Tyranitar, The Armor Pokémon. Its body can't be harmed by any sort of attack, so it is very eager to make challenges against enemies. The quakes caused when it walks make even great mountains crumble and change the surrounding terrain.
Overview
This Rock is still the most savage of them all and he's up and ready for another round in the fields of Galar. While Tyranitar has not really changed a lot on this generation, the removal of Pursuit sadly takes away one of its main roles from previous games where it excelled as a trapper for Psychic and Ghost types. However, with Dynamax, Tyranitar becomes one of the most fearsome sweepers in the format with an unparalleled bulk that even allows it to survive moves that would otherwise OHKO it.
Positives
Tyranitar has a balanced stat distribution with excellent bulk (100/110/100) and great offensive stats (134/95) that allows it to fulfill plenty of rules depending on its moveset.
Tyranitar has a diverse movepool featuring support options like Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave and Taunt, powerful STABs in Crunch / Stone Edge or Rock Slide, and powerful coverage options like Earthquake, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, etc. Tyranitar also has access to boosting moves like Dragon Dance to start a sweep.
Its ability Sand Stream is the premier ability to support Sand Rush sweepers like Excadrill while it also raises its SpD on a sandstorm.
Negatives
While Rock / Dark is potent offensively, it's one of the worst type combinations defensively as it leaves it vulnerable to 7 types, most notably Fighting which hits for x4 super-effectiveness.
Base 61 Speed is very slow for a DD sweeper and it leaves Tyranitar vulnerable to Choice Scarfers and faster Pokemon that can still force it out.
Movesets
BEDROCK MOUNTAIN
- Stone Edge
- Crunch / Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
Item Attached: Weakness Policy / Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
Tyranitar's power, impressive bulk, and difficulty to revenge kill upon Dynamaxing make it an effective user of Dragon Dance. Stone Edge is Tyranitar's most powerful STAB which completely ravages targets like Togekiss while hitting the rest of the top tier Pokemon for strong neutral damage. Crunch is a secondary STAB capable of heavily denting Pokemon like Reuniclus, Jellicent and Galarian Corsola, however, if these are not a concern, Tyranitar can opt for Fire Punch to hit Corviknight for super-effective damage, which is useful against Pressure variants. Earthquake is the best coverage move that Tyranitar can use against Toxapex and Aegislash hitting both super-effectively.
DYNAMAX:
Tyranitar is a Pokemon that loves Dynamaxing as it gains an incredible amount of bulk making it even more difficult to revenge kill even with super-effectively hits making it easier to activate a Weakness Policy if it is using one. Max Quake increases Tyranitar's Special Defense which makes it harder for special attackers to break through it. Max Rockfall is also pretty useful on weather wars as it allows Tyranitar to re-activate its preferred weather against Pokemon like Pelipper or Torkoal.
EV and Item Description:
252 Atk EVs are needed to further bolster Tyranitar's sheer power and deal as much damage as possible to the opponent's walls. 228 +Spe EVs with a Jolly nature is what Tyranitar needs to outspeed base 110s like Froslass and Gengar (Reduce to 220 on Level 100). Weakness Policy is the best item that complements Tyranitar's sweeping potential transforming it into a massive threat assuming it gets even a single Dragon Dance as not many Pokemon will enjoy taking a +3 attack. Lum Berry is an option in case Tyranitar needs insurance against status ailments like paralysis or burn which could cut its sweep short.
Partners
Excadrill: Tyranitar and Excadrill are like bread and peanut butter. They should always be paired as Excadrill can abuse Sand Rush and set up for a sweep while Tyranitar breaks down its checks despite both Pokemon sharing some defensive weaknesses.
Corviknight: It brings resistances to Grass, Fairy, Bug, Steel and a Ground immunity while being able to threaten Fighting types with its STAB Brave Bird. It is also able to remove hazards which is huge for Tyranitar's sweep.
Grimmsnarl: Its ability to set up screens is something that Tyranitar will forever be grateful for as it makes it impossible to OHKO under Grimmsnarl's barriers making it easy for it to set up multiple Dragon Dances and activate Weakness Policy more reliably.
Rotom-Wash: Not only it synergizes defensively well with Tyranitar but since it is able to lure Pokemon like Dragapult, it creates momentum for it with Volt Switch and open up opportunities to set-up.
Quagsire: Thanks to Unaware, it is able to check dangerous physical threats that post a massive threat towards Tyranitar like Gyarados without Power Whip, Excadrill and Barraskewda.
Toxapex: Its ability to set down Toxic Spikes and hinder Pokemon like Quagsire and Seismitoad with Poison is something Tyranitar likes to find on its teammates.
Ferrothorn: Can set up hazards to facilitate Tyranitar's sweep while being able to take on the Water types that scare Tyranitar.
THE ROCKY HILLS
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Superpower / Rock Blast / Sleep Talk
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
While Banded Tyranitar has lost its main niche on being able to trap Psychic and Ghost types with Pursuit, it is still a very massive wallbreaker capable of even denting the strongest walls in the game. Crunch is the most consistent and spammable STAB Tyranitar can get access to capable of even denting walls like Seismitoad if they are unlucky enough to get their defenses dropped. Stone Edge is a more powerful STAB but comes at the risk of relying on its 80% accuracy. Once it hits though, it will punch holes on Pokemon like Corviknight. Earthquake is the best move Tyranitar can use to ravage Toxapex and Aegislash on the switch for massive damage. Finally, the last move is pretty much up to personal preference. Superpower allows Tyranitar to hit Ferrothorn and Pokemon like Snorlax harder than anything else. Sleep Talk takes advantage of sleep. Rock Blast is a nice option that bypasses Substitute and Mimikyu's Disguise. Thunder Punch can act as a nice middleground of being able to hit both Corviknight and Toxapex for super-effectively damage.
DYNAMAX:
Tyranitar usually gets all the power it needs from using a Choice Band, however, sometimes when you're locked into a very inconvenient move, it can Dynamax to hit the opponent's switch-in for more damage and lift the Choice Band's restriction at the cost of the additional power it provides. It's also pretty useful if you don't want to lose Tyranitar when trapped by Dugtrio.
EV and Item Description:
An Adamant nature with 252 Atk EVs is recommended to maximize Tyranitar's wall-breaking power. 144 Speed EVs are used so that Tyranitar becomes able to outspeed most standard Corviknight sets and prevent them from stalling Stone Edge's PP. The rest is dumped into HP to give Tyranitar more bulk and staying power.
Partners
Excadrill: Tyranitar and Excadrill are like bread and peanut butter. They should always be paired as Excadrill can abuse Sand Rush and set up for a sweep while Tyranitar breaks down its checks despite both Pokemon sharing some defensive weaknesses.
Corviknight: It brings resistances to Grass, Fairy, Bug, Steel and a Ground immunity while being able to threaten Fighting types with its STAB Brave Bird. It is also able to remove hazards which is huge for Tyranitar's sweep.
Rotom-Wash: Not only it synergizes defensively well with Tyranitar but since it is able to lure Pokemon like Dragapult, it creates momentum for it with Volt Switch and open up opportunities to set-up.
Toxapex: Its ability to set down Toxic Spikes and hinder Pokemon like Quagsire and Seismitoad with Poison is something Tyranitar likes to find on its teammates.
Ferrothorn: Can set up hazards to facilitate Tyranitar's sweep while being able to take on the Water types that scare Tyranitar.
THE ROCKY HILLS
- Crunch
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Stealth Rock / Toxic
Item Attached: Leftovers / Smooth Rock / Shed Shell
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 64 Atk / 48 Def / 144 SpD
Brave Nature
Tyranitar is also an excellent candidate to use Stealth Rock and free up the slot for another partner like Ferrothorn and use Spikes instead. Crunch is Tyranitar's best STAB and the main tool it will use to bring down Dragapult and Gengar. Stone Edge can't miss on this set as it allows it to ravage and destroy Togekiss 1-v-1. However, if the accuracy is a main concern, you can use Rock Slide despite its significantly lower damage output. Fire Blast is the best move Tyranitar can use against Ferrothorn and Corviknights who invest more in Defense.
DYNAMAX:
Considering its support role on this set, Tyranitar prefers to let its other teammates take advantage of Dynamax since its main purpose is to set up rocks for partners like Excadrill to take advantage of it.
EV and Item Description:
Max HP with 48 Def EVs allows Tyranitar to always survive Excadrill's Earthquake even after one turn of Stealth Rock damage. 144 EVs are invested in SpD so that Tyranitar is able to always survive Gengar's Focus Blast and bring it down with Crunch. The rest is invested in Attack for a little bit of extra power.
Partners
Excadrill: Tyranitar and Excadrill are like bread and peanut butter. They should always be paired as Excadrill can abuse Sand Rush and set up for a sweep while Tyranitar breaks down its checks despite both Pokemon sharing some defensive weaknesses.
Corviknight: It brings resistances to Grass, Fairy, Bug, Steel and a Ground immunity while being able to threaten Fighting types with its STAB Brave Bird. It is also able to remove hazards which is huge for Tyranitar's sweep.
Rotom-Wash: Not only it synergizes defensively well with Tyranitar but since it is able to lure Pokemon like Dragapult, it creates momentum for it with Volt Switch and open up opportunities to set-up.
Toxapex: Its ability to set down Toxic Spikes and hinder Pokemon like Quagsire and Seismitoad with Poison is something Tyranitar likes to find on its teammates.
Ferrothorn: Can set up hazards to facilitate Tyranitar's sweep while being able to take on the Water types that scare Tyranitar.
Other Options
Tyranitar has excellent coverage moves but considering that most of its usual checks from older generations like Landorus are not present yet, it hardly needs moves like Ice Punch.
Curse is something fun to experiment with considering that it would allow Tyranitar to set up successfully under Dynamax.
Payback is an option as a secondary STAB with more power than Crunch if Tyranitar is slower than the opponent. However, the inconsistency in power is not worth it.
Tyranitar also gets an spectacular special moveset with options like Surf, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, but Tyranitar will hardly justify the use of this moves while also taking into account that as a special attacker it is outclassed by plenty of other Pokemon due to its low Speed.
VGC & Double Battle Options
Continuing a trend from last generation, Tyranitar stands out as a fantastic Pokemon in the current Dynamax metagame. Tyranitar is already a powerful and bulky powerhouse, so it gains a lot from being able to double its HP and fire off powerful Max Moves. However, what really sets Tyranitar ahead is the fact that it has many weaknesses for it to take advantage of with Weakness Policy and its massive bulk when Dynamaxed. Despite having so many weaknesses, Tyranitar is very difficult to OHKO when Dynamaxed, and it only becomes more difficult when accounting for its teammate. There's not really much else to say about Tyranitar though because the sheer power of of Weakness Policy Dynamax speaks for itself. While Tyranitar is far from the only dangerous user of the item, you better be prepared to deal with a Weakness Policy when you do see it at team preview.
Full Break
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Superpower / Dragon Dance / Fire Punch
- Protect
Item Attached: Weakness Policy / Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
Tyranitar's set tends to be fairly straightforward, Rock Slide is a very clear choice for a STAB move due to the utility of STAB spread moves even though it is usually not fast enough to abuse the annoying flinch chance of the move. Crunch is a strong single-target STAB that is largely useful for dealing with Dragapult, though it also helps against the likes of Indeedee and Dusclops. Superpower is the preferred option in the third slot for the mirror against other Tyranitar, and also to deal with Excadrill, Duraludon, and Snorlax. However, Dragon Dance can be utilized on faster sets to boost its otherwise poor Speed and start threatening the chance of flinching foes while also boosting Tyranitar's damage output. Fire Punch can also be considered to deal with Corviknight efficiently, but note that Max Flare gets rid of the sand for Tyranitar which can become awkward depending on the scenario. Protect never needs explanation.
Tyranitar tends to prefer being as bulky as possible while still retaining a strong offensive presence, so maximizing investment in HP and Attack is straightforward. However, Tyranitar can do almost anything it wants with its EV spread, and can run as much as max Speed if you prefer Tyranitar to utilize Dragon Dance or outspeed foes in the same Speed range such as Corviknight. Weakness Policy is the ideal item choice for Tyranitar since it has so many weaknesses to take advantage of it while Dynamaxed, and it's very unlikely that Tyranitar is OHKOed by any attack that isn't a Fighting-type move from Guts boosted Conkeldurr. However, if Weakness Policy is already being used elsewhere then Lum Berry is also valuable to shrug off Will-O-Wisp from Rotom formes and Arcanine one time.
Other Options & Team Ideas
- Tyranitar could try to utilize a Choice Scarf to try and abuse Rock Slide flinches, but it is generally not fast enough to take full advantage of this and even with a Choice Scarf it is still outsped by Dragapult.
- Brick Break has extra utility over Superpower in breaking through screens from the likes of Grimmsnarl or Gigantamax Lapras, though this comes with the trade-off of being much weaker than Superpower for offensive purposes.
- Excadrill is often Tyranitar's first teammate, since the Sand Stream that Tyranitar provides is very useful when using Sand Rush Excadrill. These two make for a very effective and aggressive lead against teams that lack good answers to Excadrill, and both Pokemon threaten the option of Dynamax fairly effectively which adds a lot of pressure on the opponent.
- Arcanine has many tools to mitigate damage from the opposing side, so Tyranitar appreciates its support to make it even more difficult to take down. Arcanine also lessens the need for Tyranitar to deal with Corviknight or Ferrothorn by itself, since Tyranitar often has trouble breaking through them.
- Gastrodon is a useful teammate to Tyranitar since it can redirect annoying Water-type moves from the likes of Dracovish, who can otherwise deal nasty damage to Tyranitar even if it Dynamaxes.
- Conkeldurr can be an issue for Tyranitar, so teammates that can threaten it effectively such as Corviknight, Whimsicott, Mimikyu, and Gyarados are very useful. All of these options can also provide some form of speed control which is very helpful for Tyranitar, though Gyarados can only provide Speed support in the form of Max Airstream so that option isn't always available.
Countering Tyranitar
Fighting types will forever be Tyranitar's bane of existence as they are able to hit it for a nasty x4 super-effective damage which will even dent the extra bulk gained by Dynamax and OHKO Tyranitar. Pokemon like Hawlucha, Lucario, Conkeldurr and Terrakion will usually be able to land OHKOs even on a Dynamax Tyranitar and crush it into pieces with STAB Close Combat.
Excadrill is also one of the best Tyranitar checks (despite being partners on most teams) and takes advanatage of the Sand Tyranitar brings out with Sand Rush / Sand Force.
Quagsire deserves a special mention as it will always beat Tyranitar thanks to Unaware ignoring any boosts obtained and bring it down with Earthquake. Hippowdown is also an excellent physical wall capable of denting it with STAB Earthquake and Whirlwind away its boost.
Pokemon that are able to hit it super-effectively make for good checks, but take into account that once Dynamaxed, Tyranitar becomes very hard to take down.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Evolve Pupitar
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Trade from FireRed/LeafGreen/Colosseum/XD
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Evolve Pupitar
Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Head Evice in Realgam Tower Colosseum (Colosseum)
Evolve Pupitar (XD)
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Pupitar (Diamond/Platinum)
Trade from Diamond/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver (Pearl)
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Pupitar
Black/White:
Route 15
Black 2/White 2:
Route 15
X/Y:
Evolve Pupitar (Y)
Trade from Y (X)
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from Y
Sun/Moon:
Trade from Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Pupitar
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Trade from Shield (Sword)
Dusty Bowl (Shield)
Max Raid Battles: Bridge Field, Dusty Bowl, Giant's Mirror, Giant's Seat, Rolling Fields, Stony Wilderness, West Lake Axewell (Shield)
Animé Appearences
