Status: Frozen- Completed. Awaiting grammar/spelling checks
Changes Thus Far:
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Tyranitar is one of the most monstrously powerful physical threats in the fourth generation. Stone Edge and Crunch both have massive power with the STAB boosts and are Tyranitar's main methods of attacking. Pursuit is one of the main draws of the set, as it allows Tyranitar to be an effective counter to Rotom, Latias, and any other Ghost- or Psychic-type. With many sweepers opting to use Choice items, predicting well and making use of Tyranitar's useful resistances can get it in for a free Pursuit to OHKO, or at least wear down, many opponents.
<p>Aqua Tail allows Tyranitar to get past bulky Grounds with surprising success. With Aqua Tail and a Choice Band, even the mighty Hippowdon is 2HKOed, and thus the original 100% counter to the Choice Band set can be dealt with. Gliscor is 2HKOed as well, but it can stall Tyranitar for a miss, with Sand Veil reducing Aqua Tail's already less than perfect accuracy. Earthquake is still a powerful option against Metagross and Jirachi, and it also OHKOes Empoleon, but it is not needed as Crunch already deals hefty damage to most Steel-types. Another option for Tyranitar's fourth moveslot is Fire Punch, which allows Tyranitar to OHKO both Scizor and Forretress and to 2HKO Skarmory without having to worry about Stone Edge missing.</p>
<p>The given EV spread makes Tyranitar fast enough to outspeed 20 Speed EV Skarmory, allowing Tyranitar to 2HKO with Stone Edge before it can Roost to gain a resistance to Rock-type attacks. After maxing out Attack, the remainder of the EVs are placed into HP to bolster Tyranitar's already strong defenses. The Speed EVs may be dropped if you do not care about 2HKOing Skarmory, or more can be added if you wish to outspeed defensive Suicune and Rotom-A.</p>
<p>Very few things can safely counter Tyranitar without losing a huge chunk of health. The most notable difficulties are bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Gliscor. It would be good to pack a Special Attacker immune to Earthquake to combat these Pokemon. Latias, Gengar, or Salamence work very well. All of them resist or are immune to Fighting-type attacks as well as the Ground-type attacks that plague Tyranitar. The four bulky Fighting-types (Machamp, Hariyama, Hitmontop, and Poliwrath) will also be troublesome, but they lack a recovery move, and only Machamp is commonly seen in OU. It would still be a wise idea, however, to have a Ghost-type waiting in the wings to take all Fighting-type attacks. Rotom-A is your best bet at taking on Heracross and Machamp, whilst also countering pesky Scizor who can switch in on Crunch and possibly OHKO Tyranitar with Bullet Punch. Gyarados can also counter many of the aforementioned physical attackers thanks to Intimidate and easily set up on those locked into resisted moves. Tyranitar helps Gyarados out by Pursuiting Rotom-A and Zapdos, two common counters to the standard Gyarados.</p>
<p>Since the main goal of this Tyranitar is to eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types, having a Pokemon to take advantage of their absence would be very wise. Lucario cannot get very far without running into a Celebi, Cresselia, or Choice Scarf Rotom-H, but by trapping these Pokemon with Tyranitar, Lucario is free to sweep using Ice Punch or Stone Edge. Infernape is another Pokemon who is often stopped dead in his tracks by Starmie or Latias, but not anymore with Tyranitar. Since these two Psychic-types have super effective moves against Tyranitar, it would help if Tyranitar had a more specially defensive EV spread.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Fire Punch / Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Babiri Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set may not pose the same immediate threat as the Choice Bander does, but it is capable of running through an entire team when played correctly. Stone Edge and Crunch provide the deadly dual STAB combination that Tyranitar is famous for. Fire Punch rounds off the set by giving an option to hit Steel-types, such as Forretress, Lucario, and perhaps most importantly, Scizor, for super effective damage. However,
<p>Choosing between Adamant or Jolly is choosing whether you want to do more damage, or be able to outspeed more Aqua Tail is also a good option as it allows you to effectively deal with Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Heatran as well as gaining better type coverage. Earthquake gives you an immediate OHKO on Jirachi and even the standard Metagross after some residual damage. Earthquake also won't miss where it counts against a Pokemon such as Infernape or an enemy Tyranitar.</p> things, respectively. If you choose Adamant, after one Dragon Dance, Tyranitar will reach 332 Speed, which is enough to outspeed neutral base 115s and positive natured base 100s. Jolly allows Tyranitar to reach 364 Speed, which allows you to beat everything up to positive-natured base 115s, including Azelf and Starmie. Often the extra Speed is necessary to prevent you from being revenge killed by speedy threats such as Infernape and Latias, at the cost of losing the chance to OHKO or 2HKO many of the bulkier walls.</p>
<p>The item choice is even more important this generation, mainly because Scizor is such a threat. Choice Band Scizor has a good chance to OHKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage, and since Scizor is one of the most threatening Pokémon, it may be useful to run a Babiri Berry, which will reduce Scizor's Bullet Punch damage to a maximum of 53%. Meanwhile, +1 Attack Tyranitar will always OHKO Scizor with both Stone Edge and Fire Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Babiri Berry can also help against Jirachi trying to kill you with Iron Head or Metagross with Meteor Mash. If the lack of power is frustrating, or you don't really care about Scizor revenge killing you, use Life Orb, which gives you the ability to 2HKO Swampert with Crunch after a Dragon Dance. Taunt is a viable option over an attacking move to shut down Skarmory but losing an attack leaves you open to other threats.</p>
<p>This Tyranitar is more concerned about being revenge killed than being walled. The most common revenge killers to Tyranitar are Scizor and Choice Scarf Jirachi. While Scizor cannot OHKO you thanks to Babiri Berry, you have only a 40% chance to avoid a flinch from Iron Head and beat Jirachi, and you must have Earthquake in order to KO it. Magnezone therefore remains a good partner to this Tyranitar as it can trap and kill most Steel-types out there. You may also lure and kill Swampert with Hidden Power Grass, which would be very helpful to Tyranitar's sweep. Gyarados also pairs up well with Tyranitar, easily shrugging off resisted Steel-type attacks and oftentimes damaging physical walls like Swampert enough for Tyranitar to clean up the mess. Many Pokemon that will defeat Gyarados, such as Rotom-A, Latias, and Zapdos, will have trouble with Tyranitar. Rotom-A is another good counter to Scizor and Jirachi, and it can use Will-O-Wisp to shut them down. Bulky Water-types will generally trouble most of Tyranitar's usual counters, including Hippowdon and Swampert. They cannot do enough damage to get past the likes of Suicune and Vaporeon, while STAB Surf will do a lot of damage to them.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While most players expect Tyranitar to be slow and hard hitting, this set gives it a much needed boost in Speed at the cost of some of its attacking power. With a Choice Scarf attached, Tyranitar edges out many dangerous OverUsed threats such as Starmie, Azelf, Infernape, Gengar, Salamence, and Lucario, and scores an OHKO on all of them.</p>
<p>The main reason to give Tyranitar a Choice Scarf however, is to absorb Trick. The majority of Pokemon who use Trick are Psychic- and Ghost-types weak to Pursuit. This means Tyranitar can switch in on a Trick no problem, and then Pursuit the helpless Pokemon as they flee. With the sandstorm Special Defense boost, Tyranitar can counter Latias, Azelf, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A with no problem at all. Tyrantar's convenient Speed allows it to out-pace even Azelf and Starmie not wielding a Choice Scarf themselves. The last slot boils down to preference. While Earthquake is a more consistent attack, Superpower does more immediate damage to Blissey and enemy Tyranitar. Rock Slide is also a viable option over Stone Edge for the better accuracy and possible flinch rate, which Tyranitar can abuse with its high Speed.
<p>This Tyranitar works very well on a stall team which requires a Trick absorber. Trick is one of few moves that plagues stall teams, often permanently crippling walls and limiting their ability to counter Pokemon. Tyranitar puts a stop to that. Forretress has a much easier time setting up and removing entry hazards when Rotom-A is gone, due to it blocking Rapid Spin and burning Forretress. Scizor and bulky Ground- as well as Water-types easily counter this Tyranitar since it lacks the boost provided by a Choice Band. Celebi is a great counter to Water-types and Ground-types alike, as they share a weakness to Celebi's STAB. Celebi can also use Hidden Power Fire to defeat an incoming Scizor. Celebi can also use Heal Bell to cure Tyranitar of any status; a burn from Rotom-A in particular. Rotom-A is a wonderful direct counter to Scizor. It also defeats most Gyarados, OHKOing with Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>With a certain pesky Ghost- or Psychic-type Pokemon out of the way, you can open up opportunities for another Pokemon to sweep. Gyarados despises Choice Scarf Rotom-A, as well as Latias packing Thunderbolt. If Tyranitar manages to trap them, then Gyarados may very well sweep the enemy team. Lucario is another example of this, dreading a possible Choice Scarf Rotom-H or Gengar coming in after it sets up. As long as you avoid switching in on a Focus Blast, Tyranitar can dispatch of Gengar as well. Agility Metagross also has a much easier time with Rotom-A gone especially.</p>
[SET]
name: TyraniBoah
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Dark Pulse / Crunch
move 4: Flamethrower / Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 176 SpA / 28 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>TyraniBoah is still a solid threat, especially against stall teams. Bringing Tyranitar out will often force switches, which gives you the opportunity to set up a Substitute and help lessen the need to predict correctly for your next move. From there, fire off Focus Punch or your STAB Dark-type move from behind your Substitute. The choice for a 4th move is dependent on your team. Ice Beam is a great choice; it will deal massive damage to Gliscor, Donphan, Salamence, and Breloom. Flamethrower is a good option in order to hit Scizor and Forretress for an OHKO, as well as hitting Skarmory and Metagross for a 2HKO. Thunderbolt hits the aforementioned Skarmory as well, though it will be able to reduce the damage thanks to Roost. However, Thunderbolt is also your best option against Suicune, Milotic, and Gyarados.</p>
<p>Dark Pulse is suggested over Crunch so Tyranitar can perform its wall-breaking duties better. Choosing Dark Pulse gives you a good option against the physical walls you cannot hit super effective with your special move of choice. It also maximizes this EV spread's efficiency as you won't have to split the EVs. Crunch does have the advantage of operating off Tyranitar's high attacking stat, and it works rather well when coupled up with Ice Beam. Crunch will also do a lot more damage to Latias, who may Calm Mind enough to make Dark Pulse's damage forgettable. Crunch should also be your STAB attack of choice if you use this version of Tyranitar in Uber battles thanks to most foes having much higher Special Defense than they do Defense.</p>
<p>The Speed EVs allow you to outspeed Blissey. If you want, you can put a few more EVs into Speed, in case the enemy Blissey also invests in Speed. It can be important to be faster than Blissey so you can Substitute before they get the chance to use Thunder Wave or Toxic on you. Maxing your HP gives you 404 HP, which creates Substitutes that are 101 HP. This means that Blissey's Seismic Toss cannot break your Substitute in one hit, letting you Focus Punch for free on the next turn. The Special Attack EVs put you at 297 Special Attack, which easily allows you to 2HKO 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippowdon with Ice Beam assuming you are running a Quiet nature. If you use Crunch, consider Brave over Quiet (and possibly raise Attack at the expense of Special Attack). Basically, adjust the spread to fit your needs.</p>
<p>With Flamethrower or Ice Beam in the last slot, you will find yourself being countered easily by bulky Water-types, Suicune in particular, as it can set up Calm Minds easily against Tyranitar. For this reason, a Vaporeon with Toxic or Hidden Power Electric will be very helpful to counter Suicune, as well as the likes of Gyarados and enemy Vaporeon. Celebi, resisting Water-type attacks, also works very well, as does Roserade. Roserade's Toxic Spikes are incredibly helpful in stalling out Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Vaporeon, and others whom you couldn't normally KO. Without Ice Beam, Hippowdon and Gliscor counter this set easily, so a Water-type of your own can force them out. Starmie gets particular mention as it can Rapid Spin their Stealth Rock as well as use Grass Knot to swiftly dispatch of Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: CurseTar
move 1: Curse
move 2: Payback / Crunch
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar's astounding offensive capabilities, together with its good HP, good physical Defense, and phenomenal Special Defense (taking into account Sand Stream's boost), make it a natural candidate for a Curse set. If your opponent no longer has powerful Fighting-type attacks or a Choice Specs/Band user with STAB super effective moves, Tyranitar will become nearly impossible to stop once it gets a couple boosts to its Defense. Rest and Sleep Talk aid in its ability to set up and help in its overall survivability. Crunch and Payback are your Dark STAB moves of choice, and each has different advantages. Crunch has a 20% chance to lower the opponent's Defense one stage, meaning Tyranitar can hit even harder through dedicated walls should it get a Defense drop. However, Payback's power doubles if the opponent moves last or if they switch out. Since Tyranitar is lowering its Speed with Curse, Payback will almost always have 100 Base power, making it the primary choice on this set.</p>
<p>Now, many of you may be reading this and asking, why wouldn't I use Regirock? It has superior physical defensive capabilities, arguably better typing, and only slightly worse special defensive abilities. However, for Curse Regirock to be effective, it is necessary to pair it with a Pokémon with the Sand Stream ability to boost its Special Defense. So, you are forced to include a Pokémon with similar weaknesses and reduce the team's overall resistances to allow Curse Regirock to be effective. Curse Tyranitar does not have this problem, since Sand Stream is immediately activated, leaving more freedom in team building as opposed to using Curse Regirock. Also, the ability to use a mono attacker because of the Dark STAB is a positive, because it allows you to use Rest and Sleep Talk on the same set. Regirock would be hard pressed to do the same thing with its weaker Attack stat. The given EVs are designed to allow Tyranitar to survive a Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast 100% of the time and a Modest one on average. The remaining EVs were delegated to Defense to take physical hits better while setting up Curse.</p>
<p>Fighting-type Pokemon are a real pest when using this set. Thankfully, most of them are countered by a few Pokemon. Gliscor can take advantage of Sand Veil and help Tyranitar set up by Taunting the foe to prevent hindering status effects. To defeat the Water-types who will beat both Tyranitar and Gliscor, Celebi is a great option, resisting Water-type attacks and possessing Leaf Storm to deal massive damage to the foe. Skarmory is one of the biggest problems to this Tyranitar as it will easily set up Spikes and Whirlwind Tyranitar away before it can set up enough Curses. Heatran is an immediate answer to Skarmory, and with Substitute, it can even stall out Water-types such as Vaporeon and Gyarados with Toxic. Metagross and Scizor are other big problems for this set, and once again, Heatran comes to mind as a counter, easily switching in on resisted Meteor Mashes, Bullet Punches, and U-turns.</p>
[SET]
name: MixTar
move 1: Flamethrower
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Dark Pulse / Crunch / Thunderbolt
move 4: Superpower
item: Expert Belt
nature: Naive
evs: 48 Atk / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar is usually the prodigious physical attacker, but this set changes the game by bringing out Special Attacks to beat Tyranitar's bewildered counters. This lets Tyranitar act as a lure of sorts, as well as handle stall teams a lot easier than the standard Choice Band set. Flamethrower is for the ubiquitous Steel-types that switch in ever so often. Scizor and Forretress are both easily OHKOed, while Metagross and Jirachi are promptly 2HKOed. Skarmory that don't invest in Special Defense are OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Ice Beam hits Hippowdon and Gliscor, the former of which is 2HKOed, while the latter is OHKOed. The third slot is variable. Dark Pulse hits a lot of Tyranitar's counters for good damage and actually hits most Rotom-A harder, as they are usually EV'd purely in Defense. Crunch allows you to pose as a purely physical attacker and also hits Latias a lot harder than Dark Pulse. Thunderbolt can also be used for Gyarados, who requires a Life Orb to directly OHKO you. Thunderbolt is also your best option against Suicune and Vaporeon. Superpower rounds out the set by defeating enemy Tyranitar, Blissey, and Heatran all in one move. Expert Belt is the item of choice to score certain KOs, and you may also bluff a Choice item. The EVs give you enough Speed to outpace Adamant Scizor and the standard Breloom, as well as most Metagross, Rotom-A, and Skarmory. Your Special Attack is maxed,
<p>This Tyranitar's job is to open huge holes in the and the rest of the EVs are placed into the Attack stat.</p> opponent's defensive core so other Pokemon can finish off the foe. Swords Dance Lucario is a great partner to this Tyranitar, sharing many of its counters, most of which Tyranitar can defeat. If however, Tyranitar does not have Thunderbolt, it would be wise to give Lucario Stone Edge to overcome Gyarados. Scizor is another Swords Dancer who would love certain Pokemon out of the way, namely Skarmory and Rotom-A, both of which Tyranitar handles very well. You can give Tyranitar Thunderbolt for Gyarados as well. There remains a couple of Pokemon who Tyranitar still has no hope of beating; those would be Machamp, Suicune (if you lack Thunderbolt), and the seldom seen Hariyama. Celebi is a great counter to all of these Pokemon, resisting both Water-type and Fighting-type attacks. Thanks to Recover, Celebi can stay healthy even during a sandstorm. Zapdos and Rotom-A can also work well; Zapdos has more power for defeating Suicune, while Rotom-A is more equipped against the aforementioned Fighting-types due to Will-O-Wisp.</p>
[SET]
name: BaitTar
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
item: Expert Belt
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 48 SpA / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Tyranitar set works especially well in the early stages of a battle by mimicking a Choice Band set to lure out and eliminate certain Pokemon. Crunch provides a reliable STAB attack and attracts Pokemon like Scizor, Breloom, and Skarmory. Pursuit also lures in the same Pokemon, and it allows Tyranitar to trap frailer special attackers like Jolteon and Latias. Superpower scores an OHKO on most Blissey (who may try to stall out Tyranitar with Wish and Protect after it uses Pursuit), opposing Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Lucario. Flamethrower scores a surefire 2HKO on Skarmory (it deals up to 78%) and max HP Metagross as well as OHKOes on Scizor, Forretress, and Breloom (the latter after Stealth Rock damage). Fire Blast is a more powerful alternative that OHKOs Skarmory after Stealth Rock damage and has a 32.87% chance to 2HKO standard Sassy Bronzong, but Flamethrower is usually preferred due to this set's reliance on surprise value and a possible miss with Fire Blast ruining this. Expert Belt allows Tyranitar to bluff a choice item while letting it get the OHKOs and 2HKOs necessary maximum effectiveness.</p>
<p>A Hasty nature and 208 Speed EVs lets Tyranitar hit 231 Speed, which outspeeds Adamant Scizor, Adamant Breloom, Bold Rotom-A, and most Metagross. Attack is maximized to deal the most damage with Crunch, Pursuit, and Superpower, while the remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack.</p>
