Pokemon GO Tyranitar in PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Pokemon GO added Tyranitar to its roster several years ago, and the Dark/Rock-type creature remains incredibly popular among fans. This is due in part to its impressive capabilities in battle, both in PvE and PvP formats. Thanks to the recent addition of its Mega Evolution, Tyranitar should skyrocket in power even further, and trainers will likely rely on it even more in the future.

If you happen to have a Tyranitar in Pokemon GO, or if you're picking one up after Mega Tyranitar's debut in Mega Raids, you'll likely want to outfit it with the best possible moves. This Pocket Monster can fight well with a non-optimized moveset, but gearing it with a quality PvE or PvP moveset gives it a substantial boost.

Here are Tyranitar's best movesets in Pokemon GO.

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Best PvE movesets of Tyranitar in Pokemon GO

Thanks to its great Attack and Defense IVs, Tyranitar is a quality pick for PvE battles like raids, gym assaults/defense, and Team GO Rocket battles. Even better, the arrival of Brutal Swing in Tyranitar's arsenal gives it an additional Dark-type move to wield against opponents.

When using Tyranitar in PvE, it's advised to stick to Rock and Dark-type moves within its moveset to take advantage of the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) for extra damage. The good news is that Pokemon GO players tend to know their PvE opponents ahead of time, so Tyranitar can be used as an excellent counter pick.

Recommended PvE movesets for Tyranitar:

• Smack Down and Brutal Swing
• Bite and Brutal Swing

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Best PvP movesets of Tyranitar in Pokemon GO

Although many creatures in GO benefit from having a more diverse moveset in PvP, Tyranitar's collection of learnable moves is far from ideal. While it does have access to moves like Iron Tail and Fire Blast, which would improve overall type coverage in PvP matches, both moves aren't practical.

Fortunately, Tyranitar's access to Dark and Rock-type moves serves it well in PvP just as much as in PvE. You will simply have to be more careful about watching out for poor type matchups, but this is something that quality team-building can negate to a substantial degree.

Recommended PvP movesets for Tyranitar:

• Smack Down, Stone Edge, and Brutal Swing
• Bite, Stone Edge, and Brutal Swing

Although you can opt to use Iron Tail or Fire Blast if you happen to be struggling against certain type combinations, these moves really aren't all that worth investing into in the long run. You may win a few extra matches here and there, but you'll miss out on STAB damage from Rock and Dark-type attacks.

However, the final say on Tyranitar's moveset ultimately comes down to each individual player. If the recommended moves aren't panning out, you shouldn't be shy about experimenting with combinations to see if Tyranitar's overall performance improves in either PvE, PvP, or both.

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Best counters for Tyranitar in Pokemon GO

The following counters are best to defeat Tyranitar in-game:

• Pheromosa
• Lucario
• Keldeo
• Urshifu
• Conkeldurr
• Breloom
• Machamp
• Blaziken
• Galarian Zapdos

Other pocket monsters of similar elemental typings can also be good against Tyranitar.