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Overview
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Tyranitar has been one of the most successful Pokemon in OU ever since its introduction, and it's not hard to see why. Due to the sand it brings, it gains enormous special bulk that helps it fulfill a number of roles. Its impressive attacking stats, complemented by its wide offensive movepool and nearly unresisted STAB combination, give it significant power and utility as a choiced user. Furthermore, in XY, Tyranitar was gifted a faster, bulkier, and more powerful Mega Evolution that can become a terrifying sweeper with Dragon Dance; it is so bulky that it can set up on the likes of Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Latios. With a defensive set, it can handle a number of common threats, including Latios, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and the aforementioned Flying-type attackers. It's also able to set up Stealth Rock as well as support certain offensive Pokemon with its sand, such as Sand Rush Excadrill, Sand Force Landorus, and Mega Garchomp.
Unfortunately, Tyranitar is plagued by a nasty 4x weakness to Fighting-type moves, leaving it helpless against threats such as Conkeldurr, Keldeo, and Terrakion. In addition, it matches up poorly against top tier threats in Garchomp, Scizor, and Landorus. The introduction of Fairies and the nerf to Sandstorm really hurt it as well. Last but not least, Tyranitar is incredibly slow, putting it behind a majority of the offensive metagame, and its Mega Evolution is somewhat easy to revenge kill if weakened due to its weaknesses to common priority moves. However, even with its share of flaws, Tyranitar's incredible versatility and the immense amount of team support it provides is near unparalleled, making it one of the most defining Pokemon of the OU metagame.
Dragon Dance
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Stone Edge / Crunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Sand Stream
item: Tyranitarite
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
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Dragon Dance turns Mega Tyranitar into one of the most powerful sweepers in the metagame, capable of plowing through offensive and defensive teams alike. After one Dragon Dance, Tyranitar hits a whopping 640 Attack and 397 Speed, giving it an insane amount of power to work with, along with enough Speed to outpace most of the unboosted metagame. Stone Edge is Mega Tyranitar's STAB move of choice, as after a boost, the move can OHKO pretty much anything that doesn't resist it as well as easily OHKO physically defensive Mandibuzz. On the other hand, Crunch is a powerful Dark-type STAB move that hits Ferrothorn and Slowbro harder than any other move and is much more accurate. However, running Crunch over Stone Edge means that Mega Tyranitar will struggle to break through Unaware Clefable and Azumarill. Ice Punch provides Mega Tyranitar with a important coverage move to hit some of its common checks and counters really hard, such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp, as well as deal solid damage to Hippowdon. Earthquake rounds off the set by hitting Aegislash without having to worry about the massive Attack drop from King's Shield, and hits Lucario, Bisharp, Terrakion, Excadrill, opposing Tyranitar, weakened Keldeo, and Heatran. Fire Punch is a decent option in the last moveslot to OHKO Scizor and Ferrothorn at +1, but Stone Edge already hits Scizor hard enough, and hitting Ferrothorn isn't really worth giving up the extra coverage that Earthquake provides.
Set Details
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Max Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature are so that Mega Tyranitar can hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed everything relevant besides Deoxys-S. Tyranitarite allows Tyranitar to Mega Evolve, boosting its Attack, Defense, Special Defense, and Speed stats. Although an Adamant nature might seem tempting for the incredible boost in power it provides, Mega Tyranitar will miss out on outspeeding key Pokemon such as Greninja and Alakazam.
Usage Tips
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Aside from the obvious fact that Mega Tyranitar has higher Attack and Speed stats, its buffed defenses are an incredible asset to it as well. It's so bulky, in fact, that it only takes 66.66 - 78.94% from Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch and 66.9 - 79.8% from Life Orb Greninja's Hydro Pump in sand. This gives Mega Tyranitar the ability to set up on most Pokemon that lack a powerful super effective move to hit it with, as well as a few that do, such as Kyurem-B, Mega Pinsir, and even Garchomp. Even with this extra bulk, it isn't recommended for Mega Tyranitar to set up when its checks are still present, as most of its common checks can severely cripple Mega Tyranitar or put it in range of powerful priority attacks. Still, keep in mind that Mega Tyranitar can survive most forms of priority moves at least once at full health.
