Ubers Tyranitar [QC: 3/3] [GP: 2/2]

GP: 1/2 (GatoDelFuego / Calm Pokemaster)
QC: 3/3 (Sweep / Hack He Must / Fireburn)

it's a mountain-crushin' sandstorm-inducin' fatass stone colossus thing holy shit it's mr t everyone cover yo asses hide yo families run fo yo lives




Overview
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While Tyranitar is by no means a dominating force in the metagame, it manages to retain a valuable niche for several reasons. Firstly, its typing lets it handle two prominent Pokemon in Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are extremely dangerous offensive threats with a dearth of checks. Tyranitar also learns Pursuit, allowing it to trap and remove dangerous yet frail Pokemon that are weak to the move, such as Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y. Additionally, Tyranitar gets the rare Sand Stream ability. Sand supports a team in many ways, from providing valuable chip damage to anti-leading common Focus Sashed suicide leads to accommodating teammates that benefit from sandstorm. To top things off, Tyranitar is one of the few reliable users of Stealth Rock in the tier. Unfortunately, even as Tyranitar's typing lets it check top threats, it is also its undoing, burdening it with weaknesses to many common types. Fairy-types are not good news, and new offensive powerhouses in Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Blaziken, and Mega Lucario are a menace for Tyranitar. As far as weather control goes, Tyranitar fares badly against other weather starters in Groudon, Kyogre, and Hippowdon, only getting a favorable matchup against Abomasnow, which is rarely encountered in Ubers. Finally, Tyranitar gained a new Mega Evolution but sadly cannot make much use of it as other, more viable Mega Evolutions abound; also, it sorely needs its item slot. All in all, although Tyranitar's flaws are significant, it must be reinforced that it provides teams with a potent brand of support unique to itself. Use it when your team can make full use of this support while adequately covering its weaknesses, and you will find it does not disappoint.


Support
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name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Pursuit / Toxic
move 3: Stone Edge / Low Kick
move 4: Payback
ability: Sand Stream
item: Chople Berry / Tyranitarite / Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful

Moves
========

Stealth Rock is a mandatory choice seeing as Tyranitar is one of the move's few good users, being able to set it up against common Pokemon it checks, such as Yveltal and Ho-Oh. Pursuit is a big part of what gives Tyranitar its niche, allowing it to trap Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Choice Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam/Thunder, and Ho-Oh that decide it is in their best interest to flee. This is essentially a mandatory move on stall teams because of how huge a threat stallbreakers like Mega Gengar are on these teams, and being able to guarantee the removal of these threats is invaluable. If one wishes, Toxic is a great alternative to use in this slot for putting support Arceus on a timer, letting Tyranitar beat certain Calm Mind Arceus formes and bothering bulky Pokemon in general. Using both Pursuit and Payback is not 100% necessary to keep Pokemon like Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y in check. If the targets of Pursuit have Fighting-type coverage, such as Mega Gengar with Focus Blast, they will more than likely use it; Tyranitar can stomach the hit with a Chople Berry and use Payback for the KO. If they do not run Fighting coverage, they will attempt to switch out, but then they cannot harm Tyranitar anyway, meaning that it can switch in on them repeatedly later in the game as a regular check would.

Moving on, Stone Edge hits Ho-Oh and Yveltal super effectively and is Tyranitar's most hard-hitting STAB move. Low Kick punishes Extreme Killer Arceus for setting up on Tyranitar and hits notable targets Dark/Rock Arceus, Heatran, and Dialga super effectively. Superpower is an alternative that hits Darkrai harder and is great in conjunction with a Lum Berry. Payback works well with Tyranitar's poor Speed and provides a consistent Dark-type STAB move. It also allows for mindgames in tandem with Pursuit. Crunch is another option that proves situationally more useful against slower Pokemon like Bronzong, and has a moderately high 30% chance of lowering the opponent's Defense. However, using it notably leaves Tyranitar unable to guarantee bringing 252 HP Deoxys-S down to sandstorm KO range (it requires 84 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to do so). This makes it a suboptimal option as one of Tyranitar's main niches is anti-leading Deoxys-S leads. Finally, if one's team so requires, Ice Beam can be fit on this set to hit Ground-types, notably smacking Landorus-T and Gliscor for 4x damage (it does not OHKO them even with a Sassy nature, though). It works especially well in tandem with a Shuca Berry. Taunt is useful for preventing opponents from using Defog and status moves, but Tyranitar is generally too slow to use the move effectively outside of hitting predicted switch-ins of Pokemon such as support Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature are used maximize Tyranitar's special bulk; this also makes full use of the 1.5x Special Defense boost sandstorm provides. Investing 24 EVs in Attack lets Stone Edge OHKO 4 HP / 0 Def Yveltal after Stealth Rock, so consider siphoning these EVs from Special Defense into Attack. Chople Berry lets Tyranitar trap Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y regardless of whether they have Fighting-type coverage. Pursuit should always be used with Chople Berry. Note that Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves mean that Chople Berry will be doing little in the way of cushioning it from physical Fighting-type attacks, especially STAB ones. Moving on, Tyranitarite is a good item to use. Mega Tyranitar boasts increased all-around stats over regular Tyranitar; notably, the added Defense allows it to better check physical threats like Extreme Killer Arceus and Landorus-T, taking one of their hits and retaliating with the appropriate move. However, it must be emphasized that the opportunity cost of using Tyranitarite is that takes up your team's Mega Evolution slot.

If Tyranitarite cannot be used due to teambuilding constraints, Leftovers is a perfectly viable alternative. It gives Tyranitar a little more wiggle room in switching in and can prove very useful in letting Tyranitar survive longer matches and set up Stealth Rock multiple times. Lum Berry is good for letting Tyranitar shrug off status on a single occasion, such as a Sacred Fire burn or Darkrai's Dark Void. Lastly, Shuca Berry is a possible alternative item that allows Tyranitar to take an Earthquake from weakened Groudon/Landorus-T/Gliscor and possibly pick them off (if it is used, Ice Beam snipes the latter two and does significant damage to the former).


Usage Tips
========

Tyranitar has no reliable recovery; keep this in mind when making switches as it will gradually be worn down. Also, Tyranitar is easily exploited because of its poor Speed and many weaknesses; be careful about staying in if Pokemon like Blaziken/Mega Mewtwo X are present on the opposing team unless you are intending to cripple them on the predicted switch-in. Also be careful of predicted double switches into these threats. On the other hand, don't be excessively conservative. For example, if the opponent's Kyogre has been found to be Choiced and the Ice Beam/Thunder is imminent, switching Tyranitar in to Pursuit it would be nice. If you see Mega Gengar/Mega Mewtwo Y, keep Tyranitar healthy as you need to be healthy to reliably trap these. Lead with Tyranitar against Deoxys-S (Deoxys-A if running Chople Berry, as 0 Atk Low Kick from Deoxys-A does not KO) and Scolipede leads. It is pretty good anti-lead to these suicide leads in conjunction with sand. Speaking of which, when sand is active, don't underestimate Tyranitar's special bulk. It can and should stay in to take moderately powerful special attacks if it means wearing down the opponent to a level where they can be easily picked off with the aid of residual damage from status and sand. For example, a neutral 4 SpA Judgment from a support Arceus does a paltry 18%-22% to Tyranitar, which is further mitigated by Leftovers recovery. Even a super effective Judgment is merely a 3HKO on Tyranitar factoring in Leftovers recovery, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is in your best interest to stay in. Finally, note that Tyranitar can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move (see Other Options for suggestions).


Team Options
========

Cleric support is highly recommended because of how status-prone Tyranitar is. Fairy-types are good partners, offering good defensive synergy and appreciating Pursuit support against Mega Gengar. Wish support is also nice as Tyranitar lacks reliable recovery. Sylveon and Blissey are great partners that provide both Wish and Heal Beal support. Jirachi is another solid partner that helps against Fairy-types while Tyranitar checks Yveltal and Ho-Oh for it; however, it compounds a nasty Ground-type weakness. Flying-type teammates or Pokemon with Levitate are recommended to check Earthquake spam, and also mitigate the team's Fighting-type weakness. Scizor is a good teammate to check Fairy-types, as is Bronzong (again, try not to compound the Ground weakness)

A Kyogre check is required; Grass Arceus is a good one, having excellent synergy with Tyranitar. It also checks Palkia and Groudon. That said, Palkia is also a good Kyogre check. On dedicated stall teams, having two decent answers to Kyogre as also an option, for example, using Water Arceus and Ferrothorn. Palkia is another problem; support Arceus formes that fare well against it are good partners that can provide entry hazard removal as well. Ghost Arceus is a particularly good partner to handle Fighting-types and Mega Kangaskhan, while Tyranitar helps it with Ho-Oh and Yveltal. Finally, sweepers are good teammates to take advantage of Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility. Sand Rush Excadrill is also a naturally good partner.


