Flame Charge, so I don't see how it should be more then OO
 
Ubiquity (or lack thereof) =/= analysis location. Additionally, I actually like Flame Charge more than Taunt or Toxic since it absolute bones Duggy-Sun with Stealth Rock support.
 
[Overview]

<p>Once crowned the king of DPP OU, Heatran is still one of the best Fire-types in standard play. Versatility is one of Heatran's fortes, allowing it as can be seen by its ability to use a range of defensive, supportive, and offensive sets. A stellar Fire / Steel typing coupled with a great ability in Flash Fire gives Heatran some amazing resistances to Fire-,(comma) Grass-,(comma) Ice-,(comma) Dragon-,(comma) and Bug-type attacks. Along with its acceptable 91 / 106 / 106 (note spaces) bulk, Heatran makes a great answer to some of OU’ ** (change to straight apostrophe) s most powerful attackers, such as Volcarona, Venusaur, and Scizor. With a mighty base 130 Special Attack and an exceptional movepool, Heatran's firepower is sure to leave a scorching impact.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Heatran, the prevalence of Drizzle Politoed makes it difficult to compete in an aquatic festered rain-soaked you might prefer something else, but 'aquatic' is pushing it a bit xd metagame. Powerful threats in Terrakion and Keldeo do not make life any easier, as their offensive prowess quickly extinguishes Heatran's flame. Moreover, the commonality 'ubiquity' might sound less forced? of Ground-types, such as Dugtrio, takes quite a toll on Heatran's defensive potential, forcing it to maneuver carefully in battle. A lackluster base 77 Speed does Heatran no favors either, as it often finds itself being outpaced by most offensive teams, making it difficult to sweep and has a hard time sweeping. Though it has gathered quite a few foes in the transition to BW2, Heatran's ability to defeat sun teams single-handedly is gives it quite the niche.(period) and It should be considered when building a team, as it can either be an invaluable ally or menacing adversary.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Protect
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent set of resistances and great bulk, Heatran can defeat powerful sweepers, such as Venusaur, Volcarona, and Jirachi. Lava Plume is Heatran's best defensive STAB, allowing it to spread burns while dealing acceptable damage. Protect allows Heatran to scout the moves of the opponent opponent's moves and accumulate Leftovers recovery. Roar works quite well with entry hazard support, letting Heatran wear down its counters and simultaneously preventing setup sweepers, such as Latias and Volcarona,(comma) from doing much. Toxic goes hand in hand with Protect, allowing Heatran to outstall stall out its enemy. Will-O-Wisp is quite useful in crippling incoming physical attackers,(remove) such as Dugtrio, thus lessening the need for prediction when dealing with it. Last but not least, Stealth Rock can work if your team is in need of an entry hazard setter or a backup Stealth Rock user.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>To take full advantage Heatran's resistances, a specially defensive spread is most optimal; however there are a few other spreads that can be used. Heatran can obtain run 16 Special Attack EVs and use Flamethrower instead of Lava Plume so that it has a better chance of defeating Ferrothorn in the rain why 16? does this achieve any particular KO it might be helpful to mention?. 248 Special Defense EVs can be put into Speed so that Heatran can outspeed and OHKO Adamant Breloom and Jolly Scizor. If Heatran decides to run Hidden Power Ice, then it can also use the Speed EVs to outspeed and OHKO defensive Gliscor. Speaking of alternative attacks, Earth Power, Taunt, Substitute, and Torment are all acceptable options in the final moveslot. Earth Power does well in OHKOing other Heatran and dealing respectable damage to Terrakion. Taunt can stop slower walls from phazing Heatran while Substitute works efficiently with Toxic Spikes down. Torment is a good option because it can render Choice locked attackers useless. Sun teams often rely on Dugtrio to beat Heatran;(semicolon) as such, Heatran can utilize Shed Shell to escape from Dugtrio. Shed Shell Heatran works quite well on teams that are weak to sun, as with Shed Shell, Heatran will stop most sun teams cold.

just a note that you make this assertion (heatran stops sun teams) quite a few times - but you don't really give much mention as to how! i realize it might be obvious to you, but it might be worth providing a brief explanation (say, naming a few common sun sweepers that heatran checks) to make this analysis more newbie-friendly, haha</p>

<p>Heatran's lack of reliable recovery hurts its defensive potential, so,(remove) it's best to pair Heatran it with Wish users, such as Chansey, Blissey, or Vaporeon. Chansey and Blissey can pass bigger Wishes while Vaporeon synergizes better with Heatran. Other Water-types that work well with Heatran include Jellicent, as Jellicent can cover Heatran's Fighting- and Water-type weakness, while in return,(comma) Heatran can take Grass-,(comma) Ghost-,(comma) and Dark-type attacks aimed at it. If Heatran is not running Toxic, then Toxic Spikes support from Tentacruel or Forretress is recommended in order to better break down the opposing team. To make it easier for Heatran to stall, entry hazard users,(remove) such as Celebi and Forretress can provide Stealth Rock and Spikes support, respectively. Speaking of Spikes support, Roserade makes a great partner, as it can sponge any Water-type moves aimed at Heatran and set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Finally, RestTalk Gyarados synergizes quite well with Heatran by being able to tank Water-,(comma) Fighting-,(comma) and Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With acceptable Speed, good coverage, and a high Special Attack, Heatran's Choice Scarf set makes a good utility check to some of the metagame's most powerful setup sweepers, namely Jirachi, Volcarona, and Scizor. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful attack, capable of OHKOing Kyurem-B with entry hazard support. Fire Blast roasts Alakazam and Lucario; aside from accuracy, Fire Blast can be used consistently with little drawbacks. Earth Power is a good way to deal with opposing Heatran and Fire-type resists, such as Terrakion. Hidden Power Ice damages Dragon-types,(remove) such as Garchomp,(comma) and as well as Flying-types like such as Tornadus in the rain. While it can't hit Garchomp as hard, Dragon Pulse does more damage to Latios, making it an appealing option. Finally, Flamethrower is Heatran's reliable STAB;(semicolon) while not as powerful as Overheat or Fire Blast, its perfect accuracy and consistency make it a great option late-game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As a revenge killer, Heatran can acquire use a few specialized options to take on a different array of foes. Hidden Power Electric allows Heatran to revenge kill Adamant Dragon Dance Gyarados at +1 while dealing considerable damage to Starmie. Hidden Power Grass fries Gastrodon and is able to dent Starmie, making it a good choice.</p>

<p>
Heatran is often prone to being setup bait when locked into certain moves, as its Choice Scarf leaves much to be desired in terms of overall damage output. To remedy this issue, powerful mixed attackers such as Kyurem-B and Thundurus-T make excellent partners for their ability to weaken the opposing team and dispose of cumbersome troublesome walls, such as Chansey and Tentacruel. By weakening the opposition, there will be little concern for when Heatran is locked into a resisted attack, as the enemy combatant will be too weak to take another. Residual damage provided by Skarmory's or Ferrothorn's entry hazards from the likes of Skarmory or Ferrothorn also do well in breaking down the opposing team while simultaneously discouraging switches. Weather inducers such as Tyranitar and Hippowdon provide some much-needed residual damage, courtesy of their ability, Sand Stream. Speaking of weather inducers, Ninetales does well in powering up Heatran's Fire Blast with Drought, making it easier to sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its stellar resistances, acceptable bulk, and amazing coverage, Heatran's offensive set provides the best of both worlds in terms of power and bulk. Fire Blast is Heatran's best STAB, being the middle child between Overheat's power and Flamethrower's accuracy. Earth Power is a great coverage move that hits opposing Heatran while damaging Tyranitar and Terrakion. The choice of Hidden Power largely depends on what your team needs. With Hidden Power Ice and an Air Balloon, Heatran becomes an excellent check to some Dragon-types, easily OHKOing Dragonite after Stealth Rock. If Dragon-types are of little issue, Hidden Power Grass does well in simmering weird word choice??? Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Gastrodon. Due to Heatran's ability to force switches, it can find plenty of time to set up Stealth Rock to support its team. Toxic can be used on for Jellicent, a Pokemon that Heatran has difficulty breaking through. Taunt is also quite useful as it can stop annoying Custap Berry leads such as Skarmory and Forretress from setting up their entry hazards.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Leftovers seems counter-intuitive on an offensive set, the gradual recovery provided lets Heatran repeatedly come in and wall threats,(remove) such as Scizor,(comma) and not be worn down by its attacks and/or entry hazards. Air Balloon is a another key useful item that gives Heatran a temporary Ground-type immunity, allowing it to check some of OU's most fearsome attackers, such as Garchomp and Salamence. Do note,(remove)that Air Balloon will pop if Heatran is hit by an attack; caution must be taken when using this item. Life Orb is an alternative item that Heatran can use, giving it gives Heatran the ability to OHKO Mamoswine with Fire Blast; however, Life Orb it wears Heatran out too quickly and is often inferior to either Leftovers or Air Balloon for that reason.</p>

<p>A Timid nature is best, as it allows Heatran to outspeed Breloom and Adamant Dragonite and OHKO them with Fire Blast and Hidden Power Ice, respectively. A defensive spread consisting of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe can be used to give Heatran more durability, though Heatran will be unable to outspeed defensive Gliscor and Adamant Dragonite. Will-O-Wisp can be used in the final slot to cripple incoming physical attackers such as Terrakion and Landorus. Flame Charge is also useful in patching up Heatran's middling Speed, which in turn gives it the opportunity to sweep late-game. Flame Charge is also an acceptable option with an Air Balloon, being a potent weapon against sun teams. When paired with Air Balloon, Flame Charge is an especially potent weapon against sun teams. Dragon Pulse and Roar both present interesting possibilities. Dragon Pulse lets Heatran do considerable damage to opposing Dragon-types, as well as having the added benefit of inflicting more pain to Hydreigon and Latias. Finally, Leftovers is also an acceptable option, giving Heatran some much needed durability, though it lacks the utility Air Balloon has and is inferior offensively to Life Orb. i think you've mentioned this before</p>

<p>Ninetales partners well with Heatran, as it is able to fend off Politoed's rain and power up Heatran's Fire Blast. With the support of Ninetales, Venusaur becomes a great offensive partner, as Venusaur has no difficulty setting up on bulky Water-types, while Heatran can check pesky Dragon-types. Just like Ninetales, Tyranitar can also keep the rain away, Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility can also come in handy,(remove) in dealing with Latios, Latias, and Chansey. Celebi and Jellicent form an excellent defensive core with Heatran, as all three of them can cover each other's weaknesses exceptionally well. Electric-types, such as Thundurus-T and Rotom-W,(comma) also make excellent partners,(remove) for their ability to dispose of Water-types, such as Gyarados,(comma) and having great synergy in general. Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon do well in taking on the plethora of Fighting- and Ground-types that force Heatran out. perhaps say something here about how heatran is very versatile weather-wise? it feels a little disjoined as-is, mostly bc you'd talked about weather previously, although i do see why you're not putting this part up above. Just like Ninetales and Tyranitar, Hippowdon does well in keeping Politoed's Drizzle in check. Abomasnow is another weather inducer that pairs well with Heatran, by tanking Ground-,(comma) Electric-,(comma) and Water-type attacks aimed at it, while Heatran can take the Fire- and Bug-type attacks Abomasnow loathes.</p>

[SET]
name: Weather Trapper
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Magma Storm
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb / Chople Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Often, Pokemon, such as Politoed and Tyranitar switch into Heatran, in such cases, Heatran can catch them off guard and win the weather war or strip away their team‘s favored weather condition. Politoed and Tyranitar are common switch-ins to Heatran (perhaps provide a brief phrase explaining why?). This Heatran seeks to turn this match-up on its head by catching them off-guard and winning the weather war, or at least replacing the opposing team's favored weather condition with sun. In some situations, Heatran can even trap incoming Water-types, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W.</p>

<p>
Sunny Day is the key move, changing the weather and thus disrupting the momentum of the opposing weather inducers. Sunny Day does a few things: strip away Tyranitar's Special Defense boost in the sand, weaken Politoed's Water-type STABs significantly, and give Heatran enough power to fry the two threats. Magma Storm is just as significant as Sunny Day, allowing Heatran to trap the aforementioned weather inducers while dealing considerable damage each turn it does 'considerable damage', 'some damage each turn', but not 'considerable damage each turn' :p. SolarBeam is Heatran's most powerful weapon against Politoed and Tyranitar, capable of 2HKOing even the bulkiest versions of the two threats. The choice of Earth Power or Hidden Power Ice is dependent on what your team needs most. Earth Power is there for other Heatran while Hidden Power Ice destroys Dragon-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The item choice is essentially dependent on which weather inducer you want to trap. Air Balloon is primarily for Hippowdon and Earthquake versions of Tyranitar, giving it as it gives Heatran a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks. Life Orb is best to defeat Ninetales are you sure you meant to say ninetales here? just checking or Politoed, as Heatran needs all the power it can get. Chople Berry works especially well against Superpower Tyranitar and Focus Blast Politoed, letting it as it lets Heatran avoid a possible OHKO against from offensive versions of the two Pokemon.</p>

<p>
This Heatran works well for on both weatherless teams and sun teams, as both benefit from Heatran's ability to remove Tyranitar and Politoed. Venusaur and other Chlorophyll sweepers benefit from Heatran's ability to set up Sunny Day, as they can easily take advantage of the situation to set up or sweep. Pokemon with trapping abilities can function as superb backups. Wobbuffet and Gothitelle can take out Fighting-types that Heatran has difficulty dealing with, along with dealing and also deal relatively well against with Politoed. Dugtrio can take on opposing Heatran and Tyranitar. Pokemon who can deal with Chansey and Blissey are good partners too.(period). Of them, sun sweepers,(remove) such as Infernape and Victini are some of the best.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Heatran's offensive and defensive prowess often forces switches;(semicolon) this makes a Substitute set workable. Substitute allows Heatran to attack without worry of being OHKOed by powerful attacks, such as Terrakion's Close Combat and Landorus's Earth Power. Substitute also works strategically by lessening the need for prediction when dealing with powerful Choice Specs or Choice Band users, like such as Keldeo. Fire Blast pairs well with Substitute,(remove) by providing a handy safety net in case it misses. Earth Power destroys opposing Heatran and dents offensive Tyranitar. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ice is quite useful in destroying Dragon-types like such as Garchomp. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp both provide unique utility in tandem with Substitute. Toxic is great for crippling bulky Water-types, which would otherwise wall Heatran. On the other hand, Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers, helping Heatran maintain its Substitute.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are a few other ways to tweak this set. Hidden Power Grass is one way, being more effective when dealing with Water-types,(remove) such as Starmie. Heatran can also invest more in HP or Defense so that its Substitute can take more hits, though the power or Speed loss will make Heatran less proficient offensively.</p>