Team Options
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Common offensive Pokemon such as Mamoswine, Excadrill, Terrakion, Lucario, Scizor, Keldeo, and Conkeldurr all threaten to deal massive damage to Mega Tyranitar and prevent it from setting up and sweeping. Talonflame can handle most of the Fighting-types in the tier with its priority Brave Bird, and can soften up physical walls so that Mega Tyranitar has an easier time sweeping. Mega Tyranitar fits very well on offensive teams with powerful wallbreakers that can break its common checks and counters. Keldeo is an amazing wallbreaker that can easily break through Landorus-T, Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Gliscor, which are great checks to Mega Tyranitar. Scizor can check Clefable and Azumarill, which threaten to stop Mega Tyranitar from sweeping. Entry hazards are very important in securing specific OHKOs at +1, such as on Gliscor and Scizor. Deoxys-S or Deoxys-D is usually the best fit for the job, as they both fit very well on the offensive teams that Mega Tyranitar is usually on. Furthermore, they are nearly guaranteed to at least get up Stealth Rock.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
ability: Sand Stream
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
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A speedy Pursuit allows Tyranitar to checkmate Gengar, Starmie, Latias, and Latios, hitting them before they can retaliate. Crunch provides it with a backup Dark-type STAB move to hit bulkier Pokemon such as Slowbro and Deoxys-D. Earthquake is very important for hitting Aegislash, which can threaten to lower Tyranitar's Attack with King's Shield on a Crunch or Pursuit, and hits Lucario, Heatran, Bisharp, and Excadrill harder than any other move does. Stone Edge rounds off the set by giving Tyranitar a Rock-type STAB move to revenge kill dangerous sweepers such as Mega Pinsir, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Charizard X, and Talonflame. Tyranitar's decent special movepool gives it a few other options to choose from. Ice Beam can surprise unsuspecting Landorus-T and Gliscor, which would otherwise easily switch into this set, as well as allow Tyranitar to revenge kill Garchomp and Landorus. Fire Blast is yet another alternative move that fries bulky Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory, which take little damage from both of Tyranitar's STAB moves. If Terrakion and opposing Tyranitar are of concern, Superpower is also an option.
Set Details
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With maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature, Tyranitar is able to outspeed positive natured base 115s and below, putting it above a decent portion of the metagame. The rest of the EVs are dumped into its Attack stat in order for it to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
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Choice Scarf Tyranitar is one of the best Pursuit trappers in the game because it's able to outspeed every common Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon in the tier. Unlike with its other sets, Gengar and Starmie cannot deal heavy damage to Tyranitar with their powerful attacks before being taken out by Pursuit. Keep in mind that even with a Choice Scarf, Tyranitar is still outsped by key Pokemon such as Alakazam, Tornadus-T, and Greninja, all of which can easily 2HKO it with their coverage moves.
Team Options
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Tyranitar pairs well with Pokemon that appreciate the lack of Ghost- and Psychic-types. Keldeo and Landorus in particular struggle to break through Latias and Latios, and can plow through opposing teams much more easily with them gone. Tyranitar itself needs a Pokemon to deal with Fighting-types; Mega Pinsir and Talonflame can check the majority of them with their priority Flying-type attacks. Mega Venusaur has great defensive synergy with Tyranitar, as it is able to switch into Fighting-, Fairy-, and Water-type attacks with ease. As with most of its sets, Tyranitar appreciates being able to switch in frequently, so pairing it with a spinner such as Excadrill or a Defog user such as Skarmory is highly recommended.
Physically Defensive
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name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock / Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Beam / Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Sand Stream
item: Leftovers / Smooth Rock
nature: Relaxed / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Moves
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Because of Tyranitar's incredible bulk and useful resistances to Flying-, Fire-, and Dark-type moves, it's easily one of the most reliable users of Stealth Rock in the tier. However, if another Pokemon on your team is already running Stealth Rock, Fire Blast is a fine alternative to KO the bulky Steel-types, such as Skarmory, Scizor, and Ferrothorn, that Tyranitar lures out. Crunch is Tyranitar's Dark-type STAB move of choice, and hits Psychic-types such as Latias and Latios as well as Gengar. Ice Beam keeps Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon from completely walling Tyranitar and prevents Garchomp from switching in freely. Earthquake provides Tyranitar with a reliable way to hit Aegislash without having to worry about the massive Attack drop from King's Shield. Stone Edge can be used as a Rock-type STAB move to OHKO Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Pinsir. Pursuit can be used to trap Psychic-types such as Latios and Latias, but it's very weak without Attack investment, and Tyranitar prefers the extra coverage from Ice Beam.
