Tyranitar

Tyranitar, The Armor Pokémon. It wanders through the mountains seeking opponents to fight. If it finds an opponent that’s not worthy, Tyranitar ignores it and wanders on. This Pokémon is a mobile disaster, leaving mountains crumbled and houses destroyed in its wake.

Overview

He's bad, he's back and he's hungry for battle. Tyranitar features in another generation being infamously known for making Psychic types cry in fear when it shows up at team preview. Its awesome Attack combined with its great bulk, Sand Stream and two spammable STABs, makes it a devastating monster easy to fit on most teams. However, Tyranitar is let down by its mediocre defensive typing which leaves it vulnerable to Ground, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass, Fairy, Fighting and due to its low Speed, it can easily be forced out by faster threats. This generation has introduced a plethora of Fairy types including Tapu Bulu, Magearna and Mimikyu which make Tyranitar's job more difficult. However, if you need a Pokemon that can deal with those pesky Ghost and Psychic types, Tyranitar is the right Pokemon for the job.
Positives
A base 100 / 110 / 100 raw bulk makes Tyranitar incredibly durable and bulky, capable of taking even super-effective hits like a champ (As long as they aren't Fighting type attacks). Its Mega form grants a jaw dropping bulk of 100/150/120 making it difficult to take down in one hit.
Rock and Dark are two easily spammable STABs and access to Pursuit allows Tyranitar to check and trap Pokemon like Latios, Mega Alakazam and Gengar.
Sand Stream is a fantastic ability that not only sets its weather for teammates like Excadrill or Mega Garchomp, but also increases its own Special Defense.
A varied movepool and great offensive base stats (134 / 95) (164 / 95 for Mega) allows Tyranitar to pull out many sets thanks to its incredibly balanced stats. From Ice Beam and Fire Blast to Dragon Dance, Stealth Rock and Curse; the sky is the limit for Tyranitar when it comes to versatility.

Negatives
Rock / Dark grants a horrible weakness to x4 Fight meaning that even Mega Tyranitar's raw bulk will be smashed into pieces by STAB Fighting types moves from the likes of Mega Lucario, Blaziken, Mega Lopunny and Keldeo. Due to its mediocre defensive typing, it also stacks weaknesses to Water, Grass, Steel, Ground and Fairy.
While Mega Tyranitar has a more useful base 71 Speed, it is still very slow which makes it easy to force out with faster Scarf users like Landorus-Therian. Regular Tyranitar's low Speed makes it vulnerable to Pokemon like Mega Mawile. Due to its x4 weakness to Fighting type attacks, Tyranitar can be overwhelmed by coverage moves like Focus Blast from the likes of Tapu Lele, Gengar and Mega Alakazam which are Pokemon that Tyranitar is supposed to check.

Movesets

Sicario

- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
40 HP / 252 Atk / 48 SpD / 168 Spe
Adamant Nature

With the raw power of a Choice Band, Tyranitar achieves staggering amounts of damage making it a very dangerous wallbreaker. Pursuit allows Tyranitar to trap targets like Alolan Marowak, Latios, Latias, and Blacephalon. Even if they decide to stay, due to the Band's power, they will either be heavily damages or OHKO'd. Due to Singles' lack of reliable Dark switch-ins, Crunch becomes a very spammable move that can bring even more pain with its chances of lowering the opponent's Defense. Stone Edge ravages Zapdos and Volcarona while providing a neat middle-ground against Skarmory and Celesteela. Finally, Earthquake is used on the last slot due to its ability of 2HKOing Toxapex while dishing a lot of damage to Magearna. Fire Punch is once again an option if you wish to hurt Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor badly.

40 HP and 48 SpD EVs allows Tyranitar to survive a +1 Savage Spin Out from Volcarona and Choice Specs Tapu Lele's Moonblast. 168 Spe EVs are needed to outspeed 252 Spe Mega Mawile. Max Attack is used to increase its damage output as much as possible.

Partners

Rotom-Wash: Volt Switch allows it to regain momentum from Latios and Latias allowing Tyranitar to switch safely into them and Pursuit trap them.
Tapu Bulu: Thanks to Grassy Surge, it weakens its Ground type weakness while providing a small recovery making Tyranitar very resilient.
Landorus-Therian: Thanks to Intimidate, immunity to Ground and its resistance to Fight, it can easily switch into Fighting types that threaten Mega Tyranitar and check Mega Mawile.
Mega Charizard Y: Believe it or not, Charizard synergizes very well with Banded Tyranitar due to its ability to trap its checks like Latios and Latias, Assault Vest Tornadus and Chansey. Both also heavily pressure teams due to their wallbreaking abilities.
Tapu Fini: It provides Defog support and due to this set's wallbreaker abilities, it protects Tyranitar from burns and paralysis thanks to Misty Surge. Both also form an anti-stall core capable of dismantling the most defensive teams.
Zapdos: Tyranitar pretty much destroys Chansey and Latios and Latias which are troublesome for Zapdos to handle. In return, Zapdos can switch into Fighting and Ground types while potentially paralyzing a check if it has Static. It can also remove hazards for Tyranitar which is great.
Excadrill: Sand Stream is pretty obvious at this point. Due to Tyranitar's ability to heavily damage Celesteela and Landorus-Therian, it forms a decent core with Tyranitar.

JURASSIC CHASE-DOWN

- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Item Attached: Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
224 HP / 32 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature

What was used in the past as a patch solution to handle the broken Naganadel, it paves it way as a dedicated Pursuit user if you think that a Band or Mega set can't cut it specially with all of those trigger happy Mega Alakazams clicking Focus Blast. Pursuit is basically what defines this set's dedication to stop cold on its tracks any Psychic type, even if it means eating a Focus Blast on its face. Crunch is in there in case you're into playing those Pursuit vs Crunch mindgames on whether the opponent stays or flees. Rock Slide provides more accurate and consistent damage while still being able to OHKO Mega Charizard-Y and Volcarona. It's worth mentioning that thanks to its raw special bulk, not even a +1 Savage Spin Out will be able to take down Tyranitar, making it the ultimate check for the moth. Finally, Earthquake is there to chip some damage on Magearna and Mega Mawile preventing them from switching into Tyranitar freely.

224 HP and 252 SpD allows Tyranitar to become a formidable special wall and check to many threats such as Volcarona, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam and Mega Charizard Y. 224 HP EVs is also more than good enough to avoid the 2HKO from Mega Latios Earthquake at full HP. The rest is invested in Atk for more power./p>

Partners

Rotom-Wash: Once again, our washing machine lures Latios and Latias and it can regain momentum from them with Volt Switch so that Tyranitar can get a safe switch in and Pursuit trap them. This set also appreciates Rotom's ability to Defog away hazards as the chip damage may reduce its effectiveness upon switching.
Clefable: Wish allows Tyranitar to play a bit more reckless upon switching by recovering the damage lost in the process.
Tapu Bulu: Weakens opposing Earthquakes and provides Tyranitar with an additional chip recovery for a few turns which greatly benefits this set's trapping abilities.
Zapdos: On a similar vein, it removes hazards with Defog which is heavily appreciated by this set. Tyranitar is also capable of trapping Latios and Latias which are Pokemon Zapdos struggles with.
Heatran: Access to Stealth Rock and its ability to deal with the bulky Grass types that trouble Tyranitar such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, makes it an ideal partner. Take into account that Heatran and Tyranitar share a Water, Fight and Ground weakness.
Landorus-Therian: An excellent partner that resists Fighting-type attacks, is immune to Ground-type moves, inflicts chip damage with Rocky Helmet, and can pivot Tyranitar into battle via U-turn.

Other Options

Tyranitar can use a Choice Scarf set to outspeed some foes like Starmie while still being able to Pursuit. However, this set's lack of power makes it almost deadweight against defensive teams and even with the Scarf's boost, it is still slower against Pokemon like Weavile and Tapu Koko.
Curse is an option which increases its Attack and Defense but lowers its Speed, however on a Pokemon with so many weaknesses and easily capable of being forced out, it does not finds many opportunities to reliably set up making it a terrible idea to use in Singles.
Tyranitar could possibly fit in Thunderbolt on the Sassy sets to hurt Tapu Fini and Keldeo on the switch while providing a middle-ground against Celesteela. Other than that, it offers very little. .

Countering Tyranitar

Fighting types such as Mega Lopunny, Keldeo, Mega Blaziken and Hawlucha are easily capable of OHKOing Tyranitar and Mega Tyranitar thanks to their STAB moves which will dent even the bulkiest sets. Mega Lopunny deserves a special mention as even with a +1 boost, it is capable of still outspeeding Mega Tyranitar.
Strong Water types such as Ash Greninja, Gyarados and Keldeo threaten it greatly with their STAB Water moves. Bulkier ones such as Suicune, Toxapex and Rotom-Wash can potentially threaten Tyranitar with a burn.
Ground types like Landorus-Therian, Garchomp and Hippowdown can switch into Tyranitar and threaten it with their STAB Earthquake moves. However, take into account that if Tyranitar is being paired with Tapu Bulu, it becomes harder for these Pokemon to break it down.
Steel types like Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Celesteela, Kartana and Jirachi resist one or two of its STAB moves and as long as they avoid its coverage moves, they can easily dispatch Tyranitar. Take into account that Mega Metagross needs prior damage to OHKO with Meteor Mash, Jirachi needs to consistently flinch it with Iron Head or it will fall down to Crunch and Mega Scizor needs to avoid Fire coverage.
Fairy Types like Mega Mawile and Mimikyu can threaten Tyranitar. Mega Mawile deserves a special mention as due to Intimidate it weakens its Attack stat and OHKOs it with Play Rough. The possible threat of a Let's Snuggle Forever, is enough to scare Tyranitar and make it think twice, specially if Mimikyu has its Disguise intact.
Bulky Grass types like Tapu Bulu and Tangrowth are able to consistently check Tyranitar due to its great bulk while threatening Tyranitar with their STAB moves. Take into account that Tapu Bulu's Grassy Surge will weaken your own Ground type attacks against it while providing opposing Tyranitars some chip recovery.
Powerful coverage moves like Focus Blast or Superpower from the likes of Mega Alakazam, Gengar and Tornadus-Therian will easily dent Tyranitar preventing it from switching further in the game.

Mega Corner

Tyranitar, The Armor Pokémon. Due to the colossal power poured into it, this Pokémon’s back split right open. Its destructive instincts are the only thing keeping it moving. The effects of Mega Evolution make it more ferocious than ever. It’s unclear whether it can even hear its Trainer’s orders.

Overview

He's bad, he's back and he's hungry for battle. Tyranitar features in another generation being infamously known for making Psychic types cry in fear when it shows up at team preview. Its awesome Attack combined with its great bulk, Sand Stream and two spammable STABs, makes it a devastating monster easy to fit on most teams. However, Tyranitar is let down by its mediocre defensive typing which leaves it vulnerable to Ground, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass, Fairy, Fighting and due to its low Speed, it can easily be forced out by faster threats. This generation has introduced a plethora of Fairy types including Tapu Bulu, Magearna and Mimikyu which make Tyranitar's job more difficult. However, if you need a Pokemon that can deal with those pesky Ghost and Psychic types, Tyranitar is the right Pokemon for the job.

Movesets

THE MOUNTAIN

- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Beam / Fire Punch
Item Attached: Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
248 HP / 84 Atk / 68 Def / 64 SpA / 12 SpD / 32 Spe
Sassy Nature

Mega Tyranitar's increased stats allows it to perform as an incredible hazard setter while being able to Pursuit trap troublesome Psychic types such as Blacephalon, Latios and Mega Alakazam. Stealth Rock is crucial on this set as thanks to Mega Tyranitar's raw bulk, it finds plenty of opportunities to lay down rocks. Pursuit is Tyranitar's main weapon to trap and punish Pokemon like Gengar, Mega Alakazam, Choice locked Tapu Lele and Latios KOing them in the process. Thanks to its typing, it finds itself pretty comfortable on dealing with Defog Latios and Latias as it can easily Pursuit trap them. Stone Edge is Tyranitar's main tool to ravage Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Zapdos and Volcarona while providing a good STAB to spam against neutral targets. Finally, the last move is Ice Beam which is simply dedicated to OHKO Gliscor and Landorus-Therian while dealing huge damage to Garchomp and Dragonite. Fire Punch is also another option to deal damage to Ferrothorn, Mega Mawile, Magearna, Kartana and Mega Scizor. Additionally, if your team carries another Stealth Rock user, you can forgo this move for Fire Punch.

248 HP EVs and 68 Def allows Tyranitar to survive Kartana's Sacred Sword at full health while the 12 SpD EVs allows it to survive Mega Alakazam's Focus Blast at full HP and reliably trap him. 32 Spe EVs are necessary to outspeed min Speed Celesteela and Magearna. 64 SpA EVs are needed to OHKO Landorus-Therian and Gliscor after Stealth Rock damage. Finally, the rest is dumped into Attack to increase its overall power. If you are not using Ice Beam and running Fire Punch instead, it is recommended to use a 168 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Spe spread with an Adamant in order to outspeed Mega Mawile and smack it first with Fire Punch before it moves.

Partners

Rotom-Wash: It attracts Pokemon like Latios and Latias from which it can Volt Switch and pivot into Tyranitar so it can reliably Pursuit trap them. It also provides Defog support which is greatly appreciated by Mega Tyranitar since it is vulnerable to all forms of hazards.
Tapu Bulu: Thanks to Grassy Surge, it weakens its Ground type weakness while providing a small recovery making it incredibly hard to take down and able to take down Landorus-Therian and Garchomp with Ice Beam.
Landorus-Therian: Thanks to Intimidate, immunity to Ground and its resistance to Fighting, it can easily switch into Fighting types that threaten Mega Tyranitar and check Mega Mawile.
Keldeo: Due to its vulnerability to Psychic, this Pokemon baits Psychic types like Mega Alakazam, Latios and Latias, which all fall victims to Tyranitar's trapping abilities.
Gyarados: On Team Preview it may create potential mind games with the opponent as it will be guessing which could be the Mega before facing it in battle. Thanks to its Flyinium Z, it can also remove Tyranitar's checks like Tapu Bulu and Tangrowth.
Excadrill: For obvious reasons, this Pokemon should always be mentioned as it can abuse Tyranitar's Sand Stream which allows it to sweep. It heavily appreciates Tyranitar's ability to OHKO Landorus-Therian with Ice Beam.

GODZILLA

- Ice Punch
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Fire Punch / Earthquake
Item Attached: Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

A standalone from Generation IV, thanks to its Mega Evolution increased stats and extra Speed, it finds itself perfectly capable of running a Dragon Dance set in order to sweep the opponent's team with the right support. Dragon Dance allows it to increase its Speed and Attack making it capable of outspeeding Tapu Koko at +1. Ice Punch allows Mega Tyranitar to ravage Landorus-Therian, Garchomp and Gliscor after a boost. Stone Edge is the better STAB to run on this set due to its higher power and super-effective coverage capable of destroying the bulkiest of Zapdos while ravaging Mega Charizard and Volcarona. On the last slot, Fire Punch can be used to toast Kartana, Ferrothorn, Mega Mawile, Celesteela and Mega Scizor after a boost. However, Earthquake deals more damage to Magearna and Mega Mawile while nailing Toxapex who would otherwise Haze away your boosts. It's worth mentioning that even without a boost, Earthquake is powerful enough to achieve a 2HKO on Toxapex.

Max Attack and Speed allows Tyranitar to outspeed Timid Tapu Koko at +1 with a Jolly nature while maximizing its damage output from its impressive 164 base Attack stat. Sand Stream is always the preferred ability on its base form as Tyranitar benefits from the Special Defense buff Sandstorm provides when switching in.

Partners

Tapu Fini: Due to this set's sweeping abilities, it heavily appreciates Tapu Fini's Defog support eliminating any hazard that chips Tyranitar's health while providing immunities to burn and paralysis thanks to Misty Surge. It's also worth mentioning that with Taunt / Whirlpool / Nature's Madness, it can stallbreak helping Mega Tyranitar against stall teams.
Tapu Bulu: Thanks to Grassy Surge, it weakens its Ground type weakness while providing a small recovery allowing Tyranitar more opportunities to set up.
Alolan Ninetales: Thanks to its access to Aurora Veil, it makes Mega Tyranitar a legit nightmare to beat thanks to the boost provided to its gargantuan bulk.
Ferrothorn: Access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes makes it a great ally despite the shared Fighting weakness to chip the opponent's checks to Mega Tyranitar while being capable of checking Water types like Ash Greninja who can potentially end Mega Tyranitar's sweep with Water Shuriken if weakened.
Landorus-Therian: An excellent partner that resists Fighting-type attacks, is immune to Ground-type moves, inflicts chip damage with Rocky Helmet, and can pivot Tyranitar into battle via U-turn.
Excadrill: Sand Rush, nuff said.

Other Options

Curse is an option which increases its Attack and Defense but lowers its Speed, however on a Pokemon with so many weaknesses and easily capable of being forced out, it does not finds many opportunities to reliably set up making it a terrible idea to use in Singles.
Tyranitar could possibly fit in Thunderbolt on the Sassy sets to hurt Tapu Fini and Keldeo on the switch while providing a middle-ground against Celesteela. Other than that, it offers very little.

VGC & Double Battle Options

Tyranitar is a Pokemon that by all accounts does not look like something that would be good in Doubles at all. Despite this, Tyranitar stands as one of the strongest picks in the current standard Doubles metagame, more so than in past generations where its viability varied quite a bit. Rock/Dark suffers from a huge range of bad weaknesses for Doubles but these are mostly outweighed by its fantastic offensive typing as well as its Psychic immunity and resistances to Flying, Ghost, Poison, Fire, and Dark. In short, Tyranitar is particularly good this gen largely because it's a fantastic answer to Incineroar and Mega Gengar, both of which are highly dangerous Pokemon that all teams must be prepared to beat. This ultimately makes Tyranitar a great teammate for the Tapus since it does a fantastic job of dealing with most of the threats they don't want to bother with, while notably benefiting from Misty Terrain and Grassy Terrain itself. Additionally, their presence also contributes to the generally low relevance of Fighting-type Pokemon which helps out Tyranitar quite a bit, as Kommo-o is the only particularly common one and it hates dealing with Fairy-types. This is not to say that its other weaknesses to Ground and Water are not highly impactful and significant weaknesses that must be addressed, but if that alone was enough to invalidate a Pokemon in Doubles then Incineroar wouldn't be the best Pokemon in the metagame.

Riot Horn

- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Low Kick / Dragon Dance / Ice Punch
- Protect
Item Attached: Tyranitarite / Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature

Tyranitar has less flexibility than in Singles, but it still has enough variation to make it a reliable pick for many teams. It's hard to recommend a strong Rock-type in Doubles without Rock Slide, even with the low Speed resulting in fewer flinches it's still a reliable spread STAB move coming off of Tyranitar's great Attack. Crunch provides Tyranitar with a reliable single target STAB which is particularly helpful for dealing with Mega Metagross, which doesn't care about Rock Slide. Tyranitar's third move ultimately depends on what role it is meant to fill, with Low Kick being useful for dealing with Snorlax and opposing Tyranitar while Ice Punch provides an option to scare Landorus-T. Dragon Dance changes how Tyranitar functions more drastically, giving up coverage to fill a late-game sweeping role that becomes more dangerous with the faster Rock Slide flinch potential. This also helps prevent Tyranitar from being completely neutered by Intimidate, which is helpful considering the generally average base power of its moves. Oh, and Protect is Protect, very useful on a Pokemon with so many weaknesses.

The given EV spread is a generic starting point, but it is very flexible depending on if you want Tyranitar to be bulkier or faster. However, maintaining some level of Speed is useful to avoid being Speed crept by Incineroar which sometimes carries Low Kick just for Tyranitar. While a Mega Stone normally changes how a Pokemon performs, Tyranitar mostly uses it for the generic stat increases across the board which makes it more powerful and significantly bulkier. If other Mega options are being utilized, Tyranitar can opt for a Weakness Policy instead to capitalize on its numerous weaknesses since it is generally bulky enough to eat one super-effective hit. Adamant nature is preferred if Dragon Dance is not being used to get the most of out Tyranitar's damage output, while Jolly nature gives greater returns on Dragon Dance sets. Brave nature can also be considered on Trick Room teams, though this is not necessary. Unnerve may seem tempting to shut out the numerous berry users in Doubles but Sand Stream's chip damage and Special Defense boost are very important.

Other Options

- Superpower is a more consistent Fighting-type move than Low Kick, though it's only particularly useful if you really want to maximize damage output against Mega Kangaskhan and Incineroar in a single hit.
- Tyranitar can utilize a Choice Scarf to function as a sort of revenge killer and otherwise fire off fast Rock Slides to snipe the likes of Charizard before it can act. However, locking into a move with Tyranitar can be risky due to its lack of reliable high powered STAB moves. It should go without saying that Stone Edge is not a reliable STAB move for Doubles, despite its high power.
- Z-Crystals are somewhat unconventional but always worth consideration if the single-use burst damage is desirable. However, Tyranitar lacks the high powered STAB moves for this unless you make room for Stone Edge.
- Likewise, pinch berries can help keep Tyranitar around even longer but it would generally rather have all the power it can get since its numerous weaknesses make it difficult to rely on tanking hits for too many turns.

Countering Mega Tyranitar

Fighting types such as Mega Lopunny, Keldeo, Mega Blaziken and Hawlucha are easily capable of OHKOing Tyranitar and Mega Tyranitar thanks to their STAB moves which will dent even the bulkiest sets. Mega Lopunny deserves a special mention as even with a +1 boost, it is capable of still outspeeding Mega Tyranitar.
Strong Water types such as Ash Greninja, Gyarados and Keldeo threaten it greatly with their STAB Water moves. Bulkier ones such as Suicune, Toxapex and Rotom-Wash can potentially threaten Tyranitar with a burn.
Ground types like Landorus-Therian, Garchomp and Hippowdown can switch into Tyranitar and threaten it with their STAB Earthquake moves. However, take into account that if Tyranitar is being paired with Tapu Bulu, it becomes harder for these Pokemon to break it down.
Steel types like Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Celesteela, Kartana and Jirachi resist one or two of its STAB moves and as long as they avoid its coverage moves, they can easily dispatch Tyranitar. Take into account that Mega Metagross needs prior damage to OHKO with Meteor Mash, Jirachi needs to consistently flinch it with Iron Head or it will fall down to Crunch and Mega Scizor needs to avoid Fire coverage.
Fairy Types like Mega Mawile and Mimikyu can threaten Tyranitar. Mega Mawile deserves a special mention as due to Intimidate it weakens its Attack stat and OHKOs it with Play Rough. The possible threat of a Let's Snuggle Forever, is enough to scare Tyranitar and make it think twice, specially if Mimikyu has its Disguise intact.
Bulky Grass types like Tapu Bulu and Tangrowth are able to consistently check Tyranitar due to its great bulk while threatening Tyranitar with their STAB moves. Take into account that Tapu Bulu's Grassy Surge will weaken your own Ground type attacks against it while providing opposing Tyranitars some chip recovery.
Powerful coverage moves like Focus Blast or Superpower from the likes of Mega Alakazam, Gengar and Tornadus-Therian will easily dent Tyranitar preventing it from switching further in the game.

Mega Corner



Locations in Games

Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game

Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Evolve Pupitar

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Trade from FireRed/LeafGreen

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Evolve Pupitar

Colosseum/XD:
Evolve Pupitar (XD)
Snagged from Cipher Head Evice in Realgam Tower Colosseum (Colosseum)

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Pupitar (Diamond/Platinum)
Trade from Diamond/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver (Pearl)

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Pupitar

Black/White:
Route 15

Black 2/White 2:
Route 15

X/Y:
Evolve Pupitar (Y)
Trade from Y (X)

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from Y

Sun/Moon:
Trade from Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Pupitar

Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game

Animé Appearences

Tyranitar has made a few appearances in the anime. Most notably, Alain used one in the Kalos League

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265 Address Unown! The Unown of the Wondrous Country! Pics
266 Mother Of All Battles! Tyranitar and Larvitar! Pics
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M8 Lucario & The Mystery of Mew Mew & The Wave-Guiding Hero - Lucario Pics
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464 Pinch Healing! The Pokémon Center is Very Busy! Pics
540 Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu (2) Pokémon Ranger! The Wave-Guiding Riolu! (Part Two) Pics
607 A Faux Oak Finish! Rescue Professor Oak! Politoed VS Croagunk!! Pics
614 Dressed for Jess Success! Pokemon Contest! Suiren Convention!! Pics
M13 Zoroark - Master of Illusions Phantom Champion Zoroark Pics
743 An Epic Defense Force! Movie Showdown! Sortie, Unova Defense Group!! Pics
S31 TBC Mewtwo: The Prologue to Awakening Pics
795 The Journalist from Another Region! Alexa Appears! Helioptile & Gogoat!! Pics
S35 Pokémon Mega Evolution Special I Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act 1~ Pics
S37 Pokémon Mega Evolution III Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act III~ Pics
M19 Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Volcanion & The Ingenious Magearna Pics
933 Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted! The Finals! Ash VS Alain!! Pics
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1023 Not Caving Under Pressure! A Sandshrew's Storm! An Ice Hole Double Battle!! Pics
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1092 Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower! Ivysaur is Quite Mysterious, Don't You Think So? Pics
1191 Battling in the Freezing Raid! Trial Mission: A Frozen Raid Battle!! Pics