[OVERVIEW]
With its combination of power, Speed, and movepool, Tauros shines as a wallbreaker, revenge killer, and lead. Just like in OU, Tauros's powerful Normal-type STAB moves and complementary coverage coupled with its high critical hit rate make it difficult to switch into and almost impossible to fully stonewall. While its bulk is passable, it lacks resistances and instant recovery, so it offers very little defensive value to a team. Also, the bulkier metagame of Ubers blunts Tauros's edge; the mandatory Mew and Mewtwo can withstand its hits and either retaliate hard or cripple it with paralysis, forcing it out. Tauros is therefore less valued, though this frees it to be used much more aggressively, as it isn't critical to preserve Tauros for late-game.
[SET]
name: The Bull
move 1: Body Slam
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Blizzard / Leer / Stomp
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Body Slam and Hyper Beam are Tauros's primary attacks and greatest sources of pressure. Would-be checks like Exeggutor and Snorlax can be overwhelmed by Body Slam critical hits and paralysis chance for non-Normal-types. A critical hit Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam has a 97.70% chance to KO Zapdos, Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam KOes Jynx, and a critical hit Body Slam has a 66.7% chance to OHKO Jynx. Tauros also forces bulky threats like unboosted Mew out for fear of being paralyzed by Body Slam and finished off by Hyper Beam. Earthquake threatens Gengar, which otherwise easily switches into Tauros, with a 2HKO and safely scouts for Counter from the likes of Chansey and Snorlax. Blizzard is Tauros's strongest attack against Rhydon, Golem, and the rare Aerodactyl, 2HKOing them while also inflicting heavy damage against other Ice-weak Pokemon, such as Exeggutor and Zapdos.
Leer can be used to soften up boosting Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mew, forcing them out to reset their Defense stat. This is particularly useful when the opponent has only one Pokemon left, allowing other physical attackers, like Snorlax and Rhydon, to threaten them even more. Leer's paralysis reapplication is also very useful against faster, paralyzed boosting targets like Mewtwo and Mew, allowing physical attackers to outspeed them even when paralyzed themselves. Tauros can use Leer to enable paralyzed allies to outspeed a paralyzed Mewtwo or Mew, allowing them to set up, heal themselves, or threaten Explosion. This especially helps Tauros itself, increasing its damage and allowing it to always 3HKO Mew and Mewtwo. Stomp is another alternative to Blizzard, trading coverage to exploit Stomp's 30.1% flinch chance against slower, preferably paralyzed Pokemon. Stomp threatens Jynx and Exeggutor in the lead matchup as well as paralyzed Mew, Mewtwo, and Snorlax.
Tauros is often used as a lead, utilizing its strong STAB moves and coverage to threaten common leads, forcing them out proactively and spreading damage and paralysis among the opposing team. For example, common sleepers like Jynx and Gengar are 2HKOed by Body Slam and Earthquake, making a miss or a critical hit from Tauros deadly. If Tauros opts for Stomp instead, Jynx's odds of hitting Lovely Kiss get worse, and Stomp's lower damage prevents Counter from OHKOing Tauros. Zapdos will generally either try to trade hits with Tauros or switch out for fear of Body Slam's paralysis chance and Tauros's high critical hit rate. Faster leads like Alakazam and Jolteon generally dislike facing Tauros due to its high damage output and ability to spread paralysis, putting high pressure on them. Against these leads, Tauros also has the possibility of switching out, which can offer a strong sleep blocker in the form of paralyzed Chansey, and keeping Tauros healthy will help itapply pressure later.
