By: Colonel M
Shoddy Name Currently: ColonelM
(P.S. If you don't exactly like the way I made this, I can always adjust it a bit).
Pre. Edits
- 2/1/08: Added moar stuff, combined stuff, etc.
- 6/15/08: More stuff added)
1. Introduction
Hello, my name is Colonel M (no, I won't tell you what the hell the M stands for!). In this guide is of course how to determine what a lead is, how to use one, and to determine on who to used based on your personality and such. Since many people ask the question "What is the best lead in the game?" I'll hand you the answer: it seriously depends on what you want to do.
This guide is more geared toward the Overused (OU) environment since it is the most commonly played, however, in the future I could always adjust and even gear part of this guide toward the Underused (UU) or even the Uber environment. Until then, the Overused environment will do since many people are still lost.
2. What is a lead?
A lead is simply the Pokemon that goes first. Whether what that Pokemon does is entirely dependant on the moveset. There are thousands of possibilities that are possible for a lead, from using a lead that puts people to Sleep right off the bat to basically set up and sweep. A lead can be unpredictable and also can be very easy to spot, as perhaps the team leads with him for a reason. One commonly leads Pokemon like Swampert and Gliscor to set up Stealth Rock early in the game to create entry hazards, while other Pokemon like Ninjask may start to get Baton Pass going.
You will notice in this guide that there are Pokemon that are commonly lead for a reason and even some niche Pokemon that can lead well and still give your team an advantage. The lead can be the most important slot or even the least important since really Pokemon is based on synergy alone. A lead can really help impact your win-lose situation, believe it or not, because some leads can really put a team on crutches if the opponent is not careful on what he is facing. A good thing to always remember is to keep a team guessing, and a lead can do that easily since most mistake it for something else.
3. Common things leads do
There are many things a lead can do as I've stated above. A Pokemon can do one of these strategies, or even in some cases a combination of them. Some rough examples are these:
- Entry Hazard Leads. Something that is very commonly used in the OU environment, entry hazards can really put a dent on any sweeper or wall that switches in, and in Stealth Rock's case can even puts a more of a dent on Pokemon that have a quadruple weakness to Rock or even a slight weakness to Rock. This strategy is always useful as it can help determine if the opponent has a spinner on his team, so don't underestimate it.
Examples: Swampert, Skarmory, Forretress.
- Intimidate Leads. These Pokemon carry the ability "Intimidate", which lowers the opponent's Attack one stage. These leads can always screw up with a Dragon Dance or a Swords Dance strategy, and can provide a free turn of set-up if used correctly.
Examples: Gyarados, Salamence, Tauros.
- Status Leads. Oddly enough these work very well. Double Status is a pain in the ass if done correctly as Pokemon like Breloom, Gallade, and even Mismagius can be very crippling to teams that aren't careful. In most cases Double Powders have sleep-inducing moves like Hypnosis followed by any other status-inducing move of the sort, including paralysis, burning, or even poison. These leads are quite useful as well since they can scout for SleepTalkers, Natural Cure abusers, or even Pokemon with Heal Bell / Aromatherapy. Usually sleep-inducing moves are the most common use of this type of strategy but some use Double Status for kicks.
Examples: Breloom, Gallade, Mismagius
- Taunt Leads. Remember how I mentioned Status and Entry Hazard leads? This is a common counter to that strategy. Taunt's longer-lasting effect in Diamond and Pearl help this strategy come up to the top and is also one reason why Pokemon like Gyarados make an excellent lead to any team. The fact that this item prevents healing, status, entry hazard attempts, and even anything that could end up being particularly dangerous to a team is one reason why that this strategy should be considered.
Examples: Gyarados, Crobat, Skarmory
- Shuffler Leads. This really varies because a lot of Shufflers have an entry hazard on their moveset. Anyways, this strategy is always useful as shuffling through your opponent's team can always help you determine what Pokemon you'll have to be aware of and can give you a key advantage on determining what to do. Roar and Whirlwind are the most common shuffling moves but then again niche moves like Perish Song are usable here as well, but keep in mind that Perish Song has only 8 PP max, so you can't use it a whole lot. Shufflers are usually pretty defensive, so don't think you can use something frail like a Ninetales and get away with this strategy for very long.
Examples: Skarmory, Hippowdon, Swampert
- Sweeper Leads. Definately one that should never, EVER be underestimated, because a Pokemon can always lead and attempt to cause trouble on teams. Whether its Choice items or even Pokemon that uses moves like Swords Dance or Screech, it can be considered a sweeper. These Pokemon can carry a hoard of moves, and in Bronzong's case, he might even pack a move or two that causes twists to another's team.
