Hilomilo
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[OVERVIEW]
Tapu Lele's niche lies in its access to Psychic Surge, which allows it to immediately summon Psychic Terrain and nullify priority attacks like Arceus's Extreme Speed, Yveltal's Sucker Punch, and Marshadow's Shadow Sneak, which is very appreciated by offensive teams. Psychic Terrain also gives Tapu Lele's Psychic-type attacks a notable boost in power, which alongside its base 130 Special Attack and decent Speed gives it good offensive presence. Furthermore, Tapu Lele's access to valuable utility moves in Taunt, Nature's Madness, and Aromatherapy allows it to broaden its support capabilities beyond just setting Psychic Terrain and overall function as a very reliable source of various forms of support. Unfortunately, Tapu Lele struggles due to its poor bulk and typing, which leave it with a lack of generally useful resistances and a slight inability to reliably switch in. Tapu Lele's typing also hurts it against the tier's common Psychic- and Steel-types, which are only threatened by coverage or Nature's Madness. Tapu Lele's Speed, while good, is still a hindrance to it at times, as faster threats in Mega Salamence, Mega Gengar, and Deoxys-A are capable of easily outpacing and threatening it. Psychic Terrain, while useful for blocking opposing priority, can also come at the cost of negating your own team's priority, which can hinder some of Tapu Lele's potential teammates and, at times, slightly restrict teambuilding.
[SET]
name: Offensive Utility
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Nature's Madness / Shadow Ball
item: Terrain Extender
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB option and, with the boost in power from Psychic Terrain, is extremely threatening to even the bulkiest of threats, like Ho-Oh, bulky Arceus formes, and Primal Kyogre. Moonblast offers excellent coverage alongside Psychic, allowing Tapu Lele to hit Dark-types such as Mega Sableye and Yveltal and Dragon-types such as Giratina-O and Zygarde-C for super effective damage. Taunt complements Nature's Madness extremely well, and together the two moves are capable of shutting down support Arceus formes and defensive annoyances like Lugia, Celesteela, and Blissey. Shadow Ball can be used to hit Lunala, which otherwise heavily pressures Tapu Lele, for massive damage while also giving Tapu Lele a way to hit the likes of Giratina, Bronzong, and Lugia for super effective damage. Aromatherapy can be used to relieve Tapu Lele's teammates of status and allow it to further expand its support capabilities, but the move is usually not as valuable as Taunt and Nature's Madness.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Special Attack puts almost as much power behind Tapu Lele's attacks as possible and thus allows it to adequately pressure a good portion of the metagame. Maximum investment in Speed is also important for making Tapu Lele as fast as possible and capable of outspeeding the metagame's many defensive Pokemon. Terrain Extender maximizes the number of turns that Psychic Terrain can be out for and thus allows Tapu Lele to support its team as much as possible. A Timid nature is preferred for Tapu Lele to outpace the likes of support Arceus formes, Adamant Rayquaza, and Pokemon with base 90 Speed, like Dialga, Giratina-O, and Primal Kyogre. A Modest nature can be used, however, to risk being outpaced by the aforementioned threats for as much offensive prowess as possible, though this isn't as preferred due to the inability to use Taunt against most support Arceus formes.
Usage Tips
========
Tapu Lele's main function is as a source of support for offensive teams. However, because its defensive prowess is rather unimpressive, it is best switched in carefully, such as against a threat that can't do much damage to it like Zygarde-C or Arceus-Dragon or after a teammate has fainted. Psychic should be spammed as much as possible during the match due to its fantastic power under Psychic Terrain. It is notable for breaking past even the tier's bulkiest threats and weakening otherwise threatening offensive Pokemon to Psychic-types that Tapu Lele will often try supporting. Taunt and Nature's Madness are both excellent tools for supporting Tapu Lele's teammates that may try sweeping. As such, Taunt should be used when predicting a foe to set up or use a recovery move, while Nature's Madness can be used to weaken potential switch-ins to Tapu Lele such as Magearna, Alolan Muk, Lugia, and Dialga. Figuring out when to utilize Psychic Terrain is key to your team's success when using Tapu Lele. Potential priority users like Rayquaza, Giratina-O, and Marshadow should all be scouted out to help make full use of Psychic Terrain, and another thing to account for is the fact that it can be quite useful in supporting teammates looking to sweep late-game. It is also worth noting that if Psychic Terrain isn't needed to win a match, Tapu Lele can be sacked if it is absolutely necessary, though this should only happen in extreme cases and, as said before, when Psychic Terrain isn't absolutely needed to win.
