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
########
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
########
**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.
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
########
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
########
**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
########
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
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Other Options
########
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.
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- 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
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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 / Leftovers / Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Careful
Moves
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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**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.
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