Is Shadow Heatran good in Pokémon GO?

The current Shadow Pokémon you can save from Team GO Rocket boss Giovanni is Shadow Heatran. We've had a range of Shadow Pokémon avaliable from Giovanni over the years. However, some of these have been better than others. As a result, Trainers sometimes choose to save their Super Rocket Radar and not battle Giovanni until a better Shadow Pokémon is avaliable.

So, is Shadow Heatran any good in Pokémon GO and should you use your Super Rocket Radar or wait?

Overall, Shadow Heatran is a good Pokémon in Pokémon GO. It has use in both Raids and PvP, which makes it a good choice to encounter and invest resources into. Here's how Shadow Heatran stacks up in each category.

As a Raid attacker, Shadow Heatran is the fourth best Fire-type Pokémon in the game at the moment. It is also the number one ranked Fire-type if you exclude Mega Pokémon. It ranks better than other Shadow Pokémon including Shadow Chandelure, Shadow Moltres and Shadow Entei.

This means that if you're looking to add another Pokémon to your Raid teams, Shadow Heatran is a good and powerful option. Fire-type Pokémon are strong against Bug, Steel, Grass and Ice-types.

However, there are three drawbacks.

Firstly, Shadow Heatran will need an Elite TM to be at its full power. It has the powerful move Magma Storm, which is partly why it is such a powerful Pokémon. It is still the fourth best Fire-type without this move, but to get it at its maximum you will need to teach it this move.

Secondly, in Pokémon GO, Shadow Heatran will have limited use in Raids. There aren't many strong Raid bosses that are Bug, Steel, Grass or Ice-types. Some of the best Ice and Steel-type Legendary Pokémon also have a Dragon-typing, which removes their weakness to Fire-type attacks.

Finally, Shadow Pokémon are expensive to power up in Pokémon GO. Most Trainers probably won't have an excess of Heatran candy and candy XL. Additionally, you will need a lot of Stardust to take Heatran all the way to Level 50. Unless you are attempting to solo Raids, a 'weaker' Fire-type will be cheaper to power up and still be effective in Raids.

In Pokémon GO PvP, Shadow Heatran also seems to have some good viability. It is currently ranked #22 in the Master League which makes it a good option. It ranks much lower in the Great and Ultra Leagues.

However, some of the same drawbacks apply. To compete in the Master League your Pokémon need to be Level 50. That means you'll need a lot of Heatran candy and candy XL (or Rare Candy) and Stardust. Heatran isn't a top 10 option either, so you could potentially find a better and cheaper alternative. Additonally you'll also once again need an Elite TM for Magma Storm.

PvP viability isn't always long lived too. A new Pokémon getting introduced, or a new move, can shift the meta substansially.

But with that said, Shadow Heatran is a good investment in Pokémon GO because it is useful in both PvP and Raids. Even if it became less useful in PvP you still have a very good Raid attacker.

So, good luck battling Giovanni and getting a good IV Shadow Heatran!

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