[OVERVIEW]
Possessing the ability to control Terrain with Grassy Surge as well as respectable bulk, a good defensive typing, and capable offenses, Tapu Bulu is an effective pivot with notable utility, offensively and defensively. Holding an Assault Vest, Tapu Bulu becomes adept at taking on hits for its squad, as it also boasts high Defense and a bevy of neat resistances in Electric, Ground, and Water, handily easing matchups against rain and common threats such as Tapu Koko, Zapdos, Landorus-T, and Tapu Fini. Its ability to bring Grassy Terrain grants it various utilities; not only does Grassy Surge cancel other Terrains, which efficiently neuters Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko, but Grassy Terrain also provides passive healing, a possible double-edged sword because it can also treat foes but handy for Tapu Bulu's pivoting nevertheless, and weakens Earthquakes, which is useful for Ground-weak partners such as Bronzong and Tyranitar. Tapu Bulu can also function as a devastating attacker in a pinch, with its Grassy Terrain-boosted Wood Hammers coming off a base 130 Attack stat being capable of obliterating most neutral targets even without maximum investment. In addition, it also possesses the similarly boosted Horn Leech, which lets still do respectable damage while aiding its longevity.
Tapu Bulu's Speed is only middling, however, as at base 75 it is still outrun by Heatran and Kyurem-B, among others, preventing it from being a dominant offensive force. It requires speed control to truly be a threat, yet its Speed also leaves it unable to utilize Trick Room to the fullest. The same typing that grants it defensive utility also leaves it prey to the omnipresent Mega Salamence, and its general inability to touch Grass- and Steel-types makes it easy pickings for the likes of Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, Mega Metagross, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest Pivot
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Nature's Madness / Superpower
move 4: Stone Edge / Superpower
item: Assault Vest
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Wood Hammer and Horn Leech are the set's STAB moves, with the former primarily used for powering through threats with ease and the latter for dealing some respectable damage along with gaining some nifty recovery. Nature's Madness lets Tapu Bulu do significant damage to threats that its STAB attacks can't do much to, letting it get notable chip on Grass- and Steel-types such as Amoonguss and Celesteela. Stone Edge allows Tapu Bulu to cover Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Zapdos, and Mega Charizard Y as well as Kyurem-B. Superpower is usable over either Nature's Madness or Stone Edge and is useful for getting a clean hit on certain Steel-types such as Heatran, Stakataka, and Ferrothorn, but the drop to Attack and Defense makes it unappealing.
Set Details
========
Assault Vest augments Tapu Bulu's average special bulk, letting it take on various threats in the specially oriented metagame with ease. With an Assault Vest on, 252 HP and 136 Special Defense EVs allow Tapu Bulu to take a Psycho Boost from a positive-natured Deoxys-A in Psychic Terrain. The rest of the EVs are invested into its Attack stat, which is also boosted by an Adamant nature, for more power. A Brave nature with the Speed IVs set to 0 is also usable for utilizing Tapu Bulu in Trick Room. 56 EVs can be taken off Attack to pour into Speed instead to let Tapu Bulu outrun uninvested Milotic as well as neutral-natured Deoxys-A in Tailwind.
Usage Tips
========
As Tapu Bulu is mainly a pivot, it is recommended to switch it in on designated threats that you wouldn't want your other Pokemon to handle or threats that you otherwise would have trouble with. Tapu Bulu has a nice assortment of resistances alongside great bulk both physically and specially, making it nifty for coming in on various resisted and neutral-hitting threats without fear. When needed, Grassy Surge can be nifty for defensive purposes and should be utilized accordingly; when an opposing Tapu Lele or Tapu Koko is under their respective Terrain, switching Tapu Bulu in can immensely lessen the pressure they apply on your team, and at times it can be key to keep Tapu Bulu around just to neuter them later on. Similarly, Grassy Terrain can lessen an opposing Landorus-T's impact on the field by weakening its Earthquakes, which in particular is useful for Ground-weak teammates such as Bronzong and Tyranitar (Bronzong also takes advantage of Grassy Surge canceling Electric or Misty Terrain). In addition, while the healing from Grassy Terrain is somewhat negligible, it can be nifty at times to get your Pokemon out of KO ranges.