Other Options
########

Mega Tyranitar with Speed and Attack investment has a niche on teams utilizing Sticky Web support, as its typing allows it to check Yveltal and Ho-Oh, which these teams are often weak to. The added Speed also proves more useful here, as with Sticky Web active, Mega Tyranitar can outspeed and Taunt opponents trying to Defog away entry hazards as well as outspeed other offensive threats to such teams such as Mega Kangaskhan and Extreme Killer Arceus trying to set up. Mega Evolution aside, Tyranitar's movepool is quite extensive, but unfortunately it is often hard-pressed to spare the moveslots. Earthquake is Tyranitar's best option against Klefki and Heatran. Rock Tomb is a weaker alternative to Stone Edge that still does hefty damage to Ho-Oh and Yveltal, but has the added effect of lowering the target's Speed by one stage, which is useful for hindering setup sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Thunder Wave punishes overzealous Geomancy Xerneas while remaining a good option for crippling Calm Mind Arceus. Roar can phaze Ho-Oh and is a very reliable way of damaging it with Stealth Rock up. It also prevents Tyranitar from becoming total Geomancy Xerneas bait. Rest can increase Tyranitar's longevity greatly; note that cleric support is highly recommended if using the move. Finally, Fire Blast hits Scizor on the switch and fries Ferrothorn and Forretress. Item-wise, Smooth Rock extends sandstorm turns from 5-8; considering how deadly a teammate like +2 Speed Excadrill can be, this is a possible option. An anti-lead set with Focus Sash can be used, but using Chople Berry accomplishes much the same thing.


Checks & Counters
########

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types are especially threatening because Tyranitar is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Among these, Mega Mewtwo X and Fighting Arceus stand out as prime counters as they aren't weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can instantly OHKO or severely cripple it. Terrakion and Lucario can switch in on anything bar Superpower or Earthquake and threaten massively with STAB Close Combat. Blaziken does not want to switch in on Stone Edge but is incredibly dangerous if it manages to come in safely, especially as a revenge killer.

**Fairy-types**: Xerneas, Fairy Arceus, Sylveon, Klefki, and Clefable are not weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can switch in very comfortably if healthy, proceeding to threaten it with their respective means. Xerneas hits hard and can set up a Geomancy, Fairy Arceus has reliable recovery and can potentially set up, Sylveon and Clefable have reliable recovery and status removal, and Klefki can set Spikes.

**Ground-types**: Ground Arceus is an offensive counter that can set up on Tyranitar with Swords Dance and possibly Recover, making it particularly threatening. Excadrill can use Tyranitar's sand against it and threaten to KO it with powerful STAB moves. Hippowdon and Quagsire are more defensively inclined counters that possess reliable healing. Groudon can switch in on anything bar Ice Beam, which it can also take in a pinch, and force Tyranitar out with Earthquake. Gliscor and Landorus-T can also do this but are doubly threatened by Ice Beam. None of these Pokemon barring Gliscor like Toxic, however.

**STAB U-Turn**: The two viable users of STAB U-Turn in Ubers, Scizor and Genesect, can use the move to build momentum or else cripple or KO Tyranitar. However, both of them don't want to be switching in on Tyranitar's STAB moves, although they can take a hit in a pinch. They have to be wary of possible Fire-type coverage, too.

**Skarmory**: Roost, Toxic, and access to Stealth Rock and Spikes allow Skarmory to annoy Tyranitar.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn loses to Fire-type coverage and dislikes Low Kick greatly, but can otherwise switch into Tyranitar and set up entry hazards or use Leech Seed. It is immune to Toxic as well, and Tyranitar is weak to both its STABs.

**Mega Kangaskhan**: Mega Kangaskhan does not like Superpower, but it can switch into any single attack and threaten back with Earthquake. Power-Up Punch and Drain Punch variants annihilate Tyranitar.

**Status**: Burn and poison subject Tyranitar to a slow death as it does not have reliable recovery. Burns also further debilitate it by weakening its physical attacks.

**Kyogre**: Kyogre changes the weather and can proceed to force Tyranitar out with STAB Water-type moves. It does not like switching in, however.

**Support Arceus**: Water/Grass/Steel Arceus can come out on top of Tyranitar relatively unscathed if it is not running Toxic.

**Palkia**: Lustrous Orb variants of Palkia can 2HKO Tyranitar but will come out of the scuffle severely crippled. STAB Water-type moves, as well as Toxic/Rest Palkia variants, are far better at countering it.

**Fighting-type Coverage**: Pokemon running Focus Blast as coverage can seriously dent, if not KO, Tyranitar not holding Chople Berry (also note that Chople Berry is a one-use item). Darkrai, Ghost Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Kyurem-W are viable users of the move. Low Kick on Deoxys-A, Brick Break on Swords Dance Ghost Arceus, and Superpower on opposing Tyranitar are other such moves that Tyranitar has to look out for.

Overview
########
  • Typing + Sand Stream + Pursuit = a brand of support unique to itself
  • Checks and/or traps top metagame threats like Yveltal/Gengar/Ho-Oh
  • Being able to trap and remove Mega Gengar is a huge plus
  • One of the few good users of Stealth Rock in the tier
  • Sand supports the team in many ways, from providing valuable chip damage to anti-leading common suicide leads to accommodating sand abusers
  • Fairies are not good for it
  • Fares badly against other weather starters barring Abomasnow
  • Gained a new Mega Evolution but sadly cannot make much use of it as it sorely needs its item slot
  • New and horrifying threats in Mega Mewtwo X/Mega Blaziken/Mega Lucario
  • Many weaknesses and no reliable recovery

Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Pursuit / Toxic
move 3: Stone Edge / Low Kick
move 4: Payback
ability: Sand Stream
item: Chople Berry / Leftovers / Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful

Moves
========
  • SR since it learns it + can set it up against common stuff it checks (Yveltal, Ho-Oh)
  • Pursuit is a big part of what gives Tyranitar its niche. Allows it to trap Mega Gengar, Mewtwo (Mega Y), Kyogre locked into Ice Beam/Thunder, Ho-Oh that decide it is in their best interest to flee. This is essentially a mandatory move on stall teams because of how huge a threat stallbreakers like Mega Gengar are on these teams
  • Toxic is another great option in this slot for putting support Arceus on a timer, lets Tyranitar beat certain CM Arceus, and bothers stuff in general. If the targets of Pursuit (Mega Gengar/MMY) have Fighting coverage, they will likely use it; Tyranitar will stomach the hit with Chople Berry and Payback for the kill. If they do not run Fighting coverage, they will attempt to switch out, but then they cannot harm Tyranitar anyway, meaning that it can switch in on them repeatedly later in the game as a regular check would.
  • Stone Edge for Ho-Oh and Yveltal and is strong STAB in general; it is Tyranitar's most hard-hitting option
  • Low Kick punishes Ekiller for setting up on Tyranitar and hits notable targets in Dark/Rock Arceus Heatran, and Dialga super effectively. Superpower is an alternative that hits Darkrai harder, it is great in conjunction with Lum Berry
  • Payback works well with Tyranitar's poor Speed and provides a consistent Dark-type STAB move. It also allows for mindgames with Pursuit.
  • Crunch is another option that proves situationally more useful against Pokemon like Bronzong, and has a moderately high 30% chance of lowering the opponent's Defense. However, using it notably leaves you unable to guarantee bringing 252 HP Deoxys-S down to Sandstorm KO range (it requires 84 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to do so). This makes it a suboptimal option as one of Tyranitar's main niches is anti-leading Deoxys-S leads.

Set Details
========
  • Max HP and SpD for maximum durability on the special side, making use of the SpD boost from sandstorm
  • Careful nature maximises SpD at the cost of Tyranitar's unused SpA
  • 24 EVs in Atk lets Stone Edge OHKO 4/0 Yveltal after Stealth Rock; consider siphoning these EVs from SpD into Atk
  • Chople Berry lets Tyranitar trap Gengar/Mewtwo (Y) even if they have Fighting coverage. Note that Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves mean that Chople Berry will be doing little in the way of cushioning it from physical Fighting-type attacks, especially STABed ones. Pursuit should always be used with Chople Berry
  • Leftovers gives Tyranitar a little more wiggle room to switch in and can prove very useful in letting Tyranitar survive longer matches and set up Stealth Rock multiple times.
  • Lum Berry has decreased in effectiveness but is still good for letting Tyranitar shrug off status in a pinch, such as a Sacred Fire burn it really doesn't want, or beat Darkrai 1v1
  • Shuca Berry allows Tyranitar to take an Earthquake from weakened Groudon/Landorus-T/Gliscor and pick them off (Ice Beam snipes the latter 2, if it is used)

Usage Tips
========
  • No reliable recovery, keep this in mind when making switches as Tyranitar will gradually be worn down.
  • Easily exploited because of its poor speed and many weaknesses; be careful about staying in if Pokemon like Blaziken/Mega Mewtwo X are around unless you can pick them off on the switch. Also be careful of predicted double switches into these threats.
  • On the other hand, don't be excessively conservative. For example, if the opponent's Kyogre has been found to be Choiced and the Ice Beam/Thunder is imminent, switching Tyranitar in to Pursuit it would be nice
  • Can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move. See OO.
  • If you see Gengar/Mewtwo (Y) and are running Chople, keep Tyranitar healthy as you can trap these with a good amount of health to spare; you need to be healthy to do this though
  • Lead with this vs Deo S/(A if running Chople; 0 Atk Low Kick does not kill)/Scoli leads, pretty good anti-lead to common suicide leads in conjunction with sand
  • When sand is active, don't underestimate Tyranitar's special defense, it can and should stay in to take moderately powerful special attacks if it means wearing down the opponent to a level where they can be easily picked off with the aid of residual damage from status and sand. For example, a neutral, 4 SpA Judgment from a support Arceus does a paltry 18%-22% to Tyranitar, which is further mitigated by Leftovers recovery. Even a super effective Judgment is merely a 3HKO on Tyranitar factoring in Leftovers recovery, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is in your best interest to stay in