<p>Like most of Tyranitar's sets, this one is walled by bulky Ground- and Fighting-type Pokemon like Swampert, Hippowdon, and Machamp. A Celebi or Latias of your own can easily switch into Ground- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Tyranitar, and it can also help against bulky Waters like Vaporeon and Suicune. Both paralysis and burn will make Tyranitar almost useless, so packing a cleric may be a good idea, especially if you plan on switching Tyranitar into common status inducers like Blissey and Cresselia. Against non-choiced Rotom-A, it is recommended to Crunch first turn to ensure that a Will-O-Wisp won't make Tyranitar useless (Tyranitar is faster than standard defensive Rotom-A with the given EVs). In terms of offensive teammates, Latias and Gengar are both good choices. Some teams don't carry dedicated counters for them and instead rely on Choice Band Scizor or Choice Scarf Rotom-A as checks. By luring and eliminating their checks, Tyranitar can help them sweep. Gyarados is also a good partner, since Tyranitar can Pursuit Rotom-A and Celebi while Gyarados easily sets up on Hippowdon and Swampert (especially if it carries Taunt).</p>
[SET]
name: Counter
move 1: Counter
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Stone Edge / Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 104 HP / 144 Atk / 72 Def / 188 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set gives Tyranitar a chance to get past some of its more common counters. By using the lure of a standard Dragon Dance Tyranitar, the likes of Hippowdon, Bronzong, Scizor, Gyarados, and Gliscor will often switch in. However, you can quickly wipe that smug look off your opponent's face as you Counter their attack back at them for an OHKO. Having eliminated your opponent's Tyranitar counter, you should then be free to sweep. Stone Edge is recommended over Crunch because most of the things that you will be hitting will take more damage from Stone Edge, and several common Tyranitar switch-ins that resist it (Bronzong, Hippowdon, Swampert) are all easily OHKOed by Counter. However, if you want the harder hit on the likes of Celebi and Cresselia, then Crunch is a perfectly viable option; especially if you run Magnezone to take care of Skarmory.</p>
<p>The given EVs ensure that Tyranitar will survive Scizor's Bullet Punch and then Counter for an easy OHKO. The Speed ensures that you are faster than neutral Lucario after a Dragon Dance, though you will need to be wary of the threat of Vacuum Wave or Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>If you plan on using this set to get around the likes of Machamp and Hariyama, then a Chople Berry is a worthwhile item choice; if you decide to use it, then Tyranitar can survive a Machamp DynamicPunch and OHKO in return with Counter. However, in the case of DynamicPunch you've only got a 50% chance of pulling off a successful Counter due to confusion. In the case of Hariyama, most defensive variants use Thick Fat and Force Palm, which, with this EV spread, Tyranitar can usually survive anyway, so Chople Berry remains a lesser option. Babiri Berry is also viable if you don't think Tyranitar will be at max health when encountering Scizor or Metagross.</p>
<p>It is recommended that this set be played with reliable Wish support, as replenishing Tyranitar's health after pulling off a successful Counter will make sweeping much easier. Vaporeon is probably your best candidate, also helping against Gyarados if it tries to Dragon Dance as you Counter. Fighting-types such as Machamp and Heracross will be really bothersome if you lack a Chople Berry. A Choice Banded Close Combat can even kill Tyranitar straight through Chople Berry, which is why you should be extra cautious. Gliscor easily counters both of these Pokemon, only fearing an Ice Punch from Machamp. Celebi can counter Machamp well enough, and Heracross locked into Close Combat as well. The main reason to use Celebi, however, would to be to beat Water-types who cannot be Countered, yet Tyranitar is not strong enough to beat. These would be Suicune, Vaporeon, and even Swampert using Surf.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Surf
move 4: Superpower / Focus Punch / Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Tyranitar has the potential to surprise your opponent, as they will likely expect it to be dishing out physical attacks. Dark Pulse is for reliable STAB and hits Swampert as well as Hippowdon hard enough to 2HKO with prior damage. It can OHKO even the Special Defense monster Latias after Stealth Rock damage and has a 20% chance to cause the foe to flinch. Flamethrower helps against Bronzong, Skarmory, Heracross, Metagross, Scizor, and Lucario. Surf gives you great neutral coverage while 2HKOing most bulky Ground-type switch ins. It also hits Heatran and enemy Tyranitar without resorting to Superpower. Thunderbolt is a helpful option against bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon, Suicune, and Gyarados. The latter two of which are easily 2HKOed, while Gyarados is OHKOed without a second thought. The given Speed EVs put you at 177 Speed, just above the minimum Speed of Skarmory and Metagross, while also edging out Choice Band Scizor. Because they can (and often will) carry some Speed EVs, you might want to invest some more EVs in Speed to have a greater chance of being faster than them.</p>
<p>If you find a certain fat pink blob starts to switch into this Tyranitar after she learns you're using Choice Specs, you can use either Superpower or Focus Punch as the fourth move. If you use Superpower, a Quiet nature is optimal to score a 2HKO on both Calm Blissey and Snorlax. Focus Punch is a good option to predict a Blissey or Snorlax switch-in, and has the potential to do more damage but it means you cannot come in on Blissey, she must come in on you. Because Focus Punch doesn't quite KO with the given EVs, use 60 Atk / 252 SpA / 196 Spe with a Mild Nature, which deals a minimum 89% to a Calm Blissey. This EV spread also puts you at 207 Speed, which outspeeds Bold Suicune and Cresselia. While using Focus Punch with this spread might help you deal with Blissey and Snorlax, it also reduces your defenses and forces you to use a negative Defense nature, which isn't always ideal on a Pokémon that can take hits from both ends of the spectrum as well as Tyranitar. Other Special Attacking option for the last slot are Hidden Power Rock and Ancient Power, both giving you a STAB option and another way to hit Gyarados and Salamence.</p>
<p>Here is something you don't get to say often: Blissey and Snorlax are the best counters to this Tyranitar set. For this reason, a powerful physical attacker to accompany Tyranitar would be extremely helpful. Gyarados gets particular mention due to Taunt, enabling it to shut down Curse Snorlax and prevent Blissey from statusing it. Gyarados will also appreciate the fact that Tyranitar has hopefully eliminated Skarmory. Bulky Water-types are the next best counter to this set, most of which having respectable Special Defense. Celebi once again shines as an immediate counter to Water-types. Celebi with Thunder Wave will be even more helpful, giving Tyranitar the possibility to sweep once it is faster than everything. Lucario is another powerful physical sweeper who will be very happy if Tyranitar eliminates Hippowdon and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Dancer
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Crunch / Stone Edge
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naive
evs: 116 Atk / 144 SpA / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Tyranitar with Dragon Dance? Although at first glance this set may seem to be nothing more than a gimmick, it tears apart Tyranitar's usual counters, giving openings for sweepers such as Lucario, Scizor, and the like. Even Tyranitar itself is able to sweep a lot more easily, though that is not the primary goal of the set.</p>
<p>Crunch is the most reliable choice for your sole physical attack, but Stone Edge is a powerful STAB option to hit Heatran, Gyarados, and Salamence. Fire Blast is a necessity to take out the bulky Steel-types; it will OHKO Skarmory and Forretress, while 2HKOing the standard Bronzong and most Metagross. Ice Beam pummels the opponent's bulky Ground-types such as Gliscor and Hippowdon, but not Swampert. Hidden Power Grass is a great option over Ice Beam to hit Swampert harder, but it will leave you open to Salamence, which makes Stone Edge the best STAB to use with Hidden Power Grass.</p>
<p>When playing this Tyranitar, the first move you use should usually be Dragon Dance to mislead the foe into thinking it is a regular Dragon Dance Tyranitar. However, to your opponent's surprise, they will find their Hippowdon, Skarmory, or Bronzong either OHKOed or crippled to the point where it can no longer effectively wall, particularly Bronzong, which lacks reliable recovery.</p>
<p>With 248 Speed EVs, Tyranitar can outrun the positive base 115s after a Dragon Dance. 144 Special Attack EVs guarantee a 2HKO on the standard Bronzong, while the remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help maximize damage dealt.</p>
<p>This set is the epitome of a lure, killing many of Tyranitar's counters, namely Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Gliscor. With a dead Skarmory, Scizor will have a much easier time sweeping with Bullet Punch. With a dead Hippowdon or Gliscor, Lucario will have a field day with the opponent's team. It would be a good idea to have Wish support ready as Tyranitar will often have to take a hard hit to defeat its counters. This applies mostly against Hippowdon and Swampert. If you lack Ice Beam, Gliscor can come in and wall you. Suicune and Vaporeon can counter Gliscor easily, and Vaporeon can also back you up with Wish support. If you lack Hidden Power Grass, Swampert will defeat you effectively. Celebi is the best Swampert counter you will find, fending off enemy Suicune as well as Vaporeon.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Payback
move 3: Rest / Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Chesto Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar's main goal as a lead is to completely shut down the most common lead in today's metagame, Azelf. Due to Sandstream breaking Azelf's Focus Sash, Tyranitar can OHKO Azelf with Payback before it gets a chance to use Explosion on Tyranitar. Some Azelf won't switch out either, fearing a powerful Pursuit, meaning all they can do is set up Stealth Rock before biting the dust. Stone Edge is Tyranitar's most powerful attack and will bring down Dragonite, Gyarados, and Salamence leads without much trouble. Payback will defeat Roserade leads; Sandstream then finishing Roserade off, while Chesto Berry guards against Sleep Powder. Smeargle is in a similar vein. Crunch can be used over Payback, but then you must resort to Stone Edge to defeat Roserade leads, and since Tyranitar is very slow, Payback will have max base power most of the time. Rest is a rather unorthodox option, but it is very useful later in the game when you are low on health. If you still have your Chesto Berry intact, then you can be woken up from your slumber that very turn. Earthquake is useful against Heatran leads, 2HKOing those with Shuca Berry. Earthquake is also your strongest option against Metagross and Jirachi; however, it is best to switch out from them as STAB Steel-type attacks will finish off Tyranitar too soon. Stealth Rock in the last slot is almost just a filler move; however, Tyranitar has multiple opportunities throughout the game to come in and set it up thanks to its enormous Special Defense. The given EV spread guarantees a combination of Stone Edge and Sandstream will defeat Roserade leads, while also giving you a significant amount of bulk to survive Leaf Storms, Explosions, and Earth Powers.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, you are going to want to switch out of any lead that packs a STAB super effective move on Tyranitar. This includes, Metagross, Jirachi, Infernape, Swampert, Mamoswine, and Bronzong. A majority of these Pokemon can be countered by bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon. They only have to fear Trick from Jirachi, Explosion from Metagross, and Endeavor from Mamoswine. Rotom-A counters all of the aforementioned Pokemon, bar Infernape. A bonus would be being able to permanently cripple Pokemon with Will-O-Wisp. Skarmory can also come in and set up Spikes on most of the mentioned leads. Starmie counters Infernape very well and can also use Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock that many leads will try to set up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Some people may use Rock Slide instead of Stone Edge because Stone Edge has such poor PP and accuracy. The problem with that is that you already have Crunch, with more power and accuracy (and arguably a better side-effect, when you consider Tyranitar's low Speed) than Rock Slide. If you use Rock Slide, there are going to be very few situations in which you will find yourself using it. With Stone Edge, however, the increase in power can get you out of some tricky situations where Crunch / Rock Slide wouldn't do enough damage.</p>