Tapu Bulu can also function as a strong breaker when needed. When you want to go on the offensive, using Wood Hammer can be useful, as it can easily devastate most targets when boosted by Grassy Surge. However, you have to watch out for Tapu Bulu's HP, as Wood Hammer often inflicts heavy recoil, which can possibly prevent Tapu Bulu from pivoting effectively later on in the game. Thus, at times, Horn Leech should also be considered, as it can let Tapu Bulu still function as a potent offensive threat while also granting it recovery, possibly allowing it to last longer in the game. It is recommended to use Horn Leech instead at times when there's not much of an urgency to get KOs or Tapu Bulu isn't expected to get one with Wood Hammer. When needed, Tapu Bulu can lean on its coverage moves, with Nature's Madness in particular being handy as a good way to cover an expected switch to a resisting foe.
Team Options
========
Tapu Bulu appreciates teammates that can handily deal with opposing Steel-types. A Fire-type Pokemon or something with Fire-type coverage usually suffices, with Heatran, Mega Camerupt, and Volcanion both being handy and appreciating the weakening of Earthquake, while Flamethrower Celesteela matches up well against most Steel-types. Teammates that can deal with Mega Salamence are also recommended; Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Heatran can take advantage of the weakened Earthquakes from Grassy Terrain and deal with Mega Salamence handily, while Electric-types Zapdos and Tapu Koko resist Flying and can take it out easily using Hidden Power Ice. While not as necessary to get Tapu Bulu's job done, speed control is nifty for taking maximum advantage of Tapu Bulu as an offensive piece; Tailwind from the likes of Zapdos and Mega Salamence as well as Trick Room from Hoopa-U, Stakataka, and Mega Gardevoir can be handy. Stakataka in particular synergizes quite well with Tapu Bulu, as it can deal with Flying-types that Tapu Bulu dislikes such as Mega Salamence while also taking advantage of Grassy Terrain's weakening of Earthquakes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A pivot set holding a Mago Berry (or Wiki Berry if with a Brave nature on a Trick Room team) can be used, with the burst recovery being handy in a pinch for defensive purposes and access to Protect lending more flexibility, but this variant can find itself unable to take on stronger special attacks, especially those that simply shred Tapu Bulu without even letting it eat its Berry. Tapu Bulu can opt to utilize more offensive sets if desired, with a boosted Wood Hammer capable of destroying even the bulkiest foes. Grassium Z can provide Tapu Bulu with a one-time attack that can significantly dent even resistant threats under Grassy Terrain, while a Choice Band can maximize the potency of its Wood Hammers at the cost of flexibility, as it can no longer switch to its coverage moves as needed. These offensive sets, however, have to work around Tapu Bulu's middling Speed, which is unappealing for an attacker. Taunt is a usable move on the Mago Berry and Grassium Z sets as a way of denying setup on threats that it can't decimate with Wood Hammer or Bloom Doom. A Choice Scarf set can be nifty, as this lets Tapu Bulu be a fast truly offensive force, albeit one that can't switch attacks or Protect itself; however, it is easy to play around its Grass coverage and, for a Choice Scarf user, it still is quite slow.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Metagross, Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and Aegislash resist Tapu Bulu's Grass-type STAB attacks and can easily blow it back with their respective Steel-type moves. Aegislash and Celesteela can all easily set up a Substitute if they run the move. Stakataka, while not resistant to Grass, can tank Tapu Bulu's STAB attacks with its staggering physical bulk, outruns in Trick Room, and OHKOes with Gyro Ball; however, it has to watch out for Superpower.
**Flying-types**: Mega Salamence in particular fears nothing from Tapu Bulu, as it 4x resists Grass and its high Defense renders Stone Edge somewhat negligible, and it can simply OHKO with Aerilate Double-Edge. Zapdos can also take it on, but Stone Edge will actually sting.
