[OVERVIEW]
* Thanks to its hard-hitting Grass-type STAB attacks bolstered by Grassy Surge, Tapu Bulu is an incredible wallbreaker capable of heavily damaging even targets that resist its moves.
* It sports good coverage options to complement its STAB type.
* Its typing grants it plenty of opportunities to switch in, capable of taking on the likes of Landorus-T, non-Fire Blast Garchomp, and Tapu Koko.
* Grassy Surge provides Tapu Bulu sustain with extra recovery gained at the end of each turn and supports other Pokemon that don't have a means of recovery beyond Leftovers, such as Heatran.
* Between Grassy Surge, Leech Seed, and Horn Leech, it's quite hard to wear down Tapu Bulu.
* Unfortunately Grassy Surge heals the opponent's grounded Pokemon as well and weakens any teammate's Earthquake.
* Tapu Bulu struggles to break past certain Pokemon, specifically Mega Venusaur, Skarmory, and Celesteela.
* Its Speed isn't the greatest and thus leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by the likes of Greninja, Genesect, Excadrill, and Weavile.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Megahorn / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Wood Hammer hits like a nuke under Grassy Terrain, capable of feats such as OHKOing Latios and Mega Charizard Y after Stealth Rock.
* Horn Leech is a reliable secondary STAB attack that does not incur recoil but rather restores some lost HP b(RC) while still being strong in its own right.
* Superpower provides necessary coverage on Steel-types, most notably Heatran and Ferrothorn.
* Megahorn covers bulky Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Amoonguss.
* Stone Edge is an alternative to nail Flying-type switch-ins such as Mega Charizard Y and Tornadus-T.
* Zen Headbutt can be used to 2HKO Mega Venusaur as well as deal more damage to Amoonguss and Buzzwole.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread maximizes Tapu Bulu's attacking prowess, letting it hit hard as possible while outspeeding the likes of Bisharp and Volcanion.
* A Jolly nature is an alternative to outspeed Jolly Bisharp, but otherwise the drop in power is noticeable.
* Choice Band is the main draw to this set, turning Tapu Bulu into a fearsome wallbreaker.
Usage Tips
========
* Tapu Bulu is best brought in by switching into resisted attacks thanks to its bulk and typing.
* During the early stages of the game, Tapu Bulu should generally throw out a Wood Hammer to significantly weaken the opposing team. Keep in mind that even most resistant targets will still take heavy damage, so the move is relatively risk free.
* Once Tapu Bulu's HP is low or the brute force of Wood Hammer is unnecessary, Horn Leech is generally a good STAB move to fall back on to recover off a good chunk of damage when combined with Grassy Terrain.
* However, if the likes of Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Skarmory are present, its best to hit them with a coverage move such as Superpower, getting off a good amount of damage instead of forfeiting momentum.
* Depending on the scenario, though, prediction may not be necessary.
Team Options
========
* Magnezone is Tapu Bulu's best friend thanks to its ability to trap and eliminate Mega Scizor, Celesteela, and Skarmory, all Pokemon capable of stomaching most of Tapu Bulu's attacks.
* Heatran is also a good teammate, as it has incredibly synergy with Tapu Bulu, taking on threats such as Mega Scizor, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss while benefiting greatly from the reduced Earthquake damage and extra recovery that Grassy Terrain provides.
* Teammates such as Latios, Greninja, and Mega Sharpedo all deal with faster offensive threats that Tapu Bulu tends to struggle with, such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Nihilego, while also being able to clean late-game once Tapu Bulu has dealt the damage it needed to against the opposing team.
* Tapu Koko in particular gets a special mention, as it appreciates the likes of Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon being weakened (depending on its moveset) and can bring in Tapu Bulu safely with either Volt Switch or U-turn, while Tapu Bulu appreciates Tapu Koko's ability to threaten Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Charizard Y.
* Similarily, many Choice Scarf users work nicely as well, especially those with U-turn such as Genesect and Landorus-T, which allow Tapu Bulu to potentially enter the battlefield unscathed.
[SET]
name: Leech Seed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Bulk Up / Substitute
move 3: Horn Leech
move 4: Brick Break / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Leech Seed provides great sustain alongside Grassy Surge and Leftovers recovery, letting Tapu Bulu tank hits and gain most if not all of the HP lost back. It also lets Tapu Bulu chip away at some checks such as Celesteela and Skarmory.
* Bulk Up lets Tapu Bulu act as a bulky setup sweeper, becoming increasingly hard to wall and break past.
* Substitute is alternative that enables Tapu Bulu to stall out threats that otherwise wall it with Leech Seed damage. It makes for a particularly good user of the move thanks to its many different means of recovery.
* Horn Leech is Tapu Bulu's most reliable STAB option, packing quite a punch under Grassy Terrain and furthering Tapu Bulu's staying power.
* Brick Break is Tapu Bulu's best coverage option for this set, as it would otherwise be walled by both Ferrothorn and Heatran. It is chosen over Superpower because it does not lower Tapu Bulu's stats.
