[OVERVIEW]
Tyranitar is one of the most definitive Pokemon in BW OU thanks to it setting sand and keeping dangerous Psychic-types like Latios, Reuniclus, and Alakazam in check by Pursuit trapping them. Sand is a key component of the metagame, since it keeps rain off the field, limiting dangerous Pokemon on rain teams like Thundurus-T and Tentacruel, and works very well alongside other means of residual damage, like entry hazards and status. Sand damage puts Pokemon like Keldeo, Latios, Rotom-W, and Starmie on a timer and negates Leftovers recovery for many others. Outside of Psychic-types, Tyranitar also checks common threats like Thundurus-T, Heatran, Jellicent, and Volcarona if running Tanga Berry, and it can revenge kill and Pursuit trap faster threats with a Choice Scarf set. Tyranitar can even run lure options for checks like Skarmory, Excadrill, and Gliscor thanks to its deep movepool. However, Tyranitar is quite vulnerable to being worn down by the Pokemon it should check, given its lack of recovery and vulnerability to entry hazards. Most noticeably, opposing sand teams can use multiple Psychic-types to overwhelm Tyranitar in tandem with entry hazards. It also has common weaknesses that leave it forced out by Pokemon like Keldeo, Excadrill, Terrakion, and Scizor and 2HKOed by Focus Blast Reuniclus and Alakazam, which Tyranitar would otherwise Pursuit trap without much issue. It's also slow, making its Choice Scarf set fail to revenge kill any boosted threats or outspeed and beat Alakazam.
[SET]
name: Bulky Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Thunder Wave / Stealth Rock / Fire Blast
move 4: Superpower / Earthquake
item: Chople Berry / Tanga Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Careful
evs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 172 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit traps Pokemon like Reuniclus, Jellicent, Latios, and Alakazam, with Crunch giving Tyranitar a reliable STAB option to break through the former three should they stay in. Due to heavy Special Defense investment, running both together also lets Tyranitar convincingly trap Tentacruel and weakened specially defensive Politoed under sand. Thunder Wave cripples offensive switch-ins like Keldeo and Rotom-W and makes Alakazam more consistently trappable, which is important since Alakazam 2HKOes Tyranitar with Focus Blast and survives any hit thanks to Focus Sash. Tyranitar can instead compress Stealth Rock for sand teams that can't fit it anywhere else. However, Tyranitar struggles to reliably keep Stealth Rock up against Excadrill, and it often takes damage while setting Stealth Rock, which compromises its Pursuit trapping mid- and late-game. Alternatively, Fire Blast hits Skarmory, Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Breloom hard, preventing them from freely switching in and setting up entry hazards or Swords Dance. Superpower hits Ferrothorn, Mamoswine, and Heatran while also OHKOing offensive Excadrill and having good odds to OHKO Terrakion. Earthquake hits Jirachi harder than Fire Blast, maintains a hard hit on Excadrill and Terrakion, and lets Tyranitar more reliably beat Heatran and Tentacruel, even when burnt. Ice Beam can be run over Thunder Wave to surprise Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite on the switch and maintain coverage for Breloom.
Set Details
========
88 Attack EVs and an Adamant or Brave nature makes Crunch 2HKO Reuniclus, letting Tyranitar handle it much more reliably. However, a spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD and a Careful or Sassy nature can be run instead if Reuniclus is well-covered elsewhere, and this helps Tyranitar take on Pokemon like Latios, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T. Chople Berry makes Tyranitar a one-time switch-in to Alakazam, Reuniclus, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T. However, teams that already cover these threats defensively can utilize Tanga Berry Tyranitar to take out Volcarona, which would otherwise take a hit from full health and KO Tyranitar after a boost with Bug Buzz. Brave and Sassy natures, depending on the EV spread, should be used if running Fire Blast or Ice Beam to not reduce their power. A faster spread can be run to outspeed Pokemon like Skarmory and Breloom so Tyranitar can hit them with Fire Blast before they use Roost and Drain Punch, respectively. However, this makes Tyranitar loses out on a lot of bulk and struggle to check Pokemon like Latios and Heatran.
Team Options
========
This set is better used with partners that need Tyranitar to have better longevity to cut off rain more often, more reliably Pursuit trap Reuniclus, and not get taken advantage of by setup sweepers. Psychic-types like Alakazam, Latios, and Reuniclus work well with Tyranitar and each other. Focus Sash Alakazam provides a revenge killer for any Pokemon that try to set up on Tyranitar, mainly Volcarona and Garchomp, or punishes them with Thunder Wave or Encore. Latios switches into Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types like Heatran, Keldeo, and Thundurus-T while bringing sweeping potential with a Choice Scarf set, which revenge kills and cripples Pokemon sand teams would otherwise struggle against, like Volcarona. Reuniclus appreciates its switch-ins being worn down to sweep with Calm Mind late-game or threaten opposing sand and rain teams with its Life Orb three attacks set. Ferrothorn and Skarmory add to Tyranitar's residual damage with Spikes and also appreciate its longevity, which helps it remove rain, Pursuit trap Psychic-types they can't threaten, and check Fire-types like Heatran. Skarmory checks physical attackers like Dragonite and Scizor and Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Mamoswine in return. Specially defensive Skarmory can also act as a secondary switch-in into Alakazam to stop it and its Psychic-type partners from overwhelming Tyranitar. Ferrothorn, on the other hand, switches into Dragon-types like Latios and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch and Superpower, as well as Water-types like Starmie and Politoed. It can also use Knock Off to remove Leftovers from sand-vulnerable Pokemon like Rotom-W. Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor also brings Knock Off, can set Stealth Rock for Tyranitar, and checks Fighting- and Ground-types like Terrakion and Excadrill. It also helps Tyranitar get on the field to Pursuit trap with U-turn. Landorus-T checks similar threats to Gliscor and sets Stealth Rock, bringing Intimidate but lacking Gliscor's Knock Off to amplify sand damage. Gastrodon checks Electric- and Water-types like Thundurus-T, Rotom-W, and Keldeo and acts as a more long-term Heatran answer. It also spreads Toxic to rack up even more passive damage in sand and appreciates Tyranitar Pursuit trapping Reuniclus, which takes advantage of it. Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Tyranitar's combined defensive synergy lets them check and easily wear down most of the metagame. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus so Tyranitar can more comfortably run maximum Special Defense investment and checks Electric- and Dragon-types. It also keeps entry hazards off the field. Fighting-types like Keldeo, Terrakion, and Breloom all appreciate Psychic-types and Jellicent being Pursuit trapped, with Keldeo checking hyper offense threats like Volcarona and Scizor, Terrakion gaining a Special Defense boost in sand to more easily set up Swords Dance, and Poison Heal Breloom checking Water-types like Tentacruel and Rotom-W while feeling freer to run Facade and hit its checks harder. Jellicent can take on Water- and Fighting-types like Keldeo, Politoed, and Terrakion while spreading more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp and stopping recovery with Taunt, letting the damage stick. Heatran can set up Stealth Rock, check Grass- and Dragon-types like Celebi and Kyurem-B, and better pressure checks like Rotom-W and Latios with status or Magma Storm while in sand. Rotom-W checks Water- and Ground-types like Starmie, Keldeo, and Mamoswine and spreads Will-O-Wisp. It also pivots Tyranitar in safely against Reuniclus and Latios thanks to Volt Switch, which breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash so Tyranitar KOes it with Pursuit.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 208 Atk / 48 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam hits Gliscor and Landorus-T hard while also letting Tyranitar revenge kill Dragonite, Garchomp, and Salamence lacking Yache Berry. Superpower hits Pokemon like Heatran, Ferrothorn, Excadrill, Mamoswine, and Terrakion hard while also acting as a good midground option to hit switch-ins like Keldeo thanks to its good neutral coverage. Stone Edge can be run over Ice Beam to OHKO Volcarona and Thundurus-T, which could otherwise take a hit and set up on and KO Tyranitar.
Set Details
========
48 Special Defense EVs make Tyranitar survive Latios's Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, while 48 Special Attack EVs make Ice Beam OHKO maximum HP Lax Landorus-T and physically defensive Gliscor. Maximum Speed and a positive nature are important to properly revenge kill Starmie.
Team Options
========
This set fits on bulkier teams that have Alakazam and Reuniclus well-covered but need a revenge killer in addition to sand. Pokemon like Breloom, Calm Mind Reuniclus, and Protect variants of Keldeo enjoy Latios being more reliably removed, which helps them set up and function. Ferrothorn and Skarmory can set up Spikes to accompany sand's residual damage and appreciate Tyranitar keeping revenge killers that could overwhelm them under control. Specially defensive Skarmory is best with this set, since it can keep Alakazam under control and decently check physical attackers like Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, Scizor, and Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Mamoswine. Ferrothorn, on the other hand, switches into Dragon-types like Latios and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch and Superpower, as well as Water-types like Starmie and Politoed. It can also bring Stealth Rock and Knock Off support to complement Tyranitar's sand damage. Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor can provide both Stealth Rock and Knock Off to augment Tyranitar's sand damage and check Fighting- and Ground-types like Terrakion and Excadrill. It also helps Tyranitar enter the field to Pursuit trap and revenge kill with U-turn. Landorus-T checks similar threats to Gliscor and also sets up Stealth Rock, bringing Intimidate but lacking Knock Off to augment sand. Gastrodon checks Electric- and Water-types like Thundurus-T, Rotom-W, and Keldeo and acts as a more long-term Heatran answer. It also spreads Toxic to rack up even more passive damage with sand and appreciates Tyranitar Pursuit trapping Latios, which pressures it with Trick. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus and checks Electric- and Dragon-types while also keeping entry hazards off the field. Rotom-W checks Water- and Ground-types like Starmie, Keldeo, and Mamoswine while bringing more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp and getting Tyranitar in safely against threats like Latios with Volt Switch. Other pivots like Landorus-T also help Tyranitar more safely trap Choice Scarf Latios, especially if entry hazards are up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rock Slide and Stone Edge can be used on the Chople Berry set nail Volcarona and Thundurus-T, which can normally take one hit and set up on and KO Tyranitar. Choice Band Tyranitar is extremely strong, breaking through Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Gliscor much more easily while pressuring Reuniclus a lot more with Pursuit. However, it gets worn down quickly, is slow, can be exploited after locking into a move, and doesn't have the defensive utility of the defensive Pursuit set, leaving it beaten by Pokemon like Alakazam. Custap Berry can be run on the bulky Pursuit set to give Tyranitar a free turn, letting it surprise and remove Pokemon like Excadrill and Terrakion with Superpower or set up Stealth Rock as it goes down. Custap Berry can be run with Endure and Thunder Wave to get off a priority Thunder Wave in an emergency. This is especially useful to more reliably slow down Volcarona against hyper offense teams. Dark Gem on the defensive set with an Adamant or Brave nature may seem appealing to bust through Reuniclus with Crunch or Latios with Pursuit. However, like the Choice Band set, it's vulnerable to Focus Blast Psychic-types and Volcarona. Taunt can be run on the defensive set with a fast EV spread on Spikes-based teams, since Tyranitar can block opposing entry hazards while also preventing Pokemon like Gastrodon from recovering, making the team's Spikes more effective. Leftovers grants Tyranitar more longevity, and it's especially helpful in the weather war because Politoed can't recover health in sand, so it usually will get taken out first. Plus, it lets Tyranitar better check Latios, Heatran, and Tentacruel. However, this set still loses to Focus Blast Psychic-types or Volcarona. A Dragon Dance or Rock Polish set can be used to try and sweep thanks to Tyranitar's solid coverage and high attacking stats. However, Tyranitar's defensive utility is usually too important to give up, and these sets will usually end up revenge killed by common Choice Scarf users like Keldeo, Garchomp, Latios, and Alakazam, which outspeed even +2 Tyranitar.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Keldeo, Breloom, and Terrakion can all take at least one hit from Tyranitar and OHKO it. They can also punish Tyranitar switching out by spreading Toxic in Keldeo's case and setting up Swords Dance in Breloom and Terrakion's case. However, they dislike Thunder Wave, and Breloom and Terrakion must be careful of Fire Blast and Superpower, respectively, when switching in.
**Water-types**: Water-types like Rotom-W, Politoed, Tentacruel, and Keldeo can all threaten Tyranitar with their STAB moves, inflict status on it, or change the weather in Politoed's case. However, these Pokemon lack reliable recovery, making them easy to wear down in sand.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Gliscor, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Excadrill can all take Tyranitar's hits, outspeed it, force it out, and use it to set up Stealth Rock or Swords Dance. However, the first three get destroyed by Ice Beam, on the switch from the support set or one-on-one from the Choice Scarf set, while Excadrill is OHKOed by Superpower and heavily damaged by Earthquake and Fire Blast.