<p>There are many physical options that weren't mentioned on the other sets. Ice Punch destroys Flygon and in particular Gliscor. The main reason is isn't recommended over Aqua Tail is that it misses the 2HKO on Hippowdon that Aqua Tail provides. Using Ice Punch over Aqua Tail also takes away a good option for hitting Steels and enemy Tyranitar, but is still a great choice for its perfect accuracy and type coverage.</p>
<p>Another viable version of the Choice Scarf set includes Fire Blast and Ice Beam over Earthquake and Pursuit. This allows Tyranitar to actually revenge kill Pokemon who would usually counter it. Ice Beam nails Gliscor and 2HKOes Hippowdon, while Fire Blast will beat Skarmory.</p>
<p>There are many other viable options on Dragon Dance Tyranitar that could not fit within the actual set listing. Taunt is a great option on this set to prevent Skarmory from using Whirlwind and to prevent status. Taunt is also ideal in the Uber tier to stop things from setting up and to force switches. Since Tyranitar often forces switches, using Substitute gives you a barrier to set up behind and might fool some opponents into thinking you are using Boah. Putting a Substitute up also prevents Scizor or Dugtrio from revenge killing you, but it also limits your type coverage to only two moves.</p>
<p>There are some options on the Special side that were not mentioned and could work decently on the Choice Specs set. Hidden Power Rock or AncientPower could be used for a STAB move on the special end of the spectrum, but their type coverage rarely makes up for the by the other moves because of their low base power. Surf is a good option against Rhyperior, but it is less of an option when compared to Hidden Power Grass, which not only hits Rhyperior for massive damage, but Swampert as well. Overall though, you will find that the moves listed under the Choice Specs set work better than these other options.</p>
<p>Rock Polish can be used over Dragon Dance. You trade the Attack boost from Dragon Dance in order to outspeed more threats, such as Timid Choice Scarf Heatran. This also has the advantage of not requiring as much initial Speed as the Dragon Dance set, allowing for more HP EVs to protect yourself against threats such as Scizor. It is a lesser option than the Dragon Dance set for the most part and is best used if you're carrying a Baton Passer to pass Attack boosts or if you want to use it on a special attacker because the lack of power is quite noticeable.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is decent on Tyranitar, although many of its common switch-ins are Ground-types or don't mind the paralysis. Stealth Rock is useful for support but is best left to more defensive Pokémon that might have recovery moves. If you do use it, though, it is best used on the lead set. Screech is a decent option to force switches, but many of Tyranitar's counters are faster than it, and Tyranitar won't be able to take advantage of the opponent's lower Defense.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Purely physical Tyranitar sets appreciate bulky Special Attackers to counter enemy Ground- and Water-types. Latias, Suicune, Gyarados, and Celebi can both switch in easily on relatively weak Earthquakes and Surfs from defensive Pokemon and, in many cases, OHKO back. Celebi and Latias get special mention because they also lure in Scizor, who they can dispose of easily with Hidden Power Fire. A Pokemon to lure and defeat troublesome Pokemon is also helpful in the case of Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Choice Specs Lucario does just that in most cases; however,
<p>A Tyranitar using you have to predict what is coming in. While a Choice Specs Aura Sphere will surely 2HKO Hippowdon, you have to be wary of a Gliscor coming in instead. A primarily Special Attacking Salamence or Dragonite can also defeat many of Tyranitar's counters, namely Swampert and Hippowdon. Both often attract said physical walls due to their tendency to use Dragon Dance.</p> special attacks will not hit quite as hard as the mighty Choice Band set and thus will have some trouble with Suicune, Gyarados, and Vaporeon. Heatran with Toxic is a great lure to these Pokemon and can often wither said bulky Water-type Pokemon's health in a matter of turns. Be cautious of Rest on Gyarados and Suicune, however. Zapdos makes a good counter in general to these Pokemon and also counters Scizor without breaking a sweat. It would be wise to include something in your team to sweep after Tyranitar has finished breaking down walls. Lucario and Scizor are excellent sweepers once Gliscor, Skarmory, and Hippowdon have been eliminated.</p>
<p>Defensively, Tyranitar requires something to take Fighting- and Ground-type attacks. Rotom-A and Gyarados are prime candidates. A specially defensive Tyranitar coupled with a physically defensive Rotom-A can counter a large majority of the metagame, although some notable Pokemon they cannot reliably counter are Salamence and Infernape. Gliscor is a great partner to Tyranitar not only because it can counter Lucario very well, but also because it has Sand Veil, which is activated by Tyranitar's Sandstream and can come in handy in a sticky situation. Toxic Spikes support is very helpful alongside most Tyranitar, as very few of Tyranitar's counters are immune to it. Forretress, Scizor, and Gliscor are the only exceptions, but they are loosely considered true counters in the first place, as a Choice Banded Stone Edge or the appropriate Special Attack will cause their demise. Roserade and Forretress are your best bets at setting up Toxic Spikes. Roserade makes a great lead and also fends off Ground- and Water-types if you can bring it in safely. Forretress can switch in on many physical attackers, such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Scizor, and set up Toxic Spikes with little worry.</p>
[EVs]
Choice Band: There are two main ways to EV Tyranitar. The most common way is to go 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Special Defense Adamant. This gives you plenty of survivability without compromising Attack. The other option is to use 252 HP / 40 Attack / 216 Special Defense Careful. This puts your Special Defense up sky- high and lets you live through a Timid Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast 100% of the time (and thus you will live through anything from most special attackers, although Modest Life Orb Gengar has a 38% chance to OHKO). You still have plenty of Attack thanks to Tyranitar's high base stats and Choice Band, but you will feel the power loss in some cases. Choice Specs follows a similar distribution set, except you'd obviously want Special Attack over Attack and a Calm nature instead of Careful. A Jolly nature is viable if you wish to outspeed most defensive Rotom-A and Adamant Scizor.</p>
<p>If you wish to use Choice Scarf Tyranitar, it is suggested you use as much Speed as possible, guaranteeing you are faster than base 115s not holding a Choice Scarf themselves. 116 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature is a viable way to EV Choice Scarf Tyranitar that is using Fire Blast and Ice Beam. An alternative way to EV MixTar is to give it a Brave or Quiet nature with max Attack and Special Attack. This makes Tyranitar very slow, but also maximizes its attacking potential. Most EV spreads are specific for each individual set.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Monstrous, both competitively and aesthetically, Tyranitar is easily one of the most dangerous Pokémon in the game, with its massive Attack stat, good defenses—aided by the Special Defense boost from Sand Stream—and passable Special Attack. Tyranitar's only mediocre stat is Speed, and Dragon Dance helps fix that. Not only does Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability grant it the aforementioned boost, but it negates Leftovers recovery on anything not immune to its effects, making staying alive against Tyranitar an even tougher proposition for many Pokémon. It also makes Tyranitar somewhat of a team player, granting an evasion boost to those with the Sand Veil ability, such as Gliscor. Tyranitar's incredible power is backed up by a huge movepool, with which it can hit anything attempting to counter it very hard. The fact that Tyranitar can also acquit itself well against many in the Uber metagame is testament to just how good this powerhouse of a Pokémon really is.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Scizor has been mentioned a few times in this analysis and for good reason. His high defense allows him to take a few hits from Tyranitar's Stone Edge, and Scizor can outspeed Tyranitar and deal serious damage with Superpower, STAB Bug Bite, or U-Turn. It can also fire off a Bullet Punch to take out a weakened Dragon Dancer. However, be aware that Choice Band Stone Edge from max Attack Tyranitar does 80%-94% against a 248 HP / 0 Def Scizor and has a chance to OHKO it if Stealth Rock is present. Any set that boasts a Fire-type attack can predict a Scizor switch-in and OHKO him. Forretress works the same way, but it doesn't outspeed Tyranitar and therefore is more vulnerable to a Fire-attack from a non-choiced set. Choice Band Stone Edge can still hurt Forretress, potentially 2HKOing it. Bronzong is useful against the Dragon Dancer as it's immune to Earthquake, resistant to Rock, and neutral to Dark. Gyro Ball's power is boosted after a Dragon Dance, which helps both Forretress and Bronzong to kill off Tyranitar. Skarmory can't really threaten Tyranitar, but it can switch in on most sets and set up Spikes or phaze Tyranitar.</p>
<p>Bulky Ground-types are good counters for the physical sets, thanks to their Rock resist and high Defense. Donphan, Hippowdon, and Rhyperior all do a good job, although they have to be aware of a Choice Band Aqua Tail, which can 2HKO. Swampert doesn't have the same problem with Aqua Tail, but a Choice Band Crunch will 3HKO, and a Dragon Dance Life Orb Crunch can 2HKO. Steelix is a good option, but watch out for repeated Earthquakes, Focus Punches, or Aqua Tails. Gliscor can work very effectively as Sand Veil helps to avoid taking a hit and Roost can buy him a Rock resist, though it must be wary of the occasional Ice Beam. All of these can handle Tyranitar with STAB Earthquake.</p>
<p>Although Breloom's poor defenses mean it's at risk from Stone Edge—which can 2HKO—it resists everything on the Choice Band set barring the occasional Ice Beam and has Mach Punch and Seed Bomb to kill off Tyranitar. Lucario is in a similar position, but boasts 4x resistances to both STAB moves. Earthquake, Fire Punch, or Focus Punch will finish Lucario, though, so be wary of that. Poliwrath is another fighter that has these useful resists, and in addition it is also immune to Water and resists Fire and Ice attacks. Hariyama and Machamp both have the defenses to handle Tyranitar's attacks, and resistances to both STAB attacks is a big help. Hariyama has the additional advantage of Thick Fat, and Machamp has good Special Defense, which help these Pokémon take Special Attacks pretty easily.</p>
Changes Thus Far:
- Added team option paragraphs
- Added Team Option sections
- Reorganized a couple sets
- Re-wrote Mix Attacker
- Re-wrote Lead set
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Tyranitar is one of the most monstrously powerful physical threats in the fourth generation. Stone Edge and Crunch both have massive power with the STAB boosts and are Tyranitar's main methods of attacking. Pursuit is one of the main draws of the set, as it allows Tyranitar to be an effective counter to Rotom, Latias, and any other Ghost- or Psychic-type. With many sweepers opting to use Choice items, predicting well and making use of Tyranitar's useful resistances can get it in for a free Pursuit to OHKO, or at least wear down, many opponents.
<p>Aqua Tail allows Tyranitar to get past bulky Grounds with surprising success. With Aqua Tail and a Choice Band, even the mighty Hippowdon is 2HKOed, and thus the original 100% counter to the Choice Band set can be dealt with. Gliscor is 2HKOed as well, but it can stall Tyranitar for a miss, with Sand Veil reducing Aqua Tail's already less than perfect accuracy. Earthquake is still a powerful option against Metagross and Jirachi, and it also OHKOes Empoleon, but it is not needed as Crunch already deals hefty damage to most Steel-types. Another option for Tyranitar's fourth moveslot is Fire Punch, which allows Tyranitar to OHKO both Scizor and Forretress and to 2HKO Skarmory without having to worry about Stone Edge missing.</p>
<p>The given EV spread makes Tyranitar fast enough to outspeed 20 Speed EV Skarmory, allowing Tyranitar to 2HKO with Stone Edge before it can Roost to gain a resistance to Rock-type attacks. After maxing out Attack, the remainder of the EVs are placed into HP to bolster Tyranitar's already strong defenses. The Speed EVs may be dropped if you do not care about 2HKOing Skarmory, or more can be added if you wish to outspeed defensive Suicune and Rotom-A.</p>
<p>Very few things can safely counter Tyranitar without losing a huge chunk of health. The most notable difficulties are bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Gliscor. It would be good to pack a Special Attacker immune to Earthquake to combat these Pokemon. Latias, Gengar, or Salamence work very well. All of them resist or are immune to Fighting-type attacks as well as the Ground-type attacks that plague Tyranitar. The four bulky Fighting-types (Machamp, Hariyama, Hitmontop, and Poliwrath) will also be troublesome, but they lack a recovery move, and only Machamp is commonly seen in OU. It would still be a wise idea, however, to have a Ghost-type waiting in the wings to take all Fighting-type attacks. Rotom-A is your best bet at taking on Heracross and Machamp, whilst also countering pesky Scizor who can switch in on Crunch and possibly OHKO Tyranitar with Bullet Punch. Gyarados can also counter many of the aforementioned physical attackers thanks to Intimidate and easily set up on those locked into resisted moves. Tyranitar helps Gyarados out by Pursuiting Rotom-A and Zapdos, two common counters to the standard Gyarados.</p>
<p>Since the main goal of this Tyranitar is to eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types, having a Pokemon to take advantage of their absence would be very wise. Lucario cannot get very far without running into a Celebi, Cresselia, or Choice Scarf Rotom-H, but by trapping these Pokemon with Tyranitar, Lucario is free to sweep using Ice Punch or Stone Edge. Infernape is another Pokemon who is often stopped dead in his tracks by Starmie or Latias, but not anymore with Tyranitar. Since these two Psychic-types have super effective moves against Tyranitar, it would help if Tyranitar had a more specially defensive EV spread.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Fire Punch / Aqua Tail / Earthquake
item: Babiri Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set may not pose the same immediate threat as the Choice Bander does, but it is capable of running through an entire team when played correctly. Stone Edge and Crunch provide the deadly dual STAB combination that Tyranitar is famous for. Fire Punch rounds off the set by giving an option to hit Steel-types, such as Forretress, Lucario, and perhaps most importantly, Scizor, for super effective damage. However,
<p>Choosing between Adamant or Jolly is choosing whether you want to do more damage, or be able to outspeed more Aqua Tail is also a good option as it allows you to effectively deal with Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Heatran as well as gaining better type coverage. Earthquake gives you an immediate OHKO on Jirachi and even the standard Metagross after some residual damage. Earthquake also won't miss where it counts against a Pokemon such as Infernape or an enemy Tyranitar.</p> things, respectively. If you choose Adamant, after one Dragon Dance, Tyranitar will reach 332 Speed, which is enough to outspeed neutral base 115s and positive natured base 100s. Jolly allows Tyranitar to reach 364 Speed, which allows you to beat everything up to positive-natured base 115s, including Azelf and Starmie. Often the extra Speed is necessary to prevent you from being revenge killed by speedy threats such as Infernape and Latias, at the cost of losing the chance to OHKO or 2HKO many of the bulkier walls.</p>
<p>The item choice is even more important this generation, mainly because Scizor is such a threat. Choice Band Scizor has a good chance to OHKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage, and since Scizor is one of the most threatening Pokémon, it may be useful to run a Babiri Berry, which will reduce Scizor's Bullet Punch damage to a maximum of 53%. Meanwhile, +1 Attack Tyranitar will always OHKO Scizor with both Stone Edge and Fire Punch after Stealth Rock damage. Babiri Berry can also help against Jirachi trying to kill you with Iron Head or Metagross with Meteor Mash. If the lack of power is frustrating, or you don't really care about Scizor revenge killing you, use Life Orb, which gives you the ability to 2HKO Swampert with Crunch after a Dragon Dance. Taunt is a viable option over an attacking move to shut down Skarmory but losing an attack leaves you open to other threats.</p>
<p>This Tyranitar is more concerned about being revenge killed than being walled. The most common revenge killers to Tyranitar are Scizor and Choice Scarf Jirachi. While Scizor cannot OHKO you thanks to Babiri Berry, you have only a 40% chance to avoid a flinch from Iron Head and beat Jirachi, and you must have Earthquake in order to KO it. Magnezone therefore remains a good partner to this Tyranitar as it can trap and kill most Steel-types out there. You may also lure and kill Swampert with Hidden Power Grass, which would be very helpful to Tyranitar's sweep. Gyarados also pairs up well with Tyranitar, easily shrugging off resisted Steel-type attacks and oftentimes damaging physical walls like Swampert enough for Tyranitar to clean up the mess. Many Pokemon that will defeat Gyarados, such as Rotom-A, Latias, and Zapdos, will have trouble with Tyranitar. Rotom-A is another good counter to Scizor and Jirachi, and it can use Will-O-Wisp to shut them down. Bulky Water-types will generally trouble most of Tyranitar's usual counters, including Hippowdon and Swampert. They cannot do enough damage to get past the likes of Suicune and Vaporeon, while STAB Surf will do a lot of damage to them.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While most players expect Tyranitar to be slow and hard hitting, this set gives it a much needed boost in Speed at the cost of some of its attacking power. With a Choice Scarf attached, Tyranitar edges out many dangerous OverUsed threats such as Starmie, Azelf, Infernape, Gengar, Salamence, and Lucario, and scores an OHKO on all of them.</p>
<p>The main reason to give Tyranitar a Choice Scarf however, is to absorb Trick. The majority of Pokemon who use Trick are Psychic- and Ghost-types weak to Pursuit. This means Tyranitar can switch in on a Trick no problem, and then Pursuit the helpless Pokemon as they flee. With the sandstorm Special Defense boost, Tyranitar can counter Latias, Azelf, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A with no problem at all. Tyrantar's convenient Speed allows it to out-pace even Azelf and Starmie not wielding a Choice Scarf themselves. The last slot boils down to preference. While Earthquake is a more consistent attack, Superpower does more immediate damage to Blissey and enemy Tyranitar. Rock Slide is also a viable option over Stone Edge for the better accuracy and possible flinch rate, which Tyranitar can abuse with its high Speed.
<p>This Tyranitar works very well on a stall team which requires a Trick absorber. Trick is one of few moves that plagues stall teams, often permanently crippling walls and limiting their ability to counter Pokemon. Tyranitar puts a stop to that. Forretress has a much easier time setting up and removing entry hazards when Rotom-A is gone, due to it blocking Rapid Spin and burning Forretress. Scizor and bulky Ground- as well as Water-types easily counter this Tyranitar since it lacks the boost provided by a Choice Band. Celebi is a great counter to Water-types and Ground-types alike, as they share a weakness to Celebi's STAB. Celebi can also use Hidden Power Fire to defeat an incoming Scizor. Celebi can also use Heal Bell to cure Tyranitar of any status; a burn from Rotom-A in particular. Rotom-A is a wonderful direct counter to Scizor. It also defeats most Gyarados, OHKOing with Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>With a certain pesky Ghost- or Psychic-type Pokemon out of the way, you can open up opportunities for another Pokemon to sweep. Gyarados despises Choice Scarf Rotom-A, as well as Latias packing Thunderbolt. If Tyranitar manages to trap them, then Gyarados may very well sweep the enemy team. Lucario is another example of this, dreading a possible Choice Scarf Rotom-H or Gengar coming in after it sets up. As long as you avoid switching in on a Focus Blast, Tyranitar can dispatch of Gengar as well. Agility Metagross also has a much easier time with Rotom-A gone especially.</p>
[SET]
name: TyraniBoah
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Dark Pulse / Crunch
move 4: Flamethrower / Ice Beam / Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 176 SpA / 28 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>TyraniBoah is still a solid threat, especially against stall teams. Bringing Tyranitar out will often force switches, which gives you the opportunity to set up a Substitute and help lessen the need to predict correctly for your next move. From there, fire off Focus Punch or your STAB Dark-type move from behind your Substitute. The choice for a 4th move is dependent on your team. Ice Beam is a great choice; it will deal massive damage to Gliscor, Donphan, Salamence, and Breloom. Flamethrower is a good option in order to hit Scizor and Forretress for an OHKO, as well as hitting Skarmory and Metagross for a 2HKO. Thunderbolt hits the aforementioned Skarmory as well, though it will be able to reduce the damage thanks to Roost. However, Thunderbolt is also your best option against Suicune, Milotic, and Gyarados.</p>
<p>Dark Pulse is suggested over Crunch so Tyranitar can perform its wall-breaking duties better. Choosing Dark Pulse gives you a good option against the physical walls you cannot hit super effective with your special move of choice. It also maximizes this EV spread's efficiency as you won't have to split the EVs. Crunch does have the advantage of operating off Tyranitar's high attacking stat, and it works rather well when coupled up with Ice Beam. Crunch will also do a lot more damage to Latias, who may Calm Mind enough to make Dark Pulse's damage forgettable. Crunch should also be your STAB attack of choice if you use this version of Tyranitar in Uber battles thanks to most foes having much higher Special Defense than they do Defense.</p>
<p>The Speed EVs allow you to outspeed Blissey. If you want, you can put a few more EVs into Speed, in case the enemy Blissey also invests in Speed. It can be important to be faster than Blissey so you can Substitute before they get the chance to use Thunder Wave or Toxic on you. Maxing your HP gives you 404 HP, which creates Substitutes that are 101 HP. This means that Blissey's Seismic Toss cannot break your Substitute in one hit, letting you Focus Punch for free on the next turn. The Special Attack EVs put you at 297 Special Attack, which easily allows you to 2HKO 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippowdon with Ice Beam assuming you are running a Quiet nature. If you use Crunch, consider Brave over Quiet (and possibly raise Attack at the expense of Special Attack). Basically, adjust the spread to fit your needs.</p>
<p>With Flamethrower or Ice Beam in the last slot, you will find yourself being countered easily by bulky Water-types, Suicune in particular, as it can set up Calm Minds easily against Tyranitar. For this reason, a Vaporeon with Toxic or Hidden Power Electric will be very helpful to counter Suicune, as well as the likes of Gyarados and enemy Vaporeon. Celebi, resisting Water-type attacks, also works very well, as does Roserade. Roserade's Toxic Spikes are incredibly helpful in stalling out Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Vaporeon, and others whom you couldn't normally KO. Without Ice Beam, Hippowdon and Gliscor counter this set easily, so a Water-type of your own can force them out. Starmie gets particular mention as it can Rapid Spin their Stealth Rock as well as use Grass Knot to swiftly dispatch of Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: CurseTar
move 1: Curse
move 2: Payback / Crunch
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar's astounding offensive capabilities, together with its good HP, good physical Defense, and phenomenal Special Defense (taking into account Sand Stream's boost), make it a natural candidate for a Curse set. If your opponent no longer has powerful Fighting-type attacks or a Choice Specs/Band user with STAB super effective moves, Tyranitar will become nearly impossible to stop once it gets a couple boosts to its Defense. Rest and Sleep Talk aid in its ability to set up and help in its overall survivability. Crunch and Payback are your Dark STAB moves of choice, and each has different advantages. Crunch has a 20% chance to lower the opponent's Defense one stage, meaning Tyranitar can hit even harder through dedicated walls should it get a Defense drop. However, Payback's power doubles if the opponent moves last or if they switch out. Since Tyranitar is lowering its Speed with Curse, Payback will almost always have 100 Base power, making it the primary choice on this set.</p>
<p>Now, many of you may be reading this and asking, why wouldn't I use Regirock? It has superior physical defensive capabilities, arguably better typing, and only slightly worse special defensive abilities. However, for Curse Regirock to be effective, it is necessary to pair it with a Pokémon with the Sand Stream ability to boost its Special Defense. So, you are forced to include a Pokémon with similar weaknesses and reduce the team's overall resistances to allow Curse Regirock to be effective. Curse Tyranitar does not have this problem, since Sand Stream is immediately activated, leaving more freedom in team building as opposed to using Curse Regirock. Also, the ability to use a mono attacker because of the Dark STAB is a positive, because it allows you to use Rest and Sleep Talk on the same set. Regirock would be hard pressed to do the same thing with its weaker Attack stat. The given EVs are designed to allow Tyranitar to survive a Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast 100% of the time and a Modest one on average. The remaining EVs were delegated to Defense to take physical hits better while setting up Curse.</p>
<p>Fighting-type Pokemon are a real pest when using this set. Thankfully, most of them are countered by a few Pokemon. Gliscor can take advantage of Sand Veil and help Tyranitar set up by Taunting the foe to prevent hindering status effects. To defeat the Water-types who will beat both Tyranitar and Gliscor, Celebi is a great option, resisting Water-type attacks and possessing Leaf Storm to deal massive damage to the foe. Skarmory is one of the biggest problems to this Tyranitar as it will easily set up Spikes and Whirlwind Tyranitar away before it can set up enough Curses. Heatran is an immediate answer to Skarmory, and with Substitute, it can even stall out Water-types such as Vaporeon and Gyarados with Toxic. Metagross and Scizor are other big problems for this set, and once again, Heatran comes to mind as a counter, easily switching in on resisted Meteor Mashes, Bullet Punches, and U-turns.</p>
[SET]
name: MixTar
move 1: Flamethrower
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Dark Pulse / Crunch / Thunderbolt
move 4: Superpower
item: Expert Belt
nature: Naive
evs: 48 Atk / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar is usually the prodigious physical attacker, but this set changes the game by bringing out Special Attacks to beat Tyranitar's bewildered counters. This lets Tyranitar act as a lure of sorts, as well as handle stall teams a lot easier than the standard Choice Band set. Flamethrower is for the ubiquitous Steel-types that switch in ever so often. Scizor and Forretress are both easily OHKOed, while Metagross and Jirachi are promptly 2HKOed. Skarmory that don't invest in Special Defense are OHKOed after Stealth Rock. Ice Beam hits Hippowdon and Gliscor, the former of which is 2HKOed, while the latter is OHKOed. The third slot is variable. Dark Pulse hits a lot of Tyranitar's counters for good damage and actually hits most Rotom-A harder, as they are usually EV'd purely in Defense. Crunch allows you to pose as a purely physical attacker and also hits Latias a lot harder than Dark Pulse. Thunderbolt can also be used for Gyarados, who requires a Life Orb to directly OHKO you. Thunderbolt is also your best option against Suicune and Vaporeon. Superpower rounds out the set by defeating enemy Tyranitar, Blissey, and Heatran all in one move. Expert Belt is the item of choice to score certain KOs, and you may also bluff a Choice item. The EVs give you enough Speed to outpace Adamant Scizor and the standard Breloom, as well as most Metagross, Rotom-A, and Skarmory. Your Special Attack is maxed,
<p>This Tyranitar's job is to open huge holes in the and the rest of the EVs are placed into the Attack stat.</p> opponent's defensive core so other Pokemon can finish off the foe. Swords Dance Lucario is a great partner to this Tyranitar, sharing many of its counters, most of which Tyranitar can defeat. If however, Tyranitar does not have Thunderbolt, it would be wise to give Lucario Stone Edge to overcome Gyarados. Scizor is another Swords Dancer who would love certain Pokemon out of the way, namely Skarmory and Rotom-A, both of which Tyranitar handles very well. You can give Tyranitar Thunderbolt for Gyarados as well. There remains a couple of Pokemon who Tyranitar still has no hope of beating; those would be Machamp, Suicune (if you lack Thunderbolt), and the seldom seen Hariyama. Celebi is a great counter to all of these Pokemon, resisting both Water-type and Fighting-type attacks. Thanks to Recover, Celebi can stay healthy even during a sandstorm. Zapdos and Rotom-A can also work well; Zapdos has more power for defeating Suicune, while Rotom-A is more equipped against the aforementioned Fighting-types due to Will-O-Wisp.</p>
[SET]
name: BaitTar
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
item: Expert Belt
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 48 SpA / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Tyranitar set works especially well in the early stages of a battle by mimicking a Choice Band set to lure out and eliminate certain Pokemon. Crunch provides a reliable STAB attack and attracts Pokemon like Scizor, Breloom, and Skarmory. Pursuit also lures in the same Pokemon, and it allows Tyranitar to trap frailer special attackers like Jolteon and Latias. Superpower scores an OHKO on most Blissey (who may try to stall out Tyranitar with Wish and Protect after it uses Pursuit), opposing Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Lucario. Flamethrower scores a surefire 2HKO on Skarmory (it deals up to 78%) and max HP Metagross as well as OHKOes on Scizor, Forretress, and Breloom (the latter after Stealth Rock damage). Fire Blast is a more powerful alternative that OHKOs Skarmory after Stealth Rock damage and has a 32.87% chance to 2HKO standard Sassy Bronzong, but Flamethrower is usually preferred due to this set's reliance on surprise value and a possible miss with Fire Blast ruining this. Expert Belt allows Tyranitar to bluff a choice item while letting it get the OHKOs and 2HKOs necessary maximum effectiveness.</p>
