Tyranitar (and Mega Tyranitar) with Brutal Swing in Raids: The Dark

Welcome to an in-depth analysis of the original top-tier attacker: Tyranitar. With the recent addition of Brutal Swing to its moveset, Tyranitar has undergone a significant transformation, making it a force to be reckoned with in both Dark and Rock-type battles.

In this article, we will explore the immense potential of Tyranitar, particularly its Shadow variant, and delve into the impact of its Mega Evolution. Whether you’re seeking a top-tier Dark attacker or a powerful Rock-type addition to your team, Tyranitar promises to deliver.

Join us as we uncover the true prowess of Shadow Tyranitar and its remarkable journey from the shadows to the spotlight.

Table of Contents

Related: Pokémon GO Cliff Counters (June 2023)

Shadow Dark Tyranitar redefines Dark/Ghost attackers now. It's at Mega Gengar tier, MILES ahead of all other non-megas, is one of the most useful shadows in raids among all types, and is very future-proof.

Regular Dark Tyranitar = Hydreigon. Mayyybe 1% below Hydreigon, and it's mostly typing-dependent.

Once released, Mega Tyranitar will become #1 Dark and #1 Rock, both in solo performance (though Mega Diancie will be better), and especially in group damage contribution due to its bulk.

Dark or Rock? Save 1 non-shadow of each for the mega, then: Shadow Dark > Shadow Rock > Regular Dark = Hydreigon > Regular Rock.

At the start of the Season of Hidden Gems, we got our seasonal Go Battle League move update. As part of the update, Tyranitar can now learn Brutal Swing as part of its regular, non-legacy moveset, using a Regular Charged TM.

Additionally, the season website has (accidentally?) revealed that Mega Tyranitar will make its debut in Mega Raids from July 25 to August 4 (full schedule on Go Hub). A detailed look at the website's source code also shows Mega Sableye's release from June 29 to July 6.

When I previously wrote about Tyranitar for its Community Day Classic in January, my tone was rather bleak, as regular Tyranitar had already fallen way below the tier lists of both Rock and Dark attackers. Quoted from the TL;DR back then:

But that was when Tyranitar's Dark moveset was Bite/Crunch, both being mediocre to bad moves. Now, Tyranitar can instead use Brutal Swing, a borderline overpowered (OP) move designed for Hydreigon to shine on its Community Day a year ago.

Does Brutal Swing help both regular and Shadow Tyranitar restore its 2017 glory? How will Mega Tyranitar (and Mega Sableye) perform in raids once they arrive? I’ll address these questions with the following parts:

If you’re on desktop and want to jump to a particular part, search "Part X".

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A minor note that should be obvious for veteran players, but still useful to point out.

To function as a Rock type, Tyranitar needs Smack Down, a legacy fast move. This means you can't build a single Tyranitar and TM back and forth between Dark and Rock movesets. An individual Tyranitar is locked in as either a Rock type or a Dark type, not both.

This may force you to build twice as many Tyranitars as you normally would – a Dark team and a Rock team – if necessary.

Do note that you will be able to get Smack Down by evolution during December 2023 Community Day, without needing an Elite Fast TM.

And if you really want to, you can TM a Smack Down Tyranitar to Bite. It's a one-way street: Rock -> Dark is a yes, Dark -> Rock is a no (or at least expensive).

[Part 1 TL;DR] Shadow Tyranitar redefines the Dark/Ghost meta, being at Mega Gengar tier, and L30 Shadow Ttar = L50 other options. It's now a Tier 1 shadow in utility across all types.

Regular Tyranitar is virtually the same as Hydreigon, mayyybe 1% worse and typing-dependent.

Mega Tyranitar is also at Mega Gengar tier, and will likely be the choice for a Dark/Ghost Mega from now on.

Charts of ASE with and without dodging are here.

Brutal Swing is a HUGE upgrade on Tyranitar: an 18% improvement, almost the same as shadow vs. non-shadow, and enough to cross several tiers.

As a result, Shadow Tyranitar REDEFINES non-mega Dark/Ghost attackers now.

Regular Tyranitar is now virtually the same as Hydreigon, mayyybe 1% below. Together, they’re the top non-shadow non-mega options.

When Mega Tyranitar arrives, it will sit in the same tier as Mega Gengar and Shadow Tyranitar in individual performance. In other words, top of the type.

[Section TL;DR] Due to the high utility of Dark/Ghost types (many bosses to use them against), Shadow Tyranitar is now one of the most useful raid attackers across all types. This will remain the case even after most future shadows (including shadow legendaries) are released. A solid Tier 1 shadow for raiding.

I’ve always treated Dark and Ghost types as "one" of the most useful types for raiding, if not the most useful. Their main roles are anti-Psychic and anti-Ghost, and it happens that there's a crazy number of Psychic-type T5 bosses (perhaps the most common type among legendaries).

Back when I wrote the Shadow Mewtwo analysis in January, I defined a "Strength and Utility" (S&U) metric, which combines individual powers of raid attackers with the number of raids they can be used against. For example, Shadow Mewtwo as a Psychic type doesn't do too well, because Psychic attackers are rarely needed.

With all expected future Gen 1-5 shadows at that time – which included Shadow Hydreigon, but not Shadow Tyranitar with Brutal Swing – the metric looked like this:

Treat the "Hyderigon" on the chart as Shadow Tyranitar.

That means… Shadow Tyranitar (Dark) is one of the most useful raid attackers – #1 by the S&U metric. Both right now, and in a future where all Gen 1-5 shadows are released.

The incredibly powerful (future) shadow legendaries that you’re thinking of: Shadow Mewtwo, Groudon, Rayquaza, Terrakion… In terms of utility, they all pale in comparison to Shadow Tyranitar.

So yes, I would absolutely rank Shadow Tyranitar (Dark) as a Tier 1 shadow in raids today. (And my definition of Tier 1 was very restrictive. I ranked Shadow Mewtwo as Tier 2… And people hated it.)

[Section TL;DR] Mega > Shadow Ttar. Mega Gengar technically "wins" more often than both (and still has the highest DPS/TTW), but it's very unreliable, and when it fails, it fails very badly.

Mega Tyranitar vs. Mega Gengar: (Individual power, without damage boosting)

The other two pairs are comparing apples (megas) to oranges (non-megas), but:

Shadow Tyranitar vs. Mega Gengar:

Mega Tyranitar vs. Shadow Tyranitar:

[Section TL;DR] Hydreigon is technically still better, but only by 1%, and basically typing-dependent. Tyranitar outclasses most other options, arguably except Shadow Weavile.

Everything listed here used to be the "golden standard" for Dark and Ghost. Now, even non-shadow Tyranitar at least puts up a fight, if not straight up outclasses them. (Recall that Shadow Tyranitar is above all of them by 18%.)

Starting with Tyranitar vs. Hydreigon, as it's the most relevant pair.

Tyranitar vs. Shadow Weavile is also interesting: Shadow Weavile is a classic glass cannon, stronger in the best case, but very risky. But if you’re comparing to a shadow… Why not use Shadow Tyranitar instead?

Tyranitar basically outclasses the rest (Darkrai, Giratina-O, Chandelure, Gholdengo), aside from typing disadvantages, such as Focus Blast Mewtwo.

[Section TL;DR] Mega Tyranitar > all dark megas, and > Mega Gengar unless everyone else uses Ghost. Mega Sableye disappoints.

As usual, this chart looks at the question "Which mega contributes the most damage to the group", accounting for both its own damage output and its mega boost to other raiders. Note that Primal Kyogre/Groudon in the 6th slot may still be the best way to contribute damage (method explained in my Mega Pinsir analysis).

If you don't want to "use" a Primal…

Yes, Mega Tyranitar will outclass all Dark-type Megas on all fronts – in both power (Houndoom) and group boosting (Gyarados).

Comparing to Mega Gengar:

A brief mention on Mega Sableye. In theory, being able to boost both Dark and Ghost damage – regardless of what others choose – sounds very enticing. Sadly, Mega Sableye's laughable power and mediocre bulk means it can't execute that well. It's worse than Mega Tyranitar in almost all situations, including when others use Ghost types.

[Part 2 TL;DR] Mega Tyranitar's individual power is barely above Mega Aerodactyl (current best Rock type), and slightly below Mega Diancie. However, its superior bulk makes it the best mega for contributing damage in group raids.

Charts of ASE with and without dodging are here.

In individual power, Mega Tyranitar is the best Rock attacker, being better than Mega Aerodactyl… But just barely.

Brief note on Shadow and regular Tyranitar:

More discussions on Shadow and regular Tyranitar with Smack Down can be found in my CD Classic analysis.

Very simple chart.

Mega Tyranitar is the best Rock-type mega to use in group raids for damage contribution, due to its superior bulk providing the 30% mega boost for longer. Even though it's weaker than Mega Diancie by itself.

[Part 3 TL;DR] Shadow Tyranitar is very future-proof as a Dark type. Future counters such as Shadow Hydreigon may become similar, but nothing can truly outclass it until we get Shadow Darkrai with Dark Void. However, as a Rock type, it will eventually be outclassed by Shadow Rhyperior, Shadow Rampardos, etc.

Charts of ASE with and without dodging are here.

If we’re only talking about what can outclass Shadow Tyranitar? The answer is: Only Shadow Darkrai, once it gets Dark Void.

Several things can become equivalent to Shadow Tyranitar or barely below, however:

Blacephalon (with the best possible moves) and Shadow Chandelure will lie between non-shadow and Shadow Tyranitars, but probably on the lower side.

In short… Shadow Tyranitar is pretty darn future-proof as a Dark type.

On the other hand, as a Rock type, Shadow Tyranitar is waiting to be outclassed by future shadows. In particular, Shadow Rhyperior and Shadow Rampardos. (And to a less extent, Shadow Terrakion and Shadow Gigalith.)

I covered them in my CD Classic analysis in January, including possibilities of Tyranitar receiving better Rock-type moves. You can jump to the charts here.

So here's a punchline:

Do you want a #1 Dark that's miles ahead of other Dark types, or a #1 Rock that's only barely ahead of other Rock types?

A #1 Dark that's very unlikely to be outclassed, or a #1 Rock that will be outclassed sooner or later?

Based on this, here's a more detailed set of advice:

Or, as a one-liner: After 1 Mega for each, Shadow Dark > Shadow Rock > Regular Dark = Hydreigon > Regular Rock. If you need to choose between limited Shadow Larvitars with good IVs, prioritize Dark.

Factors that went into the recommendations above, which also serve as a recap of the whole article:

Of course, these are general guidelines and may differ based on your availability of attackers, preferences (e.g. Unique 6, hate shadows), etc.

Ultimately, do what makes you happy.

I’ll start working on Breaking Swipe Haxorus analysis ASAP. Preliminary thoughts can be found here.

Beyond that, I will likely be scaling down the frequency and depth of my analyses soon. More details and explanations to come. (This article is already less in-depth than it could have been.)

A complete list of all my past analyses – on every single type other than normal – can now be found in this spreadsheet!