[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Wave Crash / Raging Bull
move 4: Trailblaze
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Steel / Grass
[SET COMMENTS]
Paldean Tauros-W uses Intimidate and Bulk Up to find setup opportunities versus physical attackers like Skuntank and Arcanine, functioning as an effective physical sweeper. This is also thanks to its solid Speed, which is bolstered further by boosts from Trailblaze. Its STAB attacks are not only high in base power, they also are complimentary in coverage, hitting virtually everything in the metagame for at least neutral damage and nailing some physical walls like Mudsdale, Gligar, and Wo-Chien. Wave Crash is the preferred Water-type attack because the extra power is essential for netting OHKOs at +1 against Flamigo, Scyther, and Heracross. The weaker Raging Bull sometimes works better due to the lack of recoil, and it is more suitable for sweeping with multiple Bulk Up boosts to make up for the lack of power. Tera Steel turns all of Paldean Tauros-W's weaknesses into neutralities at worst, helping it out versus Psychic- and Fairy-types like Galarian Slowbro and Florges, and it offers an immunity to Toxic and Clear Smog from foes such as Gligar and Gastrodon. It can even flip the matchup versus faster Flying-types like Scyther, Staraptor, and Kilowattrel by making them vulnerable to Bulk Up + Trailblaze sweeps. Tera Grass is another Tera type worth considering for its defensive benefits while also boosting the damage of Trailblaze, as Tera Grass Trailblaze is a guaranteed OHKO on Gastrodon and improves the matchups into the likes of Milotic, Bellibolt, and opposing Paldean Tauros-W.
Skuntank and Bombirdier make some of the best offensive teammates to Paldean Tauros-W, as they can switch into Galarian Slowbro and Decidueye for it and use Knock Off on physical walls like Milotic and Mudsdale. Bellibolt is a solid defensive teammate thanks Rocky Helmet+ and Static punishing the faster Flying-types like Scyther and Staraptor that may try to revenge kill Paldean Tauros-W, and it offers a slow Volt Switch to create setup opportunities. The same can be said about Flame Body Coalossal, and while it has to worry about Fighting-type coverage from these foes, it can also be a useful switch-in to the likes of Delphox and Choice Scarf Florges. In return, these two rely on Paldean Tauros-W to put offensive pressure on Ground-types like Gastrodon and Golurk. While Paldean Tauros-W may not always be able to get past some foes like Bellibolt and Milotic by itself, it can soften them up for additional physical attackers such as Arcanine and Scrafty to then come in and have an easier time sweeping. An early Bulk Up or revenge kill opportunity may encourage its counters like Bellibolt and Galarian Slowbro to come in, so having wallbreakers that can come in on these walls like Golurk and Choice Specs Duraludon may make for a rewarding play.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Wave Crash
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Earthquake / Raging Bull / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Water / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
With a solid speed tier and access to great STAB attacks, it's no wonder how Paldean Tauros-W can pull off a Choice Band set. This set is notable for revenge killing the likes of Arcanine, Scrafty, and Golurk, in part thanks to Intimidate helping it get in versus these threats, all while being more threatening to its usual checks; Decidueye and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro are now 2HKOed by Wave Crash, no longer making them safe switch-ins. Aqua Jet also increases the number of revenge killing opportunities, as it can finish off sweepers such as Shift Gear Toxtricity and Nasty Plot Delphox, which often take enough chip damage when setting up to be jeopardy of going down to this attack. Earthquake is Paldean Tauros-W's best coverage for Bellibolt, 2HKOing it while also avoiding its adverse contact effects. It also nails other foes like Skuntank, Coalossal, and Galarian Slowbro with little consequences, though it may trigger Terastallization from these targets and encourage opposing Flying-types like Scyther to come in freely. Raging Bull can be considered as well for a less consequential Water-type attack in comparison to Wave Crash, and it pairs well when sweeping with Tera Water. Another consideration is Stone Edge, as it can also avoid contact like Earthquake and is the best coverage move for Altaria. Tera Water's extra power for Wave Crash allows Paldean Tauros-W to reliably 2HKO some walls like Bellibolt without having to rely on a well-predicted Earthquake, meaning it can spam its strongest attack with more confidence when revenge killing. Tera Water also removes some of Paldean Tauros-W's more common weaknesses, so that potential revenge killers such as Scyther will fail to OHKO it. Otherwise, Tera Fighting will similarly buff Close Combat enough to 2HKO Bellibolt and with no recoil attached, though it is less popular due to the prevalence of Ghost-types and the inability to buff Paldean Tauros-W's priority.
Defensive pivots such as Bellibolt and Gligar are some of the best options to pair with Paldean Tauros-W. They offer natural synergy by checking faster foes like Choice Scarf Staraptor and Flamigo and can position Paldean Tauros-W into the field against threats like Golurk and Goodra. Dark-types like Bombirdier and Scrafty are great so that if Paldean Tauros-W is locked into Close Combat, these teammates can pressure incoming Ghost- and Psychic-types like Palossand and Galarian Slowbro. Similarly, when it is locked into Water-type attacks, then special walls like Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro and Bronzong are great to pivot into when matched up against Storm Drain foes like Tatsugiri and Gastrodon, respectively. Salazzle is notable for coming in relatively freely versus Houndstone, one of this set's counters, and then following up with its strong coverage and disruptive movepool; even if Salazzle cannot pin down Houndstone, its access to Toxic and Knock Off is great for wearing down walls like Gastrodon and Milotic so that Paldean Tauros-W can spam its Water-type attacks more effectively. Other offensive checks to Water-types such as Rotom-C and Kilowattrel also work to this degree, and with Volt Switch, (AC) they can also help with positioning Paldean Tauros-W into special walls like Alolan Sandslash and Coalossal. Speed control, like from Sticky Web users such as Vikavolt and Smeargle, will make it so more foes like Wish Scream Tail and Choice item Zoarark are vulnerable to Paldean Tauros-W's revenge killing.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Wave Crash
move 3: Raging Bull
move 4: Earthquake / Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Water / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
As a revenge killer, Choice Scarf Paldean Tauros-W is capable of OHKOing important threats in the metagame like Delphox, Inteleon, and Dragon Dance Scrafty with its strong STAB attacks. Its good defensive typing means that it could potentially switch into some of the attacks from the aforementioned foes relatively safely, and its ability Intimidate also comes into play when coming in against foes like Ambipom and Paldean Tauros-F. However, Terastallization does not always work in Paldean Tauros-W's favor, as the aforementioned sweepers can easily create resistances to Paldean Tauros-W's attacks and finish it off after surviving its hit, making it a risky revenge killer to rely on. Paldean Tauros-W's coverage is also limited to Earthquake, which is a mere 3HKO versus its most relevant target in Bellibolt, and Stone Edge, which is only for Altaria and is a risky 2HKO due to both damage rolls and inaccuracy. Choice Scarf Paldean Tauros-W is thus best reserved as a dedicated revenge killer, and the lack of pivoting and utility means it struggles to compete with other Choice Scarf users in the tier like Staraptor and Florges. Tera Water is its best option so that it can guarantee a OHKO on Scyther, as well as offer a chance to sweep with both Raging Bull and Wave Crash late-game. Alternatively, sweeping with Tera Fighting Close Combat has its merits against defensive cores with Gastrodon, as well as guaranteeing the Close Combat OHKO on foes such as Inteleon, Tatsugiri, and, after Stealth Rock, Rotom-C.
Grass-types like Decidueye and Wo-Chien are complimentary teammates due to them being good checks to Water- and Electric-types like Gastrodon, Milotic, and Rotom-C. They also rely on Paldean Tauros-W to revenge kill the likes of Arcanine and Delphox for them. Given the lack of utility options to effectively deal with walls, this set relies on double switching into special wallbreakers like Toxtricity and Goodra to put pressure on its safe switch-ins like Bellibolt and Galarian Slowbro. Fire-types like Delphox and Salazzle are notable special attackers that will also help deal with foes like Houndstone and Altaria. Defensive cores like Galarian Slowbro + Bombirdier and Altaria + Gastrodon are required for this set to have a backbone to switch into after locking into coverage that makes it vulnerable to its own list of revenge killers like Tatsugiri, Decidueye, and Duraladon. These cores then rely on Paldean Tauros-W to check some of the stronger setup sweepers and wallbreakers like Scrafty and Rotom-H, as it can get in freely when these threats attempt to set up on a passive teammate.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[/SPOILER]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Wave Crash / Raging Bull
move 4: Trailblaze
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Steel / Grass
[SET COMMENTS]
Paldean Tauros-W uses Intimidate and Bulk Up to find setup opportunities versus physical attackers like Skuntank and Arcanine, functioning as an effective physical sweeper. This is also thanks to its solid Speed, which is bolstered further by boosts from Trailblaze. Its STAB attacks are not only high in base power, they also are complimentary in coverage, hitting virtually everything in the metagame for at least neutral damage and nailing some physical walls like Mudsdale, Gligar, and Wo-Chien. Wave Crash is the preferred Water-type attack because the extra power is essential for netting OHKOs at +1 against Flamigo, Scyther, and Heracross. The weaker Raging Bull sometimes works better due to the lack of recoil, and it is more suitable for sweeping with multiple Bulk Up boosts to make up for the lack of power. Tera Steel turns all of Paldean Tauros-W's weaknesses into neutralities at worst, helping it out versus Psychic- and Fairy-types like Galarian Slowbro and Florges, and it offers an immunity to Toxic and Clear Smog from foes such as Gligar and Gastrodon. It can even flip the matchup versus faster Flying-types like Scyther, Staraptor, and Kilowattrel by making them vulnerable to Bulk Up + Trailblaze sweeps. Tera Grass is another Tera type worth considering for its defensive benefits while also boosting the damage of Trailblaze, as Tera Grass Trailblaze is a guaranteed OHKO on Gastrodon and improves the matchups into the likes of Milotic, Bellibolt, and opposing Paldean Tauros-W.
Skuntank and Bombirdier make some of the best offensive teammates to Paldean Tauros-W, as they can switch into Galarian Slowbro and Decidueye for it and use Knock Off on physical walls like Milotic and Mudsdale. Bellibolt is a solid defensive teammate thanks Rocky Helmet
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Wave Crash
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Earthquake / Raging Bull / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Water / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
With a solid speed tier and access to great STAB attacks, it's no wonder how Paldean Tauros-W can pull off a Choice Band set. This set is notable for revenge killing the likes of Arcanine, Scrafty, and Golurk, in part thanks to Intimidate helping it get in versus these threats, all while being more threatening to its usual checks; Decidueye and Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro are now 2HKOed by Wave Crash, no longer making them safe switch-ins. Aqua Jet also increases the number of revenge killing opportunities, as it can finish off sweepers such as Shift Gear Toxtricity and Nasty Plot Delphox, which often take enough chip damage when setting up to be jeopardy of going down to this attack. Earthquake is Paldean Tauros-W's best coverage for Bellibolt, 2HKOing it while also avoiding its adverse contact effects. It also nails other foes like Skuntank, Coalossal, and Galarian Slowbro with little consequences, though it may trigger Terastallization from these targets and encourage opposing Flying-types like Scyther to come in freely. Raging Bull can be considered as well for a less consequential Water-type attack in comparison to Wave Crash, and it pairs well when sweeping with Tera Water. Another consideration is Stone Edge, as it can also avoid contact like Earthquake and is the best coverage move for Altaria. Tera Water's extra power for Wave Crash allows Paldean Tauros-W to reliably 2HKO some walls like Bellibolt without having to rely on a well-predicted Earthquake, meaning it can spam its strongest attack with more confidence when revenge killing. Tera Water also removes some of Paldean Tauros-W's more common weaknesses, so that potential revenge killers such as Scyther will fail to OHKO it. Otherwise, Tera Fighting will similarly buff Close Combat enough to 2HKO Bellibolt and with no recoil attached, though it is less popular due to the prevalence of Ghost-types and the inability to buff Paldean Tauros-W's priority.
Defensive pivots such as Bellibolt and Gligar are some of the best options to pair with Paldean Tauros-W. They offer natural synergy by checking faster foes like Choice Scarf Staraptor and Flamigo and can position Paldean Tauros-W into the field against threats like Golurk and Goodra. Dark-types like Bombirdier and Scrafty are great so that if Paldean Tauros-W is locked into Close Combat, these teammates can pressure incoming Ghost- and Psychic-types like Palossand and Galarian Slowbro. Similarly, when it is locked into Water-type attacks, then special walls like Assault Vest Galarian Slowbro and Bronzong are great to pivot into when matched up against Storm Drain foes like Tatsugiri and Gastrodon, respectively. Salazzle is notable for coming in relatively freely versus Houndstone, one of this set's counters, and then following up with its strong coverage and disruptive movepool; even if Salazzle cannot pin down Houndstone, its access to Toxic and Knock Off is great for wearing down walls like Gastrodon and Milotic so that Paldean Tauros-W can spam its Water-type attacks more effectively. Other offensive checks to Water-types such as Rotom-C and Kilowattrel also work to this degree, and with Volt Switch, (AC) they can also help with positioning Paldean Tauros-W into special walls like Alolan Sandslash and Coalossal. Speed control, like from Sticky Web users such as Vikavolt and Smeargle, will make it so more foes like Wish Scream Tail and Choice item Zoarark are vulnerable to Paldean Tauros-W's revenge killing.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Wave Crash
move 3: Raging Bull
move 4: Earthquake / Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Water / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
As a revenge killer, Choice Scarf Paldean Tauros-W is capable of OHKOing important threats in the metagame like Delphox, Inteleon, and Dragon Dance Scrafty with its strong STAB attacks. Its good defensive typing means that it could potentially switch into some of the attacks from the aforementioned foes relatively safely, and its ability Intimidate also comes into play when coming in against foes like Ambipom and Paldean Tauros-F. However, Terastallization does not always work in Paldean Tauros-W's favor, as the aforementioned sweepers can easily create resistances to Paldean Tauros-W's attacks and finish it off after surviving its hit, making it a risky revenge killer to rely on. Paldean Tauros-W's coverage is also limited to Earthquake, which is a mere 3HKO versus its most relevant target in Bellibolt, and Stone Edge, which is only for Altaria and is a risky 2HKO due to both damage rolls and inaccuracy. Choice Scarf Paldean Tauros-W is thus best reserved as a dedicated revenge killer, and the lack of pivoting and utility means it struggles to compete with other Choice Scarf users in the tier like Staraptor and Florges. Tera Water is its best option so that it can guarantee a OHKO on Scyther, as well as offer a chance to sweep with both Raging Bull and Wave Crash late-game. Alternatively, sweeping with Tera Fighting Close Combat has its merits against defensive cores with Gastrodon, as well as guaranteeing the Close Combat OHKO on foes such as Inteleon, Tatsugiri, and, after Stealth Rock, Rotom-C.
Grass-types like Decidueye and Wo-Chien are complimentary teammates due to them being good checks to Water- and Electric-types like Gastrodon, Milotic, and Rotom-C. They also rely on Paldean Tauros-W to revenge kill the likes of Arcanine and Delphox for them. Given the lack of utility options to effectively deal with walls, this set relies on double switching into special wallbreakers like Toxtricity and Goodra to put pressure on its safe switch-ins like Bellibolt and Galarian Slowbro. Fire-types like Delphox and Salazzle are notable special attackers that will also help deal with foes like Houndstone and Altaria. Defensive cores like Galarian Slowbro + Bombirdier and Altaria + Gastrodon are required for this set to have a backbone to switch into after locking into coverage that makes it vulnerable to its own list of revenge killers like Tatsugiri, Decidueye, and Duraladon. These cores then rely on Paldean Tauros-W to check some of the stronger setup sweepers and wallbreakers like Scrafty and Rotom-H, as it can get in freely when these threats attempt to set up on a passive teammate.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/s1nn0hc0nfirm3d.231074/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bella.567483/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/asa.400292/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
[/SPOILER]
Last edited:
