[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: ChopleTar
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Superpower / Earthquake
move 4: Thunder Wave / Fire Blast / Stealth Rock / Ice Beam
item: Chople Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 172 SDef
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Crunch and Pursuit are the Dark STABs of choice, giving Tyranitar options against the Psychic-types it aims to counter across different situations. Pursuit will trap Latios and Alakazam and deal significant damage to Reuniclus on a predicted switch, whereas Crunch allows Tyranitar to beat Reuniclus in the one-on-one if it attempts to stay in and set-up. Superpower or Earthquake are the preferred coverage due to their ability to counter Heatran, an otherwise problematic Pokemon for Sand teams. Superpower also has the benefit of OHKOing offensive Excadrill and having a chance to OHKO Terrakion on a predicted switch, as well as achieving coverage on Ferrothorn in a pinch. Earthquake, on other hand, has reduced damage on these targets but does more reliably beat Heatran and Tentacruel even when burnt. Thunder Wave is a strong option that improves consistency against Alakazam, which is immensely helpful when Alakazam is paired with other Psychic-types that can cripple Tyranitar in the early game. However, Tyranitar is highly customisable and has a deep coverage movepool that can be taken advantage of with specific partners. Fire Blast prevents Tyranitar from becoming Spikes-bait from the likes of Skarmory and Ferrothorn, as well as preventing Breloom from switching in for free. Breloom can also be limited by Ice Beam, which has the added benefit of removing Garchomp, Landorus-T and chunking Gliscor although it will likely have to catch these on the switch-in. Stealth Rock is an option, although in practice Tyranitar will struggle to reliably keep hazards up against Excadrill, and this role compression will affect Tyranitar's ability to act as a consistent Pursuit trapper in the mid- to late-game.
Set Details
========
Although other item choices such as Leftovers may be tempting to improve longevity, Chople Berry is far and away the standard option to allow Tyranitar to serve as a reliable, one-time answer to Focus Blast Alakazam and Thundurus. Chople Berry also allows Tyranitar to switch in on Focus Blast Reuniclus, which is 2HKOd by Crunch with the preferred 88 Attack EVs and a boosting nature. The remaining Special Defense investment puts Tyranitar in the best position to switch-in and remove the aforementioned special threats, along with Latios. For teams already packing robust anti-Reuniclus measures, Tyranitar can also run a bulkier EV spread all the way up to 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef with a Careful or Sassy Nature, improving reliability in the Latios, Alakazam and Thundurus-T match-ups.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar's primary function is to set-up Sandstorm to limit opposing Rain abusers and put threats on a timer, and serve as a single-use stop to many of the metagame's powerful special attackers. However, it should be noted that Tyranitar is a jack of all trades and master of none, and it is important not to rely on it to perform too many jobs in any single game. In particular, many teams will aim to overload Tyranitar by doubling or tripling up on threats such as Alakazam, Reuniclus, Latios, and Thundurus-T, therefore weakening Tyranitar sufficiently that one of these Pokemon can sweep in the late game. As such, it is important to always keep Tyranitar's health in mind and limit the number of times it has to switch in, especially due to its hazard susceptibility and lack of recovery. Limiting opportunities for the opponent to set-up Spikes or quickly removing them is highly advised to give Tyranitar as much longevity as possible. However, once on the field Tyranitar can be a menace to switch into with its wide-ranging coverage and ability to cripple offensive threats with Thunder Wave. The upside of catching incoming threats like Excadrill, Terrakion, Breloom, or Landorus-T with a well-timed coverage attack is huge and can alone sway the tide of battle.
