Mega Tyranitar is a bulky yet powerful raid boss whenever it drops into Pokemon GO’s 5-Star Mega Raids, meaning you’ll need to be more careful when choosing the right counter to target its weaknesses.
While it is indeed regarded as one of the toughest Dark-type attackers in the game, boasting a monstrously high Attack stat with the CP and Defense to back it up, this just means you need to select a team of Pokemon that can shred through its HP that’s still high yet lower by comparison.
Starting with its weaknesses & resistances, let’s dive into the best Pokemon you can use to counter Mega Tyranitar in GO.
Like its base form, Mega Tyranitar is a dual Rock- and Dark-type in Pokemon GO, making it have a weakness each to Bug-, Fairy-, Fighting-, Grass-, Ground-, Steel-, and Water-type attacks. Using Fighting-type attacks against Mega Tyranitar is the easiest way to beat it since these moves will inflict 256% super-effective damage compared it normal, while its other weaknesses deal 160% damage.
While these leave Mega Tyranitar with many vulnerabilities, this 5-Star boss is resistant to almost all other types as well: being strong against Psychic-type moves at 39%, along with Dark-, Fire-, Flying-, Ghost-, Normal-, and Poison-type attacks at 63%.
| Pokemon | Type | Weaknesses | Strong Against | Resistances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mega Tyranitar | Rock/Dark | Fighting Bug Fairy Water Grass Ground Steel | Fire Ice Flying Bug Psychic Ghost Rock Steel Fairy Grass | Normal Fire Poison Flying Ghost Dark |
Despite its seven weaknesses, Mega Tyranitar will be able to counter many Pokemon of those types with the broad potential moveset it has in Pokemon GO.
With the Steel-type Iron Tail as one of its Fast Attacks, along with Fire Blast as a Charged Move alongside its Dark- and Rock-type moves, Mega Tyranitar has coverage against any Bug-, Fairy-, Grass-, and Steel-type Pokemon who may try to use against it to target those respective weaknesses.
Related: How To Get Shiny Meloetta, Shiny Manaphy, and Shiny Enamorus in Pokémon Home
The best counters to beat Mega Tyranitar in Pokemon GO are high-Attack stat Fighting-type Pokemon like Keldeo, Conkeldurr, and Machamp, along with a strong handful of alternatives listed in the table below with their full movesets:
| Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
 Keldeo (Resolute or base form) | Low Kick | Sacred Sword |
 Machamp | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
 Hariyama | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
 Mega Blaziken | Counter | Focus Blast |
 Conkeldurr | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
 Toxicroak | Counter | Dynamic Punch |
 Mega Gallade (or base form) | Low Kick | Close Combat |
 Mega Lopunny | Double Kick | Focus Blast |
 Galarian Zapdos | Counter | Close Combat |
 Meloetta (Pirouette form) | Low Kick | Close Combat |
If you are short on reliable Fighting-types, Water and Ground Pokemon are effective back-ups to use against Mega Tyranitar as well, even if they don’t inflict as high an amount of damage.
No matter which Fighting-, Water-, or Ground-type moves you use against Tyranitar, though, whether from our above list or otherwise, be sure that they are Pokemon of the same type so that you can get the 20% STAB (same-type attack bonus) – which is crucial when facing powerful 5-Star Mega Raid bosses like this.
Related: Pokémon Go Shadow Regirock Raid Guide: Best Counters, Tips, and Tricks
Yes, Mega Tyranitar can appear as a Shiny version in Pokemon GO after you defeat it in the boss’ 5-Star Mega Raid.
Keep in mind, however, that finding a Shiny like this isn’t always guaranteed. Currently, the odds of getting a Shiny Mega Raid boss in Pokemon GO is 1 in 128, meaning you’ll need a lot of luck to get a Shiny Mega Tyranitar.
However, if the game ever has another Larvitar Community Day, you’ll be much more likely to catch a Shiny version you can then evolve into Tyranitar, and then mega-evolve it instead.
Now that you know that Mega Tyranitar’s biggest weakness in Pokemon GO is using Fighting-type counters, check out what else is happening this month in our full February event schedule for the game.
Better yet, take a look at the latest Pokemon GO promo codes showing off the latest free items and other bonuses you can redeem.
Pokemon GOis available to play now.
