[OVERVIEW]
Tapu Lele is one of the biggest threats in Battle Spot Singles thanks to Psychic Surge. With a Choice Scarf, Tapu Lele becomes one of the best revenge killers in the game, with the bonus of shutting down priority thanks to Psychic Terrain. It even makes for an unexpected wall breaker when given more offensive items such as Choice Specs. However, Tapu Lele isn't very easy to switch in due to its mediocre bulk, and without a Choice Scarf, its iffy Speed stat makes it easy to revenge kill.
Below are some sample sets. These set are likely to be the standard, but will be expanded upon and updated as the metagame progresses.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Psyshock / Thunderbolt / Focus Blast
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB, perfect for taking advantage of Psychic Terrain.
* Moonblast is a good secondary STAB, slamming Dark-types and dealing more damage to Garchomp and Mega Salamence.
* Shadow Ball deals the most damage to Aegislash, though note that it won't be anywhere near KOed, activating Weakness Policy if its healthy enough to survive. It also deals good damage to opposing Tapu Lele and 2HKOs Mega Metagross.
* Hidden Power Fire 2HKOs Ferrothorn, while Psyshock deals more damage to Pokemon with lower defense stats such as Chansey. Thunderbolt is a good option if Celesteela is a big problem for your team. Focus Blast does as much to Ferrothorn as Hidden Power Fire and deals massive damage to Heatran, but it does have a 30% chance to miss. If Heatran is a big problem, Hidden Power Ground can be used.
* Choice Scarf makes Tapu Lele a fantastic revenge killer, especially since Psychic Terrain makes it immune to priority.
* A Modest nature is usually the best for maximizing power, but a Timid nature lets Choice Scarf Tapu Lele outspeed Naive Pheromosa, and other Tapu Lele outspeed common Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W, neutral speed base 100s such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Blaziken, and the Mega Charizard family.
* Steel-types are the most consistent problem for Tapu Lele, so any team that makes use of it should carry some checks for them.
* Consider pairing Tapu Lele with Pokemon that appreciate priority being blocked, such as Blaziken, Pheromosa, and Garchomp. Note that Psychic Terrain will harm priority on your own team as well.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Psyshock / Thunderbolt / Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
*Choice Specs makes Tapu Lele extremely powerful, with Psychic dealing over 40% to even Aegislash!
* Moonblast is a reliable secondary STAB that defeats most Dark-types.
* Shadow Ball blasts through Mega Metagross and 2HKOs opposing Tapu Lele, while Hidden Power Fire roasts Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor.
* Psyshock allows Tapu Lele to 2HKO Chansey, who would normally counter this set.
* Thunderbolt is the most Tapu Lele can do to Celesteela.
* Focus Blast hits Ferrothorn and Heatran hard with one move, but it does miss 30% of the time.
* This Tapu Lele excels as a wall breaker, especially when given Stealth Rock support to make resistances even riskier to switch in, since many take nearly 50% from Psychic.
* This Tapu Lele tends to do best early in the game, where it can deal massive damage to clear the way for other sweepers.
* To further up it's threat level, Pokemon that pass Speed boosts such as Blaziken make Tapu Lele extremely difficult to revenge kill.
[SET]
name: Versatile Attacker
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt / Calm Mind / Nature's Madness / Hidden Power Fire
item: Psychium Z / Focus Sash / Assault Vest
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB, being extremely powerful under Psychic Terrain. Psyshock is less powerful, but it deals more damage to Mimikyu and Chansey, and gives Tapu Lele a good match up against stall when paired with Taunt.
* Moonblast is a good secondary stab that deals massive damage to Dark-types, and deals more damage to Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Dragonite.
* Shadow Ball is the best Tapu Lele can do to Aegislash and opposing Tapu Lele, while Hidden Power Fire is a better option for hitting a wider variety of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela. Focus Blast is a bit risky, but in addition to slamming Ferrothorn, it also hits Heatran hard.
* The last slot tends to work well for a support move. Taunt is excellent at shutting down defensive Pokemon that Tapu Lele may have trouble breaking otherwise, such as Cresselia and Porygon2.
* Calm Mind makes Tapu Lele very powerful, although sweeping with it shouldn't be a priority, since Tapu Lele isn't that fast. Calm Mind is best used for breaking through defensive cores, which can lead to other teammates sweeping.
* Nature's Madness works well in situations where your opponent has multiple Tapu Lele checks, and the choice between coverage moves is unclear.
* If Tapu Lele is holding Assault Vest, the last slot will either need to be Nature's Madness, or another coverage move such as Hidden Power Fire.
* Psychium Z lets Tapu Lele unleash a very powerful Z-Psychic, which is so strong that it's capable of OHKOing maximum HP Porygon2 before a boost!
* Focus Sash can help Tapu Lele get around its physical fragility. With this intact, Tapu Lele can revenge kill new threats such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar.
* Assault Vest takes advantage of Tapu Lele's decent special bulk. Consider an EV spread of 76 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 108 SpD / 68 Spe with a Modest nature for this variant, as this guarantees survival against Tapu Koko's Z-Thunderbolt, and nearly guarantees survival against Volcarona's +1 Z-Fire Blast, while still outspeeding Adamant Breloom.
* A Modest nature is usually the best option for boosting Tapu Lele's power, but a Timid nature ensures that Tapu Lele outspeeds Landorus-T that lack Choice Scarf.
* When using Tapu Lele, consider Pokemon that benefit from blocked priority, such as Blaziken, Garchomp, and Mega Gengar.
Tapu Lele is one of the biggest threats in Battle Spot Singles thanks to Psychic Surge. With a Choice Scarf, Tapu Lele becomes one of the best revenge killers in the game, with the bonus of shutting down priority thanks to Psychic Terrain. It even makes for an unexpected wall breaker when given more offensive items such as Choice Specs. However, Tapu Lele isn't very easy to switch in due to its mediocre bulk, and without a Choice Scarf, its iffy Speed stat makes it easy to revenge kill.
Below are some sample sets. These set are likely to be the standard, but will be expanded upon and updated as the metagame progresses.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Psyshock / Thunderbolt / Focus Blast
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB, perfect for taking advantage of Psychic Terrain.
* Moonblast is a good secondary STAB, slamming Dark-types and dealing more damage to Garchomp and Mega Salamence.
* Shadow Ball deals the most damage to Aegislash, though note that it won't be anywhere near KOed, activating Weakness Policy if its healthy enough to survive. It also deals good damage to opposing Tapu Lele and 2HKOs Mega Metagross.
* Hidden Power Fire 2HKOs Ferrothorn, while Psyshock deals more damage to Pokemon with lower defense stats such as Chansey. Thunderbolt is a good option if Celesteela is a big problem for your team. Focus Blast does as much to Ferrothorn as Hidden Power Fire and deals massive damage to Heatran, but it does have a 30% chance to miss. If Heatran is a big problem, Hidden Power Ground can be used.
* Choice Scarf makes Tapu Lele a fantastic revenge killer, especially since Psychic Terrain makes it immune to priority.
* A Modest nature is usually the best for maximizing power, but a Timid nature lets Choice Scarf Tapu Lele outspeed Naive Pheromosa, and other Tapu Lele outspeed common Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W, neutral speed base 100s such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Blaziken, and the Mega Charizard family.
* Steel-types are the most consistent problem for Tapu Lele, so any team that makes use of it should carry some checks for them.
* Consider pairing Tapu Lele with Pokemon that appreciate priority being blocked, such as Blaziken, Pheromosa, and Garchomp. Note that Psychic Terrain will harm priority on your own team as well.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Psyshock / Thunderbolt / Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
*Choice Specs makes Tapu Lele extremely powerful, with Psychic dealing over 40% to even Aegislash!
* Moonblast is a reliable secondary STAB that defeats most Dark-types.
* Shadow Ball blasts through Mega Metagross and 2HKOs opposing Tapu Lele, while Hidden Power Fire roasts Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor.
* Psyshock allows Tapu Lele to 2HKO Chansey, who would normally counter this set.
* Thunderbolt is the most Tapu Lele can do to Celesteela.
* Focus Blast hits Ferrothorn and Heatran hard with one move, but it does miss 30% of the time.
* This Tapu Lele excels as a wall breaker, especially when given Stealth Rock support to make resistances even riskier to switch in, since many take nearly 50% from Psychic.
* This Tapu Lele tends to do best early in the game, where it can deal massive damage to clear the way for other sweepers.
* To further up it's threat level, Pokemon that pass Speed boosts such as Blaziken make Tapu Lele extremely difficult to revenge kill.
[SET]
name: Versatile Attacker
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt / Calm Mind / Nature's Madness / Hidden Power Fire
item: Psychium Z / Focus Sash / Assault Vest
ability: Psychic Surge
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Psychic is Tapu Lele's most powerful STAB, being extremely powerful under Psychic Terrain. Psyshock is less powerful, but it deals more damage to Mimikyu and Chansey, and gives Tapu Lele a good match up against stall when paired with Taunt.
* Moonblast is a good secondary stab that deals massive damage to Dark-types, and deals more damage to Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Dragonite.
* Shadow Ball is the best Tapu Lele can do to Aegislash and opposing Tapu Lele, while Hidden Power Fire is a better option for hitting a wider variety of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela. Focus Blast is a bit risky, but in addition to slamming Ferrothorn, it also hits Heatran hard.
* The last slot tends to work well for a support move. Taunt is excellent at shutting down defensive Pokemon that Tapu Lele may have trouble breaking otherwise, such as Cresselia and Porygon2.
* Calm Mind makes Tapu Lele very powerful, although sweeping with it shouldn't be a priority, since Tapu Lele isn't that fast. Calm Mind is best used for breaking through defensive cores, which can lead to other teammates sweeping.
* Nature's Madness works well in situations where your opponent has multiple Tapu Lele checks, and the choice between coverage moves is unclear.
* If Tapu Lele is holding Assault Vest, the last slot will either need to be Nature's Madness, or another coverage move such as Hidden Power Fire.
* Psychium Z lets Tapu Lele unleash a very powerful Z-Psychic, which is so strong that it's capable of OHKOing maximum HP Porygon2 before a boost!
* Focus Sash can help Tapu Lele get around its physical fragility. With this intact, Tapu Lele can revenge kill new threats such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gengar.
* Assault Vest takes advantage of Tapu Lele's decent special bulk. Consider an EV spread of 76 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 108 SpD / 68 Spe with a Modest nature for this variant, as this guarantees survival against Tapu Koko's Z-Thunderbolt, and nearly guarantees survival against Volcarona's +1 Z-Fire Blast, while still outspeeding Adamant Breloom.
* A Modest nature is usually the best option for boosting Tapu Lele's power, but a Timid nature ensures that Tapu Lele outspeeds Landorus-T that lack Choice Scarf.
* When using Tapu Lele, consider Pokemon that benefit from blocked priority, such as Blaziken, Garchomp, and Mega Gengar.
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