Tauros can also be used outside of the lead slot, functioning as a strong late-game cleaner. Paralyzed Mewtwo, Mew, and Chansey are particularly vulnerable against Tauros, which can easily spiral out of control with the combined odds of full paralysis, critical hits, and potential flinches from Stomp. In this role, Tauros generally switches in on a predicted recovery move from a paralyzed target like Mewtwo, Mew, or Slowbro, or it can be used as a revenge killer. Leer's ability to reapply paralysis is particularly valuable in this role, allowing Tauros to consistently force out or significantly weaken paralyzed Mew and Mewtwo. Additionally, it enables slower attackers like paralyzed Snorlax, Exeggutor, and Mew to outspeed foes, which is crucial late-game to enable Self-Destruct and Explosion. Leer can also allow paralyzed Mewtwo and Mew to outspeed opposing paralyzed Mewtwo and Mew, providing safer opportunities to recover.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Double-Edge's increased Base Power over Body Slam greatly improves Tauros's odds to 3HKO Mew and Mewtwo. Two Double-Edges followed by a Hyper Beam will usually KO Mew and Mewtwo. A single critical hit Double-Edge may also put Mewtwo and Mew in range of Hyper Beam. It is guaranteed to OHKO Jynx on a critical hit, unlike Body Slam, and can secure KOs outside of Body Slam's range without Hyper Beam's recharge turn. While Double-Edge strengthens Tauros's matchups against Mewtwo and Mew, it does come at the cost of coverage, and the recoil from Double-Edge can compromise Tauros's bulk. Moreover, its utility compared to Leer's Defense drop and paralysis reapplication is limited.
Thunderbolt 3HKOes Cloyster and inflicts more damage on Slowbro than Body Slam does before it boosts its Special with Amnesia; it also hits other Electric-weak Pokemon slightly harder, but these benefits are minimal, and Cloyster is less common in Ubers than OU. Fire Blast can be used to burn physical attackers, such as Snorlax and Tauros, but it has limited utility beyond that. Furthermore, Swords Dance users like Mew are unimpeded by the Attack drop after boosting, and special attackers like Mewtwo welcome a burn shielding them from all other status effects. Substitute can be used to fish for full paralysis against threats like Mewtwo. However, this move is rarely worth the loss of a fourth attack, as it does not protect from status moves. Overall, Tauros has little room to cover specific matchups, and its moveslots are generally better geared toward beating omnipresent threats.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Status**: Tauros relies heavily on its Speed and Attack stats to function. Once paralyzed or burned, Tauros has much greater difficulty applying pressure and loses much of its value as a revenge killer. Status renders matchups that are otherwise favorable to Tauros, like Chansey and Alakazam, very poor and forces it to switch out.
**Slowbro**: Slowbro's high physical bulk makes it an excellent switch-in to Tauros, as it is able to survive even a critical hit Hyper Beam and cripple Tauros with paralysis.
**Mew**: Mew can cripple Tauros with Thunder Wave, greatly reduce its damage output with Reflect, set up in front of it with Swords Dance, and even punish Tauros's STAB attacks with Counter. Mew also has instant recovery with Soft-Boiled, outpacing Tauros's damage output unless it has Leer. However, Mew is more often than not forced out due to full paralysis, critical hits, Defense drops, and flinches, and it's generally not worthwhile to let Mew risk paralysis.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo can threaten Tauros out with its massively powerful special attacks, making it an effective offensive check. Mewtwo has a chance to OHKO Tauros with a critical hit or +2 Psychic. Mewtwo can sometimes run Thunder Wave, making Tauros much less threatening. However, switching Mewtwo into Tauros's attacks is generally not a good idea, as it risks paralysis, after which Tauros pressures it heavily with physical attacks.
**Zapdos**: Zapdos is a fairly common foe both as a lead and in the back. It can withstand Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam and can paralyze Tauros with Thunder Wave, and it does massive damage in return with Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos cannot safely switch into Tauros, as Body Slam paralysis greatly reduces its ability to pressure the opposing team, and a critical hit Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam has a 97.70% chance to KO it.
**Starmie**: With Thunder Wave to cripple Tauros with paralysis, enough bulk to survive Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam, and Recover to heal off the damage, Starmie makes for one of the best available switch-ins to Tauros. However, with Body Slam's 30% paralysis chance and high critical hit rate, Starmie won't be able to deal with Tauros consistently.
**Snorlax**: Snorlax has enough bulk to switch into Tauros and retaliate with a couple of attacks before getting KOed. Self-Destruct KOes Tauros 15% of the time at full HP, so any attack followed by Self-Destruct will reliably take it down. Counter in tandem with Hyper Beam can also catch Tauros by surprise; landing Counter against Body Slam puts Tauros into Hyper Beam range or outright KOes it on a critical hit. Reflect Snorlax is incredibly frustrating for Tauros, forcing it to rely on critical hits to break through.
**Exeggutor**: While Exeggutor doesn't reliably beat Tauros one-on-one, it can switch into a predicted Hyper Beam or Earthquake and cripple Tauros with Sleep Powder or Stun Spore, then maim it with Psychic or take it down with Explosion.
**Cloyster and Lapras**: These bulky Ice-types can stomach multiple hits from Tauros and threaten it with STAB Blizzard. Cloyster's Blizzard falls short of a 2HKO, but it can take four hits from Body Slam—requiring an exploitable Hyper Beam to finish it off—and can also use Explosion. Lapras can 2HKO Tauros with Blizzard 25% of the time, gamble on Confuse Ray to make Blizzard a guaranteed 2HKO, or even use Sing to put Tauros to sleep, but Tauros can finish off Lapras with four hits from Body Slam a little over half of the time.
**Rock-types**: While they fear Tauros's coverage, Rock-types can switch into Normal-type attacks and bait weaker coverage moves for a teammate to switch in more easily. If Tauros forgoes Blizzard, Rhydon and Golem are able to trade blows with it. Aerodactyl is also a potent check to Tauros if it has neither Blizzard or Thunderbolt.
**Gengar**: Gengar can switch into predicted Normal-type moves freely and either threaten Tauros with sleep or bait Earthquake for a teammate to switch in safely. If Tauros lacks Earthquake, Gengar switches into Tauros with ease.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/enigami.233818/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/eledyr.415367/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/volk.530877/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
With its combination of power, Speed, and movepool, Tauros shines as a wallbreaker, revenge killer, and lead. Just like in OU, Tauros's powerful Normal-type STAB moves and complementary coverage coupled with its high critical hit rate make it difficult to switch into and almost impossible to fully stonewall. While its bulk is passable, it lacks resistances and instant recovery, so it offers very little defensive value to a team. Also, the bulkier metagame of Ubers blunts Tauros's edge; the mandatory Mew and Mewtwo can withstand its hits and either retaliate hard or cripple it with paralysis, forcing it out. Tauros is therefore less valued, though this frees it to be used much more aggressively, as it isn't critical to preserve Tauros for late-game.
[SET]
name: The Bull
move 1: Body Slam
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Blizzard / Leer / Stomp
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Body Slam and Hyper Beam are Tauros's primary attacks and greatest sources of pressure. Would-be checks like Exeggutor and Snorlax can be overwhelmed by Body Slam critical hits and paralysis chance for non-Normal-types. A critical hit Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam has a 97.70% chance to KO Zapdos, Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam KOes Jynx, and a critical hit Body Slam has a 66.7% chance to OHKO Jynx. Tauros also forces bulky threats like unboosted Mew out for fear of being paralyzed by Body Slam and finished off by Hyper Beam. Earthquake threatens Gengar, which otherwise easily switches into Tauros, with a 2HKO and safely scouts for Counter from the likes of Chansey and Snorlax. Blizzard is Tauros's strongest attack against Rhydon, Golem, and the rare Aerodactyl, 2HKOing them while also inflicting heavy damage against other Ice-weak Pokemon, such as Exeggutor and Zapdos.
Leer can be used to soften up boosting Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mew, forcing them out to reset their Defense stat. This is particularly useful when the opponent has only one Pokemon left, allowing other physical attackers, like Snorlax and Rhydon, to threaten them even more. Leer's paralysis reapplication is also very useful against faster, paralyzed boosting targets like Mewtwo and Mew, allowing physical attackers to outspeed them even when paralyzed themselves. Tauros can use Leer to enable paralyzed allies to outspeed a paralyzed Mewtwo or Mew, allowing them to set up, heal themselves, or threaten Explosion. This especially helps Tauros itself, increasing its damage and allowing it to always 3HKO Mew and Mewtwo. Stomp is another alternative to Blizzard, trading coverage to exploit Stomp's 30.1% flinch chance against slower, preferably paralyzed Pokemon. Stomp threatens Jynx and Exeggutor in the lead matchup as well as paralyzed Mew, Mewtwo, and Snorlax.
Tauros is often used as a lead, utilizing its strong STAB moves and coverage to threaten common leads, forcing them out proactively and spreading damage and paralysis among the opposing team. For example, common sleepers like Jynx and Gengar are 2HKOed by Body Slam and Earthquake, making a miss or a critical hit from Tauros deadly. If Tauros opts for Stomp instead, Jynx's odds of hitting Lovely Kiss get worse, and Stomp's lower damage prevents Counter from OHKOing Tauros. Zapdos will generally either try to trade hits with Tauros or switch out for fear of Body Slam's paralysis chance and Tauros's high critical hit rate. Faster leads like Alakazam and Jolteon generally dislike facing Tauros due to its high damage output and ability to spread paralysis, putting high pressure on them. Against these leads, Tauros also has the possibility of switching out, which can offer a strong sleep blocker in the form of paralyzed Chansey, and keeping Tauros healthy will help itapply pressure later.
Tauros can also be used outside of the lead slot, functioning as a strong late-game cleaner. Paralyzed Mewtwo, Mew, and Chansey are particularly vulnerable against Tauros, which can easily spiral out of control with the combined odds of full paralysis, critical hits, and potential flinches from Stomp. In this role, Tauros generally switches in on a predicted recovery move from a paralyzed target like Mewtwo, Mew, or Slowbro, or it can be used as a revenge killer. Leer's ability to reapply paralysis is particularly valuable in this role, allowing Tauros to consistently force out or significantly weaken paralyzed Mew and Mewtwo. Additionally, it enables slower attackers like paralyzed Snorlax, Exeggutor, and Mew to outspeed foes, which is crucial late-game to enable Self-Destruct and Explosion. Leer can also allow paralyzed Mewtwo and Mew to outspeed opposing paralyzed Mewtwo and Mew, providing safer opportunities to recover.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Double-Edge's increased Base Power over Body Slam greatly improves Tauros's odds to 3HKO Mew and Mewtwo. Two Double-Edges followed by a Hyper Beam will usually KO Mew and Mewtwo. A single critical hit Double-Edge may also put Mewtwo and Mew in range of Hyper Beam. It is guaranteed to OHKO Jynx on a critical hit, unlike Body Slam, and can secure KOs outside of Body Slam's range without Hyper Beam's recharge turn. While Double-Edge strengthens Tauros's matchups against Mewtwo and Mew, it does come at the cost of coverage, and the recoil from Double-Edge can compromise Tauros's bulk. Moreover, its utility compared to Leer's Defense drop and paralysis reapplication is limited.
Thunderbolt 3HKOes Cloyster and inflicts more damage on Slowbro than Body Slam does before it boosts its Special with Amnesia; it also hits other Electric-weak Pokemon slightly harder, but these benefits are minimal, and Cloyster is less common in Ubers than OU. Fire Blast can be used to burn physical attackers, such as Snorlax and Tauros, but it has limited utility beyond that. Furthermore, Swords Dance users like Mew are unimpeded by the Attack drop after boosting, and special attackers like Mewtwo welcome a burn shielding them from all other status effects. Substitute can be used to fish for full paralysis against threats like Mewtwo. However, this move is rarely worth the loss of a fourth attack, as it does not protect from status moves. Overall, Tauros has little room to cover specific matchups, and its moveslots are generally better geared toward beating omnipresent threats.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Status**: Tauros relies heavily on its Speed and Attack stats to function. Once paralyzed or burned, Tauros has much greater difficulty applying pressure and loses much of its value as a revenge killer. Status renders matchups that are otherwise favorable to Tauros, like Chansey and Alakazam, very poor and forces it to switch out.
**Slowbro**: Slowbro's high physical bulk makes it an excellent switch-in to Tauros, as it is able to survive even a critical hit Hyper Beam and cripple Tauros with paralysis.
**Mew**: Mew can cripple Tauros with Thunder Wave, greatly reduce its damage output with Reflect, set up in front of it with Swords Dance, and even punish Tauros's STAB attacks with Counter. Mew also has instant recovery with Soft-Boiled, outpacing Tauros's damage output unless it has Leer. However, Mew is more often than not forced out due to full paralysis, critical hits, Defense drops, and flinches, and it's generally not worthwhile to let Mew risk paralysis.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo can threaten Tauros out with its massively powerful special attacks, making it an effective offensive check. Mewtwo has a chance to OHKO Tauros with a critical hit or +2 Psychic. Mewtwo can sometimes run Thunder Wave, making Tauros much less threatening. However, switching Mewtwo into Tauros's attacks is generally not a good idea, as it risks paralysis, after which Tauros pressures it heavily with physical attacks.
**Zapdos**: Zapdos is a fairly common foe both as a lead and in the back. It can withstand Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam and can paralyze Tauros with Thunder Wave, and it does massive damage in return with Thunderbolt. However, Zapdos cannot safely switch into Tauros, as Body Slam paralysis greatly reduces its ability to pressure the opposing team, and a critical hit Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam has a 97.70% chance to KO it.
**Starmie**: With Thunder Wave to cripple Tauros with paralysis, enough bulk to survive Body Slam followed by Hyper Beam, and Recover to heal off the damage, Starmie makes for one of the best available switch-ins to Tauros. However, with Body Slam's 30% paralysis chance and high critical hit rate, Starmie won't be able to deal with Tauros consistently.
**Snorlax**: Snorlax has enough bulk to switch into Tauros and retaliate with a couple of attacks before getting KOed. Self-Destruct KOes Tauros 15% of the time at full HP, so any attack followed by Self-Destruct will reliably take it down. Counter in tandem with Hyper Beam can also catch Tauros by surprise; landing Counter against Body Slam puts Tauros into Hyper Beam range or outright KOes it on a critical hit. Reflect Snorlax is incredibly frustrating for Tauros, forcing it to rely on critical hits to break through.
**Exeggutor**: While Exeggutor doesn't reliably beat Tauros one-on-one, it can switch into a predicted Hyper Beam or Earthquake and cripple Tauros with Sleep Powder or Stun Spore, then maim it with Psychic or take it down with Explosion.
**Cloyster and Lapras**: These bulky Ice-types can stomach multiple hits from Tauros and threaten it with STAB Blizzard. Cloyster's Blizzard falls short of a 2HKO, but it can take four hits from Body Slam—requiring an exploitable Hyper Beam to finish it off—and can also use Explosion. Lapras can 2HKO Tauros with Blizzard 25% of the time, gamble on Confuse Ray to make Blizzard a guaranteed 2HKO, or even use Sing to put Tauros to sleep, but Tauros can finish off Lapras with four hits from Body Slam a little over half of the time.
**Rock-types**: While they fear Tauros's coverage, Rock-types can switch into Normal-type attacks and bait weaker coverage moves for a teammate to switch in more easily. If Tauros forgoes Blizzard, Rhydon and Golem are able to trade blows with it. Aerodactyl is also a potent check to Tauros if it has neither Blizzard or Thunderbolt.
**Gengar**: Gengar can switch into predicted Normal-type moves freely and either threaten Tauros with sleep or bait Earthquake for a teammate to switch in safely. If Tauros lacks Earthquake, Gengar switches into Tauros with ease.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/enigami.233818/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/eledyr.415367/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/volk.530877/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gastlies.540559/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
