Pokemon Go Heatran Raid Guide; How to Catch, Shiny, Best Counters

Niantic is bringing the heat to Pokemon Go this holiday season! It was recently announced that Heatran would be taking over for Cresselia as the Level 5 raid boss. This guarantees that we won't see Palkia or Dialga until 2019, but Trainers shouldn't fret - Heatran is a strong Fire-type attacker that will improve any box. Heatran is a Fire-Steel type which spawns at 44905CP and is catchable at 2058 - 2145CP (unboosted) and 2573-2681CP (boosted by Sun/Clear and Snow.) Yes, due to its Steel-typing, the fiery Heatran will actually be weather boosted in the snow. Here are its potential moves:

Quick Moves	Charge Moves
Fire Spin	Fire Blast
Bug Bite	Iron Head
	Stone Edge

Yes, you're reading that right - Niantic gave a legendary Pokemon Bug Bite. Heatran's only viable moveset is Fire Spin and Fire Blast, but the latter isn't exactly the best Fire-type move. You're really holding onto Heatran for the inevitable Heatran Day, where we can hopefully TM a better Charge move onto it. Its moveset is the only thing holding it back from being a top Pokemon in Pokemon Go. 

Here are the best Pokemon to bring in battle against Heatran. 

Best Heatran Raid Counters

Groudon

Groudon is undoubtedly the best Pokemon to battle Heatran with. Mud Shot and Earthquake do 4x damage to Heatran and Groudon resists all of Heatran's attacks. Not much else to say here - a party of Groudons will wipe the floor with Heatran. 

Rhyperior/Rhydon

The best non-legendary options are Rhyperior or Rhydon, based on how many Sinnoh Stones you've gotten your hands on. Mud Slap and Earthquake are the best options here. You can also resist most of Heatran's attacks, but beware of Iron Head. 

Swampert

While Swampert resists anything Heatran will throw at it, you're only taking advantage of its Ground-type attacks when you bring it into battle. Mud Shot/Earthquake again is what you'll want to use. 

Kyogre

The giga fish and its Waterfall/Hydro Pump combo will melt Heatran quickly, especially in rain. 

Golem

Rounding out the optimal counters is Golem. You'll be using Kanto Golem here, as Alolan Golem lacks any Ground-type attacks. 

Fighting Types

In Cloudy weather or in any circumstance where you don't have the above Pokemon available, Fighting types like Machamp, Hariyama, and Blazkien can be used. Some raid guides would suggest bringing Breloom, but we wouldn't chance bringing a Breloom only to get Fire Blasted into oblivion. 

Any Other Ground, Water, or Fighting-Type Attacker

As always, if you lack the optimal counters, just bring what Heatran's weak to. Pokemon like Gyarados, Dugtrio, Donphan, Flygon, and more can be good counters to Heatran. You can also bring your Focus Blast Mewtwo if worst comes to worst, as its natural bulk will help it against everything but Bug Bite. Leave your Tyranitars on the bench for a well-deserved break here, though. 

Weather

Like we said above, Heatran is boosted by Sunny/Clear weather (Fire) and Snowy weather (Steel), making it perfect for this time of year, at least in North America. The best conditions to get a boost against Heatran would be Sunny (Ground), Cloudy (Fighting), and Rainy (Water). 

How Many People Do I Need? 

It is possible to trio Heatran with optimal counters (6 Groudons in Sunny/Clear Weather should do it) but 4+ is really all you'll need to defeat it. The issue isn't with Heatran's stats - it's with its move set. 

Best of luck battling Heatran, Trainers! In the meantime, if you're playing Pokemon Let's Go as well as Pokemon Go, you'll probably want to transfer some of those Pokemon from the mobile game onto your Switch. Here's how to get your precious perfect IV Gen I Pokemon into Pokemon Let's Go!