Perish Song
flaunt
[OVERVIEW]
Fairy
========
Boasting excellent typing, Tapu Bulu can act as a check to Electric-, Ground-, and Water-type Pokemon, such as Rotom-W, Alolan Raichu, Tapu Koko, Hippowdon, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Toxapex. Its high Attack combined with Grassy Terrain and Swords Dance allows Tapu Bulu to act as a wallbreaker for Fairy-type teams with a boosted Grass-type STAB attack in Horn Leech, which also provides good HP recovery. Moreover, coverage options such as High Horsepower and Close Combat allow Tapu Bulu to take on threats such as Jirachi, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Aegislash on the switch-in. However, Tapu Bulu stacks a Poison-type weakness for its team and is forced out by their presence. Having a subpar Speed stat forces Tapu Bulu to take a hit from faster targets before being able to act as well.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive (Fairy)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Horn Leech
move 4: High Horsepower
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 164 SpD / 92 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance allows Tapu Bulu to wallbreak efficiently. Protect allows Tapu Bulu to scout for Choice-locked foes such as Excadrill and Gengar, as well as granting it a turn of extra recovery. Substitute can be used as an alternative over Protect to take advantage of weak specially offensive Pokemon that cannot break it such as Slowbro, Toxapex, and Rotom-W. Horn Leech is Tapu Bulu's main STAB attack, and Grassy Terrain not only provides a boost to Horn Leech but also passive recovery, which, when combined with the recovery from Horn Leech, lets it stay healthy throughout the game. High Horsepower is a handy coverage option that hits Steel-types such as Aegislash, Heatran, and Jirachi, as well as Toxapex. Grassy Terrain provides passive recovery to teammates such as Azumarill, Klefki, and Galarian Weezing while also cutting Earthquake damage from foes like Garchomp and Swampert. 92 Speed EVs are used to be faster than Rotom-W without Speed investment, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into HP and Special Defense to make Tapu Bulu as bulky as possible in order to take on problematic threats for Fairy teams, most notably Regieleki and Tapu Koko with the help of the Terrain change. Heavy-Duty Boots keeps Tapu Bulu healthy by preventing entry hazard chip damage and stops Sticky Web from worsening its already mediocre Speed.
Tapu Bulu is used best as a wallbreaker to weaken the opposing team, especially defensive threats such as Toxapex, Blissey, Porygon2, and Rotom-W, for teammates like Tapu Lele and Azumarill to clean later on. In order to do that, it is essential for Tapu Bulu to seek setup opportunities with Swords Dance against foes that cannot dish out a big amount of damage such as Rotom-W, Swampert, Hippowdon, and Garchomp lacking Fire Blast. Azumarill can repay Tapu Bulu for wallbreaking by taking care of Fire- and Steel-types such as Volcarona, Cinderace, Heatran, and Aegislash, while Tapu Lele in return helps with Poison-types such as Toxapex and Tapu Bulu additionally takes care of Ground- and Water-types for both. Klefki is a premier teammate for Tapu Bulu; having access to Spikes allows Tapu Bulu to break more easily, Reflect and Light Screen provide safer setup opportunities and Thunder Wave can make up for Tapu Bulu's mediocre Speed. Furthermore, Klefki covers up Tapu Bulu's main weaknesses in Poison, Flying, and Ice. Clefable provides Stealth Rock to chip down foes with residual damage and allow Tapu Bulu to have an easier time while breaking. Moreover, Clefable can absorb status for Tapu Bulu through Magic Guard. Galarian Weezing provides utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic Spikes, which cripple foes to allow Tapu Bulu to set up even more safely. Moreover, Galarian Weezing is excellent in a mirror matchup and against Grass-type teams, and its ability Neutralizing Gas can be helpful against Regenerator users such as Toxapex, Slowbro, and Galarian Slowking. In exchange, Tapu Bulu can take on Ground-type attacks for Galarian Weezing. Other wallbreakers such as Togekiss and Mimikyu reduce the workload of Tapu Bulu in several matchups that it cannot properly function in; the former is good against Grass-type Pokemon, while the latter is good against Psychic- and Ghost-types. Tapu Koko can be used to beat Flying-types that would otherwise take advantage of Tapu Bulu such as Corviknight, Celesteela, and Moltres.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tapu Bulu can be used as a revenge killer with a spread of maximum Attack, maximum Speed, and a Jolly nature along with a Choice Scarf. This set allows Tapu Bulu to use coverage options such as Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, and Close Combat more reliably.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Celesteela, Corviknight, and Skarmory**: Celesteela, Corviknight, and Skarmory are capable of completely blocking Tapu Bulu with their typing and bulk. Celesteela can beat Tapu Bulu with Heavy Slam, while Corviknight and Skarmory can use Brave Bird against it.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Gengar and Nihilego threaten Tapu Bulu with their STAB attacks.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn can comfortably handle hits from Tapu Bulu and take advantage of it easily. However, they must be careful of Tapu Bulu's coverage in High Horsepower and Close Combat.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Rotom-H, Volcarona, and Moltres can comfortably resist Tapu Bulu's Grass-type attacks. However, these Pokemon should be careful of Tapu Bulu that carries Stone Edge.
**Grass-types**: Many Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Venusaur can comfortably switch into Tapu Bulu and even benefit from Grassy Terrain's recovery.
**Flying-types**: Tapu Bulu can do very little damage to Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, and these Pokemon can easily take advantage of Tapu Bulu. However, they must be wary of Stone Edge.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster threats such as Weavile, Landorus-I, and Tornadus-T, along with Choice Scarf users such as Galarian Zapdos, Excadrill, and Galarian Darmanitan can easily outspeed Tapu Bulu and KO it.
**Status**: Tapu Bulu is very susceptible to status effects; getting burned drastically lowers its wallbreaking capabilities, paralysis makes its mediocre Speed worse, and poison puts it on a timer.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Perish Song, 419696]]
- Fairy analysis by: [[Perish Song, 419696]]
- Quality checked by: [[Havens, 391540], [Harpp, 320110], [maroon, 305839]]
- Grammar checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Finland, 517429]]
Fairy
========
Boasting excellent typing, Tapu Bulu can act as a check to Electric-, Ground-, and Water-type Pokemon, such as Rotom-W, Alolan Raichu, Tapu Koko, Hippowdon, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Toxapex. Its high Attack combined with Grassy Terrain and Swords Dance allows Tapu Bulu to act as a wallbreaker for Fairy-type teams with a boosted Grass-type STAB attack in Horn Leech, which also provides good HP recovery. Moreover, coverage options such as High Horsepower and Close Combat allow Tapu Bulu to take on threats such as Jirachi, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Aegislash on the switch-in. However, Tapu Bulu stacks a Poison-type weakness for its team and is forced out by their presence. Having a subpar Speed stat forces Tapu Bulu to take a hit from faster targets before being able to act as well.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive (Fairy)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Horn Leech
move 4: High Horsepower
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 164 SpD / 92 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance allows Tapu Bulu to wallbreak efficiently. Protect allows Tapu Bulu to scout for Choice-locked foes such as Excadrill and Gengar, as well as granting it a turn of extra recovery. Substitute can be used as an alternative over Protect to take advantage of weak specially offensive Pokemon that cannot break it such as Slowbro, Toxapex, and Rotom-W. Horn Leech is Tapu Bulu's main STAB attack, and Grassy Terrain not only provides a boost to Horn Leech but also passive recovery, which, when combined with the recovery from Horn Leech, lets it stay healthy throughout the game. High Horsepower is a handy coverage option that hits Steel-types such as Aegislash, Heatran, and Jirachi, as well as Toxapex. Grassy Terrain provides passive recovery to teammates such as Azumarill, Klefki, and Galarian Weezing while also cutting Earthquake damage from foes like Garchomp and Swampert. 92 Speed EVs are used to be faster than Rotom-W without Speed investment, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into HP and Special Defense to make Tapu Bulu as bulky as possible in order to take on problematic threats for Fairy teams, most notably Regieleki and Tapu Koko with the help of the Terrain change. Heavy-Duty Boots keeps Tapu Bulu healthy by preventing entry hazard chip damage and stops Sticky Web from worsening its already mediocre Speed.
Tapu Bulu is used best as a wallbreaker to weaken the opposing team, especially defensive threats such as Toxapex, Blissey, Porygon2, and Rotom-W, for teammates like Tapu Lele and Azumarill to clean later on. In order to do that, it is essential for Tapu Bulu to seek setup opportunities with Swords Dance against foes that cannot dish out a big amount of damage such as Rotom-W, Swampert, Hippowdon, and Garchomp lacking Fire Blast. Azumarill can repay Tapu Bulu for wallbreaking by taking care of Fire- and Steel-types such as Volcarona, Cinderace, Heatran, and Aegislash, while Tapu Lele in return helps with Poison-types such as Toxapex and Tapu Bulu additionally takes care of Ground- and Water-types for both. Klefki is a premier teammate for Tapu Bulu; having access to Spikes allows Tapu Bulu to break more easily, Reflect and Light Screen provide safer setup opportunities and Thunder Wave can make up for Tapu Bulu's mediocre Speed. Furthermore, Klefki covers up Tapu Bulu's main weaknesses in Poison, Flying, and Ice. Clefable provides Stealth Rock to chip down foes with residual damage and allow Tapu Bulu to have an easier time while breaking. Moreover, Clefable can absorb status for Tapu Bulu through Magic Guard. Galarian Weezing provides utility in Will-O-Wisp and Toxic Spikes, which cripple foes to allow Tapu Bulu to set up even more safely. Moreover, Galarian Weezing is excellent in a mirror matchup and against Grass-type teams, and its ability Neutralizing Gas can be helpful against Regenerator users such as Toxapex, Slowbro, and Galarian Slowking. In exchange, Tapu Bulu can take on Ground-type attacks for Galarian Weezing. Other wallbreakers such as Togekiss and Mimikyu reduce the workload of Tapu Bulu in several matchups that it cannot properly function in; the former is good against Grass-type Pokemon, while the latter is good against Psychic- and Ghost-types. Tapu Koko can be used to beat Flying-types that would otherwise take advantage of Tapu Bulu such as Corviknight, Celesteela, and Moltres.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Tapu Bulu can be used as a revenge killer with a spread of maximum Attack, maximum Speed, and a Jolly nature along with a Choice Scarf. This set allows Tapu Bulu to use coverage options such as Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, and Close Combat more reliably.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Celesteela, Corviknight, and Skarmory**: Celesteela, Corviknight, and Skarmory are capable of completely blocking Tapu Bulu with their typing and bulk. Celesteela can beat Tapu Bulu with Heavy Slam, while Corviknight and Skarmory can use Brave Bird against it.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types such as Gengar and Nihilego threaten Tapu Bulu with their STAB attacks.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Ferrothorn can comfortably handle hits from Tapu Bulu and take advantage of it easily. However, they must be careful of Tapu Bulu's coverage in High Horsepower and Close Combat.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Rotom-H, Volcarona, and Moltres can comfortably resist Tapu Bulu's Grass-type attacks. However, these Pokemon should be careful of Tapu Bulu that carries Stone Edge.
**Grass-types**: Many Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Venusaur can comfortably switch into Tapu Bulu and even benefit from Grassy Terrain's recovery.
**Flying-types**: Tapu Bulu can do very little damage to Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, and these Pokemon can easily take advantage of Tapu Bulu. However, they must be wary of Stone Edge.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster threats such as Weavile, Landorus-I, and Tornadus-T, along with Choice Scarf users such as Galarian Zapdos, Excadrill, and Galarian Darmanitan can easily outspeed Tapu Bulu and KO it.
**Status**: Tapu Bulu is very susceptible to status effects; getting burned drastically lowers its wallbreaking capabilities, paralysis makes its mediocre Speed worse, and poison puts it on a timer.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Perish Song, 419696]]
- Fairy analysis by: [[Perish Song, 419696]]
- Quality checked by: [[Havens, 391540], [Harpp, 320110], [maroon, 305839]]
- Grammar checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Finland, 517429]]
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