Paldean Tauros, the Bull Pokémon. This Pokémon has a muscular body and excels at close-quarters combat. It uses its short horns to strike the opponent’s weak spots. This kind of Tauros, known as the Combat Breed, is distinguished by its thick, powerful muscles and its fierce disposition.
Overview
While Tauros getting a Paldean variant may be a surprise, it is logical once you remember the famous Fighting bulls of Spain. And Paldean Tauros certainly delivers on the Fighting, sacrificing a bit of Speed and Special Attack for more Attack and Defense which coupled with Intimidate makes Paldean Tauros a fine physical wall that isn’t entirely passive. And being a defensive Fighting type has never been more viable given the relative lack of Fairy types and large number of Dark types running around. Despite the speed drop, Base 100 Speed is still respectable, especially on something as tanky as Paldean Tauros, getting the jump on many offensive threats that could overwhelm slower targets.
Combat Breed Tauros suffers from incredibly stiff competition. Its own counterparts, the Blaze and Aqua Breeds have an identical stat distribution but couple that with a secondary typing and an expanded movepool to match, giving them more resistances and flexibility. Annihilape, Great Tusk and Iron Hands also fill a similar defensive niche thanks to their own incredible bulk and even more potent offense. While Combat Tauros isn’t directly bad, the stellar competition leaves our ersatz Ferdinand wanting to smell the flowers.
Positives
75/105 Defenses + Intimidate makes Paldean Tauros rather bulky, able to shrug off physical hits without much issue.
Base 110 Attack coupled with STAB Fighting moves and Bulk Up prevents Paldean Tauros from being passive, able to deal significant damage even with minimal investment.
Base 100 Speed is the benchmark for most offensive Pokémon and meeting that goes a long way in avoiding eating multiple attacks.
Good coverage options in Earthquake, Stone Edge, Zen Headbutt, and Iron Head give Combat Tauros coverage against most of its answers.
Negatives
Base 70 Special Defense is a noticeable achilles heel that prevents Paldean Tauros from being a consistent wall.
Lack of reliable recovery hurts Paldean Tauros’ durability, leaving it prone to being worn down over time.
No consistent answers against Psychic types, forcing Combat Tauros to rely on neutral coverage for them.
Movesets
Ferdinand
-Bulk Up
-Close Combat
-Iron Head
-Stone Edge
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Bulk Up Combat Breed Tauros leverages its fantastic physical bulk and Intimidate to find setup opportunities before rampaging through the opposing team. Bulk Up makes Paldean Tauros’ strong points even better and can invalidate physical switch ins who think they have a chance against Combat Tauros. Close Combat is STAB of choice, having overall fantastic power. Iron Head provides valuable coverage against Fairy types like Daschbun and Florges. Stone Edge rounds out coverage, punishing Flying and Bug types that otherwise resist Combat Tauros’ blistering offense.
Tera Types:
Tera Steel is heavily recommended here, not only giving STAB to Iron Head, but turning all of Combat Tauros’ weaknesses into resistances on top of the large defense profile Tera Steel normally provides.
EVs and Items:
Max Attack and Speed are recommended to give Combat Tauros as much power as possible. Alternatively, one could go for a bulky route and invest completely in HP and Special Defense, relying on Bulk Up to fill the gaps. Leftovers is recommended for the item, enabling Combat Tauros to recover damage incurred while switching in and setting up. Lum Berry is also worth consideration for a one time shield against Burn and Poison.
Partners:
Jolteon makes a good partner for Combat Tauros, dispatching Flying types as well as bulky waters such as Qwilfish and Slowbro with ease while Combat Tauros is a reliable answer into special walls such as Chansey and Muk.
Muk, despite stacking a Psychic weakness, also pairs well with Tauros, having Special Bulk to compliment Tauros’ physical, and easily dealing with Fairy types that give Tauros trouble, while setting up Toxic Spikes that can compromise most of Tauros’ checks. In turn, Tauros provides a reliable answer into Steel types that give Muk trouble.
Other Options:
Earthquake -Pairs well with Stone Edge and hits Poison types very hard.
Assurance -Can hit Psychic types hard on the switch-in, especially with Entry Hazards up, but requires good prediction to get the most out of it.
Assault Vest -lose out on any utility but makes Combat Tauros that much harder to put down.
Countering Paldean Tauros
Tauros Combat has many of the checks and weaknesses you’d expect of a Fighting Pokémon. Rotom and Spiritomb causes Combat Tauros plenty of problems, between no selling Close Combat and not taking much damage from anything not named Stone Edge while capable of crippling Tauros with Will O Wisp.
Tauros’ coverage also dictates what can counter it. Qwilfish excels against any set not carrying Earthquake, as does Florges and Dachsbun with Iron Head, while Scyther is safe against sets lacking Stone Edge.
If looking to revenge kill Tauros Combat, which can be difficult between its high Speed and good Defense, one must exploit its weaker Special Defense. Jolteon and Charizard can’t switch in, but their superior/equivalent speed and powerful special attacks are easily capable of outright knocking out Tauros Combat.
Paldean Tauros Blaze Breed, the Wild Bull Pokémon. When heated by fire energy, its horns can get hotter than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Those gored by them will suffer both wounds and burns. People call this kind of Tauros the Blaze Breed due to the hot air it snorts from its nostrils. Its three tails are intertwined. .
Overview
The first Fire Fighting type in 4 generations as well as the first non Starter Fire Fighting type and Tauros Blaze certainly does not disappoint. While its contemporaries offered varying flavors of offense, Tauros Blaze is the first defensive take on the typing. The numerous resistances Fire supplies alongside Will-o-Wisp and Intimidate on top of Paldean Tauros' fantastic physical bulk turn it into arguably the most successful wall of the 3 Paldean Tauros breeds. And as expected of a Fire type, Tauros Blaze does not lack for offense either, its Fire coverage pairing wonderfully with the already excellent base moveset Paldean Tauros has for wide coverage with few resists.
As excellent as the Fire Fighting typing is, the distressingly common Water and Ground weaknesses it provides does Tauros Blaze no favors, especially against targets it should otherwise wall. Poor Special Defense and lack of reliable recovery further hurts Tauros Blaze's ability as a wall. The longevity of offensive sets are also unimpressive -Tauros will wear itself out far faster than its natural bulk would otherwise imply. Tauros Blaze is incredible on offense or defense, but never both at once and never peerless.
Positives
75/105 Defenses + Intimidate+ Will-o-Wisp makes Tauros Blaze absurdly bulky, able to completely shutdown physical attackers.
Base 110 Attack coupled with STAB Fighting moves and Bulk Up prevents Paldean Tauros from being passive, able to deal significant damage even with minimal investment.
Base 100 Speed is the benchmark for most offensive Pokémon and meeting that goes a long way in avoiding eating multiple attacks.
Fire Fighting is good typing both offensively and defensively, offering a myriad of resistances and a potent STAB combination
Negatives
Base 70 Special Defense is a noticeable achilles heel that prevents Paldean Tauros from being a consistent wall.
Lack of reliable recovery hurts Paldean Tauros' durability, leaving it prone to being worn down over time.
Common weaknesses leave Tauros Blaze unable to wall Pokémon its counterparts could do so easily.
Movesets
Immovable Object
-Will-o-Wisp
-Body Press
-Raging Bull
-Rock Tomb
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Leftovers
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
Blaze Breed Tauros Physical Wall set acts as a reliable pivot into physical attackers, including Kingambit, Meowscarada, Chien-Pao, Scizor, Weavile and more. And if the Attack drop from Intimidate isn't enough, the Burn from Will-o-Wisp certainly is, often rendering the physical attacker useless for the remainder of the match. STAB Body Press is a fantastic tool on something as bulky as Tauros, allowing it to play offense while on Defense. Raging Bull, while running off Attack, offers valuable Fire STAB and breaks through any screens the opposing team may have setup. Rock Tomb rounds out the set, offering coverage into the many Flying and Fighting resistant Fire types that give Tauros trouble while also providing support by dropping the target's speed, turning them into setup fodder for one of Tauros' teammates.
Tera Types:
Defensive Tauros Blaze does not like to Terastalize, given its good defensive profile it what gets it its niche in the first place. That being said, Tera Flying and Grass are good for removing Tauros Blaze's troubling Ground and Water weaknesses, though preference comes down to what you don't want to be weak to post Terastalization.
EVs and Items:
Max HP and Defense are strongly recommended to both maximize Tauros Blaze's physical bulk and Body Press damage. Investment in Special Defense can be worthwhile given Intimidate and Tauros' already good defense, but the drop in power on Body Press is noticeable. Leftovers is recommended for repeated recovery over several turns, while Heavy Duty Boots can be considered for a more hit and run style aiming to spread Intimidate.
Partners:
Slowking stands out as an excellent partner to Tauros Blaze, its typing forming both a Water-Fire and Psychic-Fighting core with Tauros Blaze. It loves Tauros Blaze's Intimidate and Will-o-Wisp blunting physical attackers while Tauros Blaze enjoys Slowking's slow pivots and ability to deal and absorb special attacks.
Amoongus makes for another great partner, forming a Fire-Grass core, and its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes as well as it naturally checking Garganacl.
Other Options:
Bulk Up -helps Tauros-Blaze as a late game win condition and makes both of its strong points better.
Rest+Chesto Berry -Tauros Blaze's only method of reliable healing and can help blank Toxic Spikes once.
Earthquake/Stone Edge -stronger options against opposing Fire types, as well as Poison and Flying types respectively.
Choice Scarf -Sacrifice bulk for Speed and Power. The extra speed also synergizes wonderfully with Will-o-Wisp, enabling Tauros Blaze to hindere targets that it otherwise would be forced out on.
Countering Paldean Tauros
Dondozo and Slowbro rear their ugly heads again, their fantastic bulk, Super Effective STABs and ability to Ignore Will-o-Wisp make them clean counters to Tauros Blaze regardless of set. Gyarados, Salamence, and Toxapex all also fare well, though the former two dislike Will-o-Wisp burns and Rock Tomb while Toxapex dislikes Earthquake.
Armorouge, and Skeledirge also act as checks for sets lacking Stone Edge and Earthquake, able to resist Tauros Blaze's other attackers and wear it down with their own special offense. Ceruledge also walls Tauros Blaze, but can't do any meaningful damage back.
If walling Tauros Blaze isn't feasible special attackers are the way to go. Walking Wake, Specs Dragapult, Specs Iron Valiant, Greninja, Espeon, and Noivern all naturally outspeed and overwhelm Tauros Blaze without much issue.
Physical Attackers are not recommended as between Bulk Up, Will-O-Wisp and Intimidate, it is likely that they could become hindered for the rest of the battle even if they take out Tauros Blaze. Don't play to Tauros Blaze's strengths unless you are certain you can circumvent them.
Paldean Tauros Aqua Breed, the Wild Bull Pokémon. This Pokémon blasts water from holes on the tips of its horns—the high-pressure jets pierce right through Tauros’s enemies. It swims by jetting water from its horns. The most notable characteristic of the Aqua Breed is its high body fat, which allows it to float easily..
Overview
Tauros Aqua Breed adds the Water typing to Paldean Tauros, becoming a rather unique take on the Water Fighting type. The Bulky Water type is nothing new in Pokémon but the sub Fighting type is a new spin on the archetype and could not have come at a better time. The new Water typing adds invaluable resistances, enabling Tauros Aqua to repel assaults from terrifying foes such as Baxcalibur, Weavile, Chien-Pao as well as having favorable matchups into Great Tusk, Iron Treads and Ting-Lu. And this is not even getting into Paldean Tauros’ normally good matchups with Kingambit, Lokix, Tyranitar and Scizor.
However, with a new typing comes new problems in addition to some of the old ones. The extra weaknesses to Electric and Grass are unfortunate, preventing Tauros Aqua from walling several prominent threats. The low Special Defense remains a painful sticking point, giving opponents an easy out to Tauros Aqua’s impressive bulk. Additionally, with the new Water sub typing, Tauros Aqua finds itself in strict competition with numerous other Bulky Water types, including the phenomenal Dondozo which can make it difficult to justify.
Positives
75/105 Defenses + Intimidate makes Paldean Tauros rather bulky, able to shrug off physical hits without much issue.
Base 110 Attack coupled with STAB Fighting moves and Bulk Up prevents Paldean Tauros from being passive, able to deal significant damage even with minimal investment.
Base 100 Speed is the benchmark for most offensive Pokémon and meeting that goes a long way in avoiding eating multiple attacks as a defensive one.
Water typing gives Tauros more resistances, STABs and an expanded movepool to work with, enabling it to pivot into more attacks and cover more threats.
Negatives
Base 70 Special Defense is a noticeable achilles heel that prevents Paldean Tauros from being a consistent wall.
Lack of reliable recovery hurts Paldean Tauros’ durability, leaving it prone to being worn down over time.
Fierce competition with Azumarill, Dondozo and others keeps Tauros Aqua from seeing as widespread use as it could have.
Movesets
Water Buffalo
-Bulk Up
-Close Combat
-Wave Crash
-Earthquake
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Life Orb
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Bulk Up Tauros Aqua immediately stands out from its Combat counterpart with the additional STAB and resistances, reducing the number of safe switch-ins. Close Combat and Wave Crash are incredible STAB moves, dealing absurd damage after an easily nabbed Bulk Up boost and emphasizes Tauros-Aqua’s role as an offensive sweeper who has a good defensive profile. Earthquake rounds out the set, wrecking Electric and Poison types that trouble Tauros Aqua.
Tera Types:
Tera Water and Tera Fighting stand out for helping Tauros Aqua pile on as much damage as possible. Tera Water especially works well with Aqua Jet, enabling Tauros Aqua to pick off faster foes at higher HP thresholds. Tera Steel is as always a good defensive option, giving several invaluable resistances while Tauros Aqua dissuades Fire and Ground types thanks to its Water STAB.
EVs and Items:
Max Attack and Speed to maximize Tauros Aqua’s power. Due to the self-destructive nature of Tauros Aqua’s moveset, defensive investment is not recommended due to the negative synergy with Close Combat and Wave Crash, though is worth considering if running a more defensive set. Life Orb is recommended for as much power as possible, though Mystic Water is a good alternative if you don’t want Tauros Aqua to tear itself apart that quickly, or Leftovers for extra longevity while setting up.
Partners:
Specially oriented Poison types like Gengar, Iron Moth and Glimmora make for decent partners to Tauros Aqua, able to handle most Grass and Fairy types with ease, while carrying coverage for Flying types, though they each offer their own advantages. Gengar is a soft check to opposing Psychic types, while Iron Moth and Glimmora can easily spread around entry hazards to further apply pressure for Tauros Aqua’s offense. In turn, they enjoy Tauros Aqua destroying sponges like Blissey, alongside opposing Ground types.
Iron Jugulis, loves Tauros Aqua’s ability to pivot into non Freeze Dry Ice Attacks and Rock Attacks with ease and in turn cover for Tauros Aqua’s Grass and Psychic issues while easily pivoting in with U-Turn and offering contrasting offenses. Other Flying and Dragon types can fill a similar niche, though the weakness stacking is unfortunate.
Other Options:
Aqua Jet -STAB Priority is always good.
Choice Band and Choice Scarf -given the wider array of offensive attacks Tauros Aqua has, forgoing setup for pure power, utilizing Tauros Aqua’s bulk as a pivot opportunity is very good.
Raging Bull/Body Press -for more defensive sets that don’t want to tear themselves to pieces.
Trailblaze -Grass coverage for pesky opposing Water types and helps patch up Tauros-Aqua’s Speed.
Stone Edge -Smashes water Resistant Flying types that otherwise offer many problems to Tauros Aqua.
VGC & Doubles Options
Intimidate users have had a long history of success in VGC, to the point that several abilities were explicitly buffed to ignore it in generation 8. Even with that, Intimidate users remained as strong as ever, and the same holds true for Paldean Tauros. Coupling with that a signature STAB that breaks screens and excellent physical defenses and typing to stay around Paldean Tauros can carve out a small niche for it amid the several other Intimidate users available. Of the available Tauros forms, Tauros Aqua has been excelling the most thanks to its typing stymying and threatening key threats including Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu and Chien-Pao. However, Arcanine and Gyarados remain the top Intimidate users for good reason, possessing a far more robust support movepool and better Special Defense, as well as not losing hard to current format superstar Flutter Mane.
One Bull Stampede
-Raging Bull
-Close Combat
-Aqua Jet
-Rock Tomb
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Assault Vest
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Tauros Aqua uses a combination of Intimidate and Assault Vest to give it a sturdy defensive profile, enabling it to pivot in and out repeatedly with little risk to continuously tank the opposing team’s Attack. Raging Bull is Water STAB of Choice, the utility it provides in a doubles match is hard to pass up. Close Combat is Fighting STAB, invaluable when so many of the biggest threats running around are part Dark and thus Fighting weak. Aqua Jet is great for picking off weakened opponents, more so if they have priority or speed control on their side. Rock Tomb rounds out the set, giving a little extra coverage and Speed Control against one target.
Other Options and Preferred Partners:
Wave Crash -When you need your opponent to faint no matter what.
Protect -If not running Assault Vest, run this move, the stalling it provides is invaluable.
Flutter Mane -as much as Flutter Mane is Tauros’ bane, Tauros makes an excellent partner, blunting the damage of the physical attacks it is very much weak to and easily handling Fire and Steel types that Flutter mane itself often struggles with.
Chi Yu has an extremely complimentary typing with Tauros Aqua, allowing them to cover each other’s weaknesses fairly well (Chi Yu blasts Grass and Psychic types, while Tauros Aqua smashes Ground, Rock Fire and Dark types), while fixing each other’s weaker defense with Snarl and Intimidate respectively.
Countering Paldean Tauros
Slowbro and Azumarill are hard walls for Tauros Aqua, taking all attacks with ease and can have Super Effective STAB targeting Tauros Aqua’s weaker special defense. Alomola and Dondozo are in a similar boat, but normally lack the means to deal considerable damage to Tauros Aqua in turn, though their natural recovery leaves them favored in drawn out slugfests. Toxapex too can perform well, provided Tauros Aqua is not running Earthquake.
Aside from the bulky waters, Dragonite, Noivern and Salamence fare well thanks to their defensive typing resisting Tauros Aqua’s STABs while having Super Effective STAB of their own but must be wary of Stone Edge. Gyarados is similar, also fearing Stone Edge, bust struggles to do appreciable damage. Scream Tail also manages due to sheer bulk and massive Fighting resistance though Wave Crash stings a lot.
If these methods fail, overwhelming Tauros Aqua is an option thanks to its many weaknesses and poor special defense. Staraptor, Espeon, Pawmot, and Meowscarada all reliably outspeed and OHKO Tauros Aqua even after Intimidate. It is important that your offensive check be not weak to Water, as an Aqua Jet will mess your would-be-check up.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Safari Zone
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Route 38, Route 39
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Trade from FireRed/LeafGreen
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Safari Zone
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Routes 209 & 210-South
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Route 38, Route 39, Route 48
Safari Zone
Black/White:
Transfer from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver
Black 2/White 2:
Transfer from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver
X/Y:
Route 12
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Trade from X/Y
Sun/Moon:
Paniola Ranch, Poni Plains
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Paniola Ranch, Poni Plains
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Route 14, Route 15
Sword/Shield:
Training Lowlands
Max Raid Battles: Soothing Wetlands, Courageous Cavern, Training Lowlands
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Route 209, Route 210, Grand Underground
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Combat Breed: Asado Desert, East Province Area One, East Province Area Two, East Province Area Three, West Province Area Two
Blaze Breed: Asado Desert, East Province Area Two, East Province Area Three, West Province Area Two (Scarlet)
Aqua Breed: Asado Desert, East Province Area Two, East Province Area Three, West Province Area Two (Violet)
Tera Raid Battles: 4 Star Raid Battles , 5 Star Raid Battles , 6 Star Raid Battles
Anime Appearences
