[OVERVIEW]
Tyranitar is one of the bulkiest offensive Pokemon in the format. Sand Stream sets up sand on the switch, giving Tyranitar a Special Defense boost and helping combat opposing weather teams. With this boost, Tyranitar is a good switch-in to a lot of attacks. STAB Rock Slide is great for coverage and deals with a lot of relevant Pokemon such as Talonflame, Charizard, and Thundurus. Excadrill is a great partner under sand, being a huge threat when Sand Rush is activated. However, Tyranitar's typing gives it weaknesses to several common attacking types, such as Fighting, Fairy, and Ground. Tyranitar's low Speed also gives it some issues; Choice Scarf can make up for this but Tyranitar still won't outspeed the most common Choice Scarf user, Landorus-T.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Punch / Ice Beam / Fire Blast
move 4: Low Kick / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide is a great spread STAB move that benefits hugely from Choice Scarf, as they allow Tyranitar to outspeed and potentially flinch more Pokemon. Crunch has good neutral coverage. Ice Punch hits a lot of Pokemon super effectively, most notably Landorus-T and Mega Salamence. Ice Beam can be used instead to avoid the Intimidate drops from both of those Pokemon if you don't mind running a Naive nature. Low Kick or Superpower is good for the extra coverage, as Fighting-type attacks hit a lot of things super effectively. Fire Blast can be used if your team desperately needs Fire-type coverage to hit something that would be hard to deal with otherwise, such as Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs are used to get the most power out of Tyranitar's moves, and maximum Speed EVs are used because Tyranitar has a low base Speed and needs as much investment as possible to perform well. Choice Scarf is used to boost Tyranitar's low Speed and turn Tyranitar into a fast threat, outspeeding most Pokemon in the metagame. A Jolly nature, or Naive if running Ice Beam, is used to ensure that Tyranitar outspeeds Pokemon such as Thundurus and Gengar. Sand Stream breaks opposing Focus Sashes, gives Tyranitar a Special Defense boost, and aids teammates such as Excadrill.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar works well as a lead to immediately set up sand and start dealing out damage with Rock Slide. Sand helps out teammates that can abuse it, such as Sand Rush Excadrill, and can weaken opposing Pokemon with chip damage. Tyranitar has good coverage so it can deal with Pokemon that its teammates struggle against. Tyranitar has great bulk and some good resistances that make it a good switch-in to Pokemon such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Salamence.
Team Options
========
Excadrill becomes a major threat with Sand Rush and Tyranitar's Sand Stream. Mega Salamence works well with Tyranitar and Excadrill, as Flying-type coverage and an immunity to Earthquake work very well with the duo. Amoonguss resists many of Tyranitar's weaknesses and provides redirection support. Aegislash provides Wide Guard support to block Earthquakes for Tyranitar and Excadrill.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Protect
item: Tyranitarite / Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 204 HP / 4 Atk / 60 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance helps Tyranitar sweep or clean up teams. Rock Side is a great spread STAB move. Crunch has good neutral coverage with Rock Slide. Protect is used to scout the opponent's moves and ward off damage for a turn.
Set Details
========
These EVs allow Mega Tyranitar to outspeed Jolly Mega Lucario, and regular Tyranitar to outspeed neutral-natured Mega Lucario, after one Dragon Dance and survive 2 Earthquakes from Garchomp. This bulk is very useful to help Tyranitar set up. Tyranitarite is used on Dragon Dance sets because Mega Tyranitar gains a good boost to its Speed, Defense, and Attack. Lum Berry is an alternative to avoid burns and paralysis. When Tyranitar Mega Evolves it sets up sand again, which is useful against opposing weather teams.
Usage Tips
========
Redirection support can be used alongside Tyranitar in order to set up Dragon Dances safely. Tyranitar can use Dragon Dance late-game to clean up a weakened team. Tyranitar finds opportunities to use Dragon Dance against many special attackers and pokemon who don't threaten Amoonguss.
Team Options
========
Amoonguss resists many of Tyranitar's weaknesses and provides very useful redirection support for Tyranitar to freely set up Dragon Dances. Aegislash provides Wide Guard support to block Earthquakes and has a good matchup against the Fighting-types that threaten Tyranitar. Excadrill can abuse Tyranitar's sand with Sand Rush and can deal with the Fairy-types that Tyranitar struggles against.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Crunch / Ice Punch
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower / Ice Punch
move 4: Protect
item: Lum Berry / Chople Berry / Tyranitarite
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide is a great spread STAB move, and has great neutral coverage. Low Kick or Superpower hits Steel-types like Bisharp and Heatran for good damage. Ice Punch hits a lot of Pokemon super effectively and makes Tyranitar a good check to Mega Salamence. Protect is used to scout moves, ward off damage for a turn, and keep sand around for longer.
Set Details
========
This bulky spread aims to keep sand around for as long as possible and also make Tyranitar a threat under Trick Room. 252 HP / 12 Def guarantees that Tyranitar survives an Iron Head from Bisharp at full health, with the rest of the EVs put into Attack for maximum damage output. Sand Stream inflicts useful chip damage and can support a team very well. With this EV spread, Tyranitar can withstand more hits and stay in the battle longer to repeatedly set sand up. A slower spread means Tyranitar sets sand up after Politoed if they are lead against each other. Lum Berry lets Tyrantar avoid burns that would cripple it. Chople Berry allows Tyranitar to live one Fighting-type attack and potentially surprise the opponent. Tyranitarite makes Tyranitar much bulkier and lets it set up sand a second time by Mega Evolving.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar works well as a lead to immediately get sand on the field. When playing against an opposing weather team Tyranitar should keep sand up as much as possible by switching in and out. Make good use of Protect and switching to keep Tyranitar healthy when you need sand so that you don't lose Tyranitar too early.
Team Options
========
Excadrill is a major threat with Sand Rush and bulky Tyranitar can keep sand up as much as possible for it. With this spread Tyranitar can work well on a Trick Room team. Most Trick Room setters also deal reasonably well with the Fighting-types that beat Tyranitar. Wide Guard support helps deal with threats to Tyranitar such as Landorus-T and Sylveon. Amoongus can redirect many of Tyranitar's weaknesses, and if used in Trick Room Amoonguss can be a very useful partner with a "fast" spore. Rotom-W can check Landorus-T and the Water-types that threaten Tyranitar while also providing Will-O-Wisp support to aid Tyranitar's bulk even further.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed attacker set with Life Orb can be used to make Tyranitar an unpredictable offensive threat. Chople Berry can be used to ensure that Tyranitar lives one Fighting attack. Shuca Berry can be used to surprise Landorus-T and heavily damage it with an Ice-type attack. Assault Vest makes Tyranitar incredibly bulky on the special side and makes it a good check to almost any special attacker. A bulky Weakness Policy set can be used to take advantage of the many weaknesses Tyranitar has. Smooth Rock is useful for keeping sand up for a few more turns. Stone Edge is a useful move when Rock Slide's low damage output isn't enough.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Tyranitar is 4x weak to Fighting and will go down to almost any Fighting-type attack. Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Scrafty resist both of Tyranitar's STAB moves and can OHKO it in return. Fighting is also a very common type for coverage and many non-Fighting-type Pokemon carry Fighting-type moves, such as Mega Kangaskhan and Landorus-T.
**Fairy-types**: Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can take Tyranitar's attacks and threaten to KO it back with Pixilate-boosted STAB Hyper Voices that also hit Tyranitar's partner. Hyper Voice also can't be redirected, which makes it even more troublesome.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Intimidate can cripple Tyranitar by lowering its Attack. Most Intimidate users also have a good matchup against Tyranitar, such as Landorus-T, Scrafty, Mawile, and Hitmontop. Burns also cripple Tyranitar and much more severely and permanently. Rotom-W can take Tyranitar's attacks and burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Other bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, can tank Tyranitar's attacks and potentially burn with Scald while hitting Tyranitar for super effective damage.
Tyranitar is one of the bulkiest offensive Pokemon in the format. Sand Stream sets up sand on the switch, giving Tyranitar a Special Defense boost and helping combat opposing weather teams. With this boost, Tyranitar is a good switch-in to a lot of attacks. STAB Rock Slide is great for coverage and deals with a lot of relevant Pokemon such as Talonflame, Charizard, and Thundurus. Excadrill is a great partner under sand, being a huge threat when Sand Rush is activated. However, Tyranitar's typing gives it weaknesses to several common attacking types, such as Fighting, Fairy, and Ground. Tyranitar's low Speed also gives it some issues; Choice Scarf can make up for this but Tyranitar still won't outspeed the most common Choice Scarf user, Landorus-T.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Punch / Ice Beam / Fire Blast
move 4: Low Kick / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide is a great spread STAB move that benefits hugely from Choice Scarf, as they allow Tyranitar to outspeed and potentially flinch more Pokemon. Crunch has good neutral coverage. Ice Punch hits a lot of Pokemon super effectively, most notably Landorus-T and Mega Salamence. Ice Beam can be used instead to avoid the Intimidate drops from both of those Pokemon if you don't mind running a Naive nature. Low Kick or Superpower is good for the extra coverage, as Fighting-type attacks hit a lot of things super effectively. Fire Blast can be used if your team desperately needs Fire-type coverage to hit something that would be hard to deal with otherwise, such as Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack EVs are used to get the most power out of Tyranitar's moves, and maximum Speed EVs are used because Tyranitar has a low base Speed and needs as much investment as possible to perform well. Choice Scarf is used to boost Tyranitar's low Speed and turn Tyranitar into a fast threat, outspeeding most Pokemon in the metagame. A Jolly nature, or Naive if running Ice Beam, is used to ensure that Tyranitar outspeeds Pokemon such as Thundurus and Gengar. Sand Stream breaks opposing Focus Sashes, gives Tyranitar a Special Defense boost, and aids teammates such as Excadrill.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar works well as a lead to immediately set up sand and start dealing out damage with Rock Slide. Sand helps out teammates that can abuse it, such as Sand Rush Excadrill, and can weaken opposing Pokemon with chip damage. Tyranitar has good coverage so it can deal with Pokemon that its teammates struggle against. Tyranitar has great bulk and some good resistances that make it a good switch-in to Pokemon such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Salamence.
Team Options
========
Excadrill becomes a major threat with Sand Rush and Tyranitar's Sand Stream. Mega Salamence works well with Tyranitar and Excadrill, as Flying-type coverage and an immunity to Earthquake work very well with the duo. Amoonguss resists many of Tyranitar's weaknesses and provides redirection support. Aegislash provides Wide Guard support to block Earthquakes for Tyranitar and Excadrill.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Protect
item: Tyranitarite / Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 204 HP / 4 Atk / 60 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance helps Tyranitar sweep or clean up teams. Rock Side is a great spread STAB move. Crunch has good neutral coverage with Rock Slide. Protect is used to scout the opponent's moves and ward off damage for a turn.
Set Details
========
These EVs allow Mega Tyranitar to outspeed Jolly Mega Lucario, and regular Tyranitar to outspeed neutral-natured Mega Lucario, after one Dragon Dance and survive 2 Earthquakes from Garchomp. This bulk is very useful to help Tyranitar set up. Tyranitarite is used on Dragon Dance sets because Mega Tyranitar gains a good boost to its Speed, Defense, and Attack. Lum Berry is an alternative to avoid burns and paralysis. When Tyranitar Mega Evolves it sets up sand again, which is useful against opposing weather teams.
Usage Tips
========
Redirection support can be used alongside Tyranitar in order to set up Dragon Dances safely. Tyranitar can use Dragon Dance late-game to clean up a weakened team. Tyranitar finds opportunities to use Dragon Dance against many special attackers and pokemon who don't threaten Amoonguss.
Team Options
========
Amoonguss resists many of Tyranitar's weaknesses and provides very useful redirection support for Tyranitar to freely set up Dragon Dances. Aegislash provides Wide Guard support to block Earthquakes and has a good matchup against the Fighting-types that threaten Tyranitar. Excadrill can abuse Tyranitar's sand with Sand Rush and can deal with the Fairy-types that Tyranitar struggles against.
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Crunch / Ice Punch
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower / Ice Punch
move 4: Protect
item: Lum Berry / Chople Berry / Tyranitarite
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Slide is a great spread STAB move, and has great neutral coverage. Low Kick or Superpower hits Steel-types like Bisharp and Heatran for good damage. Ice Punch hits a lot of Pokemon super effectively and makes Tyranitar a good check to Mega Salamence. Protect is used to scout moves, ward off damage for a turn, and keep sand around for longer.
Set Details
========
This bulky spread aims to keep sand around for as long as possible and also make Tyranitar a threat under Trick Room. 252 HP / 12 Def guarantees that Tyranitar survives an Iron Head from Bisharp at full health, with the rest of the EVs put into Attack for maximum damage output. Sand Stream inflicts useful chip damage and can support a team very well. With this EV spread, Tyranitar can withstand more hits and stay in the battle longer to repeatedly set sand up. A slower spread means Tyranitar sets sand up after Politoed if they are lead against each other. Lum Berry lets Tyrantar avoid burns that would cripple it. Chople Berry allows Tyranitar to live one Fighting-type attack and potentially surprise the opponent. Tyranitarite makes Tyranitar much bulkier and lets it set up sand a second time by Mega Evolving.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar works well as a lead to immediately get sand on the field. When playing against an opposing weather team Tyranitar should keep sand up as much as possible by switching in and out. Make good use of Protect and switching to keep Tyranitar healthy when you need sand so that you don't lose Tyranitar too early.
Team Options
========
Excadrill is a major threat with Sand Rush and bulky Tyranitar can keep sand up as much as possible for it. With this spread Tyranitar can work well on a Trick Room team. Most Trick Room setters also deal reasonably well with the Fighting-types that beat Tyranitar. Wide Guard support helps deal with threats to Tyranitar such as Landorus-T and Sylveon. Amoongus can redirect many of Tyranitar's weaknesses, and if used in Trick Room Amoonguss can be a very useful partner with a "fast" spore. Rotom-W can check Landorus-T and the Water-types that threaten Tyranitar while also providing Will-O-Wisp support to aid Tyranitar's bulk even further.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A mixed attacker set with Life Orb can be used to make Tyranitar an unpredictable offensive threat. Chople Berry can be used to ensure that Tyranitar lives one Fighting attack. Shuca Berry can be used to surprise Landorus-T and heavily damage it with an Ice-type attack. Assault Vest makes Tyranitar incredibly bulky on the special side and makes it a good check to almost any special attacker. A bulky Weakness Policy set can be used to take advantage of the many weaknesses Tyranitar has. Smooth Rock is useful for keeping sand up for a few more turns. Stone Edge is a useful move when Rock Slide's low damage output isn't enough.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Tyranitar is 4x weak to Fighting and will go down to almost any Fighting-type attack. Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Scrafty resist both of Tyranitar's STAB moves and can OHKO it in return. Fighting is also a very common type for coverage and many non-Fighting-type Pokemon carry Fighting-type moves, such as Mega Kangaskhan and Landorus-T.
**Fairy-types**: Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir can take Tyranitar's attacks and threaten to KO it back with Pixilate-boosted STAB Hyper Voices that also hit Tyranitar's partner. Hyper Voice also can't be redirected, which makes it even more troublesome.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Intimidate can cripple Tyranitar by lowering its Attack. Most Intimidate users also have a good matchup against Tyranitar, such as Landorus-T, Scrafty, Mawile, and Hitmontop. Burns also cripple Tyranitar and much more severely and permanently. Rotom-W can take Tyranitar's attacks and burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Other bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, can tank Tyranitar's attacks and potentially burn with Scald while hitting Tyranitar for super effective damage.
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