Tauros Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Close Combat is Tauros's strongest attack versus Steel-types like Copperajah and Escavalier while also nailing Tyrantrum, Guzzlord, and Exploud. Throat Chop targets Ghost-types like Golurk and Dhelmise. Iron Head prevents physically defensive Fairy-types like Diancie and Sylveon from walling Tauros. To help in its role as a cleaner, Work Up is an option over Iron Head, although Tauros will then need more support wearing down the aforementioned Fairy-types. Residual damage is a great way to support Tauros, as Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Drapion need to be worn down before they can be revenge killed. Entry hazard teammates like Copperajah, Diancie, and Garbodor help in this regard, with Copperajah also wearing down shared checks like Stakataka and Mudsdale, and Garbodor checking Fighting-types. U-turn Talonflame and Rocky Helmet Xatu are defensive pivots that also compound residual damage. Choice Scarf users like Rotom-C target the threats faster than Tauros like Salazzle, Starmie, and Choice Scarf Passimian while also bringing Tauros in safely. Knock Off and Toxic support from Pokemon like Salazzle and Guzzlord wears down walls like Vaporeon and Mudsdale so they're unable to consistently switch into Tauros. For more pressure against physical walls, Tauros teams should fit special wallbreakers like Choice Specs Heliolisk and Decidueye, especially since they both can afford to switch into Scald and Strength Sap from Vaporeon and Vileplume.

This set tries to take advantage of Tauros's good mixed movepool by enabling it to hit a wide range of targets for super effective damage, and Tauros can also opt to boost its Attack with Work Up to give it a better chance to break defensive Slowking. However, Tauros finds few opportunities to set up and is unable to reliably break Pokemon such as Vaporeon and Rhydon even with Work Up and its coverage options. Other wallbreakers such as Incineroar, Heliolisk, and Whimsicott are generally better options thanks to their better ability to bypass checks of their own, stronger immediate firepower, and greater defensive utility that lets them find more opportunities to switch in compared to Tauros.

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.

This is the set Tauros is best known for, offering impressive coverage that is augmented by its high Attack and Speed. Like any other Pokemon that utilizes Sheer Force, Tauros has the advantage of ignoring Life Orb recoil while still obtaining all the benefits of the item, meaning outpredicting it will not wear it down as quickly as other Pokemon. Rock Climb is the strongest STAB move Tauros gets that is affected by Sheer Force, and is thus used on this set. Although not boosted by the ability, Earthquake is essential for coverage against Steel- and Rock-types. Zen Headbutt gets a super effective hit on Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and is the only way Tauros can hit most of the Ghost-types in the tier, including Haunter, Misdreavus, and Drifblim. Zen Headbutt also gets the bonus of 2HKOing Weezing. Because the above three moves offer excellent coverage, Tauros has room to run Substitute. With a Substitute, it can ease prediction and protect itself from status, as well as defeat defensive variants of Misdreavus without Foul Play as it is immune to Misdreavus's Ghost STAB. Substitute also allows Tauros to avoid revenge killers and hit them hard before they are able to damage it. Tauros should always run maximum Speed and a Jolly nature in order to take advantage of its excellent Speed stat, as it outspeeds all but a handful of NU Pokemon. Because Rock Climb's imperfect accuracy can be fairly annoying at times, Return is a suitable replacement, although note that it is not only weaker, but also causes Tauros to take recoil damage from its Life Orb. Rock Slide could be used over Zen Headbutt to hit Drifblim harder and get a very strong hit on foes such as Braviary, but Zen Headbutt and Rock Climb already hit both targets very hard, respectively, and without Zen Headbutt, Tauros becomes much more vulnerable to Gurdurr, Weezing, and Throh. Despite the fact that it has Zen Headbutt, the most common Fighting-types in the tier are still threats to Tauros. This is because Gurdurr and Throh have the bulk to take a hit and retaliate, while Primeape, and to a lesser extent Sawk, often utilize Choice Scarf, allowing them to outspeed and OHKO Tauros with Close Combat. Bulky Psychic-types such as Musharna can wall and defeat a majority of the Fighting-types in the tier, while Ghost-types such as Misdreavus are immune to their STAB moves and can burn them, although note that a few of them have Guts as an ability. In an unlikely scenario in which Tauros gets afflicted by a status condition and has its offensive prowess severely cut, both of them also have Heal Bell. Many prominent physical walls, such as Alomomola and Tangela, have a relatively easy time dealing with Tauros as a result of it not having any way to cripple them. Sawsbuck and Electabuzz are capable of defeating both of them; Sawsbuck absorbs a majority of Tangela's attacks thanks to Sap Sipper and can hit Alomomola hard with Horn Leech, while Electabuzz's Electric STAB and Vital Spirit allow it to take on both walls as well. Finally, although Tauros has Earthquake, most Rock-types can take a hit or two thanks to their extremely high Defense stats and potentially defeat it. This makes Tangela a good partner, taking on Rock-type attacks with its high Defense and dispatching them with Giga Drain. Tangela also does well against Golurk, who is another Pokemon that threatens Tauros.