**Residual Damage**: Common residual damage sources like entry hazards and status easily wear Tyranitar down because it lacks recovery, making it easy for the Pokemon it should answer, primarily Psychic-types like Alakazam, Reuniclus, and Latios, to break through it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by: [[Zokuru, 263906], [BluBirD, 347088]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Tyranitar is one of the most definitive Pokemon in BW OU thanks to it setting sand and keeping dangerous Psychic-types like Latios, Reuniclus, and Alakazam in check by Pursuit trapping them. Sand is a key component of the metagame, since it keeps rain off the field, limiting dangerous Pokemon on rain teams like Thundurus-T and Tentacruel, and works very well alongside other means of residual damage, like entry hazards and status. Sand damage puts Pokemon like Keldeo, Latios, Rotom-W, and Starmie on a timer and negates Leftovers recovery for many others. Outside of Psychic-types, Tyranitar also checks common threats like Thundurus-T, Heatran, Jellicent, and Volcarona if running Tanga Berry, and it can revenge kill and Pursuit trap faster threats with a Choice Scarf set. Tyranitar can even run lure options for checks like Skarmory, Excadrill, and Gliscor thanks to its deep movepool. However, Tyranitar is quite vulnerable to being worn down by the Pokemon it should check, given its lack of recovery and vulnerability to entry hazards. Most noticeably, opposing sand teams can use multiple Psychic-types to overwhelm Tyranitar in tandem with entry hazards. It also has common weaknesses that leave it forced out by Pokemon like Keldeo, Excadrill, Terrakion, and Scizor and 2HKOed by Focus Blast Reuniclus and Alakazam, which Tyranitar would otherwise Pursuit trap without much issue. It's also slow, making its Choice Scarf set fail to revenge kill any boosted threats or outspeed and beat Alakazam.
[SET]
name: Bulky Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Crunch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Thunder Wave / Stealth Rock / Fire Blast
move 4: Superpower / Earthquake
item: Chople Berry / Tanga Berry
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Adamant / Careful
evs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 172 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit traps Pokemon like Reuniclus, Jellicent, Latios, and Alakazam, with Crunch giving Tyranitar a reliable STAB option to break through the former three should they stay in. Due to heavy Special Defense investment, running both together also lets Tyranitar convincingly trap Tentacruel and weakened specially defensive Politoed under sand. Thunder Wave cripples offensive switch-ins like Keldeo and Rotom-W and makes Alakazam more consistently trappable, which is important since Alakazam 2HKOes Tyranitar with Focus Blast and survives any hit thanks to Focus Sash. Tyranitar can instead compress Stealth Rock for sand teams that can't fit it anywhere else. However, Tyranitar struggles to reliably keep Stealth Rock up against Excadrill, and it often takes damage while setting Stealth Rock, which compromises its Pursuit trapping mid- and late-game. Alternatively, Fire Blast hits Skarmory, Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Breloom hard, preventing them from freely switching in and setting up entry hazards or Swords Dance. Superpower hits Ferrothorn, Mamoswine, and Heatran while also OHKOing offensive Excadrill and having good odds to OHKO Terrakion. Earthquake hits Jirachi harder than Fire Blast, maintains a hard hit on Excadrill and Terrakion, and lets Tyranitar more reliably beat Heatran and Tentacruel, even when burnt. Ice Beam can be run over Thunder Wave to surprise Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite on the switch and maintain coverage for Breloom.
Set Details
========
88 Attack EVs and an Adamant or Brave nature makes Crunch 2HKO Reuniclus, letting Tyranitar handle it much more reliably. However, a spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD and a Careful or Sassy nature can be run instead if Reuniclus is well-covered elsewhere, and this helps Tyranitar take on Pokemon like Latios, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T. Chople Berry makes Tyranitar a one-time switch-in to Alakazam, Reuniclus, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T. However, teams that already cover these threats defensively can utilize Tanga Berry Tyranitar to take out Volcarona, which would otherwise take a hit from full health and KO Tyranitar after a boost with Bug Buzz. Brave and Sassy natures, depending on the EV spread, should be used if running Fire Blast or Ice Beam to not reduce their power. A faster spread can be run to outspeed Pokemon like Skarmory and Breloom so Tyranitar can hit them with Fire Blast before they use Roost and Drain Punch, respectively. However, this makes Tyranitar loses out on a lot of bulk and struggle to check Pokemon like Latios and Heatran.
