The best moveset for Tyranitar in Pokemon GO

Image via Game Freak
Image via Game Freak

No player in Pokemon GO can ever go wrong with investing resources in Tyranitar due to its strength, utility, and sheer power.

Originating from the Johto region, Tyranitar is part rock-type, part dark-type behemoth of a pseudo legendary. It’s one of the strongest Pokemon around in both the main series and in Pokemon GO. In the latter, it has an enviable 251 Attack stat, and with respectable defenses it is a threat to be reckoned with. Any trainer can put these moves on Tyranitar and be successful in Raids, PvP, and almost any other game mode.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.


The best moveset for Tyranitar in Pokemon GO

Image via The Pokemon Company
Image via The Pokemon Company

First of all, Tyranitar got a huge buff with the Elite Technical Machine for Smack Down. With 16 Power, this is one of the highest damaging moves in all of Pokemon GO. Considering the fact that it also has STAB, since Tyranitar is a Rock-type, this move really racks up damage quickly.

For charge moves to teach Tyranitar, the no brainer should be Stone Edge. It’s the best rock move in the game, and on one of the strongest Pokemon in the game, it will be a huge asset. This move does a DPS of 52.2 from Tyranitar, which can compare well with the other powerful charge moves in the game. Charizard and Shadow Moltres won’t be problems anymore with this move.

There are a couple of options for Tyranitar’s second charge move, but Crunch is the most efficient choice. It only has 70 power, but it also only needs 33 energy to activate. This means that, in neutral matchups where Tyranitar just needs a strong move to finish the enemy off, it should have Crunch charged up quickly. The move specifically does 26.3 DPS from Tyranitar.

Tyranitar also gets access to Fire Blast, and while this can be an interesting option, it isn’t as reliable as Crunch. The value that Tyranitar gets from Fire Blast is that it can deal with Steel-type Pokemon. The issue is, however, that it’s going to take forever to charge. So if Tyranitar is in front of, say, a Registeel, it will do a ton of damage with Fire Blast, but it might not survive long enough to use it. In these instances it’s better off to simply switch to a more appropriate Pokemon.