THE TIME IS NOW, TAPU KOKOKOKO!
[OVERVIEW]
* Tapu Koko has a blistering base Speed that puts it on par with Mega Gengar.
* With Electric Surge, Tapu Koko is much more powerful than its stats suggest, hitting hard with Electric-type attacks, even with Thunderbolt.
* A unique Electric / Fairy -typing makes it an Electric-type that isn't consistently checked by Garchomp.
* Tapu Koko has a rather awkward movepool that forces it to choose what it wants to cover.
* Since it relies so heavily on Electric Terrain to hit hard, It's coverage moves can be rather weak. This also means that Tapu Koko's offensive power takes a big hit when the terrain is changed by another Tapu.
* Tapu Koko is pretty frail, making it easy to revenge kill with Electric-type resistances.
* After Pokebank, Tapu Koko will have to compete with Thundurus in the offensive Electric-type slot, and many new checks such as Rotom-H, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn become avaliable. While Thundurus offers more utility with Prankster, Tapu Koko's superior speed, and unique typing and awesome ability will still make it a major force.
[SET]
name: Specially Based Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Dazzling Gleam
move 3: U-turn / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Grass Knot / Brave Bird
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Electric Surge
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Thunderbolt is the best STAB option for Tapu Koko.
* Dazzling Gleam is fairly weak, but it allows Tapu Koko to 2HKO Garchomp and Mega Salamence, and OHKO Hydreigon.
* Tapu Koko will want a scouting move. Volt Switch hits pretty hard and is great for wearing down teams, but it can easily be stopped by the likes of Alolan Marowak and Garchomp. U-turn doesn't hit nearly as hard, but always works regardless of the switch-in.
* Hidden Power Ground is great against Alolan Marowak and Magnezone. With Life Orb, it always 2HKOs offensive Alolan Marowak.
* Grass Knot isn't particularly great coverage, but its the hardest Tapu Koko can hit Mamoswine and Mudsdale. They otherwise totally wall Tapu Koko.
* Brave Bird ensures that Tapu Koko is not walled by Tapu Bulu, who can be a big threat to Tapu Koko otherwise. If using Life Orb, it also does a lot of damage to Alolan Marowak.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Speed and Special Attack are needed for the best possible revenge killing power. Use Naive if you plan on using Brave Bird, and Timid otherwise, since Tapu Koko needs to at least speed tie with Mega Gengar.
* Tapu Koko can also use a Hasty Nature if you don't want Porygon2 to get a Special Attack boost from Download, but this makes you more vulnerable to priority attacks. Also in the rare case you fight Mega Kangaskhan using Return or offensive Celesteela, Tapu Koko will get OHKOed.
* Life Orb gives Tapu Koko a good amount of power, with Thunderbolt being able to 2HKO Aegislash, OHKO offensive Mega Gengar, and lets Dazzling Gleam OHKO Kingdra.
* Focus Sash lets Tapu Koko survive one powerful attack at full health. This especially comes in handy against sweepers such as Mega Gyarados. Just don't use this with Brave Bird, since the recoil gives it poor synergy.
Usage Tips
========
* Pay attention to team preview. If you see checks to Tapu Koko such as Alolan Marowak or Tapu Bulu, don't just spam Thunderbolt. Tapu Koko might want to use a coverage move against them, or use U-turn to fish them out and check them. This is especially true for Focus Sash Tapu Koko, who might want to conserve its sash for emergencies.
* Because of U-turn / Volt Switch, Tapu Koko can work pretty well early game to scout for Pokemon, since Tapu Koko usually forces a response pretty fast. That being said, Tapu Koko can clean up late game as well, and Focus Sash Tapu Koko in particular can be a good idea to keep saved late game against sweepers.
* If Alolan Marowak is in team preview, note that switching into that can be fairly difficult due to its sheer power, so consider leading with a Pokemon that can deal massive damage to it.
Team Options
========
* Having a check to Alolan Marowak is essential. On the softer side of things, faster Ghost-types such as Mimikyu and Mega Gengar can KO it, while Salamence and Gyarados can use Intimidate to survive Shadow Bone before they Mega Evolve. Porygon2 can also work, though note that some Alolan Marowak might invest in Speed to beat that. Also, note that all of these are 2HKOed by Alolan Marowak, so they can only check it once.
* Mandibuzz can switch into Shadow Bone, and has Roost to restore its health later if it gets hit hard by Flare Blitz. Foul Play will usually OHKO Alolan Marowak after Flare Blitz recoil as well.
* Having another Tapu actually isn't a bad idea, since it allows Tapu Koko to reset Electric Terrain, reducing the risk of it becoming underpowdered later in the game. Tapu Bulu resists Earthquake which is very nice, and it appreciates Tapu Koko scaring Celesteela. Tapu Fini can run an offensive set with Nature's Madness and Waterium Z to break down walls for Tapu Koko, and it checks Alolan Marowak.
* Since a lot of Garchomp run Focus Sash or Choice Scarf to beat Tapu Koko, having a Celesteela in tow can be a big help against it. This is especially cool if Tapu Koko is using Hidden Power Ground Tapu Koko, who can lure Magnezone into a false sense of security. Celesteela also works well against Mamoswine.
* Mamoswine deserves special mention as a teammate. It scares off Garchomp and Alolan Marowak, while Tapu Koko defeats Gyarados and Celesteela for it.
* Tapu Koko can be used on a rain team with either Politoed and Pelipper, paired with Kingdra. With this, Tapu Koko can now run the much more powerful Thunder, and threats such as Alolan Marowak and Ground-types are overwhelmed by Kingdra.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Roost / Substitute / Hidden Power Ground
item: Electrium Z / Life Orb / Leftvers / Focus Sash
ability: Electric Surge
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Calm Mind helps patch up Tapu Koko's mediocre Special Defense while making it a deceptively powerful special sweeper.
* Thunderbolt is the reliable STAB Tapu Koko needs to become a powerful special sweeper.
* Dazzling Gleam might be weak, but after a Calm Mind boost, it actually OHKOes Garchomp and Mega Salamence.
* Roost has good synergy with Calm Mind, letting Tapu Koko set up effectively against more defensive Pokemon.
* Substitute works nicely on Leftovers Tapu Koko, making it more difficult to revenge kill.
* Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Alolan Marowak hard.
* If you want to hit Tapu Bulu, Garchomp, and Mega Salamence with one move, Tapu Koko can use Hidden Power Ice and Roost together.
Set Details
========
* Electrium Z lets Tapu Koko obliterate Pokemon after a Calm Mind boost. For example, under Electric Terrain, Tapu Koko have a 93.8% chance of OHKOing Porygon2 with +1 Gigavolt Havoc.
* With Life Orb, Tapu Koko has a good shot of OHKOing fast Alolan Marowak with boosted Hidden Power Ground. Against bulky Alolan Marowak, Tapu Koko can beat them when they are at around 80% of their health with a boosted Hidden Power Ground.
* Focus Sash migh seem strange on a Calm Mind user, but it does allow Tapu Koko to be used as an emergency check against sweepers such as Mega Gyarados, and use its Calm Mind powers against different teams.
* Use 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe for maxium sweeping power.
* As silly as this might seem, while Timid is usually the best nature, a Hasty nature can be used to make Tapu Koko's Defense lower than its Special Defense. This lets Tapu Koko avoid getting 2HKOed by Porygon2's Tri Attack after one use of Calm Mind thanks to Download boosting Attack instead of Special Attack.
Usage Tips
========
* This Tapu Koko works best late game, where most of its usual checks such as Alolan Marowak and Tapu Bulu have been weakened into KO range.
* If using Tapu Koko to check something, don't set up Calm Mind right away. Use it to surprise the opponent and set up on something that would usually KO it, such as a weakened Porygon2.
* Some good targets to set up on include Tapu Fini, Magnezone that lack Choice Specs, and Celesteela that lack Earthquake.
Team Options
========
* This Tapu Koko heavily relies on Electric Terrain to sweep, so consider another Tapu so Tapu Koko can reset its terrain. Tapu Bulu works fairly well since it can take on most Ground-types, while Tapu Lele lures in Celesteela, a prime target of set up for Tapu Koko (if they lack Earthquake). Tapu Fini can use an offensive set to break down walls as well with Nature's Madness + Waterium Z, and it checks Alolan Marowak.
* Tapu Bulu is a bigger problem than usual against this set, since Tapu Koko can't fit in Brave Bird very easily without Life Orb. Poison Jab Garchomp can be a great lure against it, especially since Garchomp itself will love Tapu Koko getting rid of Grassy Terrain. Mega Salamence can switch into Alolan Marowak once, and also OHKO Tapu Bulu with Double-Edge. Celesteela does well against Tapu Bulu that lack Bulk Up, and it can take Earthquake for Tapu Koko as well.
* If using Electrium Z or Life Orb, Tapu Koko can use Alolan Ninetales's Aurora Veil to make Tapu Koko far more difficult to take out, giving it an easier time setting up.
* Consider using Tapu Koko on a rain team with Kingdra, and either Pelipper or Politoed, as this allows your team to overwhelm the likes of Alolan Marowak and Ground-types.
[SET]
name: Physically Based Attacker
move 1: Wild Charge
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Dazzling Gleam
move 4: U-turn / Volt Switch
item: Life Orb / Magnet / Electrium Z
ability: Electric Surge
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Wild Charge might seem like a downgrade from Thunderbolt on the specially based set due to all the recoil, but Tapu Koko's higher Attack stat means that it makes Tapu Koko less vulnerable to Terrain changes. Most notably, it gives Life Orb Tapu Koko a good shot at OHKOing offensive Tapu Fini in Misty Terrain.
* Brave Bird is Tapu Koko's best move against Tapu Bulu and fast Alolan Marowak, 2HKOing them both. Brave Bird also 2HKOs bulky Alolan Marowak with some chip damage.
* Dazzling Gleam is fairly weak, but it still 2HKOs Garchomp and Mega Salamence, and OHKOes Hydreigon.
* U-turn is the preferable scouting move so Tapu Koko can switch out against Alolan Marowak, but Volt Switch does have more power overall.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed are needed so Wild Charge will deal good damage.
* Naive is slightly preferred for its ability to take priority attacks better, but Hasty does avoid a Download boost from Porygon2.
* Life Orb makes Tapu Koko go down fast, but it lets Tapu Koko get important KOs, such as the 2HKO on fast Alolan Marowak, a OHKO on Mimikyu and bulky Mega Gengar, and the OHKO on Tapu Lele with Wild Charge.
* Magnet means Tapu Koko loses out on the 2HKO on Alolan Marowak, but it does let Tapu Koko still OHKO Tapu Lele under Electric Terrain without the extra recoil.
* Electrium Z makes Tapu Koko weaker overall, but Gigavolt Havoc is extremely powerful and has no recoil. As an example of its power, it has a shot at OHKOing Aegislash and Mega Salamence.
Usage Tips
========
* This Tapu Koko works better late game than the special attacker, since Wild Charge recoil wears it down very fast.
* If using this Tapu Koko early game, try to use U-turn or Volt Switch to do some chip damage.
* For early game, take advantage of Tapu Koko's unexpected physical coverage before the opponent knows which set Tapu Koko is running. For example, if your foe has Tapu Bulu in team preview, consider using Brave Bird on the predicted switch-in.
* Since this is a physically based set, you are much more vulnerable to burns, so don't switch into Scalds from the likes of Milotic carelessly.
Team Options
========
* Alolan Marowak might take a lot from Brave Bird, but Tapu Koko still needs some checks to it so it can be taken down into KO range. Mandibuzz works out pretty well due to resiting Shadow Bone and having Roost and Foul Play. Offensive Porygon2 can work well against bulkier Alolan Marowak, while Salamence and Gyarados can use Intimidate to take one hit before Mega Evolving.
* Magnezone is much more troublesome than normal for this set due to its good physical defense. An Alolan Marowak of your own is a good check to Magnezone, while Garchomp can OHKO Magnet Pull variants. (although Flash Cannon does a lot of damage to it).
* Having Ground-type switch-ins is a good idea, especially since Tapu Koko have no way of KOing Garchomp. Celesteela works especially well in this case, while Tapu Bulu can take on Garchomp that lack Poison Jab. Note that both of these have issues with Magnezone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Electric Seed can be neat on a Calm Mind set to make Tapu Koko difficult to take down. However, it's one use only, and Tapu Koko will need to use HP investment to avoid a OHKO from Choice Scarf Garchomp.
* Choice Specs can be used on Tapu Koko to make it even more powerful, but being locked into Electric-type moves is very risky. The same goes for Choice Band and Choice Scarf.
* Tapu Koko can make a decent user of Reflect and Light Screen due to its high speed.
* Nature's Madness can be used as a catch-all move against common Tapu Koko switch-ins.
* Tapu Koko can use a Flyingium Z with Mirror Move to potentially get +2 Attack and use a Z move against your foe.
* After Pokebank, Hidden Power Ice might make sense on more sets due to the return of Landorus-T. Hidden Power Fire could also be used to hit Ferrothorn and Excadrill as well.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Alolan Marowak**: Tapu Koko's only chance against this is to hit it with Brave Bird or Hidden Power Ground on the switch, since Lightning Rod makes Alolan Marowak immune to Electric-type attacks. Otherwise, Alolan Marowak can tank Tapu Koko's STABs, and blast it with Flare Blitz or Shadow Bone. Alolan Marowak is also very difficult to switch into.
**Other Tapus**: If the Terrain is changed, Tapu Koko becomes much less powerful. Tapu Bulu is the most dangerous threat since it resists Electric-type attacks. Tapu Lele gets hit hard by Wild Charge, but can use a Choice Scarf set to OHKO Tapu Koko with Psychic under Psychic Terrain. Tapu Fini does poorly against Tapu Koko on its own, but offensive sets can revenge kill specially based sets with Hydro Vortex.
**Offensive Ground-types**: Mamoswine and Mudsdale only fear Grass Knot, being able to smash through Tapu Koko with Earthquake otherwise. Mamoswine in particular doesn't even worry about Focus Sash Tapu Koko thanks to Ice Shard. Although very rare, Alolan Dugtrio is especially problematic since it resits Tapu Koko's coverage moves as well.
**Garchomp**: While Garchomp is weak to Dazzling Gleam, it won't be OHKOed by it without a boost. Choice Scarf Garchomp outspeeds and KOs Tapu Koko, while Focus Sash will survive even boosted Dazzling Gleam.
**Mega Gegar**: Mega Gengar takes a serious amount of damage from Tapu Koko and can lose to Focus Sash variants, but against the specially based set with Life Orb, Mega Gengar survives Thunderbolt, and can OHKO back with Sludge Bomb.
**Post Pokebank Threats**: Rotom-H is near the top of the list here, resisting all of Tapu Koko's commonly used attacks, and hitting hard with Overheat. Excadrill also resists most of Tapu Koko's moves, and can use a Choice Scarf to outspeed and OHKO it. Ferrothorn can take anything but Hidden Power Fire, and deal massive damage back with Gyro Ball. Finally, Mega Charizard X can set up on Tapu Koko once with Dragon Dance, and OHKO it back with Earthquake or Flare Blitz. None of these threats like getting hit by Nature's Madness however.
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