Team Options
========
This set is better used with partners that need Tyranitar to have better longevity to cut off rain more often, more reliably Pursuit trap Reuniclus, and not get taken advantage of by setup sweepers. Psychic-types like Alakazam, Latios, and Reuniclus work well with Tyranitar and each other. Focus Sash Alakazam provides a revenge killer for any Pokemon that try to set up on Tyranitar, mainly Volcarona and Garchomp, or punishes them with Thunder Wave or Encore. Latios switches into Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types like Heatran, Keldeo, and Thundurus-T while bringing sweeping potential with a Choice Scarf set, which revenge kills and cripples Pokemon sand teams would otherwise struggle against, like Volcarona. Reuniclus appreciates its switch-ins being worn down to sweep with Calm Mind late-game or threaten opposing sand and rain teams with its Life Orb three attacks set. Ferrothorn and Skarmory add to Tyranitar's residual damage with Spikes and also appreciate its longevity, which helps it remove rain, Pursuit trap Psychic-types they can't threaten, and check Fire-types like Heatran. Skarmory checks physical attackers like Dragonite and Scizor and Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Mamoswine in return. Specially defensive Skarmory can also act as a secondary switch-in into Alakazam to stop it and its Psychic-type partners from overwhelming Tyranitar. Ferrothorn, on the other hand, switches into Dragon-types like Latios and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch and Superpower, as well as Water-types like Starmie and Politoed. It can also use Knock Off to remove Leftovers from sand-vulnerable Pokemon like Rotom-W. Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor also brings Knock Off, can set Stealth Rock for Tyranitar, and checks Fighting- and Ground-types like Terrakion and Excadrill. It also helps Tyranitar get on the field to Pursuit trap with U-turn. Landorus-T checks similar threats to Gliscor and sets Stealth Rock, bringing Intimidate but lacking Gliscor's Knock Off to amplify sand damage. Gastrodon checks Electric- and Water-types like Thundurus-T, Rotom-W, and Keldeo and acts as a more long-term Heatran answer. It also spreads Toxic to rack up even more passive damage in sand and appreciates Tyranitar Pursuit trapping Reuniclus, which takes advantage of it. Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Tyranitar's combined defensive synergy lets them check and easily wear down most of the metagame. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus so Tyranitar can more comfortably run maximum Special Defense investment and checks Electric- and Dragon-types. It also keeps entry hazards off the field. Fighting-types like Keldeo, Terrakion, and Breloom all appreciate Psychic-types and Jellicent being Pursuit trapped, with Keldeo checking hyper offense threats like Volcarona and Scizor, Terrakion gaining a Special Defense boost in sand to more easily set up Swords Dance, and Poison Heal Breloom checking Water-types like Tentacruel and Rotom-W while feeling freer to run Facade and hit its checks harder. Jellicent can take on Water- and Fighting-types like Keldeo, Politoed, and Terrakion while spreading more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp and stopping recovery with Taunt, letting the damage stick. Heatran can set up Stealth Rock, check Grass- and Dragon-types like Celebi and Kyurem-B, and better pressure checks like Rotom-W and Latios with status or Magma Storm while in sand. Rotom-W checks Water- and Ground-types like Starmie, Keldeo, and Mamoswine and spreads Will-O-Wisp. It also pivots Tyranitar in safely against Reuniclus and Latios thanks to Volt Switch, which breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash so Tyranitar KOes it with Pursuit.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Hasty
evs: 208 Atk / 48 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Ice Beam hits Gliscor and Landorus-T hard while also letting Tyranitar revenge kill Dragonite, Garchomp, and Salamence lacking Yache Berry. Superpower hits Pokemon like Heatran, Ferrothorn, Excadrill, Mamoswine, and Terrakion hard while also acting as a good midground option to hit switch-ins like Keldeo thanks to its good neutral coverage. Stone Edge can be run over Ice Beam to OHKO Volcarona and Thundurus-T, which could otherwise take a hit and set up on and KO Tyranitar.
Set Details
========
48 Special Defense EVs make Tyranitar survive Latios's Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, while 48 Special Attack EVs make Ice Beam OHKO maximum HP Lax Landorus-T and physically defensive Gliscor. Maximum Speed and a positive nature are important to properly revenge kill Starmie.
