|
-
Intimidate
- Lowers the foe's Attack one stage. Decreases wild encounter rate.
-
Anger Point
- Raises Attack to +6 if struck by a critical hit.
-
Sheer Force
- Increases power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but removes the effects.
|
Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
75
|
- |
150 |
182 |
- |
| Atk |
100
|
108 |
120 |
152 |
167 |
| Def |
95
|
103 |
115 |
147 |
161 |
| SpA |
40
|
54 |
60 |
92 |
101 |
| SpD |
70
|
81 |
90 |
122 |
134 |
| Spe |
110
|
117 |
130 |
162 |
178 |
Overview
Despite his drastic plummet to NU, Tauros is just as much of a powerhouse as he was in RBY. His base stats simply reek of carnage; between a high base 100 Attack and an impressive base 110 Speed, Tauros is perfectly built to ravage the tier. Tauros's Dream World ability, Sheer Force, was a gift from the heavens, offering him immense power and eliminating Life Orb recoil. Unfortunately, most of Tauros's strongest moves, including Return, Earthquake, and Stone Edge, aren't eligible for Sheer Force's 30% boost and therefore can't ignore Life Orb recoil either. To make the most out of Sheer Force, Tauros must instead rely on a few unorthodox moves, such as Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt, and Rock Climb.
Tauros also has mediocre defenses and poor typing, leaving him prone to revenge kills from faster Pokemon and common Choice Scarf users, including Swellow, Rotom-S, and Sawk. Tauros is stunted by every form of status, particularly paralysis and burn; if he's inflicted with either, his demise will often follow. Many common physical walls in the tier, such as Alomomola, Misdreavus, and Tangela, have no issue handling anything and everything that Tauros can muster. The only shot Tauros has at taking down one of those prominent walls is to rely on his pitiful base 40 Special Attack and extensive special movepool, but even then it's a difficult feat to pull off. Don't let this deter you—given the proper support, Tauros can and will bulldoze entire teams.
This is Tauros's trademark set, coupling incredible offensive prowess with solid coverage and impressive Speed. Rock Climb is the primary STAB option as it hits much harder than Return and bypasses Life Orb recoil thanks to Sheer Force, but it has shaky accuracy, so Return is a viable replacement. Earthquake is the only move on the set that causes Life Orb recoil and isn't boosted by Sheer Force, but it's necessary to hit the omnipresent Rock- and Ground-types in NU, such as Golem and Regirock. Rock Slide nails Flying-types such as Braviary, Altaria, and Dodrio, OHKOing all three after Stealth Rock damage. Zen Headbutt hits Throh, Gurdurr, and other bothersome Fighting-types that could threaten to KO Tauros; it can also 2HKO Weezing.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
With maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature, Tauros outspeeds the entire tier sans Ninjask, Electrode, Swellow, and Swoobat. The rest of the EVs are invested into Attack to make the most out of Tauros's good base 100 Attack. Double-Edge is Tauros's most powerful STAB option, but its recoil coupled with Life Orb recoil will quickly wear Tauros down. Double-Edge is also illegal with Sheer Force, making it generally inferior to Rock Climb, which has nearly the same damage output and no recoil. Fire Blast can be used in place of Zen Headbutt or Rock Slide to roast Tangela; with a neutral nature, Fire Blast will 2HKO it, paving the way for another physical sweeper. While Intimidate seems like a decent option, it shouldn't be used on this set as the main draw is Sheer Force's ability to negate Life Orb recoil.
Tauros is threatened by every form of status, so partners who can switch in and absorb dangerous status moves are ideal. Guts users, such as Throh, Gurdurr, and Swellow, can all take advantage of any form of status, although Swellow would prefer avoiding Thunder Wave if it's not already poisoned. Duosion is unfazed by any status move thanks to Magic Guard, and can boost up against most common Tauros switch-ins. Magmar is an excellent partner, as it is immune to both burn and sleep-inducing moves, and can easily break down Tangela, Alomomola, and Misdreavus to ease Tauros's sweep. Specially offensive Altaria is a fantastic lure for physical walls, as it threatens them with Fire Blast and Draco Meteor. Substitute Leafeon with X-Scissor deserves a special mention as it can set up on Pokemon that Tauros struggles to break through, such as Regirock and Alomomola, and can OHKO most of his counters.
Tauros is an interestingly effective offensive pivot with its blistering 110 base Speed, great bulk further complimented by Intimidate, and fantastic offensive prowess. Its main STAB move, Double-Edge, is very powerful; it can even 2HKO physically defensive Musharna after Stealth Rock. Earthquake hits the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Tauros's STAB moves, but must be used sparingly as a Choice-locked Ground-type move is easy to take advantage of. Stone Edge hits Ghost-types with Levitate—such as Misdreavus—and Drifblim. The last move—Return—is a weaker Normal-type move without recoil which is to be used when Tauros is heavily weakened.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Jolly nature is used because Tauros already hits hard and needs the extra Speed to outspeed Pokemon such as Charizard and Kadabra. Adamant can be used for the extra power, but it will make Tauros unable to outpace certain threats, such as the aforementioned Charizard and Kadabra. Retaliate is very strong after a Pokemon on your side is KOed, but after that turn it is much weaker, making Return more useful in most situations. Pursuit is intriguing because Tauros is one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier with Pursuit, and can easily switch in and trap Pokemon such as Haunter; however, it's very weak due to a lack of STAB.
Skuntank can trap the Ghost-types that threaten Tauros and also boasts the ability to beat Tangela. Special Samurott can remove Pokemon such as Tangela, Piloswine, physically defensive Misdreavus, and various Rock-types with ease. A lot of slow Pokemon appreciate Tauros's ability to revenge fast threats. Musharna is a notable example of this and also does well against Tangela and Rock-types. It can also cure Tauros of status effects with Heal Bell. Stealth Rock support is of course always useful. Tauros does not synergize well with most Stealth Rock setters, but Golurk is one of the few exceptions, being immune to the Fighting-type attacks that Tauros is weak to and taking advantage of most Rock- and Steel-types.