Examples: Tyranitar, Lucario, Gengar
- Speed Leads. Odd name for it, isn't it? Anyways, these are Pokemon that have high Speed to begin with and can always threaten a sweep if your opponent isn't careful. Choice Scarf could easily be fit into this spot too, but usually it's Pokemon like Gengar and Weavile that have high natural Speed to begin with and can put a team in trouble if they're slow. A good number to determine is roughly over 100 Base Speed, so focus on that if you want a relatively fast lead. So you can determine how fast a sweeper is, take a look at the chart I made below just for you:
180 - Deoxys-S (504)
160 - Ninjask (460)
140 - Electrode (416)
130 - Jolteon, Aerodactyl, Crobat (394)
125 - Swellow, Weavile (383)
120 - Dugtrio, Alakazam, Sceptile (372)
115 - Starmie, Raikou, Floatzel, Ambipom, Azelf (361)
110 - Gengar, Tauros, Jumpluff, Espeon, Froslass (350)
108 - Infernape (346)
105 - Scyther, Lopunny, Mismagius (339)
102 - Garchomp (333)
100 - Charizard, Fearow, Raichu, Ninetales, Tentacruel, Dodrio, Zapdos, Typhlosion, Miltank, Entei, Celebi, Linoone, Slaking, Flygon, Salamence, Jirachi, Staraptor, Regigigas (328)
95 - Arcanine, Jynx, Houndoom, Sharpedo, Drapion, Electivire, Yanmega, Lefeon, Gliscor, Uxie (317)
Where I bolded is where usually the Positive Attack and Special Attack natures end, and usually when the +Speed natures begin. Take note of that, since that is usually the Speed numbers to look at.
- Bulky Leads. In short, Pokemon that are fairly sturdy and can do a multiple of things. These Pokemon usually can survive one or two hits, pending on what attack is directed at them. Not much real explaination here other than they should be directed to stop some leads.
Examples: Skarmory, Swampert, Hippowdon
- Auto-Weather Leads. Only three Pokemon fit this spot. These Pokemon start a weather effect that can really mess up other Pokemon. Though Kyogre and Groudon fit this category perfectly, this guide is for now a bit more geared toward OU and BL, so these three will start either Sandstorm or Hail.
Examples: Tyranitar, Abamosnow, Hippowdon
- Baton Pass Leads. Not much to explain here, but usually these are Pokemon that pass boosted stats to other Pokemon. These Pokemon commonly carry the move "Baton Pass". Their common strategy involves using moves such as Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, or Rock Polish and help their teammates become an absolute threat to the opponent's team. Smeargle is the master of this tactic as well since he can also carry Spore to stop any thought of pHazing (remember that Roar has a negative priority).
Examples: Ninjask, Smeargle, Gliscor
- Counter / Coat Sash Leads. This type of strategy is a bit more niche, but if pulled off correctly you can take a Pokemon down easily if you're countering correctly. Sadly Counter and Mirror Coat don't work on certain Pokemon. For reference, Counter does not work on Ghosts and Mirror Coat does not work on Dark-types. This makes Spiritomb look really appealing as a counter to this set. There are many examples of who can pull this, so I'm not going to ramble off all of them.
These are some commonly used lead descriptions of a team. A team that starts with Bronzong is perhaps setting up Trick Room for other teams, or even casting Hypnosis and is being used for Support purposes. A lead usually can keep people guessing, so sometimes you may think its a Choice user for a starter only to find out it's more like an Sweeper starter (so instead of Tyranitar using Choice Band Crunch, he starts off with Dragon Dance).
4. Good Leads versus Bad Leads
Despite there being many good leads in Pokemon, there are some that can assume to be "horrible" choices. On paper they may look like one of the best starters in the game, but in reality some can end up to being destroyed by certain leads. Perhaps one of the best examples of a lead that can act like a "Double-Edged Sword" would be Starmie. Despite having the ability to trample Gyarados, Garchomp, Infernape, Swampert, and perhaps many other sweepers he is Pursuit-weak; in other words, vulnerable to Tyranitar and Weavile especially. Others, like Gengar, follow Starmie, despite being one of the best starters, it can potentially become a pile of nothing in front of Weavile.