Although it might seem like a waste to give a Choice Scarf to a Pokemon as fast as Tauros, this excessive Speed is in large part why it makes such an effective Choice Scarf user. Because Tauros is so fast, it can afford to run an Adamant nature and still be capable of revenge killing weather sweepers. More importantly, however, even Adamant Tauros can outspeed almost all other prominent Choice Scarf users in the tier, most notably ones at base 95 Speed, such as Primeape and Haunter. Double-Edge is the strongest reliable STAB Tauros has, and it is the move it will be using in nearly every situation. Earthquake is primarily for hitting Rock- and Steel-types who can switch into Double-Edge, for a solid amount of damage. Stone Edge allows Tauros to OHKO Drifblim, and it is the best option it has against Misdreavus. The final move is used for specific situations. Pursuit practically checkmates Gardevoir, Haunter, and Kadabra to an extent, OHKOing them if they switch out and still dealing a substantial amount of damage even if they don't. Retaliate, on the other hand, is an interesting option that goes well with Tauros's role as a revenge killer—it usually finishes off the opponent in this case due to its high power. Note that neither move is particularly good to be locked into though, however, as both are fairly weak most of the time. Although Adamant is the preferred nature for this particular Tauros, a Jolly nature allows it to outspeed the few Pokemon that can possibly outspeed it otherwise, including Choice Scarf Charizard and Modest Choice Scarf Zebstrika, as well as Timid Victreebel and Ludicolo in their respective weathers. Intimidate is the only ability that Tauros can benefit from on this set and does offer it a few additional switch-ins. Return could be used in the last moveslot for an alternative STAB move, or even over Double-Edge, although the power drop is notable. Toxic is useful in the case of a predicted switch into a Pokemon that Tauros struggles against; Rock-types, Golurk, Misdreavus, Tangela, and Alomomola do not enjoy getting poisoned, but it is a rather bad move to get locked into and relies almost completely on prediction. Ghost-types are particularly dangerous against this set because Double-Edge is usually used more than other moves, and many also do not mind Tauros's other moves. Skuntank is a good partner as a result, as it can do a good job against them thanks to Pursuit and its arsenal of other Dark-type moves, although it must be careful around Golurk due to Earthquake. Steel- and Rock-types will also often get free switch-ins due to Tauros's reliance on Double-Edge, and they typically have Defense stats high enough to tank its attacks. Due to this, strong Fighting-types such as Sawk make good partners, as they can power through most of them with their STAB moves. Finally, Alomomola and Tangela can switch into anything Tauros has other than Toxic and wall it entirely, so Pokemon that can deal with both of these, such as Electabuzz, make good teammates.

Although this set might look somewhat gimmicky at first, it makes Tauros an excellent lure for Pokemon that would typically wall it with ease, opening up the way for other sweepers to have a much easier time. The goal of this set is to use Substitute as many times as possible, and then use Endeavor to bring the opponent down to very low HP, leaving it able to be finished off by just about any move and irreparably damaged if it lacks recovery. Among the Pokemon that this set can wear down immensely are Regirock, Carracosta, and Metang. To an extent, it can also wear down Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela as well, although they have recovery to compensate for the loss of HP. This set is still capable of doing damage to its foes outside of this strategy—Rock Climb alongside Sheer Force and a Life Orb is still strong enough to make it a hard-hitting physical attacker. Finally, Zen Headbutt is the best move Tauros has to hit Ghost-types, which are immune to Endeavor. 8 HP EVs are used in order to allow Tauros to make four Substitutes while at full health, with the last one leaving it with 1 HP remaining. Sheer Force and a Life Orb is recommended so that Tauros does not depend too much on Endeavor to deal damage. Leftovers is a subpar option to restore HP lost using Substitute, allowing it to cripple a few extra foes, as this is somewhat counterproductive due to Endeavor. With Leftovers, be sure to use Intimidate and Return in order to maximize the damage output from Tauros's Normal STAB. Earthquake is also a decent option in order to hit Steel- and Rock-types hard; however, it will not come in handy too often because Endeavor already cripples them, and Earthquake forces Tauros to take recoil damage from Life Orb, unlike Zen Headbutt. As this variant of Tauros is made to work around its typical counters, not very many partners are needed for it to function at its best. However, this set still struggles with Ghost-types because they are immune to Endeavor, so Skuntank support can come in handy due to its STAB Pursuit and other Dark-type moves. If there are entry hazards on the field, Tauros might no longer be able to make Substitutes at a higher than intended health, and if Toxic Spikes is on the field, it is practically incapable of doing its job. For this reason, a Rapid Spin user might be worth using—Torkoal and Armaldo in particular enjoy the absence of Rock-types because both are weak to their STAB. Finally, physical attackers that struggle with breaking through walls make good partners, as they can take advantage of Tauros's ability to remove them. Kangaskhan is a good example of this, as it can do a lot more damage without the opponent's Rock-type being able to easily switch into its Normal STAB, and it can hit Ghost-types thanks to Scrappy, making up for Tauros's inability to cripple them. Pokemon that struggle against Alomomola and Tangela, such as Gurdurr, also make good partners, but beware that, due to Regenerator and their instant recovery, Tauros will need to be able to do enough damage to finish them off before they recover their HP.

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.

If you're looking for an excellent late-game cleaner, look no further; Tauros runs through unprepared teams with little effort, and even prepared teams still have difficulties with it. Thanks to its base 100 Attack stat and the Choice Band boost, Tauros's STAB Return is sure to dent anything that doesn't resist it. Double-Edge serves as an alternative to Return; it hits significantly harder, but causes recoil damage. Earthquake is the secondary move of choice as it allows Tauros to combat the likes of Metagross, Tyranitar, and Jirachi, who all do not fear STAB Return or Double-Edge. Hidden Power Ghost hits Gengar, one of the most common and powerful Pokemon in ADV, for super effective damage. The EV spread is rather simple; maximize Attack to make Tauros hit as hard as possible and maximize Speed to ensure Tauros can outpace as many Pokemon as possible. Choice Band is easily the best option for Tauros as it hits incredibly hard with the aforementioned item. An Adamant nature is a viable alternative to a Jolly one as Tauros already outspeeds most of the ADV metagame. Tauros's best teammates are Pokemon that can eliminate the likes of Forretress and Skarmory. Magneton is easily Tauros's best partner as it can not only prevent Skarmory and Forretress from switching out, but also OHKO them with Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Fire, respectively. Snorlax and Salamence with Fire Blast and Metagross with Thunder Punch or Hidden Power Fire can surprise the aforementioned Steel-types, who might expect a boosting move or a resisted STAB move. Other good partners are physical attackers that can break through the defenses of Forretress and Skarmory. Choice Band Medicham can 2HKO the aforementioned Steel-types with a little bit of prior damage, which might enable Tauros to sweep later in the game. Choice Band Slaking with Focus Punch also works similarly to Medicham by breaking through Steel-types with relative ease. Additionally, powerful special attackers, such as Zapdos and Jirachi, also make quick work of Forretress and Skarmory with Thunderbolt and Fire Punch, respectively.

Tauros's Double-Edge is extremely potent; anything that doesn't resist it will sustain a pretty large amount of damage. Should the opponent resist or be immune to Double-Edge, hit it with an Earthquake; chances are it will be super effective. Should Tauros get low on health (probably from the large amounts of recoil damage it'll sustain from Double-Edge), use Rest to heal off the damage and continue attacking with Sleep Talk. Tauros also doubles as a nifty switch-in to Nidoking, as Tauros isn't weak to any of Nidoking's attacks. Tauros is a very simple Pokemon to use, but it is very good at what it does.

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.