When equipped with a Choice Band, Tauros is an effective wallbreaker, revenge killer, late-game sweeper, and check to physical attackers all at once. It outspeeds all but a handful of unboosted Pokemon in the tier, and Double-Edge OHKOes most offensive Pokemon and 2HKOes most defensive Pokemon that don't resist it. Earthquake is Tauros's most important coverage move and the move you will often want to use early in the match to weaken the inevitable Regirock switch-in. In the third slot, Pursuit is a fantastic utility move for eliminating Haunter and Jynx, as Tauros outspeeds and KOes them after a little bit of chip damage even if they stay in. Pursuit is also great for weakening other valuable targets that you expect to switch out, including slower offensive Pokemon like Charizard and Magmortar as well as special walls like Slowking and Politoed. Payback lacks the utility of Pursuit, but it's a viable alternative if you want Tauros to beat Ghost-types one-on-one; it consistently OHKOes Haunter and has a decent chance of 2HKOing Dusclops on the switch if Stealth Rock is up.

Tauros can hit the entire metagame at least neutrally with its first three moves, so the last moveslot is flexible. Iron Head is a good option when using Choice Band, as it hits Cradily super effectively and is a relatively safe coverage move to lock Tauros into that allows neither Rock-types nor Ghost-types to switch in for free. If you're not worried about Cradily, choosing Return gives Tauros a recoil-free STAB move to use when you want to preserve Tauros's bulk early-game or prevent it from KOing itself with recoil damage late-game. On the other hand, Stone Edge prevents Drifblim from setting up on Tauros and adds super effective coverage against a few other physically bulky Pokemon that can tank Double-Edge, including Pinsir, Lapras, and Articuno. Stone Edge can also help against Charizard and Haunter when you're using Life Orb over Choice Band; Charizard will usually survive Life Orb-boosted Double-Edge from full HP, and Haunter always survives Life Orb Pursuit if it stays in, but Stone Edge OHKOes them both. Finally, Sleep Talk is an option if your team lacks another sleep absorber.

A simple EV spread with maximum Speed and a Jolly nature allows Tauros to outspeed a lot of key threats including Manectric, Charizard, and Jynx as well as Speed tie with opposing Tauros. Choice Band is usually the best item for this set; Tauros isn't especially powerful, so it appreciates the extra boost that a Choice Band provides, and the lack of recoil damage helps Tauros make the most of its good physical bulk. However, Life Orb is an acceptable alternative on offensive teams that use Tauros more as a revenge killer and late-game sweeper and are willing to sacrifice its wallbreaking capabilities and defensive utility in order to avoid needing to switch out as often. Silk Scarf is another option that keeps Double-Edge's power high without the recoil of Life Orb, and it can allow Tauros to bluff a Choice set and perhaps nab a surprise KO, but it leaves Tauros helpless against Regirock and makes its Pursuit a lot less effective.

Tauros is pretty self-sufficient and doesn't require any special support to be effective. That said, it pairs well with other Pokemon that share Regirock as a primary counter, such as Charizard, Typhlosion, and Dodrio, because together they can overload Regirock with their coverage moves. Medicham is also a good partner; between the two of them, Tauros and Medicham can break through any wall that isn't a Ghost-type.

This is a sample set while we work on new analyses. Stay tuned!