Poke-Focus #3: Tyranitar

Introduction
Tyranitar is the pseudo-legendary Pokemon of 2nd Gen, and it remains one of the game's most powerful non-legendary Pokemon. In fact, it arguably only got better in 4th Gen, thanks to having a new, powerful physical Rock move, Crunch going physical and now working off its high Attack, and Sandstorm giving the Rock-type a 1.5x boost to Special Defense. This Pokemon is simply a beast, and can easily become one of the most threatening Pokemon on a team.

Capture/Training
The only place to catch Larvitar in the original Gold/Silver was way into the late-game, in Mount Silver. The same is more or less true in HG/SS, though they also appear in the Safari Zone (although about as rare and likely more difficult to catch; a 45 catch rate isn't exactly easy to deal with). So yeah, don't expect to get a Tyranitar for a while... unless you trade one over from Diamond.

With a 5% appearance rate, they're not exactly common, either. Probably best to catch one and deal with the nature you have, since even if you get stuck with a Modest or Timid one, a special-attacking Tyranitar is plenty viable.

Larvitar evolves into Pupitar at Lv. 30, then to Tyranitar at Lv. 55; yeah, it evolves very late. Partially because of such late evolutions, delaying these evolutions is wholly unnecessary; Pupitar learns its last important move, Stone Edge, one level before it evolves.

Statistics
100 HP, 134 Atk, 110 Def, 95 Sp. Atk, 100 Sp. Def, 61 Spd

Yeah, absolutely monstrous stats. That 134 Attack is killer, and remember that that already-above-average 100 Special Defense only gets kicked up a notch by the Sandstorm Shield. 95 Special Attack is hardly a slouch, either, and makes Tyranitar capable of fighting on the Special end, as well. Speed is the only weak stat, and even that can be fixed thanks to Dragon Dance, if necessary.

Stat distribution can go any of many ways. Have a Tyranitar that just isn't up to snuff with its physical prowess? Make it a surprise Special Attacker. Have an unusually fast Tyranitar? Use Dragon Dance or a Choice Scarf and watch it outrun most of the competition. All things considered, there really isn't such a thing as a "bad" nature for Tyranitar. Along the same lines, there is no such thing as a single EV set for it, either.

Abilities

Sand Stream is Tyranitar's only ability. It creates a sandstorm of indefinite length. At this point, it's probably a good idea to note exactly how a Sandstorm works, what are its benefits, and what are its disadvantages.

Sandstorm inflicts 1/16 of total HP in damage to any non-Rock, Ground, Steel, Sand Veil, or Magic Guard Pokemon, including your teammates. This can really wear down your opponents, but on the flip side, it just as easily can wear down your own Pokemon. It should be noted that, with Leftovers, the Sandstorm damage will be canceled out, unless the Pokemon is on its last 1/16th of health, since the Sandstorm damage will hit first and knock it out. Building your own team around Sandstorm likely includes having a couple extra Sandstorm-immune Pokemon (perhaps another Rock-type), having Pokemon that can more or less weather the storm, or having Pokemon who can replace the weather with something else.

Sandstorm also increases the Special Defense of any Rock-type by 1.5x. This is both a blessing and a curse; while Tyranitar and your other Rock-types will enjoy the protection, enemy Rock-types will only become that much harder to take down.

Finally, Sandstorm cuts the power of Solarbeam in half, and makes Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight restore only 1/4 HP. If you have Pokemon who rely on these moves, it's best to have someone who can replace the weather with sunlight. That, or just don't rely on those moves.

Moves
Primary Physical attacks? Stone Edge and Crunch, of course. Both hit hard and will be among your primary ways of dealing damage. Payback is an alternative Dark option if you don't mind Tyranitar eating an attack first (and it likely won't mind). On the Special side, Dark Pulse is an option, and a plenty viable one as Tyranitar does have a passable Special Attack stat. If you really want a special Rock attack, you'll probably have to make do with Ancientpower.

Tyranitar has a number of other great physical attacks with which to assail enemies. Earthquake is a classic, and as a bonus, Tyranitar learns it leveling up. Through Move Tutors, Tyranitar has access to a number of other great moves. First, it can learn the full punch-trifecta of Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and ThunderPunch. Fire Punch is particularly good at smacking Steel-types around, while Ice Punch badly wounds a large number of Pokemon. That said, Tyranitar also has access to one particularly killer move for it: Aqua Tail. This move really hurts any Ground-types that run up against it, and also nicely disposes of Rock-types trying to take advantage of the Sand-shield. Superpower is another high-powered attack that can be used to take out a large number of Pokemon; it's not particularly suited to multiple attacks, though. Focus Punch is another Fighting option, and works best if you have a Substitute up (creating the famous TyraniBoah set). For some lesser options, Aerial Ace takes down Heracross and Breloom, while Brick Break can help if you're facing a screen-user.

Tyranitar has a great selection of special attacks at its disposal. It learns the trifecta of Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower, all three of which are useful in different situations. Flamethrower can be replaced with Fire Blast for a harder-hitting Fire attack. And to make the trifecta a superfecta, there's also Surf. If you want a Ground-type attack not named Earthquake, there's Earth Power.

Pursuit is a more specialized and useful attack for Tyranitar switching in on Psychics and Ghosts: if they try to run, they'll get hit with a move of the same power as Crunch, essentially making it so they can't run. Watch out for Focus Blasters, though. Counter can give physical attackers a very nasty surprise.

Now for the various support options Tyranitar has. As a primarily offensive Pokemon, Tyranitar should focus on those support moves that directly support its offensive purposes. A great example of such a move is Dragon Dance, which simultaneously makes Tyranitar's attacks that much deadlier and helps remedy its low Speed problem. A fearful sight indeed. Curse goes the other way, by making Tyranitar's speed worse, but in exchange making it harder to take down while making it a more fearsome physical threat. If you just want to boost speed, Rock Polish works for that purpose.

As mentioned before, Substitute works well with Focus Punch. Then again, all things considered, Substitute works well in general. As a side note, giving Tyranitar max HP EVs with max-HP IVs will result in 404 HP, and hence 101 HP Substitutes that can't be broken by Seismic Toss. A Rest-Sleep Talk combo is viable, too. Stealth Rock has its use, too, especially if Tyranitar is your lead-off.

Moveset 1: TyraniBoah
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Dark Pulse/Crunch
- (secondary special attack)

This moveset was apparently the bane of 3rd Gen battling, to the point where it got its own name. Apparently, the theory was that it would counter many of the bigger threats in the game, between Focus Punch, the Dark-type attack, and the chosen special attack. This is an example of an effective mixed-attacking Tyranitar, and for full effect requires a healthy amount of attention to its Special Attack stat, while not ignoring Attack, either. Max HP is really key, though, to creating those Substitutes.

Moveset 2: Choice Specs?
- Dark Pulse
- (secondary special attack)
- (secondary special attack)
- Superpower/(secondary special attack)

A Choice Specs Tyranitar is a special sort of gimmick Tyranitar that will surprise many that try to counter it. Flamethrower is a good special attack choice for taking down unsuspecting Steel-types, while Surf and Ice Beam work well against Ground-types. If a certain Blissey tries to ruin your fun... well, Superpower might give it a surprise. Oh, and why the question mark? Because you can try something really sneaky and use an Expert Belt instead. Bluff the Choice item, then when your opponent tries to send in a counter, surprise 'em with a different attack!

General Moveset
- Stone Edge
- (primary Dark attack)
- (secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/(support move)

As usual, four attacks invites a Choice set. Mixing physical and special attacks is certainly an option here. Pick a good set of offensive moves and you're good to go.

Items

Leftovers and Life Orb remain classics. Choice Items are always good on the four-attack sets. Expert Belt can be used well, considering the nice type coverage offered by a good selection of attacks, and can be used to bluff a Choice item and surprise an enemy. A more specific option is the Babiri Berry, used to weaken a super-effective Steel attack, and used if you're worried about Scizor's Bullet Punch.

Effective Movesets

1. Choice

- Stone Edge

- Crunch

- Pursuit

- Earthquake

Item: Choice Scarf/Choice Band

Note: Say hello to the ultimate Psychic/Ghost destroyer. Pursuit essentially ensures they won't escape certain defeat. It works better in human battles where switch-outs are more common, though. If only used in-game, Aqua Tail is a fine replacement.

2. Dragon Dance

- Dragon Dance

- Stone Edge

- Crunch

- Earthquake/Fire Punch/Aqua Tail

3. TyraniBoah

- Substitute

- Focus Punch

- Dark Pulse

- Flamethrower/Ice Beam/Thunderbolt

4. CurseTar

- Curse

- Payback

- Stone Edge

- Rest

5. MixTar

- Stone Edge

- Crunch/Dark Pulse

- Flamethrower/Ice Beam

- Thunderbolt

Tyranitar is no lightweight in any sense of the word. Though it takes massive amounts of training to train him up, it's even more difficult to be disappointed with what he has to offer.