Dragonporter – Dragonite Analysis for Sun Series (VGC 2019)

 

***THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE BENCHMARKS AS THE METAGAME STABILIZES***

 

OVERVIEW

 

At first glance, there is not much reason to use Dragonite, since there are arguably better options for its main selling point in Multiscale now that Restricted Legendaries are made available in the forms of Lugia and Lunala. Both of them are faster than Dragonite, has better STAB options, and, crucially, does not suffer from a weakness to Fairy Type moves. With Xerneas making a triumphant return to VGC, it may not be the most feasible to run the OG pseudo Legendary Pokemon.

Yet, Dragonite does have redeeming qualities, if players can find a way to capitalize on it. As an airborne Dragon Type Pokemon, it fares well against both Kyogre and Groudon’s STAB in Water Spout or Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades respectively. It makes up for its lack in viable STAB options with a move pool filled with a wide variety of coverage moves, and it is the only one out of the three Multiscale (and Shadow Shield) Pokemon that has access to priority moves.

In this article, we shall look at how to construct a Dragonite set for the Sun Series metagame. We will first explore its move combinations, followed by Hold Item choice, and finally, useful EV Benchmarks to wrap up the process.

 

MOVES

 

Slot 1

Without a reliable Flying Type STAB move, and Dragon Type STAB not being as useful as it was in Generation V, Dragonite is forced to reach into its move pool for a coverage move that it can rely on for damage. The first recommendation would be ExtremeSpeed, in somewhat of a throwback to Wolfe Glick’s VGC 2016 winning Mega Rayquaza. Regardless of the mechanic used to raise Dragonite’s Attack, ExtremeSpeed serves as the most consistent way to hit targets thanks to its priority and only being resisted by or ineffective on three Types.

Slot 2

The second slot would ideally go to a secondary coverage to prevent Dragonite from being walled by Pokemon that resist ExtremeSpeed. Dependent on the team construction and Dragonite’s role, players can run a variety of moves in this position: Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Waterfall, Iron Head, and even Hurricane.

Ice Punch helps to deal with Groudon while Sun is active, and hits Amoonguss for super effective damage; Thunder Punch is meant for opposing Kyogre; while Fire Punch manages opposing Grass Type and/or Steel Type Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Kartana.

Waterfall and Hurricane are both options that the player can consider if the team has Rain support, with the former covering opposing Groudon and Incineroar under the Rain, while the latter can chunk Ludicolo Kartana thanks to it becoming an unmissable STAB while Rain is active. Iron Head, on the other hand, puts Xerneas into ExtremeSpeed KO range at the very least at +2, if it does not land the immediate OHKO.

Slot 3

The third slot would be reserved for a supportive move, whether it be to support Dragonite itself or the team as a whole. For the former, it would usually be in the form of Dragon Dance, which serves as a way to negate the effects of Intimidate. The other option would be Tailwind, which provides the team with much-needed Speed control. A third option for this slot would be Roost, which helps to restore Dragonite’s HP. Yet, possibly because of its relatively low Base Speed, it is not a popular tool.

Slot 4

This slot is usually left for Protect, to help the Dragon Pokemon bide a turn, especially against Fake Out, which it is vulnerable to unless it is partnered with Tsareena, Bruxish, or a teammate with Quick Guard.

 

HOLD ITEM

 

Dragonite’s status as, at best, the team’s secondary powerhouse or support option, means that it usually ends up with less desirable Hold Items.  Three possible options will be showcased here, namely: Weakness Policy, Terrain Seed, and Pinch Berry.

 

Weakness Policy

 

Dragonite @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
Adamant Nature / Careful Nature
– Extreme Speed
– Protect
– Tailwind
– Thunder Punch / Ice Punch / Waterfall / Hurricane / Iron Head

 

Weakness Policy Dragonite works in a similar vein to its Dusk Mane Necrozma counterpart. Set up Tailwind (instead of Trick Room), take a filtered super effective hit (Multiscale instead of Prism Armor), and proceed to punch through opponents at +2.

 

Terrain Seed

 

Dragonite @ Misty Seed / Psychic Seed
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
Adamant Nature
– Dragon Dance
– Protect / Roost
– Thunder Punch
– Waterfall / Ice Punch / Extreme Speed

 

Dragonite can benefit from a Terrain Seed to allow it to survive +2 Moonblast from Xerneas without investing too much into its bulk, assuming that Multiscale is still active. Dragon Dance and Roost would allow the Dragon Pokemon to slowly build up its offense (and Speed) and recover at opportune times in a similar vein to Curse Snorlax. The last two moves are left to what Dragonite is required to hit. While Xerneas is a huge threat, it may be more viable for Dragonite to be trained to take care of Kyogre and Groudon instead, thus, Thunder Punch and Waterfall or Ice Punch are recommended here.

 

Pinch Berry

 

Dragonite @ Figy Berry
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
Adamant Nature
– Dragon Dance
– Extreme Speed
– Protect
– Thunder Punch

 

Dragonite greatly appreciates the buff Pinch Berries received in Generation VII to reduce its reliance on Roost to restore its HP and maintain Multiscale. Yet, because Pinch Berries are single-use Hold Items, players might consider running Leftovers to better handle chip damage from resisted hits. The move set itself is “inherited” from its Terrain Seed counterpart, considering that Dragon Dance is more or less necessary to allow Dragonite to hit the powerful Restricted Legendaries for significant damage.

 

EV BENCHMARKS

 

Speed

4 EVs -> Outspeed Timid Tapu Koko after Tailwind

148 EVs -> Outspeed Jolly Kartana after +1

 

Defense

+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Dazzling Gleam vs. 4 HP / 60 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 141-166 (84.4 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 164 HP / 236+ SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 157-186 (83.9 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

 

Offense

+1 76 Atk Dragonite Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Incineroar in Rain: 204-240 (100.9 – 118.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 124 Atk Dragonite Thunder Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 176-208 (100 – 118.1%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 228 Atk Dragonite Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Groudon in Rain: 208-246 (100.4 – 118.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 164+ Atk Dragonite Iron Head vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Xerneas: 202-238 (100 – 117.8%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 164+ Atk Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Xerneas: 101-119 (50 – 58.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

0 SpA Dragonite Hurricane vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kartana: 145-172 (107.4 – 127.4%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 0 SpA Dragonite Hurricane vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Ludicolo: 168-198 (107.6 – 126.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

 

COUNTERS AND CHECKS

 

Xerneas

 

Xerneas is single-handedly Dragonite’s biggest nightmare since it can punch through Dragonite’s Multiscale with +2 Moonblast unless players invest almost every available EV into Dragonite’s HP and Special Defense. Without a Weakness Policy to benefit from the hit, Dragonite simply cannot do much to threaten Xerneas in return.

 

Lunala

 

Lunala’s immunity to ExtremeSpeed makes Dragonite heavily reliant on its other coverage options in order to damage it. With Shadow Shield, Calm Mind and recovery methods of its own, Dragonite doesn’t really fancy its chances against the Moone Pokemon. The mascot of Pokemon Moon has no such qualms since Moongeist Beam ignores Multiscale to deal the full damage.

 

Dusk Mane Necrozma

 

Like Lunala, Dusk Mane Necrozma has access to a STAB move that ignores Dragonite’s Multiscale. As a Steel Type Pokemon with above average bulk, it takes most of Dragonite’s arsenal with ease, and Prism Armor helps to reduce any threat posed to it from Fire Punch.

 

TEAMMATES

 

Groudon

 

Groudon is a great teammate for Dragonite since it helps the latter manage opposing Steel Type Pokemon, especially Dusk Mane Necrozma thanks to STAB Precipice Blades. The player can throw Hurricane or Fire Punch on the Dragon Pokemon for opposing Kartana within and without Rain respectively, and Thunder Punch helps Groudon cover opposing Kyogre and Ho Oh.

 

Bisharp

 

Thanks to Defiant, opponents are discouraged from switching in or leading their Intimidate Pokemon in an attempt to cut Dragonite’s Attack. It is faster than Incineroar and can punish the Heel Pokemon with +1 Low Kick. Its Type combination also allows the Sword Blade Pokemon to cover opposing Xerneas with STAB Iron Head, as well as Lunala and Dusk Mane Necrozma with STAB Knock Off.

 

Incineroar

 

Incineroar is another way players can rely on to help Dragonite manage opposing Steel Type Pokemon. Thanks to Intimidate, Incineroar works well with Terrain Seed Dragonite variants . It packs Fake Out to buy Dragonite the turn to set up either Dragon Dance or Tailwind. In return, Dragonite helps Incineroar in its Kyogre match up with Thunder Punch. It might not be an OHKO, but is still fantastic as an option to catch the Sea Basin Pokemon on the switch in.

Magma Flow – Heatran Analysis for Sun Series (VGC 2019)

 

***THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE BENCHMARKS AS THE METAGAME STABILIZES***

 

OVERVIEW

 

Despite a mini-renaissance in 2018, Intimidate Incineroar’s release has seen it replace Heatran as the premier Fire Type Pokemon of VGC. With the return of Restricted Legendaries, Heatran’s stock looks set to take a further hit. Being weak to both Kyogre and Groudon has made it rather untenable to most players, especially after considering its relatively low Base Speed.

Yet, Heatran does have redeeming qualities. It remains as one of the only two Pokemon to have a 4x resistance to Fairy Type moves, making it a great way to wall Geomancy Xerneas. Flash Fire allows it to sit snugly against Incineroar variants that do not carry Low Kick, while its Fire Type STAB is invaluable at covering the likes of Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Dusk Mane Necrozma. Interestingly, Heatran shares the same Base Speed as Dusk Mane Necrozma. With the right support, Heatran can execute its niche to carve itself a spot in the metagame.

In this article, we shall look at how to construct a Heatran set for the Sun Series metagame. We will first explore its move combinations, followed by Hold Item choice, and finally, useful EV Benchmarks to wrap up the process.

 

MOVES

 

Slot 1

Heatran’s Fire Type STAB is, without a doubt, the most important move on any set. There are a few options to consider: Heat Wave, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Overheat. The first deals the lowest damage after factoring in spread move damage reduction, but hits both targets (albeit with shaky accuracy). Flamethrower is the only one on the list with perfect accuracy, but its Base Power is also the second lowest, at 90. Fire Blast is the next step up, but with a significant cut to move accuracy. Lastly, Overheat is the option for immediate immense damage, but comes with the tradeoff of lowering Heatran’s Special Attack by 2 stages after each successful use.

Slot 2

The second slot is usually awarded to Heatran’s Steel Type STAB. In this case, there is only one option viable – Flash Cannon. This slot is also one of the two that players can drop for Substitute, though it is not really advisable without Sun support.

Slot 3

The third slot goes to Heatran’s coverage slot, most commonly in the form of Earth Power. This allows Heatran to hit opposing Fire Type Pokemon, most notably Incineroar, as well as Steel Type Pokemon without a Ground Type move resisting secondary Type while Rain is active. Like Flash Cannon, this slot can also be dropped for Substitute.

Slot 4

This slot is usually left for Protect, to help the Lava Dome Pokemon bide a turn. Because of Heatran’s low Base Speed, this is important in helping Heatran avoid damage while either Tailwind or Trick Room is being set up.

 

HOLD ITEM

 

In Heatran’s case, its Hold Item choice largely revolves around the role that the player requires it to serve. Three possible options will be showcased here, namely: Choice Scarf, Type Resist Berry, and Pinch Berry.

 

Choice Scarf

 

Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 116 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Dark Pulse / Nature Power
– Earth Power
– Flash Cannon
– Overheat

 

Running Choice Scarf is a way for Heatran to overcome its low Base Speed and strike foes before it sets up or moves. The EVs provided allow Heatran to outspeed Base Speed 100 Pokemon with the aid of Choice Scarf. With Sun active, Overheat has a 56.3% chance to OHKO 4 HP Xerneas. If that is not desirable, players can opt to run other Fire Type STAB in its place. The final coverage goes to either Dark Pulse, which helps against opposing Lunala, or Nature Power, which pairs well with Grassy Terrain to allow Heatran to hit opposing Water Type Pokemon.

 

Type Resist Berry

 

Heatran @ Chople Berry / Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
EVs: 132 HP / 148 Def
Modest Nature / Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Earth Power
– Flash Cannon
– Heat Wave / Overheat
– Protect

 

A Type Resist Berry helps Heatran survive a super effective move it otherwise wouldn’t so that it can stay on the field to finish its job. There are two choices recommended here: Chople Berry and Shuca Berry. The Fighting Type Resist Berry is more useful when Heatran is well supported by Wide Guard to ward off Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades, though it should be noted that there aren’t a lot of Fighting Type moves around in the metagame, owing to the prevalence of Xerneas and Lunala.

Shuca Berry is the standard Type Resist Berry on Heatran since it helps to greatly alleviate its 4x Weakness to Ground Type moves. This puts Heatran in good stead against opposing Groudon, allowing it to survive a Precipice Blades and having a high chance to OHKO in return with Sun boosted Overheat. The EVs provided are the minimum investment needed for Heatran to survive Precipice Blades from Adamant Groudon.

Passho Berry is another option that players might consider, especially with the dominance of the Kyogre cores early in the metagame. However, it is not really recommended, because even if Heatran is able to survive a Water Type move from Kyogre, there isn’t much that Heatran can do in return.

 

Pinch Berry

 

Heatran @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
Level: 50
Modest Nature / Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Flash Cannon / Earth Power
– Heat Wave
– Protect
– Substitute

 

Pinch Berry’s buff in Generation VII has made it a great asset for any Pokemon that can pull off a bulky set, and Heatran is no exception. With Heatran’s wealth of Type resistances, it can capitalize on opponent’s switches to set up Substitute, and use the Pinch Berry to heal back the lost HP.

 

EV BENCHMARKS

 

Speed

116 EVs  -> Outspeed Timid Xerneas after +1 (Choice Scarf)

 

Defense

252+ Atk Groudon Precipice Blades vs. 132 HP / 148 Def Shuca Berry Heatran: 152-182 (83 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

 

Offense

0+ SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Stakataka: 184-220 (109.5 – 130.9%) — guaranteed OHKO

0+ SpA Heatran Overheat vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Prism Armor Dusk Mane Necrozma in Sun: 211-249 (103.4 – 122%) — guaranteed OHKO

124+ SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Dialga: 104-124 (50.2 – 59.9%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Heatran Earth Power vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Koko: 144-170 (98.6 – 116.4%) — 93.8% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Heatran Overheat vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Groudon in Sun: 202-238 (97.5 – 114.9%) — 87.5% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Heatran Overheat vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas in Sun: 186-220 (92 – 108.9%) — 56.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Heatran Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Amoonguss: 204-240 (92.3 – 108.5%) — 50% chance to OHKO

 

 

COUNTERS AND CHECKS

 

Kyogre

 

Kyogre heavily interferes with Heatran’s capability to eliminate Grass Type foes thanks to Drizzle, as well as smashes through the Lava Dome Pokemon with its Water Type STAB unless Sun is active. It also resists both of Heatran’s STAB moves. Without Z Moves to nuke the Sea Basin Pokemon with Bloom Doom, Heatran struggles badly against Kyogre.

 

Groudon

 

Groudon may not resist Fire Type moves, even setting up the Sun to bolster Heatran’s attacks, but it still outspeeds the Lava Dome Pokemon and is easily able to OHKO variants that lack Shuca Berry with STAB Precipice Blades, which is not nerfed by Grassy Terrain.

 

Palkia

 

Like Kyogre, Palkia resists both of Heatran’s STAB options. It can also use either STAB Hydro Pump or coverage in Earth Power to eliminate Heatran with ease.

 

TEAMMATES

 

Araquanid

 

Araquanid resists all of Heatran’s Type Weaknesses, allowing to serve as a switch in for Heatran on those moves. The main appeal to it would be its access to Wide Guard, which is highly useful in shielding Heatran from the likes of Water Spout, Origin Pulse, and Precipice Blades. With Water Bubble, it can reliably outdamage Groudon. Meanwhile, its Bug Type STAB helps to cover opposing Ludicolo and Tsareena.

 

Tapu Bulu

 

Grassy Terrain may not be as useful now that Ground Type moves predominantly exist in the form of Precipice Blades, but Tapu Bulu is still a very useful partner to the Lava Dome Pokemon. Thanks to Grassy Terrain, Tapu Bulu can eliminate both Kyogre and Groudon with STAB Wood Hammer. The duo also has perfect defensive synergy, since they resist each other’s Type Weaknesses completely.

 

Cresselia

 

Cresselia and Heatran have long been a common duo, with their synergy on full display as early as VGC 2012. Cresselia can Skill Swap Levitate onto Heatran to rid it of its main Type Weakness, and set up both Sunny Day and Trick Room to eliminate Heatran’s vulnerability to Water Type moves, bolster the power of Heatran’s Fire Type STAB, and allow Heatran to outspeed the Restricted Legendaries. As a Psychic Type Pokemon, Cresselia is also great at either absorbing a Fighting Type move through Ally Switch or eliminating Fighting Type Pokemon with its STAB.

Smackdown – Tyranitar Analysis for Sun Series (VGC 2019)

 

***THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH MORE BENCHMARKS AS THE METAGAME STABILIZES***

 

OVERVIEW

 

The “long-awaited” return of Kyogre and Groudon to VGC has had an immediate domino effect on the Weather War for VGC 2019. Without a powerful Restricted Legendary to wrest control of the Weather away from the aforementioned duo, the popularity of both Sand and Hail has quickly plummeted. That does not imply that those two Weather archetypes aren’t useful in the metagame though. Until Ultra Series, players can still change the Weather through normal means like Sand Stream and Snow Warning, so former greats like Tyranitar and Alolan Ninetales aren’t necessarily a lost cause.

As a Sand setter, Tyranitar serves as a great alternative answer to Lunala since the chip damage will definitely ruin Shadow Shield. The pseudo Legendary is also capable of dealing huge damage to the Moon Pokemon with its Dark Type STAB, as well as the likes of Yveltal and Incineroar with its Rock Type STAB. Its low Base Speed also allows it to function well under Trick Room, since it is slower than most, if not all, of the Restricted Legendaries.

In this article, we shall look at how to construct a Tyranitar set for the Sun Series metagame. We will first explore its move combinations, followed by Hold Item choice, and finally, useful EV Benchmarks to wrap up the process.

 

MOVES

 

Slot 1

Thanks to the prevalence of Dusk Mane Necrozma and Lunala, Dark Type moves are rather useful in the current metagame. This slot will, therefore, be dedicated to Tyranitar’s Dark Type STAB. It is a shame that the Armor Pokemon does not have access to Knock Off, so players will have to make do with alternatives in Crunch or Assurance. The first option is more reliable, while the other allows players to gamble for more damage if they can ensure that the target receives damage prior to Tyranitar’s attack.

Slot 2

The second slot is given to Tyranitar’s Rock Type STAB option. This usually exists in the form of Rock Slide or Stone Edge. The former hits for less damage, but is able to hit both targets and has less shaky accuracy. The latter enjoys higher Base Power and better chances to land a critical hit but suffers from low accuracy. Until Moon Series takes over and grants Tyranitar access to Rockium Z, players will have to make do with one of those two moves.

Slot 3

This slot ideally goes to Tyranitar’s offensive coverage. Examples would include Fire Punch for opposing Amoonguss and Ferrothorn (as well as Kartana and other Grass Type Pokemon on the switch in), Thunder Punch for opposing Kyogre, Iron Head for Xerneas, or Snarl to weaken opposing Special hitters. Players can also opt to run Curse for Trick Room variants, or Dragon Dance for faster variants. It should be noted that it is not recommended to run Dragon Dance since it requires significant investment into Tyranitar’s Speed to be effective, which heavily compromises on the bulk it needs to survive hits in the metagame.

Slot 4

This slot is usually left for Protect, to help the Armor Pokemon bide a turn. For those running the Assault Vest or Choice Band, a secondary coverage from the previous slot can be chosen instead.

 

HOLD ITEM

 

Tyranitar’s Hold Item is ideally meant to either improve or complement its bulk. Three possible options will be showcased here, namely: Assault Vest, Weakness Policy, and Pinch Berry.

 

Assault Vest

 

Tyranitar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Adamant Nature / Brave Nature
– Crunch
– Iron Head
– Rock Slide
– Thunder Punch

 

The combination of Sand and Assault Vest allows Tyranitar’s effective Special Defense to break the 300 point barrier, which is a very impressive feat. The EVs provided on this set allows the Armor Pokemon to survive Sunsteel Strike from Adamant Dusk Mane Necrozma, or a +2 Moonblast from Timid Xerneas. As a trade-off, there is almost no EV invested into Attack. Despite that, it is still sufficient to OHKO 252 HP Lunala after Shadow Shield has been broken.

 

 

Weakness Policy

 

Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Atk / 148 Def / 44 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Crunch
– Protect
– Rock Slide
– Thunder Punch / Iron Head

 

Running Weakness Policy allows Tyranitar to turn super effective hits into power boosters for itself so players can focus more on maintaining part of the bulk ratings offered by the Assault Vest spread above. Since it is now unable to survive +2 Moonblast from Xerneas, some of the EVs in Special Defense has been reallocated into Attack. It now survives +2 Dazzling Gleam from Timid Xerneas after spread damage reduction.

 

Pinch Berry

 

Tyranitar @ Figy Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 140 HP / 4 Atk / 236 Def / 12 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Crunch
– Dragon Dance
– Protect
– Rock Slide

 

For players intending to run Dragon Dance to boost Tyranitar’s damage output, they may want to consider running a Pinch Berry. The EVs provided here allow Tyranitar to outspeed unboosted Modest Kyogre after 1 Dragon Dance, while still maintaining the survival against Adamant Dusk Mane Necrozma’s Sunsteel Strike.

Since this particular variant allows Tyranitar to outspeed Kyogre, players can opt to drop a STAB move for Thunder Punch, assuming that they have sufficient backup answers for the move that they chose to drop. The move to drop is usually Rock Slide unless the player is highly dependent on Rock Type STAB on Tyranitar to cover Incineroar, in which case players can consider running Low Kick instead.

For those who are more interested in Trick Room, Curse can be used instead, and the EVs can be redistributed into HP and Special Defense instead since there is no longer a need for Speed investment and Curse helps to boost Tyranitar’s Attack and Defense. In that case, Brave Nature is recommended over Adamant Nature.

 

EV BENCHMARKS

 

Speed

116 EVs  -> Outspeed Modest Kyogre after +1

 

Defense

252+ Atk Dusk Mane Necrozma Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 148 Def Tyranitar: 174-206 (84 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

 

252+ SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 12 HP / 44 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 150-176 (84.7 – 99.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 44 HP / 52 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 30-36 (16.5 – 19.8%) — possible 6HKO

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 174-206 (84 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 140 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 174-206 (84 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 108 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 174-206 (84 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 204 SpD Assault Vest Tyranitar in Sand: 174-206 (84 – 99.5%) — guaranteed 2HKO

 

Offense

0+ Atk Tyranitar Crunch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Lunala: 280-336 (114.7 – 137.7%) — guaranteed OHKO

+2 4+ Atk Tyranitar Thunder Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 176-208 (100 – 118.1%) — guaranteed OHKO

 

COUNTERS AND CHECKS

 

Kyogre

 

While Tyranitar can mess up Kyogre’s Rain and punch through the Sea Basin Pokemon with +2 Thunder Punch, its lower Base Speed means that while it can switch in and survive Water Spout, it often won’t get the chance to retaliate unless supported by Wide Guard, Tailwind, or Trick Room. As a Weather setter itself, the switching in of Kyogre also deprives Tyranitar of Sand and its accompanying Special Defense boost.

 

Incineroar

 

While Incineroar is weak to Rock Slide, it helps itself out with Intimidate, which cuts Tyranitar’s Attack and robs it of its capability to land OHKOs on Lunala (post Shadow Shield breakage). It is also able to smash back with Low Kick, which targets Tyranitar’s unfortunate 4x Weakness to Fighting Type moves.

 

Kartana

 

Kartana is able to use either STAB Leaf Blade, STAB Smart Strike, or Sacred Sword to strike Tyranitar for super effective damage. Without Fire Punch, Tyranitar is basically Kartana fodder. With Fire Punch, Tyranitar still has to look out for a Kyogre switch in. While it may be possible to train Tyranitar to survive Leaf Blade or Smart Strike, it will severely compromise Tyranitar’s Special bulk and leave it wide open to Geomancy Xerneas.

 

TEAMMATES

 

Ludicolo

 

Ludicolo serves as a great way for Tyranitar to deal with opposing Kyogre and Groudon, thanks to a nifty 4x and 2x resistance to Water and Ground Type moves respectively. It can turn Kyogre’s Drizzle against it with Swift Swim and smash it with a fast Grass Knot. The same move can also be used to cut through Groudon. Scald helps to cover opposing Incineroar, Ice Beam for opposing Kartana, and Fake Out buys Tyranitar the turn to either set up or come in safely.

 

Palkia

 

Palkia appreciates a Tyranitar switch in to launch Hydro Pump against Groudon, and Flamethrower against the likes of Ferrothorn and Kartana, without burning up a Restricted Legendary slot to achieve the first feat. Palkia’s 4x resistance to Water Type moves also allows it to serve as a switch in against opposing Kyogre. It should be noted that both share a Weakness to Fairy Type moves, and Sand damage stacks with Life Orb recoil to quickly whittle down the Spatial Pokemon.

 

Dusk Mane Necrozma

 

Dusk Mane Necrozma appreciates Tyranitar’s capability to pressure opposing Yveltal and Lunala. In return, it helps the Armor Pokemon take care of opposing Xerneas, as well as Fighting Type Pokemon like Hitmontop and Toxicroak. It can also set up Trick Room for Tyranitar to abuse. While both are immune to Sand damage, they suffer common vulnerabilities to Intimidate and Ground Type moves.