Tapu/Terrain impact on the game

[Sirfetch’d]

Sun and Moon introduced a quartet of legendary Pokemon known as the Tapus. Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu are all pretty incredible on their on right. They all have pretty solid movepools, good stat distributions, and all play a solid role on almost any team. However, what makes these Pokemon truly stand out are their abilities that automatically summon either Electric, Psychic, Misty, or Grassy Terrain. These Terrains can help boost STAB moves, prevent status, prevent priority, or even weaken certain moves. The metagame has truly shaped around them in a way.

What do you think about the Tapus and their Terrain's impact on the metagame? Do you like it? What Tapu/Terrain do you like to use the most? Which do you think is the strongest?

 

[gimmepie]

I don't think they've been particularly negative at the least, although Scarf Lele is a beast.

Psychic Terrain is a great addition in a lot of ways I think. Priority was becoming obscenely common and easy to avoid (Technician Scizor, anything with Extreme Speed, Aqua Jet on Azumarill/M-sharpedo, Quick Attack M-Pinsir) and was making fast/fragile sweepers borderline irrelevant at times. The trouble with that though, is that it's also coupled with one of the most insanely powerful Scarf abusers in the game. So I find myself in this weird position of feeling like priority was getting out of hand, but that Lele would be more balanced if still vulnerable to it.

I don't have nearly as much to say about Electric Terrain/Misty Terrain. I think the former will be fantastic if more Pokemon with Alolan-Raichu's ability are released. For now though it's just some extra support for Tapu Koko that keeps it safe if it switches into Spore/gives it a boost. Misty Terrain is excellent support for Fini because it increases its tanking capabilities but halving the power of Dragon moves isn't that impressive when Fairy and Steel are two of the most dominant types right now - with Fini itself being a Fairy and thus immune to Dragon attacks already.

Grassy Terrain is probably the worst ability and it's paired with the worst Tapu. Grassy Terrain does work nicely with bulky Pokemon + Leftovers/Black Sludge and the boost to Grass moves is nice. However it also provides your opponent with Recovery. On top of that, Bulu is slow, his typing and movepool aren't that great and compared to the other Tapu's he's pretty easy to kill.

 

[Nah]

Psychic Terrain is clearly the best of the 4 terrains. Shutting down something as useful as priority moves beats out everything the others do. I don't exactly care for it though since it kind of bothers me how they decided to give significant buffs to a playstyle/team archetype that hardly needed it.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

Psychic Terrain is clearly the best of the 4 terrains. Shutting down something as useful as priority moves beats out everything the others do. I don't exactly care for it though since it kind of bothers me how they decided to give significant buffs to a playstyle/team archetype that hardly needed it.

If Mega Metagross ends up being banned, Lele use is going to skyrocket I think. It's already a pretty annoying Pokemon in general but having one of it's best counters/checks removed is really going to put Lele in a good spot.

 

[gimmepie]

If Mega Metagross ends up being banned, Lele use is going to skyrocket I think. It's already a pretty annoying Pokemon in general but having one of it's best counters/checks removed is really going to put Lele in a good spot.

Please no.