Team Options
========
  • Cleric support highly recommended because of how status-prone it is. Fairies are good partners, offering good defensive synergy and appreciating Pursuit support against Mega Gengar.
  • Wish support is also nice as Tyranitar lacks reliable recovery. Sylveon and Blissey are great partners that provide both Wish and Heal Beal support. Jirachi is another solid partner that helps against Fairies while Tyranitar checks Yveltal/Ho-Oh for it; note that this compounds your Ground weakness though
  • Flying types/Levitators to check Earthquake spam, these also mitigate the Fighting weakness
  • Fairy check; Scizor is good, as is Bronzong (try not to compound the Ground weakness)
  • Kyogre check; Grasseus is a good one, having excellent synergy with Tyranitar. It also checks other problematic Pokemon in Palkia and Groudon. That said, Palkia is also a good Kyogre check
  • Palkia is another problem; support Arceus that fare well against it are good partners that can provide hazard removal as well
  • Have Pokemon to deal with common support Arceus formes that can come out on top of Tyranitar with Recover + Will-O-Wisp/Toxic
  • Ghostceus is a good partner to handle Fighting-types/Mega Kangaskhan. Tyranitar helps it with Ho-Oh/Yveltal.
  • Sweepers to take advantage of its Pursuit trapping utility
  • Sand abusers are naturally good partners. Sand Rush Excadrill is really the only ubers-viable one though

Other Options
########

  • Tyranitarite: Mega Tyranitar boasts increased all-round stats over regular Tyranitar, but with a large opportunity cost. The added Defense allows it to check physical threats like Extreme Killer Arceus and Landorus-T better, taking one of their hits and retaliating with the appropriate move. However, it takes up your team's Mega Evolution slot, which will be sorely missed by most teams. The ability to use another item is also very useful; Leftovers can significantly increase Tyranitar's longevity in the long run, and Chople Berry/Shuca Berry/Lum Berry are useful for letting Tyranitar overcome specific threats. Still, Mega Tyranitar retains a niche on teams utilising Sticky Web support, as its typing allows it to check Yveltal and Ho-Oh, which these teams are often weak to. The added Speed also proves more useful here, as with Sticky Web active, Mega Tyranitar can outspeed and Taunt opponents trying to Defog hazards without excessive Speed investment
  • Ice Beam hits Grounds, notably smacking Landorus-T and Gliscor for 4x damage (it does not OHKO them even with a Sassy nature though). Earthquake hits Dialga/Heatran.
  • Taunt is useful for preventing opponents from using Defog and status moves, but Tyranitar is generally too slow to use the move effectively, outside of hitting predicted switch-ins.
  • Smooth Rock extends Sandstorm turns from 5-8; considering how deadly a +2 Speed Excadrill is, this is a possible option
  • Thunder Wave punishes overzealous Geoxern while remaining a good option for crippling CM Arceus
  • Roar can phaze Ho-Oh, very reliable way of damaging it with Stealth Rock up, also prevents Tyranitar from becoming total Geoxern bait
  • Focus Sash anti-lead
  • Rest can increase Tyranitar's longevity greatly, although cleric support is highly recommended if using the move.
  • Fire Blast hits Scizor on the switch and fries Ferro/Forry
  • Tyranitar's movepool is quite extensive; unfortunately it is often hard-pressed to spare the moveslot(s)

Checks & Counters
########

**Fighting-types**: These are especially threatening because Tyranitar is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Among these, Mega Mewtwo X and Fightceus stand out as prime counters as they aren't weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can instantly OHKO/severely cripple it. Terrakion and Lucario can switch in on anything bar Superpower or Earthquake and threaten massively with STAB Close Combat. Blaziken does not want to switch in on Stone Edge but is incredibly dangerous if it manages to come in safely, or as a revenge killer.

**Fairies**: Xerneas, Fairyceus, Sylveon, Klefki, Clefable are not weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can switch in very comfortably if healthy, proceeding to threaten Tyranitar (Xern hits hard and sets up, Fairyceus has reliable recovery and can potentially set up, Sylveon and Clefable have reliable recovery and status removal, Klefki can set Spikes)

**Ground-types**: Groundceus is a counter that can set up on Tyranitar with Swords Dance and possibly Recover, making it particularly threatening amongst these. Hippowdon and Quagsire are more defensively-inclined counters that also have reliable healing. Groudon can switch in on anything bar Ice Beam, which it can also take in a pinch, and force Tyranitar out with the threat of Earthquake. Gliscor and Landorus-T can also do this but are doubly threatened by Ice Beam. None of these Pokemon barring Gliscor like Toxic, however.

**STAB U-Turn**: The 2 viable users of STAB U-Turn in Ubers, Scizor and Genesect, can use the move to build momentum or else cripple/kill Tyranitar. However, both of them don't want to be switching in on Tyranitar's STAB moves, although they can take a hit in a pinch. They have to be wary of possible Fire-type coverage, too.

**Skarmory**: Roost, Toxic, and access to Stealth Rock and Spikes allow it to dick around with Tyranitar

**Ferrothorn**: loses to Fire-type coverage and dislikes Superpower greatly, but can otherwise switch into Tyranitar and set up hazards/use Leech Seed. It is immune to Toxic as well, and Tyranitar is weak to both its STABs.

**Mega Kangaskhan**: Does not like Superpower, but can switch into any single attack and threaten back with Earthquake. PuP/Drain Punch variants annihilate Tyranitar

**Status**: Burn and poison subject Tyranitar to a slow death as it does not have reliable recovery. Burns also further debilitate it by weakening its physical attacks

**Kyogre**: Changes the weather and can proceed to force it out with STAB Water-type moves. Does not like switching in, however

**Support Arceus**: Waterceus, Grasseus, and Steelceus can come out on top of Tyranitar relatively unscathed if it is not running Toxic

**Palkia**: Lustrous Orb variants can 2HKO Tyranitar but will come out of the scuffle severely crippled. STAB Water-type moves, as well as Toxic/Rest if run, are problematic for Tyranitar. It doesn't want to be switching in if need be, though.

**Fighting-type coverage**: Pokemon running Focus Blast as coverage can seriously dent, if not kill Tyranitar not holding Chople Berry (also note Chople is one-use). Darkrai, Ghostceus, MMY, and Kyurem-W are viable users of the move. Low Kick on Deoxys-A, Brick Break on SD Ghostceus, and Superpower on opposing Tyranitar are other such moves that Tyranitar has to look out for.
 
Last edited:

Fireburn

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I'd slash Roar with Stone Edge, you can phaze nonEQ Ho-Oh after getting SR up and it stops Tyranitar from being Xerneas set up bait.

Sand Rush Exca is the only sand abuser worth mentioning.

You can put Smooth Rock in OO for extending Sand turns if you want.

Will comment more later, maybe you could try a support set with Mega Tyranitar. The increased physical bulk lets it check Ho-Oh better/beat Rayquaza, and it still checks Yveltal and Darkrai without Focus Blast. The attack boost is also nice.
 
I'd slash Roar with Stone Edge, you can phaze nonEQ Ho-Oh after getting SR up and it stops Tyranitar from being Xerneas set up bait.

Sand Rush Exca is the only sand abuser worth mentioning.

You can put Smooth Rock in OO for extending Sand turns if you want.

Will comment more later, maybe you could try a support set with Mega Tyranitar. The increased physical bulk lets it check Ho-Oh better/beat Rayquaza, and it still checks Yveltal and Darkrai without Focus Blast. The attack boost is also nice.
Noted. I know Roar is a good move but I'm iffy about slashing it with Stone Edge because of consistency issues; hitting Ho-Oh and Yveltal when you actually need to and being Tyranitar's strongest STAB option is hard to give up for such a situationally useful move... if anything, I feel Roar/Toxic should be slashed with SR but I talked with Hack and he wishes to see SR be the only move slashed in slot 1.

Will test support mega tar, right now I'm seeing a huge opportunity cost in its use of your team's mega slot though D:
 
Mega Tyranitar is viable but I actually prefer Leftovers on this to help repeatedly check Ho-Oh and other threats. Lum saves you from a burn but a well-played Leftovers Tyranitar can switch in several times throughout the match. You also get to conserve a Mega, which is nice (for example, Mega Scizor synergizes pretty well with this since Scizor covers Brick Break Arceus and Xerneas while Tyranitar covers Ho-Oh and Reshiram). I would make Leftovers the first item slashed, Chople Berry the second item slashed and Lum Berry the final slash. Lum Berry is used for anti-leading Darkrai and shaking off one Sacred Fire or WoW burn, but it isn't always useful. If QC feels that three items are too many, Lum Berry can move to OO. Also @ WreckDra, Arceus-Ghost beats Tyranitar now since it runs Will-O-Wisp over Focus Blast and can proceed it Recover-stall it unless Tyranitar carries Toxic. I'm glad you mentioned Payback though, it's a viable move on this.

Overview

Replace the parentheses around "traps" with the phrase "and-or." Tyranitar traps and checks Gengar so long it does not switch into Focus Blast, but can only check Ho-Oh and Yveltal as Pursuit does only solid damage to the turkey while doing peanuts to Yveltal. Replace "few" with "best" when you talk about Stealth Rock users. Plenty of Pokemon can viably carry Stealth Rock in Ubers, but not many of them find as many opportunities to set it up, or have an easy a time making room for it, as Tyranitar. I also feel it's worth mentioning that Tyranitar loses to common weather setters (Hippo/Groudon/Whale all destroy TTar sadly). Maybe you can mention its hatred for weather starters barring the rare Abomasnow below the fairies bullet point.