<p>
Status absorbing Pokemon, Status absorbers such as Blissey and Chansey are quite the problem for this set, Conkeldurr does well in slaughtering the two threats,(comma) while it and can even take advantage of their status afflictions to acquire a Guts Attack boost. Tyranitar and Ninetales benefit from Heatran's presence, given its capability to wear out down Politoed with Toxic and thus win the weather war. Pokemon that can take advantage of Heatran's ability to spread status benefit from it too. Latias in particular can setup Calm Mind on burned physical attackers,(comma) while Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo can outstall stall out a poisoned Jellicent. Defensively, Celebi partners perfectly with Heatran, as they both cover each other's weaknesses almost perfectly.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Ever thought about walling Heatran? Well, you can throw those absurd notions out of the window. With a Choice Specs equipped, Heatran's offensive capability goes through the roof. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful move, capable of OHKOing Dragonite with sun support after Stealth Rock. Fire Blast is slightly more reliable and is able to 2HKO Chansey and Blissey with entry hazard and sun support. Earth Power destroys Terrakion,(remove) and opposing Heatran, and 2HKOes offensive Tyranitar. The choice between Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Ice both depends on which threats you want to hit harder. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragonite and Garchomp harder; however, Dragon Pulse OHKOes Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock while OHKOing offensive versions of and offensive Latios and Latias after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Grass works well in demolishing Water-types such as Jellicent and Starmie. While Flamethrower may might seem redundant, there are times when the move’ ** (apostrophe) s reliability comes in handy, as Overheat tends to force switches and Fire Blast has inaccuracy issues.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is best, giving as it gives Heatran enough firepower to demolish Pokemon such as Dragonite and Chansey on the switch. Timid can also be useful as it Timid Heatran can outspeed Adamant neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Adamant Gyarados. In terms of alternate spreads, Heatran can use 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Def with Eruption and a Quiet nature. Though However, the Speed loss and Eruption’ ** (apostrophe) s inconsistency mechanics make it dependent on the support of Trick Room Cresselia or Reuniclus, Rapid Spin users, such as Tentacruel, and Wish passers, such as Chansey.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommend, as it gives Heatran the ability to achieve many OHKOes on Pokemon such as on Dragonite, Latias, and Jellicent. Dugtrio and Forretress are both good partners that can set up Stealth Rock;(semicolon) Forretress can even hand out a layer of Spikes the latter can even lay Spikes. Ninetales support is also recommended, with the sun, Heatran has the capability to 2HKO the most durable special walls, Chansey and Blissey. Due to this Heatran's wallbreaking capabilities, Chlorophyll Pokemon, such as Victreebel and Venusaur, will have no difficulty taking out weakened teams. For the same reason, Agility Thundurus-T also makes an acceptable partner.</p>

[Other Options]

<P>Heatran's above-average movepool gives it a few other moves to work with. AncientPower and Stone Edge can both be used to defeat Volcarona and Gyarados; however, Heatran is often strapped for moveslots, so these options are generally unappealing. Flash Cannon can be used on the Choice Specs set, allowing Heatran to 2HKO defensive Tyranitar and OHKO Terrakion in the sand, but it offers relatively poor coverage outside of that. Heatran's once famous Torment setconsisting of Substitute, Protect, Torment, and Lava Plume—is also a decent option, though the influx of offensive teams in the tier makes it difficult to use. Finally, Magma Storm can be used outside of the Sunny Day set; however, those two moves generally pair work much better more effectively together. Grass Gem is also a good option on the Sunny Day set, allowing as it allows Heatran to more efficiently take out Politoed or and Tyranitar.</p>

[Checks & and Counters]

<p>Chansey and Blissey are above all the best counters to Heatran, being able to wear it down with Seismic Toss and recover off any damage. Both Chansey and Blissey only have to fear a sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast in the sun. Gyarados makes a great check,(remove) as it can take all of Heatran's attacks and use it as setup bait, though but Gyarados must be wary of Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, as both status afflictions are crippling cripple it. However, RestTalk Gyarados makes a hard counter to Heatran under most situations. So long as it lacks Hidden Power Grass, other bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, Starmie, Slowking, and Gastrodon are also great counters, as they can easily force Heatran out with their Water-type STABs; however, Toxic can be crippling cripple them. Defensive Latias is a great check given its ability to use weaker Heatran as setup bait, though it must watch for offensive Heatran's coverage moves or an incoming Toxic.</p>

<p>While Politoed has trouble taking a Hidden Power Grass and dislikes Toxic, its ability to summon rain allows Pokemon,(remove) such as Kyurem-B and Mamoswine to tank Heatran's Fire-type attacks better, making for good checks. In a similar regard vein to Politoed, defensive Tyranitar makes a great check, as the Special Defense boost provided by the sand allows it to beat Heatran in most situations. When lacking Earth Power or SolarBeam, Tentacruel works well too, being able to 2HKO Heatran with a rain-boosted Scald while taking very little from its other attacks. So long as Dragonite's Multiscale is intact, it can take any attack from Heatran and OHKO with Earthquake.</p>

<p>Dugtrio is quite possibly the best offensive check. Thanks to Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability, Arena Trap and its STAB Earthquake, it can quickly dispose of Heatran. Keep in mind, however, that while Dugtrio's Focus Sash enables it to survive any attack, an incoming Magma Storm or Will-O-Wisp will prevent it from doing its job. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Garchomp are all excellent checks, as they can tank Heatran's main STAB and retaliate appropriately,(comma) although they all must all watch out for Heatran's coverage attacks. Azumarill can take Heatran out with Aqua Jet; however, it must be cautious when switching in on either Heatran's coverage moves or a Will-O-Wisp. It may might have difficulty switching in, but Choice Scarf Landorus makes a good answer to Heatran for its ability to always outspeed and OHKO Heatran and OHKO. In a similar vein, Breloom makes a decent check, as it can OHKO offensive Heatran after Stealth Rock with Mach Punch. Ironically, Heatran even check itself. Air Balloon versions of Heatran take very little from its own coverage attacks and can OHKO with Earth Power.</p>

<p>While it is an unconventional way to deal with Heatran, Pokemon that Heatran normally defeat, such as Volcarona and Venusaur, can lure out Heatran and nail it with Ground-type attacks. At +1,(comma) Life Orb Volcarona can OHKO all versions of Heatran with Hidden Power Ground,(comma) while Venusaur can invest in or 'run 88 attack evs' 88 Atk Attack EVs to OHKO offensive Heatran with Earthquake after Stealth Rock.</p>

[gp]1/2[/gp]
 
Thanks sirndpt, I'm on my phone atm, I'll implement this when I get home. Thanks for the check. :)

edit: changes made.
 
Specs AC said:
as Timid Heatran can outspeed neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Gyarados
Might wanna change that to base 81 or Gyarados to Dragonite, since this sentence implies Gyarados has base 80 speed, which isn't true.
 
Hi! I made an amcheck. This is very well written, and I love your style of writing. Great job, this was an enjoyable read.

