[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Roar / Thunder Wave
move 4: Stone Edge / Foul Play / Fire Blast / Superpower
item: Smooth Rock / Focus Sash
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock provides the team with additional chip damage alongside sand and prevents Fire- and Flying-types from coming in safely. Ice Beam has a chance to OHKO everything that is 4x weak to it, including common Dragon- and Ground-types such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Landorus-T. Roar has good synergy with Stealth Rock, allowing Tyranitar to shuffle the opposing team while racking up chip damage while also preventing Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan from trying to set up on Tyranitar. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative that neuters faster threats such as Mega Gengar and just provides paralysis support in general, allowing your team to have an easier time. Stone Edge will still OHKO everything that is 4x weak to it, even with a hindering nature, if checking Talonflame and Volcarona is particularly important for the team. Rock Tomb is a viable alternative if the Speed drop and better accuracy are more appealing, although Tyranitar misses out on the OHKO on Thundurus due to the Attack-lowering nature. A STAB-boosted Foul Play can be useful against physical sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan and has a chance to OHKO at +2, and it isn't affected by Intimidate. Fire Blast prevents Tyranitar from getting walled by Steel-types and will almost always OHKO Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, and it is Tyranitar's best option to hit Skarmory with. Superpower can be used in the last slot if OHKOing opposing Tyranitar is important for the team, but it is usually outclassed by the other moves due to the negative effect and hindering nature.
Set Details
========
A Bold nature with maximum HP investment allows Tyranitar to be as physically defensive as possible, letting it survive Earthquakes from offensive Ground-types so it can retaliate with Ice Beam. 76 EVs are used in Defense to get an extra point, potentially helping Tyranitar survive an Earthquake from Life Orb Mamoswine, while the remaining EVs are allocated to Special Attack to increase the chance of a OHKO with Ice Beam on all those 4x weak to it. 204 EVs in Special Attack can be used if you want to guarantee the OHKO on Garchomp. Smooth Rock is the best item on a support Tyranitar, giving a Sand Rush sweeper such as Excadrill longer time in sand, which can be useful if the opponent tries to stall sand turns via switches or Protect. Focus Sash is a viable alternative, allowing Tyranitar to survive any single hit, which guarantees Tyranitar to at least get Stealth Rock up or potentially neuter a threat with Thunder Wave.
Usage Tips
========
At Team Preview, if the team appears to be defensive or on the bulkier side, it might be wise to bench Tyranitar, as Stealth Rock and even sand offense might prove ineffective against such a lineup. As a support Pokemon, Tyranitar is typically used as a lead to set up sand immediately. A combination of Ice Beam and Fire Blast hits common leads such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Ferrothorn. If you're using Focus Sash, this will at least guarantee Stealth Rock to be up, and you can proceed to Roar out or paralyze the foe if it decides to stay in and set up. Thunder Wave works great with a Focus Sash, as Tyranitar can paralyze Blaziken and prevent it from potentially outspeeding Excadrill in sand. As this set is less bothered by status or Intimidate, don't be too afraid to take a paralysis or burn if trading status or denting a threat with Ice Beam or Fire Blast is beneficial. However, be mindful that this set gets worn down rather easily.
Team Options
========
Excadrill is the best teammate to pair up with support Tyranitar, as Tyranitar can potentially give it eight turns of sand to make full use of Sand Rush. Thanks to Excadrill's excellent typing, the opponent will have to think twice before trying to Thunder Wave or Toxic Tyranitar. In return, Tyranitar's Ice Beam helps Excadrill with a lot of threats such as Garchomp and Landorus-T. Mega Salamence rounds out the sand core nicely, preventing foes such as Landorus-T, Conkeldurr, and Blaziken from overpowering the duo with their STAB moves. In a similar fashion, Mega Altaria works in place of Mega Salamence as an alternative to deal with the Fighting-types and Dragon-types that have their way with the sand core. As this set lacks the means to deal with bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Rotom-W, and Mega Slowbro, Thundurus is a fantastic teammate here. Thundurus can paralyze foes with Prankster Thunder Wave. In addition, Rotom-W makes a fantastic Ground-type switch-in and can also burn them while dealing with bulky Water-types as well. Breloom appreciates Talonflame gone and also is able to take on Water-types relatively well. Talonflame is great as always, whether it's spreading burns or eliminating Fighting-types with Brave Bird, while Tyranitar helps Talonflame deal with Electric-types such as Thundurus and Raikou. Mega Charizard Y works nicely with Tyranitar, even more so now that Tyranitar can provide Thunder Wave support. This set can also lure in Ground-types such as Garchomp and Landorus-T and KO them with Ice Beam, which Mega Charizard might struggle with especially if they are running Choice Scarf.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Ice Punch / Ice Beam
move 4: Crunch / Earthquake / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is Tyranitar's main STAB move, OHKOing many relevant threats including those that are 2x weak to it such as Thundurus and specially defensive Zapdos. Rock Slide is a more accurate option with a nice secondary effect of flinching, which is great in tandem with a Choice Scarf. However, Tyranitar misses the OHKO on Mega Charizard X and defensive Rotom-H. Pursuit KOes weakened threats switching out and can also catch Gengar before Mega Evolution, but Mega Gengar can outspeed Tyranitar the following turn. Ice Punch lets Tyranitar OHKO Garchomp most of the time while also dealing massive damage to any other Dragon- and Ground-types such Landorus-T and Mega Salamence. Ice Beam can be used as over Ice Punch if dealing with the Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Mega Salamence is more important than Garchomp for your team. This, however, forces Tyranitar to run a Naive nature if you want it to OHKO them. Crunch is a reliable STAB move that can be used to OHKO Mega Gengar before it Mega Evolves and is a superior move to Stone Edge when cleaning up due to perfect accuracy. Earthquake is an option to OHKO Heatran and to hit Aegislash without playing King's Shield mindgames and is Tyranitar's best option to hit Mega Mawile hard. It can also potentially catch Blaziken off guard and OHKO if Blaziken doesn't Protect first turn. Nevertheless, Earthquake is a bad move to lock Tyranitar. Superpower can be used to OHKO opposing Tyranitar as well as hit Mega Kangaskhan and Ferrothorn hard but leaves Tyranitar walled by Aegislash and bulky Psychic-types.
Set Details
========
Running a Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment makes full use of Tyranitar's revenge killing potential. Attack is also maximized, as Tyranitar is forced to lock itself into one move, so it wants to hit as hard as possible. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Tyranitar can outspeed every threat up to the maximum Speed base 116 tier, which includes Whimsicott. It also outspeeds key threats such as Raikou, Mega Kangaskhan—which is notable because Tyranitar resists Sucker Punch—Serperior, and Garchomp. Although it now outspeeds Thundurus, Prankster Thunder Wave will still be an annoyance and will cripple Tyranitar. Sand Stream should always be used over Unnerve, giving Tyranitar a boost in Special Defense and allowing it to break potential Focus Sashes. When running Ice Beam over Ice Punch, a Naive nature should be used over Jolly. If you want to guarantee the OHKO on Landorus-T, 52 EVs in Special Attack are required. However, do note that running Naive lowers Tyranitar's Special Defense.
Usage Tips
========
As Tyranitar is forced to lock itself into one move and has no means to recover from status, bench it if teams appears to be too bulky or defensive at Team Preview. Because Choice Scarf is relatively uncommon on Tyranitar, you can surprise threats that stay in such as Garchomp, Thundurus, and Mega Lucario. Despite being equipped with a Choice Scarf, Tyranitar will still fail to outspeed Mega Gengar, making it more useful against Gengar before it Mega Evolves. Pursuit can be risky, as using the move leaves Tyranitar very vulnerable to a new threat that is able to set up on a Choice-locked Pursuit. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can be used as a lead to surprise other leads with its increase in Speed or be kept until late-game when the opposing team has been weakened enough to the point where it can clean. With that said, Tyranitar can easily switch into Mega Charizard Y and reset the sun without worrying to take a Focus Blast afterwards thanks to Choice Scarf.
Team Options
========
As Tyranitar will be force to lock itself into one move due to Choice Scarf, teammates that can deal with foes that try to set up on it afterwards are great. Talonflame can deal with Fighting-types and revenge kill weakened or frail threats with ease due to priority Brave Bird. Greninja is a fantastic partner, being able to handle all Ground-types with ease thanks to its coverage and can take out Garchomp if it tries to set up Swords Dance on a Choice-locked Stone Edge. Clefable is a decent teammate for Tyranitar, as Tyranitar is not only able to Pursuit trap or outright OHKO Mega Gengar with Crunch prior to its Mega Evolution but also able to remove bulky Talonflame with a STAB Rock-type move. In return, Clefable ignores all the boosts of the setup sweepers that take advantage of Tyranitar, including Suicune and Azumarill. As far as Mega Evolutions go, Salamence, Slowbro, and Venusaur are all fine choices. Mega Salamence and Slowbro both enjoy Thundurus eliminated. Mega Venusaur benefits from the removal of Talonflame. As this Tyranitar struggles with defensive threats and cannot play around them once it gets paralyzed or burned, Calm Mind Raikou is capable of setting up on and overpowering foes like Cresselia, Porygon2, and Suicune. Mega Gengar can trap defensive threats such as Cresselia and annoy Porygon2 and Suicune with the Taunt + Destiny Bond combination. As a Sand Rush sweeper, Excadrill works great with any Tyranitar. With the combination of an Ice-type move and Choice Scarf, Tyranitar can weaken or eliminate Ground-types for Excadrill, making the sweep much easier to pull off.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit / Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake / Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
There aren't many safe switch-ins in Battle Spot to Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge; Mega Salamence will take around 88% or more after Intimidate, and it can even 2HKO defensive Mega Venusaur and has a chance to 2HKO Skarmory! If you wish to trade power for a more accurate move, Rock Slide is a great alternative. With the boost from a Choice Band, it now secures the OHKO even on Mega Charizard X and defensive Rotom-H, and the chance to flinch is always appreciated. Crunch is a reliable secondary STAB move that will now even 2HKO the likes of Cresselia and Mega Slowbro and offensive Mega Venusaur. It's a good move to break walls with because it has perfect accuracy, unlike Rock Slide or Stone Edge. Thanks to the significant increase in damage output with a Choice Band, Pursuit will be doing decent damage if your opponent decides to stay in. However, if trapping is not the main role played by Choice Band Tyranitar, you can opt for Ice Punch in the third slot for coverage on Ground- and Dragon-types; it will OHKO Landorus-T even after Intimidate drop and even OHKO Gliscor. Earthquake offers Tyranitar nice coverage against Steel-types; it can OHKO Mega Mawile and even has a chance to OHKO Aegislash after Stealth Rock. Finally, Superpower can be used to hit opposing Tyranitar, OHKO Mega Kangaskhan, and even potentially OHKO Ferrothorn with some prior damage.
Set Details
========
Full investment in Attack along with an Adamant nature is used to maximize Tyranitar's wallbreaking potential and make full use of the Choice Band. With 204 Speed EVs, Tyranitar can outspeed defensive threats with minimum investment, including Cresselia, Mega Venusaur, and Skarmory. 76 Speed EVs can be used if only outspeeding Skarmory is desired, and the rest go to HP. Alternatively, maximum HP investment allows Tyranitar to take an Earthquake from certain threats such as Landorus-T so that it may retaliate and OHKO with Ice Punch. With that said, you sacrifice a large amount of bulk in the process when running Speed, and Tyranitar can no longer survive an Earthquake. If investing in Speed is not appealing, you can run a Brave nature, allowing Tyranitar to function effectively as a powerful Trick Room attacker. Choice Band is the key item here, providing Tyranitar with immediate wallbreaking potential, letting it break through even defensive teams given the right support. Sand Stream should be the ability to use regardless of the situation, as it not only provides sand support for teammates like Excadrill and breaks Focus Sashes but also cuts recovery moves of certain defensive threats such as Cresselia and Mega Venusaur.
Usage Tips
========
Unlike most Tyranitar sets, with a Choice Band equipped, it can now break past even defensive teams with the right support, so you can pick Tyranitar at Team Preview more often than usual. With that said, Choice Band Tyranitar requires a substantial amount of support before it can be utilized to its full potential; therefore, leading with it may be a bad idea due to its low Speed and extreme vulnerability to status. Only use Trick Room support against fast offensive teams, not slow bulky teams, to prevent things such as Slowbro and Ferrothorn from outspeeding Tyranitar. Choice Band-boosted Crunch is insanely powerful, and Tyranitar can easily OHKO Talonflame and Volcarona without the risk of missing Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Once the opposing team has been weakened enough, you can use Crunch to finish the game or use Rock Slide if you managed to get prior paralysis in, since the flinch chance can be crucial against certain threats such as Suicune.
Team Options
========
Support is key for this Tyranitar, and as such Pokemon that can spread status are much appreciated, Thunder Wave in particular, as Tyranitar is slow. Grass-types such as Serperior and Breloom can threaten Suicune, Serperior's Glare can even paralyze Ground-types such as Garchomp, and both of them enjoy Talonflame gone. When looking for Trick Room setters, both Cresselia and Slowbro are fine choices. The former can come in on Earthquake and even use Lunar Dance give Tyranitar another chance at wallbreaking if it has been statused or weakened. Both are fine Thunder Wave users also. When the opportunity presents itself, Blaziken makes a fine Baton Pass user to Tyranitar and can even make it more threatening through Swords Dance or Bulk Up, while Blaziken appreciates Tyranitar's ability to remove Talonflame. Mega Pokemon that pair well with Tyranitar include Mega Salamence and Mega Gyarados. Both of these have great synergy with Tyranitar, and their Intimidate can be used to soften physical attacks. Mega Salamence and Talonflame revenge kill most Fighting-types that eliminate Tyranitar, and Mega Gyarados can set up on the Ground-types. Both really appreciate Electric-types such as Raikou and Thundurus gone. With Tyranitar being able to wear down Cresselia more easily with the help from Choice Band, Excadrill once again makes a good partner for being able to sweep with bulky threats weakened or gone. However, the lack of Smooth Rock means it won't get as much time under sand.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute can be used with a Mega Dragon Dance set to avoid nasty status, which the set is very vulnerable to. However, you will be forced to give up on a coverage move or a secondary STAB move. Similarly, Taunt is viable alternative to Substitute that lets Tyranitar set up on defensive threats more easily. This lets Mega Tyranitar prevent phazing moves such as Whirlwind, but it will still be vulnerable to moves like Discharge and Scald. With that said, Taunt is also good on other offensive sets, as it lets Tyranitar stop threats like Suicune from setting up on it. Toxic can be used to wear down defensive threats such as Porygon2 and Rotom-W on the switch if Tyranitar is already statused or doesn't have enough investment to break through these. Custap Berry has a nice surprise factor when Tyranitar survives a hit with low HP. Eject Button works effectively in sand combos with Excadrill, allowing Tyranitar to switch out immediately after setting sand; however, this is extremely situational.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types and Fighting-type Coverage**: Due to Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting, Fighting-types are the biggest threat to it. Blaziken can outspeed any variant of Tyranitar thanks to Speed Boost and OHKO it. Breloom has priority Mach Punch. Mega Heracross and Conkeldurr have the bulk to take any attack and OHKO in return. Mega Lopunny and Mega Lucario also pose problems for Tyranitar due to their impressive Speed and power. Foes that commonly carry Focus Blast will OHKO Tyranitar, even though Tyranitar can check some of these without it. Mega Gengar, Thundurus, and Mega Charizard Y are some common examples that carry Focus Blast. Greninja and Weavile are notable users of Low Kick, which can easily OHKO Tyranitar, and they can even outspeed Choice Scarf variants.
**Fairy-types**: Mega Mawile can weaken Tyranitar with Intimidate prior to Mega Evolution and OHKO it in return with its STAB move of choice. Similarly, both Azumarill and Mega Altaria can take any attack and OHKO in return. Defensive Clefable has an easy time walling Tyranitar and can potentially use it as setup bait or just neuter it with Thunder Wave.
**Steel-types**: Tyranitar has difficulties breaking past some Steel-types like Skarmory and Aegislash. Skarmory has very high Defense and has access to Roost. Aegislash can play games with Tyranitar through King's Shield and potentially cut Tyranitar's Attack in half if it can predict Tyranitar's Crunch correctly, and it can OHKO it in return with Sacred Sword. Tyranitar lacking Fire Blast will be walled by bulky Scizor, although Bullet Punch and Superpower threaten Tyranitar anyway. Ferrothorn cannot take Superpower or Fire Blast well but can deal heavy damage with its STAB moves.
**Ground-types**: Both offensive and defensive Ground-types have ways to check Tyranitar. Offensive Ground-types such as Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Landorus-T can outspeed Tyranitar and OHKO it with Earthquake, although they do not take Tyranitar's moves well either, whether it's Ice-type coverage or Superpower. Defensive Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Gastrodon can take any attacks and recover off any damage taken.
**Water-types**: Physically defensive Water-types such as Rotom-W and Suicune can take Tyranitar's attacks well while being able to burn it with Will-O-Wisp or Scald. Mega Slowbro has the bulk to take STAB Crunch and retaliate with Scald and then set up Iron Defense on Tyranitar after it gets burned.
**Physically Defensive Threats**: Tyranitar has few means to break through physically bulky foes, and in return they can inflict Tyranitar with status such as burn or paralysis and recover off any damage taken. Defensive threats include Porygon2, Mega Venusaur, Mega Sableye, and Chansey. Bulky Rocky Helmet Cresselia is annoying, though Moonlight's recovery is cut in sand and Mega Tyranitar with a boost running Crunch can simply overwhelm Cresselia if Tyranitar is not fully paralyzed.
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