Team Options
========
ChopleTar fits best on balanced-to-offensive variations of Sand, which appreciate the removal of Rain, active handling of offensive Psychics with Pursuit, and the inability to easily take advantage of Tyranitar with counter-sweepers. On more offensive teams, Tyranitar pairs well with reliable Stealth Rockers including Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp which relinquish the need for Tyranitar to utilise Stealth Rock itself. Rotom-W is a consistent partner due to its defensive synergy, including a resistance to Water-type attacks and immunity to Earthquake, but also due to its ability to get Tyranitar in safely against Pursuit Targets or to restore Sandstorm via Volt Switch. Tyranitar is hard-pressed to beat combinations of special sweepers by itself, and as such, interim answers to these threats are much appreciated. Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Excadrill can be used as secondary answers to Latios or Alakazam in a pinch, and Latios itself can relieve some pressure from Tyranitar to check opposing Thundurus-T on rain. Terrakion appreciates the removal of fast Psychic-types, as well as gaining a Special Defense boost under Sandstorm which provides more frequent set-up oppurtunities. Magic Guard Pokemon such as Alakazam and Reuniclus themselves make good Tyranitar partners, taking advantage of the residual damage from Sandstorm to win battles of attrition against opposing teams, as well as contributing defensively by helping check Tyranitar-abusers such as Keldeo and Terrakion. On more balanced teams, Tyranitar pairs well with Heatran and Poison Heal Gliscor and Breloom, which can all utilise their relative good survivability under Sandstorm with Protect to grind down the opponent.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Stone Edge / Ice Beam
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tyranitar can also utilise a Choice Scarf set, retaining its ability to Pursuit trap offensive Psychic-types whilst also gaining the ability to serve as a broad revenge killer.
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Checks and Counters
===================
[CREDITS]
- The face of BW OU
- Counteracts rain so mega splashable even if sand not specifically beneficial
- Pursuit trap / anti-magic guard
- Facilitates teams based around residual damage, puts 10s of scary mons on a timer from the beginning of the game
[SET]
name: ChopleTar
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Superpower / Earthquake
move 4: Thunder Wave / Fire Blast / Stealth Rock / Ice Beam
item: Chople Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 172 SDef
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Crunch and Pursuit are the Dark STABs of choice, giving Tyranitar options against the Psychic-types it aims to counter across different situations. Pursuit will trap Latios and Alakazam and deal significant damage to Reuniclus on a predicted switch, whereas Crunch allows Tyranitar to beat Reuniclus in the one-on-one if it attempts to stay in and set-up. Superpower or Earthquake are the preferred coverage due to their ability to counter Heatran, an otherwise problematic Pokemon for Sand teams. Superpower also has the benefit of OHKOing offensive Excadrill and having a chance to OHKO Terrakion on a predicted switch, as well as achieving coverage on Ferrothorn in a pinch. Earthquake, on other hand, has reduced damage on these targets but does more reliably beat Heatran and Tentacruel even when burnt. Thunder Wave is a strong option that improves consistency against Alakazam, which is immensely helpful when Alakazam is paired with other Psychic-types that can cripple Tyranitar in the early game. However, Tyranitar is highly customisable and has a deep coverage movepool that can be taken advantage of with specific partners. Fire Blast prevents Tyranitar from becoming Spikes-bait from the likes of Skarmory and Ferrothorn, as well as preventing Breloom from switching in for free. Breloom can also be limited by Ice Beam, which has the added benefit of removing Garchomp, Landorus-T and chunking Gliscor although it will likely have to catch these on the switch-in. Stealth Rock is an option, although in practice Tyranitar will struggle to reliably keep hazards up against Excadrill, and this role compression will affect Tyranitar's ability to act as a consistent Pursuit trapper in the mid- to late-game.
