Tyranitar (OU)

[wyc2333]

[OVERVIEW]

Tyranitar is the best Pokemon in ADV OU. First of all, its ability is useful for doing damage to almost everything except Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokemon. Next, although its typing gives it numerous weaknesses, it is immune to Psychic-type attacks, possesses resistance to offense such as Normal-, Dark-, and Fire-type moves, and has access to STAB Rock Slide, Pursuit, and Crunch. Last but not least, although its Speed isn't satisfying, other stats grant it not only great bulk but also amazing Attack backed up by solid Special Attack. In a nutshell, Tyranitar is versatile and dangerous, so dealing with it is one of the first things to consider when building a team.

[SET]
name: Fast Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquke
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Bug / Ice Beam
item: Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 244 Atk / 12 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set likes to setup once to immediately outspeed Pokemon such as Gengar and Starmie with full investment in Speed EVs. Dragon Dance allows Tyranitar to boost its Attack to insane levels while making up for its mediocre Speed, allowing it to make use of Rock Slide's flinch chance. Rock Slide is its primary STAB move and one of the reasons why Tyranitar is so dangerous. The flinch chance can pull the user out of a very tough situation and it forces opponents to carry at least one of the reliable Rock-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake has great coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Pokemon such as Metagross, Jirachi, Magneton, and opposing Tyranitar. Hidden Power Grass gets around teams that rely on Swampert to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Hidden Power Bug OHKOes offensive Starmie, checks Celebi well, and hits Claydol hard. Ice Beam mainly lets Tyranitar be one of the most dangerous Pokemon against teams that rely on Flygon to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, because with Lum Berry, it can safely set up on Pokemon such as Jirachi. It is also a legitimate tool against Claydol and enables Tyranitar to KO Salamence regardless of Rock Slide's accuracy issue and Attack dropped by Intimidate. Double-Edge is an alternative to hit Flygon and bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune harder, maintain neutral coverage on Claydol, hurt Pokemon such as Zapdos without worrying about the accuracy issue of Rock Slide, and smash Dugtrio, which wants to prevent it from setting up freely.

Maximizing Speed EVs with a Naive nature allows Tyranitar to move before the likes of Gengar, Adamant Dugtrio, and offensive Starmie after one boost. 12 SpA EVs let Tyranitar guarantee 2HKO Swampert with full HP EVs by Hidden Power Grass. Hasty allows Tyranitar to take damage from Pokemon such as Swampert better. If Hidden Power Bug or Double-Edge is used, Jolly can be chosen. If the power to bust up defensive teams is concerned, natures such as Naughty, Lonely, Adamant, Mild, and Rash can be used, seeing as Tyranitar outspeed most relevant targets with just maximum Speed EVs after one Dragon Dance. Lum Berry lets Tyranitar get a second boost against Pokemon such as Gengar, Zapdos, and Blissey attempting to cripple it with status.

Team Options
========

Fast Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar are commonly seen on offensive teams because offensive teams frequently don't carry Rapid Spinners and can't easily take advantage of bulk to survive attacks such as Earthquake from Dugtrio and Hydro Pump from offensive Starmie. Furthermore, it's not necessarily a pure sweeper. For example, with Hidden Power Grass, it can be used to weaken Swampert mid-game, thus letting sweepers such as Dragon Dance Salamence and Aerodactyl shine. Thanks to Explosion, Metagross can wear down an opposing bulky water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, thus letting Tyranitar do its job. Zapdos provides coverage against opposing specially-frail threats like Metagross and Flygon. In particular, Hidden Power Ice variants help to chip Celebi. Finally, although Camerupt is not common, it can take down bulky Water-type Pokemon with Explosion.

[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquke
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set likes to set up twice to outspeed every Pokemon with investment in bulk. Dragon Dance allows Tyranitar to raise its outstanding Attack and ordinary Speed. Rock Slide is its STAB move, of which the flinch chance can be game-changing. Earthquake has great coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Metagross, Jirachi, opposing Tyranitar, Magneton, and the rare Steelix. After one boost, Hidden Power Bug OHKOes Celebi, beats Claydol if it switches in on the turn Tyranitar uses Dragon Dance, and hits Flygon fairly hard. Taunt prevents itself from being phazed or affected with status.

248 HP EVs allow Tyranitar to always survive +1 Earthquake from Adamant Salamence and any Meteor Mash from Metagross except Choice Band variants, which is a great piece of defensive security. 180 Speed EVs let Tyranitar Speed Tie with standard Milotic. 16 HP / 120 Def is the most efficient spread to survive Earthquake from standard Dugtrio. 184 HP EVs are worth surviving Hydro Pump from offensive Starmie and Earthquake from standard Dugtrio. 252 HP / 56 Def is an example to survive Earthquake from Adamant Dugtrio. With Leftovers, 252 HP / 48 SpD ensures that Hidden Power Grass from +1 Jirachi will never 2HKO Tyranitar. However, EVs can't be used too much on bulk if you actually want to get something going with Attack. Lum Berry can be used so that it can get a second boost against Pokemon such as Gengar, Zapdos, and Porygon2 attempting to cripple it with status.

Team Options
========

It is seen more use on balanced teams. Bulky Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar are frequently used to sweep on teams with Rapid Spinners such as Claydol and Starmie, as these teams can allow Dragon Dance Tyranitar to be brought out healthily. Spikes users such as Skarmory lay entry hazards, which have excellent synergy with Tyranitar's STAB Rock Slide.

[SET]
name: Pursuit
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Ice Beam / Roar / Brick Break
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Pursuit allows Tyranitar to get rid of Gengar for its teammates and do much damage to Choice Band variants of Salamence and Aerodactyl if they are locked into a move that can't beat Tyranitar. Crunch KOes Gengar and Starmie that stay in on Tyranitar, hits a number of its switch-ins such as Swampert for fairly good damage, and takes on Shadow Ball CurseLax. Fire Blast hits Steel-types such as Skarmory, Metagross, Magneton, and Forretress. Ice Beam can be used to hit Pokemon such as Zapdos, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Flygon. It also OHKOes standard Dugtrio, which is quite important for teams that are weak to this trapper. Hidden Power Grass can be used to surprise Swampert. Roar turns this set into a solid answer to Shadow Ball CurseLax while giving it the ability to Spikes shuffle and stop Baton Pass users. It is especially helpful on teams that are usually slow-paced and desperately need a phazer. Brick Break is mainly for deterring Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on it twice, and it's also useful for weakened Blissey.

Besides the moves mentioned before, Rock Slide gives Tyranitar access to a physical STAB move that hits Pokemon such as Blissey, Zapdos, Gyarados, and Moltres. Taunt prevents Spikes users such as Skarmory and Forretress from laying entry hazards, defensive Pokemon such as Blissey from recovering health, and itself from being affected with status. Earthquake sometimes prevents Tyranitar from being setup bait for Jirachi. Focus Punch OHKOes opposing Tyranitar trying to click Dragon Dance.

The spread of maximum HP and Special attack EVs with a Modest nature is to soak attacks from Pokemon such as Gengar, Claydol, and Starmie, and then strike back with STAB Pursuit or Crunch. With physical attacks such as Brick Break, a bit Attack EVs with a Quiet nature can be used. If Taunt is selected, it's worth outrunning Pokemon such as Skarmory.

