[OVERVIEW]
Heatran's amazing defensive typing leaves it with only three weaknesses, as well as an impressive nine resistances, one immunity, and an immunity to two status conditions. Its stats enable it to run multiple sets, making it very unpredictable. It is able to check or counter many top-tier threats such as Kyurem-B, Thundurus, and Sableye. Its great natural bulk allows offensive sets to take hits even without investment and makes defensive sets tough to tear down. While its great support movepool allows it to help its team throughout the battle, its lack of setup moves sometimes gives it trouble against bulky foes, and it also lacks a form of reliable recovery. Additionally, it has a 4x weakness to a very strong and common attacking type in Ground, and its other two weaknesses are to types that are prevalent and strong. It also often suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, and its below average Speed tier hurts its longevity and attacking potential.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Doom Desire / Toxic
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Roar / Earth Power / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 36 SpA / 224 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Lava Plume hits reasonably hard and has a 30% chance to burn. Doom Desire is a hard-hitting STAB move that allows Heatran to hit the foe two turns later and has great synergy with King's Shield and Roar, letting Heatran buy turns for the move to hit and force switches. Doom Desire hitting at the end of the second turn after it is used also makes it good for bypassing Protect and breaking Substitutes. King's Shield protects Heatran from attacks and lowers the foe's Attack by two stages if they use a contact move. Roar allows Heatran to phaze opposing setup sweepers and racks up Stealth Rock damage on the foe. Earth Power is important to damage opposing Heatran and other Steel- and Fire-types. Stealth Rock is an option to help support Heatran's team and help wear the opposing team down as they switch in over the course of battle. Taunt helps Heatran check stall-oriented foes and prevent them from hurting your team. Will-O-Wisp is another option for Heatran to guarantee a burn on foes, although it has some issues with accuracy. Searing Shot is an alternative to Lava Plume that hits harder and has the same burn chance. However, it only has 8 PP.
Set Details
========
The HP and Special Defense investment guarantees Heatran survives Earth Power from Mega Diancie and gives it great overall bulk. A Calm nature increases Heatran's already impressive Special Defense even more. Flash Fire makes Heatran immune to Fire-type moves, making it the perfect switch-in to opposing Fire-types. The remaining 36 EVs are flexible. You can add them to Special Attack to let Heatran hit a little harder, or you can add them to Speed to creep common foes. Alternatively, you can add them to Defense or maximize Special Defense to make Heatran more bulky. Leftovers serves as Heatran's only form of recovery. You could also run 248 HP / 56 SpA / 204 SpD with a Calm nature to allow Heatran to survive Earth Power from opposing Choice Scarf Heatran and KO back. 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe is an alternative spread that can be used if you run Taunt. This spread allows Heatran to outspeed Mega Venusaur, Suicune, and Mandibuzz.
Usage Tips
========
This Heatran can switch into many special attacks because of its high Special Defense. It is best used early in the game to eliminate threats for your sweepers or to crack the walls the opponent has. This Heatran set is an amazing switch-in to Sableye, as it is immune to Will-O-Wisp, and Doom Desire can take out Focus Sash + Destiny Bond versions. It is also an amazing switch-in to the many Fake Out + Extreme Speed foes you will face, such as Stoutland. It is a good idea to use King's Shield on the first turn after using Doom Desire to scout what the opponent does and buy a turn towards Doom Desire hitting. The second turn, if they have an obvious Doom Desire switch-in like Chansey or Heatran, you may want to use Roar to force another foe to take the damage. If you carry Stealth Rock, you want to set it up as soon as possible. Because of Heatran's bulk, it can be used to phaze many setup sweepers.
Team Options
========
This variant of Heatran works well with entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Garchomp, whose Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Toxic Spikes can help wear down the opposing team over the course of the battle. Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Mega Venusaur also work as good teammates for Heatran, resisting two of Heatran's weaknesses in Water and Ground and being able to hit such Pokemon back with a super effective STAB attack. Heatran in return resists or is immune to all of the types Grass is weak to. Hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise and Landorus-T work well with Heatran, preventing it from being worn down by residual damage over the course of the battle. Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Clefable, Landorus-T, and Thundurus also make for good team options for Heatran, being able to cover one of its weaknesses. Flying-type teammates especially work well because they are are immune to the Ground-type moves that plague Heatran, and they resist the Fighting-type moves that it doesn't like while also being able to hit their users hard.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blue Flare
move 2: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Eruption / Ancient Power
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blue Flare allows Heatran to hit opposing Pokemon hard, but it has two downsides in below average accuracy and only 8 PP. It outpowers Eruption once Heatran is at 86% health or lower. Earth Power is good for hitting other Fire-type foes that would otherwise give Heatran troubles, such as opposing Heatran. Hidden Power Ice allows Heatran to hit common foes hard such as Latios, Latias, Landorus-T, and other Flying-types. Flash Cannon is Heatran's secondary STAB move that hits Rock- and Fairy-type foes hard. Eruption is a powerful STAB option that hits at a maximum Base Power of 150 when Heatran is at full health. Alternatively, Ancient Power allows Heatran to hit Flying-types hard, as well as foes with Levitate. Searing Shot is another powerful Fire-type STAB option for Heatran if the accuracy of Blue Flare and unreliability of Eruption scare you. It still hits hard and carries a burn chance, but like Blue Flare, this move only has 8 PP. Stone Edge is another alternative to Ancient Power that is capable of OHKOing Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
A Timid nature increases Heatran's Speed. Along with the Speed EVs and Choice Scarf, it allows Heatran to outspeed base 135 Speed foes, including Mega Manectric and Mega Lopunny. Flash Fire makes Heatran immune to Fire-type moves while raising the power of its Fire-type moves if it is hit by one.
Usage Tips
========
Offensive Heatran works better as a late-game cleaner after its checks have been eliminated. It still has great natural bulk even uninvested, allowing it to switch into many threats and then hit back hard. Choice Scarf sets make for great revenge killers. Try to switch Heatran into resisted hits such as Grass-, Ice-, and Fairy-type moves to keep it around longer. It is probably the best status sponge in the metagame, being immune to Toxic and Will-O-Wisp, making it a great switch-in to foes that you expect to use a status move. Watch out for Knock Off, as losing its Choice Scarf hurts this set. Similarly, watch out for Thunder Wave from foes such as Porygon2 and Chansey.
Team Options
========
Grass-types such as Celebi and Mega Venusaur serve as great teammates because they resist both of Heatran's weaknesses and Heatran resists almost all of theirs. Heatran also appreciates entry hazard control from teammates such as Mega Blastoise and Defog Landorus-T, as it will switch in a fair number of times and appreciates not taking residual damage each time it does. Flying-types such as Talonflame, Landorus-T, and Thundurus are also good teammates for Heatran, as they resist Fighting-types' STAB moves and are able to hit them back hard. Heatran also takes care of Rock- and Steel-types that they don't like. Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Hippowdon make for great teammates to help bring foes into OHKO range. As the Choice Scarf's lock-in can allow foes to set up on Heatran, a good teammate would be an Unaware user such as Clefable or Quagsire or a Fake Out + Extreme Speed user like Stoutland. Heal Bell support from a teammate such as Chansey is appreciated in case Heatran gets paralyzed.
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Solar Beam
item: Leftovers / Power Herb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Magma Storm is a high-powered move that traps the foe for four to five turns. It does, however, have awful accuracy. Earth Power provides almost perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Magma Storm as well as the added benefit of hitting opposing Fire-types, including Heatran. Taunt stops support Pokemon and setup sweepers, and if they're trapped with Magma Storm, it can render them useless. Toxic paired with Magma Storm damage wears down foes very quickly. Solar Beam is another option that can be used to hit unsuspecting Water-types hard on a predicted switch. King's Shield is another option to allow Heatran to stall while forcing the foe to take damage from Magma Storm and possibly Toxic for another turn. Will-O-Wisp can also be run to lower the foe's Attack and add damage on them each turn.