Overall, good job here. Most of the bullets are relevant enough to be mentioned in this section. I would recommend talking about the following when talking about its moveset to avoid redundancy: "Can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move." Remove this from the introduction and bring it up later when discussing moves.

Support

I do not like double STAB on this. Stealth Rock, Pursuit, and Stone Edge / Roar are fine, but remove Crunch and put Toxic* in its place. Toxic is great on Tyranitar as it completely ruins common switchins such as Arceus-Fairy and Defog Arceus-Water. Payback is cool and hits most Pokemon that do not resist it reliably hard, but Pursuit + Stone Edge is usually enough offensive coverage for a Pokemon that will not be spendig much of the game directly attacking anyway. So keep most of your slashes, just replace Crunch with Toxic and add Roar as Fireburn said. As for the EV spread, I was theorymonning a physically defensive spread with Low Kick to beat Extremekiller, but even with significant defense investment, you will get OHKOed by a +2 Earthquake (assuming SR). Tyranitar also gets 3HKOed by Zekrom's STABs and gets murdered by Ground types. Because of this harsh reality, Tyranitar should run a specially defensive spread to help check some Calm Mind Arceus formes, Reshiram, and Mega Gengar. Pursuit will not OHKO Gengar who stay in even with significant Attack investment, so I don't have problems with the listed spread. However, 24 Attack EV's allow it to always OHKO 4/0/0 Yveltal after Stealth Rock, so I would take take a little from its Special Defense investment and put it into attack in case Yveltal tries to stay in. Life Orb Yveltal lacking a Modest nature fall JUST short of OHKOing you with Focus Blast, so Yveltal might try to stay in on a healthy Tyranitar under the presumption it can attain an OHKO.

252 SpA Life Orb Yveltal Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 338-400 (83.6 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Modest has a 35% chance to OHKO, factoring in accuracy.


In addition to Ice Beam and Crunch, Superpower deserves a mention. Superpower is good on the Lum Berry set because it counters lead Darkrai. Even though Sash Darkrai is less common this generation, it's still around and having an excellent anti-lead to it is nice. Superpower also hits Extremekiller very hard, punishing it for setting up on you. Low Kick cannot OHKO Darkrai, which is why Superpower is the preferred option. Ice Beam is OK but I'd consider moving it to Other Options since it cannot secure the OHKO on Landorus-T and only has two targets. Tyranitar should run a Careful nature, as I see little point in attempting to be as slow as possible. You never know if you'll run into a Sacred Sword Aegislash or an opposing Tyranitar lacking speed creep.

Mention in Usage Tips that Choiced Kyogre locked into a non-STAB move can also be Pursuited for nice damage. Also de-emphazise Chople Berry in this section, it isn't that great an item on Tyranitar since it physical Fighting types still murder it. Chople can still get a mention, just bear in mind that it isn't Tyranitar's best option. Instead, emphasize that most defoggers barring Skarmory / Mega-Scizor / Arceus-Steel can be both crippled with Toxic and walled, meaning that Tyranitar usually does a nice job keeping Rocks up. Leftovers helps Tyranitar wall stuff like Defog Arceus-Rock. For this reason it is Ho-Oh's worst nightmare and should be used liberally (though not recklessly) vs. Ho-Oh teams.

Specifically mention Arceus-Grass as a good partner in Team Options, as it fares well against opposing Arceus-Grass, Palkia lacking Toxic, and Kyogre. Also mention Wish support, as Tyranitar loves it being a defensive Pokemon without reliable recovery. Wish Jirachi is a quality partner because it checks Fairies for Tyranitar (and some variants of Mewtwo, though it is FAR from a reliable Mewtwo check), while Tyranitar handles Yveltal / Ho-Oh / Reshiram for Jirachi. It does stack Ground-type weaknesses, but most teams can afford two ground-weak Pokemon so long they have solid answers to Earthquake spam.

Remove the empty second set, I cannot see Tyranitar running a Band or Dragon Dance set in this burn-infested metagame. We can revisit a Choice Band set when and if Latias is ever freed from her Siberian prison.

Other Options

-Move Superpower out of OO and into the main set. I have not talked about Mega Tyranitar much, but it's worth devoting 3-4 sentences here at the very least. Unlike regular Tyranitar, it actually CAN beat EKiller 1-1 which is nice.

-Move Ice Beam and Crunch here

-Thunder Wave is hilarious for nailing overeager Power Herb Xerneas

-Mention that it has an expansive movepool, but it is somewhat limited in what it can do in Ubers. It still has more viable & borderline viable options than most "non-Uber" Pokemon though.

Checks & Counters

Remove Extremekiller, it cannot switch in safely, particularly with the threat of passive damage from sand. It also really hates the uncommon Superpower. Unless the situation is dire for your opponent, Extremekiller has far better options to attempt to set up a Swords Dance on. CM Arceus also do not "check" Tyranitar outside of Steel; if anything, the opposite applies. Fairy, Water, etc cannot set up safely due to Toxic and a even a super-effective +0 Judgment in Sand does mediocre damage. Tyranitar does quite well vs. Electric Arceus and Psychic Arceus. I'd hesitate to mention Palkia as well, as that doesn't do that well against Tyranitar in the sand. Palkia actually fails to 2HKO the majority of the time without Lustrous Orb or Choice Specs and cannot switch in at all.

Life Orb Terrakion (only fears uncommon Superpower, can tolerate a Toxic and resists both STABs) is a check. Mention Life Orb Deoxys-A with Low Kick revenges (certainly far more reliably than something like Palkia, especially since Life Orb Deoxys-A is incredibly hard to switch into). So yeah, I cannot QC stamp this until you elaborate on this section, and I know you said you are not done with this anyway. The rest of the analysis was good though.

Remaining questions for QC members include an optimal spread, the viability on Mega Tyranitar, and anything obvious I may have missed in the Usage Tips section or otherwise. If I fucked up somewhere let me know, as I have not used this Pokemon extensively. It is very viable though and deserves an analysis (not that anyone has questioned that).

*I am officially on the dark side. Toxic Tyranitar, Toxic Reshiram, Toxic Xerneas, Toxic Omastar, Toxic ALL the Pokemon
 
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Inspirited

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I think the old Gen 5 spread of 252 HP/76 Atk/180 SpDef (Sassy) might be slightly better than the tank spread shown just because lives everything you need it to and it actually has a slight offensive presence + a 90% chance to 2HKO Defensive Yveltal and a 2HKO on support versions of Arceus-Ghost with Payback with those attack evs. (Chople Tar can survive 2 Focus Blasts)

I personally still use this set and boy does it work but i'm not sure if the specialized evs are needed anymore so a QC confirmation on this would be nice


These are the calcs
Arceus-Ghost:
76 Atk Tyranitar Payback (100 BP) vs. 252 HP / 160 Def Arceus-Ghost: 218-260 (49 - 58.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage
0 SpA Arceus-Ghost Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Chople Berry Tyranitar in Sand: 104-124 (25.7 - 30.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 SpA Arceus-Ghost Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 180+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 208-248 (51.4 - 61.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Yveltal:
76 Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Yveltal: 218-260 (47.9 - 57.1%) -- 90.2% chance to 2HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery


Edit: TY Sweep
 
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Mega Tyranitar is viable but I actually prefer Leftovers on this to help repeatedly check Ho-Oh and other threats. Lum saves you from a burn but a well-played Leftovers Tyranitar can switch in several times throughout the match. You also get to conserve a Mega, which is nice (for example, Mega Scizor synergizes pretty well with this since Scizor covers Brick Break Arceus and Xerneas while Tyranitar covers Ho-Oh and Reshiram). I would make Leftovers the first item slashed, Chople Berry the second item slashed and Lum Berry the final slash. Lum Berry is used for anti-leading Darkrai and shaking off one Sacred Fire or WoW burn, but it isn't always useful. If QC feels that three items are too many, Lum Berry can move to OO. Also @ WreckDra, Arceus-Ghost beats Tyranitar now since it runs Will-O-Wisp over Focus Blast and can proceed it Recover-stall it unless Tyranitar carries Toxic. I'm glad you mentioned Payback though, it's a viable move on this.

Overview

Replace the parentheses around "traps" with the phrase "and-or." Tyranitar traps and checks Gengar so long it does not switch into Focus Blast, but can only check Ho-Oh and Yveltal as Pursuit does only solid damage to the turkey while doing peanuts to Yveltal. Replace "few" with "best" when you talk about Stealth Rock users. Plenty of Pokemon can viably carry Stealth Rock in Ubers, but not many of them find as many opportunities to set it up, or have an easy a time making room for it, as Tyranitar. I also feel it's worth mentioning that Tyranitar loses to common weather setters (Hippo/Groudon/Whale all destroy TTar sadly). Maybe you can mention its hatred for weather starters barring the rare Abomasnow below the fairies bullet point.

Overall, good job here. Most of the bullets are relevant enough to be mentioned in this section. I would recommend talking about the following when talking about its moveset to avoid redundancy: "Can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move." Remove this from the introduction and bring it up later when discussing moves.

