Sp. Attack: 95/
Sp. Defense: 100/
Sand Stream: This Pokémon summons a sandstorm in battle.
Welcome to SplashAttack! I'm Alltheginjoints and I play the defensive game primarily. In the spotlight today is my bulky mixed Tyranitar set which I have aptly named Mega-Tankitar. Most of the Tyranitars that I've come across this generation, particularly with the advent of mega evolutions, have been Dragon Dance or other all out attacking sets. While these sets are very strong and have merit (A Mega Tyranitar with one Dragon Dance under its belt can 2HKO a fully defensive Skarmory with Crunch) I feel they under utilize Mega Tyranitar's most attractive characteristics, notably its combination of a high attack and great mixed defenses.
The focus of this set is absorb as many hits from strong attackers as possible and OHKO or 2HKO back in return. The King's dual type of Rock/Dark bring with it 7 weaknesses to common attacking types - Fairy, Water, Grass, Ground, Fighting, Bug in addition to the less common Steel - but do not let that deceive you. Mega Tyranitar's good HP stat of 100 combined with it's impressive 150/120 defensive stats allow it to take even super effective hits with little cost. This dinosaur also summons a five-turn sand storm each time it switches in thanks to its ability Sand Stream. This negates enemy Leftovers recovery, defeats Pokemon that have Focus Sash and provides an invaluable boost to its own Special Defense.
While it has several weaknesses, it does carry import resistances in Fire, Flying, Dark, Ghost, and Normal, including a Psychic immunity. These resistances allow it to come in on some of the most popular OU Pokémon including Talonflame, the Lati-twins, Charizard-Y and even Aegislash. If Tyranitar has already Mega-evolved it can switch into a Charizard using Fire Blast, survive an additional Focus Blast and retaliate with Stone Edge, which is quite the feat. Keeping all this in mind, let's take a look at the nitty-gritty aspects of this set.
Tyranitar
Hold Item: Tyranitarite
Nature: Sassy/Careful nature
EVs: 252HP/156Def/100Sp. Def
Crunch/Pursuit
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Ice Beam/Stealth Rock/Fire Blast
The EV spread listed is mainly to maximize its mixed walling capabilities and ability to switch into attacks and hit back hard. A great example of how well this takes hits is that it can take less than 50% from Aegislash's Sacred Sword, a marvelous feat considering it hits for x4, and OHKO in return with the appropriate move. Crunch is to deal with Defog-carrying Latios or Latias, or you can opt to carry Pursuit if punishing them on the switch out is more your style. Tyranitar can switch into any of their sets with impunity as, even from a Life Orb-boosted Latios, Tyranitar will take no more than 25% from Draco Meteor or Surf.
Stone Edge is the primary attacking move on this set, as it can take out Talonflame and hurt most tough Pokémon on the switch in, being both STAB-boosted and backed by Mega T-tar's 164 base attack. Theoretically, Rock Slide could be used if you are genuinely afraid of missing at that crucial moment, but because this set does not invest in attack it won't hit nearly as hard as you want it to, making it an inferior choice in most cases. Earthquake is used for destroying all Heatran and Bisharp switch-ins and is generally a reliable move to use for those low HP kills - plus it gives you the option to hit Aegislash without activating King's Shield.
Ice Beam is the last move on this set and the sole reason to run a Sassy nature over a Careful nature. The most common switch-ins to Tyranitar are Gliscor and Landorus-T, both of which are heavily punished by exploiting their x4 weakness to Ice type attacks and their weaker Special Defenses. If you not worried about either of those, you can run Fire Blast to hurt Ferrothorn and Skarmory, or switch to the Careful nature to run Stealth Rock.
When building a team with a bulky Tyranitar set, here are some other Pokémon to keep in mind. Tyranitar's largest problem as a tank is its lack of recovery. By running the Mega Stone you obviously forfeit Leftovers recovery, and while the tyrant can take a hit like a champion, these attacks will leave their toll on the dinosaur over the course of a long battle. The best thing you can do to solve this problem is to pair Tyranitar with a sturdy Wish Passer/Cleric. While the most obvious candidate is Blissey or Chansey, as they can pass Wishes larger than anyone else in the game, they have the same weakness to Fighting that Tyranitar has. The Pokémon I prefer to use for the tyrant’s partner is Specially Defensive Clefable (set to come at a later date) as, with its Fairy typing, it can absorb the Fighting and Bug type moves so commonly directed at Tyranitar. It can pass fairly large wishes and can use Aromatherapy if the tyrant king’s attack is crippled by burn, or if it finds itself on the wrong end of an unfortunate status move.
Because Tyranitar summons sandstorm on the switch-in, you should consider other Pokémon who benefit from the sandstorm when building your team. A fantastic example is Excadrill, who can use the sandstorm to sweep with a Sand Rush set or use a Mold Breaker-Rapid Spin set to remove the hazards Tyranitar dislikes so much. For similar reasons, Donphan is a fun Pokémon to play with. Another great teammate is Skarmory, who is immune to the sandstorm and enjoys the residual damage on opponents. It can also switch into every Earthquake aimed at Tyranitar.
Pokémon to look out for: Tyranitar's number 1 enemy this generation is Conkeldurr. All the investment you put into bulk does nothing to stop the stone-wielding ape from stealing all of Tyranitar's HP with Drain Punch. Technician Breloom can always Mach Punch its way right through its powerful defenses and threaten to put an ally to sleep on the switch-out. As mentioned earlier, Landorus-T and Gliscor threaten with Earthquake, but will be cautious on the switch-in because of Ice Beam. Azumarill won't switch into any of Tyranitar's moves, but if it gets free switch-ins, it can force the tyrant out and use the opportunity to set up a Belly Drum, which even the mighty Tyrant King cannot withstand.
Anyway, thanks for reading everyone! I hope you take a look at this set and you can find some use for it.