Team Options
========
This set fits on bulkier teams that have Alakazam and Reuniclus well-covered but need a revenge killer in addition to sand. Pokemon like Breloom, Calm Mind Reuniclus, and Protect variants of Keldeo enjoy Latios being more reliably removed, which helps them set up and function. Ferrothorn and Skarmory can set up Spikes to accompany sand's residual damage and appreciate Tyranitar keeping revenge killers that could overwhelm them under control. Specially defensive Skarmory is best with this set, since it can keep Alakazam under control and decently check physical attackers like Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, Scizor, and Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, and Mamoswine. Ferrothorn, on the other hand, switches into Dragon-types like Latios and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch and Superpower, as well as Water-types like Starmie and Politoed. It can also bring Stealth Rock and Knock Off support to complement Tyranitar's sand damage. Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor can provide both Stealth Rock and Knock Off to augment Tyranitar's sand damage and check Fighting- and Ground-types like Terrakion and Excadrill. It also helps Tyranitar enter the field to Pursuit trap and revenge kill with U-turn. Landorus-T checks similar threats to Gliscor and also sets up Stealth Rock, bringing Intimidate but lacking Knock Off to augment sand. Gastrodon checks Electric- and Water-types like Thundurus-T, Rotom-W, and Keldeo and acts as a more long-term Heatran answer. It also spreads Toxic to rack up even more passive damage with sand and appreciates Tyranitar Pursuit trapping Latios, which pressures it with Trick. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus and checks Electric- and Dragon-types while also keeping entry hazards off the field. Rotom-W checks Water- and Ground-types like Starmie, Keldeo, and Mamoswine while bringing more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp and getting Tyranitar in safely against threats like Latios with Volt Switch. Other pivots like Landorus-T also help Tyranitar more safely trap Choice Scarf Latios, especially if entry hazards are up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rock Slide and Stone Edge can be used on the Chople Berry set nail Volcarona and Thundurus-T, which can normally take one hit and set up on and KO Tyranitar. Choice Band Tyranitar is extremely strong, breaking through Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Gliscor much more easily while pressuring Reuniclus a lot more with Pursuit. However, it gets worn down quickly, is slow, can be exploited after locking into a move, and doesn't have the defensive utility of the defensive Pursuit set, leaving it beaten by Pokemon like Alakazam. Custap Berry can be run on the bulky Pursuit set to give Tyranitar a free turn, letting it surprise and remove Pokemon like Excadrill and Terrakion with Superpower or set up Stealth Rock as it goes down. Custap Berry can be run with Endure and Thunder Wave to get off a priority Thunder Wave in an emergency. This is especially useful to more reliably slow down Volcarona against hyper offense teams. Dark Gem on the defensive set with an Adamant or Brave nature may seem appealing to bust through Reuniclus with Crunch or Latios with Pursuit. However, like the Choice Band set, it's vulnerable to Focus Blast Psychic-types and Volcarona. Taunt can be run on the defensive set with a fast EV spread on Spikes-based teams, since Tyranitar can block opposing entry hazards while also preventing Pokemon like Gastrodon from recovering, making the team's Spikes more effective. Leftovers grants Tyranitar more longevity, and it's especially helpful in the weather war because Politoed can't recover health in sand, so it usually will get taken out first. Plus, it lets Tyranitar better check Latios, Heatran, and Tentacruel. However, this set still loses to Focus Blast Psychic-types or Volcarona. A Dragon Dance or Rock Polish set can be used to try and sweep thanks to Tyranitar's solid coverage and high attacking stats. However, Tyranitar's defensive utility is usually too important to give up, and these sets will usually end up revenge killed by common Choice Scarf users like Keldeo, Garchomp, Latios, and Alakazam, which outspeed even +2 Tyranitar.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fighting-types**: Keldeo, Breloom, and Terrakion can all take at least one hit from Tyranitar and OHKO it. They can also punish Tyranitar switching out by spreading Toxic in Keldeo's case and setting up Swords Dance in Breloom and Terrakion's case. However, they dislike Thunder Wave, and Breloom and Terrakion must be careful of Fire Blast and Superpower, respectively, when switching in.
**Water-types**: Water-types like Rotom-W, Politoed, Tentacruel, and Keldeo can all threaten Tyranitar with their STAB moves, inflict status on it, or change the weather in Politoed's case. However, these Pokemon lack reliable recovery, making them easy to wear down in sand.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Gliscor, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Excadrill can all take Tyranitar's hits, outspeed it, force it out, and use it to set up Stealth Rock or Swords Dance. However, the first three get destroyed by Ice Beam, on the switch from the support set or one-on-one from the Choice Scarf set, while Excadrill is OHKOed by Superpower and heavily damaged by Earthquake and Fire Blast.
**Residual Damage**: Common residual damage sources like entry hazards and status easily wear Tyranitar down because it lacks recovery, making it easy for the Pokemon it should answer, primarily Psychic-types like Alakazam, Reuniclus, and Latios, to break through it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by: [[Zokuru, 263906], [BluBirD, 347088]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Last edited:
