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I have been liking a - av - core a lot.
Grassy terrain does exactly what you need it to do, make zam and bolt even more unkillable. Fake out gives zam turns to set up and electroweb works as speed control. Body Press not being nerfed by intimidate like all the other restricted's physical moves is huge. However it's not a very high base power so you have dual priority to finish off lower targets. Another reason bolt is there is because I like having a mon with a positive matchup into rain, which rilla has a hard time with because of the power of bleakwind storm or tera grass Kyogre.
I have been liking a - av - core a lot.
Grassy terrain does exactly what you need it to do, make zam and bolt even more unkillable. Fake out gives zam turns to set up and electroweb works as speed control. Body Press not being nerfed by intimidate like all the other restricted's physical moves is huge. However it's not a very high base power so you have dual priority to finish off lower targets. Another reason bolt is there is because I like having a mon with a positive matchup into rain, which rilla has a hard time with because of the power of bleakwind storm or tera grass Kyogre.
For one, is it crowned or not? Crowned gives you a better type and more bulk, but then you can't hold an item, while the other has more speed but less bulk, with freedom to an item. And next, I don't imagine this doing well into either Zacian-C or a setup+ fairy coverage Calyrex-S. I'm interested. What would you run with this? I think maybe a Guss+Ting Lu defensive core. Here is what I'm cooking (spreads are iffy):https://pokepast.es/6690f08a2d778b09
For one, is it crowned or not? Crowned gives you a better type and more bulk, but then you can't hold an item, while the other has more speed but less bulk, with freedom to an item. And next, I don't imagine this doing well into either Zacian-C or a setup+ fairy coverage Calyrex-S. I'm interested. What would you run with this? I think maybe a Guss+Ting Lu defensive core. Here is what I'm cooking (spreads are iffy):https://pokepast.es/6690f08a2d778b09
Yeah its the crowned one. You mentioned calyrex which I did find a big problem with. Incin is kinda the final piece I was using since it has good resistance + fake out, and is benefited by grassy terrain. I haven't tried out Ting-Lu but in regulation G but I'm sure it's good. I'll edit this post later since I don't have the team paste on this computer. (I'm definitely trying this team you made it looks gas).
Just for informational purposes and my own use I'm gonna post the most common archetypes I've seen on ladder:
1. Kyogre Tailwind (this is sooo strong)
2. Calyrex-S (S tier)
3. Miraidon E-Terrain
4. Zacian-Pao
5. Calyrex-I Trick Room
6. Calm Mind Terapagos (Very underrated, feels like a final boss, need a tool like spore to slow it down)
7. Groudon Sun
8. E-Speed Ray, Zamazenta, Kyurem-White Snow, Koraidon Sun
I would like to talk about some Pokemon I feel are underrated.
Pairs well with:
It's blazing fast, hits like an absolute truck, and its ability also enables a load of other threatening Pokemon too. B..b..but Intimidate. Clear Amulet. Icerex and Groudon have no problem using it, so why not just slap it on Koraidon too? Besides, if Incineroar tries to get into the ring with this thing, it will get obliterated. It can also run a lot of different sets: Bulky SD, 3 Attacks, Choice Scarf or Choice Band. Groudon does give it competition, however while the dinosaur takes hits a lot better it also necessitates speed control, while Koraidon is fast enough to make do without and even though it has a lower base Attack stat, its ability lets it hit harder off the bat anyway. Its 4X Fairy weakness isn't as bad as you'd think, since Flutter Mane seems to have fallen off (guessing because Shadowrex eats it for breakfast).
252+ Atk Groudon Heat Crash (120 BP) vs. 228 HP / 4 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring in Sun: 143-169 (77.7 - 91.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Flare Blitz vs. 228 HP / 4 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring in Sun: 176-208 (95.6 - 113%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
(Origin)
Pairs well with:
(and BM)
Couldn't find a sprite of Origin Dialga, so in your mind picture that. It's a very strong member of Trick Room teams; what spererates it from Icerex is that it doesn't need to be used in Trick Room to be effective, it isn't weak to Shadowrex, and it makes quick work of Incin and Rilla who are normally used to stall out Trick Room turns. Just 12 EVs and a neutral nature let it outrun Shadowrex in Tailwind. With Telepathy, you can pair it up with a strong Earthquake user like Ursaluna and Landorus-T, and fire off with reckless abandon. Origin forme is better as it has better Special bulk, and you'd mostly be sticking with its STABs anyway. There aren't too many other Steel types around, so its STABs are more or less unresisted (Zacian is neutral to Flash Cannon, Archaludon is neutral to Draco Meteor).
Pairs well with:
Now, while it does have to contend with Rillaboom and other Grass types, that's really nothing you can't assign its teammates to deal with (Tornadus says hi!). I've actually been using its old Choice Scarf set, and it's absolutely deadly, though I've also tried bulky Calm Mind sets and even a slow set on Trick Room (Origin Pulse, Ice Beam, Tera Blast Grass, Protect.) Not too much else to say about Kyogre - Rain boosted Water STAB goes brr.
Pairs well with:
The final member of the weather trio, Rayquaza is not to be slept on. This thing is a super deadly late game cleaner with Tera Normal Espeed - Tera Normal also lets it set up on Calyrex-Shadow that don't run Psychic STAB. Cancelling out the weather is another great niche this thing packs, since it shuts off the Protosynthesis mons. Bulky SD is my favourite set, but Choice Band is strong too. Groudon without Rock Slide, Rillaboom and Ogerpon besides Cornerstone all give it plenty of space to boost.
Pairs well with:
Yes it got nerfed, but a neutered wolf is still capable of ripping out your entrails. Boasting the 2nd best Speed, huge Attack and arguably the best defensive typing in the game, Zacian is not to be underestimated. It can be a strong early game breaker, but I feel it's better used as a late game cleaner. While its Speed seems somewhat unfortunate as it's lacking behind Shadowrex, it actually helps it out a lot - it can outrun the base 135 crowd with a Jolly nature and I think 156 EVs, and if you're not worried about them you could invest just enough to outrun Jolly Ogerpon, thus giving it plenty left over for bulk. Bring a Defiant or Competitive mon to deter Intimidates (Ogerpon, Kingambit and Milotic are all strong choices), and you're golden.
Overall I'm really enjoying this meta, I think it has a lot of potential for diversity once everyone stops treating Shadowrex as an instant win button (it's not, it can't scratch some of the most common mons in the meta) and checks to it become more common.
I would like to talk about some Pokemon I feel are underrated.
Pairs well with:
It's blazing fast, hits like an absolute truck, and its ability also enables a load of other threatening Pokemon too. B..b..but Intimidate. Clear Amulet. Icerex and Groudon have no problem using it, so why not just slap it on Koraidon too? Besides, if Incineroar tries to get into the ring with this thing, it will get obliterated. It can also run a lot of different sets: Bulky SD, 3 Attacks, Choice Scarf or Choice Band. Groudon does give it competition, however while the dinosaur takes hits a lot better it also necessitates speed control, while Koraidon is fast enough to make do without and even though it has a lower base Attack stat, its ability lets it hit harder off the bat anyway. Its 4X Fairy weakness isn't as bad as you'd think, since Flutter Mane seems to have fallen off (guessing because Shadowrex eats it for breakfast).
252+ Atk Groudon Heat Crash (120 BP) vs. 228 HP / 4 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring in Sun: 143-169 (77.7 - 91.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Flare Blitz vs. 228 HP / 4 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring in Sun: 176-208 (95.6 - 113%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
(Origin)
Pairs well with:
(and BM)
Couldn't find a sprite of Origin Dialga, so in your mind picture that. It's a very strong member of Trick Room teams; what spererates it from Icerex is that it doesn't need to be used in Trick Room to be effective, it isn't weak to Shadowrex, and it makes quick work of Incin and Rilla who are normally used to stall out Trick Room turns. Just 12 EVs and a neutral nature let it outrun Shadowrex in Tailwind. With Telepathy, you can pair it up with a strong Earthquake user like Ursaluna and Landorus-T, and fire off with reckless abandon. Origin forme is better as it has better Special bulk, and you'd mostly be sticking with its STABs anyway. There aren't too many other Steel types around, so its STABs are more or less unresisted (Zacian is neutral to Flash Cannon, Archaludon is neutral to Draco Meteor).
