[OVERVIEW]
Blessed with excellent stats all around, a unique typing, and an insane movepool, Tyranitar is one of the best Pokemon in GSC Ubers. Its ability to check very important Pokemon in the metagame, such as Snorlax, Mewtwo, Lugia, and Ho-Oh, coupled with key attributes like resisting Normal, having access to Curse and Roar, and having few special weaknesses means that Tyranitar fits perfectly on all kinds of teams from offense to stall. The rarity of effective checks to Tyranitar like Machamp and Nidoking in the metagame also means that Tyranitar usually feels less threatened to switch out once it starts boosting with Curse.
However, Tyranitar often finds itself using Roar in conjunction with Spikes support as a way of making progress through teams, as the lack of a powerful STAB move means that it can't fully exploit its gargantuan base Attack stat and thus struggles with the bulky nature of the metagame. Furthermore, many teams are prepared for Tyranitar and have answers to it, such as Celebi, Golem, and Steelix, all of which greatly threaten Tyranitar, meaning a Curse Tyranitar sweep should only be considered when all of its checks are weakened or removed. Lastly, the relevance of Growth + Baton Pass Pokemon like Jolteon and Vaporeon in the tier hurts Tyranitar's ability to reliably check Pokemon it's supposed to, like Mewtwo.
[SET]
name: CurseTar
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Curse
move 3: Roar
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 204 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is Tyranitar's most popular set thanks to its good role compression: checking Snorlax, Mewtwo without a Fighting-type move, and Lugia is invaluable for many teams. Curse lets Tyranitar comfortably wall non-Earthquake variants of Snorlax while making it a potential wincon. Rock Slide is Tyranitar's attacking move of choice, as there are no Pokemon immune to Rock-type attacks. Roar phazes Curse Snorlax and Barrier Mewtwo, making this Tyranitar set the most reliable check to them in the tier. Roar also prevents Tyranitar from being phazed by opposing Tyranitar while asleep. Rest gives this set necessary longevity, as without it, Tyranitar gets worn down too quickly, preventing it from properly checking Snorlax and Mewtwo; Rest also lets Tyranitar PP stall variants of Mewtwo without a Fighting-type move. Lowering Tyranitar's Speed EVs to 204 allows it to win the Curse war against opposing Curse Tyranitar and Lugia while Speed tying with Exeggutor: this also underspeeds -1 Speed Lugia and opposing Tyranitar at neutral Speed, which allows Tyranitar to not get phazed by them. Other phazers like Whirlwind Zapdos and Ho-Oh are also discouraged from phazing Tyranitar due to their critical weakness to Rock Slide.
Team Options
========
Even after a Curse boost, Mew will still threaten to break through Tyranitar with a boosted Submission. Therefore, checks to it such as Barrier Mewtwo and Curse Skarmory are good teammates. Cloyster can set Spikes for Tyranitar and help it against Ground-types such as Steelix, Golem, and Rhydon. Snorlax can form a double Curse combination with Tyranitar, as they both share the same checks and counters and so can work together to wear them down. Zapdos defeats Earthquake variants of Lugia for Tyranitar and scares out Cloyster; Tyranitar switches into Snorlax and Mewtwo in return.
[SET]
name: Roar + 3 Attacks
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Roar
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Flamethrower / Surf
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Tyranitar's large movepool and high attacking stats let it lure and remove checks to itself and its teammates. Even on a specially oriented set, Rock Slide is mandatory, as without it, Tyranitar would not be able to check key Pokemon like Zapdos and Ho-Oh. Roar phazes Curse Snorlax and lets Tyranitar scout for threats while potentially chipping them with Spikes support. Crunch hits Mewtwo and Celebi, two of the best checks to Tyranitar, for super effective damage; it also has the added benefit of being able to drop the foe's Special Defense, which can be useful in one-on-one scenarios against non-Earthquake variants of Snorlax and Lugia. Flamethrower is commonly chosen on the last slot to hit important targets like Forretress, Skarmory, and the rare Heracross for super effective damage. Surf can be used instead to hit Ground-types like Rhydon and Golem while hitting opposing Tyranitar decently hard. It's worth mentioning that both Flamethrower and Surf hit Steelix, a Pokemon that would otherwise wall both of Tyranitar's STAB moves.
Fire Blast is another option over Flamethrower, as it can reach some benchmarks that Flamethrower can't. For example, Fire Blast gets a guaranteed 2HKO on Steelix that Flamethrower misses out on. Fire Blast also pressures Heracross harder, as it now has a chance of being 2HKOed.
Team Options
========
Offensive teams appreciate Tyranitar's wide coverage being able to lure Steelix, Forretress, and Skarmory. Given that Curse Snorlax can potentially break through Tyranitar, more offensive ways of handling it are important. Thus, teammates such as Explosion Cloyster, Mewtwo, Exeggutor, and Mew are needed. Jolteon and Vaporeon are other good offensive teammates, as they can use Growth and Baton Pass to allow Tyranitar to wallbreak a lot easier. Tyranitar checks Snorlax for them in return. However, Tyranitar is only a temporary check to Snorlax due to it not being able to break through Curse sets in a one-on-one scenario. Additionally, Tyranitar's usefulness is decreased if Snorlax is running Earthquake. As such, checks to Earthquake variants of Snorlax, such as Barrier Mewtwo and Curse Lugia, are recommended. Mono-attacker Snorlax appreciates Tyranitar's ability to cook Steel-types like Skamory, Forretress, and Steelix with Flamethrower, while it switches into Zapdos for Tyranitar in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Screech can be used on Curse sets as an alternative to Roar, which potentially enables Tyranitar to beat Barrier Mewtwo and Curse Snorlax one-on-one. However, it is less reliable than Roar due to its low accuracy, and running Screech means that Tyranitar can't scout for threatening foes and chip them with Spikes support. Surf can also be used over one of Rest or Roar to hit Rhydon and Golem trying to take advantage of Tyranitar staying in on them. Lastly, either Hidden Power Bug or Earthquake can be used over one of Rest or Roar as well; Hidden Power Bug is Tyranitar's strongest available move that 2HKOes Celebi, while Earthquake OHKOes Jolteon at +1 and does good damage to opposing Tyranitar without offering much outside of that.
On the 3 Attacks set, Pursuit can be an option over either Flamethrower or Surf to trap Pokemon like Mewtwo and, in particular, Gengar. However, Pursuit is an extremely weak move, and, unless Tyranitar drops the foe's Special Defense with Crunch, the Pokemon it's supposed to trap will usually stay in on it, rendering Pursuit useless. It's also worth noting that a boosted Pursuit deals the same amount of damage that a regular Crunch does. Lastly, Gengar is not a common enough Pokemon to justify running Pursuit, making Tyranitar be better off using other moves.
An all-out attacker set with Rock Slide, Crunch, Flamethrower and one of Dynamic Punch or Surf is also an option to maximize Tyranitar's wallbreaking capabilities. However, it's a set that is very reliant on its teammates, as without Roar and Rest, Tyranitar can't effectively do its main role of checking Snorlax throughout a game.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon like Rhydon and Golem can immediately threaten to 2HKO Tyranitar with their Earthquake. Both Pokemon are OHKOed by Surf, however. Steelix gets a special mention, as it resists both of Tyranitar's STAB moves, can use Curse alongside Tyranitar to deny Roar attempts, and can hit back with a super effective Earthquake. However, it must be careful of Surf and Flamethrower. Marowak doesn't mind any attacks from Tyranitar aside from Crunch and Surf while threatening to OHKO Tyranitar with Earthquake.
**Celebi**: Celebi is one of the best answers to Tyranitar, as it can comfortably recover all health lost and hit back hard with a super effective Hidden Power Grass, forcing Tyranitar to use Rest or forcing it out. It should be careful of Fire Blast and Crunch variants, however, as they can potentially deal more damage to Celebi than it can recover if the respective secondary effects of their moves trigger.
**Bulky Water-types**: Pokemon like Vaporeon and Suicune don't mind any of Tyranitar's attacks and can proceed to hit hard back with Surf. Quagsire can use Haze to reset all of Tyranitar's Curse boosts and takes very little from Rock Slide, Crunch, and its coverage options. While it doesn't like switching into Tyranitar directly, Cloyster functions as one of the best Tyranitar checks in the tier thanks to its ability to immediately threaten to 3HKO it with Surf due to its superior Speed.
**Giga Drain Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can switch into Rock Slide and heal back the damage with Giga Drain; it should be careful of Crunch and Fire Blast variants, however.
**Status**: Pokemon like Snorlax and Exeggutor can switch into Curse Tyranitar and put it to sleep for up to six turns with Lovely Kiss and Sleep Powder, respectively, allowing Pokemon like Cloyster to come in on it for free. Toxic from Mewtwo and Forretress can eventually force Tyranitar to use Rest, leaving it similarly vulnerable.
**Umbreon**: Umbreon denies Curse Tyranitar's sweep attempts thanks to Charm and its good bulk. It also takes little to no damage from any of Tyranitar's coverage attacks.
**Bulky Pokemon with Recovery**: Pokemon like Soft-Boiled Mew and Recover Mewtwo are especially annoying to Tyranitar, as thanks to their good natural bulk, they can scout what set Tyranitar is running to pivot their teammates in accordingly.
**Fighting-type Coverage**: Pokemon like Mewtwo and Mew often run moves like Submission to immediately threaten Tyranitar with a 2HKO. Mew in particular can boost with Swords Dance and turn the 2HKO into an OHKO. Albeit rare, Machamp can KO Tyranitar even through Curse boosts thanks to Cross Chop and easily switches into it, as it resists both of its STAB attacks and is naturally bulky.
**Heracross**: Heracross takes a decent chunk from Rock Slide but can scare Tyranitar off with its STAB Megahorn and heal itself with Rest; it must be careful of Fire Blast, however.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/corvere.306317/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/isa.168574/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mr-378.5541/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/clas.545372/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dawn-of-ares.467437/
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