PokeHelp: Is Smogon Reliable? And does pokemon Characteristic really matter?

So i got back into pokemon again, and there's some questions that i hope you guys can answer. So i wanted to get the best tyranitar there can be in B/W. So heres where my questions comes in.

Is Smogon a reliable source for a pokemon moveset? Because as i was searching for movesets for tyranitar, alot of people had Dragon Dance, while the movesets Smogon provided didn't have Dragon Dance. Is Dragon Dance a Must for Tyranitar? or does it all depend on your team?

Also as i searching for the best nature for tyranitar, i saw someone say that Pokemon Characteristic helps a pokemon stats depending which one it is ( Example Alert to sounds, Likes to thrash about) SO my last question is, does a pokemon characteristic really matter?

Please help i'm new to pokemon

For in-game, it depends on what you want for Tyranitar. If you want both power and speed, then you use DDance.

Smogon's movesets are actually built for competitive battling, not your run-of-the-mill battling with your best party pokemon. The movesets are built for the current conditions of the competitive field, like what is most pokemon is often used, what might counter Tyranitar, how your opponent might react, etc. In the game, the moveset could work... or it could backfire (like I found out to my dismay not so long ago). Finally, old Tyranitar sets did carry DDance. It's a respectable option for Tyranitar to carry.

Anyhoo, here's my question to you:
Are you interested in learning competitive battling? :)

Smogon is pretty much the definitive go-to for competitive movesets. If you're just going for an in-game team, it's not really necessary to base anything off of that, but if you'd like to you can. As to Smogon not having a BW Dragon Dance set for Tyranitar, it isn't as viable this generation as it was in the previous generation, but you can definitely still run it. It does depend on your team.

Natures matter for your Pokemon, characterics just tell you which stat has the highest IV (individual value). More on that can be found here.

Smogon is a good source to use when looking up to build a competitive Pokemon, but obviously you cane make up your own sets.

If you want an in-game tyrannitar, its best to pick up as much of a diverse move-set with good moves with a good amount of PP in them. Crunch, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and Ice or Fire Punch are good moves to have(forgot if he can use it, bleh)

You're going to get murdered if you just copy Smogon movesets unless you use a steamrolling Drizzle team.

Of course, it's a good base, but since the movesets listed are the most used/viable, it also makes your Pokémon extremely easy to predict. You might want to try new stuff yourself.

Some movesets fit better some teams, but generally you want to use Tyranitar to abuse Sandstorm, so give him teammates that benefit from it.

And remember that Excadrill isn't banned in random wifi so he makes a wonderful partner in a sandstorm team. If the Smogonite quits, it's his loss, random matchup is not Pokémon Showdown.

DD Tyranitar is no longer listed in Smogon's analysis because it's not quite as good as it was back in the RSE days. The metagame is too fast for it now, so it's very easy to revenge kill. Scizor, Breloom, Gliscor, Scarf Rotom-W, Scarf Garchomp, Scarf Terrakion, etc. are all over the place.

SchwarzRozen said:

If you want an in-game tyrannitar, its best to pick up as much of a diverse move-set with good moves with a good amount of PP in them. Crunch, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and Ice or Fire Punch are good moves to have(forgot if he can use it, bleh)

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Well, he wants to use DD Tyranitar, which is a set-up sweeper. Tyranitar will only use enough PP to KO the rest of the team, or use enough PP before it gets KOed. So, Stone Edge is definitely a good move to use despite its low PP and accuracy. Rock Slide would be worth using if it had perfect accuracy, but it doesn't. I might as well add for the OP that DD / Crunch / Stone Edge / Aqua Tail or Fire Punch would probably be the best moveset he could use. Aqua Tail hits Pokemon like Terrakion and Gliscor while Fire Punch damages Ferrothorn and Scizor.

The only thing Smogon doesn't do very well are EV spreads. Most of the ones they list are very basic 252/252/4 spreads. But this isn't really a concern until you're more experienced. :P For just starting, Smogon is a great resource to use. Very reliable in terms of keeping up to date and accuracy.

Cerberus87 said:

You're going to get murdered if you just copy Smogon movesets unless you use a steamrolling Drizzle team.

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Umm... No you won't? The members of Smogon work together to build the best moveset it can, but if you find something else that will work then go ahead. Nobody is going to get mad at you for using Smogon's movesets, so I don't know where you got that from.

Of course, it's a good base, but since the movesets listed are the most used/viable, it also makes your Pokémon extremely easy to predict. You might want to try new stuff yourself.

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There' also a thing called Other Options in the analyses.

And remember that Excadrill isn't banned in random wifi so he makes a wonderful partner in a sandstorm team. If the Smogonite quits, it's his loss, random matchup is not Pokémon Showdown.

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Smogon doesn't go banning things because one person loses to it and they decide to ban it. They actually test what it's like to have a metagame without it, then the users who made requisites (a certain place on the ladder to ba able to vote) all come together and either vote to ban or not ban the Pokemon. It's a long process, so don't go badmouthing it because you don't like it.

Keiran777 said:

The only thing Smogon doesn't do very well are EV spreads. Most of the ones they list are very basic 252/252/4 spreads. But this isn't really a concern until you're more experienced. :P For just starting, Smogon is a great resource to use. Very reliable in terms of keeping up to date and accuracy.

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???? This is the most concerning of all, because Smogon doesn't just go and make a 252 / 252 spread because they can. They make the spread because it works. Some spreads are more complicated, yes, but the standard 252 / 252 spreads are there because they are the most effective. It doesn't mean you're a bad battler because you can't think of anything else besides that. Some Pokemon have to use those spreads to be viable in the current metagame.

Sorry if I sound rude, but that's that.

As far as the OP's question goes, Smogon is a very great source for competitive Pokemon info, and if you'd like to know more then you're certainly welcome to send me a PM. :)

Also, the characteristic doesn't really matter, but the nature could possibly decide the outcome of a battle.

Well, I dont use their builds, but smogon is mostly just a helping site for pokemonshowdown :)

Charzar said:

Well, I dont use their builds, but smogon is mostly just a helping site for pokemonshowdown :)

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Not really. It's the most ~official~ place where all competitive movesets, all competitive discussion etc is found. Also Smogon came before PS, so it's not really a "helping" site. :/