Tyranitar

Tyranitar is the main pillar of sand teams in Doubles OU; its massive Special Defense and strong Attack let it act as the archetype's defensive backbone and take on threats such as Landorus, Naganadel, and Necrozma, while Sand Stream synergizes perfectly with Sand Rush attackers. Tyranitar has many set options to choose from to help it fit better on a team, but struggles to overcome its low Speed and common weaknesses; it also suffers from four-moveslot syndrome. Teammates like Excadrill, Dracozolt, and Dracovish appreciate doubled Speed in the sand, and in return, take down many of Tyranitar's checks, such as Tapu Fini, Urshifu-R, and Diancie. However, these cores struggle against Rillaboom and Ferrothorn, which must be checked elsewhere on the team. Offensive Tailwind setters such as Naganadel and Zapdos are especially beneficial for Tyranitar, as they check Rillaboom, Ferrothorn, and Urshifu-R while bringing another form of speed control to the team to help Tyranitar's middling Speed. Ultimately, sand is a niche archetype in the format, and Tyranitar in particular has many issues holding it back from consistency.