Set Details
========
The Timid nature and maximum Speed investment allow Heatran to outspeed as much as possible, which is important when trying to Taunt the foe. The 252 EVs in Special Attack allow Heatran to deal the most damage to the foe while trapping it. Leftovers serves as Heatran's only form of recovery. Power Herb allows Heatran to use Solar Beam once without a charge turn.
Usage Tips
========
This set can be used to take out passive foes such as Chansey and Porygon2 by Taunting them to prevent paralysis and recovery and wearing them down with Magma Storm and Toxic. If you run Solar Beam, prediction is key, as Power Herb only works once. Only use it when you're sure the opponent is going to switch into something that it will hit super effectively. Solar Beam can also be used once the foe is trapped by Magma Storm. Because of its lack of recovery, Heatran appreciates having the field kept clear of entry hazards. This set should be used early in the game to eliminate strong defensive foes to allow Heatran's teammates to sweep late-game. Because of Heatran's great typing and defensive stats, it can also switch into many offensive threats and either force the opponent to switch or trap the foe and wear them down.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Terrakion and Garchomp work well to wear down foes. Ferrothorn is another option and has good synergy with Heatran. Hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise, Latios, and Landorus-T are appreciated. Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur work well with Heatran, as they resist Heatran's Ground and Water weaknesses and are able to hit users of those moves back with a super effective attack. Heatran resists all of their weaknesses. Celebi has great type synergy with Heatran, resisting all three of Heatran's weaknesses and hitting back super effectively, while Heatran is immune or resistant to five of its seven weaknesses. Sweepers such as Kyurem-B, Azumarill, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Charizard Y appreciate having special walls such as Chansey and Porygon2 removed.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Blue Flare / Searing Shot
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Doom Desire / Flash Cannon
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Air Balloon / Shuca Berry
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blue Flare is Heatran's primary STAB option and hits foes hard. It does, however, have shaky accuracy. Searing Shot is an alternative to Blue Flare, trading power for accuracy and a burn chance. Both of these moves have low PP, though. Earth Power paired with a Fire-type STAB move gives Heatran near-perfect neutral coverage, and it also hits other Fire-types hard. Doom Desire is a powerful secondary STAB move that hits two turns after it is used, allowing Heatran to bypass Substitutes. Flash Cannon is an alternative to Doom Desire and can be used to hit relatively hard immediately. Stealth Rock allows Heatran to support its team with residual damage. Hidden Power Ice is an alternative option to hit foes such as Landorus-T. Alternatively, Autotomize raises Heatran's Speed by two stages and can be used to set Heatran up to sweep.
Set Details
========
Maximum EVs in Speed paired with a Timid nature help Heatran outspeed as much as possible. Maximum EVs in Special Attack allow Heatran to deal as much damage as possible. Air Balloon gives Heatran an immunity to Ground-type attacks until it takes a hit. Shuca Berry is an alternative to Air Balloon that halves damage from Ground-type moves once. It has the benefit of only being used up when hit by a Ground move, so because of Heatran's typing and bulk, it is sometimes preferable.
Usage Tips
========
This set works well as a late-game cleaner, when its checks and counters have been eliminated and the remaining foes have been weakened. If running Air Balloon, Heatran can switch into a predicted Ground-type attack. If you run Doom Desire, many times the opponent will switch on the turn it will hit. Prediction is key here; try to predict which teammate they will go into and either double switch to put you in a good position or hit the switch-in hard with a coverage move. If you run a support move in the fourth slot, use that on a turn you predict the foe is going to switch.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Hippowdon work as good teammates for Heatran. A stallbreaker such as Mega Charizard X works well with offensive Heatran to take out specially defensive walls such as Chansey and Porygon2. Status spreaders such as Chansey, Porygon2, and Sableye help Heatran by either wearing down foes over the battle or slowing them down with paralysis to allow Heatran to easily outspeed and damage them. Grass-types such as Celebi, Ferrothorn, and Mega Venusaur have good type synergy with Heatran and work to form part of a Fire / Water / Grass core.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Heatran gains Metal Burst from STABmons, and due to its bulk it could run a surprise Metal Burst set to punish foes that hit it hard. Heatran could also run a RestTalk set with Fiery Dance, which has a 50% chance to raise its Special Attack stat. This set is outclassed, however, because of its unreliability and because of the many switch-ins opponents carry for Heatran causing it to switch out often, interfering with boosts and sleep turns. Heatran can also run a set of Substitute / King's Shield / Toxic and a Fire-type STAB move to wear down foes due to its great defenses.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Keldeo**: Keldeo resists both of Heatran's STAB types and is able to hit back extremely hard with either of its super effective STAB moves.
**Opposing Heatran**: Heatran has trouble dealing with opposing Heatran because of Flash Fire and Air Balloon. If Heatran is carrying Earth Power, it relies on Speed ties to hope to take down other Heatran.
**Water-types**: Water-types resist both of Heatran's STAB types and are able to hit Heatran hard with a super effective Water-type attack. Starmie, Rotom-W, Azumarill, and Mega Blastoise make for good Heatran counters for this reason. However, these Pokemon are hit hard by Solar Beam.
**Ground-types**: Heatran is 4x weak to Ground, and Landorus-T, Garchomp, Gliscor, and Hippowdon are all tanky enough to take a hit or outspeed it and OHKO it with their super effective STAB moves. Dugtrio can also give Heatran trouble by trapping and KOing it.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive walls such as Chansey, Meloetta, and Porygon2 serve as good counters to Heatran. They are able to take Heatran's attacks and either heal off the damage (in the case of Chansey and Porygon2) or set up to sweep (in the case of Meloetta).
**Fighting-types**: Because of Heatran's typing, Fighting-types such as Terrakion can give it trouble.
**Residual Damage**: Because Heatran doesn't have access to any reliable recovery, it can be easily worn down by residual damage such as Leech Seed.
Heatran's amazing defensive typing leaves it with only three weaknesses, as well as an impressive nine resistances, one immunity, and an immunity to two status conditions. Its stats enable it to run multiple sets, making it very unpredictable. It is able to check or counter many top-tier threats such as Kyurem-B, Thundurus, and Sableye. Its great natural bulk allows offensive sets to take hits even without investment and makes defensive sets tough to tear down. While its great support movepool allows it to help its team throughout the battle, its lack of setup moves sometimes gives it trouble against bulky foes, and it also lacks a form of reliable recovery. Additionally, it has a 4x weakness to a very strong and common attacking type in Ground, and its other two weaknesses are to types that are prevalent and strong. It also often suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, and its below average Speed tier hurts its longevity and attacking potential.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Lava Plume
move 2: Doom Desire / Toxic
move 3: King's Shield
move 4: Roar / Earth Power / Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 36 SpA / 224 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Lava Plume hits reasonably hard and has a 30% chance to burn. Doom Desire is a hard-hitting STAB move that allows Heatran to hit the foe two turns later and has great synergy with King's Shield and Roar, letting Heatran buy turns for the move to hit and force switches. Doom Desire hitting at the end of the second turn after it is used also makes it good for bypassing Protect and breaking Substitutes. King's Shield protects Heatran from attacks and lowers the foe's Attack by two stages if they use a contact move. Roar allows Heatran to phaze opposing setup sweepers and racks up Stealth Rock damage on the foe. Earth Power is important to damage opposing Heatran and other Steel- and Fire-types. Stealth Rock is an option to help support Heatran's team and help wear the opposing team down as they switch in over the course of battle. Taunt helps Heatran check stall-oriented foes and prevent them from hurting your team. Will-O-Wisp is another option for Heatran to guarantee a burn on foes, although it has some issues with accuracy. Searing Shot is an alternative to Lava Plume that hits harder and has the same burn chance. However, it only has 8 PP.
