[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Dragon Pulse / Toxic
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Taunt / Earth Power
move 4: Explosion / Taunt / Protect
item: Passho Berry / Shuca Berry / Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The purpose of this Heatran is to trap the opponent's switch-in with Magma Storm and deal with it accordingly, eliminating common answers such as Latias, Clefable, Swampert, Gyarados, and Swampert with the appropriate coverage move. The strength of Magma Storm and the residual damage make it a strong primary offensive move to break through walls such as Clefable, as well as weakening foes such as offensive Latias and Swampert into KO range of its coverage moves. Dragon Pulse prominently allows Heatran to KO offensive Latias without having to sacrifice itself. The combination of Magma Storm and Dragon Pulse also traps and KOes Dragonite, Flygon, and Kingdra—Heatran can run resistance Berries to survive their attacks. Another great option on bulkier sets is to use Toxic. With Toxic, Heatran can rack up residual damage on Latias, as defensive Latias typically can't hurt it much and despises being poisoned. Toxic also hits prominent foes such as Swampert, Tyranitar, and Gliscor on the switch, and in tandem with Taunt, it is effective for pressuring Blissey trapped by Magma Storm.
Hidden Power Grass is another excellent option, as Magma Storm + Hidden Power Grass KOes all but the most specially defensive Swampert. With a Passho Berry, Hidden Power Grass Heatran can trap and remove many other Water-types such as Starmie, Milotic, and Quagsire, and it does a lot of damage to Suicune. Taunt is a fantastic option, preventing Blissey, Clefable, and especially Latias from healing off Magma Storm damage, statusing Heatran, or phazing it. Taunt on a trapped foe also can secure a safe enough switch to a setup sweeper. Earth Power maximizes Heatran's coverage alongside Magma Storm, as it nails opposing Heatran and can more reliably remove weakened Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Tentacruel.
Explosion allows Heatran to trade with whatever foe it traps, most notably bulkier foes that can take multiple Magma Storms or coverage moves such as Blissey and Suicune. Explosion also allows Heatran to trade with Clefable if it misses too many Magma Storms after trapping it. Bulkier Heatran can also use Protect instead, which racks up the residual damage of Magma Storm and potentially Toxic as well.
Set Details
========
The listed EV spread lets Heatran outspeed Adamant 252 Speed EV Scizor. With the primary listed moves, Heatran should run at least 216 Special Attack EVs and a boosting nature, as this allows it to trap Swampert and Blissey and KO them with Hidden Power Grass or Explosion, respectively. As Heatran is on the cusp of surviving attacks such as mixed Flygon's Earthquake after Stealth Rock and Life Orb Dragonite's Earthquake—both with Shuca Berry—it can invest 128 EVs in HP instead of reaching this benchmark. Heatran can also run more HP EVs and not a lot of Speed EVs, but Hidden Power Grass Heatran should run at least 128 Speed EVs to outspeed and trap Swampert. With Toxic and Protect, Heatran should run maximum HP, as this slower removal process necessitates the extra bulk. Since it won't be using Hidden Power Grass, this set can run a spread such as 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe with a Timid nature to maximize nature, which maximizes what foes it can effectively use Taunt on.
Both Passho Berry and Shuca Berry are great for Heatran, as it can survive both strong Water- and Ground-type attacks and eliminate the foe with the appropriate move. Passho Berry lets Heatran trap almost every Water-type in the game, provided it has Hidden Power Grass and they switch into Magma Storm, while Shuca Berry lets it survive Earthquake from various Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Gliscor, and Bronzong. If Heatran is using a bulkier set with Protect, it should run Leftovers to survive throughout the game and exploit free turns from Protect. Lastly, Lum Berry staves off status moves such as Latias's and Clefable's Thunder Waves, letting Heatran keep its Speed high to use Taunt on their recovery moves.
Usage Tips
========
Magma Storm Heatran is primarily a lure; it should come in on Pokemon Heatran forces out such as Jirachi and Skarmory and use Magma Storm as they switch out. Depending on Heatran’s moveset, it can KO what came in with its coverage and potentially Taunt, use Taunt to safely bring in another Pokemon that can set up or use Pursuit, or immediately remove the new foe with Explosion. While the resistance Berries can allow Heatran to survive strong attacks, taking entry hazard damage can invalidate those feats, so Heatran should try to take immediate advantage of what it traps instead of having to switch out, when possible. Unless Heatran has Taunt or possibly Toxic, it should refrain from trying to take down special walls with Magma Storm alone, as Magma Storm’s subpar accuracy and low PP make it a poor choice to wear down Clefable and especially Latias. Bulkier Heatran is less punished for switching in and out, but it should try to preserve Magma Storm PP.
Team Options
========
Magma Storm Heatran should be used alongside teammates that have similar checks—often Clefable and Latias. Some prime teammates include offensive Suicune, offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, offensive Starmie, Nasty Plot Celebi, Substitute + Petaya Berry Empoleon, and offensive Zapdos. Breloom and Dragon Dance Gyarados additionally enjoy Latias being weakened, while one’s own offensive Latias appreciates Clefable being gone. Passho Berry Heatran luring in and removing various Water-types, such as Swampert and defensive Suicune, is great help for Dragon Dance Tyranitar, physical Substitute Jirachi, and Dragon Dance Dragonite. Heatran also is an excellent partner for Machamp, as Heatran can switch into its checks such as defensive Rotom-A, Skarmory, and defensive Zapdos to exert pressure and set up potential traps. With a Shuca Berry, Heatran is a great trapper for mixed Flygon, Gliscor, Hippowdon, and Dragonite while also checking opposing Heatran. Heatran is also bulky enough to survive Superpower and Earthquake from offensive Tyranitar to heavily weaken it or poison it. These roles help setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Substitute + Pain Split Gengar, and Agility Metagross.
If running a bulkier EV spread, Heatran appreciates switch-ins to its Pokemon that exploit its weaknesses and/or set up, especially mixed Flygon, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and opposing Heatran. Clefable is a fantastic partner, as it can handle mixed Flygon and appreciates Heatran potentially KOing other Clefable. Choice Scarf Jirachi can help against Dragon Dance Tyranitar and appreciate Toxic Heatran poisoning Ground- and Water-types. Defensive Latias is a good Heatran check and attracts Steel-types for Heatran to take advantage of. Starmie is also great to spin for Heatran, and Toxic Heatran can poison Tyranitar to put it in KO range for Starmie. Toxic Spikes users prevent Heatran from having to use Toxic itself, and in turn, Heatran can trap and remove Clefable, which is immune to poison; Nidoqueen sets Toxic Spikes reliably and provides important defensive utility; for example, it can switch into strong Fighting-types such as Lucario.
name: Trapper
move 1: Magma Storm
move 2: Dragon Pulse / Toxic
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Taunt / Earth Power
move 4: Explosion / Taunt / Protect
item: Passho Berry / Shuca Berry / Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The purpose of this Heatran is to trap the opponent's switch-in with Magma Storm and deal with it accordingly, eliminating common answers such as Latias, Clefable, Swampert, Gyarados, and Swampert with the appropriate coverage move. The strength of Magma Storm and the residual damage make it a strong primary offensive move to break through walls such as Clefable, as well as weakening foes such as offensive Latias and Swampert into KO range of its coverage moves. Dragon Pulse prominently allows Heatran to KO offensive Latias without having to sacrifice itself. The combination of Magma Storm and Dragon Pulse also traps and KOes Dragonite, Flygon, and Kingdra—Heatran can run resistance Berries to survive their attacks. Another great option on bulkier sets is to use Toxic. With Toxic, Heatran can rack up residual damage on Latias, as defensive Latias typically can't hurt it much and despises being poisoned. Toxic also hits prominent foes such as Swampert, Tyranitar, and Gliscor on the switch, and in tandem with Taunt, it is effective for pressuring Blissey trapped by Magma Storm.
Hidden Power Grass is another excellent option, as Magma Storm + Hidden Power Grass KOes all but the most specially defensive Swampert. With a Passho Berry, Hidden Power Grass Heatran can trap and remove many other Water-types such as Starmie, Milotic, and Quagsire, and it does a lot of damage to Suicune. Taunt is a fantastic option, preventing Blissey, Clefable, and especially Latias from healing off Magma Storm damage, statusing Heatran, or phazing it. Taunt on a trapped foe also can secure a safe enough switch to a setup sweeper. Earth Power maximizes Heatran's coverage alongside Magma Storm, as it nails opposing Heatran and can more reliably remove weakened Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Tentacruel.
Explosion allows Heatran to trade with whatever foe it traps, most notably bulkier foes that can take multiple Magma Storms or coverage moves such as Blissey and Suicune. Explosion also allows Heatran to trade with Clefable if it misses too many Magma Storms after trapping it. Bulkier Heatran can also use Protect instead, which racks up the residual damage of Magma Storm and potentially Toxic as well.
Set Details
========
The listed EV spread lets Heatran outspeed Adamant 252 Speed EV Scizor. With the primary listed moves, Heatran should run at least 216 Special Attack EVs and a boosting nature, as this allows it to trap Swampert and Blissey and KO them with Hidden Power Grass or Explosion, respectively. As Heatran is on the cusp of surviving attacks such as mixed Flygon's Earthquake after Stealth Rock and Life Orb Dragonite's Earthquake—both with Shuca Berry—it can invest 128 EVs in HP instead of reaching this benchmark. Heatran can also run more HP EVs and not a lot of Speed EVs, but Hidden Power Grass Heatran should run at least 128 Speed EVs to outspeed and trap Swampert. With Toxic and Protect, Heatran should run maximum HP, as this slower removal process necessitates the extra bulk. Since it won't be using Hidden Power Grass, this set can run a spread such as 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe with a Timid nature to maximize nature, which maximizes what foes it can effectively use Taunt on.
Both Passho Berry and Shuca Berry are great for Heatran, as it can survive both strong Water- and Ground-type attacks and eliminate the foe with the appropriate move. Passho Berry lets Heatran trap almost every Water-type in the game, provided it has Hidden Power Grass and they switch into Magma Storm, while Shuca Berry lets it survive Earthquake from various Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Gliscor, and Bronzong. If Heatran is using a bulkier set with Protect, it should run Leftovers to survive throughout the game and exploit free turns from Protect. Lastly, Lum Berry staves off status moves such as Latias's and Clefable's Thunder Waves, letting Heatran keep its Speed high to use Taunt on their recovery moves.
Usage Tips
========
Magma Storm Heatran is primarily a lure; it should come in on Pokemon Heatran forces out such as Jirachi and Skarmory and use Magma Storm as they switch out. Depending on Heatran’s moveset, it can KO what came in with its coverage and potentially Taunt, use Taunt to safely bring in another Pokemon that can set up or use Pursuit, or immediately remove the new foe with Explosion. While the resistance Berries can allow Heatran to survive strong attacks, taking entry hazard damage can invalidate those feats, so Heatran should try to take immediate advantage of what it traps instead of having to switch out, when possible. Unless Heatran has Taunt or possibly Toxic, it should refrain from trying to take down special walls with Magma Storm alone, as Magma Storm’s subpar accuracy and low PP make it a poor choice to wear down Clefable and especially Latias. Bulkier Heatran is less punished for switching in and out, but it should try to preserve Magma Storm PP.
Team Options
========
Magma Storm Heatran should be used alongside teammates that have similar checks—often Clefable and Latias. Some prime teammates include offensive Suicune, offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, offensive Starmie, Nasty Plot Celebi, Substitute + Petaya Berry Empoleon, and offensive Zapdos. Breloom and Dragon Dance Gyarados additionally enjoy Latias being weakened, while one’s own offensive Latias appreciates Clefable being gone. Passho Berry Heatran luring in and removing various Water-types, such as Swampert and defensive Suicune, is great help for Dragon Dance Tyranitar, physical Substitute Jirachi, and Dragon Dance Dragonite. Heatran also is an excellent partner for Machamp, as Heatran can switch into its checks such as defensive Rotom-A, Skarmory, and defensive Zapdos to exert pressure and set up potential traps. With a Shuca Berry, Heatran is a great trapper for mixed Flygon, Gliscor, Hippowdon, and Dragonite while also checking opposing Heatran. Heatran is also bulky enough to survive Superpower and Earthquake from offensive Tyranitar to heavily weaken it or poison it. These roles help setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Substitute + Pain Split Gengar, and Agility Metagross.
If running a bulkier EV spread, Heatran appreciates switch-ins to its Pokemon that exploit its weaknesses and/or set up, especially mixed Flygon, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and opposing Heatran. Clefable is a fantastic partner, as it can handle mixed Flygon and appreciates Heatran potentially KOing other Clefable. Choice Scarf Jirachi can help against Dragon Dance Tyranitar and appreciate Toxic Heatran poisoning Ground- and Water-types. Defensive Latias is a good Heatran check and attracts Steel-types for Heatran to take advantage of. Starmie is also great to spin for Heatran, and Toxic Heatran can poison Tyranitar to put it in KO range for Starmie. Toxic Spikes users prevent Heatran from having to use Toxic itself, and in turn, Heatran can trap and remove Clefable, which is immune to poison; Nidoqueen sets Toxic Spikes reliably and provides important defensive utility; for example, it can switch into strong Fighting-types such as Lucario.
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