Heatran

Heatran is a premier DPP OU Pokemon thanks to its fantastic versatility and offensive prowess. Heatran's unique defensive typing bolstered by Flash Fire and colorful movepool make it one of the best utility Pokemon in the tier. As a Fire-type with many resistances, a neutrality to Stealth Rock, and an immunity to sand, it can roast many of the common Pokemon weak to Fire—such as Jirachi, Bronzong, Scizor, Breloom, and Metagross—while having enough longevity to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, and KO a problem foe with Explosion. With Magma Storm, Heatran is a great trapper, as it can customize its moveset to lure in and KO not only offensive Pokemon like Swampert, Starmie, Gyarados, and Dragonite but also walls such as Latias, Clefable, Milotic, and Blissey. Heatran's versatility makes it the anti-metagame Pokemon: offensive teams despise dealing with burns and struggle to continually switch into its powerful attacks, while defensive teams tremble for this special attacker that can 2HKO Clefable with a boosting item, as well as exploiting stall staples such as Skarmory, Jirachi, defensive Zapdos, and defensive Rotom-A.

Heatran features on a wide variety of teams in almost any role. The most offensive of teams love it beating defensive Jirachi and weakening its switch-ins such as Latias and Clefable for other special sweepers, using its power, Taunt, and Explosion. More balanced teams can use Heatran as an excellent standalone wallbreaker with Choice Specs, a great revenge killer with Choice Scarf, or a devastating Substitute attacker backed by entry hazards. With Substitute and Protect, Heatran is a fantastic partner for Toxic Spikes, as it can wear down poisoned checks such as Tyranitar, Swampert, Suicune, Milotic, and Blissey. More defensive teams enjoy it spreading burns with Lava Plume, preventing Forretress and Skarmory from setting up entry hazards, or even sweeping with a Torment set.

Heatran is held back from breaking the metagame in two by its debilitating weaknesses and how the metagame has adapted to it. While Heatran has good defensive typing and bulk, Ground-, Water-, and Fighting-type attacks are extremely common from Pokemon such as Flygon, Gliscor, Swampert, Suicune, Starmie, Lucario, Infernape, Breloom, and Machamp; these Pokemon force Heatran to either run a resistance Berry or switch out. Even attackers that Heatran offensively threatens, such as Metagross, itself, Jirachi, Bronzong, and Magnezone, can easily run Ground-type attacks to at least 2HKO it. Heatran struggles against both very offensive teams, which have multiple Pokemon that can OHKO it, and slower defensive teams, where it needs to sacrifice itself to make progress. While they do not appreciate burns without a Lum Berry, Dragon Dance sweepers in Gyarados, Tyranitar, and Dragonite all resist Heatran's main attacks and can set up on it, forcing Heatran to use Explosion, or OHKO it. Heatran's mediocre Speed stat also it either gets outsped by these threats or loses a critical amount of bulk, depending on its EVs. Other Speed-boosting sweepers such as Agility Empoleon and Metagross can outspeed even Choice Scarf Heatran and OHKO it back. Against more defensive teams, Heatran often needs to take major damage, take status, or sacrifice itself with Explosion to KO Clefable, Blissey, and Latias, as these Pokemon are bulky enough to survive Heatran's unboosted Fire-type attacks. Heatran lacks reliable recovery, and with Spikes and Stealth Rock, it struggles to come in repeatedly to break open defensive teams. Heatran also has to rely on moves with subpar accuracy, such as Fire Blast, Will-O-Wisp, and especially Magma Storm, and it struggles to fit every option it wants; it often cannot fit Lava Plume or Flamethrower alongside its less reliable attacks.