Set Details
========
The HP and Special Defense investment guarantees Heatran survives Earth Power from Mega Diancie and gives it great overall bulk. A Calm nature increases Heatran's already impressive Special Defense even more. Flash Fire makes Heatran immune to Fire-type moves, making it the perfect switch-in to opposing Fire-types. The remaining 36 EVs are flexible. You can add them to Special Attack to let Heatran hit a little harder, or you can add them to Speed to creep common foes. Alternatively, you can add them to Defense or maximize Special Defense to make Heatran more bulky. Leftovers serves as Heatran's only form of recovery. You could also run 248 HP / 56 SpA / 204 SpD with a Calm nature to allow Heatran to survive Earth Power from opposing Choice Scarf Heatran and KO back. 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe is an alternative spread that can be used if you run Taunt. This spread allows Heatran to outspeed Mega Venusaur, Suicune, and Mandibuzz.
Usage Tips
========
This Heatran can switch into many special attacks because of its high Special Defense. It is best used early in the game to eliminate threats for your sweepers or to crack the walls the opponent has. This Heatran set is an amazing switch-in to Sableye, as it is immune to Will-O-Wisp, and Doom Desire can take out Focus Sash + Destiny Bond versions. It is also an amazing switch-in to the many Fake Out + Extreme Speed foes you will face, such as Stoutland. It is a good idea to use King's Shield on the first turn after using Doom Desire to scout what the opponent does and buy a turn towards Doom Desire hitting. The second turn, if they have an obvious Doom Desire switch-in like Chansey or Heatran, you may want to use Roar to force another foe to take the damage. If you carry Stealth Rock, you want to set it up as soon as possible. Because of Heatran's bulk, it can be used to phaze many setup sweepers.
Team Options
========
This variant of Heatran works well with entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Garchomp, whose Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Toxic Spikes can help wear down the opposing team over the course of the battle. Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Mega Venusaur also work as good teammates for Heatran, resisting two of Heatran's weaknesses in Water and Ground and being able to hit such Pokemon back with a super effective STAB attack. Heatran in return resists or is immune to all of the types Grass is weak to. Hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise and Landorus-T work well with Heatran, preventing it from being worn down by residual damage over the course of the battle. Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Clefable, Landorus-T, and Thundurus also make for good team options for Heatran, being able to cover one of its weaknesses. Flying-type teammates especially work well because they are are immune to the Ground-type moves that plague Heatran, and they resist the Fighting-type moves that it doesn't like while also being able to hit their users hard.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Blue Flare
move 2: Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Eruption / Ancient Power
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blue Flare allows Heatran to hit opposing Pokemon hard, but it has two downsides in below average accuracy and only 8 PP. It outpowers Eruption once Heatran is at 86% health or lower. Earth Power is good for hitting other Fire-type foes that would otherwise give Heatran troubles, such as opposing Heatran. Hidden Power Ice allows Heatran to hit common foes hard such as Latios, Latias, Landorus-T, and other Flying-types. Flash Cannon is Heatran's secondary STAB move that hits Rock- and Fairy-type foes hard. Eruption is a powerful STAB option that hits at a maximum Base Power of 150 when Heatran is at full health. Alternatively, Ancient Power allows Heatran to hit Flying-types hard, as well as foes with Levitate. Searing Shot is another powerful Fire-type STAB option for Heatran if the accuracy of Blue Flare and unreliability of Eruption scare you. It still hits hard and carries a burn chance, but like Blue Flare, this move only has 8 PP. Stone Edge is another alternative to Ancient Power that is capable of OHKOing Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
A Timid nature increases Heatran's Speed. Along with the Speed EVs and Choice Scarf, it allows Heatran to outspeed base 135 Speed foes, including Mega Manectric and Mega Lopunny. Flash Fire makes Heatran immune to Fire-type moves while raising the power of its Fire-type moves if it is hit by one.
Usage Tips
========
Offensive Heatran works better as a late-game cleaner after its checks have been eliminated. It still has great natural bulk even uninvested, allowing it to switch into many threats and then hit back hard. Choice Scarf sets make for great revenge killers. Try to switch Heatran into resisted hits such as Grass-, Ice-, and Fairy-type moves to keep it around longer. It is probably the best status sponge in the metagame, being immune to Toxic and Will-O-Wisp, making it a great switch-in to foes that you expect to use a status move. Watch out for Knock Off, as losing its Choice Scarf hurts this set. Similarly, watch out for Thunder Wave from foes such as Porygon2 and Chansey.
Team Options
========
Grass-types such as Celebi and Mega Venusaur serve as great teammates because they resist both of Heatran's weaknesses and Heatran resists almost all of theirs. Heatran also appreciates entry hazard control from teammates such as Mega Blastoise and Defog Landorus-T, as it will switch in a fair number of times and appreciates not taking residual damage each time it does. Flying-types such as Talonflame, Landorus-T, and Thundurus are also good teammates for Heatran, as they resist Fighting-types' STAB moves and are able to hit them back hard. Heatran also takes care of Rock- and Steel-types that they don't like. Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Hippowdon make for great teammates to help bring foes into OHKO range. As the Choice Scarf's lock-in can allow foes to set up on Heatran, a good teammate would be an Unaware user such as Clefable or Quagsire or a Fake Out + Extreme Speed user like Stoutland. Heal Bell support from a teammate such as Chansey is appreciated in case Heatran gets paralyzed.
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Solar Beam
item: Leftovers / Power Herb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Magma Storm is a high-powered move that traps the foe for four to five turns. It does, however, have awful accuracy. Earth Power provides almost perfect neutral coverage in tandem with Magma Storm as well as the added benefit of hitting opposing Fire-types, including Heatran. Taunt stops support Pokemon and setup sweepers, and if they're trapped with Magma Storm, it can render them useless. Toxic paired with Magma Storm damage wears down foes very quickly. Solar Beam is another option that can be used to hit unsuspecting Water-types hard on a predicted switch. King's Shield is another option to allow Heatran to stall while forcing the foe to take damage from Magma Storm and possibly Toxic for another turn. Will-O-Wisp can also be run to lower the foe's Attack and add damage on them each turn.
Set Details
========
The Timid nature and maximum Speed investment allow Heatran to outspeed as much as possible, which is important when trying to Taunt the foe. The 252 EVs in Special Attack allow Heatran to deal the most damage to the foe while trapping it. Leftovers serves as Heatran's only form of recovery. Power Herb allows Heatran to use Solar Beam once without a charge turn.
Usage Tips
========
This set can be used to take out passive foes such as Chansey and Porygon2 by Taunting them to prevent paralysis and recovery and wearing them down with Magma Storm and Toxic. If you run Solar Beam, prediction is key, as Power Herb only works once. Only use it when you're sure the opponent is going to switch into something that it will hit super effectively. Solar Beam can also be used once the foe is trapped by Magma Storm. Because of its lack of recovery, Heatran appreciates having the field kept clear of entry hazards. This set should be used early in the game to eliminate strong defensive foes to allow Heatran's teammates to sweep late-game. Because of Heatran's great typing and defensive stats, it can also switch into many offensive threats and either force the opponent to switch or trap the foe and wear them down.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Terrakion and Garchomp work well to wear down foes. Ferrothorn is another option and has good synergy with Heatran. Hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise, Latios, and Landorus-T are appreciated. Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur work well with Heatran, as they resist Heatran's Ground and Water weaknesses and are able to hit users of those moves back with a super effective attack. Heatran resists all of their weaknesses. Celebi has great type synergy with Heatran, resisting all three of Heatran's weaknesses and hitting back super effectively, while Heatran is immune or resistant to five of its seven weaknesses. Sweepers such as Kyurem-B, Azumarill, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Charizard Y appreciate having special walls such as Chansey and Porygon2 removed.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Blue Flare / Searing Shot
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Doom Desire / Flash Cannon
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Air Balloon / Shuca Berry
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Blue Flare is Heatran's primary STAB option and hits foes hard. It does, however, have shaky accuracy. Searing Shot is an alternative to Blue Flare, trading power for accuracy and a burn chance. Both of these moves have low PP, though. Earth Power paired with a Fire-type STAB move gives Heatran near-perfect neutral coverage, and it also hits other Fire-types hard. Doom Desire is a powerful secondary STAB move that hits two turns after it is used, allowing Heatran to bypass Substitutes. Flash Cannon is an alternative to Doom Desire and can be used to hit relatively hard immediately. Stealth Rock allows Heatran to support its team with residual damage. Hidden Power Ice is an alternative option to hit foes such as Landorus-T. Alternatively, Autotomize raises Heatran's Speed by two stages and can be used to set Heatran up to sweep.