Additions
Deletions
Comments

[Overview]

<p>Once the king of DPP OU, Heatran is still one of the best Fire-types in standard play. Versatility is one of Heatran's fortes, as can be seen by its ability to use a range of defensive, offensive, and supportive sets. A stellar Fire / Steel typing coupled with a great ability in Flash Fire gives Heatran some amazing resistances to Fire-, Grass-, Ice-, Dragon-, and Bug-type attacks, and immunity to Fire-type attacks. Along with its acceptable 91 / 106 / 106 bulk, Heatran makes a great answer to some of OU's most powerful attackers, such as Volcarona, Venusaur, and Scizor. With a mighty base 130 Special Attack and an exceptional movepool, Heatran's firepower is sure to leave a scorching impact.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Heatran, the prevalence of Drizzle Politoed makes it difficult to compete in an rain-soaked metagame. Powerful threats in Terrakion and Keldeo do not make life any easier, as their offensive prowess quickly extinguishes Heatran's flame. Moreover, the ubiquity of Ground-types, such as Dugtrio, takes quite a toll on Heatran's defensive potential, forcing it to maneuver carefully in battle. A lackluster base 77 Speed does Heatran no favors either, as it often finds itself being outpaced by most offensive teams and has a hard time sweeping. Though it has gathered quite a few foes in the transition to BW2, Heatran's ability to defeat sun teams single-handedly gives it quite the niche. It should be considered when building a team, as it can either be an invaluable ally or menacing adversary.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Protect
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent set of resistances and great bulk, Heatran can defeat powerful sweepers, such as Venusaur, Volcarona, and Jirachi. Lava Plume is Heatran's best defensive STAB, allowing it to spread burns while dealing acceptable damage. Protect allows Heatran to scout the opponent's moves and accumulate Leftovers recovery. Roar works quite well with entry hazard support, letting Heatran wear down its counters and simultaneously preventing setup sweepers, such as Latias and Volcarona, from doing much. Toxic goes hand in hand with Protect, allowing Heatran to stall out its enemy. Will-O-Wisp is quite useful in crippling incoming physical attackers such as Dugtrio, thus lessening the need for prediction when dealing with it. Last but not least, Stealth Rock can work if your team is in need of an entry hazard setter or a backup Stealth Rock user.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>To take full advantage Heatran's resistances, a specially defensive spread is most optimal; however there are a few other spreads that can be used. Heatran can run Flamethrower instead of Lava Plume so that it has a better chance of defeating Ferrothorn in the rain. 248 of the Special Defense EVs can be put into Speed so that Heatran can outspeed and OHKO Adamant Breloom and Jolly Scizor. I feel that without that little addition the sentence could be kinda confusing. If Heatran decides to run Hidden Power Ice, then it can also use the Speed EVs to outspeed and OHKO defensive Gliscor. Speaking of alternative attacks, Earth Power, Taunt, Substitute, and Torment are all acceptable options in the final moveslot. Earth Power does well in OHKOing other Heatran and dealing respectable damage to Terrakion. Taunt can stop slower walls from phazing Heatran, while Substitute works efficiently with Toxic Spikes down. Torment is a good option because it can render Choice locked attackers useless. Sun teams often rely on Dugtrio to beat Heatran, as such, Heatran can utilize Shed Shell to escape from Dugtrio. Shed Shell Heatran works quite well on teams that are weak to sun, as with Shed Shell, Heatran will stop most sun teams cold due to walling their common sweepers, such as Volcarona and Venusaur.</p>

<p>Heatran's lack of reliable recovery hurts its defensive potential, so it's best to pair it with Wish users, such as Chansey, Blissey, or Vaporeon. Chansey and Blissey can pass bigger Wishes while Vaporeon synergizes better with Heatran. Other Water-types that work well with Heatran include Jellicent, as Jellicent can cover Heatran's Fighting- and Water-type weakness, while in return, Heatran can take Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at it. If Heatran is not running Toxic, then Toxic Spikes support from Tentacruel or Forretress is recommended in order to better break down the opposing team. To make it easier for Heatran to stall entry hazard users, such as Celebi and Forretress, who can provide Stealth Rock and Spikes support, respectively. Speaking of Spikes support, Roserade makes a great partner, as it can sponge any Water-type moves aimed at Heatran and set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Finally, RestTalk Gyarados synergizes quite well with Heatran by being able to tank Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With acceptable Speed, good coverage, and a high Special Attack, Heatran's Choice Scarf set makes a good utility check to some of the metagame's most powerful setup sweepers, namely Jirachi, Volcarona, and Scizor. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful attack, capable of OHKOing Kyurem-B with entry hazard support. Fire Blast roasts Alakazam and Lucario; aside from accuracy, Fire Blast can be used consistently with little drawbacks. Earth Power is a good way to deal with opposing Heatran and Fire-type resists, such as Terrakion. Hidden Power Ice damages Dragon-types such as Garchomp, as well as Flying-types such as Tornadus in the rain. While it can't hit Garchomp as hard, Dragon Pulse does more damage to Latios, making it an appealing option. Finally, Flamethrower is Heatran's reliable STAB; while not as powerful as Overheat or Fire Blast, its perfect accuracy and consistency make it a great option late-game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As a revenge killer, Heatran can use a few specialized options to take on a different array of foes. Hidden Power Electric allows Heatran to revenge kill Adamant Dragon Dance Gyarados at +1 while dealing considerable damage to Starmie. Hidden Power Grass fries Gastrodon and is able to dent Starmie, making it a good choice.</p>

<p>Heatran is often prone to being setup bait when locked into certain moves, as its Choice Scarf leaves much to be desired in terms of overall damage output. To remedy this issue, powerful mixed attackers such as Kyurem-B and Thundurus-T make excellent partners for their ability to weaken the opposing team and dispose of troublesome walls, such as Chansey and Tentacruel. By weakening the opposition, there will be little concern for when Heatran is locked into a resisted attack, as the enemy combatant will be too weak to take another. Residual damage provided by entry hazards from the likes of Skarmory or Ferrothorn also does well in breaking down the opposing team while simultaneously discouraging switches. The residual damage is what does well, not the pokemon, so "does" makes sense. Weather inducers such as Tyranitar and Hippowdon provide some much-needed residual damage, courtesy of their ability, Sand Stream. Speaking of weather inducers, Ninetales does well in powering up Heatran's Fire Blast with Drought, making it easier to sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its stellar resistances, acceptable bulk, and amazing coverage, Heatran's offensive set provides the best of both worlds in terms of power and bulk. Fire Blast is Heatran's best STAB, being the middle child between Overheat's power and Flamethrower's accuracy. Earth Power is a great coverage move that hits opposing Heatran while damaging Tyranitar and Terrakion. The choice of Hidden Power largely depends on what your team needs. With Hidden Power Ice and an Air Balloon, Heatran becomes an excellent check to some Dragon-types, easily OHKOing Dragonite after Stealth Rock. If Dragon-types are of little issue, Hidden Power Grass does well in simmering Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Gastrodon. Due to Heatran's ability to force switches, it can find plenty of time to set up Stealth Rock to support its team. Toxic can be used for Jellicent, a Pokemon that Heatran has difficulty breaking through. Taunt is also quite useful as it can stop annoying Custap Berry leads such as Skarmory and Forretress from setting up their entry hazards.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Leftovers seems counter-intuitive on an offensive set, the gradual recovery provided lets Heatran repeatedly come in and wall threats such as Scizor and not be worn down by its attacks and/or entry hazards. Air Balloon is another useful item that gives Heatran a temporary Ground-type immunity, allowing it to check some of OU's most fearsome attackers, such as Garchomp and Salamence. Do note that Air Balloon will pop if Heatran is hit by an attack; caution must be taken when using this item. Life Orb gives Heatran the ability to OHKO Mamoswine with Fire Blast; however, it wears Heatran out too quickly and is often inferior to either Leftovers or Air Balloon for that reason.</p>

<p>A Timid nature is best, as it allows Heatran to outspeed Breloom and Adamant Dragonite and OHKO them with Fire Blast and Hidden Power Ice, respectively. A defensive spread consisting of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe can be used to give Heatran more durability, though Heatran will be unable to outspeed defensive Gliscor and Adamant Dragonite. Will-O-Wisp can be used in the final slot to cripple incoming physical attackers such as Terrakion and Landorus. Flame Charge is also useful in patching up Heatran's middling Speed, which in turn gives it the opportunity to sweep late-game. When paired with Air Balloon, Flame Charge is an especially potent weapon against sun teams. Dragon Pulse and Roar both present interesting possibilities. Dragon Pulse lets Heatran do considerable damage to opposing Dragon-types, as well as having the added benefit of inflicting more pain to Hydreigon and Latias.</p>

<p>Ninetales partners well with Heatran, as it is able to fend off Politoed's rain and power up Heatran's Fire Blast. With the support of Ninetales, Venusaur becomes a great offensive partner, as Venusaur has no difficulty setting up on bulky Water-types, while Heatran can check pesky Dragon-types. Just like Ninetales, Tyranitar can also keep the rain away, Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility can also come in handy when dealing with Latios, Latias, and Chansey. Celebi and Jellicent form an excellent defensive core with Heatran, as all three of them can cover each other's weaknesses exceptionally well. Electric-types, such as Thundurus-T and Rotom-W, also make excellent partners for their ability to dispose of Water-types, such as Gyarados, and having great synergy in general. Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon do well in taking on the plethora of Fighting- and Ground-types that force Heatran out. Just like Ninetales and Tyranitar, Hippowdon does well in keeping Politoed's Drizzle in check. Abomasnow is another weather inducer that pairs well with Heatran, by tanking Ground-, Electric-, and Water-type attacks aimed at it, while Heatran can take the Fire- and Bug-type attacks Abomasnow loathes.</p>

[SET]
name: Weather Trapper
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Magma Storm
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb / Chople Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Politoed and Tyranitar are common switch-ins to Heatran because they take little from most of its attacks. This Heatran seeks to turn this match-up on its head by catching them off-guard and winning the weather war, or at least replacing the opposing team's favored weather condition with sun. In some situations, Heatran can even trap incoming Water-types, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W.</p>

<p>Sunny Day is the key move, changing the weather and thus disrupting the momentum of the opposing weather inducers. Sunny Day does a few things: strip away Tyranitar's Special Defense boost in the sand, weaken Politoed's Water-type STABs significantly, and give Heatran enough power to fry the two threats. Magma Storm is just as significant as Sunny Day, allowing Heatran to trap the aforementioned weather inducers while dealing considerable damage. SolarBeam is Heatran's most powerful weapon against Politoed and Tyranitar, capable of 2HKOing even the bulkiest versions of the two threats. The choice of Earth Power or Hidden Power Ice is dependent on what your team needs most. Earth Power is there for other Heatran while Hidden Power Ice destroys Dragon-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The item choice is essentially dependent on which weather inducer you want to trap. Air Balloon is primarily for Hippowdon and Earthquake versions of Tyranitar, as it gives Heatran a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks. Life Orb is best to Politoed, as Heatran needs all the power it can get. Chople Berry works especially well against Superpower Tyranitar and Focus Blast Politoed,as it lets Heatran avoid a possible OHKO from offensive versions of the two Pokemon.</p>

<p>This Heatran works well on both weatherless teams and sun teams, as both benefit from Heatran's ability to remove Tyranitar and Politoed. Venusaur and other Chlorophyll sweepers benefit from Heatran's ability to setup Sunny Day, as they can easily take advantage of the situation to set up or sweep. Pokemon with trapping abilities can function as superb backups. Wobbuffet and Gothitelle can take out Fighting-types that Heatran has difficulty dealing with, and also deal relatively well with Politoed. Dugtrio can take on opposing Heatran and Tyranitar. Pokemon who can deal with Chansey and Blissey are good partners too. Of them, sun sweepers, such as Infernape and Victini are some of the best.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Heatran's offensive and defensive prowess often forces switches; this makes a Substitute set workable. Substitute allows Heatran to attack without worry of being OHKOed by powerful attacks, such as Terrakion's Close Combat and Landorus's Earth Power. Substitute also works strategically by lessening the need for prediction when dealing with powerful Choice Specs or Choice Band users, such as Keldeo. Fire Blast pairs well with Substitute by providing a handy safety net in case it misses. Earth Power destroys opposing Heatran and dents offensive Tyranitar. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ice is quite useful in destroying Dragon-types such as Garchomp. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp both provide unique utility in tandem with Substitute. Toxic is great for crippling bulky Water-types, which would otherwise wall Heatran. On the other hand, Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers, helping Heatran maintain its Substitute.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are a few other ways to tweak this set. Hidden Power Grass is one way, being more effective when dealing with Water-types such as Starmie. Heatran can also invest more in HP or Defense so that its Substitute can take more hits, though the power or Speed loss will make Heatran less proficient offensively.</p>

<p>Status absorbers such as Blissey and Chansey are quite the problem for this set,; Conkeldurr does well in slaughtering the two threats, while it can even take advantage of their status afflictions to acquire a Guts Attack boost. Tyranitar and Ninetales benefit from Heatran's presence, given its capability to wear down Politoed with Toxic and thus win the weather war. Pokemon that can take advantage of Heatran's ability to spread status benefit from it too. Latias in particular can setup Calm Mind on burned physical attackers, while Substitute + Calm Mind can stall out a poisoned Jellicent. Defensively, Celebi partners perfectly with Heatran, as they both cover each other's weaknesses almost perfectly.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Ever thought about walling Heatran? Well, you can throw those absurd notions out of the window. With a Choice Specs equipped, Heatran's offensive capability goes through the roof. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful move, capable of OHKOing Dragonite with sun support after Stealth Rock. Fire Blast is slightly more reliable and is able to 2HKO Chansey and Blissey with entry hazard and sun support. Earth Power destroys Terrakion and opposing Heatran, and 2HKOes offensive Tyranitar. The choice between Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Ice depends on which threats you want to hit harder. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragonite and Garchomp harder; however, Dragon Pulse OHKOes Kyurem-B and offensive versions of Latios and Latias after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Grass works well in demolishing Water-types such as Jellicent and Starmie. While Flamethrower might seem redundant, there are times when the move's reliability comes in handy, as Overheat tends to force switches and Fire Blast has inaccuracy issues.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is best, as it gives Heatran enough firepower to demolish Pokemon such as Dragonite and Chansey on the switch. Timid can also be useful, as Timid Heatran can outspeed neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Gyarados. In terms of alternate spreads, Heatran can use 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Def with Eruption and a Quiet nature., Tthough the Speed loss and Eruption's mechanics make it dependent on the support of Trick Room Cresselia or Reuniclus, Rapid Spin users, such as Tentacruel, and Wish passers, such as Chansey.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommend, as it gives Heatran the ability to achieve many OHKOes such as on Dragonite, Latias, and Jellicent. Dugtrio and Forretress are both good partners that can set up Stealth Rock; the latter can even lay Spikes. Ninetales support is also recommended, with the sun, Heatran has the capability to 2HKO the most durable special walls, Chansey and Blissey. Due to this Heatran's wallbreaking capabilities, Chlorophyll Pokemon, such as Victreebel and Venusaur, will have no difficulty taking out weakened teams. For the same reason, Agility Thundurus-T also makes an acceptable partner.</p>

[Other Options]

<P>Heatran's above-average movepool gives it a few other moves to work with. AncientPower and Stone Edge can both be used to defeat Volcarona and Gyarados; however, Heatran is often strapped for moveslots, so these options are generally unappealing. Flash Cannon can be used on the Choice Specs set, allowing Heatran to 2HKO defensive Tyranitar and OHKO Terrakion in the sand, but it offers relatively poor coverage outside of that. Heatran's once famous Torment set consisting of Substitute, Protect, Torment, and Lava Plume&mdash;is also a decent option, though the influx of offensive teams in the tier makes it difficult to use. Finally, Magma Storm can be used outside of the Sunny Day set; however, those two moves generally work more effectively together. Grass Gem is also a good option on the Sunny Day set, as it allows Heatran to more efficiently take out Politoed and Tyranitar with SolarBeam.</p>

[Checks & Counters]

<p>Chansey and Blissey are the best counters to Heatran, being able to wear it down with Seismic Toss and recover off any damage. Both Chansey and Blissey only have to fear a sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast. Offensive Gyarados makes a great check as it can take all of Heatran's attacks and use it as setup bait, but Gyarados must be wary of Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, as both status afflictions cripple it. So long as Stealth Rock is off the field, RestTalk Gyarados makes a hard counter to Heatran under most situations. As long as it lacks Hidden Power Grass, other bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, Starmie, Slowking, and Gastrodon are also great counters, as they can easily force Heatran out with their Water-type STABs; however, Toxic can cripple all but Starmie. Defensive Latias is a great check given its ability to use weaker Heatran as setup bait, though it must watch for offensive Heatran's coverage moves or an incoming Toxic.</p>

<p>While Politoed has trouble taking a Hidden Power Grass and dislikes Toxic, its ability to summon rain allows Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Mamoswine to tank Heatran's Fire-type attacks better. In a similar vein, defensive Tyranitar makes a great check, as the Special Defense boost provided by the sand allows it to beat Heatran in most situations. When If Heatran lackings Earth Power or SolarBeam, Tentacruel works well too, being able to 2HKO Heatran with a rain-boosted Scald while taking very little from its other attacks. So long as Dragonite's Multiscale is intact, it can take any attack from Heatran and OHKO with Earthquake.</p>

<p>Dugtrio is quite possibly the best offensive check. Thanks to Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability and its STAB Earthquake, it can quickly dispose of Heatran. Keep in mind, however, that while Dugtrio's Focus Sash enables it to survive any attack from Heatran (provided that it's at full health), Magma Storm or Will-O-Wisp will prevent it from doing its job. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Garchomp are all excellent checks, as they can tank Heatran's main STAB and retaliate appropriately, although they must all watch out for Heatran's coverage attacks. Azumarill can take Heatran out with Aqua Jet; however, it must be cautious when switching in on either Heatran's coverage moves or a Will-O-Wisp. It might have difficulty switching in, but Choice Scarf Landorus-T makes a good answer to Heatran for its ability to always outspeed and OHKO Heatran. In a similar vein, Breloom makes a decent check, as it can OHKO offensive Heatran after Stealth Rock with Mach Punch. Ironically, Heatran even check itself. Air Balloon versions of Heatran take very little from its own coverage attacks and can OHKO with Earth Power.</p>

<p>While it is an unconventional way to deal with Heatran, Pokemon that Heatran normally defeat, such as Volcarona and Venusaur, can lure Heatran out and nail it with Ground-type attacks. At +1, Life Orb Volcarona can OHKO Heatran with Hidden Power Ground, while Venusaur can invest in 88 Attack EVs to OHKO Heatran with Earthquake after Stealth Rock.</p>
 
Changes in bold
Removals in red
Comments in bold red

[Overview]

<p>Once the king of DPP OU, Heatran is still one of the best Fire-types in standard play. Versatility is one of Heatran's fortes, as can be seen by its ability to use a range of defensive, offensive, and supportive sets. A stellar Fire / Steel typing coupled with a great ability in Flash Fire gives Heatran some amazing resistances to Grass-, Ice-, Dragon-, and Bug-type attacks, and an immunity to Fire-type moves. Along with its acceptable 91 / 106 / 106 bulk, Heatran makes a great answer to some of OU's most powerful attackers, including Volcarona, Venusaur, and Scizor. With a mighty base 130 Special Attack and an exceptional movepool, Heatran's firepower is sure to leave a scorching impact.</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Heatran, the prevalence of Drizzle Politoed makes it difficult to compete in a rain-soaked metagame. Powerful threats in Terrakion and Keldeo do not make life any easier, as their offensive prowess quickly extinguishes Heatran's flame. Moreover, the ubiquity of Ground-types, such as Dugtrio, takes quite a toll on Heatran's defensive potential, forcing it to maneuver carefully in battle. A lackluster base 77 Speed does Heatran no favors either, as it often finds itself being outpaced by most offensive teams and has a hard time sweeping. Though it has gathered quite a few foes in the transition to BW2, Heatran's ability to defeat sun teams single-handedly gives it quite the niche. It should be considered when building a team, as it can be both an invaluable ally (<- i'd prefer something along the lines of "party member" or "team player" here; ally seems too.. human..) or menacing adversary.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Protect
move 3: Roar
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent set of resistances and great bulk, Heatran can halt powerful sweepers, (remove comma) such as Venusaur, Volcarona, and Jirachi with ease. Lava Plume is Heatran's best defensive STAB, allowing it to spread burns while dealing acceptable damage. Protect allows Heatran to scout the opponent's moves and accumulate Leftovers recovery. Roar works quite well with entry hazard support, letting Heatran wear down its counters and simultaneously preventing setup sweepers, such as Latias and Volcarona, from doing much. Toxic goes hand in hand with Protect, allowing Heatran to stall out its enemy. Will-O-Wisp is quite useful in crippling incoming physical attackers such as Dugtrio, thus lessening the need for prediction when dealing with it. Last but not least, Stealth Rock can work if your team is in need of an entry hazard setter or a backup Stealth Rock user.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>To take full advantage Heatran's resistances, a specially defensive spread is most optimal; however there are a few other spreads that can be used. 248 of the Special Defense EVs can be put into Speed so that Heatran can outspeed and OHKO Adamant Breloom and Jolly Scizor. If Heatran decides to run Hidden Power Ice, then it can also use the Speed EVs to outspeed and OHKO defensive Gliscor. Speaking of alternative attacks, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Taunt, Substitute, and Torment are all acceptable options in the final moveslot. Heatran can run Flamethrower instead of Lava Plume so that it has a better chance of defeating Ferrothorn in the rain. Earth Power does well in OHKOing other Heatran and dealing respectable damage to Terrakion. Taunt can stop slower walls from phazing Heatran or its incoming switch-in, while Substitute works efficiently with Toxic Spikes down. Torment is a good option because it can render Choice-locked attackers useless. Sun teams often rely on Dugtrio to deal with Heatran; if your team is particularly weak to such teams without Heatran, consider utilizing Shed Shell for an effective second life against them., as such, Heatran can utilize Shed Shell to escape from Dugtrio. Shed Shell Heatran works quite well on teams that are weak to sun, as with Shed Shell, Heatran will stop most sun teams cold due to walling their common sweepers, such as Volcarona and Venusaur.</p>

<p>Heatran's lack of reliable recovery hurts its defensive potential, so it's best to pair it with Wish users, (remove comma) such as Chansey, Blissey, or Vaporeon. Chansey and Blissey can pass bigger Wishes, but Vaporeon's typing synergizes better with Heatran. Other Water-types that work well with Heatran include Jellicent, who can cover Heatran's Fighting- and Water-type weakness, while in return, Heatran can take Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at it in return. If Heatran is not running Toxic, then Toxic Spikes support from Tentacruel or Forretress is recommended in order to better break down the opposing team. To make it easier for Heatran to stall, entry hazard users, such as Celebi and Forretress, who can provide Stealth Rock and Spikes support, (remove comma) respectively, have great potential as teammates. Speaking of Spikes support, Roserade makes a great partner, as it can sponge any Water-type moves aimed at Heatran and set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Finally, RestTalk Gyarados synergizes quite well with Heatran by being able to tank Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks and add more phazing shenanigans of its own.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With acceptable Speed, good coverage, and a high Special Attack, Heatran's Choice Scarf set makes a good utility check to some of the metagame's most powerful setup sweepers, namely Jirachi, Volcarona, and Scizor. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful attack, capable of OHKOing Kyurem-B with entry hazard support, but Fire Blast keeps enough power to roast Alakazam and Lucario without the Special Attack drop; aside from accuracy, Fire Blast can be used consistently with little drawbacks. Earth Power is a good way to deal with opposing Heatran and Fire-type resists, such as Terrakion. Hidden Power Ice damages Dragon-types such as Garchomp, as well as Flying-types such as Tornadus in the rain. While it can't hit Garchomp as hard, Dragon Pulse does more damage to Latios, making it an appealing option. Finally, Flamethrower is Heatran's reliable STAB; while not as powerful as Overheat or Fire Blast, its perfect accuracy and consistency make it a great option to have late-game.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As a revenge killer, Heatran can use a few specialized options to take on a different array of foes. Hidden Power Electric allows Heatran to revenge kill Adamant Dragon Dance Gyarados at +1 while dealing considerable damage to Starmie. Hidden Power Grass fries Gastrodon; both give super effective coverage against most Water-types, particularly Starmie, making them strong potential choices and is able to dent Starmie, making it a good choice.</p>

