Cynara
Banned deucer.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is the main STAB move, with 100 Base Power backed by Tyranitar's base 130 Attack allowing it to do heavy amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. It becomes very potent due to the lack of Pokemon that resist Rock in the Ubers metagame; switch-ins tend to be limited to Steel-types like Klefki. Notably, Stone Edge is able to OHKO Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, and most variants of Yveltal and 2HKO Extreme Killer Arceus and Xerneas. Crunch is Tyranitar's secondary STAB move and is mainly for targeting Steel-types that resist Stone Edge, such as Bronzong, Jirachi, and Dialga. It also targets Ghost-type Pokemon like Giratina-O, Ghost Arceus, and Mega Gengar and is a more reliable option against neutral targets to avoid missing or wasting valuable Stone Edge PP. Pursuit's main function is to trap foes that are likely to switch out from Tyranitar; notable targets are Giratina-O, Latios, Latias, and in some scenarios Choice Band Ho-Oh not locked into Earthquake. However, one should consider the potential momentum drain when locking Tyranitar into Pursuit, as it can turn into setup fodder. Earthquake provides coverage for targets that resist both of Tyranitar's STAB attacks, such as Klefki and Lucario, and avoids Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs, though it is considerably weaker than Crunch. Earthquake also makes dealing with Aegislash easier due to avoiding the Attack drop from King's Shield, and it can score a 2HKO on Primal Groudon. Foul Play is an interesting option to consider on Tyranitar, as it is a common target for Arceus formes trying to set up Swords Dance such as Ground and Extreme Killer Arceus; however, the listed moves are somewhat irreplaceable on Tyranitar, as it would have to forgo Earthquake's coverage or the ability to Pursuit trap targets.
Set Details
========
A Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment is used so Tyranitar can outspeed as many slower targets as possible, increasing its potency as a wallbreaker. With a Jolly nature, Tyranitar is able to outspeed up to uninvested Yveltal and Xerneas, along with base 90 Speed Pokemon with little or no investment, reaching important benchmarks of outspeeding standard Giratina-O and Rock Polish, offensive, or support variants of Primal Groudon. Maximum Attack investment coupled with a Choice Band maximizes Tyranitar's damage output. Alternatively, an Adamant nature with maximum HP investment can be used to further increase damage output and also allow Tyranitar to survive two Draco Meteors from Latios and avoids a 2HKO from Mega Salamence's Double-Edge after Stealth Rock; however, Tyranitar then misses out on the aforementioned Speed benchmarks.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar can't really switch into much in the current metagame and can't utilize aggressively play very effectively, though in some exceptional cases it may be required, such as double switching Tyranitar in on a Giratina-O switch-in to prevent a Defog and either Pursuit trap to help remove Giratina-O or get in a free Crunch. Usually it is safer for Tyranitar to be brought in after a teammate has fainted, especially when Pursuit trapping key threats such as Latios, as 0 HP Tyranitar is 2HKOed by Draco Meteor and risks being beaten by Grass Knot. Powerful resisted attacks such as Double-Edge from Mega Salamence can 2HKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage, but if Tyranitar gets in safely, it is able to comfortably take Mega Salamence on one-on-one, even after an Intimidate drop, as Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge is able to OHKO Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock and sandstorm damage. You can also try bringing Tyranitar into Ghost- or Dark-type attacks such as Hex and Dark Pulse from the likes of Giratina-O and Darkrai while keeping it considerably healthy to get in as many attacks as possible. Due to this Tyranitar set opting for a Choice Band in favor of a Chople Berry, it isn't able to check common Psychic- or Ghost-types that carry Fighting-type coverage attacks, like Mewtwo and Mega Gengar, and one may have to scout in some scenarios for these coverage moves to ensure Tyranitar is able to deal with these threats.
Even with a Jolly nature, Tyranitar is still considerably slow and is only really capable of outspeeding Pokemon that don't invest much into Speed or no Speed at all. Avoid locking Tyranitar into Pursuit or Earthquake where possible and use them only when necessary, as this could cause a momentum drain and make it setup bait for many sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas. Lugia can only really be dealt with effectively if Tyranitar manages to get a Defense drop with Crunch, meaning Lugia can stall it out with Toxic and Roost most of the time due to Multiscale. Therefore, it is important that Lugia be crippled with some status such as poison or paralysis before sending in Tyranitar to fully combat it.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon is the most consistent option as a Stealth Rock setter, with support and Jolly Swords Dance sets being the most potent choices. Primal Groudon also provides a check to Xerneas and a switch-in to Kyogre and Klefki that are likely to come in on Tyranitar. In return, it appreciates Tyranitar dealing with common threats such as Yveltal, Latios, Rayquaza, and Giratina-O. One should take the shared Ground weakness into account, though, making solid Ground-immune Pokemon a great choice to consider on the team. Giratina-O is able to check offensive variants of Primal Groudon and Ground Arceus while also helping out with Extreme Killer Arceus formes, providing the ability to cripple these targets with status moves like Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. Mega Salamence can be considered on more offensively oriented builds, as it is a solid setup sweeper with good offensive synergy, is a decent answer to Primal Groudon due to having Intimidate pre-Mega Evolution, and can be a answer to Swords Dance Arceus variants. In return, Tyranitar deals with common Mega Salamence answers such as defensive Yveltal and Lugia. Calm Mind Ground Arceus can be a interesting set to consider to help out against Primal Groudon and potentially sweep unprepared teams, due to Tyranitar's ability to remove the deterrence Ho-Oh causes to Calm Mind Ground Arceus; because this option opens up a weakness to Primal Kyogre, one may opt for another Primal Kyogre switch-in along with Primal Groudon such as Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn is also able to relieve Groudon of its Stealth Rock duties and provide another Xerneas answer. Other Steel-types such as Klefki and Bronzong also provide good defensive synergy, being able to deal with common threats to Tyranitar such as Xerneas, Deoxys-A, and Mewtwo. Water Arceus can also fulfill the role of a defensive check to Primal Groudon, crippling it with Toxic, and of a Primal Kyogre pivot. It further can provide Defog support, help against Mega Diancie matchups, and most importantly deal with Ho-Oh, as Sacred Fire burns are a deterrent to Tyranitar. Mega Gengar has good offensive synergy with Tyranitar and can trap and remove common switch-ins to Tyranitar like support Arceus formes. A Hypnosis + Hex set is the most potent option for Mega Gengar, though Destiny Bond sets can force a trade against key threats such as offensive Arceus variants and Ho-Oh and remove Fairy-types like Xerneas and Fairy Arceus with Sludge Wave. Xerneas variants such as Choice Scarf and Geomancy are good offensive choices for teams; Xerneas appreciates Tyranitar's ability to soften down Primal Groudon, as it is a common switch-in to Tyranitar, enabling Geomancy Xerneas to be a solid wincon. Choice Scarf Xerneas is able to effectively absorb sleep from Darkrai and is also an effective revenge killer. Primal Kyogre with Calm Mind is an effective wallbreaker against stall teams, helps to wear down Primal Groudon alongside Tyranitar, and helps against special variants of Ground Arceus. Tyranitar can Pursuit trap common Kyogre answers such as Latios and Latias to remove them from the game in return. Excadrill benefits from Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability and can be an effective sweeper or cleaner, especially against offensive teams, due to Sand Rush letting it outspeed notable boosted threats such as Geomancy Xerneas.
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Stream
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is the main STAB move, with 100 Base Power backed by Tyranitar's base 130 Attack allowing it to do heavy amounts of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. It becomes very potent due to the lack of Pokemon that resist Rock in the Ubers metagame; switch-ins tend to be limited to Steel-types like Klefki. Notably, Stone Edge is able to OHKO Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, and most variants of Yveltal and 2HKO Extreme Killer Arceus and Xerneas. Crunch is Tyranitar's secondary STAB move and is mainly for targeting Steel-types that resist Stone Edge, such as Bronzong, Jirachi, and Dialga. It also targets Ghost-type Pokemon like Giratina-O, Ghost Arceus, and Mega Gengar and is a more reliable option against neutral targets to avoid missing or wasting valuable Stone Edge PP. Pursuit's main function is to trap foes that are likely to switch out from Tyranitar; notable targets are Giratina-O, Latios, Latias, and in some scenarios Choice Band Ho-Oh not locked into Earthquake. However, one should consider the potential momentum drain when locking Tyranitar into Pursuit, as it can turn into setup fodder. Earthquake provides coverage for targets that resist both of Tyranitar's STAB attacks, such as Klefki and Lucario, and avoids Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs, though it is considerably weaker than Crunch. Earthquake also makes dealing with Aegislash easier due to avoiding the Attack drop from King's Shield, and it can score a 2HKO on Primal Groudon. Foul Play is an interesting option to consider on Tyranitar, as it is a common target for Arceus formes trying to set up Swords Dance such as Ground and Extreme Killer Arceus; however, the listed moves are somewhat irreplaceable on Tyranitar, as it would have to forgo Earthquake's coverage or the ability to Pursuit trap targets.
Set Details
========
A Jolly nature with maximum Speed investment is used so Tyranitar can outspeed as many slower targets as possible, increasing its potency as a wallbreaker. With a Jolly nature, Tyranitar is able to outspeed up to uninvested Yveltal and Xerneas, along with base 90 Speed Pokemon with little or no investment, reaching important benchmarks of outspeeding standard Giratina-O and Rock Polish, offensive, or support variants of Primal Groudon. Maximum Attack investment coupled with a Choice Band maximizes Tyranitar's damage output. Alternatively, an Adamant nature with maximum HP investment can be used to further increase damage output and also allow Tyranitar to survive two Draco Meteors from Latios and avoids a 2HKO from Mega Salamence's Double-Edge after Stealth Rock; however, Tyranitar then misses out on the aforementioned Speed benchmarks.
Usage Tips
========
Tyranitar can't really switch into much in the current metagame and can't utilize aggressively play very effectively, though in some exceptional cases it may be required, such as double switching Tyranitar in on a Giratina-O switch-in to prevent a Defog and either Pursuit trap to help remove Giratina-O or get in a free Crunch. Usually it is safer for Tyranitar to be brought in after a teammate has fainted, especially when Pursuit trapping key threats such as Latios, as 0 HP Tyranitar is 2HKOed by Draco Meteor and risks being beaten by Grass Knot. Powerful resisted attacks such as Double-Edge from Mega Salamence can 2HKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock damage, but if Tyranitar gets in safely, it is able to comfortably take Mega Salamence on one-on-one, even after an Intimidate drop, as Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge is able to OHKO Mega Salamence after Stealth Rock and sandstorm damage. You can also try bringing Tyranitar into Ghost- or Dark-type attacks such as Hex and Dark Pulse from the likes of Giratina-O and Darkrai while keeping it considerably healthy to get in as many attacks as possible. Due to this Tyranitar set opting for a Choice Band in favor of a Chople Berry, it isn't able to check common Psychic- or Ghost-types that carry Fighting-type coverage attacks, like Mewtwo and Mega Gengar, and one may have to scout in some scenarios for these coverage moves to ensure Tyranitar is able to deal with these threats.
Even with a Jolly nature, Tyranitar is still considerably slow and is only really capable of outspeeding Pokemon that don't invest much into Speed or no Speed at all. Avoid locking Tyranitar into Pursuit or Earthquake where possible and use them only when necessary, as this could cause a momentum drain and make it setup bait for many sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas. Lugia can only really be dealt with effectively if Tyranitar manages to get a Defense drop with Crunch, meaning Lugia can stall it out with Toxic and Roost most of the time due to Multiscale. Therefore, it is important that Lugia be crippled with some status such as poison or paralysis before sending in Tyranitar to fully combat it.
Team Options
========
Primal Groudon is the most consistent option as a Stealth Rock setter, with support and Jolly Swords Dance sets being the most potent choices. Primal Groudon also provides a check to Xerneas and a switch-in to Kyogre and Klefki that are likely to come in on Tyranitar. In return, it appreciates Tyranitar dealing with common threats such as Yveltal, Latios, Rayquaza, and Giratina-O. One should take the shared Ground weakness into account, though, making solid Ground-immune Pokemon a great choice to consider on the team. Giratina-O is able to check offensive variants of Primal Groudon and Ground Arceus while also helping out with Extreme Killer Arceus formes, providing the ability to cripple these targets with status moves like Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. Mega Salamence can be considered on more offensively oriented builds, as it is a solid setup sweeper with good offensive synergy, is a decent answer to Primal Groudon due to having Intimidate pre-Mega Evolution, and can be a answer to Swords Dance Arceus variants. In return, Tyranitar deals with common Mega Salamence answers such as defensive Yveltal and Lugia. Calm Mind Ground Arceus can be a interesting set to consider to help out against Primal Groudon and potentially sweep unprepared teams, due to Tyranitar's ability to remove the deterrence Ho-Oh causes to Calm Mind Ground Arceus; because this option opens up a weakness to Primal Kyogre, one may opt for another Primal Kyogre switch-in along with Primal Groudon such as Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn is also able to relieve Groudon of its Stealth Rock duties and provide another Xerneas answer. Other Steel-types such as Klefki and Bronzong also provide good defensive synergy, being able to deal with common threats to Tyranitar such as Xerneas, Deoxys-A, and Mewtwo. Water Arceus can also fulfill the role of a defensive check to Primal Groudon, crippling it with Toxic, and of a Primal Kyogre pivot. It further can provide Defog support, help against Mega Diancie matchups, and most importantly deal with Ho-Oh, as Sacred Fire burns are a deterrent to Tyranitar. Mega Gengar has good offensive synergy with Tyranitar and can trap and remove common switch-ins to Tyranitar like support Arceus formes. A Hypnosis + Hex set is the most potent option for Mega Gengar, though Destiny Bond sets can force a trade against key threats such as offensive Arceus variants and Ho-Oh and remove Fairy-types like Xerneas and Fairy Arceus with Sludge Wave. Xerneas variants such as Choice Scarf and Geomancy are good offensive choices for teams; Xerneas appreciates Tyranitar's ability to soften down Primal Groudon, as it is a common switch-in to Tyranitar, enabling Geomancy Xerneas to be a solid wincon. Choice Scarf Xerneas is able to effectively absorb sleep from Darkrai and is also an effective revenge killer. Primal Kyogre with Calm Mind is an effective wallbreaker against stall teams, helps to wear down Primal Groudon alongside Tyranitar, and helps against special variants of Ground Arceus. Tyranitar can Pursuit trap common Kyogre answers such as Latios and Latias to remove them from the game in return. Excadrill benefits from Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability and can be an effective sweeper or cleaner, especially against offensive teams, due to Sand Rush letting it outspeed notable boosted threats such as Geomancy Xerneas.
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