Set Details
========
Maximum EVs in Speed paired with a Timid nature help Heatran outspeed as much as possible. Maximum EVs in Special Attack allow Heatran to deal as much damage as possible. Air Balloon gives Heatran an immunity to Ground-type attacks until it takes a hit. Shuca Berry is an alternative to Air Balloon that halves damage from Ground-type moves once. It has the benefit of only being used up when hit by a Ground move, so because of Heatran's typing and bulk, it is sometimes preferable.
Usage Tips
========
This set works well as a late-game cleaner, when its checks and counters have been eliminated and the remaining foes have been weakened. If running Air Balloon, Heatran can switch into a predicted Ground-type attack. If you run Doom Desire, many times the opponent will switch on the turn it will hit. Prediction is key here; try to predict which teammate they will go into and either double switch to put you in a good position or hit the switch-in hard with a coverage move. If you run a support move in the fourth slot, use that on a turn you predict the foe is going to switch.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Hippowdon work as good teammates for Heatran. A stallbreaker such as Mega Charizard X works well with offensive Heatran to take out specially defensive walls such as Chansey and Porygon2. Status spreaders such as Chansey, Porygon2, and Sableye help Heatran by either wearing down foes over the battle or slowing them down with paralysis to allow Heatran to easily outspeed and damage them. Grass-types such as Celebi, Ferrothorn, and Mega Venusaur have good type synergy with Heatran and work to form part of a Fire / Water / Grass core.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Heatran gains Metal Burst from STABmons, and due to its bulk it could run a surprise Metal Burst set to punish foes that hit it hard. Heatran could also run a RestTalk set with Fiery Dance, which has a 50% chance to raise its Special Attack stat. This set is outclassed, however, because of its unreliability and because of the many switch-ins opponents carry for Heatran causing it to switch out often, interfering with boosts and sleep turns. Heatran can also run a set of Substitute / King's Shield / Toxic and a Fire-type STAB move to wear down foes due to its great defenses.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Keldeo**: Keldeo resists both of Heatran's STAB types and is able to hit back extremely hard with either of its super effective STAB moves.
**Opposing Heatran**: Heatran has trouble dealing with opposing Heatran because of Flash Fire and Air Balloon. If Heatran is carrying Earth Power, it relies on Speed ties to hope to take down other Heatran.
**Water-types**: Water-types resist both of Heatran's STAB types and are able to hit Heatran hard with a super effective Water-type attack. Starmie, Rotom-W, Azumarill, and Mega Blastoise make for good Heatran counters for this reason. However, these Pokemon are hit hard by Solar Beam.
**Ground-types**: Heatran is 4x weak to Ground, and Landorus-T, Garchomp, Gliscor, and Hippowdon are all tanky enough to take a hit or outspeed it and OHKO it with their super effective STAB moves. Dugtrio can also give Heatran trouble by trapping and KOing it.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive walls such as Chansey, Meloetta, and Porygon2 serve as good counters to Heatran. They are able to take Heatran's attacks and either heal off the damage (in the case of Chansey and Porygon2) or set up to sweep (in the case of Meloetta).
**Fighting-types**: Because of Heatran's typing, Fighting-types such as Terrakion can give it trouble.
**Residual Damage**: Because Heatran doesn't have access to any reliable recovery, it can be easily worn down by residual damage such as Leech Seed.
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