<p>Heatran is often prone to being setup bait when locked into certain moves, as its Choice Scarf leaves much to be desired in terms of overall damage output. To remedy this issue, powerful mixed attackers such as Kyurem-B and Thundurus-T make excellent partners for their ability to weaken the opposing team and dispose of troublesome walls, such as Chansey and Tentacruel. By weakening the opposition, there will be little concern when Heatran is locked into a resisted attack, as the enemy combatant will be too weak to take another. Residual damage provided by entry hazards from the likes of Skarmory or Ferrothorn also does well in breaking down the opposing team while simultaneously discouraging switches. Weather inducers such as Tyranitar and Hippowdon provide some much-needed residual damage, courtesy of their ability, Sand Stream. Speaking of weather inducers, Ninetales does well in powering up Heatran's Fire Blast with Drought, making it easier to sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Air Balloon
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its stellar resistances, acceptable bulk, and amazing coverage, Heatran's offensive set provides the best of both worlds in terms of power and bulk. Fire Blast is Heatran's best STAB, being the sweet spot between Overheat's power and Flamethrower's accuracy. Earth Power is a great coverage move that hits opposing Heatran while damaging Tyranitar and Terrakion. The choice of Hidden Power largely depends on what your team needs. With Hidden Power Ice and an Air Balloon, Heatran becomes an excellent check to some Dragon-types, easily OHKOing Dragonite after Stealth Rock. If Dragon-types are of little issue, Hidden Power Grass does well in simmering Water-type switch-ins, such as Starmie and Gastrodon. Due to Heatran's ability to force switches, it can find plenty of time to set up Stealth Rock to support its team. Toxic can be used to check Jellicent, a Pokemon that Heatran has difficulty breaking through. Taunt is also quite useful as it can stop annoying Custap Berry leads such as Skarmory and Forretress from setting up their entry hazards.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>While Leftovers seems counter-intuitive on an offensive set, the gradual recovery provided lets Heatran repeatedly come in and wall threats such as Scizor and not be worn down by its attacks and/or entry hazards. Air Balloon is another useful item that gives Heatran a temporary Ground-type immunity, allowing it to check some of OU's most fearsome attackers, such as Garchomp and Salamence. Do note that Air Balloon will pop if Heatran is hit by an attack, i.e. caution must be taken when using this item. Life Orb gives Heatran the ability to OHKO Mamoswine with Fire Blast; however, it wears Heatran out too quickly and is often inferior to either Leftovers or Air Balloon for that reason.</p>

<p>A Timid nature is best, as it allows Heatran to outspeed Breloom and Adamant Dragonite and OHKO them with Fire Blast and Hidden Power Ice, respectively. A defensive spread consisting of 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe can be used to give Heatran more durability, though Heatran will be unable to outspeed key threats like defensive Gliscor and Adamant Dragonite. Will-O-Wisp can be used in the final slot to cripple incoming physical attackers such as Terrakion and Landorus. Flame Charge is also useful in patching up Heatran's middling Speed, which in turn gives it the opportunity to sweep late-game. When paired with Air Balloon, Flame Charge is an especially potent weapon against sun teams. Dragon Pulse and Roar both present interesting possibilities. Dragon Pulse lets Heatran do considerable damage to opposing Dragon-types, as well as having the added benefit of inflicting more pain to Hydreigon and Latias.</p>

<p>Ninetales partners well with Heatran, as it is able to fend off Politoed's rain and power up Heatran's Fire Blast. With the support of Ninetales, Venusaur becomes a great offensive partner, as Venusaur has no difficulty setting up on bulky Water-types, while Heatran can check pesky Dragon-types. Just like Ninetales, Tyranitar can also keep the rain away, Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility can also come in handy when dealing with Latios, Latias, and Chansey. Celebi and Jellicent form an excellent defensive core with Heatran, as all three of them can cover each other's weaknesses exceptionally well. Electric-types, such as Thundurus-T and Rotom-W, also make excellent partners for their ability to dispose of Water-types, such as Gyarados, and having great synergy in general. Physical walls such as Landorus-T and Hippowdon do well in taking on the plethora of Fighting- and Ground-types that force Heatran out. Just like Ninetales and Tyranitar, Hippowdon does well in keeping Politoed's Drizzle in check. Abomasnow is another weather inducer that pairs well with Heatran, by tanking Ground-, Electric-, and Water-type attacks aimed at it, while Heatran can take the Fire- and Bug-type attacks Abomasnow loathes.</p>

[SET]
name: Weather Trapper
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Magma Storm
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb / Chople Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Politoed and Tyranitar are common switch-ins to Heatran because they take little from most of its attacks. This Heatran seeks to turn this match-up on its head by catching them off-guard and winning the weather war, or at least replacing the opposing team's favored weather condition with sun. In some situations, Heatran can even trap incoming Water-types, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-W.</p>

<p>Sunny Day is the key move, changing the weather and thus disrupting the momentum of the opposing weather inducers. Sunny Day does a few things: strip away Tyranitar's Special Defense boost in the sand, weaken Politoed's Water-type STABs significantly, and give Heatran enough power to fry the two threats. Magma Storm is just as significant as Sunny Day, allowing Heatran to trap the aforementioned weather inducers while dealing considerable damage. SolarBeam is Heatran's most powerful weapon against Politoed and Tyranitar, capable of 2HKOing even the bulkiest versions of the two threats. The choice of Earth Power or Hidden Power Ice is dependent on what your team needs most. Earth Power is there for other Heatran while Hidden Power Ice destroys Dragon-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The item choice is essentially dependent on which weather inducer you want to trap. Air Balloon is primarily for Hippowdon and Earthquake versions of Tyranitar, as it gives Heatran a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks. Life Orb is best used against Politoed, allowing Heatran to OHKO 252 HP / 0 SpD variants with SolarBeam outright if Stealth Rocks are up as Heatran needs all the power it can get (we're supposed to avoid these generic sentences). Chople Berry works especially well against Superpower Tyranitar and Focus Blast Politoed, as it lets Heatran avoid a possible OHKO from offensive versions of the two Pokemon.</p>

<p>This Heatran works well on both weatherless teams and sun teams, as both benefit from Heatran's ability to remove Tyranitar and Politoed. Venusaur and other Chlorophyll sweepers benefit from Heatran's ability to setup Sunny Day, as they can easily take advantage of the situation to set up or sweep. Pokemon with trapping abilities can function as superb backups. Wobbuffet and Gothitelle can take out Fighting-types that Heatran has difficulty dealing with, and also deal relatively well with Politoed themselves. Dugtrio can take on opposing Heatran and Tyranitar. Pokemon who can deal with Chansey and Blissey are good partners too. Of them, sun sweepers, such as Infernape and Victini are prime candidates.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Toxic / Will-O-Wisp
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Heatran's offensive and defensive prowess often forces switches; this makes a Substitute set workable. Substitute allows Heatran to attack without worry of being OHKOed by powerful attacks, such as Terrakion's Close Combat and Landorus's Earth Power. Substitute also works strategically by lessening the need for prediction when dealing with powerful Choice Specs or Choice Band users, such as Keldeo. Fire Blast pairs well with Substitute by providing a handy safety net in case it misses. Earth Power destroys opposing Heatran and dents offensive Tyranitar. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ice is quite useful in destroying Dragon-types such as Garchomp. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp both provide unique utility in tandem with Substitute. Toxic is great for crippling bulky Water-types, which would otherwise wall Heatran. On the other hand, Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers, helping Heatran maintain its Substitute.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are a few other ways to tweak this set. Hidden Power Grass is one way, being more effective against squishier Water-types or those that can easily cure themselves of status, such as Starmie. Heatran can also invest more in HP or Defense for a more durable Substitute, but doing so does not really add much to the set and the loss in power or Speed loss will make Heatran noticeably less proficient offensively.</p>

<p>Status absorbers such as Blissey and Chansey are quite the problem for this set; (semi-colon) Conkeldurr does well in slaughtering the two threats, while it can even take advantage of their status afflictions to acquire a Guts Attack boost. Tyranitar and Ninetales benefit from Heatran's presence, given its capability to wear down Politoed with Toxic and thus win the weather war. Pokemon that can take advantage of Heatran's ability to spread status benefit from it too. Latias in particular can set up Calm Mind on burned physical attackers, while Substitute + Calm Mind can stall out a poisoned Jellicent. Defensively, Celebi partners perfectly with Heatran, as they both cover each other's weaknesses to a tee .</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Ever thought about walling Heatran? Well, you can throw those absurd notions out of the window against this set. With a Choice Specs equipped, Heatran's offensive capability goes through the roof. Overheat is Heatran's most powerful move, capable of OHKOing Dragonite with sun support after Stealth Rock. Fire Blast is slightly more reliable and is able to 2HKO Chansey and Blissey with entry hazard and sun support. Earth Power destroys Terrakion and opposing Heatran, and 2HKOes offensive Tyranitar. The choice between Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power Ice depends on which threats you want to hit harder. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragonite and Garchomp harder; however, Dragon Pulse OHKOes Kyurem-B and offensive versions of Latios and Latias after Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Grass works well in demolishing Water-types such as Jellicent and Starmie. While Flamethrower might seem redundant, there are times when the move's reliability comes in handy, as Overheat tends to be more one-off and Fire Blast has accuracy issues.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is best, as it gives Heatran enough firepower to demolish Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Chansey on the switch. Timid can also be useful, as Timid Heatran can outspeed neutral-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Dragonite. In terms of alternate spreads, Heatran can use 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Def with Eruption and a Quiet nature. Though the Speed loss and Eruption's mechanics make it dependent on the support of Trick Room users like Cresselia or Reuniclus, Rapid Spin users, such as Tentacruel, and Wish passers, such as Chansey.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock support is highly recommended, as it gives Heatran the ability to achieve many OHKOs it otherwise would not such as on threats like Dragonite, Latias, and Jellicent. Dugtrio and Forretress are both good partners that can set up Stealth Rock; Dugtrio can remove Tyranitar while the latter can even lay Spikes. Ninetales support is also recommended, with the sun, Heatran has the capability to 2HKO the most durable special walls, Chansey and Blissey. With the help of this Heatran's wallbreaking capabilities, Chlorophyll sweepers, such as Victreebel and Venusaur, will have no difficulty taking out weakened teams. For the same reason, Agility Thundurus-T also makes an acceptable partner.</p>

[Other Options]

<P>Heatran's above-average movepool gives it a few other moves to work with. AncientPower and Stone Edge can both be used to defeat Volcarona and Gyarados; however, Heatran is often strapped for moveslots as is, so these options are generally unappealing. Flash Cannon can be used on the Choice Specs set, allowing Heatran to 2HKO defensive Tyranitar and OHKO Terrakion in the sand, but it offers relatively poor coverage outside of that. Heatran's once famous Torment set consisting of Substitute, Protect, Torment, and Lava Plume is also a decent option, though the influx of offensive teams in the tier makes it difficult to use. Finally, Magma Storm can be used outside of the Sunny Day set; however, those two moves generally work more effectively together. Grass Gem is also a good option on the Sunny Day set, as it allows Heatran to more efficiently take out Politoed and Tyranitar with SolarBeam.</p>

[Checks & Counters]

<p>Chansey and Blissey are the best checks to Heatran, being able to wear it down with Seismic Toss and recover off any damage. Both Chansey and Blissey only have to fear a sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast. Offensive Gyarados makes a great check as it can take all of Heatran's attacks and use it as setup bait, but Gyarados must be wary of Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, as either status affliction will cripple it. So long as Stealth Rock is off the field, RestTalk Gyarados makes a hard counter to Heatran under most situations. As long as it lacks Hidden Power Grass, other bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, Starmie, Slowking, and Gastrodon are also great counters, as they can easily force Heatran out with their Water-type STABs; however, Toxic can cripple all but Starmie. Defensive Latias is a great check given its ability to use weaker Heatran as setup bait, though it must watch for offensive Heatran's coverage moves or an incoming Toxic.</p>

<p>While Politoed has trouble taking a Hidden Power Grass and dislikes Toxic, its ability to summon rain allows Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Mamoswine to survive Heatran's Fire-type attacks and retaliate. In a similar vein, defensive Tyranitar makes a great check, as the Special Defense boost provided by the sand allows it to beat Heatran in most situations. If Heatran lacks Earth Power or SolarBeam, Tentacruel works well too, being able to 2HKO Heatran with a rain-boosted Scald while taking very little from its other attacks. So long as Dragonite's Multiscale is intact, it can take any attack from Heatran and OHKO with Earthquake (watch out for Air Balloon variants).</p>

<p>Dugtrio is quite possibly the best offensive check. Thanks to Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability and its STAB Earthquake, it can quickly dispose of Heatran. Keep in mind, however, that while Dugtrio's Focus Sash enables it to survive any attack from Heatran (provided that it's at full health), Magma Storm or Will-O-Wisp will prevent it from doing its job. Terrakion, Keldeo, and Garchomp are all excellent checks, as they can tank Heatran's main STAB and retaliate appropriately, although they must all watch out for Heatran's coverage attacks. Azumarill can take Heatran out with Aqua Jet; however, it must be cautious when switching in on either Heatran's coverage moves or a Will-O-Wisp. It might have difficulty switching in, but Choice Scarf Landorus-T makes a good answer to Heatran for its ability to always outspeed and OHKO Heatran. In a similar vein, Breloom makes a decent check, as it can OHKO offensive Heatran after Stealth Rock with Mach Punch. Ironically, Heatran can even check itself. Air Balloon versions of Heatran take very little from its own coverage attacks and can OHKO with Earth Power.</p>

<p>While it is an unconventional way to deal with Heatran, Pokemon that Heatran normally defeat, such as Volcarona and Venusaur, can lure Heatran out and nail it with Ground-type attacks. At +1, Life Orb Volcarona can OHKO Heatran with Hidden Power Ground, while Venusaur can invest in 88 Attack EVs to OHKO Heatran with Earthquake after Stealth Rock.</p>

contrib_gp.png


GP Approved (2/2)
 
Oh my gosh, Thank you! I didn't think anyone would do it, lol. Your changes really spiced up the writing. This is now done.
 
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