Support

I do not like double STAB on this. Stealth Rock, Pursuit, and Stone Edge / Roar are fine, but remove Crunch and put Toxic* in its place. Toxic is great on Tyranitar as it completely ruins common switchins such as Arceus-Fairy and Defog Arceus-Water. Payback is cool and hits most Pokemon that do not resist it reliably hard, but Pursuit + Stone Edge is usually enough offensive coverage for a Pokemon that will not be spendig much of the game directly attacking anyway. So keep most of your slashes, just replace Crunch with Toxic and add Roar as Fireburn said. As for the EV spread, I was theorymonning a physically defensive spread with Low Kick to beat Extremekiller, but even with significant defense investment, you will get OHKOed by a +2 Earthquake (assuming SR). Tyranitar also gets 3HKOed by Zekrom's STABs and gets murdered by Ground types. Because of this harsh reality, Tyranitar should run a specially defensive spread to help check some Calm Mind Arceus formes, Reshiram, and Mega Gengar. Pursuit will not OHKO Gengar who stay in even with significant Attack investment, so I don't have problems with the listed spread. However, 24 Attack EV's allow it to always OHKO 4/0/0 Yveltal after Stealth Rock, so I would take take a little from its Special Defense investment and put it into attack in case Yveltal tries to stay in. Life Orb Yveltal lacking a Modest nature fall JUST short of OHKOing you with Focus Blast, so Yveltal might try to stay in on a healthy Tyranitar under the presumption it can attain an OHKO.

252 SpA Life Orb Yveltal Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 338-400 (83.6 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Modest has a 35% chance to OHKO, factoring in accuracy.


In addition to Ice Beam and Crunch, Superpower deserves a mention. Superpower is good on the Lum Berry set because it counters lead Darkrai. Even though Sash Darkrai is less common this generation, it's still around and having an excellent anti-lead to it is nice. Superpower also hits Extremekiller very hard, punishing it for setting up on you. Low Kick cannot OHKO Darkrai, which is why Superpower is the preferred option. Ice Beam is OK but I'd consider moving it to Other Options since it cannot secure the OHKO on Landorus-T and only has two targets. Tyranitar should run a Careful nature, as I see little point in attempting to be as slow as possible. You never know if you'll run into a Sacred Sword Aegislash or an opposing Tyranitar lacking speed creep.

Mention in Usage Tips that Choiced Kyogre locked into a non-STAB move can also be Pursuited for nice damage. Also de-emphazise Chople Berry in this section, it isn't that great an item on Tyranitar since it physical Fighting types still murder it. Chople can still get a mention, just bear in mind that it isn't Tyranitar's best option. Instead, emphasize that most defoggers barring Skarmory / Mega-Scizor / Arceus-Steel can be both crippled with Toxic and walled, meaning that Tyranitar usually does a nice job keeping Rocks up. Leftovers helps Tyranitar wall stuff like Defog Arceus-Rock. For this reason it is Ho-Oh's worst nightmare and should be used liberally (though not recklessly) vs. Ho-Oh teams.

Specifically mention Arceus-Grass as a good partner in Team Options, as it fares well against opposing Arceus-Grass, Palkia lacking Toxic, and Kyogre. Also mention Wish support, as Tyranitar loves it being a defensive Pokemon without reliable recovery. Wish Jirachi is a quality partner because it checks Fairies for Tyranitar (and some variants of Mewtwo, though it is FAR from a reliable Mewtwo check), while Tyranitar handles Yveltal / Ho-Oh / Reshiram for Jirachi. It does stack Ground-type weaknesses, but most teams can afford two ground-weak Pokemon so long they have solid answers to Earthquake spam.

Remove the empty second set, I cannot see Tyranitar running a Band or Dragon Dance set in this burn-infested metagame. We can revisit a Choice Band set when and if Latias is ever freed from her Siberian prison.

Other Options

-Move Superpower out of OO and into the main set. I have not talked about Mega Tyranitar much, but it's worth devoting 3-4 sentences here at the very least. Unlike regular Tyranitar, it actually CAN beat EKiller 1-1 which is nice.

-Move Ice Beam and Crunch here

-

*I am officially on the dark side. Toxic Tyranitar, Toxic Reshiram, Toxic Xerneas, Toxic Omastar, Toxic ALL the Pokemon
I appreciate the detailed post :] Slashing looks pretty good now. Agree with and implemented most of the changes, barring a couple of finer points I'd like to contend:
  • I feel Chople is a great item on Ttar this gen if only because it can guarantee the removal of Mega Gengar as long as it is healthy. While I agree with Lefties > Chople in the slashing, I'm hesitant about de-emphasizing it in Usage Tips as it can help hugely against Gengar and M2Y. Actually Shuca Berry is pretty good too, although I'm ok with that not being slashed.
  • Roar main-slashed...? This makes 2 QC members who have told me to do this now, but to quote myself: I'm iffy about slashing it with Stone Edge because of consistency issues; hitting Ho-Oh and Yveltal when you actually need to and being Tyranitar's strongest STAB option is hard to give up for such a situationally useful move. I did main slash it, but would really like to hear more opinion on this.
The point about Kyogre was already mentioned. Also elaborated a little more on Team Options.

WreckDra yeah, basically what sweep said :o
 
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Smogon acted screwy last night, so I was finally able to finish that post. Also, I too would like more qc input on those points.
 
Ok, elaborated greatly on checks and counters and made some misc additions. This is fully ready to be QCed now.
 
Mega Tyranitar is a good variant, there's a lot of potential so fiddle with this more. The physical defense boost and the attack boost is really nice for assorted defensive sets. You probably aren't going to be trying to Pursuit trap Gengar with it, though, it has slightly different targets that come with the stat changes.

In general, Tyranitar has the worst case of 4mss sydrome ever. Like what it can do that's cool and what it has the slots for is really disprotionate. This will probably mean a very large moves section but whatever.

Some sets to test:
-RestTalk with DD (good for mega ttar)
-Sash Lead
-Rest in general, especially on Mega TTar (might not need Sleep talk, fiddle with it). You might be able to fit it into the current main set by slashing with Stealth Rock but yeah just fiddle with it.

Moves to try:
-Ice Beam, smashes Lando-T and Gliscor
-Taunt, cause best move in the game
-Low Kick, like superpower but no drops and misses out on Darkrai
-Payback, cause Crunch is piss weak and not spammable on switch (although it might be with Mega TTar...)
 
ok this has been languishing for the longest time, and i'm sorry for the delay.

Melee Mewtwo i tested mtar extensively. my conclusion is that it is a very niche mon. balanced teams prefer regular ttar bc they mostly miss their mega slot too much. stall teams prefer regular ttar bc the ability to hold another item (usually lefties) is very useful. chople/shuca/lum are very nice to have also. offensive teams don't use ttar. the aforementioned niche mtar possesses is as a bulky yet relatively hard-hitting taunt user on sticky web teams, as these teams are often weak to yveltal and ho-oh, which ttar handily checks. the added defenses and speed also come in quite handy here.

tl;dr i am very reluctant about giving mtar anything more than oo.

mentioned taunt and rest in oo. sash lead, ice beam, low kick, and payback were already in. i would appreciate qc input on all this!
 
The set and slashing of items is a bit odd. Toxic seems fun in theory but considering what advantages TTar has over other SR users, it will be quite clear why it's hard to fit it.

Tyranitar @ Chople Berry / Lum Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge / Low Kick
- Payback / Crunch

The big advantage of TTar is obviously its ability to anti lead Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A as well as compressing the slot into having a pursuit trapper (especially useful for Excadrill sandstall). In any sense, the choice of Payback over Crunch is because Crunch will need 84 EVs invested in attack with an adamant nature, to be have a guaranteed shot at taking out max HP Deo-s, so Payback will allow you to be much more tanky. Personally I see Low Kick as a very viable option as most stall teams will have trouble with Arceus-Dark.
84+ Atk Tyranitar Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Arceus-Dark: 224-264 (50.4 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage

As shown, with the secondary Crunch spread, TTar also becomes an efficient Darkceus check, especially in conjunction with something like Blissey, who forces Refresh and also passes Wishes. Chople Berry has to be in first slash because of the prevalence of Gengar, as well as Superpower/Low Kick Deo-A leads, who you want to anti-lead safely too.

Concerning the lack of Toxic: The reason why there isn't a slot left for it is because all 4 move slots at the moment pull off something unique that makes TTar's role different from conventional bulky SR users like Dialga. With that said, Toxic might be slashable in the third slot, but both moves there are very hard to forgo too.
 
Hack He Must I think the main advantage Tyranitar has over other SR setters is that it helps greatly against (non-EQ) Ho-Oh and (non U-Turn) Yveltal, and is a viable choice on teams inclined to be weak to these 2 mons. Beyond that, one would want to use it to anti lead HO + trap prominent HO Pokemon like Mega Gengar and MMY, as you mentioned. The thing is, Toxic has proven very useful in wearing down support Arceus formes, and is a very useful move to just throw out as it will likely cripple something. This brings me to propose that Toxic gets a slash with Pursuit, explanation being, Pursuit + Payback is not 100% necessary... If Mega Gengar/MMY has Fighting coverage, they will likely use it; Tyranitar will stomach the hit with Chople and Payback for the kill. If they do not run Fighting coverage, they will attempt to switch out, but then they cannot harm Tyranitar anyway, meaning that it can switch in on them repeatedly later in the game as a regular check would. When analysing it this way, Pursuit does not seem like a mandatory choice. I agree that Stone Edge/Low Kick are very important, and it seems wrong for both of them to be forgone for Toxic.

tl;dr I propose Toxic be slashed with Pursuit on the set you have. Thoughts?
 
Yes, but point out that Pursuit is needed for most stall, and you should also use Pursuit with Chople Berry. Leftovers with Toxic is something I'm fine with, but it is the second slash as Pursuit trapping and anti leading Deo-A safely etc. is something I value more.
 
Talked with MM2 about this. Remaining questions for QC to evaluate:
  • Tyranitarite > Leftovers: Aside from increased special bulk, Mega Tyranitar is also significantly more physically bulky and boasts higher Atk than regular Tyranitar, allowing it to check Ho-Oh better; the added special bulk also offsets the loss of lefties recovery. Should Tyranitarite be slashed over Leftovers in the main set? If so, Leftovers will be mentioned in moves as a great alternative should one's team want the mega slot.
  • Ice Beam and Taunt in moves: These moves are significantly better than the other stuff mentioned in OO. Ice Beam in slot 3 + Shuca could work as a useful lure. Taunt could be a possible slot 2 moves candidate as it has utility in hitting support Arceus and Klefki on the switch-in.
 

Fireburn

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In OO mention that fast Mega TTar with Taunt is good on Web teams for checking lots of stuff those teams hate (Darkrai/Yveltal/EKiller/MKhan) assuming Web is up.

QC Approved 3/3
 

GatoDelFuego

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malefic

Overview
########

While Tyranitar is by no means a dominating force in the metagame, it manages to retain a valuable niche for several reasons. Firstly, its typing lets it handle two prominent Pokemon in Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are extremely dangerous offensive threats with a dearth of checks. Tyranitar also learns Pursuit, allowing it to trap and remove dangerous yet frail Pokemon that are weak to the move, such as Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y. Additionally, Tyranitar gets the rare Sand Stream ability. Sand supports a team in many ways, from providing valuable chip damage to anti-leading common Focus Sashed suicide leads to accommodating teammates that benefit from sandstorm. To top things off, Tyranitar is one of the few reliable users of Stealth Rock in the tier. Unfortunately, even as Tyranitar's typing lets it check top threats, it is also its undoing, burdening it with weaknesses to many common types. Fairy-types are not good news, and new offensive powerhouses in Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Blaziken, and Mega Lucario are a menace for Tyranitar. As far as weather control goes, Tyranitar fares badly against other weather starters in Groudon, Kyogre, and Hippowdon, only getting a favorable matchup against Abomasnow, which is rarely encountered in Ubers. Finally, Tyranitar gained a new Mega Evolution but sadly cannot make much use of it as other, more viable Mega Evolutions abound; also, it sorely needs its item slot. All in all, although Tyranitar's flaws are significant, it must be reinforced that it provides teams with a potent brand of support unique to itself. Use it when your team can make full use of this support while adequately covering its weaknesses, and you will find it does not disappoint.


Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Pursuit / Toxic
move 3: Stone Edge / Low Kick
move 4: Payback
ability: Sand Stream
item: Chople Berry / Tyranitarite / Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful

Moves
========

Stealth Rock is a mandatory choice seeing as Tyranitar is one of the move's few good users, being able to set it up against common Pokemon it checks, such as Yveltal and Ho-Oh. Pursuit is a big part of what gives Tyranitar its niche, allowing it to trap Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Choice Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam/Thunder, and Ho-Oh that decide it is in their best interest to flee. This is essentially a mandatory move on stall teams because of how huge a threat stallbreakers like Mega Gengar are on these teams, and being able to guarantee the removal of these threats is invaluable. If one wishes, Toxic is a great alternative to use in this slot for putting support Arceus on a timer, letting Tyranitar beat certain Calm Mind Arceus formes and bothering bulky Pokemon in general. Using both Pursuit and Payback is not 100% necessary to keep Pokemon like Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y in check. If the targets of Pursuit have Fighting-type coverage, such as Mega Gengar with Focus Blast, they will more than likely use it; Tyranitar can stomach the hit with a Chople Berry and use Payback for the KO. If they do not run Fighting coverage, they will attempt to switch out, but then they cannot harm Tyranitar anyway, meaning that it can switch in on them repeatedly later in the game as a regular check would.

Moving on, Stone Edge hits Ho-Oh and Yveltal super effectively and is Tyranitar's most hard-hitting STAB move. Low Kick punishes Extreme Killer Arceus for setting up on Tyranitar and hits notable targets Dark/Rock Arceus, Heatran, and Dialga super effectively. Superpower is an alternative that hits Darkrai harder and is great in conjunction with a Lum Berry. Payback works well with Tyranitar's poor Speed and provides a consistent Dark-type STAB move. It also allows for mindgames in tandem with Pursuit. Crunch is another option that proves situationally more useful against slower Pokemon like Bronzong, and has a moderately high 30% chance of lowering the opponent's Defense. However, using it notably leaves Tyranitar unable to guarantee bringing 252 HP Deoxys-S down to sandstorm KO range (it requires 84 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to do so). This makes it a suboptimal option as one of Tyranitar's main niches is anti-leading Deoxys-S leads. Finally, if one's team so requires, Ice Beam can be fit on this set to hit Ground-types, notably smacking Landorus-T and Gliscor for 4x damage (it does not OHKO them even with a Sassy nature, though). It works especially well in tandem with a Shuca Berry. Taunt is useful for preventing opponents from using Defog and status moves, but Tyranitar is generally too slow to use the move effectively outside of hitting predicted switch-ins of Pokemon such as support Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature are used maximize Tyranitar's special bulk; this also makes full use of the 1.5x Special Defense boost sandstorm provides. Investing 24 EVs in Attack lets Stone Edge OHKO 4 HP / 0 Def Yveltal after Stealth Rock, so consider siphoning these EVs from Special Defense into Attack. Chople Berry lets Tyranitar trap Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y regardless of whether they have Fighting-type coverage. Pursuit should always be used with Chople Berry. Note that Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves mean that Chople Berry will be doing little in the way of cushioning it from physical Fighting-type attacks, especially STAB ones. Moving on, Tyranitarite is a good item to use. Mega Tyranitar boasts increased all-around stats over regular Tyranitar; notably, the added Defense allows it to better check physical threats like Extreme Killer Arceus and Landorus-T, taking one of their hits and retaliating with the appropriate move. However, it must be emphasized that the opportunity cost of using Tyranitarite is that takes up your team's Mega Evolution slot.

If Tyranitarite cannot be used due to teambuilding constraints, Leftovers is a perfectly viable alternative. It gives Tyranitar a little more wiggle room in switching in and can prove very useful in letting Tyranitar survive longer matches and set up Stealth Rock multiple times. Lum Berry is good for letting Tyranitar shrug off status on a single occasion, such as a Sacred Fire burn or Darkrai's Dark Void. Lastly, Shuca Berry is a possible alternative item that allows Tyranitar to take an Earthquake from weakened Groudon/Landorus-T/Gliscor and possibly pick them off (if it is used, Ice Beam snipes the latter two and does significant damage to the former).


Usage Tips
========

Tyranitar has no reliable recovery; keep this in mind when making switches as it will gradually be worn down. Also, Tyranitar is easily exploited because of its poor Speed and many weaknesses; be careful about staying in if Pokemon like Blaziken/Mega Mewtwo X are present on the opposing team unless you are intending to cripple them on the predicted switch-in. Also be careful of predicted double switches into these threats. On the other hand, don't be excessively conservative. For example, if the opponent's Kyogre has been found to be Choiced and the Ice Beam/Thunder is imminent, switching Tyranitar in to Pursuit it would be nice. If you see Mega Gengar/Mega Mewtwo Y, keep Tyranitar healthy as you need to be healthy to reliably trap these. Lead with Tyranitar against Deoxys-S (Deoxys-A if running Chople Berry, as 0 Atk Low Kick from Deoxys-A does not KO) and Scolipede leads. It is pretty good anti-lead to these suicide leads in conjunction with sand. Speaking of which, when sand is active, don't underestimate Tyranitar's special bulk. It can and should stay in to take moderately powerful special attacks if it means wearing down the opponent to a level where they can be easily picked off with the aid of residual damage from status and sand. For example, a neutral 4 SpA Judgment from a support Arceus does a paltry 18%-22% to Tyranitar, which is further mitigated by Leftovers recovery. Even a super effective Judgment is merely a 3HKO on Tyranitar factoring in Leftovers recovery, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is in your best interest to stay in. Finally, note that Tyranitar can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move (see Other Options for suggestions).


Team Options
========

Cleric support is highly recommended because of how status-prone Tyranitar is. Fairy-types are good partners, offering good defensive synergy and appreciating Pursuit support against Mega Gengar. Wish support is also nice as Tyranitar lacks reliable recovery. Sylveon and Blissey are great partners that provide both Wish and Heal Beal support. Jirachi is another solid partner that helps against Fairy-types while Tyranitar checks Yveltal and Ho-Oh for it; however, it compounds a nasty Ground-type weakness. Flying-type teammates or Pokemon with Levitate are recommended to check Earthquake spam, and also mitigate the team's Fighting-type weakness. Scizor is a good teammate to check Fairy-types, as is Bronzong (again, try not to compound the Ground weakness)

A Kyogre check is required; Grass Arceus is a good one, having excellent synergy with Tyranitar. It also checks Palkia and Groudon. That said, Palkia is also a good Kyogre check. On dedicated stall teams, having two decent answers to Kyogre as also an option, for example, using Water Arceus and Ferrothorn. Palkia is another problem; support Arceus formes that fare well against it are good partners that can provide entry hazard removal as well. Ghost Arceus is a particularly good partner to handle Fighting-types and Mega Kangaskhan, while Tyranitar helps it with Ho-Oh and Yveltal. Finally, sweepers are good teammates to take advantage of Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility. Sand Rush Excadrill is also a naturally good partner.


