[Sketchmons] Tapu Lele

I'd like to reserve Tapu Lele please

e: super wip:
e2: super duper wip, will be done by tonight hopefully:
e3: not-so-much wip:
e4: and we're done. spent like 5+ hours in a row on this so forgive me if I missed anything out as im a little tired, but I need to get this out of wip ASAP.
Zephyr Dragon Lord / Official Fissure / Why Nerdy
Take it away. QC [3/3] - GP [1/1]
Done

Overview



Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability, which automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks while preventing all targeted priority moves from being used. Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters. Tapu Lele also makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up. Its Psychic Surge ability heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks, such as Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor, and Mega Glalie, while also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tapu Lele itself from harm. Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, and Jirachi without having to settle for Sketching a coverage move. However, the Base Power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela, and Jirachi. Although it has a decent base Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio, and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKOing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking. Lastly, Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

Choice Scarf
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic / Psystrike / Psycho Boost
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function, so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective weaker counterparts. Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it. Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy specially defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased Base Power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output. Psycho Boost is an even stronger Psychic-type option players can opt for as their Sketch move to complement this set's hit-and-run nature. However, the move forces Tapu Lele out after use and also is a rather large momentum drain. Additionally, it reduces Tapu Lele's ability to clean up in the late-game, as its most powerful STAB attack reduces its own Special Attack stat upon use. Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit trapping it. Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn, and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran. Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch-ins like Mega Metagross and specially defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types. Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the foe's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele. Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar, two Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily tank a hit. Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.


Set Details

252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allow Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible and outspeed many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to Speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Z-Conversion Kyurem-B and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa. 252 Special Attack EVs allow Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible.

Usage Tips

Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such, one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump or an opposing Tapu Lele's Shadow Ball, as Tapu Lele will take a huge amount of damage from it. It is therefore recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch, or when an ally has fainted. It might be beneficial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard when you finally reveal it. As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check in order to heavily damage or even secure the KO. This potentially allows Tapu Lele to freely select Psychic next time it has switched in, rather than being forced to choose between predicting a switch or clicking Psychic for heavy damage. If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free, as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excels at trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross, and Heatran, while Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele. Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority attacks such as Pheromosa and Dugtrio appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan Marowak's Shadow Sneak, and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. However, keep in mind that only grounded Pokemon benefit from Psychic Terrain's side effects, so any Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate will still be struck by priority attacks. Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Mega Metagross, and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful, as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

Quiver Dance Sweeper
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper. Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost. Notably, it outspeeds Pheromosa after a Quiver Dance and secures OHKOs on large threats such as Garchomp, Serperior, and Xurkitree. Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran, and Bisharp, which would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele. Lastly, Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, Tapu Lele secures an OHKO on Mega Metagross.

Set Details

Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO on Heatran, Bisharp, and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast. Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi at +1, which would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross. Life Orb can be chosen if one does not require the aforementioned KOs and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP with every attack. Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible. Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move. Expert Belt enhances the power of Tapu Lele's super effective moves, but the opportunity cost is quite high, as it does no good if the attack is not super effective. Tapu Lele's only STAB attack in this set is Psychic, which is super effective against only two types. Additionally, the absence of many specially defensive Poison- and Fighting-type Pokemon in addition to Psychic Terrain already enhancing Psychic's damage means that most of the time, Expert Belt is unnecessary. However, it gives quite a notable boost in power to Focus Blast and Shadow Ball, two moves that have decent type coverage. Psychium Z turns the already strong Psychic into the very potent Shattering Psyche. Sporting a Base Power of 175, it is capable of dealing a catastrophic amount of damage, especially in Psychic Terrain. However, it is most optimal against targets that are not already weak to Tapu Lele's coverage moves such as Heatran and Jirachi in order to not waste one's Psychium Z, as said targets often take more damage from a coverage move than Shattering Psyche.

Usage Tips

It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat alleviated depending on if you opt to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered. It is advised to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-W, and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortably survive relatively strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong special attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high, and as such, it fails to survive common physical attacks. Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

Pokemon that can lure in Tapu Lele's counters and weaken them are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios, and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move. Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO certain Tapu Lele counters like Jirachi and Celesteela, provided they be given a free switch in. Entry hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without their assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on specially defensive Heatran, and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele. Skarmory and Ferrothorn both intercept Steel- and Poison-type attacks intended for Tapu Lele while also being solid users of Stealth Rock or Spikes, and in return, Tapu Lele heavily threatens Mega Sableye, a strong counter against the aforementioned Steel-types. Lastly, Reflect or Light Screen users allow Tapu Lele to set up on more Pokemon and absorb hits it normally could not, such as a Celesteela's Heavy Slam, Greninja's Gunk Shot, and even have a slight chance to survive a Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Choice Specs-boosted Psychic and Psystrike help target bulky Pokemon's weaker Defense stat and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat, and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this. Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon while crippling them with Taunt. The combination of Psyshock and Moonblast helps break down common bulky walls such as Chansey, Mega Sableye, and Toxapex. It also can opt for Nature's Madness to help weaken Steel-types it normally cannot deal much damage to such as Heatran and Skarmory. Possible items of choice include Twisted Spoon to enhance Psystrike's damage with no drawback to help pummel Chansey or Shed Shell to escape Dugtrio &emdash; stall's best method of eliminating Tapu Lele. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini may accomplish this task better due to it having a superior defensive typing. Finally, Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

Revenge Killers: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp, Mega Metagross, and physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. Its less-than-stellar Speed stat leaves it outsped by a few common Choice Scarf users such as Kartana and Pheromosa. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKOed comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile, and Bisharp.

Steel-types: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor, and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.[/hide]
 
Last edited:
I'd like to reserve Tapu Lele please

e: super wip:
e2: super duper wip, will be done by tonight hopefully:
e3: not-so-much wip:
e4: and we're done. spent like 5+ hours in a row on this so forgive me if I missed anything out as im a little tired, but I need to get this out of wip ASAP.
Zephyr Dragon Lord / Official Fissure / Why Nerdy
Take it away. QC [0/3]
Overview




- Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability that automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks whilst simultaneously preventing all targeted priority moves from successfully executing.
- Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters.
- Tapu Lele makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up.
- Psychic Terrain heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks such as Mega Pinsir, Mimikyu and Mega Glalie, whilst also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele itself from harm.
- Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross and Jirachi.
- The base power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela and Jirachi.
- Although it has a decent Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKO'ing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking.
- Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

[Scarf]
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psystrike
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

- This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective counterpart.
- Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it.
- Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy Specially Defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased base power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output.
- Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit-trapping it.
- Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran.
- Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch ins like Mega Metagross and Specially Defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types.
- Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the opponent's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele.
- Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar.
- Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.


Set Details

- 252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allows Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible, and outspeeds many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Z-Conversion Kyurem-Black and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa.
- 252 Special Attack EVs allows Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible.
- Minimized Attack EVs reduce the damage confusion and Foul Play deal.

Usage Tips

- Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump. It is recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch or when an ally has fainted.
- It might be benefitial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch'd coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard.
- As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check.
- If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

- Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excells as trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross and Heatran, whilst Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele.
- Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan-Marowak Shadow Sneak and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak.
- Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Mega Metagross and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge-killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

[Quiver Dance Sweeper]
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

- Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper.
- Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost.
- Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran and Bisharp, Pokemon that would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele.
- Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, the OHKO on Mega Metagross is secured.

Set Details

- Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO onto Heatran, Bisharp and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast.
- Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross.
- Life Orb can be chosen if one doe not require the aforementioned KO's and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP.
- Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible.
- Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move.

Usage Tips

- It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat aleviated depending on if one opted to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered.
- It is adviced to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out, or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-Wash and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortbly live strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong Special Attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high and as such it fails to survive common physical attacks.
- Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

- Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Tapu Lele's counters are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move.
- Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO select Tapu Lele counters, provided they be given a free switch in. Celesteela can commonly carry Flamethrower or Earthquake so Magnezone is by no means a safe switch in.
- Hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without its assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on Specially Defensive Heatran and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele.

Strategy Comments

Other Options


- Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Specs-boosted Psychics and Psystrikes help target bulky Pokemon's weaker defensive statistic and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this.
- Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon whilst simultaneously crippling them with Taunt. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini accomplish this task better as it has a superior defensive typing.
- Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

[Revenge Killers]: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp and Physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKO'd comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit-trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile and Bisharp.

[Steel-Types]: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk, and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge-kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.
Why Nerdy Zephyr Dragon Lord Official Fissure
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Fissure

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is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
I'm going to say the exact same thing to you as i did with QT since this was pretty good already. I made some recommendations. You can mull them over and implement them or not. Comments are in blue.
I'd like to reserve Tapu Lele please

e: super wip:
e2: super duper wip, will be done by tonight hopefully:
e3: not-so-much wip:
e4: and we're done. spent like 5+ hours in a row on this so forgive me if I missed anything out as im a little tired, but I need to get this out of wip ASAP.
Zephyr Dragon Lord / Official Fissure / Why Nerdy
Take it away. QC [0/3]
Overview




- Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability that automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks whilst simultaneously preventing all targeted priority moves from successfully executing.
- Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters.
- Tapu Lele makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up.
- Psychic Terrain heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks such as Mega Pinsir, Mimikyu and Mega Glalie, whilst also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele itself from harm.
- Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross and Jirachi.
- The base power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela and Jirachi.
- Although it has a decent Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKO'ing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking.
- Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

[Scarf]
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psystrike
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

- This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective counterpart.
- Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it.
- Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy Specially Defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased base power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output.
- Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit-trapping it.
- Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran.
- Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch ins like Mega Metagross and Specially Defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types.
- Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the opponent's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele.
- Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar.
- Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.


Set Details

- 252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allows Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible, and outspeeds many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Z-Conversion Kyurem-Black and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa.
- 252 Special Attack EVs allows Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible.
- Minimized Attack EVs reduce the damage confusion and Foul Play deal.

Usage Tips

- Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump (maybe add like one more example?). It is recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch or when an ally has fainted.
- It might be benefitial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch'd coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard.
- As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check.
- If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

- Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excells as trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross and Heatran, whilst Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele.
- Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan-Marowak Shadow Sneak and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. (I know you mentioned some frail allies that appreciate psychic terrain in the overview but i don't think it hurts to include them again here/maybe one new additional one. ) (edit: you kinda did this in the next bullet point. up to you on what to do i guess)
- Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Mega Metagross and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge-killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

[Quiver Dance Sweeper]
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

- Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper.
- Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost. (maybe list some prominent mons in the meta instead of saying a lot. maybe add like 1 or 2 mons that get 2hko. edit: i guess you don't have to say what gets 2hko, but i still think listing some mons that get ohko at +1 that otherwise would cause trouble for say like a scarf variant because it survives a non boosted timid attack is good)
- Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran and Bisharp, Pokemon that would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele.
- Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, the OHKO on Mega Metagross is secured.

Set Details

- Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO onto Heatran, Bisharp and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast.
- Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross.
- Life Orb can be chosen if one doe not require the aforementioned KO's and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP.
- Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible.
- Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move.

Usage Tips

- It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat aleviated depending on if one opted to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered.
- It is adviced to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out, or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-Wash and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortbly live strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong Special Attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high and as such it fails to survive common physical attacks.
- Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

- Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Tapu Lele's counters are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move.
- Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO select Tapu Lele counters, provided they be given a free switch in. Celesteela can commonly carry Flamethrower or Earthquake so Magnezone is by no means a safe switch in.
- Hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without its assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on Specially Defensive Heatran and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele. (You mentioned to use hazards but you didn't mention any specific teammates to use as hazard setters. maybe mention one/two teammates that help tapu lele that can also set up hazard setters.)

Strategy Comments

Other Options


- Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Specs-boosted Psychics and Psystrikes help target bulky Pokemon's weaker defensive statistic and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this.
- Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon whilst simultaneously crippling them with Taunt. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini accomplish this task better as it has a superior defensive typing.
- Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

[Revenge Killers]: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp and Physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKO'd comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit-trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile and Bisharp.

[Steel-Types]: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk, and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge-kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.
The only other thing i can think to mention is maybe talking about how mons that are not grounded (levitate/flying) are not immune to priority when psychic terrain is up. I sometimes forget this and being reminded of this would be a great help to not only myself but everyone else as well. I know you talked about it once in the overview, but making it clear isn't a bad thing to do imo. just mention it like once more. maybe like when talking about lele's allies so its relevant and not just shoehorned in there.
Seel of approval

QC 1/3
 
I'm going to say the exact same thing to you as i did with QT since this was pretty good already. I made some recommendations. You can mull them over and implement them or not. Comments are in blue.

The only other thing i can think to mention is maybe talking about how mons that are not grounded (levitate/flying) are not immune to priority when psychic terrain is up. I sometimes forget this and being reminded of this would be a great help to not only myself but everyone else as well. I know you talked about it once in the overview, but making it clear isn't a bad thing to do imo. just mention it like once more. maybe like when talking about lele's allies so its relevant and not just shoehorned in there.
Seel of approval

QC 1/3
Done, ready for another check whenever youre ready Zephyr Dragon Lord / Why Nerdy
 
I'd like to reserve Tapu Lele please

e: super wip:
e2: super duper wip, will be done by tonight hopefully:
e3: not-so-much wip:
e4: and we're done. spent like 5+ hours in a row on this so forgive me if I missed anything out as im a little tired, but I need to get this out of wip ASAP.
Zephyr Dragon Lord / Official Fissure / Why Nerdy
Take it away. QC [1/3]
Overview




- Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability that automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks whilst simultaneously preventing all targeted priority moves from successfully executing.
- Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters.
- Tapu Lele makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up.
- Psychic Terrain heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks such as Mega Pinsir, Mimikyu and Mega Glalie, whilst also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele itself from harm.
- Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross and Jirachi.
- The base power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela and Jirachi.
- Although it has a decent Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKO'ing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking.
- Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

[Scarf]
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psystrike
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

- This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective counterpart.
- Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it.
- Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy Specially Defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased base power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output.
- Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit-trapping it.
- Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran.
- Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch ins like Mega Metagross and Specially Defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types.
- Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the opponent's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele.
- Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar.
- Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.


Set Details

- 252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allows Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible, and outspeeds many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Z-Conversion Kyurem-Black and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa.
- 252 Special Attack EVs allows Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible.
- Minimized Attack EVs reduce the damage confusion and Foul Play deal.

Usage Tips

- Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump or an opposing Tapu Lele's Shadow Ball, as Tapu Lele will take a huge amount of damage from it. It is therefore recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch or when an ally has fainted.
- It might be benefitial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch'd coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard.
- As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check.
- If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

- Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excells as trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross and Heatran, whilst Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele.
- Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority attacks such as Pheromosa or Dugtrio appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan-Marowak Shadow Sneak and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. However, keep in mind that only grounded Pokemon benefit from Psychic Terrain's side effects, so any Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate will still be struck by priority attacks.
- Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Mega Metagross and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge-killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

[Quiver Dance Sweeper]
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

- Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper.
- Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost. Notably, it outspeeds Pheromosa after a Quiver Dance and secures OHKOs on large threats such as Garchomp, Serperior and Xurkitree.
- Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran and Bisharp, Pokemon that would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele.
- Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, the OHKO on Mega Metagross is secured.

Set Details

- Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO onto Heatran, Bisharp and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast.
- Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross.
- Life Orb can be chosen if one doe not require the aforementioned KO's and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP.
- Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible.
- Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move.
Are Expert Belt and Psychium Z not acceptable options, as well? They might warrant a mention here...

Usage Tips

- It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat aleviated depending on if one opted to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered.
- It is adviced to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out, or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-Wash and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortbly live strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong Special Attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high and as such it fails to survive common physical attacks.
- Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

- Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Tapu Lele's counters are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move.
- Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO select Tapu Lele counters, provided they be given a free switch in. Celesteela can commonly carry Flamethrower or Earthquake so Magnezone is by no means a safe switch in.
- Hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without its assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on Specially Defensive Heatran and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele. Skarmory and Ferrothorn both intercept Steel- and Poison-type attacks intended for Tapu Lele whilst also being solid users of Stealth Rock or Spikes, whilst Tapu Lele heavily threatens Mega Sableye, a strong counter against the aforementioned Steel-types.

Strategy Comments

Other Options


- Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Specs-boosted Psychics and Psystrikes help target bulky Pokemon's weaker defensive statistic and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this.
- Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon whilst simultaneously crippling them with Taunt. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini accomplish this task better as it has a superior defensive typing.
- Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

[Revenge Killers]: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp and Physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKO'd comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit-trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile and Bisharp.
Some revenge killers can also carry scarfs. Garchomp in particular has a fairly popular Scarf variant, and can severly damage or KO Tapu Lele.
[Steel-Types]: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk, and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge-kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.
...The two comments are in bold. I struggled merely finding things to add to this analysis; it's incredibly complete.
Just have this QC 2/3 out of me. Implement the bolded comments if you feel they are relevant enough.
 
I'd like to reserve Tapu Lele please

e: super wip:
e2: super duper wip, will be done by tonight hopefully:
e3: not-so-much wip:
e4: and we're done. spent like 5+ hours in a row on this so forgive me if I missed anything out as im a little tired, but I need to get this out of wip ASAP.
Zephyr Dragon Lord / Official Fissure / Why Nerdy
Take it away. QC [1/3]
Overview




Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability that automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks whilst simultaneously preventing all targeted priority moves from successfully executing. Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters. Tapu Lele also makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up. Its Psychic Surge ability heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks such as Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor and Mega Glalie, whilst also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele itself from harm. Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross and Jirachi without having to settle for Sketching a coverage move. However, the base power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela and Jirachi. Although it has a decent Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKO'ing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking. Lastly, Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

[Scarf]
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psystrike
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective weaker counterparts. Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it. Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy Specially Defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased base power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output. Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit-trapping it. Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran. Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch ins like Mega Metagross and Specially Defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types. Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the opponent's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele. Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar, two Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily tank a hit. Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.
Consider adding Psycho Boost as a possible move here, due to sheer power it has. Choice Scarf aren't meant to sweep. It's meant to revenge anyway so a powerful one time attack is also usable. May have concern of being momentum suck though.


Set Details

252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allows Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible, and outspeeds many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Z-Conversion Kyurem-Black and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa. 252 Special Attack EVs allows Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible, and minimized Attack EVs reduce the damage confusion and Foul Play deal.

Usage Tips

Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump or an opposing Tapu Lele's Shadow Ball, as Tapu Lele will take a huge amount of damage from it. It is therefore recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch or when an ally has fainted. It might be benefitial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch'd coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard when you finally reveal it. As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check in order to heavily damage or even secure the KO. This potentially allows Tapu Lele to freely select the powerful Psychic next time it has switched in, rather than being forced to choose between predicting a switch or clicking Psychic for heavy damage. If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excells as trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross and Heatran, whilst Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele. Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority attacks such as Pheromosa or Dugtrio appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan Marowak's Shadow Sneak and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. However, keep in mind that only grounded Pokemon benefit from Psychic Terrain's side effects, so any Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate will still be struck by priority attacks. Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Mega Metagross and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge-killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

[Quiver Dance Sweeper]
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper. Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost. Notably, it outspeeds Pheromosa after a Quiver Dance and secures OHKOs on large threats such as Garchomp, Serperior and Xurkitree. Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran and Bisharp, Pokemon that would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele. Lastly, Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, the OHKO on Mega Metagross is secured.

Set Details

Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO onto Heatran, Bisharp and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast. Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi at +1, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross. Life Orb can be chosen if one does not require the aforementioned KO's and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP with every attack. Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible. Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move. Expert Belt enhances the power of Tapu Lele's super effective moves, but the opportunity cost if quite high as it does no good if the attack is not super effective. Tapu Lele's only STAB attack in this set is Psychic, which is super effective against only two types. Additionally, the absence of many specially defensive Poison- and Fighting-type Pokemon in addition to Psychic Terrain already enhancing Psychic's damage means that most of the time Expert Belt is unnecessary. However, it gives quite a notable boost in power to Focus Blast and Shadow Ball, two moves that have decent type coverage. Psychium Z turns the already strong Psychic into the very potent Shattering Psyche. Sporting a Base Power of 175, it is capable of dealing a catastrophic amount of damage, especially in Psychic Terrain. However, it is most optimal against targets that are not already weak to Tapu Lele's coverage moves such as Heatran or Jirachi in order to not waste one's Psychium Z, as often said targets take more damage from from a coverage move than Shattering Psyche.

Usage Tips

It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat aleviated depending on if one opted to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered. It is adviced to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out, or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-Wash and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortably live relatively strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong Special Attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high and as such it fails to survive common physical attacks. Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Tapu Lele's counters are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move. Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO certain Tapu Lele counters like Jirachi and Celesteela, provided they be given a free switch in. Entry hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without its assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on Specially Defensive Heatran and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele. Skarmory and Ferrothorn both intercept Steel- and Poison-type attacks intended for Tapu Lele whilst also being solid users of Stealth Rock or Spikes, whilst Tapu Lele heavily threatens Mega Sableye, a strong counter against the aforementioned Steel-types.
Consider adding Reflect users for Lele teammates due to how frail it is Physically. This makes Lele can set up in front of many things, especially Physical attackers who can 1-2HKO Lele. Also makes it harder from being revenged Physically.

Strategy Comments

Other Options


Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Specs-boosted Psychics and Psystrikes help target bulky Pokemon's weaker defensive statistic and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this. Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon whilst simultaneously crippling them with Taunt. The combination of Psyshock and Moonblast help break down common bulky walls such as Chansey, Mega Sableye and Toxapex. It also can opt for Nature's Madness to help weaken Steel-types it normally cannot deal much damage to such as Heatran and Skarmory. Possible items of choice include Twisted Spoon to enhance Psystrike's damage with no drawback to help pummel Chansey or Shed Shell to escape Dugtrio - stall's best method of eliminating Tapu Lele. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini may accomplish this task better due to it having a superior defensive typing. Finally, Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

[Revenge Killers]: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp, Mega Metagross and Physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. Its less-than-stellar Speed stat leaves it outsped by a few common scarfers such as Kartana and Pheromosa. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKO'd comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit-trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile and Bisharp.

[Steel-Types]: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk, and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge-kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.
Comments in Bold, Underline and Green text'd :^). Not a lot to add. Also QC 3/3.
 

Sobi

Banned deucer.
GP 1/1

ScarfWynaut (original)
Overview



Tapu Lele has access to the revolutionary Psychic Surge ability, (AC) which that automatically summons Psychic Terrain upon switching in, greatly increasing the damage of its Psychic-type attacks whilst while simultaneously (redundant with while) preventing all targeted priority moves from being used successfully executing. Its high Special Attack stat coupled with Psychic Surge makes it extremely hard to switch in to, especially if it opts for a Sketch move that offers ideal coverage such as Moongeist Beam or Blue Flare, helping it crush would-be counters. Tapu Lele also makes for an effective late-game sweeper should it opt to Sketch a powerful set up move like Quiver Dance. Additionally, thanks to its decent typing and solid Special Defense stat, it can find plenty of opportunities to set up. Its Psychic Surge ability heavily dissuades the use of priority moves, reducing the effectiveness of dangerous would-be checks, (AC) such as Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor, (AC) and Mega Glalie, whilst while also protecting frail allies susceptible to said priority such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, (AC) and Tapu Lele itself from harm. Tapu Lele naturally has access to a wide number of coverage moves such as Focus Blast and Shadow Ball to help it dent checks such as Heatran, Mega Metagross, (AC) and Jirachi without having to settle for Sketching a coverage move. However, the Base Power of said non-Sketched coverage moves are fairly weak, however, so it is prone to being checked by strong Steel-types able to sponge an attack like Mega Metagross, Celesteela, (AC) and Jirachi. Although it has a decent base Speed stat of 95, it leaves it slower than many threats such as Mega Metagross, Dugtrio, (AC) and Mimikyu, all of which are capable of OHKO'ing OHKOing it, as Tapu Lele's Defense is quite lacking. Lastly, Psychic Terrain, despite being a very powerful ability, can be counterintuitive if one also has priority-using allies, as they also will be prevented from using targeted priority moves, provided the target is grounded.

Choice Scarf
Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic / Psystrike / Psycho Boost
- Moonblast
- Blue Flare / Shadow Ball / Moongeist Beam
- Focus Blast / Volt Switch

Set Comments

Moves

This Tapu Lele set isn't dependent on any one Sketch move to function, (AC) so it can choose from a wide number of viable moves that provide differing bonuses from their respective weaker counterparts. Psychic hits extremely hard within Psychic Terrain and does a ludicrous amount of damage to anything that does not resist it. Psystrike can be chosen as an alternative to Psychic if one has trouble against beefy specially defensive walls like Chansey. Additionally, its increased Base Power only further increases Tapu Lele's damage output. Speaking of damage, Psycho Boost is an even stronger Psychic-type option players can opt for as their Sketch'd move to complement this set's hit-and-run nature. However, the move forces Tapu Lele out after use and also is a rather large momentum drain. Additionally, it reduces Tapu Lele's ability to clean up in the late-(AH)game, as its most powerful STAB attack reduces its own Special Attack stat upon use. Moonblast, Tapu Lele's secondary STAB attack, hits Dark-types hard, allowing it to deter Dark-types like Tyranitar, Bisharp, (AC) and Weavile from switching in and Pursuit-(RH)trapping it. Blue Flare heavily damages many Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise make for good counters such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Ferrothorn, (AC) and Mega Metagross, all of which take a large amount of damage. However, its drawback is that it offers no damage against Heatran. Shadow Ball makes for good coverage against common Tapu Lele switch-(AH)ins like Mega Metagross and specially defensive Jirachi, dealing solid damage to both Psychic-types. Moongeist Beam not only provides additional power to hit the aforementioned Psychic-types harder, it also ignores the opponent's foe's ability when attacking, allowing it to KO Mimikyu through its Disguise, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily outspeed and OHKO Tapu Lele. Focus Blast provides nice coverage against Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon such as the aforementioned Heatran and Tyranitar, two Pokemon that would otherwise be able to easily tank a hit. Volt Switch allows one to pivot into an ally, which Tapu Lele can make good use of considering the large number of switches it forces.


Set Details

252 Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature allows allow Tapu Lele to be as fast as possible, (RC) and outspeeds outspeed many relevant metagame threats. The spread allows Tapu Lele to Speed tie with opposing Choice Scarf Tapu Lele,(RC) and Z-Conversion Kyurem-Black and outspeed Z-Conversion Porygon-Z and neutral Pheromosa. 252 Special Attack EVs allows allow Tapu Lele to hit as hard as possible, and minimized Attack EVs reduce the damage confusion and Foul Play deal.(standard)

Usage Tips

Tapu Lele, despite having a solid HP and Special Defense stat, is not very bulky and as such, (AC) one should be very careful about switching it into strong attacks such as an Ash-Greninja's Hydro Pump or an opposing Tapu Lele's Shadow Ball, as Tapu Lele will take a huge amount of damage from it. It is therefore recommended that Tapu Lele be switched into battle safely through the means of a double switch, a slow user of U-turn or Volt Switch, (AC) or when an ally has fainted. It might be beneficial if one does not reveal Tapu Lele's Sketch'd coverage move, especially if the opponent is making an effort to scout it out, as it can catch your opponent off guard when you finally reveal it. As Choice Scarf Tapu Lele doesn't have the luxury of conveniently switching its moves at any point, one should proactively use an appropriate coverage move if the opponent is about to switch into a Psychic-type check in order to heavily damage or even secure the KO. This potentially allows Tapu Lele to freely select the powerful Psychic next time it has switched in, rather than being forced to choose between predicting a switch or clicking Psychic for heavy damage. If you suspect the opponent might want to use a priority move, you can switch Tapu Lele in for free, (AC) as its Psychic Surge helps negate the move, gifting Tapu Lele with a free switch in.

Team Options

Trappers like Dugtrio and Magnezone appreciate the free switch Volt Switch provides, granted you chose that Sketch move, and helps eliminate Tapu Lele's checks. Dugtrio excells excels as at trapping Jirachi, Mega Metagross, (AC) and Heatran, whilst while Magnezone is better suited to trapping Celesteela, a very common Pokemon that threatens Tapu Lele. Frail Pokemon susceptible to priority attacks such as Pheromosa or and Dugtrio appreciate Psychic Terrain support from Tapu Lele in order to be immune to dangerous priority moves such as Mega Pinsir's Extreme Speed, Alolan Marowak's Shadow Sneak, (AC) and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. However, keep in mind that only grounded Pokemon benefit from Psychic Terrain's side effects, so any Flying-types or Pokemon with Levitate will still be struck by priority attacks. Pokemon that share similar counters to Tapu Lele appreciate its ability to severely weaken them with either the sheer power of its Psychic-type attacks or one of its coverage moves. Pokemon like Mega (remove space)Alakazam, Mega Metagross, (AC) and Clefable are all good examples of ideal allies. The former two are especially impactful, (AC) as they both benefit from having their Psychic-type STAB attacks powered up by Psychic Terrain. Additionally, Mega Alakazam is extremely prone to being revenge- (RH)killed by priority attacks, so Tapu Lele's ability aids it even more in that regard.

Quiver Dance Sweeper (no squared brackets)
Tapu Lele @ Fightinium Z / Ghostium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Set Comments

Moves

Quiver Dance is a very potent set up move that boosts Tapu Lele's Special Attack, Special Defense, (AC) and Speed simultaneously, allowing it to be an effective late-game sweeper. Psychic is an incredibly strong STAB attack that is boosted in power by Psychic Terrain, allowing Tapu Lele to OHKO a lot of Pokemon after a Quiver Dance boost. Notably, it outspeeds Pheromosa after a Quiver Dance and secures OHKOs on large threats such as Garchomp, Serperior, (AC) and Xurkitree. Focus Blast heavily damages both Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, including Tyranitar, Heatran, (AC) and Bisharp, Pokemon that which would otherwise act as great checks to Tapu Lele. Lastly, Shadow Ball provides additional coverage, hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi for heavy damage. After a Quiver Dance, Tapu Bulu secures the an OHKO on Mega Metagross is secured.

Set Details

Fightinium Z allows Tapu Lele to secure the OHKO onto on Heatran, Bisharp, (AC) and Tyranitar as, unlike Focus Blast, All-Out Pummeling does not have a chance to miss. It also has a high chance to OHKO Mega Metagross, a Pokemon that would otherwise be able to sponge a boosted Focus Blast. Ghostium Z allows Tapu Lele to use the powerful Never-Ending Nightmare, allowing it to have a high chance to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi at +1, a Pokemon that which would otherwise be able to comfortably take one boosted attack. It also secures an OHKO against Mega Metagross. Life Orb can be chosen if one does not require the aforementioned KO's KOs and would prefer a blanket upgrade in power to all of Tapu Lele's attacks at the cost of 10% of its HP with every attack. Maximum Speed EVs plus the Timid nature are used in order to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible. Special Attack EVs are maximized so Tapu Lele can dish out as much damage, especially to secure crucial OHKOs with an appropriate Z-Move. Expert Belt enhances the power of Tapu Lele's super effective moves, but the opportunity cost if is quite high, (AC) as it does no good if the attack is not super effective. Tapu Lele's only STAB attack in this set is Psychic, which is super effective against only two types. Additionally, the absence of many specially defensive Poison- and Fighting-type Pokemon in addition to Psychic Terrain already enhancing Psychic's damage means that most of the time, (AC) Expert Belt is unnecessary. However, it gives quite a notable boost in power to Focus Blast and Shadow Ball, two moves that have decent type coverage. Psychium Z turns the already strong Psychic into the very potent Shattering Psyche. Sporting a Base Power of 175, it is capable of dealing a catastrophic amount of damage, especially in Psychic Terrain. However, it is most optimal against targets that are not already weak to Tapu Lele's coverage moves such as Heatran or and Jirachi in order to not waste one's Psychium Z, as often said targets often take more damage from from a coverage move than Shattering Psyche.

Usage Tips

It is crucial that the opponent's Tapu Lele checks be weakened prior to using Quiver Dance and attempting to sweep. This is somewhat alleviated depending on if one opted you opt to use a certain Z-Crystal, as that allows Tapu Lele to beat certain counters. For instance, if Tapu Lele's item is Fightium Z, Heatran can no longer survive an All-Out Pummeling, meaning that Tapu Lele can attempt to sweep unhindered. It is adviced advise to set up either predicting the opponent to switch out, (RC) or against a defensive Pokemon that can do little in return. Such defensive Pokemon include Quagsire, Rotom-Wash, (AC) and Mantine. Additionally, thanks to Tapu Lele's respectable Special Defense stat, it can comfortably live survive relatively strong attacks such as Xurkitree's unboosted Thunderbolt and Heatran's Flash Cannon, meaning that it can set up in a pinch against some strong special attackers as well. However, keep in mind that Tapu Lele's Defense stat isn't as high, (AC) and as such, (AC) it fails to survive common physical attacks. Tapu Lele, when equipped with a Z Crystal, makes for a great lure to common threats such as Celesteela and Mega Metagross. If one dearly needs those Pokemon eliminated, consider using an appropriate Z Crystal to OHKO them after a Quiver Dance, giving Tapu Lele's allies an easier time later on.

Team Options

Pokemon that can lure in and weaken Tapu Lele's counters and weaken are very valuable in aiding Tapu Lele's eventual sweep. Mega Alakazam, Latios, (AC) and Magearna all lure in Steel-types and can weaken or potentially outright OHKO them with an appropriate Sketch move. Dugtrio and Magnezone can trap and OHKO certain Tapu Lele counters like Jirachi and Celesteela, provided they be given a free switch in. Entry hazards are greatly appreciated, as Tapu Lele misses out on a few guaranteed, crucial OHKOs without their its assistance. These include All-Out Pummeling on Mega Metagross, Focus Blast on specially defensive Heatran, (AC) and Shadow Ball on opposing Tapu Lele. Skarmory and Ferrothorn both intercept Steel- and Poison-type attacks intended for Tapu Lele whilst while also being solid users of Stealth Rock or Spikes, whilst , and in return, Tapu Lele heavily threatens Mega Sableye, a strong counter against the aforementioned Steel-types. Lastly, an option to increase the amount of Pokemon Tapu Lele can safely set up on is to have an ally with Reflect and / or Light Screen. Reflect or Light Screen users allow Tapu Lele to set up on more Pokemon and It allows Tapu Lele to absorb hits it normally could not, such as a Celesteela's Heavy Slam, Greninja's Gunk Shot, (AC) and even have a slight chance to live survive a Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Choice Specs Tapu Lele can be used to punish teams with more defensive Pokemon, as the combination of both Choice Specs-boosted Psychic and Psystrike help target bulky Pokemon's weaker Defense stat defensive statistic and hit hard. However, this does not solve Tapu Lele's mediocre Speed stat, (AC) and it struggles to have the same impact against more offensive teams because of this. Tapu Lele can opt to run a more defensive stallbreaker set with Taunt and Calm Mind. With its solid bulk, it can afford to set up on a lot of defensive Pokemon whilst while simultaneously crippling them with Taunt. The combination of Psyshock and Moonblast help helps break down common bulky walls such as Chansey, Mega Sableye, (AC) and Toxapex. It also can opt for Nature's Madness to help weaken Steel-types it normally cannot deal much damage to such as Heatran and Skarmory. Possible items of choice include Twisted Spoon to enhance Psystrike's damage with no drawback to help pummel Chansey or Shed Shell to escape Dugtrio&emdash;stall's best method of eliminating Tapu Lele. However, Pokemon such as Tapu Fini may accomplish this task better due to it having a superior defensive typing. Finally, Tapu Lele can adopt a more supportive role, aiding its allies with Psychic Terrain by equipping Terrain Extender, an item that extends the duration of Psychic Terrain to eight turns. This allows Tapu Lele's allies, Mega Alakazam for instance, to take full advantage of the terrain for as long as possible. However, this takes away from Tapu Lele's fearsome offensive potential by a lot.

Checks and Counters

Revenge Killers: Powerful revenge killers such as Garchomp, Mega Metagross, (AC) and physical Tapu Koko can very easily revenge kill Tapu Lele. Its less-than-stellar Speed stat leaves it outsped by a few common scarfers Choice Scarf users such as Kartana and Pheromosa. However, if Tapu Lele has a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed and thus avoid the OHKO. It also is very susceptible to being trapped by Dugtrio, as its low Defense stat means it gets 2HKO'd 2HKOed comfortably by Earthquake. If it is locked into a Psychic-type move, it's extremely prone to being Pursuit-(RH)trapped by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Weavile, (AC) and Bisharp.

Steel-types: Bulky Steel-types such as Celesteela, Jirachi, Mega Scizor (AC) and Mega Metagross can switch into Tapu Lele fairly comfortably thanks to their bulk, (RC) and can proceed to force Tapu Lele out. However, the former two Pokemon are not able to use Bullet Punch to safely revenge-(RH)kill Tapu Lele, and all four must watch out for its wide movepool from which it can pick and choose appropriate coverage moves from to heavily damage them.


Don't forget those serial commas! And no need to bold moves when you mention them.

~

ik i did this by pm / this is like a week old, but the thread wasnt working and it seems to now, so i'll post this here
 

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