In-battle formes
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Overview
Tauros is the most iconic Pokemon in RBY OU, and its presence has been shaping the tier for as long as it has existed. Tauros is undoubtedly the strongest offensive threat in the tier, thanks to its powerful Body Slams and Hyper Beams paired with the coverage moves to hit any Pokemon that resists its STAB moves. This is further enhanced by its high Speed, and therefore high critical hit rate, as well as serviceable bulk. This makes switching into Tauros a very arduous prospect for most teams, as potential checks like Starmie have to fear a sizable chance of paralysis or a critical hit from Body Slam. Other Pokemon with the theoretical physical bulk, such as Snorlax, Cloyster, and Slowbro, can only shrug off Tauros's hits via Rest, leaving them in an exploitable state. Overall, although some special attackers can trade blows advantageously with Tauros, and it has to be very wary of paralysis, its sheer offensive prowess makes it an automatic inclusion on a vast majority of RBY teams.
The Bull
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Set Description
Tauros's combination of Body Slam and Hyper Beam makes it an incredibly difficult threat to switch into, as a majority of Pokemon only need to receive minimal chip damage before being unable to tank a Body Slam followed by a Hyper Beam, and some are KOed by this sequence even from full health. Body Slam's paralysis chance on some of the most common Tauros switch-ins such as Starmie and Exeggutor is yet another addition to Tauros's already threatening arsenal. Blizzard is Tauros's best attack to threaten Rhydon and Golem, the two OU-viable Rock-types that would otherwise be able to switch in on its Body Slam, and force them to face the threat of being 2HKOed (or being OHKOed on a critical hit). Earthquake is the preferred move in the last slot, as it gives Tauros a tool to hit Gengar, which otherwise walls it, as well as a way to play around Counter Chansey, although Tauros still risks taking a Thunder Wave in a direct one-on-one situation. Additionally, it can finish off a weakened Rhydon or Golem with greater accuracy than Blizzard. Earthquake also gives Tauros a safe move to hit both Chansey and Rock-types, which eliminates the need to predict a switch with Body Slam or Blizzard in certain situations.
Tauros is such a potent tool to break the opposition down that it is generally preferred to keep it as healthy as possible throughout the game while also trying to get it on the field as often as possible; this is a tricky balance to achieve that often sets apart new players from experienced ones. Great opportunities to switch it in can be found against Pokemon that are asleep, on a predicted switch, or on a recovery move that will leave the opponent's active Pokemon in KO range for Tauros. Quite frequently, Tauros will be able to clean up teams that have appropriately been crippled with status or weakened beforehand thanks to its extremely strong Hyper Beam; this is one of the most common win conditions in RBY, and as such, your game plan should generally account for the possibility of a late-game Tauros sweep. This means you should capitalize on opportunities to set up a Tauros sweep while trying to reduce your opponent's chances to do the same thing. The biggest obstacle in these plans is often the fact that both Tauros are kept as healthy as possible and always able to try a last-resort mirror, even when the rest of the team has fallen apart; this is one of the many reasons for keeping your own Tauros safe.
Other Options
Thunderbolt and Thunder can be used to damage Cloyster, which is one of the sturdiest Tauros switch-ins available. Thunder manages to 2HKO it but has to deal with much lower accuracy, while Thunderbolt misses out on that damage range but is generally far more reliable, and is therefore the preferred option a vast majority of the time.
Given the generally low usage of Gengar and Counter Chansey, it is reasonable to cut Earthquake in favor of Fire Blast; while this move does not hit any targets for extra damage, it does carry a 30.1% burn chance that can give Tauros an upper hand in a one-on-one matchup with opposing Tauros.
Stomp has a 30.1% flinch chance, and while definitely unreliable, it can be used to bring opposing Pokemon into KO range with no damage traded back with some luck. This is an especially appealing option if the enemy Pokemon is already paralyzed, which further increases the chances of it not managing to attack.
Double-Edge's 100 Base Power can be used to safely snipe out KOs that Body Slam cannot reach while not having to rely on Hyper Beam; the recoil is a generally unpleasant side effect, but it can be used to your advantage, as whenever a Pokemon faints from recoil the turn ends immediately. This mechanic can occasionally be used to damage an opponent and prevent them from healing back up.
Checks and Counters
Status: Tauros's below average bulk is difficult to exploit because it is usually faster and strong enough to KO the foe before they can strike back. Paralysis and sleep are both very common in the RBY metagame, and they can shut down this element of Tauros's gameplay, making it much easier to deal with.
Exeggutor: While Exeggutor lacks recovery, and therefore cannot repeatedly switch in on Tauros, simply having Exeggutor in the back will often dissuade Tauros players from clicking Hyper Beam, as Exeggutor could switch in, tank the Hyper Beam, and land a Sleep Powder or a Stun Spore on Tauros during the recharge turn, effectively putting it out of commission for the rest of the game.
Starmie: Starmie is the only Pokemon with access to Recover that can survive a Body Slam followed by a Hyper Beam, which makes it an obvious candidate for a reliable switch-in on Tauros throughout the game; however, Body Slam can ruin its day with decent frequency due to the chance of paralysis. Regardless, Starmie outspeeds Tauros and can even threaten it with Thunder Wave, which makes a healthy Starmie one of the best Tauros answers available.
Cloyster and Lapras: These Pokemon possess great bulk and access to a powerful Blizzard that is generally enough to scare Tauros away. Lapras's Blizzard is stronger and has a chance to 2HKO, while Cloyster takes Body Slams better and more commonly runs Rest to heal the damage back up. As a side note, Articuno also possesses 2HKO potential via Blizzard, but it's significantly frailer and generally less viable than both Cloyster and Lapras.
Slowbro: Slowbro is part of the small list of Pokemon that are guaranteed to survive a critical hit Hyper Beam from full HP, making it an appealing option to switch in on a predicted Hyper Beam in order to guarantee landing a Thunder Wave on the recharge turn. It does not mind a Body Slam either, but it can be hard for it to use Rest and wake up unpunished.
Snorlax: Tauros's much slower and bulkier counterpart is a good asset when trying to answer an opposing Tauros, as its natural bulk will often at least guarantee that some damage gets traded back, and if it carries Self-Destruct, it can somewhat reliably trade one-for-one if your opponent chooses to leave Tauros on the field.
Gengar: Although mauled by Earthquake, Gengar can switch in on Normal-type attacks from Tauros at no cost and threaten it with Hypnosis. Although the exchange is somewhat likely to end very poorly, between Hypnosis's miss chance and Earthquake's critical chance, the Tauros user is generally expected to keep it away from danger if possible, which means Gengar can somewhat reliably be used to prevent Tauros from making any progress as long as it doesn't get hit with an Earthquake on a predicted switch in. Gengar is also the best check to Tauros without Earthquake.
Jolteon and Alakazam: Although they definitely do not want to pick a full one-on-one against Tauros or ever switch in on it, Alakazam and Jolteon deserve a mention as they can outspeed and revenge kill a weakened Tauros, which is a fairly rare quality.
Credits
- Written by Amaranth
- Quality checked by Jellicent and FriendOfMrGolem120
- Grammar checked by JockeMS and Lumari