Other Options
########

Mega Tyranitar with Speed and Attack investment has a niche on teams utilizing Sticky Web support, as its typing allows it to check Yveltal and Ho-Oh, which these teams are often weak to. The added Speed also proves more useful here, as with Sticky Web active, Mega Tyranitar can outspeed and Taunt opponents trying to Defog away entry hazards as well as outspeed other offensive threats to such teams such as Mega Kangaskhan and Extreme Killer Arceus trying to set up. Mega Evolution aside, Tyranitar's movepool is quite extensive, but unfortunately it is often hard-pressed to spare the moveslots. Earthquake is Tyranitar's best option against Klefki and Heatran. Rock Tomb is a weaker alternative to Stone Edge that still does hefty damage to Ho-Oh and Yveltal, but has the added effect of lowering the target's Speed by one stage, which is useful for hindering setup sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Thunder Wave punishes overzealous Geomancy Xerneas while remaining a good option for crippling Calm Mind Arceus. Roar can phaze Ho-Oh and is a very reliable way of damaging it with Stealth Rock up. It also prevents Tyranitar from becoming total Geomancy Xerneas bait. Rest can increase Tyranitar's longevity greatly; note that cleric support is highly recommended if using the move. Finally, Fire Blast hits Scizor on the switch and fries Ferrothorn and Forretress. Item-wise, Smooth Rock extends sandstorm turns from 5-8; considering how deadly a teammate like +2 Speed Excadrill can be, this is a possible option. An anti-lead set with Focus Sash can be used, but using Chople Berry accomplishes much the same thing.


Checks & Counters
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**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types are especially threatening because Tyranitar is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Among these, Mega Mewtwo X and Fighting Arceus stand out as prime counters as they aren't weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can instantly OHKO or severely cripple it. Terrakion and Lucario can switch in on anything bar Superpower or Earthquake and threaten massively with STAB Close Combat. Blaziken does not want to switch in on Stone Edge but is incredibly dangerous if it manages to come in safely, especially as a revenge killer.

**Fairy-types**: Xerneas, Fairy Arceus, Sylveon, Klefki, and Clefable are not weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can switch in very comfortably if healthy, proceeding to threaten it with their respective means. Xerneas hits hard and can set up a Geomancy, Fairy Arceus has reliable recovery and can potentially set up, Sylveon and Clefable have reliable recovery and status removal, and Klefki can set Spikes.

**Ground-types**: Ground Arceus is an offensive counter that can set up on Tyranitar with Swords Dance and possibly Recover, making it particularly threatening. Excadrill can use Tyranitar's sand against it and threaten to KO it with powerful STAB moves. Hippowdon and Quagsire are more defensively inclined counters that possess reliable healing. Groudon can switch in on anything bar Ice Beam, which it can also take in a pinch, and force Tyranitar out with Earthquake. Gliscor and Landorus-T can also do this but are doubly threatened by Ice Beam. None of these Pokemon barring Gliscor like Toxic, however.

**STAB U-Turn**: The two viable users of STAB U-Turn in Ubers, Scizor and Genesect, can use the move to build momentum or else cripple or KO Tyranitar. However, both of them don't want to be switching in on Tyranitar's STAB moves, although they can take a hit in a pinch. They have to be wary of possible Fire-type coverage, too.

**Skarmory**: Roost, Toxic, and access to Stealth Rock and Spikes allow Skarmory to annoy Tyranitar.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn loses to Fire-type coverage and dislikes Low Kick greatly, but can otherwise switch into Tyranitar and set up entry hazards or use Leech Seed. It is immune to Toxic as well, and Tyranitar is weak to both its STABs.

**Mega Kangaskhan**: Mega Kangaskhan does not like Superpower, but it can switch into any single attack and threaten back with Earthquake. Power-Up Punch and Drain Punch variants annihilate Tyranitar.

**Status**: Burn and poison subject Tyranitar to a slow death as it does not have reliable recovery. Burns also further debilitate it by weakening its physical attacks.

**Kyogre**: Kyogre changes the weather and can proceed to force Tyranitar out with STAB Water-type moves. It does not like switching in, however.

**Support Arceus**: Water/Grass/Steel Arceus can come out on top of Tyranitar relatively unscathed if it is not running Toxic.

**Palkia**: Lustrous Orb variants of Palkia can 2HKO Tyranitar but will come out of the scuffle severely crippled. STAB Water-type moves, as well as Toxic/Rest Palkia variants, are far better at countering it.

**Fighting-type Coverage**: Pokemon running Focus Blast as coverage can seriously dent, if not KO, Tyranitar not holding Chople Berry (also note that Chople Berry is a one-use item). Darkrai, Ghost Arceus, Mega Mewto Y, and Kyurem-W are viable users of the move. Low Kick on Deoxys-A, Brick Break on Swords Dance Ghost Arceus, and Superpower on opposing Tyranitar are other such moves that Tyranitar has to look out for.

1/2

Imo you used way too many slashes and abbreviations, especially many abbreviations in the checks and counters section. Ghostceus or MMY aren't acceptable terms.
 
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thanks, implemented. sorry for the abbreviations, i went through this analysis too hastily before setting it up for gp :|

this is ready for its second check.
 
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Overview
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While Tyranitar is by no means a dominating force in the metagame, it manages to retain a valuable niche for several reasons. Firstly, its typing lets it handle two prominent Pokemon in Ho-Oh and Yveltal, both of which are extremely dangerous offensive threats with a dearth of checks. Tyranitar also learns Pursuit, allowing it to trap and remove dangerous yet frail Pokemon that are weak to the move, such as Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y. Additionally, Tyranitar gets the rare Sand Stream ability. Sand supports a team in many ways, from providing valuable chip damage to letting Tyranitar anti-lead common Focus Sashed suicide leads to accommodating teammates that benefit from sandstorm. To top things off, Tyranitar is one of the few reliable users of Stealth Rock in the tier. Unfortunately, even as Tyranitar's typing lets it check top threats, it is also its undoing, burdening it with weaknesses to many common types. Fairy-types are not good news, and new offensive powerhouses in Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Blaziken, and Mega Lucario are a menace for Tyranitar. As far as weather control goes, Tyranitar fares badly against other weather starters in Groudon, Kyogre, and Hippowdon, only getting a favorable matchup against Abomasnow, which is rarely encountered in Ubers. Finally, Tyranitar gained a new Mega Evolution but sadly cannot make much use of it as other, more viable Mega Evolutions abound; also, it sorely needs its item slot. All in all, although Tyranitar's flaws are significant, it must be reinforced that it provides teams with a potent brand of support unique to itself. Use it when your team can make full use of this support while adequately covering its weaknesses, and you will find it does not disappoint.


Support
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name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Pursuit / Toxic
move 3: Stone Edge / Low Kick
move 4: Payback
ability: Sand Stream
item: Chople Berry / Tyranitarite / Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful

Moves
========

Stealth Rock is a mandatory choice seeing as Tyranitar is one of the move's few good users, being able to set it up against common Pokemon it checks, such as Yveltal and Ho-Oh. Pursuit is a big part of what gives Tyranitar its niche, allowing it to trap Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Choice Scarf Kyogre locked into Ice Beam/Thunder, and Ho-Oh that decide it is in their best interest to flee. This is essentially a mandatory move on stall teams because of how huge a threat stallbreakers like Mega Gengar are on to these teams, and being able to guarantee the removal of these threats is invaluable. If one wishes, Toxic is a great alternative to use in this slot for putting support Arceus on a timer, letting Tyranitar beat certain Calm Mind Arceus formes and bothering bulky Pokemon in general. Using both Pursuit and Payback is not 100% necessary to keep Pokemon like Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y in check. If the targets of Pursuit have Fighting-type coverage, such as Mega Gengar with Focus Blast, they will more than likely use it; Tyranitar can stomach the hit with a Chople Berry and use Payback for the KO. If they do not run Fighting coverage, they will attempt to switch out, but then they cannot harm Tyranitar anyway, meaning that it can switch in on them repeatedly later in the game as a regular check would.

Moving on, Stone Edge hits Ho-Oh and Yveltal super effectively and is Tyranitar's most hard-hitting STAB move. Low Kick punishes Extreme Killer Arceus for setting up on Tyranitar and hits notable targets such as Dark/Rock Arceus, Heatran, and Dialga super effectively. Superpower is an alternative that hits Darkrai harder and is great in conjunction with a Lum Berry. Payback works well with Tyranitar's poor Speed and provides a consistent Dark-type STAB move. It also allows for mindgames in tandem with Pursuit. Crunch is another option that proves situationally more useful against slower Pokemon like Bronzong, (remove comma) and has a moderately high 30% chance of lowering the opponent's Defense. However, using it notably leaves Tyranitar unable to guarantee bringing 252 HP Deoxys-S down to sandstorm KO range (it requires 84 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature to do so). This makes it a suboptimal option as one of Tyranitar's main niches is anti-leading Deoxys-S leads. Finally, if one's team so requires, Ice Beam can be fit used on this set to hit Ground-types, notably smacking Landorus-T and Gliscor for 4x damage (it does not OHKO them even with a Sassy nature, though). It works especially well in tandem with a Shuca Berry. Taunt is useful for preventing opponents from using Defog and status moves, but Tyranitar is generally too slow to use the move effectively outside of hitting predicted switch-ins of Pokemon such as support Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature are used to maximize Tyranitar's special bulk; this also makes full use of the 1.5x Special Defense boost sandstorm provides. Investing 24 EVs in Attack lets Stone Edge OHKO 4 HP / 0 Def Yveltal after Stealth Rock, so consider siphoning these EVs from Special Defense into Attack. Chople Berry lets Tyranitar trap Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y regardless of whether they have Fighting-type coverage. Pursuit should always be used with Chople Berry. Note that Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves mean that Chople Berry will be doing little in the way of cushioning it from physical Fighting-type attacks, especially STAB ones. Moving on, Tyranitarite is a good item to use. Mega Tyranitar boasts increased all-around stats over regular Tyranitar; notably, the added Defense allows it to better check physical threats like Extreme Killer Arceus and Landorus-T, taking one of their hits and retaliating with the appropriate move. However, it must be emphasized that the opportunity cost of using Tyranitarite is that takes up your team's Mega Evolution slot.

