[OVERVIEW]
With good Attack, a wide array of coverage moves, and a fantastic ability in Sheer Force that further boosts its power, Tauros is the definition of a powerhouse in NU. Tauros is also renowned for its excellent Speed stat, making it a very deadly Pokemon capable of threatening both offense and balance alike. Decent Defense lets it tank a hit or two before it goes down as well and even lets it survive Shiftry's Sucker Punch or Life Orb Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, just as testament to its good natural bulk. All of these traits make Tauros one of the best Pokemon in the tier and one that should never be underestimated under any circumstances. However, it struggles to break past bulky Rock-types such as Rhydon, Omastar, Carracosta, and Regirock, though it has ways to circumvent them through its coverage. Most of its attacks are also inaccurate, which means it can be inconsistent at times. Its Normal typing also does not bring much to the table in terms of synergy due to the lack of resistances, and while its Speed is great, it is still left outpaced and revenge killed by Floatzel and Swellow, two potent offensive threats in their own right.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Rock Climb
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Iron Tail / Zen Headbutt
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Climb is Tauros's most powerful Normal-type STAB move boosted by Sheer Force, being able to 2HKO most neutral targets. Earthquake lets Tauros hit Garbodor, Omastar, and Aurorus. It also has the added bonus of avoiding Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage from Garbodor and Skuntank. Fire Blast rounds out Tauros's coverage, breaking past Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Steelix, and Gourgeist-XL. The last slot depends on the rest of the team's composition. Iron Tail lets Tauros 2HKO Mega Audino and Rhydon after a little prior damage, as well as Piloswine, the former two of which have no issue switching into Tauros otherwise. Zen Headbutt is an alternative to OHKO Hariyama after one layer of Spikes, 2HKO Weezing after Stealth Rock, and 2HKO Rotom.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed EVs plus a Speed-boosting nature are necessary to take advantage of Tauros's excellent Speed tier, while maximum Attack EVs allow it to hit as hard as possible. A Naive nature is chosen over Jolly to preserve some of Fire Blast's power and is preferred over Hasty because of Tauros's decent Defense. Sheer Force boosts the power of all of Tauros's moves with the exception of Earthquake. Life Orb boosts the power of Tauros's attacks even further and has its recoil negated by Sheer Force.
Usage Tips
========
Tauros can be brought in at any point in the game to break down various defensive cores, although it prefers to be brought in via Volt Switch or U-turn to preserve its HP in case it needs to take a hit later on. Prediction can be key when dealing with Tauros's checks. For example, if the opponent has Rhydon, depending on risks, it may be best to predict their switch by using Iron Tail, especially if it's their only response to Normal-type attacks. That way, Rhydon is forced to pick whether it should set up Stealth Rock or just damage Tauros with Earthquake. Similar situations apply for Pokemon such as Steelix, Weezing, and defensive Omastar. This is to ensure that Tauros can keep applying offensive pressure throughout the course of the match.
If the opponent has a Ghost-type such as Rotom, Gourgeist-XL, or Golurk, be wary of spamming Rock Climb, as it can lose Tauros a lot of offensive momentum if they bring it in on the move. This is especially problematic against Choice Scarf Rotom, as it can not only revenge kill Tauros after prior damage but also gain offensive momentum with Volt Switch. Thanks to its excellent Speed tier, Tauros can act as a revenge killer for slower offensive threats such as Pyroar, Jynx, and Magmortar if needed. Tauros can be saved for the late-game as well if desired, as when it's paired with another wallbreaker that breaks past its checks such as Zangoose or its checks are just worn down in general, it can clean up weakened teams with ease.
Team Options
========
Garbodor provides Spikes support, which helps Tauros score easier KOs on the likes of Omastar and Steelix, and can switch into Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Hariyama, wearing them down with Rocky Helmet and Aftermath damage. Mesprit has similar uses in switching into Fighting-type attacks but has the added bonus of having a Ground immunity, which can help it soft check the likes of Rhydon. It also has various support moves in Stealth Rock, Healing Wish, U-turn, and Thunder Wave, which can all aid Tauros greatly. Lilligant breaks past and even sets up on a few of Tauros's hardest checks such as Regirock and Rhydon, while in return, Tauros weakens the likes of Garbodor, Weezing, Vileplume, and Ferroseed, the latter two of which wall Lilligant if it's not carrying Hidden Power Fire. Lanturn is notable for its ability to switch into Floatzel and Choice Specs Swellow very well, two Pokemon that revenge kill Tauros, as well as provide support in the form of Thunder Wave and Volt Switch.
Other Normal-types such as Kangaskhan, Swellow, and Zangoose are very effective when paired with Tauros, because each of them wear down Normal-resistant Pokemon. For example, Zangoose is capable of dealing heavy damage with Close Combat to Steelix, Regirock, and Rhydon, all Pokemon that Tauros struggles to take down without the appropriate coverage move. Skuntank is an interesting option, as it can run two different sets to suit Tauros's needs. With Pursuit, Skuntank can trap Pokemon such as Rotom and Musharna, the former of which switches into Iron Tail Tauros with little issue, while the latter uses Tauros as setup bait. Skuntank can also break past Mega Audino, which is helpful should Tauros opt to use Zen Headbutt instead. On the other hand, Expert Belt Skuntank is also effective, as it deals heavy damage to Steelix, Rhydon, and Omastar with Fire Blast and Hidden Power Grass, bringing them down to the point where none of them are capable of reliably checking Tauros anymore.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Work Up has use in raising both of Tauros's offensive stats to higher levels at the cost of coverage, making Pokemon such as Musharna and Mega Audino no longer effective checks to Tauros. Choice Scarf is a decent option, as Tauros is still fairly powerful and has enough Speed to allow it to outspeed weather sweepers such as Ludicolo and Kabutops, but this takes away from Tauros's excellent wallbreaking prowess. Choice Band with Double-Edge lets Tauros serve as a more reliable cleaner at the cost of not being able to switch between coverage moves. Pursuit can be useful to trap Ghost-types that fear getting 2HKOed such as Rotom and Mismagius. Substitute eases prediction for Tauros but comes at the cost of one of its coverage moves, taking away from its wallbreaking potential. Rock Slide can be used for Eviolite Scyther, but it provides very little coverage outside of that. Iron Head may be tempting to use, as it seemingly covers the same targets as Iron Tail with the bonus of being 100% accurate; however, it does not have the necessary power to 2HKO Rhydon and Mega Audino, making it an inferior option.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Rhydon, Regirock, and Carracosta all sport great physical bulk, meaning that they all take very little from Earthquake and, for the former two, only really fear Iron Tail. All of them can use Tauros to freely set up Stealth Rock and, in the case of Regirock, can cripple Tauros with Thunder Wave. Though Barbaracle isn't a direct switch-in by any means, with a Shuca Berry, it easily sets up Shell Smash on Tauros. Defensive Omastar is also a decent check because with a Shuca Berry, it is not 2HKOed by any of Tauros's moves and can set up Stealth Rock or Spikes, as well as have a chance to burn Tauros with Scald.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Musharna and Mega Audino both have enough physical bulk to the point where they cannot be 2HKOed by Rock Climb, though Mega Audino must watch out for Iron Tail. Both of these Pokemon are capable of setting up on Tauros or crippling it with status. Barrier variants of Musharna are particularly problematic because they set up on Tauros with impunity.
**Revenge Killers**: Floatzel and Swellow naturally outspeed and revenge kill Tauros, while Choice Scarf users such as Jynx, Primeape, Rotom, and Kabutops are all capable of taking down Tauros as well, though none of these Pokemon can switch in by any means. Hitmonchan is also notable because after some prior damage, it takes down Tauros with Mach Punch.
**Poison-types**: Weezing and Vileplume are both decent checks to non-Zen Headbutt variants of Tauros, as the former is capable of burning it with Will-O-Wisp, while the latter can shut it down temporarily with Sleep Powder and restore any lost HP with Moonlight. Weezing must be wary of switching in too much, however, because repeated Rock Climbs will wear it down fast, especially if it is not using Pain Split.
**Steelix**: Steelix is a decent one-time check to Tauros, as it takes very little damage from all of Tauros's attacks with the exception of Fire Blast, which has a high chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes, making it a shakier response, but to retaliate, Steelix can wear Tauros down with Earthquake or set up Stealth Rock on it.
**Ghost-types**: If Tauros is running Iron Tail, Rotom can act as decent switch-in, especially defensive variants, as it is not 2HKOed by any of Tauros's moves and cripples it with Will-O-Wisp. However, Rotom crumbles against Tauros should it carry Zen Headbutt. Although it's less common, Misdreavus serves as a fairly sturdy check thanks to its great bulk with Eviolite, immunity to Rock Climb, and access to Will-O-Wisp, letting it cripple Tauros immensely.
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