With a Choice Scarf attached, Tauros is a potent revenge killer. It is one of the fastest revenge killers in the tier with a fantastic 110 base Speed, which allows it to outspeed even weather sweepers. Unlike other revenge killers, it also has a useful ability in Intimidate and a powerful STAB Retaliate. Double-Edge is a strong STAB that will put a dent in most Pokemon; Earthquake hits the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Double-Edge. The combination of Double-Edge and Earthquake doesn't affect levitating Ghost-types or Drifblim, which is where Stone Edge comes in handy. Retaliate is an interesting move for Choice Scarf Pokemon that doesn't see much use; it allows Tauros to OHKO Pokemon such as Braviary after Stealth Rock after a Pokemon on its team has been KOed, but unfortunately it is very weak the next turn.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
There isn't much else you can use on Choice Scarf Tauros. Jolly can be used for extra Speed, but it's hardly needed because Tauros is already so fast. Return can be used for a STAB with no drawback, but both Retaliate and Double-Edge are needed for their power.
Slow teams appreciate Tauros's ability to revenge Pokemon such as Shell Smash Gorebyss, certain weather sweepers—such as Exeggutor and Ludicolo—and Swellow. Special Samurott can remove most of Tauros's checks, notably Rock-types, Misdreavus, and Tangela. Musharna also does well against most of Tauros's checks and can also cure Tauros of status with Heal Bell. Ghost-types are a pain for Tauros, so a Skuntank serves well to easily remove from the match.
Although status moves are usually very troubling to Tauros, Substitute is an incredibly useful tool that allows him to set up on Pokemon that rely purely on status to defeat him. Tauros can actually single-handedly defeat Misdreavus, as he can prop up a Substitute on the switch-in and is immune to Misdreavus's main attack, Shadow Ball. Substitute also aids in prediction and can help Tauros beat faster Pokemon and Choice Scarf users. For example, while Choice Scarf Sawk usually can switch in and take down Tauros easily with Close Combat, it can only break his Substitute after switching in, while Tauros can nail Sawk's -1 Defense and OHKO with Return. With Substitute, Tauros can also evade Cacturne's Sucker Punch, making him one of the few offensive Pokemon that can handle Cacturne well.
Intimidate is the best ability to use on this set, as it buffs Tauros's mediocre physical bulk and makes it easier to set up a Substitute. For example, Alomomola's Waterfall is unable to break Tauros's Substitute after the Intimidate drop, allowing Tauros to wear it down with repeated Returns. Earthquake and Stone Edge provide excellent coverage together and are Tauros's best options against Rock-types and Misdreavus, respectively.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Sheer Force can be used in lieu of Intimidate with Rock Climb and Rock Slide over their counterparts, but there is no Life Orb recoil to negate, sharply reducing its effectiveness. A bulkier EV spread is worth consideration, but preventing walls such as Alomomola and Tangela from breaking his Substitutes requires major investment, meaning Tauros will either be much weaker or considerably slower.
Because this set handles Misdreavus so well, it is very effective when paired with teammates that have trouble working around Misdreavus. For example, Choice Band Sawk can freely spam Close Combat once Misdreavus is out of the picture and can heavily damage Rock-types that Tauros struggles to break through on his own, such as Golem and Regirock. Swords Dance Pinsir also appreciates Misdreavus's absence and can bust through Tangela and Weezing for Tauros, although it still has issues with Alomomola. Exeggutor and Charizard can handle nearly all of Tauros's checks with their immense power and coverage. Toxic Spikes are especially dangerous for this set, as they lower Tauros's HP even behind his Substitute and greatly reduce his ability to check threats such as Misdreavus. Garbodor can absorb Toxic Spikes simply by switching in and can lay Toxic Spikes of its own, allowing Tauros to wear down physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola.
Other Options
Like most Normal-types, Tauros is gifted with an exhaustive movepool. Fire Blast can be used on any set to lure and 2HKO Tangela, but there is little reason to use it outside of that. Bulldoze gets a Sheer Force boost and thus ignores Life Orb recoil, but it's still weaker than Earthquake. Thunder is usable as it can 2HKO Alomomola after Stealth Rock damage, but its dismal accuracy is a turn off. Wild Charge only does slightly more damage to Alomomola than Rock Climb, and causes far too much recoil to be a worthy option. Anger Point no longer activates on critical hits against Substitutes, so there is absolutely no reason to use Anger Point over either of his superior abilities. Choice Band gives Tauros monstrous power, but a Life Orb set with Sheer Force retains that power and also gives Tauros the ability to switch moves. Work Up is a curious option as it boosts both Tauros's Attack and Special Attack, allowing him to utilize his vast special movepool to break through common counters, such as Misdreavus and Tangela.
Checks and Counters
Eviolite Misdreavus can effortlessly switch in on any of Tauros's moves and burn him with Will-O-Wisp, but it must be wary of Substitute. Tangela walls Tauros with its immense physical bulk and can inflict decent damage in return with Giga Drain, or it can make the damage disappear entirely with Regenerator. Likewise, Alomomola can brush off any damage Tauros inflicts with Wish and proceed to Toxic him. If Tauros isn't using Zen Headbutt, Weezing and bulky Fighting-types such as Throh and Gurdurr can handle him easily by burning with Will-O-Wisp or attacking with STAB moves, respectively. Faster Pokemon, such as Swellow or Choice Scarf Sawk, can easily pick off Tauros, even at full health.