If Tyranitarite cannot be used due to teambuilding constraints, Leftovers is a perfectly viable alternative. It gives Tyranitar a little more wiggle room in switching in and can prove very useful in letting Tyranitar survive longer matches and set up Stealth Rock multiple times. Lum Berry is good for letting Tyranitar shrug off status on a single occasion, such as a Sacred Fire burn or Darkrai's Dark Void. Lastly, Shuca Berry is a possible alternative item that allows Tyranitar to take an Earthquake from weakened Groudon/Landorus-T/Gliscor and possibly pick them off; if it is used, Ice Beam may be considered on the set as it snipes the latter two and does significant damage to the former).


Usage Tips
========

Tyranitar has no reliable recovery; keep this in mind when making switches as it will gradually be worn down. Also, Tyranitar is easily exploited because of its poor Speed and many weaknesses; be careful about staying in if Pokemon like Blaziken/Mega Mewtwo X are present on the opposing team unless you are intending to cripple them on the predicted switch-in. Also be careful of predicted double switches into these threats. On the other hand, don't be excessively conservative. For example, if the opponent's Kyogre has been found to be Choiced and the Ice Beam/Thunder is imminent, switching Tyranitar in to Pursuit it would be nice advisable. If you see Mega Gengar/Mega Mewtwo Y, keep Tyranitar healthy as you it needs to be healthy to reliably trap these. Lead with Tyranitar against Deoxys-S (Deoxys-A if running Chople Berry, as 0 Atk Low Kick from Deoxys-A does not KO) and Scolipede leads. It is a pretty good anti-lead to these suicide leads in conjunction with sand. Speaking of which, when sand is active, don't underestimate Tyranitar's special bulk. It can and should stay in to take moderately powerful special attacks if it means wearing down the opponent to a level where they can be easily picked off with the aid of residual damage from status and sand. For example, a neutral 4 SpA Judgment from a support Arceus does a paltry 18%-22% to Tyranitar, which is further mitigated by Leftovers recovery. Even a super effective Judgment is merely a 3HKO on Tyranitar factoring in Leftovers recovery, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is in your best interest to stay in. Finally, note that Tyranitar can function as an effective lure with the appropriate item/move (see Other Options for suggestions).


Team Options
========

Cleric support is highly recommended because of how status-prone Tyranitar is. Fairy-types are good partners, offering good defensive synergy and appreciating Pursuit support against Mega Gengar. Wish support is also nice as Tyranitar lacks reliable recovery. Sylveon and Blissey are great partners that provide both Wish and Heal Beal support. Jirachi is another solid partner that helps against Fairy-types while Tyranitar checks Yveltal and Ho-Oh for it; however, it compounds a nasty Ground-type weakness. Flying-type teammates or Pokemon with Levitate are recommended to check Earthquake spam, (remove comma) and also mitigate the team's Fighting-type weakness. Scizor is a good teammate to check Fairy-types, as is Bronzong (again, try not to compound the Ground weakness). (period)

A Kyogre check is required; Grass Arceus is a good one, having excellent synergy with Tyranitar. It also checks Palkia and Groudon. That said, Palkia is also a good Kyogre check. On dedicated stall teams, having two decent answers to Kyogre as also an option—for example, using Water Arceus and Ferrothorn. Palkia is another problem; support Arceus formes that fare well against it are good partners that can provide entry hazard removal as well. Ghost Arceus is a particularly good partner to handle Fighting-types and Mega Kangaskhan, while Tyranitar helps it with Ho-Oh and Yveltal. Finally, sweepers are good teammates to take advantage of Tyranitar's Pursuit-trapping utility. Sand Rush Excadrill is also a naturally good partner.


Other Options
########

Mega Tyranitar with Speed and Attack investment has a niche on teams utilizing Sticky Web support, as its typing allows it to check Yveltal and Ho-Oh, which these teams are often weak to. The added Speed also proves more useful here, as with Sticky Web active, Mega Tyranitar can outspeed and Taunt opponents trying to Defog away entry hazards as well as outspeed other offensive threats to such teams, (add comma) such as Mega Kangaskhan and Extreme Killer Arceus trying to set up. Mega Evolution aside, Tyranitar's movepool is quite extensive, but unfortunately it is often hard-pressed to spare the moveslots. Earthquake is Tyranitar's best option against Klefki and Heatran. Rock Tomb is a weaker alternative to Stone Edge that still does hefty damage to Ho-Oh and Yveltal, but has the added effect of lowering the target's Speed by one stage, which is useful for hindering setup sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes. Thunder Wave punishes overzealous Geomancy Xerneas while remaining a good option for crippling Calm Mind Arceus. Roar can phaze Ho-Oh and is a very reliable way of damaging it with Stealth Rock up. It also prevents Tyranitar from becoming total Geomancy Xerneas bait. Rest can increase Tyranitar's longevity greatly; note that cleric support is highly recommended if using the move. Finally, Fire Blast hits Scizor on the switch and fries Ferrothorn and Forretress. Item-wise, Smooth Rock extends sandstorm turns from 5 to 8; considering how deadly a teammate like +2 Speed Excadrill can be, this is a possible option. An anti-lead set with Focus Sash can be used, but using Chople Berry accomplishes much the same thing.


Checks & Counters
########

**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types are especially threatening because Tyranitar is 4x weak to their STAB moves. Among these, Mega Mewtwo X and Fighting Arceus stand out as prime counters as they aren't weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can instantly OHKO or severely cripple it. Terrakion and Lucario can switch in on anything bar Superpower or Earthquake and threaten massively with STAB Close Combat. Blaziken does not want to switch in on Stone Edge but is incredibly dangerous if it manages to come in safely, especially as a revenge killer.

**Fairy-types**: Xerneas, Fairy Arceus, Sylveon, Klefki, and Clefable are not weak to any of Tyranitar's moves and can switch in very comfortably if healthy, proceeding to threaten it with their respective means. Xerneas hits hard and can set up a Geomancy, Fairy Arceus has reliable recovery and can potentially set up, Sylveon and Clefable have reliable recovery and status removal, and Klefki can set Spikes.

**Ground-types**: Ground Arceus is an offensive counter that can set up on Tyranitar with Swords Dance and possibly Recover, making it particularly threatening. Excadrill can use Tyranitar's sand against it and threaten to KO it with powerful STAB moves. Hippowdon and Quagsire are more defensively inclined counters that possess reliable healing. Groudon can switch in on anything bar Ice Beam, which it can also take in a pinch, and force Tyranitar out with Earthquake. Gliscor and Landorus-T can also do this but are doubly threatened by Ice Beam. None of these Pokemon barring Gliscor like Toxic, however.

**STAB U-turn**: The two viable users of STAB U-turn in Ubers, Scizor and Genesect, can use the move to build momentum or else cripple or KO Tyranitar. However, both of them don't want to be switching in on Tyranitar's STAB moves, although they can take a hit in a pinch. They have to be wary of possible Fire-type coverage, too.

**Skarmory**: Roost, Toxic, and access to Stealth Rock and Spikes allow Skarmory to annoy Tyranitar.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn loses to Fire-type coverage and dislikes Low Kick greatly, but can otherwise switch into Tyranitar and set up entry hazards or use Leech Seed. It is immune to Toxic as well, and Tyranitar is weak to both its STABs.

**Mega Kangaskhan**: Mega Kangaskhan does not like Superpower, but it can switch into any single attack and threaten back with Earthquake. Power-Up Punch and Drain Punch variants annihilate Tyranitar.

**Status**: Burn and poison subject Tyranitar to a slow death as it does not have reliable recovery. Burns also further debilitate it by weakening its physical attacks.

**Kyogre**: Kyogre changes the weather and can proceed to force Tyranitar out with STAB Water-type moves. It does not like switching in, however.

**Support Arceus**: Water/Grass/Steel Arceus can come out on top of Tyranitar relatively unscathed if it is not running Toxic.

**Palkia**: Lustrous Orb variants of Palkia can 2HKO Tyranitar but will come out of the scuffle severely crippled. STAB Water-type moves, as well as Toxic/Rest Palkia variants, are far better at countering it.

**Fighting-type Coverage**: Pokemon running Focus Blast as coverage can seriously dent, if not KO, Tyranitar not holding Chople Berry (also note that Chople Berry is a one-use item). Darkrai, Ghost Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Kyurem-W are viable users of the move. Low Kick on Deoxys-A, Brick Break on Swords Dance Ghost Arceus, and Superpower on opposing Tyranitar are other such moves that Tyranitar has to look out for.




GP 2 / 2
 
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