Team Options
========
Deoxys-A is easily the Pokemon that benefits most from Tapu Lele's support, as Psychic Terrain increases the power of its already heavily threatening STAB Psycho Boost and prevents it from being threatened by priority. Mewtwo and its Mega Evolutions also make good partners due to their ability to also benefit from many of the same things that Psychic Terrain helps Deoxys-A with. Other offensive threats that appreciate the nullification of priority, such as Mega Lucario, Mega Gengar, and Xerneas, value the support Tapu Lele provides. Dark-types like Arceus-Dark, Yveltal, and Alolan Muk can aid Tapu Lele in taking care of its weakness to Ghost-types quite reliably, and they can also check Psychic-type foes that may try benefiting from Psychic Terrain. It is worth noting that the latter two cannot use their respective priority moves in Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak with Psychic Terrain activated, though. Entry hazard setters like Primal Groudon, Bronzong, and Excadrill are useful for dealing chip damage to foes and allowing Tapu Lele and its teammates to more reliably secure some KOs. The combination of Excadrill and Tyranitar is useful for providing a Xerneas check and a Dark-type, which are both helpful to Tapu Lele. Lastly, checks to Primal Groudon, a Pokemon that otherwise hinders Tapu Lele, are appreciated as teammates; examples include Arceus-Ground, Giratina-O, Lugia, and Mega Salamence, which in particular can set up with Dragon Dance and use Defog in addition to checking Primal Groudon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Fire and Focus Blast are both good options for dealing with Steel-types more reliably but generally aren't as useful as Shadow Ball and Nature's Madness due to Hidden Power Fire's poor power and Focus Blast's poor accuracy. Choice Specs and Choice Scarf are both options for either allowing Tapu Lele to 2HKO a huge portion of the metagame with just Psychic or circumventing its only average Speed. Neither option, however, is preferable due to Tapu Lele's inability to hold Terrain Extender, which cuts the turns of Psychic Terrain by three. Psyshock is an option over Psychic for hitting Ho-Oh for a guaranteed 2HKO but leaves Tapu Lele without the ability to reliably break past certain physical threats. Grass Knot is an option for hitting Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Water but has limited coverage otherwise. Calm Mind turns Tapu Lele into a somewhat threatening wincon but severely limits its support capabilities. Eject Button can be used to surprise the likes of Deoxys-A by forcing Tapu Lele out upon tanking a hit but, like Choice items, comes at the cost of the three extra turns of Psychic Terrain that Terrain Extender provides.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ghost-types**: Offensive Ghost-types like Marshadow, Mega Gengar, and Lunala pose a large threat to Tapu Lele, as most are capable of outspeeding it and OHKOing it with their super effective STAB attacks, though they all must be wary of either Shadow Ball or Nature's Madness.
**Steel-types**: Tapu Lele's typing leaves it generally unable to hit most Steel-types for good damage unless using super effective coverage, meaning the likes of Excadrill, Solgaleo, Magearna, and Ferrothorn can reliably switch in and threaten Tapu Lele with super effective STAB attacks.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh's immense special bulk means that as long as Stealth Rock isn't up, bulkier variants can switch in and pressure Tapu Lele with either Sacred Fire or Brave Bird. Sets with less investment in bulk, however, do fear the 2HKO from Psychic at times.
**Pheromosa**: Pheromosa's immense Speed and high offenses allow it to threaten Tapu Lele with its powerful U-turn and Poison Jab, as well as benefiting from the nullification of priority that Psychic Terrain provides.
**Alolan Muk**: Alolan Muk's fantastic typing and special bulk with an Assault Vest allow it to tank any of Tapu Lele's attacks and proceed to threaten it with STAB Poison Jab or Pursuit. It should be wary of switching into Nature's Madness, however.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Fast offensive threats such as Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Mega Lucario can threaten Tapu Lele due to its poor bulk and only decent Speed, as well as taking advantage of Psychic Terrain to avoid otherwise threatening priority attacks. Deoxys-A is particularly troublesome, as its Psycho Boost is ridiculously powerful under Psychic Terrain, while its great Speed and immunity to priority with Psychic Terrain up make it extremely hard to revenge kill.
**Paralysis**: Tapu Lele's offensive capabilities are heavily compromised by paralysis, making it susceptible to most offensive threats due to its poor bulk. Pokemon that carry paralysis moves, such as Klefki and Primal Groudon, should be looked out for.
Tapu Lele's niche lies in its access to Psychic Surge, which allows it to immediately summon Psychic Terrain and nullify priority attacks like Arceus's Extreme Speed, Yveltal's Sucker Punch, and Marshadow's Shadow Sneak, which is very appreciated by offensive teams. Psychic Terrain also gives Tapu Lele's Psychic-type attacks a notable boost in power, which alongside its base 130 Special Attack and decent Speed gives it good offensive presence. Furthermore, Tapu Lele's access to valuable utility moves in Taunt, Nature's Madness, and Aromatherapy allows it to broaden its support capabilities beyond just setting Psychic Terrain and overall function as a very reliable source of various forms of support. Unfortunately, Tapu Lele struggles due to its poor bulk and typing, which leave it with a lack of generally useful resistances and a slight inability to reliably switch in. Tapu Lele's typing also hurts it against the tier's common Psychic- and Steel-types, which are only threatened by coverage or Nature's Madness. Tapu Lele's Speed, while good, is still a hindrance to it at times, as faster threats in Mega Salamence, Mega Gengar, and Deoxys-A are capable of easily outpacing and threatening it. Psychic Terrain, while useful for blocking opposing priority, can also come at the cost of negating your own team's priority, which can hinder some of Tapu Lele's potential teammates and, at times, slightly restrict teambuilding.
[SET]
name: Offensive Utility
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Nature's Madness / Shadow Ball
item: Terrain Extender
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB option and, with the boost in power from Psychic Terrain, is extremely threatening to even the bulkiest of threats, like Ho-Oh, bulky Arceus formes, and Primal Kyogre. Moonblast offers excellent coverage alongside Psychic, allowing Tapu Lele to hit Dark-types such as Mega Sableye and Yveltal and Dragon-types such as Giratina-O and Zygarde-C for super effective damage. Taunt complements Nature's Madness extremely well, and together the two moves are capable of shutting down support Arceus formes and defensive annoyances like Lugia, Celesteela, and Blissey. Shadow Ball can be used to hit Lunala, which otherwise heavily pressures Tapu Lele, for massive damage while also giving Tapu Lele a way to hit the likes of Giratina, Bronzong, and Lugia for super effective damage. Aromatherapy can be used to relieve Tapu Lele's teammates of status and allow it to further expand its support capabilities, but the move is usually not as valuable as Taunt and Nature's Madness.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Special Attack puts almost as much power behind Tapu Lele's attacks as possible and thus allows it to adequately pressure a good portion of the metagame. Maximum investment in Speed is also important for making Tapu Lele as fast as possible and capable of outspeeding the metagame's many defensive Pokemon. Terrain Extender maximizes the number of turns that Psychic Terrain can be out for and thus allows Tapu Lele to support its team as much as possible. A Timid nature is preferred for Tapu Lele to outpace the likes of support Arceus formes, Adamant Rayquaza, and Pokemon with base 90 Speed, like Dialga, Giratina-O, and Primal Kyogre. A Modest nature can be used, however, to risk being outpaced by the aforementioned threats for as much offensive prowess as possible, though this isn't as preferred due to the inability to use Taunt against most support Arceus formes.
Usage Tips
========
Tapu Lele's main function is as a source of support for offensive teams. However, because its defensive prowess is rather unimpressive, it is best switched in carefully, such as against a threat that can't do much damage to it like Zygarde-C or Arceus-Dragon or after a teammate has fainted. Psychic should be spammed as much as possible during the match due to its fantastic power under Psychic Terrain. It is notable for breaking past even the tier's bulkiest threats and weakening otherwise threatening offensive Pokemon to Psychic-types that Tapu Lele will often try supporting. Taunt and Nature's Madness are both excellent tools for supporting Tapu Lele's teammates that may try sweeping. As such, Taunt should be used when predicting a foe to set up or use a recovery move, while Nature's Madness can be used to weaken potential switch-ins to Tapu Lele such as Magearna, Alolan Muk, Lugia, and Dialga. Figuring out when to utilize Psychic Terrain is key to your team's success when using Tapu Lele. Potential priority users like Rayquaza, Giratina-O, and Marshadow should all be scouted out to help make full use of Psychic Terrain, and another thing to account for is the fact that it can be quite useful in supporting teammates looking to sweep late-game. It is also worth noting that if Psychic Terrain isn't needed to win a match, Tapu Lele can be sacked if it is absolutely necessary, though this should only happen in extreme cases and, as said before, when Psychic Terrain isn't absolutely needed to win.
Team Options
========
Deoxys-A is easily the Pokemon that benefits most from Tapu Lele's support, as Psychic Terrain increases the power of its already heavily threatening STAB Psycho Boost and prevents it from being threatened by priority. Mewtwo and its Mega Evolutions also make good partners due to their ability to also benefit from many of the same things that Psychic Terrain helps Deoxys-A with. Other offensive threats that appreciate the nullification of priority, such as Mega Lucario, Mega Gengar, and Xerneas, value the support Tapu Lele provides. Dark-types like Arceus-Dark, Yveltal, and Alolan Muk can aid Tapu Lele in taking care of its weakness to Ghost-types quite reliably, and they can also check Psychic-type foes that may try benefiting from Psychic Terrain. It is worth noting that the latter two cannot use their respective priority moves in Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak with Psychic Terrain activated, though. Entry hazard setters like Primal Groudon, Bronzong, and Excadrill are useful for dealing chip damage to foes and allowing Tapu Lele and its teammates to more reliably secure some KOs. The combination of Excadrill and Tyranitar is useful for providing a Xerneas check and a Dark-type, which are both helpful to Tapu Lele. Lastly, checks to Primal Groudon, a Pokemon that otherwise hinders Tapu Lele, are appreciated as teammates; examples include Arceus-Ground, Giratina-O, Lugia, and Mega Salamence, which in particular can set up with Dragon Dance and use Defog in addition to checking Primal Groudon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Fire and Focus Blast are both good options for dealing with Steel-types more reliably but generally aren't as useful as Shadow Ball and Nature's Madness due to Hidden Power Fire's poor power and Focus Blast's poor accuracy. Choice Specs and Choice Scarf are both options for either allowing Tapu Lele to 2HKO a huge portion of the metagame with just Psychic or circumventing its only average Speed. Neither option, however, is preferable due to Tapu Lele's inability to hold Terrain Extender, which cuts the turns of Psychic Terrain by three. Psyshock is an option over Psychic for hitting Ho-Oh for a guaranteed 2HKO but leaves Tapu Lele without the ability to reliably break past certain physical threats. Grass Knot is an option for hitting Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Water but has limited coverage otherwise. Calm Mind turns Tapu Lele into a somewhat threatening wincon but severely limits its support capabilities. Eject Button can be used to surprise the likes of Deoxys-A by forcing Tapu Lele out upon tanking a hit but, like Choice items, comes at the cost of the three extra turns of Psychic Terrain that Terrain Extender provides.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ghost-types**: Offensive Ghost-types like Marshadow, Mega Gengar, and Lunala pose a large threat to Tapu Lele, as most are capable of outspeeding it and OHKOing it with their super effective STAB attacks, though they all must be wary of either Shadow Ball or Nature's Madness.
**Steel-types**: Tapu Lele's typing leaves it generally unable to hit most Steel-types for good damage unless using super effective coverage, meaning the likes of Excadrill, Solgaleo, Magearna, and Ferrothorn can reliably switch in and threaten Tapu Lele with super effective STAB attacks.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh's immense special bulk means that as long as Stealth Rock isn't up, bulkier variants can switch in and pressure Tapu Lele with either Sacred Fire or Brave Bird. Sets with less investment in bulk, however, do fear the 2HKO from Psychic at times.
**Pheromosa**: Pheromosa's immense Speed and high offenses allow it to threaten Tapu Lele with its powerful U-turn and Poison Jab, as well as benefiting from the nullification of priority that Psychic Terrain provides.
**Alolan Muk**: Alolan Muk's fantastic typing and special bulk with an Assault Vest allow it to tank any of Tapu Lele's attacks and proceed to threaten it with STAB Poison Jab or Pursuit. It should be wary of switching into Nature's Madness, however.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Fast offensive threats such as Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Mega Lucario can threaten Tapu Lele due to its poor bulk and only decent Speed, as well as taking advantage of Psychic Terrain to avoid otherwise threatening priority attacks. Deoxys-A is particularly troublesome, as its Psycho Boost is ridiculously powerful under Psychic Terrain, while its great Speed and immunity to priority with Psychic Terrain up make it extremely hard to revenge kill.
**Paralysis**: Tapu Lele's offensive capabilities are heavily compromised by paralysis, making it susceptible to most offensive threats due to its poor bulk. Pokemon that carry paralysis moves, such as Klefki and Primal Groudon, should be looked out for.
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