[OVERVIEW]
Tapu Koko is one of the best pivots in the tier, owing to its lightning-fast Speed, ability to generate momentum like none other with access to both Volt Switch and U-turn, and its sizable offensive presence that forces switches from common metagame threats like Tornadus-T and Weavile. It can threaten the tier's defensive Water-types and Flying-types like Slowbro, Toxapex, and Corviknight with ease and can even make good use of its resistances to Flying, Fighting, and Dark, keeping healthy with Roost and defensively checking the likes of Tornadus-T and Zapdos. It has the option to set up with Calm Mind, with its incredible Speed stat giving it an edge against offensive teams and making it challenging to revenge kill. Despite all of this, however, Tapu Koko's lackluster defensive stats and mediocre base Special Attack stat cannot be ignored, and faster Pokemon like Timid Choice Specs Dragapult and Choice Scarf Kartana are able to force it out.
[SET]
name: Offensive Utility
move 1: Thunderbolt / Volt Switch
move 2: Dazzling Gleam
move 3: U-turn / Toxic
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Electric Surge
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Tapu Koko makes great use of its incredible Speed to offensively check the likes of Weavile and Modest Dragapult with its STAB Dazzling Gleam and defensively check and outspeed Tornadus-T and Zapdos with its chosen Electric-type STAB move. Dazzling Gleam also allows Tapu Koko to hit Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus-T as well as other Electric-resistant targets like Rillaboom. U-turn is used to build momentum and capitalize on the switches that it can force due to its attacking power and Speed, and Toxic can be used on Volt Switch variants to put Electric-immune Pokemon like Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Zeraora on a timer. The trade-off of dropping Thunderbolt for Volt Switch is that Tapu Koko can no longer reliably pressure Slowking and specially defensive Toxapex; however, Volt Switch can take a chunk out of Heatran as Tapu Koko pivots out, and it opens up a moveslot to run the aforementioned Toxic. Tapu Koko can rely on Roost to heal off chip damage and act as a consistent defensive check to Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Heavy-Duty Boots are a crucial part of Tapu Koko's role as a pivot, ignoring any entry hazards that would otherwise eat away at Tapu Koko's health as it pivots throughout the game. Threats like Jolly Weavile and Modest Dragapult that sit above Tapu Koko's neutral-natured Speed tier necessitate that it always runs a Timid nature.
Team Options
========
Teams ranging from offensive to balanced very much appreciate Tapu Koko's momentum-grabbing and revenge killing capabilities. Tapu Koko loves the presence of Stealth Rock and especially Spikes to dig into checks like Ferrothorn and Gastrodon as it pivots out, so entry hazard setters like Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn can enable Tapu Koko to be much more of a menace. Building off of the last point, Knock Off users like Weavile, Ferrothorn, and Clefable can remove Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing defensive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Blissey and open them up to hazard damage. Slow pivots like Slowbro and Landorus-T are ideal partners for working in tandem with Tapu Koko to constantly grab momentum and bring Tapu Koko in safely. Wallbreakers like Swords Dance Weavile, Choice Band Urshifu-R, and Victini are great recipients of Tapu Koko's pivoting support, as they can break through Ground-types like Landorus-T and Hippowdon as well as Ferrothorn. The last two can take advantage of Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain boosting Thunder Punch and Bolt Strike, respectively, allowing them to 2HKO Toxapex, and they can even work as part of a powerful pivoting core with Tapu Koko.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tapu Koko can specialize as a support Pokemon and run a dual screens set with Light Clay for hyper offense teams, utilizing its great Speed and access to Taunt, with the additional option of setting up Electric Seed Hawlucha. Tapu Koko can use Nature's Madness to chip its checks incredibly efficiently, which is its best way to make progress against Ferrothorn. However, this move is hard to fit, as running Nature's Madness usually necessitates dropping Dazzling Gleam, meaning that Tapu Koko loses its best way to hit Modest Dragapult.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Rillaboom resists Tapu Koko's Electric-type attacks, cancels out its Electric Terrain upon switch in, and threatens out Tapu Koko with its incredibly strong Grass-type attacks. Ferrothorn resists Tapu Koko's STAB combination and uses Leech Seed to whittle it down.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Garchomp can block Volt Switch and threaten force out Tapu Koko with super effective Ground-type attacks, but Tapu Koko can bypass their immunity by using U-turn, and Garchomp must be wary of switching into Dazzling Gleam. With the exception of Excadrill, Tapu Koko can also use Toxic to cripple these Pokemon as they switch in.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Faster Pokemon like Dragapult and Zeraora, and Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Tapu Lele can outspeed and force out Tapu Koko if they are able to get a safe switch in.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon like specially defensive Heatran and Blissey can shrug off Tapu Koko's special attacks, though neither of them appreciate being chipped by a pivot move as Tapu Koko makes its way out.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zinnias.569291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pulsar512b.469728/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Tapu Koko is one of the best pivots in the tier, owing to its lightning-fast Speed, ability to generate momentum like none other with access to both Volt Switch and U-turn, and its sizable offensive presence that forces switches from common metagame threats like Tornadus-T and Weavile. It can threaten the tier's defensive Water-types and Flying-types like Slowbro, Toxapex, and Corviknight with ease and can even make good use of its resistances to Flying, Fighting, and Dark, keeping healthy with Roost and defensively checking the likes of Tornadus-T and Zapdos. It has the option to set up with Calm Mind, with its incredible Speed stat giving it an edge against offensive teams and making it challenging to revenge kill. Despite all of this, however, Tapu Koko's lackluster defensive stats and mediocre base Special Attack stat cannot be ignored, and faster Pokemon like Timid Choice Specs Dragapult and Choice Scarf Kartana are able to force it out.
[SET]
name: Offensive Utility
move 1: Thunderbolt / Volt Switch
move 2: Dazzling Gleam
move 3: U-turn / Toxic
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Electric Surge
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Tapu Koko makes great use of its incredible Speed to offensively check the likes of Weavile and Modest Dragapult with its STAB Dazzling Gleam and defensively check and outspeed Tornadus-T and Zapdos with its chosen Electric-type STAB move. Dazzling Gleam also allows Tapu Koko to hit Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus-T as well as other Electric-resistant targets like Rillaboom. U-turn is used to build momentum and capitalize on the switches that it can force due to its attacking power and Speed, and Toxic can be used on Volt Switch variants to put Electric-immune Pokemon like Landorus-T, Gastrodon, and Zeraora on a timer. The trade-off of dropping Thunderbolt for Volt Switch is that Tapu Koko can no longer reliably pressure Slowking and specially defensive Toxapex; however, Volt Switch can take a chunk out of Heatran as Tapu Koko pivots out, and it opens up a moveslot to run the aforementioned Toxic. Tapu Koko can rely on Roost to heal off chip damage and act as a consistent defensive check to Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Heavy-Duty Boots are a crucial part of Tapu Koko's role as a pivot, ignoring any entry hazards that would otherwise eat away at Tapu Koko's health as it pivots throughout the game. Threats like Jolly Weavile and Modest Dragapult that sit above Tapu Koko's neutral-natured Speed tier necessitate that it always runs a Timid nature.
Team Options
========
Teams ranging from offensive to balanced very much appreciate Tapu Koko's momentum-grabbing and revenge killing capabilities. Tapu Koko loves the presence of Stealth Rock and especially Spikes to dig into checks like Ferrothorn and Gastrodon as it pivots out, so entry hazard setters like Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn can enable Tapu Koko to be much more of a menace. Building off of the last point, Knock Off users like Weavile, Ferrothorn, and Clefable can remove Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing defensive Pokemon like Gastrodon and Blissey and open them up to hazard damage. Slow pivots like Slowbro and Landorus-T are ideal partners for working in tandem with Tapu Koko to constantly grab momentum and bring Tapu Koko in safely. Wallbreakers like Swords Dance Weavile, Choice Band Urshifu-R, and Victini are great recipients of Tapu Koko's pivoting support, as they can break through Ground-types like Landorus-T and Hippowdon as well as Ferrothorn. The last two can take advantage of Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain boosting Thunder Punch and Bolt Strike, respectively, allowing them to 2HKO Toxapex, and they can even work as part of a powerful pivoting core with Tapu Koko.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tapu Koko can specialize as a support Pokemon and run a dual screens set with Light Clay for hyper offense teams, utilizing its great Speed and access to Taunt, with the additional option of setting up Electric Seed Hawlucha. Tapu Koko can use Nature's Madness to chip its checks incredibly efficiently, which is its best way to make progress against Ferrothorn. However, this move is hard to fit, as running Nature's Madness usually necessitates dropping Dazzling Gleam, meaning that Tapu Koko loses its best way to hit Modest Dragapult.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Rillaboom resists Tapu Koko's Electric-type attacks, cancels out its Electric Terrain upon switch in, and threatens out Tapu Koko with its incredibly strong Grass-type attacks. Ferrothorn resists Tapu Koko's STAB combination and uses Leech Seed to whittle it down.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types like Landorus-T, Excadrill, Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Garchomp can block Volt Switch and threaten force out Tapu Koko with super effective Ground-type attacks, but Tapu Koko can bypass their immunity by using U-turn, and Garchomp must be wary of switching into Dazzling Gleam. With the exception of Excadrill, Tapu Koko can also use Toxic to cripple these Pokemon as they switch in.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Faster Pokemon like Dragapult and Zeraora, and Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Tapu Lele can outspeed and force out Tapu Koko if they are able to get a safe switch in.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon like specially defensive Heatran and Blissey can shrug off Tapu Koko's special attacks, though neither of them appreciate being chipped by a pivot move as Tapu Koko makes its way out.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zinnias.569291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slowpoke-fan.617219/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pulsar512b.469728/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Last edited:
