Tapu Bulu (Singles) (QC 0/3)


[OVERVIEW]

* With Grassy Surge, Tapu Bulu hits anything that doesn't have a 4x Grass-type resist extremely hard, being able to OHKO and 2HKO a majority of the metagame

* Tapu Bulu's physical movepool is rather lacking in terms of coverage, including a lack of Fairy-type STAB. This is compensated for to an extent via powerful Grass-type STAB options under Grassy Terrain

* After Pokebank, Tapu Bulu will gain some Steel-type counters such as Bronzong and Ferrothorn which it can't deal with by itself

* Grass-type / Fairy-type gives Tapu Bulu a whopping 4x weakness to Poison, forcing Tapu Bulu to be partnered with a solid Poison immunity / resist

* Unlike the other Tapus, Tapu Bulu can perform very well outside of its terrain

* A low speed tier of 75 makes Tapu Bulu quite easy to revenge kill

* While Grassy Terrain does provide support to both Tapu Bulu and teammates with grounded recovery, the opponent also reaps these exact same rewards

[SET]
name: Choice Band All Out Attacker
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Stone Edge / Horn Leech / Megahorn
item: Choice Band
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 116 Def / 140 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Wood Hammer is Tapu Bulu's primary STAB option boosted by Grassy Terrain, with the only reliable switch-ins being 4x resistant pokemon

* Superpower comfortably deals with Porygon2 and Mega-Kangaskhan the same as Wood Hammer does but without worrying about recoil damage, providing a 2HKO on Porygon2 and OHKO on Mega-Khangaskhan

* Zen Headbutt is able to OHKO Mega-Gengar on the switch

* Stone Edge has a 25% chance to OHKO Salamence after Intimidate

* Horn Leech helps to improve Tapu Bulu's longevity, which is otherwise heavily crippled if Wood Hammer is the only STAB option

* Megahorn is an option to better deal with other Grass-Type pokemon such as opposing Tapu Bulu and Whimsicott without worrying about heavy recoil damage from Wood Hammer

Set Details
========

* Maximum attack ensures that Tapu Bulu can abuse Wood Hammer, which goes hand in hand with the Adamant nature and Choice Bamd

* 140 speed gives Tapu Bulu the abilty to creep Modest Magnezone which would otherwise OHKO with flash cannon

* Choice Band is the preferred item, letting Tapu Bulu hit insanely hard with STAB Grass-type moves and still very hard with physical coverage options

* The leftover 116 EVs were added to Defence to help Tapu Bulu sponge physical hits better, such as the occasional Brave Bird Tapu Koko

Usage Tips
========

* Make sure that you have a Poison-type and Steel-type switch-in when using Tapu Bulu; if this is not accounted for, you're practically sacking the Pokemon without letting it properly shine

* Try to keep Grassy Terrain active. Tapu Bulu loves the boost to its Grass-type STAB moves, and the recovery is also nice to lessen the repercussions from Wood Hammer

* Try to keep Tapu Bulu healthy so that it can continue to deal enormous chunks of damage

* Don't be intimidated by 2x resistances; Tapu Bulu can easily deal with those mons via physical coverage as well as Wood Hammer

* Tapu Bulu lead is the best option for this set as the opponent is pressured to chose which mon takes the Wood Hammer, which nothing bar 4x resistant mons want to do

Team Options
========

* Magnezone is a great partner to Tapu Bulu for it can lure and trap steel Pokemon which commonly counter Tapu Bulu, the main culprit being Celesteela (which in itself is also quite a good partner)

* Mega-Metagross is another solid option as a teammate of Tapu Bulu, benefiting heavily from Grassy Terrain recovery and taking less damage from opposing Ground-type moves, but at the same time also suffers from a reduction of damage output with Earthquake

* Pretty much any offensive Poison-type is fairly splashable with Tapu Bulu, able to take hits from opposing Poison-type threats as well as the one off situation of a Ground-type move, granted Grassy Terrain is active

* Speed is something which Tapu Bulu struggles with, so a Choice Scarf Pokemon is a great option as well as a means of speed control. Hydreigon fits this role, with access to U-Turn so it can pivot as well as a wide movepool to help cover for Tapu Bulu's lack of coverage

* Try and couple Tapu Bulu with Pokemon that don't care about being burnt so that you have a reliable switch-in to Will-O-Wisp, Scald, and Lava Plume

[SET]
name: Bulk Up Physical Tank
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Taunt / Substitute
item: Leftovers / Meadow Plate
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Careful
evs: 196 HP / 252 SpD / 60 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Bulk Up is the primary focus of this set, giving Tapu Bulu the necessary bulk to challenge opposing physical threats including Pheromosa and also abuse Horn Leech for both damage and recovery

* Leech Seed assists with recovery once Grassy Terrain's effect wears off, but can also be used in conjunction with Leftovers / Grassy Terrain, giving you a healthy 15% recovery per turn if Grassy Terrain is active with Leech Seed

* Horn Leech is the Grass-type STAB option over Wood Hammer because the recoil damage only chips away at Tapu Bulu's HP, whilst Horn Leech does the exact opposite, improving longevity while still maintaining an offensive presence

* Taunt is to primarily deal with Mandibuzz, Porygon2 and Belly Drum Azumarill

* Substitute remains as an option to serve as a temporary layer of protection from status whilst also leaving room for setup

Set Details
========

* 60 speed ensures that Tapu Bulu creeps Adamant Azumarill and 12 speed Mandibuzz by one point, as well as comfortably outspeeding Porygon2

* Leftovers is the ideal item for this set, giving a method of recovery when Grassy Terrain runs out, and only enhancing recovery further with Grassy Terrain active

* Meadow Plate remains as an option to boost Horn Leech to a base power of 90, hitting slightly harder for more recovery

* 196 HP / 252 SpD with a Calm nature ensures that special hits are taken as well as possible, with the offensive and defensive presence coming from Bulk Up

Usage Tips
========

* Focus on using this set mid-late game. Never lead with it, as it initially can't hit very hard, nor does it want to take any unnecessary damage before setting up

* Pay close attention to the team preview; a lot of the time, this set can't do too much unless it's at +1 / +2 from Bulk Up, so be sure to bring along with you the Pokemon that can best eliminate Tapu Bulu's threats, giving it the best possible chance to set up

* Don't underestimate the bulk; it can take a hit if needed. This set is surprisingly bulky on the special side, and even more so on the physical when you have used Bulk Up

Team Options
========

* Although invested in Special Defence, Tapu Bulu still can't take any Poison-type hits and is still a 2HKO from Flash Cannon Special Attack Modest Aegislash. Because of this, having a switch-in to both Steel-type and Ghost-type moves are essential. When the post-bank metagame comes out, Bisharp will fit this role perfectly, but currently some options include Magnezone / Alolan-Marowak / Hydreigon

* Bulk Up Tapu Bulu needs really strong supporting Pokemon which can eliminate its steel threats. The main culprit, being Magnezone, is often used in conjunction with Tapu Bulu to lure out those Steel-type threats and then proceed to punish with Hidden Power Fire or Electric-type STAB

* Tapu Bulu can comfortably counter Mega-Gyarados even at +2, giving your team some room to freely run offensive Ghost-types including Alolan-Marowak and Aegislash which love Mega-Gyarados out of the picture

* Aurora Veil Alolan Ninetails is a great partner for Tapu Bulu, serving as a suicide lead which then paves the way for Tapu Bulu to abuse Bulk Up and Horn Leech

[SET]
name: Assault Vest Special Sponge
move 1: Horn Leech
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Megahorn / Superpower
item: Assault Vest
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 164 Atk / 92 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Horn Leech is the STAB of choice over Wood Hammer, as having Wood Hammer wears down Tapu Bulu far too quickly

* Zen Headbutt helps deal with Poison-type threats on the predicted switch including Mega-Gengar and Salazzle

* Stone Edge can provide a 2HKO on Salamence whilst also providing a 2HKO on Special Defense Arcanine and OHKO on Salazzle

* Megahorn has been chosen over Superpower, as Superpower onto Porygon2 from this set is a 3HKO disregarding stat changes, and also shares a 2HKO on Mega-Khangaskhan as Horn Leech does under Grassy Terrain. Megahorn helps Tapu Bulu hit opposing grass mons, and also a powerful Physical move without worrying about stat drops. Superpower can still have use however to hit Mega-Lucario on the switch

Set Details
========

* 92 Spd ensures that +3 Timid Xurkitree Hidden Power Ice / Dazzling Gleam are a guaranteed 2HKO, making Tapu Bulu a reliable check as it can retaliate with Horn leech and sap away a large sum of HP

* 252 HP makes the most use of Horn Leech, while also providing a small amount of Physical bulk

* 164 Atk gives Tapu Bulu some decent firepower, making it still able to hold its own weight and dent switch-ins / bulky Pokemon

* Assault Vest gives Tapu Bulu some very impressive Special bulk, making it a very reliable choice in matchups vs dedicated Rain teams

Usage Tips
========

* Assault Vest Tapu Bulu serves as a reliable Tapu Lele counter, being able to switch-in, replacing the Psychic Terrain with Grassy Terrain giving Tapu Bulu the ability to retaliate with Horn Leech. It does not counter Psyshock varients however

* Extremely effective Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini counter as well, with the Special Tapu Koko set providing an approximate 6HKO, whilst Ice Beam Tapu Fini is roughly a 3HKO - 4HKO

* This is not your typical nuke everything powerhouse Tapu Bulu. It gradually chips away at opposing pokemon, specifically typical Special threats, and is not intended to get many OHKOs, so don't play with that idea in mind

Team Options
========

* Defensive Porygon2 has excellent synergy with Assault Vest Tapu Bulu, comfortably dealing with the typical physical powerhouses of Battle Spot such as Garchomp, Mega-Salamence, Mega-Kangaskhan and Mamoswine

* Mega-Metagross again makes a fantastic partner, benefiting from the Grassy-Terrain recovery while soaking up with ease all Ice / Poison / Steel / Flying hits

* Scarf Chandelure compliments this variant of Tapu Bulu really well, being able to soak up Poison-type and Fire-type with ease, whilst also eliminating Steel-type threats with Fire STAB

* Lack of Physical Fairy-type STAB means that Tapu Bulu appreciates a Dragon-type / Fairy-type to eliminate opposing Dragon-type threats. Although most Dragon-type mons don't pose as a major threat to Tapu Bulu, they are annoying for it to deal with

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* A spread of 252 HP / 196 Atk / 60 SpD with a Calm nature and 17 Spe IVs ensure that Tapu Bulu is bulky enough to survive 252 Spa Quiet Aegislash Flash Cannon, and then OHKO with Payback

* Choice Band set can run 228 Speed to creep Timid Magnezone

* Life Orb is another option over Choice Band for the free move selection, but is not preferred as it only makes Tapu Bulu's lifespan even shorter

* Post Pokebank metagame will introduce Heatran, which has near perfect synergy with Tapu Bulu, as Heatran benefits heavily from the Grassy Terrain while covering most of Tapu Bulu's weaknesses at the same time

Checks and Counters
===================

**Celesteela**: Easily Tapu Bulu's biggest threat, being able to switch in on all Tapu Bulu set variants and retaliate with Heavy Slam

**Mega-Gengar**: Tapu Bulu can't do anything to prevent being revenge killed, as Shadow Tag obviously prevents it from switching

**Steel-Types in general**: They pose as a serious threat to Tapu Bulu, and are able to counter under almost any circumstance. Unless there's a predicted switch and you click Superpower, Tapu Bulu bites the dust

**Salazzle**: Straight out destroys Tapu Bulu as well as its Steel-type partners, which would have usually been used to take the Poison-type hits. Thankfully, Salazzle is under the radar currently and doesn't need to be heavily accounted for

**Mega-Salamence**: Self-explanatory. Tapu Bulu can't revenge kill or switch-in on this. The only way which Tapu Bulu can even handle Mega-Salamence is predicting a Stone Edge with Choice Band on the switch, giving you a 25% chance to OHKO, or having Tapu Bulu at +3 with Bulk Up, which is an unlikely scenario in itself

**Pheromosa**: Life Orb Poison Jab is a OHKO unless at +1 Defence from Bulk Up
 
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