<p>A Hasty nature and 208 Speed EVs lets Tyranitar hit 231 Speed, which outspeeds Adamant Scizor, Adamant Breloom, Bold Rotom-A, and most Metagross. Attack is maximized to deal the most damage with Crunch, Pursuit, and Superpower, while the remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack.</p>
<p>Like most of Tyranitar's sets, this one is walled by bulky Ground- and Fighting-type Pokemon like Swampert, Hippowdon, and Machamp. A Celebi or Latias of your own can easily switch into Ground- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Tyranitar, and it can also help against bulky Waters like Vaporeon and Suicune. Both paralysis and burn will make Tyranitar almost useless, so packing a cleric may be a good idea, especially if you plan on switching Tyranitar into common status inducers like Blissey and Cresselia. Against non-choiced Rotom-A, it is recommended to Crunch first turn to ensure that a Will-O-Wisp won't make Tyranitar useless (Tyranitar is faster than standard defensive Rotom-A with the given EVs). In terms of offensive teammates, Latias and Gengar are both good choices. Some teams don't carry dedicated counters for them and instead rely on Choice Band Scizor or Choice Scarf Rotom-A as checks. By luring and eliminating their checks, Tyranitar can help them sweep. Gyarados is also a good partner, since Tyranitar can Pursuit Rotom-A and Celebi while Gyarados easily sets up on Hippowdon and Swampert (especially if it carries Taunt).</p>
[SET]
name: Counter
move 1: Counter
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Stone Edge / Crunch
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 104 HP / 144 Atk / 72 Def / 188 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set gives Tyranitar a chance to get past some of its more common counters. By using the lure of a standard Dragon Dance Tyranitar, the likes of Hippowdon, Bronzong, Scizor, Gyarados, and Gliscor will often switch in. However, you can quickly wipe that smug look off your opponent's face as you Counter their attack back at them for an OHKO. Having eliminated your opponent's Tyranitar counter, you should then be free to sweep. Stone Edge is recommended over Crunch because most of the things that you will be hitting will take more damage from Stone Edge, and several common Tyranitar switch-ins that resist it (Bronzong, Hippowdon, Swampert) are all easily OHKOed by Counter. However, if you want the harder hit on the likes of Celebi and Cresselia, then Crunch is a perfectly viable option; especially if you run Magnezone to take care of Skarmory.</p>
<p>The given EVs ensure that Tyranitar will survive Scizor's Bullet Punch and then Counter for an easy OHKO. The Speed ensures that you are faster than neutral Lucario after a Dragon Dance, though you will need to be wary of the threat of Vacuum Wave or Bullet Punch.</p>
<p>If you plan on using this set to get around the likes of Machamp and Hariyama, then a Chople Berry is a worthwhile item choice; if you decide to use it, then Tyranitar can survive a Machamp DynamicPunch and OHKO in return with Counter. However, in the case of DynamicPunch you've only got a 50% chance of pulling off a successful Counter due to confusion. In the case of Hariyama, most defensive variants use Thick Fat and Force Palm, which, with this EV spread, Tyranitar can usually survive anyway, so Chople Berry remains a lesser option. Babiri Berry is also viable if you don't think Tyranitar will be at max health when encountering Scizor or Metagross.</p>
<p>It is recommended that this set be played with reliable Wish support, as replenishing Tyranitar's health after pulling off a successful Counter will make sweeping much easier. Vaporeon is probably your best candidate, also helping against Gyarados if it tries to Dragon Dance as you Counter. Fighting-types such as Machamp and Heracross will be really bothersome if you lack a Chople Berry. A Choice Banded Close Combat can even kill Tyranitar straight through Chople Berry, which is why you should be extra cautious. Gliscor easily counters both of these Pokemon, only fearing an Ice Punch from Machamp. Celebi can counter Machamp well enough, and Heracross locked into Close Combat as well. The main reason to use Celebi, however, would to be to beat Water-types who cannot be Countered, yet Tyranitar is not strong enough to beat. These would be Suicune, Vaporeon, and even Swampert using Surf.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Dark Pulse
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Surf
move 4: Superpower / Focus Punch / Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Tyranitar has the potential to surprise your opponent, as they will likely expect it to be dishing out physical attacks. Dark Pulse is for reliable STAB and hits Swampert as well as Hippowdon hard enough to 2HKO with prior damage. It can OHKO even the Special Defense monster Latias after Stealth Rock damage and has a 20% chance to cause the foe to flinch. Flamethrower helps against Bronzong, Skarmory, Heracross, Metagross, Scizor, and Lucario. Surf gives you great neutral coverage while 2HKOing most bulky Ground-type switch ins. It also hits Heatran and enemy Tyranitar without resorting to Superpower. Thunderbolt is a helpful option against bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon, Suicune, and Gyarados. The latter two of which are easily 2HKOed, while Gyarados is OHKOed without a second thought. The given Speed EVs put you at 177 Speed, just above the minimum Speed of Skarmory and Metagross, while also edging out Choice Band Scizor. Because they can (and often will) carry some Speed EVs, you might want to invest some more EVs in Speed to have a greater chance of being faster than them.</p>
<p>If you find a certain fat pink blob starts to switch into this Tyranitar after she learns you're using Choice Specs, you can use either Superpower or Focus Punch as the fourth move. If you use Superpower, a Quiet nature is optimal to score a 2HKO on both Calm Blissey and Snorlax. Focus Punch is a good option to predict a Blissey or Snorlax switch-in, and has the potential to do more damage but it means you cannot come in on Blissey, she must come in on you. Because Focus Punch doesn't quite KO with the given EVs, use 60 Atk / 252 SpA / 196 Spe with a Mild Nature, which deals a minimum 89% to a Calm Blissey. This EV spread also puts you at 207 Speed, which outspeeds Bold Suicune and Cresselia. While using Focus Punch with this spread might help you deal with Blissey and Snorlax, it also reduces your defenses and forces you to use a negative Defense nature, which isn't always ideal on a Pokémon that can take hits from both ends of the spectrum as well as Tyranitar. Other Special Attacking option for the last slot are Hidden Power Rock and Ancient Power, both giving you a STAB option and another way to hit Gyarados and Salamence.</p>
<p>Here is something you don't get to say often: Blissey and Snorlax are the best counters to this Tyranitar set. For this reason, a powerful physical attacker to accompany Tyranitar would be extremely helpful. Gyarados gets particular mention due to Taunt, enabling it to shut down Curse Snorlax and prevent Blissey from statusing it. Gyarados will also appreciate the fact that Tyranitar has hopefully eliminated Skarmory. Bulky Water-types are the next best counter to this set, most of which having respectable Special Defense. Celebi once again shines as an immediate counter to Water-types. Celebi with Thunder Wave will be even more helpful, giving Tyranitar the possibility to sweep once it is faster than everything. Lucario is another powerful physical sweeper who will be very happy if Tyranitar eliminates Hippowdon and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Dancer
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Crunch / Stone Edge
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb / Expert Belt
nature: Naive
evs: 116 Atk / 144 SpA / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Tyranitar with Dragon Dance? Although at first glance this set may seem to be nothing more than a gimmick, it tears apart Tyranitar's usual counters, giving openings for sweepers such as Lucario, Scizor, and the like. Even Tyranitar itself is able to sweep a lot more easily, though that is not the primary goal of the set.</p>
<p>Crunch is the most reliable choice for your sole physical attack, but Stone Edge is a powerful STAB option to hit Heatran, Gyarados, and Salamence. Fire Blast is a necessity to take out the bulky Steel-types; it will OHKO Skarmory and Forretress, while 2HKOing the standard Bronzong and most Metagross. Ice Beam pummels the opponent's bulky Ground-types such as Gliscor and Hippowdon, but not Swampert. Hidden Power Grass is a great option over Ice Beam to hit Swampert harder, but it will leave you open to Salamence, which makes Stone Edge the best STAB to use with Hidden Power Grass.</p>
<p>When playing this Tyranitar, the first move you use should usually be Dragon Dance to mislead the foe into thinking it is a regular Dragon Dance Tyranitar. However, to your opponent's surprise, they will find their Hippowdon, Skarmory, or Bronzong either OHKOed or crippled to the point where it can no longer effectively wall, particularly Bronzong, which lacks reliable recovery.</p>
<p>With 248 Speed EVs, Tyranitar can outrun the positive base 115s after a Dragon Dance. 144 Special Attack EVs guarantee a 2HKO on the standard Bronzong, while the remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help maximize damage dealt.</p>
<p>This set is the epitome of a lure, killing many of Tyranitar's counters, namely Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Gliscor. With a dead Skarmory, Scizor will have a much easier time sweeping with Bullet Punch. With a dead Hippowdon or Gliscor, Lucario will have a field day with the opponent's team. It would be a good idea to have Wish support ready as Tyranitar will often have to take a hard hit to defeat its counters. This applies mostly against Hippowdon and Swampert. If you lack Ice Beam, Gliscor can come in and wall you. Suicune and Vaporeon can counter Gliscor easily, and Vaporeon can also back you up with Wish support. If you lack Hidden Power Grass, Swampert will defeat you effectively. Celebi is the best Swampert counter you will find, fending off enemy Suicune as well as Vaporeon.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Payback
move 3: Rest / Earthquake
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Chesto Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 224 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tyranitar's main goal as a lead is to completely shut down the most common lead in today's metagame, Azelf. Due to Sandstream breaking Azelf's Focus Sash, Tyranitar can OHKO Azelf with Payback before it gets a chance to use Explosion on Tyranitar. Some Azelf won't switch out either, fearing a powerful Pursuit, meaning all they can do is set up Stealth Rock before biting the dust. Stone Edge is Tyranitar's most powerful attack and will bring down Dragonite, Gyarados, and Salamence leads without much trouble. Payback will defeat Roserade leads; Sandstream then finishing Roserade off, while Chesto Berry guards against Sleep Powder. Smeargle is in a similar vein. Crunch can be used over Payback, but then you must resort to Stone Edge to defeat Roserade leads, and since Tyranitar is very slow, Payback will have max base power most of the time. Rest is a rather unorthodox option, but it is very useful later in the game when you are low on health. If you still have your Chesto Berry intact, then you can be woken up from your slumber that very turn. Earthquake is useful against Heatran leads, 2HKOing those with Shuca Berry. Earthquake is also your strongest option against Metagross and Jirachi; however, it is best to switch out from them as STAB Steel-type attacks will finish off Tyranitar too soon. Stealth Rock in the last slot is almost just a filler move; however, Tyranitar has multiple opportunities throughout the game to come in and set it up thanks to its enormous Special Defense. The given EV spread guarantees a combination of Stone Edge and Sandstream will defeat Roserade leads, while also giving you a significant amount of bulk to survive Leaf Storms, Explosions, and Earth Powers.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, you are going to want to switch out of any lead that packs a STAB super effective move on Tyranitar. This includes, Metagross, Jirachi, Infernape, Swampert, Mamoswine, and Bronzong. A majority of these Pokemon can be countered by bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Vaporeon. They only have to fear Trick from Jirachi, Explosion from Metagross, and Endeavor from Mamoswine. Rotom-A counters all of the aforementioned Pokemon, bar Infernape. A bonus would be being able to permanently cripple Pokemon with Will-O-Wisp. Skarmory can also come in and set up Spikes on most of the mentioned leads. Starmie counters Infernape very well and can also use Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock that many leads will try to set up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Some people may use Rock Slide instead of Stone Edge because Stone Edge has such poor PP and accuracy. The problem with that is that you already have Crunch, with more power and accuracy (and arguably a better side-effect, when you consider Tyranitar's low Speed) than Rock Slide. If you use Rock Slide, there are going to be very few situations in which you will find yourself using it. With Stone Edge, however, the increase in power can get you out of some tricky situations where Crunch / Rock Slide wouldn't do enough damage.</p>
<p>There are many physical options that weren't mentioned on the other sets. Ice Punch destroys Flygon and in particular Gliscor. The main reason is isn't recommended over Aqua Tail is that it misses the 2HKO on Hippowdon that Aqua Tail provides. Using Ice Punch over Aqua Tail also takes away a good option for hitting Steels and enemy Tyranitar, but is still a great choice for its perfect accuracy and type coverage.</p>
<p>Another viable version of the Choice Scarf set includes Fire Blast and Ice Beam over Earthquake and Pursuit. This allows Tyranitar to actually revenge kill Pokemon who would usually counter it. Ice Beam nails Gliscor and 2HKOes Hippowdon, while Fire Blast will beat Skarmory.</p>
<p>There are many other viable options on Dragon Dance Tyranitar that could not fit within the actual set listing. Taunt is a great option on this set to prevent Skarmory from using Whirlwind and to prevent status. Taunt is also ideal in the Uber tier to stop things from setting up and to force switches. Since Tyranitar often forces switches, using Substitute gives you a barrier to set up behind and might fool some opponents into thinking you are using Boah. Putting a Substitute up also prevents Scizor or Dugtrio from revenge killing you, but it also limits your type coverage to only two moves.</p>
<p>There are some options on the Special side that were not mentioned and could work decently on the Choice Specs set. Hidden Power Rock or AncientPower could be used for a STAB move on the special end of the spectrum, but their type coverage rarely makes up for the by the other moves because of their low base power. Surf is a good option against Rhyperior, but it is less of an option when compared to Hidden Power Grass, which not only hits Rhyperior for massive damage, but Swampert as well. Overall though, you will find that the moves listed under the Choice Specs set work better than these other options.</p>
<p>Rock Polish can be used over Dragon Dance. You trade the Attack boost from Dragon Dance in order to outspeed more threats, such as Timid Choice Scarf Heatran. This also has the advantage of not requiring as much initial Speed as the Dragon Dance set, allowing for more HP EVs to protect yourself against threats such as Scizor. It is a lesser option than the Dragon Dance set for the most part and is best used if you're carrying a Baton Passer to pass Attack boosts or if you want to use it on a special attacker because the lack of power is quite noticeable.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is decent on Tyranitar, although many of its common switch-ins are Ground-types or don't mind the paralysis. Stealth Rock is useful for support but is best left to more defensive Pokémon that might have recovery moves. If you do use it, though, it is best used on the lead set. Screech is a decent option to force switches, but many of Tyranitar's counters are faster than it, and Tyranitar won't be able to take advantage of the opponent's lower Defense.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Purely physical Tyranitar sets appreciate bulky Special Attackers to counter enemy Ground- and Water-types. Latias, Suicune, Gyarados, and Celebi can both switch in easily on relatively weak Earthquakes and Surfs from defensive Pokemon and, in many cases, OHKO back. Celebi and Latias get special mention because they also lure in Scizor, who they can dispose of easily with Hidden Power Fire. A Pokemon to lure and defeat troublesome Pokemon is also helpful in the case of Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Choice Specs Lucario does just that in most cases; however,
<p>A Tyranitar using you have to predict what is coming in. While a Choice Specs Aura Sphere will surely 2HKO Hippowdon, you have to be wary of a Gliscor coming in instead. A primarily Special Attacking Salamence or Dragonite can also defeat many of Tyranitar's counters, namely Swampert and Hippowdon. Both often attract said physical walls due to their tendency to use Dragon Dance.</p> special attacks will not hit quite as hard as the mighty Choice Band set and thus will have some trouble with Suicune, Gyarados, and Vaporeon. Heatran with Toxic is a great lure to these Pokemon and can often wither said bulky Water-type Pokemon's health in a matter of turns. Be cautious of Rest on Gyarados and Suicune, however. Zapdos makes a good counter in general to these Pokemon and also counters Scizor without breaking a sweat. It would be wise to include something in your team to sweep after Tyranitar has finished breaking down walls. Lucario and Scizor are excellent sweepers once Gliscor, Skarmory, and Hippowdon have been eliminated.</p>
<p>Defensively, Tyranitar requires something to take Fighting- and Ground-type attacks. Rotom-A and Gyarados are prime candidates. A specially defensive Tyranitar coupled with a physically defensive Rotom-A can counter a large majority of the metagame, although some notable Pokemon they cannot reliably counter are Salamence and Infernape. Gliscor is a great partner to Tyranitar not only because it can counter Lucario very well, but also because it has Sand Veil, which is activated by Tyranitar's Sandstream and can come in handy in a sticky situation. Toxic Spikes support is very helpful alongside most Tyranitar, as very few of Tyranitar's counters are immune to it. Forretress, Scizor, and Gliscor are the only exceptions, but they are loosely considered true counters in the first place, as a Choice Banded Stone Edge or the appropriate Special Attack will cause their demise. Roserade and Forretress are your best bets at setting up Toxic Spikes. Roserade makes a great lead and also fends off Ground- and Water-types if you can bring it in safely. Forretress can switch in on many physical attackers, such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Scizor, and set up Toxic Spikes with little worry.</p>
[EVs]
Choice Band: There are two main ways to EV Tyranitar. The most common way is to go 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Special Defense Adamant. This gives you plenty of survivability without compromising Attack. The other option is to use 252 HP / 40 Attack / 216 Special Defense Careful. This puts your Special Defense up sky- high and lets you live through a Timid Life Orb Gengar Focus Blast 100% of the time (and thus you will live through anything from most special attackers, although Modest Life Orb Gengar has a 38% chance to OHKO). You still have plenty of Attack thanks to Tyranitar's high base stats and Choice Band, but you will feel the power loss in some cases. Choice Specs follows a similar distribution set, except you'd obviously want Special Attack over Attack and a Calm nature instead of Careful. A Jolly nature is viable if you wish to outspeed most defensive Rotom-A and Adamant Scizor.</p>
<p>If you wish to use Choice Scarf Tyranitar, it is suggested you use as much Speed as possible, guaranteeing you are faster than base 115s not holding a Choice Scarf themselves. 116 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature is a viable way to EV Choice Scarf Tyranitar that is using Fire Blast and Ice Beam. An alternative way to EV MixTar is to give it a Brave or Quiet nature with max Attack and Special Attack. This makes Tyranitar very slow, but also maximizes its attacking potential. Most EV spreads are specific for each individual set.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Monstrous, both competitively and aesthetically, Tyranitar is easily one of the most dangerous Pokémon in the game, with its massive Attack stat, good defenses—aided by the Special Defense boost from Sand Stream—and passable Special Attack. Tyranitar's only mediocre stat is Speed, and Dragon Dance helps fix that. Not only does Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability grant it the aforementioned boost, but it negates Leftovers recovery on anything not immune to its effects, making staying alive against Tyranitar an even tougher proposition for many Pokémon. It also makes Tyranitar somewhat of a team player, granting an evasion boost to those with the Sand Veil ability, such as Gliscor. Tyranitar's incredible power is backed up by a huge movepool, with which it can hit anything attempting to counter it very hard. The fact that Tyranitar can also acquit itself well against many in the Uber metagame is testament to just how good this powerhouse of a Pokémon really is.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Scizor has been mentioned a few times in this analysis and for good reason. His high defense allows him to take a few hits from Tyranitar's Stone Edge, and Scizor can outspeed Tyranitar and deal serious damage with Superpower, STAB Bug Bite, or U-Turn. It can also fire off a Bullet Punch to take out a weakened Dragon Dancer. However, be aware that Choice Band Stone Edge from max Attack Tyranitar does 80%-94% against a 248 HP / 0 Def Scizor and has a chance to OHKO it if Stealth Rock is present. Any set that boasts a Fire-type attack can predict a Scizor switch-in and OHKO him. Forretress works the same way, but it doesn't outspeed Tyranitar and therefore is more vulnerable to a Fire-attack from a non-choiced set. Choice Band Stone Edge can still hurt Forretress, potentially 2HKOing it. Bronzong is useful against the Dragon Dancer as it's immune to Earthquake, resistant to Rock, and neutral to Dark. Gyro Ball's power is boosted after a Dragon Dance, which helps both Forretress and Bronzong to kill off Tyranitar. Skarmory can't really threaten Tyranitar, but it can switch in on most sets and set up Spikes or phaze Tyranitar.</p>
<p>Bulky Ground-types are good counters for the physical sets, thanks to their Rock resist and high Defense. Donphan, Hippowdon, and Rhyperior all do a good job, although they have to be aware of a Choice Band Aqua Tail, which can 2HKO. Swampert doesn't have the same problem with Aqua Tail, but a Choice Band Crunch will 3HKO, and a Dragon Dance Life Orb Crunch can 2HKO. Steelix is a good option, but watch out for repeated Earthquakes, Focus Punches, or Aqua Tails. Gliscor can work very effectively as Sand Veil helps to avoid taking a hit and Roost can buy him a Rock resist, though it must be wary of the occasional Ice Beam. All of these can handle Tyranitar with STAB Earthquake.</p>
<p>Although Breloom's poor defenses mean it's at risk from Stone Edge—which can 2HKO—it resists everything on the Choice Band set barring the occasional Ice Beam and has Mach Punch and Seed Bomb to kill off Tyranitar. Lucario is in a similar position, but boasts 4x resistances to both STAB moves. Earthquake, Fire Punch, or Focus Punch will finish Lucario, though, so be wary of that. Poliwrath is another fighter that has these useful resists, and in addition it is also immune to Water and resists Fire and Ice attacks. Hariyama and Machamp both have the defenses to handle Tyranitar's attacks, and resistances to both STAB attacks is a big help. Hariyama has the additional advantage of Thick Fat, and Machamp has good Special Defense, which help these Pokémon take Special Attacks pretty easily.</p>
