[OVERVIEW]
With access to fantastic utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Magma Storm, Taunt, and Toxic, Heatran is one of the best progress-makers in the metagame. The aforementioned movepool makes it almost impossible to stave off in the long run and allows Heatran to invariably make some kind of foothold for its team whenever it hits the field. Heatran's Fire / Steel dual typing also bestows it with a bevy of key resistances, which is paired with its fantastic natural bulk so it can check some of the strongest offensive threats in the metagame, most notably Tapu Lele, as Heatran resists both Psychic and Fairy. Two incredible abilities in Flash Fire and Flame Body help it check even more of the metagame, with the former stonewalling Volcarona, while the latter allows it to be an annoying stopgap to Weavile as well as punish multi-hit contact moves, such as Double Iron Bash from Melmetal. Despite its lack of reliable recovery and mediocre Speed tier, the guardian of volcanoes is a metagame-defining presence by burning bright in both defense and offense.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Taunt / Stealth Rock
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Heavy Slam
item: Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire / Flame Body
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
With Special Defense investment, Heatran turns into a special tank that can check powerful special attackers such as Dragapult, Blacephalon, and Tapu Lele. Magma Storm is what makes this set tick, as it can trap would-be checks such as Blissey and Toxapex with Taunt support while racking up crucial chip damage on Pokemon like Garchomp and Tapu Fini, which can stomach Heatran's hits while forcing it out with their respective STAB moves. Earth Power is a wonderful coverage move that allows Heatran to hit Toxapex, Blacephalon, Victini, and opposing Heatran super effectively, while Taunt rounds out the trapping strategy by denying its targets recovery and status moves such as Soft-Boiled and Thunder Wave from Blissey and Clefable, Slack Off and Teleport from Slowbro, and Recover from Toxapex. Stealth Rock turns Heatran into one of the most reliable hazard setters in the metagame, as it can beat the majority of Defoggers in the tier, such as Corviknight and Zapdos. If its team has another entry hazard setter, Toxic can be used as an alternative to Stealth Rock to cripple Heatran's long-term checks such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon, while Heavy Slam can be run in the fourth moveslot as well if nailing Clefable without risking a Magma Storm miss is desirable. Heavy Slam also takes out Steel-weak Pokemon that Heatran checks like Tapu Lele and Weavile. The EV spread above allows Heatran to outspeed uninvested Buzzwole while maximizing special bulk. Please note that when using Heavy Slam, a Sassy nature should be used so Heavy Slam is not weakened against targets like Clefable and Tapu Lele. Heatran should run Flash Fire if it desires to blank Volcarona and cause other Fire-type threats such as Victini and Blacephalon to second-guess their moves. Otherwise, Flame Body is incredibly effective against physical threats that Heatran's typing naturally checks such as Weavile, Rillaboom, and Kartana.
Team Options
========
Grass-types are natural partners for Heatran, as they resist two of its most glaring weaknesses: Water and Ground. Rillaboom is an exemplary teammate, as it sets up Grassy Terrain, which weakens Earthquake as well as providing Heatran with another form of passive recovery. Besides hitting Water- and Ground-types super effectively, Rillaboom also provides Knock Off and U-turn support, the former of which removes Heavy-Duty Boots and makes its switch-ins take damage from Heatran's Stealth Rock, while the latter gives Heatran safe switch-in opportunities. Kartana is another Grass-type that appreciates Heatran taking on Zapdos and Tornadus-T, while it can threaten Tyranitar and Urshifu-R in return. Naturally, Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Slowbro and Zapdos, are also great teammates: Slowbro in particular comes with the bonus of checking or threatening Ground- and Water-types such as Garchomp and Urshifu-R. Clefable and Gastrodon are also noteworthy defensive partners: Clefable can take on Dragonite and Buzzwole, while Heatran can handle Pokemon that trouble Clefable, such as Victini and Volcarona; Gastrodon forms a strong defensive core with Heatran, preventing Heatran from being worn down by taking repeated attacks from Choice Specs Dragapult and Blacephalon, while Heatran can take on Tapu Lele. Gastrodon also stonewalls Rotom-W, which greatly annoys Heatran, as Rotom-W resists Magma Storm and is immune to Earth Power while being able to hit Heatran super effectively with its STAB Hydro Pump. Offensive Pokemon that appreciate the progress Heatran makes throughout the course of a game form potent offensive cores with Heatran. Dragapult can take advantage of Toxic support against Hippowdon and Gastrodon, Weavile benefits from Heatran trapping Toxapex, and Tapu Lele loves Heatran crippling bulky Psychic-types like Slowking with Toxic or trapping special walls like Blissey. Spikes synergizes extremely well with Heatran's Stealth Rock, as both entry hazards can combine to take away over a third of a grounded Pokemon's health upon switching in. This makes Ferrothorn and Skarmory excellent partners, as Heatran can take on Fire-types such as Victini, Blacephalon, and Volcarona for them. In return, Skarmory stonewalls Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon, while Ferrothorn serves as a sturdy stopgap against Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W. Ferrothorn can also be a secondary Fairy-type check against the likes of Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko, preventing Heatran from being overwhelmed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Protect can be used on specially defensive sets, especially when paired with a Grassy Terrain setter like Rillaboom or Tapu Bulu, to recover even more HP from Leftovers and Grassy Terrain as well as racking up extra passive damage from Magma Storm and Toxic on Heatran's switch-ins. Nature Power can be run on Grassy Terrain teams to hit Heatran's Water- and Ground-type switch-ins at the cost of a status move. Lava Plume is an alternative Fire-type STAB move if Heatran wants to cripple offensive switch-ins such as Choice Band Tyranitar, but it is generally inferior to Magma Storm, as the latter is important for Heatran to generate progress in most games. Choice Scarf or Choice Specs sets with Eruption, Magma Storm, Earth Power, and Solar Beam or Flash Cannon can be run on sun teams, as Heatran sits in a decent enough Speed tier to be a somewhat effective Choice Scarf user, and Choice Specs Heatran is difficult to wall due to its high Special Attack stat, but such sets are easily worn down due to lacking defensive investment as well as the passive recovery of Leftovers.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Tyranitar**: With a Fire resistance as well as terrific special bulk under sand to shrug off Earth Power, Tyranitar is a fantastic check to Heatran. Specially defensive Tyranitar variants can stomach a lot of hits and hit Heatran super effectively with Earthquake while making progress with Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and Toxic. As for Choice Band variants, they can run Superpower or Earthquake to threaten a KO on Heatran while punching holes through its team with Stone Edge or Crunch. However, all variants of Tyranitar are crippled by Toxic and burn from Will-O-Wisp and Lava Plume, while its lack of reliable recovery sentences it to being a medium-term check at best.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowking, Rotom-W, and Tapu Fini can shrug off Magma Storm while chunking Heatran with their Water-type STAB moves, and Water / Ground types such as Gastrodon and Swampert can even threaten to OHKO it with their Ground-type STAB moves. However, almost every Pokemon in this list is vulnerable to Toxic, except for Tapu Fini, which is easily worn down due to its lack of reliable recovery. Offensive Water-types such as Urshifu-R, Barraskewda, and Keldeo can switch into Heatran's moves while threatening it out with their strong attacks, but their lack of bulk limits the amount of times they can switch in.
**Dragon-types**: Garchomp, Dragonite, and Hydreigon all resist Magma Storm and threaten to OHKO Heatran with their Ground-type attacks, but it should be noted that Toxic cripples all three, unless Dragonite is carrying Heal Bell, and chip damage from Magma Storm wears down Garchomp in the long run while forcing Hydreigon and Dragonite to lose momentum by using Roost.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon can take hits from Heatran before retaliating with Earthquake or Earth Power for some Gastrodon variants, but they are vulnerable to Toxic and residual damage, while more offensive Ground-types such as Excadrill and Nidoking do not appreciate taking any of Heatran's attacks.
**Fighting-types and Coverage**: Buzzwole, Blaziken, and Galarian Zapdos threaten Heatran with their STAB Fighting-type moves, but they cannot switch into it. Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Rillaboom, Kartana, and Tornadus-T can run Fighting-type coverage to nail Heatran, but they risk missing or activating Flame Body, and they do not appreciate taking Magma Storm in return.
**Residual Damage**: A neutrality to Stealth Rock, susceptibility to Spikes, and lack of reliable recovery make Heatran vulnerable to residual damage from entry hazards as well as items such as Black Sludge and Sticky Barb from Trick Clefable and Galarian Slowking. When combined with the ubiquity of Knock Off to remove items such as its Leftovers, particularly from Pokemon that Heatran wants to trap or offensively threaten like Clefable, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn, Heatran can easily be chipped into range of the strong attackers that it is supposed to check.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsusetsuna.548068/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pulsar512b.469728/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
With access to fantastic utility moves such as Stealth Rock, Magma Storm, Taunt, and Toxic, Heatran is one of the best progress-makers in the metagame. The aforementioned movepool makes it almost impossible to stave off in the long run and allows Heatran to invariably make some kind of foothold for its team whenever it hits the field. Heatran's Fire / Steel dual typing also bestows it with a bevy of key resistances, which is paired with its fantastic natural bulk so it can check some of the strongest offensive threats in the metagame, most notably Tapu Lele, as Heatran resists both Psychic and Fairy. Two incredible abilities in Flash Fire and Flame Body help it check even more of the metagame, with the former stonewalling Volcarona, while the latter allows it to be an annoying stopgap to Weavile as well as punish multi-hit contact moves, such as Double Iron Bash from Melmetal. Despite its lack of reliable recovery and mediocre Speed tier, the guardian of volcanoes is a metagame-defining presence by burning bright in both defense and offense.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Taunt / Stealth Rock
move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic / Heavy Slam
item: Leftovers
ability: Flash Fire / Flame Body
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
With Special Defense investment, Heatran turns into a special tank that can check powerful special attackers such as Dragapult, Blacephalon, and Tapu Lele. Magma Storm is what makes this set tick, as it can trap would-be checks such as Blissey and Toxapex with Taunt support while racking up crucial chip damage on Pokemon like Garchomp and Tapu Fini, which can stomach Heatran's hits while forcing it out with their respective STAB moves. Earth Power is a wonderful coverage move that allows Heatran to hit Toxapex, Blacephalon, Victini, and opposing Heatran super effectively, while Taunt rounds out the trapping strategy by denying its targets recovery and status moves such as Soft-Boiled and Thunder Wave from Blissey and Clefable, Slack Off and Teleport from Slowbro, and Recover from Toxapex. Stealth Rock turns Heatran into one of the most reliable hazard setters in the metagame, as it can beat the majority of Defoggers in the tier, such as Corviknight and Zapdos. If its team has another entry hazard setter, Toxic can be used as an alternative to Stealth Rock to cripple Heatran's long-term checks such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon, while Heavy Slam can be run in the fourth moveslot as well if nailing Clefable without risking a Magma Storm miss is desirable. Heavy Slam also takes out Steel-weak Pokemon that Heatran checks like Tapu Lele and Weavile. The EV spread above allows Heatran to outspeed uninvested Buzzwole while maximizing special bulk. Please note that when using Heavy Slam, a Sassy nature should be used so Heavy Slam is not weakened against targets like Clefable and Tapu Lele. Heatran should run Flash Fire if it desires to blank Volcarona and cause other Fire-type threats such as Victini and Blacephalon to second-guess their moves. Otherwise, Flame Body is incredibly effective against physical threats that Heatran's typing naturally checks such as Weavile, Rillaboom, and Kartana.
Team Options
========
Grass-types are natural partners for Heatran, as they resist two of its most glaring weaknesses: Water and Ground. Rillaboom is an exemplary teammate, as it sets up Grassy Terrain, which weakens Earthquake as well as providing Heatran with another form of passive recovery. Besides hitting Water- and Ground-types super effectively, Rillaboom also provides Knock Off and U-turn support, the former of which removes Heavy-Duty Boots and makes its switch-ins take damage from Heatran's Stealth Rock, while the latter gives Heatran safe switch-in opportunities. Kartana is another Grass-type that appreciates Heatran taking on Zapdos and Tornadus-T, while it can threaten Tyranitar and Urshifu-R in return. Naturally, Pokemon that resist Fighting, such as Slowbro and Zapdos, are also great teammates: Slowbro in particular comes with the bonus of checking or threatening Ground- and Water-types such as Garchomp and Urshifu-R. Clefable and Gastrodon are also noteworthy defensive partners: Clefable can take on Dragonite and Buzzwole, while Heatran can handle Pokemon that trouble Clefable, such as Victini and Volcarona; Gastrodon forms a strong defensive core with Heatran, preventing Heatran from being worn down by taking repeated attacks from Choice Specs Dragapult and Blacephalon, while Heatran can take on Tapu Lele. Gastrodon also stonewalls Rotom-W, which greatly annoys Heatran, as Rotom-W resists Magma Storm and is immune to Earth Power while being able to hit Heatran super effectively with its STAB Hydro Pump. Offensive Pokemon that appreciate the progress Heatran makes throughout the course of a game form potent offensive cores with Heatran. Dragapult can take advantage of Toxic support against Hippowdon and Gastrodon, Weavile benefits from Heatran trapping Toxapex, and Tapu Lele loves Heatran crippling bulky Psychic-types like Slowking with Toxic or trapping special walls like Blissey. Spikes synergizes extremely well with Heatran's Stealth Rock, as both entry hazards can combine to take away over a third of a grounded Pokemon's health upon switching in. This makes Ferrothorn and Skarmory excellent partners, as Heatran can take on Fire-types such as Victini, Blacephalon, and Volcarona for them. In return, Skarmory stonewalls Ground-types such as Garchomp and Hippowdon, while Ferrothorn serves as a sturdy stopgap against Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W. Ferrothorn can also be a secondary Fairy-type check against the likes of Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko, preventing Heatran from being overwhelmed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Protect can be used on specially defensive sets, especially when paired with a Grassy Terrain setter like Rillaboom or Tapu Bulu, to recover even more HP from Leftovers and Grassy Terrain as well as racking up extra passive damage from Magma Storm and Toxic on Heatran's switch-ins. Nature Power can be run on Grassy Terrain teams to hit Heatran's Water- and Ground-type switch-ins at the cost of a status move. Lava Plume is an alternative Fire-type STAB move if Heatran wants to cripple offensive switch-ins such as Choice Band Tyranitar, but it is generally inferior to Magma Storm, as the latter is important for Heatran to generate progress in most games. Choice Scarf or Choice Specs sets with Eruption, Magma Storm, Earth Power, and Solar Beam or Flash Cannon can be run on sun teams, as Heatran sits in a decent enough Speed tier to be a somewhat effective Choice Scarf user, and Choice Specs Heatran is difficult to wall due to its high Special Attack stat, but such sets are easily worn down due to lacking defensive investment as well as the passive recovery of Leftovers.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Tyranitar**: With a Fire resistance as well as terrific special bulk under sand to shrug off Earth Power, Tyranitar is a fantastic check to Heatran. Specially defensive Tyranitar variants can stomach a lot of hits and hit Heatran super effectively with Earthquake while making progress with Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and Toxic. As for Choice Band variants, they can run Superpower or Earthquake to threaten a KO on Heatran while punching holes through its team with Stone Edge or Crunch. However, all variants of Tyranitar are crippled by Toxic and burn from Will-O-Wisp and Lava Plume, while its lack of reliable recovery sentences it to being a medium-term check at best.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowking, Rotom-W, and Tapu Fini can shrug off Magma Storm while chunking Heatran with their Water-type STAB moves, and Water / Ground types such as Gastrodon and Swampert can even threaten to OHKO it with their Ground-type STAB moves. However, almost every Pokemon in this list is vulnerable to Toxic, except for Tapu Fini, which is easily worn down due to its lack of reliable recovery. Offensive Water-types such as Urshifu-R, Barraskewda, and Keldeo can switch into Heatran's moves while threatening it out with their strong attacks, but their lack of bulk limits the amount of times they can switch in.
**Dragon-types**: Garchomp, Dragonite, and Hydreigon all resist Magma Storm and threaten to OHKO Heatran with their Ground-type attacks, but it should be noted that Toxic cripples all three, unless Dragonite is carrying Heal Bell, and chip damage from Magma Storm wears down Garchomp in the long run while forcing Hydreigon and Dragonite to lose momentum by using Roost.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon can take hits from Heatran before retaliating with Earthquake or Earth Power for some Gastrodon variants, but they are vulnerable to Toxic and residual damage, while more offensive Ground-types such as Excadrill and Nidoking do not appreciate taking any of Heatran's attacks.
**Fighting-types and Coverage**: Buzzwole, Blaziken, and Galarian Zapdos threaten Heatran with their STAB Fighting-type moves, but they cannot switch into it. Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Rillaboom, Kartana, and Tornadus-T can run Fighting-type coverage to nail Heatran, but they risk missing or activating Flame Body, and they do not appreciate taking Magma Storm in return.
**Residual Damage**: A neutrality to Stealth Rock, susceptibility to Spikes, and lack of reliable recovery make Heatran vulnerable to residual damage from entry hazards as well as items such as Black Sludge and Sticky Barb from Trick Clefable and Galarian Slowking. When combined with the ubiquity of Knock Off to remove items such as its Leftovers, particularly from Pokemon that Heatran wants to trap or offensively threaten like Clefable, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn, Heatran can easily be chipped into range of the strong attackers that it is supposed to check.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsusetsuna.548068/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pulsar512b.469728/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
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