I know what you are thinking, however, that judging what has been recently said about Gengar being a double-edged sword and comparing it to the statistics, it doesn't seem like Gengar is the worst lead, if not one of the best. But remember that as great as Gengar is as a lead, he can still falter easily by certain Pokemon in this list, with or without a Choice Scarf. He is still stopped by Yanmega and Weavile easily. Azelf also can easily stop a Gengar in its tracks since Azelf is also faster. If you aren't understanding what is being said, Gengar is an excellent lead but still has weaknesses from other leads. So, in other words, there is no such thing as the best lead, since there will always be a lead that will counter it.
These moves affect counters, however, and affect them greatly. Sometimes its these reasons that these Pokemon are excellent leads. Random examples being Pursuit, Hypnosis, Sleep Talk, etc, can always affect how the battle will turn out.
5. In-depth Description of Some Leads
Ah, so we have a total of 493 Pokemon, which basically means... 493 different leads! BUT, there are some that could be weeded out to be arguably great starters in the OU environment, and the list can vary greatly. Now more common leads that are effective are as follows:
Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Abilities: Levitate (Nullifies Ground attacks as well as Spikes and Toxic Spikes)
Perks:
- 130 Special Attack and 110 Speed.
- Hypnosis and Will-O-Wisp for status.
- Shadow Ball for STAB combined with Focus Blast for an unbeatable combination type.
- Has access to other Special moves such as Hidden Power, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Sludge Bomb.
- Has some decent physical moves that work well such as Explosion and Focus Punch.
- One of the few Pokemon that can be an effective Perish trapper.
- Destiny Bond and Focus Sash are a great combination, as well as Counter.
- Easily can use Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, and Expert Belt effectively.
Losses:
= Weakness to Pursuit.
= Four moveslots.
= Not the most "stellar" Defenses.
Opinion - In one word: unpredictable. Gengar is the master of disguise and can easily threaten a team that is unprepared for it. It's movepool is massive, and it's typing is actually pretty good. The only real thorn to him is Pursuit, but otherwise he makes a great lead, if not king.
Weaknesses - Pursuit. This is Gengar's bane and always will be, and a Weavile can prove that easily. Metagross can also use Pursuit effectively against you and could carry Sleep Talk or a Lum Berry to make Gengar's day a pain. Bronzong carries STAB Gyro Ball and it seriously hurts Gengar to face it, but Bronzong needs a Lum Berry to be this effective, or you lack Hypnosis altogether, which is nuts.
Tyranitar
Type: Rock / Dark
Abilities: Sandstream (Starts a never-ending Sandstorm that damages Pokemon that are not Ground, Rock, and Steel each turn)
Perks:
- Excellent Attack Stat distribution, carrying 134 Base Attack and 95 Special Attack.
- Excellent Defense distribution with 100 HP, 110 Defense, and 100 Special Defense.
- Sandstorm gives a x1.5 boost to Tyranitar's Special Defense.
- Carries STABs of Crunch and Stone Edge, which are very powerful.
- Has an excellent Physical movepool ranging from Earthquake, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Rock Slide, Focus Punch, Avalanche, and Pursuit.
- Has a pretty good Special movepool ranging from Dark Pulse, Hidden Power, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt.
- Has three different ways of raising his stats for sweeping such as Curse, Dragon Dance, and Rock Polish.
- Has many support moves such as Substitute, Thunder Wave, Screech, and Taunt.
Losses:
= 6 weaknesses: Bug, Water, Grass, Steel, Ground, and x4 to Fighting.
= 61 Base Speed isn't the best out there, but at least outspeeds Base 60s.
Opinion - If he had more Speed (and maybe less weaknesses) I could see why he's almost an "Uber" so to speak. He can either be extremely predictable at times or he could suprise you when he's switching moves behind your back. What makes Tyranitar devestating is not only that boost he brings himself and his teammates with Sandstream but also the nasty side effects of Sandstream which render Counter strategies useless. Overall his common strategy is basically just to start a Sandstorm. Tyranitar too could be a master of disguise if you use him correctly.
Weaknesses: Despite that sky-high Attack he can lack some of those 2HKOs without a Life Orb and that could give away some of the suprise if you're a MixTar fan. Really his Speed is his only downside... and maybe Gengar OHKOing with Focus Blast as well as Weavile OHKOing most of the time with Brick Break. Then Salamence and Gyarados screw its day even more thanks to Intimidate and having nasty moves like Brick Break, Earthquake, and Waterfall. Don't let this turn you down however; if you need Sandstorm then by all means just lead with Tyranitar.
Shoddy Name Currently: ColonelM
(P.S. If you don't exactly like the way I made this, I can always adjust it a bit).
Pre. Edits
- 2/1/08: Added moar stuff, combined stuff, etc.
- 6/15/08: More stuff added)
1. Introduction
Hello, my name is Colonel M (no, I won't tell you what the hell the M stands for!). In this guide is of course how to determine what a lead is, how to use one, and to determine on who to used based on your personality and such. Since many people ask the question "What is the best lead in the game?" I'll hand you the answer: it seriously depends on what you want to do.
This guide is more geared toward the Overused (OU) environment since it is the most commonly played, however, in the future I could always adjust and even gear part of this guide toward the Underused (UU) or even the Uber environment. Until then, the Overused environment will do since many people are still lost.
2. What is a lead?
A lead is simply the Pokemon that goes first. Whether what that Pokemon does is entirely dependant on the moveset. There are thousands of possibilities that are possible for a lead, from using a lead that puts people to Sleep right off the bat to basically set up and sweep. A lead can be unpredictable and also can be very easy to spot, as perhaps the team leads with him for a reason. One commonly leads Pokemon like Swampert and Gliscor to set up Stealth Rock early in the game to create entry hazards, while other Pokemon like Ninjask may start to get Baton Pass going.
You will notice in this guide that there are Pokemon that are commonly lead for a reason and even some niche Pokemon that can lead well and still give your team an advantage. The lead can be the most important slot or even the least important since really Pokemon is based on synergy alone. A lead can really help impact your win-lose situation, believe it or not, because some leads can really put a team on crutches if the opponent is not careful on what he is facing. A good thing to always remember is to keep a team guessing, and a lead can do that easily since most mistake it for something else.
3. Common things leads do
There are many things a lead can do as I've stated above. A Pokemon can do one of these strategies, or even in some cases a combination of them. Some rough examples are these:
- Entry Hazard Leads. Something that is very commonly used in the OU environment, entry hazards can really put a dent on any sweeper or wall that switches in, and in Stealth Rock's case can even puts a more of a dent on Pokemon that have a quadruple weakness to Rock or even a slight weakness to Rock. This strategy is always useful as it can help determine if the opponent has a spinner on his team, so don't underestimate it.
Examples: Swampert, Skarmory, Forretress.
- Intimidate Leads. These Pokemon carry the ability "Intimidate", which lowers the opponent's Attack one stage. These leads can always screw up with a Dragon Dance or a Swords Dance strategy, and can provide a free turn of set-up if used correctly.
Examples: Gyarados, Salamence, Tauros.
- Status Leads. Oddly enough these work very well. Double Status is a pain in the ass if done correctly as Pokemon like Breloom, Gallade, and even Mismagius can be very crippling to teams that aren't careful. In most cases Double Powders have sleep-inducing moves like Hypnosis followed by any other status-inducing move of the sort, including paralysis, burning, or even poison. These leads are quite useful as well since they can scout for SleepTalkers, Natural Cure abusers, or even Pokemon with Heal Bell / Aromatherapy. Usually sleep-inducing moves are the most common use of this type of strategy but some use Double Status for kicks.
Examples: Breloom, Gallade, Mismagius
- Taunt Leads. Remember how I mentioned Status and Entry Hazard leads? This is a common counter to that strategy. Taunt's longer-lasting effect in Diamond and Pearl help this strategy come up to the top and is also one reason why Pokemon like Gyarados make an excellent lead to any team. The fact that this item prevents healing, status, entry hazard attempts, and even anything that could end up being particularly dangerous to a team is one reason why that this strategy should be considered.
Examples: Gyarados, Crobat, Skarmory
- Shuffler Leads. This really varies because a lot of Shufflers have an entry hazard on their moveset. Anyways, this strategy is always useful as shuffling through your opponent's team can always help you determine what Pokemon you'll have to be aware of and can give you a key advantage on determining what to do. Roar and Whirlwind are the most common shuffling moves but then again niche moves like Perish Song are usable here as well, but keep in mind that Perish Song has only 8 PP max, so you can't use it a whole lot. Shufflers are usually pretty defensive, so don't think you can use something frail like a Ninetales and get away with this strategy for very long.
Examples: Skarmory, Hippowdon, Swampert
- Sweeper Leads. Definately one that should never, EVER be underestimated, because a Pokemon can always lead and attempt to cause trouble on teams. Whether its Choice items or even Pokemon that uses moves like Swords Dance or Screech, it can be considered a sweeper. These Pokemon can carry a hoard of moves, and in Bronzong's case, he might even pack a move or two that causes twists to another's team.
Examples: Tyranitar, Lucario, Gengar
- Speed Leads. Odd name for it, isn't it? Anyways, these are Pokemon that have high Speed to begin with and can always threaten a sweep if your opponent isn't careful. Choice Scarf could easily be fit into this spot too, but usually it's Pokemon like Gengar and Weavile that have high natural Speed to begin with and can put a team in trouble if they're slow. A good number to determine is roughly over 100 Base Speed, so focus on that if you want a relatively fast lead. So you can determine how fast a sweeper is, take a look at the chart I made below just for you:
180 - Deoxys-S (504)
160 - Ninjask (460)
140 - Electrode (416)
130 - Jolteon, Aerodactyl, Crobat (394)
125 - Swellow, Weavile (383)
120 - Dugtrio, Alakazam, Sceptile (372)
115 - Starmie, Raikou, Floatzel, Ambipom, Azelf (361)
110 - Gengar, Tauros, Jumpluff, Espeon, Froslass (350)
108 - Infernape (346)
105 - Scyther, Lopunny, Mismagius (339)
102 - Garchomp (333)
100 - Charizard, Fearow, Raichu, Ninetales, Tentacruel, Dodrio, Zapdos, Typhlosion, Miltank, Entei, Celebi, Linoone, Slaking, Flygon, Salamence, Jirachi, Staraptor, Regigigas (328)
95 - Arcanine, Jynx, Houndoom, Sharpedo, Drapion, Electivire, Yanmega, Lefeon, Gliscor, Uxie (317)
Where I bolded is where usually the Positive Attack and Special Attack natures end, and usually when the +Speed natures begin. Take note of that, since that is usually the Speed numbers to look at.
- Bulky Leads. In short, Pokemon that are fairly sturdy and can do a multiple of things. These Pokemon usually can survive one or two hits, pending on what attack is directed at them. Not much real explaination here other than they should be directed to stop some leads.
Examples: Skarmory, Swampert, Hippowdon
- Auto-Weather Leads. Only three Pokemon fit this spot. These Pokemon start a weather effect that can really mess up other Pokemon. Though Kyogre and Groudon fit this category perfectly, this guide is for now a bit more geared toward OU and BL, so these three will start either Sandstorm or Hail.
Examples: Tyranitar, Abamosnow, Hippowdon
- Baton Pass Leads. Not much to explain here, but usually these are Pokemon that pass boosted stats to other Pokemon. These Pokemon commonly carry the move "Baton Pass". Their common strategy involves using moves such as Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, or Rock Polish and help their teammates become an absolute threat to the opponent's team. Smeargle is the master of this tactic as well since he can also carry Spore to stop any thought of pHazing (remember that Roar has a negative priority).
Examples: Ninjask, Smeargle, Gliscor
- Counter / Coat Sash Leads. This type of strategy is a bit more niche, but if pulled off correctly you can take a Pokemon down easily if you're countering correctly. Sadly Counter and Mirror Coat don't work on certain Pokemon. For reference, Counter does not work on Ghosts and Mirror Coat does not work on Dark-types. This makes Spiritomb look really appealing as a counter to this set. There are many examples of who can pull this, so I'm not going to ramble off all of them.
These are some commonly used lead descriptions of a team. A team that starts with Bronzong is perhaps setting up Trick Room for other teams, or even casting Hypnosis and is being used for Support purposes. A lead usually can keep people guessing, so sometimes you may think its a Choice user for a starter only to find out it's more like an Sweeper starter (so instead of Tyranitar using Choice Band Crunch, he starts off with Dragon Dance).
4. Good Leads versus Bad Leads
Despite there being many good leads in Pokemon, there are some that can assume to be "horrible" choices. On paper they may look like one of the best starters in the game, but in reality some can end up to being destroyed by certain leads. Perhaps one of the best examples of a lead that can act like a "Double-Edged Sword" would be Starmie. Despite having the ability to trample Gyarados, Garchomp, Infernape, Swampert, and perhaps many other sweepers he is Pursuit-weak; in other words, vulnerable to Tyranitar and Weavile especially. Others, like Gengar, follow Starmie, despite being one of the best starters, it can potentially become a pile of nothing in front of Weavile.
I know what you are thinking, however, that judging what has been recently said about Gengar being a double-edged sword and comparing it to the statistics, it doesn't seem like Gengar is the worst lead, if not one of the best. But remember that as great as Gengar is as a lead, he can still falter easily by certain Pokemon in this list, with or without a Choice Scarf. He is still stopped by Yanmega and Weavile easily. Azelf also can easily stop a Gengar in its tracks since Azelf is also faster. If you aren't understanding what is being said, Gengar is an excellent lead but still has weaknesses from other leads. So, in other words, there is no such thing as the best lead, since there will always be a lead that will counter it.
These moves affect counters, however, and affect them greatly. Sometimes its these reasons that these Pokemon are excellent leads. Random examples being Pursuit, Hypnosis, Sleep Talk, etc, can always affect how the battle will turn out.
5. In-depth Description of Some Leads
Ah, so we have a total of 493 Pokemon, which basically means... 493 different leads! BUT, there are some that could be weeded out to be arguably great starters in the OU environment, and the list can vary greatly. Now more common leads that are effective are as follows:
Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Abilities: Levitate (Nullifies Ground attacks as well as Spikes and Toxic Spikes)
Perks:
- 130 Special Attack and 110 Speed.
- Hypnosis and Will-O-Wisp for status.
- Shadow Ball for STAB combined with Focus Blast for an unbeatable combination type.
- Has access to other Special moves such as Hidden Power, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Sludge Bomb.
- Has some decent physical moves that work well such as Explosion and Focus Punch.
- One of the few Pokemon that can be an effective Perish trapper.
- Destiny Bond and Focus Sash are a great combination, as well as Counter.
- Easily can use Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Life Orb, and Expert Belt effectively.
Losses:
= Weakness to Pursuit.
= Four moveslots.
= Not the most "stellar" Defenses.
Opinion - In one word: unpredictable. Gengar is the master of disguise and can easily threaten a team that is unprepared for it. It's movepool is massive, and it's typing is actually pretty good. The only real thorn to him is Pursuit, but otherwise he makes a great lead, if not king.
Weaknesses - Pursuit. This is Gengar's bane and always will be, and a Weavile can prove that easily. Metagross can also use Pursuit effectively against you and could carry Sleep Talk or a Lum Berry to make Gengar's day a pain. Bronzong carries STAB Gyro Ball and it seriously hurts Gengar to face it, but Bronzong needs a Lum Berry to be this effective, or you lack Hypnosis altogether, which is nuts.
Tyranitar
Type: Rock / Dark
Abilities: Sandstream (Starts a never-ending Sandstorm that damages Pokemon that are not Ground, Rock, and Steel each turn)
Perks:
- Excellent Attack Stat distribution, carrying 134 Base Attack and 95 Special Attack.
- Excellent Defense distribution with 100 HP, 110 Defense, and 100 Special Defense.
- Sandstorm gives a x1.5 boost to Tyranitar's Special Defense.
- Carries STABs of Crunch and Stone Edge, which are very powerful.
- Has an excellent Physical movepool ranging from Earthquake, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Rock Slide, Focus Punch, Avalanche, and Pursuit.
- Has a pretty good Special movepool ranging from Dark Pulse, Hidden Power, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt.
- Has three different ways of raising his stats for sweeping such as Curse, Dragon Dance, and Rock Polish.
- Has many support moves such as Substitute, Thunder Wave, Screech, and Taunt.
Losses:
= 6 weaknesses: Bug, Water, Grass, Steel, Ground, and x4 to Fighting.
= 61 Base Speed isn't the best out there, but at least outspeeds Base 60s.
Opinion - If he had more Speed (and maybe less weaknesses) I could see why he's almost an "Uber" so to speak. He can either be extremely predictable at times or he could suprise you when he's switching moves behind your back. What makes Tyranitar devestating is not only that boost he brings himself and his teammates with Sandstream but also the nasty side effects of Sandstream which render Counter strategies useless. Overall his common strategy is basically just to start a Sandstorm. Tyranitar too could be a master of disguise if you use him correctly.
Weaknesses: Despite that sky-high Attack he can lack some of those 2HKOs without a Life Orb and that could give away some of the suprise if you're a MixTar fan. Really his Speed is his only downside... and maybe Gengar OHKOing with Focus Blast as well as Weavile OHKOing most of the time with Brick Break. Then Salamence and Gyarados screw its day even more thanks to Intimidate and having nasty moves like Brick Break, Earthquake, and Waterfall. Don't let this turn you down however; if you need Sandstorm then by all means just lead with Tyranitar.
