Shiny Heatran is here! For a limited time only, Pokémon Go players have a chance to get a Shiny Heatran in Tier 5 Raids from January 7, 2020 to February 4, 2020.

Legendary Pokémon can’t hold gyms, so they’re primarily used for their offensive prowess. Unfortunately, Heatran falls short compared to the attacking power of other Fire-type Pokémon, such as the legendary bird, Moltres or Generation V Ghost/Fire-type, Chandelure. That being said, players should definitely grind out these Tier 5 Raids in order to get the illustrious Shiny Heatran, which is a great opportunity to catch a Pokémon that might not be available for a long time.

Heatran is fairly easy to beat, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find a raid group since many players will want to catch this first-time Shiny Pokémon. This guide will outline the best Pokémon counters to use to defeat Heatran.

Heatran Raid Stats and Movesets in Pokémon Go

Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon, is a legendary Fire/Steel-type Pokémon from the Sinnoh Region. In this month’s Tier 5 Raids, a 100% IV (best stats) Heatran will have 2,145 CP or 2,681 CP if it is weather-boosted.

Fast Moves

  • Fire Spin (Fire) - 14 damage, 15.3 damage per second (DPS) Bug Bite (Bug) -  5 damage, 10 DPS

Charge Moves

  • Fire Blast (Fire) - 140 damage, 33.33 DPS Flamethrower (Fire) - 70 damage, 31.82 DPS Stone Edge (Rock) - 100 damage, 43.48 DPS Iron Head (Steel) - 60 damage, 31.58 DPS

The most challenging set players will face will either be Fire Spin/Fire Blast or Fire Spin/Flamethrower, but this is also the set they’re going to want to get on Heatran when they catch it. Stone Edge does more DPS, but doesn’t get the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) that the other three have since Heatran is a Fire/Steel-type Pokémon.

Heatran Raid Counters in Pokémon Go

Being Fire and Steel, Heatran resists quite a few types. Normal, Flying, Psychic, and Dragon-type moves do 62.5% of the damage to Heatran, and Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Poison, and Fairy deal 39% the amount of normal damage. This leaves Heatran weak to only three types: Ground, Water, and Fighting. Using Ground-type moves is recommended since Ground-type moves deal 256% damage to Heatran. Luckily for Pokémon Go players, there is a plethora of Ground-type Pokémon to choose from.

Garchomp (Ground and Dragon)

  • Moves - Mud shot and Earthquake

Rhyperior (Rock and Ground)

  • Moves - Mud-Slap and Earthquake

Groudon (Ground)

  • Moves - Mud Shot and Earthquake

Excadrill (Steel and Ground)

  • Moves - Mud-Slap and Drill Run

Rhydon (Rock and Ground)

  • Moves - Mud-Slap and Earth Power

Swampert (Water and Ground)

A Garchomp with Ground-type moves is by far the best Pokémon for players to use against Heatran. Unfortunately, Gible candy can be quite rare, so Rhyperior and Groudon are excellent alternatives. Excadrill is another strong Pokémon boasting an impressive Attack stat, but its Steel-typing can make the raid a little challenging since Steel-types are weak to Fire moves. Swampert’s typing makes it a great defensive option, but offense is usually the name of the game when it comes to raiding in Pokémon Go. Other options that are not on the list include Golem, Donphan, and Flygon. Kyogre and Machamp are also strong non-Ground Pokémon that players can use in Rainy and Cloudy weather, respectively.

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Pokemon Go is available on iOS and Android.