Set Details
========
Although other item choices such as Leftovers may be tempting to improve longevity, Chople Berry is far and away the standard option to allow Tyranitar to serve as a reliable, one-time answer to Focus Blast Alakazam and Thundurus. Chople Berry also allows Tyranitar to switch in on Focus Blast Reuniclus, which is 2HKOd by Crunch with the preferred 88 Attack EVs and a boosting nature. The remaining Special Defense investment puts Tyranitar in the best position to switch-in and remove the aforementioned special threats, along with Latios. For teams already packing robust anti-Reuniclus measures, Tyranitar can also run a bulkier EV spread all the way up to 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef with a Careful or Sassy Nature, improving reliability in the Latios, Alakazam and Thundurus-T match-ups.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar's primary function is to set-up Sandstorm to limit opposing Rain abusers and put threats on a timer, and serve as a single-use stop to many of the metagame's powerful special attackers. However, it should be noted that Tyranitar is a jack of all trades and master of none, and it is important not to rely on it to perform too many jobs in any single game. In particular, many teams will aim to overload Tyranitar by doubling or tripling up on threats such as Alakazam, Reuniclus, Latios, and Thundurus-T, therefore weakening Tyranitar sufficiently that one of these Pokemon can sweep in the late game. As such, it is important to always keep Tyranitar's health in mind and limit the number of times it has to switch in, especially due to its hazard susceptibility and lack of recovery. Limiting opportunities for the opponent to set-up Spikes or quickly removing them is highly advised to give Tyranitar as much longevity as possible. However, once on the field Tyranitar can be a menace to switch into with its wide-ranging coverage and ability to cripple offensive threats with Thunder Wave. The upside of catching incoming threats like Excadrill, Terrakion, Breloom, or Landorus-T with a well-timed coverage attack is huge and can alone sway the tide of battle.
Team Options
========
ChopleTar fits best on balanced-to-offensive variations of Sand, which appreciate the removal of Rain, active handling of offensive Psychics with Pursuit, and the inability to easily take advantage of Tyranitar with counter-sweepers. On more offensive teams, Tyranitar pairs well with reliable Stealth Rockers including Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp which relinquish the need for Tyranitar to utilise Stealth Rock itself. Rotom-W is a consistent partner due to its defensive synergy, including a resistance to Water-type attacks and immunity to Earthquake, but also due to its ability to get Tyranitar in safely against Pursuit Targets or to restore Sandstorm via Volt Switch. Tyranitar is hard-pressed to beat combinations of special sweepers by itself, and as such, interim answers to these threats are much appreciated. Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Excadrill can be used as secondary answers to Latios or Alakazam in a pinch, and Latios itself can relieve some pressure from Tyranitar to check opposing Thundurus-T on rain. Terrakion appreciates the removal of fast Psychic-types, as well as gaining a Special Defense boost under Sandstorm which provides more frequent set-up oppurtunities. Magic Guard Pokemon such as Alakazam and Reuniclus themselves make good Tyranitar partners, taking advantage of the residual damage from Sandstorm to win battles of attrition against opposing teams, as well as contributing defensively by helping check Tyranitar-abusers such as Keldeo and Terrakion. On more balanced teams, Tyranitar pairs well with Heatran and Poison Heal Gliscor and Breloom, which can all utilise their relative good survivability under Sandstorm with Protect to grind down the opponent.
- Gastrodon, Seismitoad, Celebi
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Stone Edge / Ice Beam
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tyranitar can also utilise a Choice Scarf set, retaining its ability to Pursuit trap offensive Psychic-types whilst also gaining the ability to serve as a broad revenge killer.
Set Details
========
- Max/max obvious
- 48 SAtk OHKOs 252 HP / 0- SDef Landorus-T and non-specially defensive Gliscor
- Small amounts of SDef investment go a long way e.g. 48 SDef lives Latios DMeteor after SR + Spike.
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
- Fits better on grimy balance to semi-stall teams that need to role compress sand + revenge killer
- Needs robust anti-Alakazam partners (SDef Gliscor, SDef Skarm, SDef Excadrill, etc)
- Super spikes suspectible for a scarfer, use Exca
- Appreciates BPass / U-turn support from the likes of Celebi to get in on Latios freely
- Pairs well with Pokemon that need Latios reliably removed e.g. Breloom, Protect Keldeo
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Rock Slide and Stone Edge are Tyranitar's best options against Thundurus-T and Volcarona, which can tank one Crunch and evade Thunder Wave through Volt Absorb and Lum Berry, respectively.
- Expert Belt / Dark Gem turbo Tyranitar
- Choice Band
- Shuca Berry / Focus Sash
- Rock Polish, Dragon Dance
Checks and Counters
===================
[CREDITS]
Last edited:
