Tyranitar

Tyranitar is most notable for its outstanding bulk and offensive capabilities, the combination of which lets it check and simultaneously threaten a good portion of the STABmons metagame. Take, for instance, its ability Sand Stream, which summons a sandstorm and boosts its Special Defense by 1.5 while slowly whittling away at other Pokemon. The extra Special Defense and its solid physical bulk, even when uninvested, let Tyranitar pivot into common Flying, Normal, Dark, and Psychic moves. It therefore makes for a good trapper with Pursuit and Sucker Punch against frailer Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Tyranitar's resistance to revenge killing tactics like Fake Out + Extreme Speed is especially helpful when it wants to tap its solid Attack stat and set up with Dragon Dance, and it has a usable Special Attack stat to run coverage in order to lure and beat its usual checks such as Landorus-T, Scizor, and Ferrothorn. Considering this along with its access to entry hazards, the sleep-inducing move Dark Void, and the momentum-generating Parting Shot, Tyranitar is extremely versatile.

The lack of any reliable recovery besides Leftovers diminishes Tyranitar's ability to pivot into attacks throughout the match, however. While Sand Stream benefits Tyranitar, the residual damage also negates Leftovers or outright chips away at any of its teammates without a Rock, Ground, or Steel typing. Additionally, its crippling 4x weakness to Fighting can result in surprise KOs from enemy Pokemon that carry Fighting coverage just to eliminate Tyranitar, and it's also weak to common Ground- and Steel-type attacks. Lastly, it suffers from a lackluster Speed stat, which leaves it vulnerable even after a boost from Dragon Dance and to all types of status. These negative aspects need to be taken into account when choosing Tyranitar for your team, but overall it makes for a fantastic check to big threats such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Thundurus, supports the team with entry hazards or status, and often doesn't take up your Mega slot.