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Pokémon Go Mega Tyranitar counters, weaknesses and moveset explained

How to defeat the mega evolved Rock/Dark-type Pokémon.

Nic Bunce avatar
Guide by Nic Bunce Contributor
Published on

Mega Tyranitar is the Mega Evolved form of Tyranitar - a Pokémon that has long been an powerhouse part of Rock and Dark-type raid parties. Once the very pinnacle of these types in Pokémon Go, a string of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon downgraded the Armor Pokémon from integral to just very good.

While Shadow Tyranitar went a very long way towards remedying this, Mega Tyranitar simply knocks it out of the park. Let’s not mince words: you need a Mega Tyranitar in Pokémon Go.

Like all Mega Evolutions, Mega Tyranitar can’t be caught directly in Pokémon Go. Instead, you need to keep defeating it in Mega Raids until you’ve collected enough Mega Tyranitar Energy for its temporary evolution. Thanks to the summer 2022 Mega Raid rebalance, this can now be done in one Mega Raid if you defeat it quickly enough!

Below you’ll find Mega Tyranitar’s counters and weaknesses to help you succeed in Pokémon Go – just remember you need to have an Tyranitar in your Pokémon storage to perform its Mega Evolution.

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Mega Tyranitar counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

The fastest way to collect Mega Tyranitar energy is to defeat one in a Mega Raid. Below you’ll find the counters and weaknesses for Mega Tyranitar to help you achieve this:

  • Mega Tyranitar types – Rock and Dark
  • Mega Tyranitar is double-weak against – Fighting
  • Mega Tyranitar is weak against – Bug, Fairy, Grass, Ground, Steel and Water
  • Mega Tyranitar is resistant to – Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Normal and Poison
  • Mega Tyranitar is double-resistant to – Psychic
  • Mega Tyranitar Mega counters – Mega Blaziken with Counter and Focus Blast will give you a fighting chance, followed by Mega Lopunny with Double Kick and Focus Blast. After this there are seriously diminishing returns, so just pick one of these two.
  • Mega Tyranitar non-Mega counters – Terrakion is your best bet, with Double Kick and Sacred Sword, followed by its cousin Keldeo, which runs Low Kick and Sacred Sword. Lucario is next, with Counter and Aura Sphere, followed by Conkeldurr with Counter and Dynamic Punch. Failing all else, an army of Machamps with Counter and Dynamic Punch is always a strong option.
    • Mega Blaziken, Terrakion and Keldeo are your top three counters
  • Number of players to beat Mega Tyranitar – Thanks to its double weakness, Mega Tyranitar should be beatable with two to three Trainers bringing optimal Level 40 counters.
  • Tactics – Punch it! Double weakness is no joke, so whenever you see those magic words, you know you need to make the most of them. Bring your strongest Mega Blaziken and an army of Fighting-types with Sacred Sword, or your strongest Fighting-types after that. Feel free to bring your Shadow Machamps too — they’re a little glassy, but it’s worth it.

Mega Tyranitar CP in Pokémon Go

Below you’ll find the CP levels for battling for Mega Tyranitar and, if defeated, catching an Tyranitar after the fight in Pokémon Go:

  • Mega Tyranitar Raid CP – 52,433 CP
  • CP range for catching Tyranitar – 2951 to 3055 CP
  • Weather (Rainy) when being caught – 3689 to 3820 CP

The World of Wonders Season is coming to an end in Pokémon Go. Make a start on the Masterwork Research: Catching Wonders quest for a Master Ball, Glitz and Glam quest for a Diancie and catch up on the World of Wonders quest before it ends! Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Best Mega Tyranitar moveset in Pokémon Go

Mega Tyranitar is the new, undisputed Dark-type overlord in Pokémon Go, and is one of the best Mega Rock-types too. This means that savvy trainers will be building not one, but two Mega Tyranitars. One as a Rock-type counter, one as a Dark-type counter. While you may be tempted to just TM between the two, Smack Down requires an Elite Fast TM, so it’s not recommended — building two will pay off in the long run.

Mega Tyranitar.

The best Dark-type Mega Tyranitar moves would be the combination of Bite (Fast) and Brutal Swing (Charged) – Brutal Swing is essential here, as it’s what elevates this Pokémon to almost demonic levels of damage.

The best Rock-type Mega Tyranitar moves would be the combination of Smack Down (Fast) and Stone Edge (Charged) – Stone Edge is a Legacy Move, so if you need the move, use an Elite Fast TM.

Here are all the Fast and Charged moves Mega Tyranitar can use in Pokémon Go:

Fast Moves:

  • Bite (Dark)
  • Iron Tail (Steel)

Charged Moves:

  • Stone Edge (Rock)
  • Brutal Swing (Dark)
  • Fire Blast (Dark)
  • Crunch (Dark)

Legacy Fast Moves:

  • Smack Down (Rock)

Legacy Charged Moves:

  • Return (Normal)

Everything we know about Tyranitar

The Armor Pokémon, Tyranitar, is a bit of a tank, which should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone.

Everything in the Larvitar evolution line is a Rock-type Pokémon, with Tyranitar losing Ground for Dark typing. (Image via pokemongolive.com)

It is also well loved for being a very cool-looking Pokémon. Larvitar is pure sass, Pupitar is Metapod but actually good and Tyranitar is basically just Godzilla. It’s pretty hard to outdo Godzilla in a coolness contest...

If you want to learn more about the Larvitar evolution line, you can read the official Pokédex entries for these Pokémon below:

  • Larvitar: ‘Born deep underground, this Pokémon becomes a pupa after eating enough dirt to make a mountain.‘
  • Pupitar: ‘This pupa flies around wildly by venting with great force the gas pressurized inside its body.‘
  • Tyranitar: ‘Extremely strong, it can change the landscape. It is so insolent that it doesn’t care about others.‘
  • Mega Tyranitar: ‘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.‘

For those looking for a shiny, you’ll be pleased to know that shiny Tyranitar was released on at the start of the 2018 Larvitar Community Day event. As a result, Mega Tyranitar is also in the game!

Shiny Larvitar and shiny Tyranitar look pretty naff, opting for a slightly different shade of their regular cousins. Mega Pupitar, meanwhile, goes for a beautiful, regal shade of purple. It’s just a shame that you have to lose it in order to make the most of your Pokémon by Mega Evolving it!

Good luck defeating Mega Tyranitar in Pokémon Go!

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