Pairs well with:
Now, while it does have to contend with Rillaboom and other Grass types, that's really nothing you can't assign its teammates to deal with (Tornadus says hi!). I've actually been using its old Choice Scarf set, and it's absolutely deadly, though I've also tried bulky Calm Mind sets and even a slow set on Trick Room (Origin Pulse, Ice Beam, Tera Blast Grass, Protect.) Not too much else to say about Kyogre - Rain boosted Water STAB goes brr.
Pairs well with:
The final member of the weather trio, Rayquaza is not to be slept on. This thing is a super deadly late game cleaner with Tera Normal Espeed - Tera Normal also lets it set up on Calyrex-Shadow that don't run Psychic STAB. Cancelling out the weather is another great niche this thing packs, since it shuts off the Protosynthesis mons. Bulky SD is my favourite set, but Choice Band is strong too. Groudon without Rock Slide, Rillaboom and Ogerpon besides Cornerstone all give it plenty of space to boost.
Pairs well with:
Yes it got nerfed, but a neutered wolf is still capable of ripping out your entrails. Boasting the 2nd best Speed, huge Attack and arguably the best defensive typing in the game, Zacian is not to be underestimated. It can be a strong early game breaker, but I feel it's better used as a late game cleaner. While its Speed seems somewhat unfortunate as it's lacking behind Shadowrex, it actually helps it out a lot - it can outrun the base 135 crowd with a Jolly nature and I think 156 EVs, and if you're not worried about them you could invest just enough to outrun Jolly Ogerpon, thus giving it plenty left over for bulk. Bring a Defiant or Competitive mon to deter Intimidates (Ogerpon, Kingambit and Milotic are all strong choices), and you're golden.
Overall I'm really enjoying this meta, I think it has a lot of potential for diversity once everyone stops treating Shadowrex as an instant win button (it's not, it can't scratch some of the most common mons in the meta) and checks to it become more common.
So, I've been seeing Calyrex-I on ladder a lot, as well as in tours on the VGC chat room, and I want to address some of these Calyrex-I teams.
First is Calyrex-I, alongside Indeedee. This includes a follow me Indeedee-F, next to Calyrex-I and a slow, trick room expanding force sweeper like Hatterene or Farigiraf, as they both set trick room and hit super hard with expanding force. Alongside Incineroar, as always, and another trick room setter that is powerful like Porygon2. Maybe even another trick room sweeper like BM Ursaluna, and redirection/disruption in Amoonguss
Then is the core of P2, Amoonguss, and Caly-I. This is a strong core that can beat Caly-S. Notably, the Amoonguss carries Tera Dark, alongside the occasional Clear Smog or Sludge Bomb over Protect. In the back is the strong Incin, alongside sometimes Rillaboom or BM Ursaluna. Then, I've seen Ogerpon-Wellspring in another slot as redirection. And then there's Ting-Lu, who also beats Caly-S and Miraidon. This team really doesn't like Caly-S, I guess.
Finally is... Random Pokemon under TR lol. But seriously, I've lost to Expanding Force Exeggutor, right next to Torkoal and Caly-I. Pelipper can also be considered, as Wide Guard counters Calyrex Shadow Rider even better. Yeah, that's what I've seen. I actually lost to Exegg in the finals of a tour. So sad.
Since I talked about Caly-I, I minus well mention the Caly-S archetypes as well.
First is Caly-S Psyspam Offense. This is Life Orb or Choice Specs Calyrex-S next to Indeedee-F. Calyrex just spans Expanding Force with helping hand. This pairs with a good water/ground type to beat Incin, like High Horsepower Rillaboom or Wide Guard Weather Ball Sash Pelliper. Then, Tornadus gives you a way to beat other Tailwind, because Caly-S is just too fast under Tailwind.
Next is just standard offense. Normally a focus sash or Life Orb and even Specs Caly-S. This is normally run alongside Incin and Rilla for no setup Caly, but sometimes Amoonguss to redirect for Nasty Plot Caly. These two give a nicer matchup into TR as it allows you to match the pace. Again, Tornadus keeps you on direct offensive, maybe alongside a Scarf Urshifu, preferably water shifu, which completes the Fire-Water-Grass core.
Yeah, that's it really. I think both Calyrex forms need to be respected and prepared for. If they start to snowball, it can be super scary, as these things can pick up quick, especially with the right support and offensive pressure next to the abominations of broken Pokemon.
-Calyrex-I next to Pelipper will be really powerful, as Caly-S gets beat with that. Caly-I also just sweeps, and Tera Water is good, Tera Fire beats burn, and Tera Grass wrecks Amoonguss, as Sludge Bomb isn't strong enough and Tera Grass beats sleep. Overall, Caly-I will be really good and really scary.
-Zamazenta will be super interesting, as it can't be injured from Intimidate. Body Press does loads, and with sky high physical defense, this Pokemon beats Caly-I, Zacian, and with Tera Ghost/Flying, Groudon, Koraidon and both Urshifu. This Pokemon, next to Speed Booster Flutter Mane and some special bulk, can force a Tera Fairy out of Caly-S, as your Flutter can Icy Wind and then if they Tera Fairy, Behemoth Bash KOs, Tera Normal gets wrecked by Body Press, Tera Ghost/Psychic can lose to Shadow Ball+Behemoth Bash, Tera Fighting loses to Moonblast/Dazzling Gleam, and no Tera loses to Shadow Ball. Zamazenta is overall amazing this format but highly underrated.
-Miraidon is a Pokemon that I think will not meet most people's expectations, as it is deemed super powerful, yet kind of falls apart in front of many top meta threats like Rillaboom, Tera Fairy Calyrex-S, Calyrex-I, Groudon, and even Flutter Mane with either Specs or Tera Fairy. Sure, Miraidon beats Kyogre, Urshifu, and sometimes Koraidon. The only to beat Koraidon is to have Tailwind in Tornadus, Iron Jugulis, or Pelipper. But most Koraidon are next to Speed Boosting Flutter Mane, or even Whimsicott. Since most Mirai teams don't use Torn, but opt for Jugulis or Pelipper, Speed Booster Flutter Mane with Dazz, Moonblast and Icy Wind destroy you. They don't even need Booster Energy, but rather Specs with Speed Boost under sun.
-Finally, I think Caly-S is going to flop. It seems powerful, yet can get beat by priority, Trick Room or Tailwind, or just AV Snarl Raging Bolt. Especially with Wide Guard+Caly-I running around, Caly-S just loses. You may think that Incineroar helps, but Clear Amulet is the item run on Caly-I. Caly-S is better than Miraidon, but with the right adjustments/team, it gets outplayed. You still have to respect all the Pokemon on this list, but with the right plays, they get beat quite easily.
Hi everyone, I've enjoyed Reg G a lot so far; it's the first format I've gotten really into for a bit. I think it's shaping up to be a very diverse format as the meta stabilizes and adapts to the crazier shit like Calyrex-S. It's obvious that Dark-types are going to be in VERY high demand thanks to the funny horse, and I predict that a lot of teams will stack multiple Dark- and/or Normal-types to check it despite the stacked weaknesses. Of course a lot of the obvious ones are already showing up on teams, like Incineroar, Chi-Yu, Kingambit, Urshifu, Grimmsnarl, etc.
However, there's one Dark-type in particular that I'm really surprised hasn't gotten attention. I want to talk about Tyranitar.
What can Tyranitar bring over other Dark-types in Reg G? Quite a bit, in my opinion.
1. It's really bulky. Like, REALLY specially bulky. In sandstorm, Tyranitar hits a Special Defense stat of 180 with ZERO EVs. For reference, that's higher than most Ogerpon-W get after Tera, higher than Lunala gets with 252+ investment, and higher than Calyrex-I and Kyogrewill get with low/no investment. Combine this with its great resistances to Ghost, Dark, Fire, Psychic, and Flying, and TTar is a seriously competent special tank against a wide variety of threats, even tanking a lot of super effective hits with an Assault Vest.
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 30-36 (14.4 - 17.3%) -- possible 6HKO
252+ Atk Calyrex-Ice Glacial Lance vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 87-103 (42 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Calyrex-Ice High Horsepower vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 124-146 (59.9 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 102-121 (49.2 - 58.4%) -- 98.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 67-81 (32.3 - 39.1%) -- 99% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 58-70 (28 - 33.8%) -- 98.1% chance to 4HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery Specs E-Terrain Drift + itemless or G-Terrain Drift will NEVER kill
252+ SpA Kyogre Origin Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Rain: 174-206 (84 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Kyogre Origin Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 78-92 (37.6 - 44.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 104-126 (50.2 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 156+ SpA Terapagos-Terastal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 60-72 (28.9 - 34.7%) -- 4.6% chance to 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Terapagos-Terastal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 66-78 (31.8 - 37.6%) -- 84.4% chance to 3HKO
+1 156+ SpA Terapagos-Stellar Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 84-100 (40.5 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 156+ SpA Terapagos-Stellar Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 128-152 (61.8 - 73.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Terapagos-Stellar Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 92-108 (44.4 - 52.1%) -- 11.3% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Terapagos-Stellar Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 134-160 (64.7 - 77.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Groudon Precipice Blades vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 162-192 (78.2 - 92.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor over 2 turns vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 151-178 (72.9 - 85.9%) -- not a KO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 145-172 (70 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar: 93-109 (44.9 - 52.6%) -- 22.3% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Adamant Crystal Dialga-Origin Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 86-104 (41.5 - 50.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tera Fairy Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 152-180 (73.4 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 68-84 (32.8 - 40.5%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO
140 SpA Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 68-84 (32.8 - 40.5%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO
252+ Atk Sword of Ruin Chien-Pao Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 87-103 (42 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 84-98 (40.5 - 47.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Kingambit Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 68 Def Tyranitar: 134-158 (64.7 - 76.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
164 SpA Life Orb Walking Wake Hydro Steam vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 73-88 (35.2 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
164 SpA Life Orb Walking Wake Hydro Steam vs. 252 HP / 20 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sun: 159-190 (76.8 - 91.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
This leads into point #2 nicely:
2. It has a surprisingly good matchup spread in this meta. While it has some serious problem MUs with stuff like Zacian, Zamazenta and Koraidon running around, Tyranitar can make major contributions in nearly every kind of matchup, especially because it heavily threatens a lot of common support Pokemon like Incineroar, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao lacking Sacred Sword, Tornadus, Farigiraf, Ogerpon-H, the list goes on. This makes Tyranitar seriously threatening to a significant chunk of the meta as a bulky attacker, especially when it can Tera out of most bad matchups if you want.
Matchup Spread (restricteds):
Positive matchups:
Calyrex-S (eats hits for breakfast, invalidates sash with sand)
Calyrex-I (live two lances with some Defense EVs, 2HKO back with Knock Off)
Miraidon (avoids 2HKO from specs Electro Drift if you Knock Off or switch terrain)
Kyurem-W (Turn off snow, deny veil, hit hard with Rock Slide, eat Blizzard and Draco easily)
Lunala (lol lmao)
Ho-Oh (also lol lmao)
Rayquaza (Yet another lol lmao)
Lugia (might be ass but still lol lmao)
Neutral matchups:
Kyogre (need teammates to take advantage of weather disruption)
Groudon (turns off sun, lives pblades, can tera and hit back hard-ish)
Terapagos (You really annoy them by removing lefties + messing with tera shell thx to sand, but post-tera they can remove sand once and pressure a lot)
Dialga-Origin (slugfest, Flash Cannon hurts but you can EV to live two + discourage them from going for trick room)
Solgaleo (not sure how relevant this guy will be but it's kinda like the Dialga MU, only a bit worse)
Losing matchups:
Zamazenta (even with tera, good luck hurting it unless you tech Fire Blast or some shit)
Zacian (you actually live +0 BB and do good damage back, but fighting moves invalidate you)
Koraidon (forces you to Tera or die, TB flying can't kill back, but at least you turn off sun)
Matchup Spread (other notable mons):
Positive matchups:
Incineroar (Intimidate isn't as much of a problem when you wall the #1 Intimidator and bury it with rocks)
Chi-Yu
Raging Bolt
Tornadus
Thundurus
Indeedee
Armarouge
Farigiraf
Gouging Fire
Ogerpon-Hearthflame
Alolan Ninetales
Iron Bundle (yes, really. Hydro can't 2HKO you with AV)
Iron Jugulis
Torkoal
Volcarona
Articuno (probably won't exist in Reg G but fuck it we can pad the list)
Neutral/set-dependent matchups:
Flutter Mane(Moonblast bounces off AV without max investment and a boosting item, and even Modest specs can't OHKO you)
Chien-Pao (it all depends on Sacred Sword, which seems like it could get less common in Reg G!)
Kingambit (you live Iron Head but die to Low Kick, can't OHKO them back without Low Kick)
Landorus (EP is a roll to 2HKO if the second hit is itemless, they can get goobed in TR, with Ice Punch, or with a well-timed Tera)
Porygon2 (can't deny TR but removing eviolite is high-value)
Losing/Tera-forcing matchups:
Rillaboom (tera saves you big-time if you want to spend it)
Urshifu (You do annoy Darkshifu if it's sash/locks into wicked blow. Watershifu is hopeless)
Ogerpon-Wellspring (you live Cudgel without Tera and TB flying will usually OHKO them with sand, high-cost interaction tho)
Ursaluna
Mienshao (you break sash with sand and can OHKO with TB flying if you want)
Ting-Lu (bitch just won't die lmao)
Iron Hands(^^^^^^^)
Iron Treads
Iron Valiant (these guys will probably run sash so breaking that is nice, tera blast is an option)
Amoonguss (you annoy it a lot but can't kill fast enough. RP sucks to deal with)
3. Sand Stream is more useful than ever. Groudon and Kyogre should destroy your sorry Rock-type ass on paper, but in practice you can live at least one of their hits and severely annoy their weather-dependent partners, especially Protosynthesis mons like Flutter Mane. Shutting off a Speed booster Flutter is really good for enabling other forms of speed control like scarf Urshifu, Prankster Scary Face mons, etc., and removing the rain boost on a Kyogre Water Spout or Urshifu Surging Strikes is massive for playing around them. This can enable some really scary Tailwind, SC, or semiroom teams. You're also A9T's worst nightmare if the rest wasn't enough. Finally, Focus Sash usage is only climbing higher, and sandstorm is incredible for disrupting that if you can build your own team without one.
What restricteds work well with Tyranitar? From initial testing and theorycrafting, there are some interesting options.
1. Zacian: Sword dog is the best candidate by far, as it appreciates sandstorm nullifying Kyogre's rain to let it take a hit, turning off Flutter Speed boosts to outrun it, and breaking various sashes on stuff like Chien-Pao. It also needs help against Caly-S, Lunala, Ho-Oh, and other Fire-types, all of which are devoured by TTar. In exchange, TTar gets a teammate that annihilates or forces a Tera from Koraidon and threatens other fighters like Urshifu, Mienshao, and Iron Valiant, as well as stuff like Ting-Lu. You could run SD with redirection support or a fighting move to help with Ursa and Zamazenta.
2. Lunala: The downside to using Lunala here is that sand breaks Shadow Shield if you don't get hit on the first turn where TTar is in. The upside is basically everything else. With TTar, it gets a mon that shits on both Caly forms, opposing Lunala, and helps with Incineroar, and once again disrupts other weather to help against threats like Kyogre. TTar, meanwhile, gets an excellent Trick Room setter that can take on annoying stuff like Zamazenta, Amoonguss, Landorus and Koraidon, and generally be a threat with Meteor Beam. Heck, you could even use Tera Rock Lunala here for the SpDef boost, sand immunity, and Meteor Beam power, but that might be a little too spicy to fit on a truly good team. At least it OHKOes a ton of stuff.
3. Ho-Oh: Once again, a great abuser of sash-breaking and weather disruption. Did you know Ho-Oh barely needs any bulk investment to live Modest Kyogre Water Spout outside of rain? Pretty cool stuff. Ho-Oh also enjoys some help in the Miraidon matchup, and in exchange it shits on most restricteds that TTar dislikes and makes Amoonguss, non-Watershifu Fighters and sometimes Ogerpon regret their existence. It's a great option for Tailwind support or potentially Trick Room attacking, providing crucial speed control or offensive firepower with TTar. These two are also an incredible anti-Calyrex pairing. Ho-Oh even relieves the pressure to make TTar bringable against sun teams, since Big Bird enjoys some fun in the sun anyway.
What kind of set is best for Tyranitar?
I see Assault Vest as the way to go since it doubles down on what TTar is best at: eating hits and flexing its great coverage. TTar doesn't miss Protect THAT much because one of the most common things that it'd want to protect against is Urshifu, which obviously doesn't work, and it can Tera to beat nearly every other big counter. Clear Amulet is maybe worthwhile if you want to do more to support it as a Trick Room attacker, and something like a Rindo or Chople Berry can also have massive value in specific matchups.
Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
Tera Type: Flying / Fairy / Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 68 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Rock Slide / Stone Edge
- Low Kick / High Horsepower
- Tera Blast / Ice Punch
The Defense EVs let you survive two Glacial Lances, winning you the duel with Caly-I most of the time. You could also invest 20 SpD to live two Dialga-O Flash Cannons if that mon gets good, or add Spe to creep Incin. Knock Off has incredible utility beyond its damage, although that's also very good. If you remove Miraidon's specs, it's neutered for the rest of the game. If you remove Terapagos' Leftovers, you're putting even more pressure on it. If you remove Caly-I's clamulet, you can intimidate it and force Tera with the damage alone. A Rock move is important to hit all those Fire-types as hard as possible, I'd personally recommend Rock Slide for the spread damage (and occasional hax) but Stone Edge can be useful to hit stuff like Incin and Flutter harder. High Horsepower is a more reliable option for Fire-types that also hits Zacian, Raging Bolt, Miraidon, and most Steel-types, but Low Kick is good for Terapagos and opposing Dark-types like Kingambit and Ting-Lu. Tera Flying with Tera Blast is amazing for turning the tables on most Fighting-types as well as Grasses like Rillaboom, Waterpon, and Amoonguss. I could also see applications for Tera Fairy since that TB can still hit fighters while also OHKOing Koraidon and not dooming you against bolt/Mirai/Caly-I (which still doesn’t OHKO with Lance anyway!). Tera Dragon is pretty expensive in this meta but it’s amazing to resist Water/Grass/Elec in one type. Ice Punch > Tera Blast is useful to drop Lando and hit most Grasses without Tera. Maybe Tera Poison is worth it on non-AV sets that don’t tangle with boosted Flutter too well.
Edit: Future me here, Iron Head also exists! It lets you OHKO Flutter, hit Iron Valiant, and pressure all the stuff that will try to escape your wrath with Tera Fairy, especially Incin, Bolt, Lunala, and Caly-S.
What other teammates work well with Tyranitar?
1. Rillaboom: Grassy Terrain is great for passive recovery, pressuring Urshifu and screwing over Miraidon further. Good defensive synergy, especially with the Water, Grass and Ground resistances. Taunt is great for Amoonguss if you need it, otherwise U-turn and High Horsepower in that slot both prove their worth in other ways.
2. Flutter Mane: Shuts down Fighting-types and Koraidon hard, hits physically bulky mons like Zamazenta, Ursa, Ting-Lu quite hard as well. Speed control with Icy Wind or Trick Room.
3. Urshifu: Scarf is great speed control for stuff like Zacian. Ice spinner can remove E-terrain before Mirai moves. Coaching is a funny option that actually kinda works if you don't need spinner or AJ. U-turn helps get TTar in at the right time. Also chunks Groudon and checks Kingambit nicely. A fun interaction I like is that Tera Water Surging Strikes actually kills Groudon in sand pretty reliably, so if you get TTar in at the right time they're just boned.
4. Gouging FireFills Fire-type slot nicely without getting bonked by Waterpon or Watershifu. Howl is a great option for Tar and works well with Zacian/Ho-Oh too. Enjoys help against Lunala and Calyrex.
5. Farigiraf: Helping Hand Rock Slides under Trick Room? With no fear of Grassy Glide? On a mon that can pressure Amoonguss, Watershifu, and most Wide Guard users with Psychic STAB? Yes please!
Bonus: Landorus-T: Kinda niche rn but it's an intimidator that helps a TON against fighters, doesn't stack nearly as many weaknesses as Incin, and scarf is great speed control for all sorts of stuff. Also a great TB Flying spammer to ruin Grasses and Fighters, helps Tar run something else like Tera Dragon.
Thanks for reading, I enjoy making manifestos like these since it really gets my brain moving. Hope this does the same for someone else
Yeah not 2-shotting incin is kinda annoying, iirc High Horsepower does more damage if you're able to fit it. Then again TTar pairs really well with quite a few waters/fighters imo so your options aren't too terrible if you can't
- av 
- 
core a lot.
. It's obvious that Dark-types are going to be in VERY high demand thanks to the funny horse, and I predict that a lot of teams will stack multiple Dark- and/or Normal-types to check it despite the stacked weaknesses. Of course a lot of the obvious ones are already showing up on teams, like Incineroar
, Chi-Yu
, Kingambit
, Urshifu
, Grimmsnarl
, etc.
.
get after Tera, higher than Lunala
gets with 252+ investment, and higher than Calyrex-I
and Kyogre
will get with low/no investment. Combine this with its great resistances to Ghost, Dark, Fire, Psychic, and Flying, and TTar is a seriously competent special tank against a wide variety of threats, even tanking a lot of super effective hits with an Assault Vest.
, Zamazenta
and Koraidon
running around, Tyranitar can make major contributions in nearly every kind of matchup, especially because it heavily threatens a lot of common support Pokemon like Incineroar, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao
lacking Sacred Sword, Tornadus
, Farigiraf
, Ogerpon-H
, the list goes on. This makes Tyranitar seriously threatening to a significant chunk of the meta as a bulky attacker, especially when it can Tera out of most bad matchups if you want.
(avoids 2HKO from specs Electro Drift if you Knock Off or switch terrain)
(Turn off snow, deny veil, hit hard with Rock Slide, eat Blizzard and Draco easily)
(also lol lmao)
(Yet another lol lmao)
(might be ass but still lol lmao)
(turns off sun, lives pblades, can tera and hit back hard-ish)
(You really annoy them by removing lefties + messing with tera shell thx to sand, but post-tera they can remove sand once and pressure a lot)
(slugfest, Flash Cannon hurts but you can EV to live two + discourage them from going for trick room)
(not sure how relevant this guy will be but it's kinda like the Dialga MU, only a bit worse)
(yes, really. Hydro can't 2HKO you with AV)
(probably won't exist in Reg G but fuck it we can pad the list)
(Moonblast bounces off AV without max investment and a boosting item, and even Modest specs can't OHKO you)
(EP is a roll to 2HKO if the second hit is itemless, they can get goobed in TR, with Ice Punch, or with a well-timed Tera)
(can't deny TR but removing eviolite is high-value)
(you break sash with sand and can OHKO with TB flying if you want)
(bitch just won't die lmao)
(^^^^^^^)
(these guys will probably run sash so breaking that is nice, tera blast is an option)
(you annoy it a lot but can't kill fast enough. RP sucks to deal with)
: Kinda niche rn but it's an intimidator that helps a TON against fighters, doesn't stack nearly as many weaknesses as Incin, and scarf is great speed control for all sorts of stuff. Also a great TB Flying spammer to ruin Grasses and Fighters, helps Tar run something else like Tera Dragon.