Team Options
========

If opposing Gengar is KOed by Tyranitar, Rapid Spin especially from Forretress and the rare Donphan becomes much more reliable. Aerodactyl’s Double-Edge, Earthquake, and Hidden Power Bug are late-game elements. Swampert, susceptible to status and Grass-type coverage, will be comfortable if Pursuit comes in handy. Earthquake and Hidden Power Bug variants of CurseLax also appreciate Gengar's removal. With the chip on Gengar, Salamence, and Aerodactyl, Flygon and Heracross can turn the right Rock Slide read into a KO. Finally, a secondary Gengar answer is usually an excellent idea alongside this set, as Tyranitar can sometimes be unreliable at getting rid of Gengar due to something like Hypnosis, Grass-type attacks, and opposing Dugtrio.

[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam / Rock Slide
move 4: Brick Break / Focus Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast chips most variants of Metagross, thus letting Aerodactyl be more dangerous. It also hits Pokemon such as Skarmory, Magneton, Forretress, and the rare Venusaur. Hidden Power Grass chips all Swampert. It also strikes Starmie and Cloyster. Ice Beam hits Pokemon such as Flygon, Zapdos, Salamence, Claydol, and Aerodactyl. STAB Rock Slide smacks Gengar, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Moltres, and the rare Jynx, which is usually used with Focus Punch so that Blissey can be chipped for the opportunity to let the combo shine. Brick break chips opposing Tyranitar and Blissey. It also hits the rare Smeargle. Crunch is an option not only for Gengar but also for hitting Claydol harder than other moves.

With maximum Speed EVs and a Hasty nature, Tyranitar outruns all Swampert, most variants of Metagross, and some defensive Zapdos. If more bulk is needed for physical threats such as Flygon, Salamence, and opposing Tyranitar, Naive is an ideal nature. If power is appreciated, natures such as Rash, Naughty, and Lonely can be chosen. If Rock Slide is used, 12 Attack EVs will allow it to guarantee OHKO on Aerodactyl. Some mixed Tyranitar go for bulk at the cost of Speed EVs, allowing them to fulfill a secondary role versus offensive teams by holding off Zapdos and Gengar. As a result, they may consider outspeeding Pokemon such as Taunt Skarmory and fast variants of Claydol. Lum Berry is great for shrugging off Will-O-Wisp from Pokemon such as Moltres, countering sleepers such as Gengar, and preventing it from being affected by Toxic. Making Gengar have to lay status twice is also a great deal because if it gets hit twice, it can no longer switch into attacks it normally swallows, thus diminishing the threat level. Salac Berry can be used on hyper offensive teams.

Team Options
========

Mixed Tyranitar acts well as a softener. Sweepers such as Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Dragon Dance Salamence appreciates the lure of Pokemon such as Swampert, Metagross, Flygon, and Claydol. Spikes users such as Skarmory and Cloyster can lay Spikes so that Tyranitar's Ice Beam and Rock Slide can be more potential. Special sponges such as Snorlax take special attacks aiming at Tyranitar.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquke
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Focus Punch / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Rock Slide is an STAB move and hits generally hard. Earthquake provides coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Pokemon such as Jirachi, opposing Tyranitar, Metagross, Magneton, and Jolteon super effectively. Hidden Power Bug is an option to hit Celebi and Claydol hard. Focus Punch smashes Skarmory, Snorlax, Blissey, and bulky water-type Pokemon. Roar shuffles the foe over Spikes and turns it into a solid answer to Snorlax with Curse and Shadow Ball.

Maximum HP and Attack EVs give Tyranitar excellent longevity and immense power. Reasonable investment on Speed lets Tyranitar outrun much clutter such as Blissey and bulky Megagross. However, retaining enough bulk to live standard Dugtrio's Earthquake and offensive Starmie's Hydro Pump is advised.

Team Options
========

This set is an all-encompassing threat that forces switches with Spikes by always having a coverage move. As a result, Spikes users such as Skarmory provide entry hazards. Special walls such ad Blissey take Water-type attacks for Tyranitar. Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert help Tyranitar deal with physical threats such as Metagross. Gengar is immune to Ground-type and Fighting-type attacks, of which Tyranitar must be wary. Toxic users such as Flygon and Zapdos can let foes be poisoned, which appreciates Tyranitar's Sand Stream.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquke
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Focus Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Choice Band gives Tyranitar immediate power for wallbreaking. There is no safe switch-in to this set. Rock Slide is Tyranitar's STAB move. Earthquake provides well-known coverage alongside Rock Slide. Hidden Power Bug OHKOes Celebi, hits Claydol, and touches Flygon. Focus Punch hits predicted switch-ins, especially bulky Water-type Pokemon.

In addition to moves listed above, Double-Edge has neutral coverage against many Pokemon such as Swampert, Flygon, and Claydol. Furthermore, Brick Break surprises opposing Tyranitar.

Maximizing Speed is for Pokemon such as Milotic and some variants of Metagross and Suicune. Reasonable investment in bulk lets Tyranitar do a better job against threats such as Curselax. It is also helpful when Choice Band Tyranitar is used on a team with support such as Wish and Rapid Spin, preventing Dugtrio from trapping it.

Team Options
========

This set fits on balanced teams. Spikes users such as Skarmory lay entry hazards, which are valuable for Tyranitar. Dugtrio can trap Pokemon such as Metagross and Heracross, which are huge threats to Tyranitar. Since Tyranitar is weak to opposing Dugtrio, the second Pokemon such as Metagross that resists Normal-type attacks is required to handle Snorlax. If Choice Band Tyranitar has enough bulk to survive Earthquake from standard Dugtrio, Rapid Spinners such as Claydol and clerics such as Blissey keep Tyranitar healthy.

[SET]
name: Physical SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 212 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Substitute blocks Seismic Toss from Blissey, allows Tyranitar to avoid getting affected by status, eases prediction, and has great synergy with Focus Punch. Rock Slide does much damage to Pokemon such as Zapdos, Gengar, Salamence, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Moltres, and Charizard. Hidden Power Bug covers Celebi and Claydol. Hidden Power Grass lures down Swampert.

Maximum HP EVs allow Tyranitar to make a substitute with 101 HP. 44 Speed EVs let Tyranitar outrun some variants of Blissey and Claydol. If Hidden Power Grass is used, Lonely or Naughty can be considered.

Team Options
========

Dugtrio can trap Metagross and Jirachi so that this set can work. Spikes users such as Skarmory can be used, as this set forces switches.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mixed Tyranitar with Substitute and Focus Punch can not only utilize Blissey but also take down Skarmory, Forretress, Gengar, Salamence, and Flygon by certain moves. Toxic cripples a number of its main counters, which can be combined with Taunt. When using this combo, outspeeding Milotic to force Toxic onto it is important. Protect allows Tyranitar to gain recovery from Leftovers, scout Choice Band users such as Metagross, and stall damage from status and sand. Counter capitalizes on physical attacks from Pokemon such as Dugtrio, Claydol, and Flygon. With Ice Beam and Hidden Power Grass hitting Ground-type Pokemon, Thunder Wave provides overall utility. Lum Berry can be used on the Pursuit set to avoid getting put to sleep by Pokemon such as Gengar and the rare Jynx. Liechi Berry can be used on Dragon Dance Tyranitar and if its Attack is boosted accidentally, this monster will be quite threatening. Silk Scarf can enhance Double-Edge's power, but there isn't much value in other cases.

Checks and Counters
===================

Ground-type Pokemon resist Tyranitar's Rock Slide and threaten it with STAB Earthquake. Swampert has bulk to take most of Tyranitar's other attacks and scares Tyranitar with STAB Water-type moves, but it has to watch out for Hidden Power Grass and Focus Punch. Flygon and Claydol are immune to Earthquake, but the former has to look out for Focus Punch and Ice Beam while the latter has to pay attention to Hidden Power Bug and many special attacks such as Dark STAB moves, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Grass. Dugtrio can trap and KO Tyranitar, but Jolly variants sometimes won't guarantee the OHKO. Besides Swampert, other bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic and Suicune hit Tyranitar hard with STAB Water-type attacks, but they are quite vulnerable to flinches from Rock Slide. Metagross can take Fire Blast and +1 Earthquake from Tyranitar and strike back with STAB Meteor Mash, but if Metagross is the only Pokemon resistant to Rock Slide in a team, opposing Aerodactyl will be frightening. Heracross is a check to Tyranitar because of its STAB Megahorn and Brick Break, but it's not a counter because it doesn't have many defensive properties.



[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[vapicuno]

Some initial comments:
DDtar:
1. Remove mention of Claydol and Salamence for Ice Beam on DDtar. Anyone who wanted to deal with those would have used HP bug or Rock Slide. Ice beam hits Claydol for puny damage.
2. Talk about Taunt
3. Also mention Bulky Tar EVs that survive Jolly Dug and Starmie.
4. Notable advantage of DD Double-Edge is that it gives good odds to 2hko Milotic after Rock Slide, which can be useful for mixed offense teams that struggle with it.
5. Mention that DDtar has two quite different roles depending on whether fast or bulky. Fast is more commonly seen on offense and HP grass is also more common on offense, because those tars a) frequently intend to be used early game as wallbreakers b) offensive teams with those frequently do not carry spin and cannot easily take advantage of the bulk for surviving Starmie or Dug, even if they are trying to clean. Bulky and HP Bug is more frequently used to clean on more balanced teams with spin, as these teams can allow DDtar to come in late game at full HP to DD to +2. This isn't mutually exclusive; sometimes you will see bulky ddtar on offense, though its less likely to see fast DDtar or grass DDtar on balance. Triangles can you verify this point?

Pursuit Tar
1. Roar is especially helpful on Forretress teams, which are usually slow paced and desperately need a phazer.

Mixed
1. Remove mention of Focus Punch hitting Milotic, theres just no good way mixtar can hurt milotic.
2. Mention Rock Slide is usually used with Focus Punch so that Blissey can be chipped into the range of softboiled for the opportunity to FP. Brick break more frequently goes with 3 sp.atks.

 

[wyc2333]

Some initial comments:
DDtar:
1. Remove mention of Claydol and Salamence for Ice Beam on DDtar. Anyone who wanted to deal with those would have used HP bug or Rock Slide. Ice beam hits Claydol for puny damage.
2. Talk about Taunt
3. Also mention Bulky Tar EVs that survive Jolly Dug and Starmie.
4. Notable advantage of DD Double-Edge is that it gives good odds to 2hko Milotic after Rock Slide, which can be useful for mixed offense teams that struggle with it.
5. Mention that DDtar has two quite different roles depending on whether fast or bulky. Fast is more commonly seen on offense and HP grass is also more common on offense, because those tars a) frequently intend to be used early game as wallbreakers b) offensive teams with those frequently do not carry spin and cannot easily take advantage of the bulk for surviving Starmie or Dug, even if they are trying to clean. Bulky and HP Bug is more frequently used to clean on more balanced teams with spin, as these teams can allow DDtar to come in late game at full HP to DD to +2. This isn't mutually exclusive; sometimes you will see bulky ddtar on offense, though its less likely to see fast DDtar or grass DDtar on balance. Triangles can you verify this point?

Pursuit Tar
1. Roar is especially helpful on Forretress teams, which are usually slow paced and desperately need a phazer.

Mixed
1. Remove mention of Focus Punch hitting Milotic, theres just no good way mixtar can hurt milotic.
2. Mention Rock Slide is usually used with Focus Punch so that Blissey can be chipped into the range of softboiled for the opportunity to FP. Brick break more frequently goes with 3 sp.atks.

i have listed taunt in oo. idk whether i should mention taunt on suit and defensive set in particular, like suit/crunch/taunt/tox and rslide/eq/taunt/tox

 

[vapicuno]

I personally think Taunt is more usable than Protect on DDtar and deserves to be mentioned in the set description even if you don't want to mention it in the set itself. I think no need to mention taunt in the suit and bulky 4atk sets.

Edit: taunt on ddtar isnt just about skarm phazing but also allowing tar to come in on Blissey safely to DD twice

 

[Triangles]

OK there is a lot to fix here, so here goes.

I agree with Vap about DD Tar, in fact I think you should even split DD Tar into 2 separate sets, that look something like this.

Fast DD
Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Not sure whether IB should be a slash on this one, I will let someone else comment. But yeah, this set is for a quick setup and being faster than Gar/Star after 1 DD. It's not necessarily a pure win con mon, you can use it to weaken Pert in midgame with HP Grass for say, your DD Mence or something. Leftovers is not really very good on this Tar because Lum is needed for Gar's Wisp and Zap and Bliss Twave.

Tanky DD
Tyranitar @ Leftovers / Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP / 88 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power Bug / Taunt

The baseline for Ada DD Tar should be max HP imo. This set likes to DD twice to outspeed everything and clean late game, and maxing out bulk gives it the best shot to set up properly. Star Pumps etc. It would probably see more use on balance than all out offense, but it still has its place on the latter because DD Tar is an offensive mon by nature.

Pursuit
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Ice Beam / Fire Blast
- Roar / Hidden Power Grass / Brick Break

The default should be Max HP Max Special attack Modest, for soaking Gengar hits. Obviously with Brick Break you go -Speed and you can put a bit in attack. Ice Beam is quite important for OHKOing dug. The main point of Brick Break is deterring DD Tar from setting up on it, but it's also useful for weakened Bliss. I see Roar as the most important slash in slot 4 because it's good contingency against Curselax and Rachi. Mention Taunt in the set description as an alternative for one of the last 2 slots. If you're running Taunt it's worth speed creeping Skarm. No point in slashing flamethrower anywhere because you actually want to hurt Skarm and you will also never use all 8 fire blast pp in your mons career.

Mixed
Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam / Rock Slide / Crunch
- Brick Break / Focus Punch

Don't bother with Lefties here, status removal is so much more important. This set is not going to last a long time whatever it does. Crunch is worthwhile in slot 3 for Gar and also hitting Clay harder than anything else. Personally, I would also say Hasty is better than Naive because you are slightly better vs Gengar and Zapdos. Naive still dies to Dug n shit so yeah. Thats just my opinion tho, will let someone else talk too.

Physical Lefties Focus Punch (not the name I am suggesting for this set lmao)
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Focus Punch
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Earthquake / Substitute

This set, also say that with Subpunch you can run HP Grass over Bug for luring Pert. Not a slash but worth a mention. I actually don't know if this should be two different sets since they do sort of play differently - for example, Subpunch is fucked vs Rachi.

CB Tar
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Focus Punch
- Hidden Power [Bug]

- yeah this is fine. I prefer maxing HP to speed as I like CB tar cuz it's a direct Curselax threat, but I understand that maxing Speed is good for Metagross, Milo, and Cune and stuff. So keep max speed as is now.

Mixed Subpunch
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Ice Beam
- Fire Blast / Crunch

This set is a Skarm Bliss Pert TSS killer, and is also different enough to physical sub punch to merit its own thing. I think this set is really good and worth a lot but you might not see it enough right now for it to be anything more than OO. Don't put this in yet.

Other options: Taunt Tox, Double Edge DD, pinch berries, Protect, Counter, T-Wave

 

[wyc2333]

OK there is a lot to fix here, so here goes.

I agree with Vap about DD Tar, in fact I think you should even split DD Tar into 2 separate sets, that look something like this.

Fast DD
Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Not sure whether IB should be a slash on this one, I will let someone else comment. But yeah, this set is for a quick setup and being faster than Gar/Star after 1 DD. It's not necessarily a pure win con mon, you can use it to weaken Pert in midgame with HP Grass for say, your DD Mence or something. Leftovers is not really very good on this Tar because Lum is needed for Gar's Wisp and Zap and Bliss Twave.

Tanky DD
Tyranitar @ Leftovers / Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP / 88 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power Bug / Taunt

The baseline for Ada DD Tar should be max HP imo. This set likes to DD twice to outspeed everything and clean late game, and maxing out bulk gives it the best shot to set up properly. Star Pumps etc. It would probably see more use on balance than all out offense, but it still has its place on the latter because DD Tar is an offensive mon by nature.

Pursuit
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Ice Beam / Fire Blast
- Roar / Hidden Power Grass / Brick Break

The default should be Max HP Max Special attack Modest, for soaking Gengar hits. Obviously with Brick Break you go -Speed and you can put a bit in attack. The main point of Brick Break is deterring DD Tar from setting up on it, but it's also useful for weakened Bliss. I see Roar as the most important slash in slot 4 because it's good contingency against Curselax and Rachi. Mention Taunt in the set description as an alternative for one of the last 2 slots. If you're running Taunt it's worth speed creeping Skarm. No point in slashing flamethrower anywhere because you actually want to hurt Skarm and you will also never use all 8 fire blast pp in your mons career.

Mixed
Tyranitar @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam / Rock Slide / Crunch
- Brick Break / Focus Punch

Don't bother with Lefties here, status removal is so much more important. This set is not going to last a long time whatever it does. Crunch is worthwhile in slot 3 for Gar and also hitting Clay harder than anything else. Personally, I would also say Hasty is better than Naive because you are slightly better vs Gengar and Zapdos. Naive still dies to Dug n shit so yeah. Thats just my opinion tho, will let someone else talk too.

Physical Lefties Focus Punch (not the name I am suggesting for this set lmao)
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Focus Punch
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Bug]
- Earthquake / Substitute

This set, also say that with Subpunch you can run HP Grass over Bug for luring Pert. Not a slash but worth a mention. I actually don't know if this should be two different sets since they do sort of play differently - for example, Subpunch is fucked vs Rachi.

should roar be included? how to explain 16 spe?

CB Tar
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Focus Punch
- Hidden Power [Bug]

- yeah this is fine. I prefer maxing HP to speed as I like CB tar cuz it's a direct Curselax threat, but I understand that maxing Speed is good for Metagross, Milo, and Cune and stuff. So keep max speed as is now.

Mixed Subpunch
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Ice Beam
- Fire Blast / Crunch

This set is a Skarm Bliss Pert TSS killer, and is also different enough to physical sub punch to merit its own thing. I think this set is really good and worth a lot but you might not see it enough right now for it to be anything more than OO. Don't put this in yet.

Other options: Taunt Tox, Double Edge DD, pinch berries, Protect, Counter

 

[vapicuno]

More comments
DDTar:
1. Splitting DD into two sets is probably what I would do too yeah. I'm for mentioning Ice Beam in the set description but not in the moves itself, because Flygon far less prevalent than Swampert.

Pursuit Tar:
1. A reason why Roar is really good on Pursuit Tar is that Tar is usually a Curselax and Jirachi check on most teams, but Pursuit Tar is the weakest of them all at dealing with them. Also, since Pursuit Tar supports defensive Swampert really well, teams that use that combo will rarely use Metagross too, making the Curselax weak more glaring.
2. Ice Beam is actually a really good move on Pursuit Tar, and whether it is used frequently depends on whether Magneton is present. I agree with the placement of Ice Beam/Fire Blast in third slot. Apart from the obvious Ice Beam killing Dugtrio from full, a less obvious fact is that a) Gengar and Salamence rarely appear on the same team, so if you don't end up pursuiting Gar, Tar can stay at full HP to survive a +1 DD and KO back with Ice Beam in the late game. b) Zapdos can be super threatening, and Ice Beam allows Tar to solo it from full.
3. Yeah, no point slashing flamethrower.

Mixed:
1. I've got a slight preference towards Hasty. Naive lets you survive Jolly Dugtrio with low odds and non-max attack non-CB Metagross, while Hasty turns almost-certain 2hkos from Gengar and Zapdos into good odds to win the 1v1. Those Metagross are rare in comparison to Zapdos though.

Physical Lefties:
1. In my opinion, I would keep this purely as a 4 attacks set, separate from Subpunch, because the 4 attacks set's coverage allows it to be an all-encompassing threat that forces switches under Spikes by always having a coverage move that can hit for lots of damage should the opponent stay in. Relinquishing EQ makes finishing off weakened Tar/Pert/Rachi much harder.
2. I would probably mention somewhere that more speed could be added in this set to creep past Pursuit Tars and those Swamperts that try to outspeed Pursuit Tar themselves, or even bulky Metagross.
3. I don't know about Roar. I guess it can be used if you desperately need another phazer, but I barely see that happening on the teams this Tar finds itself on. DD Tar can be focus-punched to prevent setup, Rachi can be EQ'd, Celebi can be bugged, and Curselax can be punched while resting. Thoughts, Triangles ?

CB Tar:
1. While I would keep max speed max attack adamant in the set, I also agree with what Triangles said, and additionally, having bulky EVs is very helpful when CB Tar is used in a team with Wish support and Rapid Spin, preventing Dugtrio revenge.

Physical Subpunch / Mixed Subpunch:

I'm fine with these being listed as separate sets as long as they are at the end, since they don't see much use and seem quite different to me in operation from even the 4atk physical lefties tar. Especially those that run HP Grass are in the business of lures, while the physical lefties is just about plain chipping.

 

[BKC]

I'll go more indepth on dif aspects of this analysis later, just wanted to respond to triangles' open invitation for more input

I agree with Vap about DD Tar, in fact I think you should even split DD Tar into 2 separate sets

agreed, the dif is night and day

Fast DD

Not sure whether IB should be a slash on this one, I will let someone else comment.

I think ib is worth a slash because with lum it is able to fill the role of being one of the most dangerous pokemon against the common new age flygon superman teams, since it can then get use out of being able to safely set up on jirachi; these teams are still quite popular and effective as several players such as golden sun have shown us. ib is also a legitimate tool against claydol, and being able to always ohko salamence irregardless of accuracy/intimidate is valuable as well

Leftovers is not really very good on this Tar because Lum is needed for Gar's Wisp and Zap and Bliss Twave.

yep, agreed. shrugging off magneton's twave is also big, it can turn your metagross getting revenged into a serious threat.

it's also important to mention how this ddtar variant is especially vulnerable to dugtrio; dug switches into 3/4 moves and ohkos from full health (aka best case scenario) 75% of the time. tar only has a coinflip chance to ko dug from full health as well. might be even more reason to mention double-edge in the last slot as well, which smashes dug switches in addition to hitting waters hard

lastly I'd mention hasty as an option.

Tanky DD
Tyranitar @ Leftovers / Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP / 88 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power Bug / Taunt
The baseline for Ada DD Tar should be max HP imo. This set likes to DD twice to outspeed everything and clean late game, and maxing out bulk gives it the best shot to set up properly. Star Pumps etc.

I'd go 248 hp to always survive +1 mence eq, which is a great extra piece of defensive security, as well as living any non-cb metagross mash. with leftovers you also have a good shot (roughly 3/4) at surviving two +1 superachi hp grasses.

for both dd tars I'd mention that unlike support tar variants, they can't be used too much on defense if you actually want to get something going with dd, otherwise what's the point of using dd, and that needs to be factored in. it needs to be meticulous in picking and choosing its spots, unlike the comparatively gung-ho nature of pursuit/mix/4a phys tars. this means its team needs different measures against the pokemon tar usually checks, snorlax being the most notable example.

Mixed
Tyranitar @ Lum Berry

salac is also worth mentioning

 

[wyc2333]

is it necessary to include hp bug on fast dd sets to OHKO off mie at +1?
idk what a standard spread of dd ib ttar should be. although its main purpose is to KO gon, there may be some issues with its power. for example:

calc

8 SpA Tyranitar Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Flygon: 319-376 (87.8 - 103.5%)
44- SpA Tyranitar Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Flygon: 299-352 (82.3 - 96.9%)
8 SpA Tyranitar Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Salamence: 319-376 (96 - 113.2%)
8 SpA Tyranitar Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 212 SpD Salamence: 255-300 (77 - 90.6%)

if suit tar is required to check rachi, it can run eq combined with twave support.
when it comes to mix tar, I think Hasty is a bit of waste to get murdered by nonCB Flygon EQ and BB from Salamence because of the potential Ice coverage trade. anyway, i will fix it. imo lum berry isn't mandatory bc even if status such as sleep and wow from gar is removed, ttar still can't do much damage to it except crunch.
since sub ttar is infrequently seen, why not list it in oo?

 

[BKC]

hp bug also lets you check celebi quite well, which is especially useful against the dangerous offensive variant, and hitting claydol quite hard turns ttar into a severe threat against many magdol teams, so yes, it should definitely be included.

for dd ib, I think just a neutral nature will do fine. even if you don't get that 1/4 chance of koing bulky gon, it's not going to ko you back even with 3 layers of spikes, and you severely threaten everything else on its team so you'll keep on chugging. you can also make small spatk investments to improve your ko threshold from the default of the 25% chance to ko from full. 12 spa evs give you 31.3%, 20 evs give you 37.5%, 32 evs give you 43.8%, 40 give you 50%. I wouldn't go (much) higher than the next benchmarks, which is 52 evs giving you a 56.3% chance and 60 evs giving you a 62.5% chance. after that, you need to go up to 80 evs to bump it up to 68.8%, which in my opinion is too much for too little.

also worth mentioning that bulky flygon is not the only relevant set; cleaving through the dangerous offensive variants is definitely valuable given how nasty those can be to the offensive teams this ttar tends to find itself on.

agreed @ mixed set keeping -spdef, as should dd ib tar - I say -spdef and not naive because they should get mentions of rash and naughty, respectively, seeing as they already outspeed most relevant targets with just max speed and a neutral nature (most defensive pokemon, all +speed 100s at +1) and the power boost can be significant, though of course the speed can be of equal importance - that's why the reader should be given the choice. also, it's specifically the hp grass dd set that I believe should consider hasty for pert.

while it's correct that lum is not mandatory on the set, do not discount its importance in shrugging off toxic, which is incredibly useful so the defensive teams it's supposed to bust up can't just easily stall it out. making gar have to wisp twice is also a bigger deal than you seem to think - if it gets hit with 2 ice beams/fire blasts it can no longer switch into attacks it could normally swallow, thus diminishing the threat level of one of the tier's most dangerous pokemon

 

[Lord Ninjax]

offensive ddtar

aside from ib, bug def should be a slash here (claydol and starmie primarily, also stops pdef celebi from screwing with you). slash double-edge as well instead of just listing it as an oo (stronger attack than eq that threatens to cleave through pert / gon / dol simultaneously). lum's the better item too fwiw. also 20 hp survives 2 slides from aero at full for virtually no loss in attack so prob include that in your spread. naughty / ada should also be mentioned as options for nature bc there are def teams where you'll want the power to bust up pert skarm waters etc over the ability to outrun gengar and starmie. probably mention bulkier spreads for like dd grass tar too (16 hp / 120 def to live dug, 184 hp to tank starmie's hydro etc). also no beam is not a legitimate tool vs claydol (doesn't guarantee the 3hko even vs offensive variants) so prob don't say it is. flygon / ddmence are the uses.

bulky ddtar

slash toxic along with bug / taunt, it's out of fashion but it certainly can contribute. like bkc said 248 hp to live cbmence eq as well as 252+ meta mash, also prob mention 48 def to live ada dug eq (super bulky but it can be worth, like on roro's rmt) as an example.

pursuit

add focus punch / rock slide as slashes somewhere, both moves def have their merits. I also think fthrower should be slashed with fblast (it's def a better option on teams with spinners where killing skarm is less of a priority) but that's just me. prob add a diff spread that runs 140 speed for adamant claydol as an option somewhere.

subpunch and taunttoxic should def be their own sets as well although that's just my opinion. subpunch plays radically differently from standard phys, ditto taunttox vis a vis pursuit and other fat sets. when writing taunt toxic mention the importance of outspeeding milotic to force toxic onto it for tss.

think that that's all for the moment more or less

 

[BKC]

0 SpA Tyranitar Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Claydol: 113-134 (34.8 - 41.3%) -- 72.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

this is the bulkiest claydol you're going to see against the weakest ttar. if you invest for better rolls against gon, which you can absolutely afford to do, then it only gets better. maybe 40 is the sweet spot since in addition to the 50% ohko on max hp gon, it also always koes 0/0 mence and bumps the dol calc up to 36.7 - 43.2%, which is a 98.7% to 3hko. however, even if you don't go for this investment, how is the damage from that original calc not a legitimate tool? this is not insignificant damage. it can be put to use in a number of ways, such as playing the long game for tar to sweep itself or dol unable to take a hit from superachi/zapdos.

I agree 20 hp is a good investment. 184 hp also lives dug fwiw.

I also agree 48 def is a good investment on fat ddtar. leeway vs mence is nice too. incidentally, 48 spdef ensures +1 superachi will never 2hko through lefties.

 

[vapicuno]

My opposition to mentioning Ice beam hitting Claydol and Salamence is not that BKC's points are invalid but rather that when an alternative to a standard HP bug spread is mentioned, I think a reader would be looking for what is the differential is. Since Bug already hits dol, I didn't see it worth mentioning. I also take the view that the analyses are about making conscious team choices as opposed to move choices in battles, and I don't know about you guys, but I haven't personally made the conscious decision to use Ice Beam on Tar primarily because I wanted to cover the Intimidate. I don't have particularly strong opinions on including those mons as additional coverage to Flygon though.

 

[BKC]

I agree, it's more that ice beam has legitimate additional use outside of handling flygon; of course that's the real reason you use it, but it's not like it's insignificant outside of that. if their best ddtar counter is claydol, which is not uncommon, you have something you can meaningfully do against it. invalidating mence intimidating it down to live rock slide is also notable since that scenario might very well come up given how this ttar uses its speed as a way to immediately threaten offense. these are important matchups ttar is commonly faced with. thus, it is absolutely worth mentioning that, while its main function is something else, ib is still able to do something in these others.

 

[vapicuno]

while its main function is something else, ib is still able to do something in these others.

Yeah, thats the crux of it, I think this would be the best phrasing.

 

[wyc2333]

for fast dd ttar
252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 147-174 (42.4 - 50.2%)
252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 147-174 (42.1 - 49.8%)
if hasty should be considered on the dd grass set while rash and naughty should be considered on the dd ib set, why not consider lonely/mild if power is wanted to bust up pert skarm waters etc?
for bulky dd ttar
208+ Atk Choice Band Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 48 Def Tyranitar: 331-390 (81.9 - 96.5%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 48 Def Tyranitar: 346-408 (85.6 - 100.9%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 60 Def Tyranitar: 341-402 (84.4 - 99.5%)
252+ Atk Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 343-404 (85.1 - 100.2%)

 

[vapicuno]

While I am not the most familiar with ddtar EVs, for bulky ddtar, using simultaneous 100% survival of ada bulk on tar barring crit and 200 speed, you will find that without boosts, the chances of koing bulkless zap and ddmence is heavily reduced. You also have a lower roll to 1hko non defense Claydol at +2, and 2hko relaxed Claydol at +1 for the rock weak teams. Also lower chances to 1hko protect Meta at +2.

 

[BKC]

252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 147-174 (42.4 - 50.2%)

this calc is vs ttar with a 30 defense iv, which you wouldn't have even on hp grass sets because in your attempt to not lose 1 point of attack, you now have to invest 12 more evs for that aero benchmark and as a result wind up losing even more. with a 31 defense iv, the calc looks like this:

252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 146-172 (42.1 - 49.7%)

if hasty should be considered on the dd grass set while rash and naughty should be considered on the dd ib set, why not consider lonely/mild if power is wanted to bust up pert skarm waters etc?

yes, lonely would be fine on dd grass ttar. however, you yourself mentioned not liking mild (or -def) on mixtar because of flygon eq/mence brick break, and I agreed

for bulky dd ttar
252+ Atk Choice Band Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 48 Def Tyranitar: 346-408 (85.6 - 100.9%)
252+ Atk Choice Band Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 60 Def Tyranitar: 341-402 (84.4 - 99.5%)

good call - I checked and the 252/48 calc must've been done against ada max dug with a 30 attack iv, because tar would in fact live that. however, you only need 56 defense to survive

252+ Atk Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 343-404 (85.1 - 100.2%)

this is also with a 30 defense iv. with 31, it looks like this:

252+ Atk Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 341-402 (84.6 - 99.7%)

 

[wyc2333]

although it is ready for QC, ig there is still a lot to fix
when it comes to mixed ttar, i don't think crunch must be slashed on the third slot and i just list it in set description.

 

[vapicuno]

Hey wyc, thanks for the effort put into writing this analysis. Unfortunately, there are still some points that are missing or not sufficiently elaborate, and I will not give the QC check until the changes are implemented. As of now I've only had the time to comment up till the start of Mixed Tyranitar, but I just wanted to get the ideas out first so that you can work on them without having to wait. I'll let you know when I've commented on the rest of the sets.

Comments are in blue. Take note of additions and deletions in your text, also in blue.

EDIT [12.50am GMT+8] Put in some modifications to the text on DDtars

[OVERVIEW]

Tyranitar is the best Pokemon in ADV OU. First of all, its ability is useful for doing damage to almost everything except Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokemon. Next, although its typing gives it numerous weaknesses, it is immune to Psychic-type attacks, possesses resistance to offense such as Normal-, Flying Dark-, and Fire-type moves, and has access to STAB Rock Slide, Pursuit, and Crunch. Last but not least, although its Speed isn't satisfying, other stats grant it not only great bulk but also amazing Attack backed up by solid Special Attack. In a nutshell, Tyranitar is versatile and dangerous, so dealing with it is one of the first things to consider when building a team.

The introduction is the only place where you can talk about Sand Stream, and having one sentence about it is insufficient. Mention that
1. Sand Stream drastically changes the landscape of the metagame.
2. It shifts the balance of power towards Rock, Ground, and Steel type pokemon. For example, the immunity to sandstorm makes Swampert much more reliable than Suicune as a physical wall, and also makes Claydol more reliable than Starmie at removing Spikes.
3. Sandstorm retains damage on walls and bulky setup sweepers such as Celebi, Snorlax, and Suicune, which are otherwise very difficult to stop. The damage retention also allows Blissey to shine as the most reliable special wall under sandstorm due to access to immediate recovery and the lack of special weaknesses.
4. Sandstorm also helps to identify offensive sets by the presence or absence of leftovers recovery on versatile pokemon like Salamence. It can also reveal the relative speeds of the pokemon in play by the order of sandstorm damage.
5. Sandstorm reduces the longevity of offenses like Zapdos by denying Leftovers recovery as it forces switches, and by chipping at Choice Band users like Salamence and Heracross,. It also limits the use of pinch berries sweepers like Salac Berry Heracross which can otherwise plow through entire teams.

Mention the sets individually:
1. Tyranitar's Dragon Dance sets allow it to act as a wallbreaker and sweeper.
2. Pursuit Tyranitar supports a huge number of pokemon by removing Gengar
3. Physical Tyranitar, by its sheer coverage, forces lots of switches and racks up Spikes damage.
4. Mixed Tyranitar threatens stall hitting both physical and special walls with a plethora of super effective moves.

[SET]
name: Fast Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquke
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Bug / Ice Beam
item: Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 244 Atk / 12 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set likes to setup once to immediately outspeed Pokemon such as Gengar and Starmie with full investment in Speed EVs. Dragon Dance allows Tyranitar to boost its Attack to insane levels while making up for its mediocre Speed, allowing it to make use of Rock Slide's flinch chance. Rock Slide is its primary STAB move and one of the reasons why Tyranitar is so dangerous. The flinch chance can pull the user out of a very tough situation and it forces opponents to carry at least one of the reliable Rock-resistant Pokemon. Earthquake has great coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Pokemon such as Metagross, Jirachi, Magneton, and opposing Tyranitar. Hidden Power Grass gets around teams that rely on Swampert to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Hidden Power Bug OHKOes offensive Starmie, checks Celebi well, and hits Claydol hard. Ice Beam mainly covers Flygon, while still allowing Tyranitar to chip Claydol decently and KO Salamence even under Intimidate. lets Tyranitar be one of the most dangerous Pokemon against teams that rely on Flygon to handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, because with Lum Berry, it can safely set up on Pokemon such as Jirachi. It is also a legitimate tool against Claydol and enables Tyranitar to KO Salamence regardless of Rock Slide's accuracy issue and Attack dropped by Intimidate. Double-Edge is an alternative to hit Flygon and bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune harder, maintain neutral coverage on Claydol, hurt Pokemon such as Zapdos without worrying about the accuracy issue of Rock Slide, and smash Dugtrio, which wants to prevent it from setting up freely.

Maximizing Speed EVs with a Naive nature allows Tyranitar to move before the likes of Gengar, Adamant Dugtrio, and offensive Starmie after one boost. 12 SpA EVs let Tyranitar guarantee 2HKO Swampert with full HP EVs by Hidden Power Grass. Hasty allows Tyranitar to take damage from Pokemon such as Swampert better. If Hidden Power Bug or Double-Edge is used, Jolly can be chosen. If the power to bust up defensive teams is concerned, natures such as Naughty, Lonely, Adamant, Mild, and Rash can be used, seeing as Tyranitar outspeed most relevant targets with just maximum Speed EVs after one Dragon Dance. Lum Berry lets Tyranitar get a second boost against Pokemon such as Gengar, Zapdos, and Blissey attempting to cripple it with status.

Team Options
========

Fast Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar are commonly seen on offensive teams because offensive teams frequently don't carry Rapid Spinners and thus (<-note this addition!!!) can't easily take advantage of bulk to survive attacks such as Earthquake from Dugtrio and Hydro Pump from offensive Starmie. Furthermore, it's not necessarily a pure sweeper. As it frequently acts not just as a sweeper but also as a wallbreaker, it appreciates other sweepers and wallbreakers on the team. For example, with Hidden Power Grass, it can be used to weaken Swampert mid-game, thus letting sweepers such as Dragon Dance Salamence and Aerodactyl shine. Thanks to Explosion, Metagross can wear down an opposing bulky water-type Pokemon such as Suicune, thus letting Tyranitar do its job. Zapdos provides coverage against opposing specially-frail threats like Metagross and Flygon. In particular, Hidden Power Ice variants help to chip Celebi. Finally, although Camerupt is not common, it can take down bulky Water-type Pokemon with Explosion.

[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquke
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 180 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set likes to set up twice to outspeed every Pokemon with investment in bulk. Dragon Dance allows Tyranitar to raise its outstanding Attack and ordinary Speed. Rock Slide is its STAB move, of which the flinch chance can be game-changing. Earthquake has great coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Metagross, Jirachi, opposing Tyranitar, Magneton, and the rare Steelix. After one boost, Hidden Power Bug OHKOes Celebi, beats Claydol if it switches in on the turn Tyranitar uses Dragon Dance, and hits Flygon fairly hard. Taunt prevents itself from being phazed or affected with status.

248 HP EVs allow Tyranitar to always survive +1 Earthquake from Adamant Salamence and any Meteor Mash from Metagross except Choice Band variants, which is a great piece of defensive security. 180 Speed EVs let Tyranitar Speed Tie with standard Milotic. 16 HP / 120 Def is the most efficient spread to survive Earthquake from standard Dugtrio. 184 HP EVs are worth surviving Hydro Pump from offensive Starmie and Earthquake from standard Dugtrio. 252 HP / 56 Def is an example to survive Earthquake from Adamant Dugtrio. With Leftovers, 252 HP / 48 SpD ensures that Hidden Power Grass from +1 Jirachi will never 2HKO Tyranitar. However, EVs can't be used too much on bulk if you actually want to get something going with Attack. Note that sacrificing too much attack however reduces the odds of 1hkoing Zapdos and Salamence without boosts, and 1hkoing bulky Metagross and Claydol even with two Dragon Dances. Lum Berry can be used so that it can get a second boost against Pokemon such as Gengar, Zapdos, and Porygon2 attempting to cripple it with status.

Team Options
========

It is seen more use on balanced teams. Bulky Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar are frequently used to sweep on teams with Rapid Spinners such as Claydol and Starmie, as these teams can allow Dragon Dance Tyranitar to be brought out healthily. Spikes users such as Skarmory lay entry hazards, which have excellent synergy with Tyranitar's STAB Rock Slide.

[SET]
name: Pursuit
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Ice Beam / Roar / Brick Break
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Pursuit allows Tyranitar to get rid of Gengar for its teammates and do much damage to Choice Band variants of Salamence and Aerodactyl if they are locked into a move that can't beat Tyranitar. Crunch KOes Gengar and Starmie that stay in on Tyranitar, hits a number of its switch-ins such as Swampert for fairly good damage, and takes on Shadow Ball CurseLax. Fire Blast hits Steel-types such as Skarmory, Metagross, Magneton, and Forretress. Ice Beam can be used to hit Pokemon such as Zapdos, Salamence, Aerodactyl, and Flygon (move this point behind, the Dugtrio one is probably more important to a layperson). It also OHKOes standard Dugtrio, which is quite important for teams that are weak to this trapper. Hidden Power Grass can be used to surprise Swampert. Roar turns this set into a solid answer to Shadow Ball CurseLax and midgame check to Calm Mind Jirachi while giving it the ability to Spikes shuffle and stop Baton Pass users. It is especially helpful on teams that are usually slow-paced and desperately need a phazer. Brick Break is mainly for deterring Dragon Dance Tyranitar from setting up on it twice, and it's also useful for weakened Blissey.

Besides the moves mentioned before, Rock Slide gives Tyranitar access to a physical STAB move that hits Pokemon such as Blissey, Zapdos, Gyarados, and Moltres. Taunt prevents Spikes users such as Skarmory and Forretress from laying entry hazards, defensive Pokemon such as Blissey from recovering health, and itself from being affected with status. Earthquake sometimes prevents Tyranitar from being setup bait for Jirachi. Focus Punch OHKOes opposing Tyranitar trying to click Dragon Dance.

The spread of maximum HP and Special attack EVs with a Modest nature is to soak attacks from Pokemon such as Gengar, Claydol, and Starmie, and then strike back with STAB Pursuit or Crunch. With physical attacks such as Brick Break, a bit Attack EVs with a Quiet nature can be used. If Taunt is selected, it's worth outrunning Pokemon such as Skarmory.

I stand by Triangles that the last move order should be Roar / Hidden Power Grass / Brick Break. Also mention that max HP allows Tyranitar to survive DD Salamence's EQ and Metagross' MM to ko back with Ice Beam or Fire Blast.

Team Options
========

If opposing Gengar is KOed by Tyranitar, Rapid Spin especially from Forretress and the rare Donphan becomes much more reliable. Aerodactyl’s Double-Edge, Earthquake, and Hidden Power Bug are late-game elements. Swampert, susceptible to status and Grass-type coverage, will be comfortable if Pursuit comes in handy. Earthquake and Hidden Power Bug variants of CurseLax also appreciate Gengar's removal. With the chip on Gengar, Salamence, and Aerodactyl, Flygon and Heracross can turn the right Rock Slide read into a KO. Finally, a secondary Gengar answer is usually an excellent idea alongside this set, as Tyranitar can sometimes be unreliable at getting rid of Gengar due to something like Hypnosis, Grass-type attacks, and opposing Dugtrio.

This is how I would write this:

Gengar derives its utility from blocking Rapid Spin, spreading burns, threatening frail offenses that are unfortunately not fast enough for it, and having a plethora of important immunities and resistances. With its removal, Forretress becomes a reliable spinner. Defensive Swampert can give up Hydro Pump and increase its livespan tremendously by using both Protect and Refresh. Defensive Jirachi can fully exploit the Wish + Protect sequence without fear of burn damage accumulating over two turns. The combination of Pursuit Tyranitar and Magneton takes a multi-pronged approach in weakening or eliminating most hovering threats -- Skarmory, CB Salamence/Aerodactyl, Zapdos -- reducing the need for prediction when using Flygon, Heracross or one's own Aerodactyl, and making up for Gyarados' limited movepool. Other less common but nevertheless interesting pokemon that this combination enables are Venusaur and Donphan. Finally, it should be noted that Pursuit Tyranitar can open up valuable moveslots for the rest of the team. For example, Curselax can drop Shadow Ball to use Earthquake, and Celebi can drop Psychic as long as the team has another way of checking Zapdos.

[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam / Rock Slide
move 4: Brick Break / Focus Punch
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast chips most variants of Metagross, thus letting Aerodactyl be more dangerous. It also hits Pokemon such as Skarmory, Magneton, Forretress, and the rare Venusaur. Hidden Power Grass chips all Swampert. It also strikes Starmie and Cloyster. Ice Beam hits Pokemon such as Flygon, Zapdos, Salamence, Claydol, and Aerodactyl. STAB Rock Slide smacks Gengar, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Moltres, and the rare Jynx, which is usually used with Focus Punch so that Blissey can be chipped for the opportunity to let the combo shine. It is frequently used in conjunction with Focus Punch to lure Blissey into recovering. Brick break chips opposing Tyranitar and Blissey. It also hits the rare Smeargle. Crunch is an option not only for Gengar but also for hitting Claydol harder than other moves.

With maximum Speed EVs and a Hasty nature, Tyranitar outruns all Swampert, most variants of Metagross, and some defensive Zapdos. If more bulk is needed for physical threats such as Flygon, Salamence, and opposing Tyranitar, Naive is an ideal nature. If power is appreciated, natures such as Rash, Naughty, and Lonely can be chosen. If Rock Slide is used, 12 Attack EVs will allow it to guarantee OHKO on Aerodactyl. Some mixed Tyranitar go for bulk at the cost of Speed EVs, allowing them to fulfill a secondary role versus offensive teams by holding off Zapdos and Gengar. As a result, they may consider outspeeding Pokemon such as Taunt Skarmory and fast variants of Claydol. Lum Berry is great for shrugging off Will-O-Wisp from Pokemon such as Moltres, countering sleepers such as Gengar, and preventing it from being affected by Toxic. Making Gengar have to lay status twice is also a great deal because if it gets hit twice, it can no longer switch into attacks it normally swallows, thus diminishing the threat level. Salac Berry can be used on hyper offensive teams.

Team Options
========

Mixed Tyranitar acts well as a softener. Sweepers such as Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Dragon Dance Salamence appreciates the lure of Pokemon such as Swampert, Metagross, Flygon, and Claydol. Spikes users such as Skarmory and Cloyster can lay Spikes so that Tyranitar's Ice Beam and Rock Slide can be more potential. Special sponges such as Snorlax take special attacks aiming at Tyranitar.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquke
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Focus Punch / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Rock Slide is an STAB move and hits generally hard. Earthquake provides coverage alongside Rock Slide, hitting Pokemon such as Jirachi, opposing Tyranitar, Metagross, Magneton, and Jolteon super effectively. Hidden Power Bug is an option to hit Celebi and Claydol hard. Focus Punch smashes Skarmory, Snorlax, Blissey, and bulky water-type Pokemon. Roar shuffles the foe over Spikes and turns it into a solid answer to Snorlax with Curse and Shadow Ball.

Maximum HP and Attack EVs give Tyranitar excellent longevity and immense power. Reasonable investment on Speed lets Tyranitar outrun much clutter such as Blissey and bulky Megagross. However, retaining enough bulk to live standard Dugtrio's Earthquake and offensive Starmie's Hydro Pump is advised.

Team Options
========

This set is an all-encompassing threat that forces switches with Spikes by always having a coverage move. As a result, Spikes users such as Skarmory provide entry hazards. Special walls such ad Blissey take Water-type attacks for Tyranitar. Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert help Tyranitar deal with physical threats such as Metagross. Gengar is immune to Ground-type and Fighting-type attacks, of which Tyranitar must be wary. Toxic users such as Flygon and Zapdos can let foes be poisoned, which appreciates Tyranitar's Sand Stream.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquke
move 3: Hidden Power Bug
move 4: Focus Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Choice Band gives Tyranitar immediate power for wallbreaking. There is no safe switch-in to this set. Rock Slide is Tyranitar's STAB move. Earthquake provides well-known coverage alongside Rock Slide. Hidden Power Bug OHKOes Celebi, hits Claydol, and touches Flygon. Focus Punch hits predicted switch-ins, especially bulky Water-type Pokemon.

In addition to moves listed above, Double-Edge has neutral coverage against many Pokemon such as Swampert, Flygon, and Claydol. Furthermore, Brick Break surprises opposing Tyranitar.

Maximizing Speed is for Pokemon such as Milotic and some variants of Metagross and Suicune. Reasonable investment in bulk lets Tyranitar do a better job against threats such as Curselax. It is also helpful when Choice Band Tyranitar is used on a team with support such as Wish and Rapid Spin, preventing Dugtrio from trapping it.

Team Options
========

This set fits on balanced teams. Spikes users such as Skarmory lay entry hazards, which are valuable for Tyranitar. Dugtrio can trap Pokemon such as Metagross and Heracross, which are huge threats to Tyranitar. Since Tyranitar is weak to opposing Dugtrio, the second Pokemon such as Metagross that resists Normal-type attacks is required to handle Snorlax. If Choice Band Tyranitar has enough bulk to survive Earthquake from standard Dugtrio, Rapid Spinners such as Claydol and clerics such as Blissey keep Tyranitar healthy.

[SET]
name: Physical SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 212 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Substitute blocks Seismic Toss from Blissey, allows Tyranitar to avoid getting affected by status, eases prediction, and has great synergy with Focus Punch. Rock Slide does much damage to Pokemon such as Zapdos, Gengar, Salamence, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Moltres, and Charizard. Hidden Power Bug covers Celebi and Claydol. Hidden Power Grass lures down Swampert.

Maximum HP EVs allow Tyranitar to make a substitute with 101 HP. 44 Speed EVs let Tyranitar outrun some variants of Blissey and Claydol. If Hidden Power Grass is used, Lonely or Naughty can be considered.

Team Options
========

Dugtrio can trap Metagross and Jirachi so that this set can work. Spikes users such as Skarmory can be used, as this set forces switches.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mixed Tyranitar with Substitute and Focus Punch can not only utilize Blissey but also take down Skarmory, Forretress, Gengar, Salamence, and Flygon by certain moves. Toxic cripples a number of its main counters, which can be combined with Taunt. When using this combo, outspeeding Milotic to force Toxic onto it is important. Protect allows Tyranitar to gain recovery from Leftovers, scout Choice Band users such as Metagross, and stall damage from status and sand. Counter capitalizes on physical attacks from Pokemon such as Dugtrio, Claydol, and Flygon. With Ice Beam and Hidden Power Grass hitting Ground-type Pokemon, Thunder Wave provides overall utility. Lum Berry can be used on the Pursuit set to avoid getting put to sleep by Pokemon such as Gengar and the rare Jynx. Liechi Berry can be used on Dragon Dance Tyranitar and if its Attack is boosted accidentally, this monster will be quite threatening. Silk Scarf can enhance Double-Edge's power, but there isn't much value in other cases.

Checks and Counters
===================

Ground-type Pokemon resist Tyranitar's Rock Slide and threaten it with STAB Earthquake. Swampert has bulk to take most of Tyranitar's other attacks and scares Tyranitar with STAB Water-type moves, but it has to watch out for Hidden Power Grass and Focus Punch. Flygon and Claydol are immune to Earthquake, but the former has to look out for Focus Punch and Ice Beam while the latter has to pay attention to Hidden Power Bug and many special attacks such as Dark STAB moves, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Grass. Dugtrio can trap and KO Tyranitar, but Jolly variants sometimes won't guarantee the OHKO. Besides Swampert, other bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Milotic and Suicune hit Tyranitar hard with STAB Water-type attacks, but they are quite vulnerable to flinches from Rock Slide. Metagross can take Fire Blast and +1 Earthquake from Tyranitar and strike back with STAB Meteor Mash, but if Metagross is the only Pokemon resistant to Rock Slide in a team, opposing Aerodactyl will be frightening. Heracross is a check to Tyranitar because of its STAB Megahorn and Brick Break, but it's not a counter because it doesn't have many defensive properties.



[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[vapicuno]

Hey wyc, I'm really sorry to say this but after a lengthy discussion with the QC team, we have decided to reject this analysis. It is not up to the standards we expect for the most important Pokemon of the tier.

 

[Excal]

We appreciate the effort you put into this analysis, and your effort won't go to waste by any means. Going to lock this analysis now, PM us if you have any questions.