**Grass-types**: Amoonguss and Ferrothorn wall Tapu Bulu with ease and are capable of significantly hurting it with Sludge Bomb and Gyro Ball, respectively. They can also take advantage of the Grassy Terrain, with Ferrothorn notably becoming a menace with its boosted Power Whips and both becoming much harder to take out.
**Kyurem-B**: Kyurem-B handily resists Grass and can send Tapu Bulu packing with an Ice Beam. Bulky variants can take Tapu Bulu's Superpower or Stone Edge quite comfortably, though more offensive variants have to be cautious.
**Fire-types**: Mega Charizard Y, Victini, and Volcanion can significantly hurt Tapu Bulu with their respective Fire-type attacks. However, they all have to watch out for Stone Edge.
**Poison-types**: Mega Gengar in particular traps Tapu Bulu, leaving it easily picked off with a Sludge Bomb. Tapu Bulu also has to watch out for surprise Poison-type coverage from various Pokemon; for example, off variants of Volcanion are known to run Sludge Bomb, and some Scrafty carry Poison Jab.
**Intimidate**: Intimidate weakens Tapu Bulu's blows, making it easier to handle defensively. Salamence, Landorus-T, and Scrafty can come in and neuter Tapu Bulu, though the latter two have to watch out, as a weakened Wood Hammer will still inflict significant damage.
**Terrain Control**: Without Grassy Terrain, Tapu Bulu loses out on some power on its Grass-type attacks, though its Wood Hammer is still pretty powerful in its own right. While Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele can reset the Terrain with their respective Surge abilities, they have problems of their own; Tapu Fini simply loses to Tapu Bulu, Tapu Koko can't do much to Tapu Bulu in retaliation, and Tapu Lele has to watch out for a strong physical blow while coming in. Losing Grassy Terrain also means that Tapu Bulu misses out on the passive recovery, possibly hindering its ability to pivot later on in a match.
Possessing the ability to control Terrain with Grassy Surge as well as respectable bulk, a good defensive typing, and capable offenses, Tapu Bulu is an effective pivot with notable utility, offensively and defensively. Holding an Assault Vest, Tapu Bulu becomes adept at taking on hits for its squad, as it also boasts high Defense and a bevy of neat resistances in Electric, Ground, and Water, handily easing matchups against rain and common threats such as Tapu Koko, Zapdos, Landorus-T, and Tapu Fini. Its ability to bring Grassy Terrain grants it various utilities; not only does Grassy Surge cancel other Terrains, which efficiently neuters Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko, but Grassy Terrain also provides passive healing, a possible double-edged sword because it can also treat foes but handy for Tapu Bulu's pivoting nevertheless, and weakens Earthquakes, which is useful for Ground-weak partners such as Bronzong and Tyranitar. Tapu Bulu can also function as a devastating attacker in a pinch, with its Grassy Terrain-boosted Wood Hammers coming off a base 130 Attack stat being capable of obliterating most neutral targets even without maximum investment. In addition, it also possesses the similarly boosted Horn Leech, which lets still do respectable damage while aiding its longevity.
Tapu Bulu's Speed is only middling, however, as at base 75 it is still outrun by Heatran and Kyurem-B, among others, preventing it from being a dominant offensive force. It requires speed control to truly be a threat, yet its Speed also leaves it unable to utilize Trick Room to the fullest. The same typing that grants it defensive utility also leaves it prey to the omnipresent Mega Salamence, and its general inability to touch Grass- and Steel-types makes it easy pickings for the likes of Amoonguss, Ferrothorn, Mega Metagross, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest Pivot
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Nature's Madness / Superpower
move 4: Stone Edge / Superpower
item: Assault Vest
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Wood Hammer and Horn Leech are the set's STAB moves, with the former primarily used for powering through threats with ease and the latter for dealing some respectable damage along with gaining some nifty recovery. Nature's Madness lets Tapu Bulu do significant damage to threats that its STAB attacks can't do much to, letting it get notable chip on Grass- and Steel-types such as Amoonguss and Celesteela. Stone Edge allows Tapu Bulu to cover Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Zapdos, and Mega Charizard Y as well as Kyurem-B. Superpower is usable over either Nature's Madness or Stone Edge and is useful for getting a clean hit on certain Steel-types such as Heatran, Stakataka, and Ferrothorn, but the drop to Attack and Defense makes it unappealing.
Set Details
========
Assault Vest augments Tapu Bulu's average special bulk, letting it take on various threats in the specially oriented metagame with ease. With an Assault Vest on, 252 HP and 136 Special Defense EVs allow Tapu Bulu to take a Psycho Boost from a positive-natured Deoxys-A in Psychic Terrain. The rest of the EVs are invested into its Attack stat, which is also boosted by an Adamant nature, for more power. A Brave nature with the Speed IVs set to 0 is also usable for utilizing Tapu Bulu in Trick Room. 56 EVs can be taken off Attack to pour into Speed instead to let Tapu Bulu outrun uninvested Milotic as well as neutral-natured Deoxys-A in Tailwind.
Usage Tips
========
As Tapu Bulu is mainly a pivot, it is recommended to switch it in on designated threats that you wouldn't want your other Pokemon to handle or threats that you otherwise would have trouble with. Tapu Bulu has a nice assortment of resistances alongside great bulk both physically and specially, making it nifty for coming in on various resisted and neutral-hitting threats without fear. When needed, Grassy Surge can be nifty for defensive purposes and should be utilized accordingly; when an opposing Tapu Lele or Tapu Koko is under their respective Terrain, switching Tapu Bulu in can immensely lessen the pressure they apply on your team, and at times it can be key to keep Tapu Bulu around just to neuter them later on. Similarly, Grassy Terrain can lessen an opposing Landorus-T's impact on the field by weakening its Earthquakes, which in particular is useful for Ground-weak teammates such as Bronzong and Tyranitar (Bronzong also takes advantage of Grassy Surge canceling Electric or Misty Terrain). In addition, while the healing from Grassy Terrain is somewhat negligible, it can be nifty at times to get your Pokemon out of KO ranges.
Tapu Bulu can also function as a strong breaker when needed. When you want to go on the offensive, using Wood Hammer can be useful, as it can easily devastate most targets when boosted by Grassy Surge. However, you have to watch out for Tapu Bulu's HP, as Wood Hammer often inflicts heavy recoil, which can possibly prevent Tapu Bulu from pivoting effectively later on in the game. Thus, at times, Horn Leech should also be considered, as it can let Tapu Bulu still function as a potent offensive threat while also granting it recovery, possibly allowing it to last longer in the game. It is recommended to use Horn Leech instead at times when there's not much of an urgency to get KOs or Tapu Bulu isn't expected to get one with Wood Hammer. When needed, Tapu Bulu can lean on its coverage moves, with Nature's Madness in particular being handy as a good way to cover an expected switch to a resisting foe.
Team Options
========
Tapu Bulu appreciates teammates that can handily deal with opposing Steel-types. A Fire-type Pokemon or something with Fire-type coverage usually suffices, with Heatran, Mega Camerupt, and Volcanion both being handy and appreciating the weakening of Earthquake, while Flamethrower Celesteela matches up well against most Steel-types. Teammates that can deal with Mega Salamence are also recommended; Steel-types such as Mega Metagross and Heatran can take advantage of the weakened Earthquakes from Grassy Terrain and deal with Mega Salamence handily, while Electric-types Zapdos and Tapu Koko resist Flying and can take it out easily using Hidden Power Ice. While not as necessary to get Tapu Bulu's job done, speed control is nifty for taking maximum advantage of Tapu Bulu as an offensive piece; Tailwind from the likes of Zapdos and Mega Salamence as well as Trick Room from Hoopa-U, Stakataka, and Mega Gardevoir can be handy. Stakataka in particular synergizes quite well with Tapu Bulu, as it can deal with Flying-types that Tapu Bulu dislikes such as Mega Salamence while also taking advantage of Grassy Terrain's weakening of Earthquakes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A pivot set holding a Mago Berry (or Wiki Berry if with a Brave nature on a Trick Room team) can be used, with the burst recovery being handy in a pinch for defensive purposes and access to Protect lending more flexibility, but this variant can find itself unable to take on stronger special attacks, especially those that simply shred Tapu Bulu without even letting it eat its Berry. Tapu Bulu can opt to utilize more offensive sets if desired, with a boosted Wood Hammer capable of destroying even the bulkiest foes. Grassium Z can provide Tapu Bulu with a one-time attack that can significantly dent even resistant threats under Grassy Terrain, while a Choice Band can maximize the potency of its Wood Hammers at the cost of flexibility, as it can no longer switch to its coverage moves as needed. These offensive sets, however, have to work around Tapu Bulu's middling Speed, which is unappealing for an attacker. Taunt is a usable move on the Mago Berry and Grassium Z sets as a way of denying setup on threats that it can't decimate with Wood Hammer or Bloom Doom. A Choice Scarf set can be nifty, as this lets Tapu Bulu be a fast truly offensive force, albeit one that can't switch attacks or Protect itself; however, it is easy to play around its Grass coverage and, for a Choice Scarf user, it still is quite slow.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Metagross, Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and Aegislash resist Tapu Bulu's Grass-type STAB attacks and can easily blow it back with their respective Steel-type moves. Aegislash and Celesteela can all easily set up a Substitute if they run the move. Stakataka, while not resistant to Grass, can tank Tapu Bulu's STAB attacks with its staggering physical bulk, outruns in Trick Room, and OHKOes with Gyro Ball; however, it has to watch out for Superpower.
**Flying-types**: Mega Salamence in particular fears nothing from Tapu Bulu, as it 4x resists Grass and its high Defense renders Stone Edge somewhat negligible, and it can simply OHKO with Aerilate Double-Edge. Zapdos can also take it on, but Stone Edge will actually sting.
**Grass-types**: Amoonguss and Ferrothorn wall Tapu Bulu with ease and are capable of significantly hurting it with Sludge Bomb and Gyro Ball, respectively. They can also take advantage of the Grassy Terrain, with Ferrothorn notably becoming a menace with its boosted Power Whips and both becoming much harder to take out.
**Kyurem-B**: Kyurem-B handily resists Grass and can send Tapu Bulu packing with an Ice Beam. Bulky variants can take Tapu Bulu's Superpower or Stone Edge quite comfortably, though more offensive variants have to be cautious.
**Fire-types**: Mega Charizard Y, Victini, and Volcanion can significantly hurt Tapu Bulu with their respective Fire-type attacks. However, they all have to watch out for Stone Edge.
**Poison-types**: Mega Gengar in particular traps Tapu Bulu, leaving it easily picked off with a Sludge Bomb. Tapu Bulu also has to watch out for surprise Poison-type coverage from various Pokemon; for example, off variants of Volcanion are known to run Sludge Bomb, and some Scrafty carry Poison Jab.
**Intimidate**: Intimidate weakens Tapu Bulu's blows, making it easier to handle defensively. Salamence, Landorus-T, and Scrafty can come in and neuter Tapu Bulu, though the latter two have to watch out, as a weakened Wood Hammer will still inflict significant damage.
**Terrain Control**: Without Grassy Terrain, Tapu Bulu loses out on some power on its Grass-type attacks, though its Wood Hammer is still pretty powerful in its own right. While Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele can reset the Terrain with their respective Surge abilities, they have problems of their own; Tapu Fini simply loses to Tapu Bulu, Tapu Koko can't do much to Tapu Bulu in retaliation, and Tapu Lele has to watch out for a strong physical blow while coming in. Losing Grassy Terrain also means that Tapu Bulu misses out on the passive recovery, possibly hindering its ability to pivot later on in a match.
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