Set Details
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Full physical investment with a positive nature in conjunction with its enormous sand-enhanced Special Defense makes Tyranitar of the bulkiest mixed walls in the game. Leftovers is the preferred item for extra, much-needed longevity that Tyranitar does not otherwise possess due to its lack of reliable recovery. An Assault Vest can be used if you want Tyranitar to be an even better mixed wall, but it'll have to forgo the ability to run Stealth Rock and will greatly miss out on Leftovers recovery. Smooth Rock allows Sandstorm to be up for eight turns instead of five, as Tyranitar pairs very well with Sand Rush Excadrill. Tyranitarite allows Tyranitar to Mega Evolve and obtain a significant boost to its stats, but uses up your team's Mega slot and comes at the cost of the passive recovery from Leftovers, making it easier to wear down. Chople Berry allows Tyranitar to take less damage from Aegislash's Sacred Sword and Mega Charizard Y's Focus Blast in the sun, allowing Tyranitar to tank a hit and deal heavy damage to them in return.
Usage Tips
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Tyranitar's massive Special Defense stat and impressive physical bulk make it a perfect contender for a support set. Its useful Rock typing gives it key resistances to common Flying- and Fire-type moves, which are seen on common threats such as Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X. This set is best used on teams in need of a reliable user of Stealth Rock and a check to the aforementioned physical threats. Although it's not nearly as sturdy as Hippowdon, Tyranitar still does a very good job at keeping sand up due to its insane amount of bulk. Tyranitar has the advantage of having more offensive presence than Hippowdon, making it a better fit for more offensively based teams. Keep in mind that Tyranitar can be worn down relatively easily due to its lack of reliable recovery, so it's important to switch it in sparingly.
Team Options
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Tyranitar is completely shut down by most Fighting-types, so pairing it with teammates that can both check and counter them is essential. Talonflame checks all Fighting-types with priority Brave Bird and can roast Steel-types with Flare Blitz. Landorus-T checks Scizor and can provide Tyranitar with free switch-ins thanks to U-turn. Keldeo, Mega Charizard Y, and Landorus are great offensive partners because Tyranitar puts a lot of pressure on Latias and Latios. Finally, keeping entry hazards off the field is essential in keeping Tyranitar healthy. Skarmory has great defensive synergy with Tyranitar and can use Defog to clear away entry hazards. Excadrill can utilize its Sand Rush ability to outrun virtually the entire tier when paired with Tyranitar and has access to Rapid Spin, making them great partners.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake / Ice Punch
ability: Sand Stream
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
Moves
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When equipped with a Choice Band, Tyranitar becomes a fearsome wallbreaker capable of punching massive holes into opposing teams. Crunch is a powerful Dark-type STAB move that hits any Pokemon that doesn't resist it extremely hard, and due to the Steel-type nerf, popular defensive Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory, can no longer reliably switch into it. It's best for hitting bulky Psychic-types such as Slowbro and Latias. Pursuit is even more threatening on this set because it's capable of OHKOing Starmie, Latios, and even Latias with a bit of residual damage, even if they choose not to switch out. Stone Edge provides Tyranitar with yet another powerful STAB move to OHKO Mega Pinsir, Volcarona, Kyurem-B, and Talonflame, in addition to hitting Fairy-types such as Azumarill for severe neutral damage. Earthquake gives Tyranitar a way to hit Aegislash reliably without having to worry about the Attack drop from King's Shield, and it also hits Lucario and opposing Tyranitar for super effective damage. Ice Punch is a viable alternative to Earthquake if none of these threats are an issue, as it allows for Tyranitar to deal heavy damage to Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp. Fire Punch is also an option to KO Ferrothorn and Scizor, but it doesn't supply Tyranitar with as much useful coverage as Earthquake and Ice Punch do, because Stone Edge and Crunch hit both of these Pokemon hard enough anyway.
Set Details
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The Attack EVs ensure that Tyranitar hits as hard as possible, while the Speed EVs allow it to outpace Skarmory and 2HKO it with Stone Edge on the switch before it can use Roost. The remaining EVs are dumped into its HP stat so that it remains as bulky as possible.
Usage Tips
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Choice Band Tyranitar is meant to function as a powerful wallbreaker that should be used on teams in need of something to soften up walls such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Landorus-T. This makes it a lot easier for a teammate to sweep or clean up once its counters are heavily weakened by Tyranitar. Tyranitar's insane bulk makes it more than capable of switching into a plethora of non-super effective special attacks, which can consistently put a lot of pressure on offensive teams that lack a good switch-in to it. Take caution when locking Tyranitar into Crunch or Pursuit, as Lucario and Terrakion are very dangerous, and giving them a Justified boost or a free turn to set up can potentially lose you the battle. Overall, this set does not function very well against fast paced offensive teams because of how vulnerable it is once it's locked into a move, due to its common exploitable weaknesses. It's a better fit on bulky offensive teams that need a wallbreaker to break down common defensive cores.
Team Options
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Fighting-type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Keldeo, and Terrakion completely destroy Tyranitar as they resist both of its STAB moves. Latios resists their Fighting-type attacks and threatens them with Psyshock, and so makes a good partner for Tyranitar. This Tyranitar pairs well with offensive partners that appreciate their counters being heavily weakened. Mega Scizor has a lot of trouble breaking through Skarmory, Landorus-T, and Zapdos, but Tyranitar can soften them up to the point where it can sweep afterwards. Talonflame can check Fighting-types and also enjoys physically defensive Pokemon being heavily weakened. Sand Rush Excadrill benefits from Sand Stream and can clear entry hazards off the field with Rapid Spin, greatly improving Tyranitar's longevity.
Other Options
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Tyranitar is a very versatile Pokemon, and it has plenty of other options to choose from. A specially defensive set can be used if you want Tyranitar to function as more of a special sponge. A Focus Sash lead with Stealth Rock as well as Fire Blast and Ice Beam can be a great lure for many physical walls, such as Skarmory and Landorus-T, but it loses out on a lot of utility. A Curse set might seem viable because of Tyranitar's impressive defenses, especially after Mega Evolving. However, it's prone to being worn down quickly due to its exploitable weaknesses, terrible Speed, and lack of reliable recovery, so it's mostly overshadowed by the Dragon Dance set. Roar and Dragon Tail can phaze out sweepers that might try to set up on it, as well as wear down the opposing team with entry hazard support. Thunder Wave can cripple Tyranitar's common switch-ins such as Lucario, Terrakion, and Keldeo. RestTalk is a much more viable strategy in XY due to the return of the old sleep mechanics, but the moves cannot really fit on any set without giving up a lot of coverage or utility. Aqua Tail hits Hippowdon harder than any other move in Tyranitar's arsenal, but it's better off running an Ice-type attack to beat Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Garchomp.
Checks & Counters
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**Physically Defensive Walls**: Pokemon with very high Defense have little trouble dealing with most of Tyranitar's sets. Hippowdon is the best full stop to Tyranitar in OU because of its access to reliable recovery, enormous physical bulk, and Ground typing, allowing it to easily switch into Stone Edge and Crunch. Landorus-T and Gliscor are also fantastic checks to Tyranitar, fearing only a boosted Ice Punch from Mega Tyranitar and the stray Ice Beam. Skarmory fears very little from Tyranitar thanks to Roost and its high Defense stat. Ferrothorn resists Stone Edge, takes little from Crunch, and threatens to deal heavy damage with Gyro Ball. Chesnaught resists both of Tyranitar's STAB moves and can hit it hard with Hammer Arm.
**Fighting- and Ground-types**: Due to Tyranitar's crippling 4x weakness to Fighting-type attacks, Fighting-types are some of the best checks to it. Terrakion and Lucario can both receive an Attack boost from Justified if they switch into a Dark-type move. Keldeo, Breloom, and Conkeldurr also fear little from Tyranitar and can easily OHKO it. Diggersby, Garchomp, and Landorus are also great checks to Tyranitar with their powerful Ground-type attacks. Keep in mind that Garchomp and Landorus-T cannot OHKO Mega Tyranitar with Earthquake and have to watch out for Ice Punch.
**Steel- and Fairy-types**: Scizor is a fantastic check to Tyranitar because of its priority Bullet Punch. Both of Excadrill's STAB moves threaten to deal serious damage to Tyranitar. Mega Mawile resists both of its STAB moves and can easily OHKO back with Play Rough. Azumarill can destroy Tyranitar with Play Rough as well as pick off weakened Dragon Dance variants with Aqua Jet. Unaware Clefable can stop Mega Tyranitar short of a sweep as it can absorb any attack with its great physical bulk. Furthermore, its access to reliable recovery makes it very difficult to take down.
**Politoed**: Politoed is a huge threat to Tyranitar due to its ability, Drizzle, which overrides Sand Stream upon activation and allows it to KO Tyranitar with powerful rain-boosted Water-type attacks. On top of this, Politoed is usually paired with other Water-types such as Kingdra or Kabutops, which also threaten Tyranitar. However, it lacks recovery and typically holds Damp Rock in favor of Leftovers, making it easy to wear down with a few well-timed Crunches and Stone Edges.
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