* Protect further enhances Tapu Bulu's ability to stall out the foe while also having use in scouting for foe's next move. This should only be used alongside Substitute.
* Taunt is also an option to shut down the likes of Toxapex, keeping Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory from setting up Swords Dance and Spikes, respectively, as well as keeping Venusaur from using Synthesis, making it much easier to pressure.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack EVs let Tapu Bulu hit as hard as possible, ensuring it still is threatening even without boosts.
* The Speed EVs let Tapu Bulu outspeed maximum Speed Adamant Crawdaunt and below.
* The rest of the EVs are placed into HP for supplementary bulk. Particularly, it lets Tapu Bulu to take two Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pumps from Ash-Greninja after Stealth Rock most of the time.
* Leftovers stacks with Grassy Surge's extra recovery, making Tapu Bulu last much on the battlefield much longer.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is to be played a bit more conservatively; accordingly, it's generally best to throw out Leech Seed to weaken potential checks before setting up.
* Once faster Grass resistant Pokemon are weakened or no longer present, then find an opportunity to set up.
* Due to slight HP investment and extra recovery options, Tapu Bulu is able to pivot into Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Landorus-T, and Garchomp fairly easily.
* With Substitute + Protect, Tapu Bulu plays a more stall-like role, setting up Substitute on targets that cannot break past it, using Leech Seed versus their Grass-resistant Pokemon, and Protecting to wear down the foe with residual damage.
* Protect is also useful for scouting how the opponent initially reacts to Tapu Bulu and what coverage moves they may have, especially Flyinium Z lures from Landorus-T and Gyarados.
Team Options
========
* Magnezone is almost a must, especially if you're using Substitute + Protect, as the set struggles greatly with the likes of Celesteela, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor.
* Celesteela is a decent teammate, as it handles Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor very well if using Flamethrower, while Tapu Bulu is able to switch into Pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Thundurus. Just make sure the Heatran weakness is accounted for.
* Heatran is a good partner for similar reasons, only it is able to stop Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur as well.
* Bulky Water-types such as Mantine, Rotom-W, and Alomomola work well due to their great synergy. Each Pokemon brings their own utility to the table, with Mantine having Haze to prevent Swords Dance Mega Scizor from getting out of hand, Rotom-W with Volt Switch + Will-O-Wisp, and Alomomola providing Wish support should Tapu Bulu get low enough.
* Wallbreakers such as Greninja, Keldeo, and Surf Latios break holes through bulky cores that tend to trouble Tapu Bulu.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A Swords Dance set with Life Orb is a more immediately threatening set that lets Tapu Bulu cause more damage quickly than Bulk Up.
* Bulk Up + 3 Attacks is also an option to trade sustain from Leech Seed for extra coverage, making Tapu Bulu less easy to wall, but this kind of set loses a lot from the extra longevity.
* Disable coupled with Substitute is effective because it can prevent Pokemon from being able to touch Tapu Bulu, as most Pokemon only carry one move for it, thus giving another opportunity to set up Substitute and cost the opponent momentum.
* Choice Scarf is also a decent option that allows it to outspeed threats such as Greninja and Tapu Koko. Grassy Surge also makes it stronger than most Choice Scarf users when using its Grass-type STAB.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Celesteela, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor are all excellent switch-ins due to x4 resistance to Tapu Bulu's Grass-type STAB, as well as their natural bulk letting them not be threatened much by whatever coverage it has. Mega Scizor in particular is troublesome because it uses Tapu Bulu as setup bait.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Mega Venusaur is the biggest stop to Tapu Bulu, as it is immune to Leech Seed, tanks its coverage moves aside from Zen Headbutt with ease, and OHKOes it with STAB Sludge Bomb. Amoonguss and Tangrowth are good switch-ins as well, but both are 2HKOed by Choice Band-boosted Megahorn. Ferrothorn x4 resists Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer and can retaliate by doing a significant amount with Gyro Ball or set up Spikes on it. However, it must be wary of Superpower from its Choice Band set and can find itself in a bad situation if Tapu Bulu has a couple Bulk Up boosts under its belt.
**Fire-types**: Heatran and Mega Charizard X and Y switch into Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer decently, outspeed it, and KO it with their respective STAB moves. Mega Charizard X is very dangerous, as it is able to set up a Dragon Dance on Tapu Bulu locked into a Grass-type move. It's worth noting that Heatran and Mega Charizard Y must watch out for Superpower and Stone Edge, respectively. Tapu Bulu also has an extremely high chance of OHKOing Charizard as it switches in Choice Band-boosted Wood Hammer if Stealth Rock is up.
**Flying-type Lures**: While Tapu Bulu may be a very strong check to the likes of Landorus-T, Gyarados, and Salamence normally, they all can potentially have Supersonic Skystrike, dealing heavy damage if not OHKOing Tapu Bulu.
**Strong Revenge Killers**: Many faster Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Nihilego, and Genesect are capable of revenge killing Tapu Bulu.
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