[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 2 onwards
**Price Range**: 15-16 points
**Overview**: Tapu Fini is a top-tier defensive utility Pokemon in the metagame. Its Water / Fairy typing along with its great defensive stats let it check many top-tier wallbreakers and retaliate with its utility moves or Nature's Madness. Misty Surge is an amazing defensive ability, enabling setup sweepers that are weak to status and weakening strong opposing Dragon-types. Its biggest downside is its lack of recovery; it can easily get chipped down throughout the game, making it heavily reliant on Leftovers or pinch Berries. It is also relatively weak offensively without stat boots or items and struggles to beat foes that take its STAB moves one-on-one, even with Nature's Madness. Many foes can also break through it with super effective STAB moves or Z-Moves.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Utility**: Tapu Fini shines by checking foes with its great defensive stats and either weakening them with Nature's Madness and STAB moves, disrupting them with Taunt, or removing their items with Knock Off. It can also remove entry hazards with Defog, which works great on teams that don't want to double up on Flying-types.
**Setup Sweeper**: With its already great defenses and immunity to status effects, Tapu Fini can be a great setup sweeper with Calm Mind, especially with Leftovers or pinch Berries keeping it healthy. Very few Pokemon resist its powerful STAB combination, making it difficult for foes to take down without specific physical wallbreakers.
**Revenge Killer**: Although it's more niche, Tapu Fini can use a Choice Scarf with its already solid Speed to revenge kill many faster foes while still being able to take strong hits due to its amazing natural defensive stats.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Surf, Scald, Hydro Pump, Moonblast
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Nature's Madness, Defog, Taunt, Haze, Knock Off, Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Trick
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power
Niche Moves
========
**Protect**: Many foes rely on Z-Moves to break through Tapu Fini, so Protect can be used to scout them out and potentially severely weaken them. Protect also synergizes very well with Leftovers.
**Magic Coat**: Against opposing entry hazard setters that want to set them in front of Tapu Fini, it can use Magic Coat to turn the hazards against them.
**Whirlpool**: Tapu Fini can trap passive foes with Whirlpool and quickly weaken them down with Nature's Madness.
**Toxic**: Although Toxic fails to work under Misty Terrain, Tapu Fini can still cripple Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate. It can also work when Misty Terrain ends, especially if it swaps back in with few turns remaining.
Common Items
========
**Healing Berries**: Pinch Berries such as Iapapa Berry work great on Tapu Fini, since it can often take many hits throughout a match and manage to get itself under 25% health. This makes it even harder to take down, especially if opposing wallbreakers were already weakened while whittling its health down initially. Sitrus Berry is preferred in some scenarios to heal at higher amounts of health.
**Leftovers**: Since Tapu Fini lacks recovery, Leftovers works really well on it by keeping it healthy and allowing it to take more hits in return, especially if it is expected to be on the field for long periods of time.
**Choice Scarf**: Tapu Fini's Special Attack is good enough that it can outspeed foes and revenge kill them with Choice Scarf while still being able to take strong attacks. It can also cripple foes that wall it with Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Physically defensive Tapu Fini sets can punish physical wallbreakers further with Rocky Helmet, especially since it takes very little damage from U-turn and Knock Off.
**Resistance Berries**: Many strong wallbreakers such as Tapu Koko, Zeraora, and Kartana can break through Tapu Fini with super effective STAB moves, so it sometimes uses resistance Berries to take the hits and retaliate.
**Light Clay**: Although other moves are generally preferred, Tapu Fini can set dual screens to enable setup sweepers and wallbreakers.
**Z-Crystals**: Although other Z-Captains are typically preferred, Tapu Fini can use Z-Moves to deal powerful attacks, and it can also use Z-Haze to fully heal itself.
**Weakness Policy**: Weakness Policy allows Tapu Fini to make lots of progress early-game, since its bulk allows it to comfortably take many super effective hits.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest makes Tapu Fini a nearly unbreakable specially defensive wall that can still break foes down with Nature's Madness.
**Choice Specs**: With its great STAB combination and coverage, Tapu Fini can become a solid surprise wallbreaker with Choice Specs, and it can also cripple specially defensive walls with Trick.
Draft Strategy
========
Tapu Fini offers a great offensive typing combined with an amazing utility movepool, allowing it to take many strong hits and weaken foes to benefit its teammates. It should not be the primary Pokemon a team is built around, especially since it rarely wins games on its own, but it performs best as a support piece to help other wincons and wallbreakers finish a game.
**Entry Hazards**: Since Tapu Fini comes in and forces switches, entry hazards help weaken incoming foes further. Hazard setters like Uxie, Landorus-T, and Infernape work well with it in this way.
**Fast Wallbreakers and Revenge Killers**: Tapu Fini swaps in on many strong Pokemon and weakens them or a switch-in with Nature's Madness, allowing cleaners and revenge killers like Mega Lopunny, Zeraora, and Kartana to finish games with ease once foes are weakened down enough.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers—especially physically offensive Pokemon—strongly benefit from Misty Terrain, making them immune to status effects as well as Tapu Fini's ability to easily chip foes down with Nature's Madness, giving them opportunities to set up. Good partners include Mega Gallade, Mega Scizor, and Necrozma.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types like Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Heatran work well with Tapu Fini by resisting Poison and Grass, while Tapu Fini can resist Fire- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at them.
**Entry Hazard-weak Teammates**: Tapu Fini is one of the most reliable hazard removers in the metagame, so Pokemon that are weak to hazards like Thundurus, Blacephalon, and Victini appreciate not having to take unnecessary chip damage.
Checks and Counters
========
**Wallbreakers**: Many of the strongest wallbreakers in the format such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, and Mega Mawile can easily break through Tapu Fini with strong super effective or even neutral STAB moves. Non-Mega Pokemon can also use Z-Moves to effortlessly break through it, freeing up teammates that it normally checks.
**Chip Damage**: Since Tapu Fini lacks recovery and often relies on Leftovers or pinch Berries, it does not appreciate getting weakened down throughout matches. Entry hazards can negate the effects of Leftovers, especially if it is switching in and out frequently, and it can quickly get weakened by low-damage attacks that add up over time.
**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes activate and poison Tapu Fini before Misty Terrain activates, making it a reliable way to deal lots of extra chip damage to it.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/odinrm.613514/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
**Draft Order**: Round 2 onwards
**Price Range**: 15-16 points
**Overview**: Tapu Fini is a top-tier defensive utility Pokemon in the metagame. Its Water / Fairy typing along with its great defensive stats let it check many top-tier wallbreakers and retaliate with its utility moves or Nature's Madness. Misty Surge is an amazing defensive ability, enabling setup sweepers that are weak to status and weakening strong opposing Dragon-types. Its biggest downside is its lack of recovery; it can easily get chipped down throughout the game, making it heavily reliant on Leftovers or pinch Berries. It is also relatively weak offensively without stat boots or items and struggles to beat foes that take its STAB moves one-on-one, even with Nature's Madness. Many foes can also break through it with super effective STAB moves or Z-Moves.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Utility**: Tapu Fini shines by checking foes with its great defensive stats and either weakening them with Nature's Madness and STAB moves, disrupting them with Taunt, or removing their items with Knock Off. It can also remove entry hazards with Defog, which works great on teams that don't want to double up on Flying-types.
**Setup Sweeper**: With its already great defenses and immunity to status effects, Tapu Fini can be a great setup sweeper with Calm Mind, especially with Leftovers or pinch Berries keeping it healthy. Very few Pokemon resist its powerful STAB combination, making it difficult for foes to take down without specific physical wallbreakers.
**Revenge Killer**: Although it's more niche, Tapu Fini can use a Choice Scarf with its already solid Speed to revenge kill many faster foes while still being able to take strong hits due to its amazing natural defensive stats.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Surf, Scald, Hydro Pump, Moonblast
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Nature's Madness, Defog, Taunt, Haze, Knock Off, Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Trick
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power
Niche Moves
========
**Protect**: Many foes rely on Z-Moves to break through Tapu Fini, so Protect can be used to scout them out and potentially severely weaken them. Protect also synergizes very well with Leftovers.
**Magic Coat**: Against opposing entry hazard setters that want to set them in front of Tapu Fini, it can use Magic Coat to turn the hazards against them.
**Whirlpool**: Tapu Fini can trap passive foes with Whirlpool and quickly weaken them down with Nature's Madness.
**Toxic**: Although Toxic fails to work under Misty Terrain, Tapu Fini can still cripple Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate. It can also work when Misty Terrain ends, especially if it swaps back in with few turns remaining.
Common Items
========
**Healing Berries**: Pinch Berries such as Iapapa Berry work great on Tapu Fini, since it can often take many hits throughout a match and manage to get itself under 25% health. This makes it even harder to take down, especially if opposing wallbreakers were already weakened while whittling its health down initially. Sitrus Berry is preferred in some scenarios to heal at higher amounts of health.
**Leftovers**: Since Tapu Fini lacks recovery, Leftovers works really well on it by keeping it healthy and allowing it to take more hits in return, especially if it is expected to be on the field for long periods of time.
**Choice Scarf**: Tapu Fini's Special Attack is good enough that it can outspeed foes and revenge kill them with Choice Scarf while still being able to take strong attacks. It can also cripple foes that wall it with Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Physically defensive Tapu Fini sets can punish physical wallbreakers further with Rocky Helmet, especially since it takes very little damage from U-turn and Knock Off.
**Resistance Berries**: Many strong wallbreakers such as Tapu Koko, Zeraora, and Kartana can break through Tapu Fini with super effective STAB moves, so it sometimes uses resistance Berries to take the hits and retaliate.
**Light Clay**: Although other moves are generally preferred, Tapu Fini can set dual screens to enable setup sweepers and wallbreakers.
**Z-Crystals**: Although other Z-Captains are typically preferred, Tapu Fini can use Z-Moves to deal powerful attacks, and it can also use Z-Haze to fully heal itself.
**Weakness Policy**: Weakness Policy allows Tapu Fini to make lots of progress early-game, since its bulk allows it to comfortably take many super effective hits.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest makes Tapu Fini a nearly unbreakable specially defensive wall that can still break foes down with Nature's Madness.
**Choice Specs**: With its great STAB combination and coverage, Tapu Fini can become a solid surprise wallbreaker with Choice Specs, and it can also cripple specially defensive walls with Trick.
Draft Strategy
========
Tapu Fini offers a great offensive typing combined with an amazing utility movepool, allowing it to take many strong hits and weaken foes to benefit its teammates. It should not be the primary Pokemon a team is built around, especially since it rarely wins games on its own, but it performs best as a support piece to help other wincons and wallbreakers finish a game.
**Entry Hazards**: Since Tapu Fini comes in and forces switches, entry hazards help weaken incoming foes further. Hazard setters like Uxie, Landorus-T, and Infernape work well with it in this way.
**Fast Wallbreakers and Revenge Killers**: Tapu Fini swaps in on many strong Pokemon and weakens them or a switch-in with Nature's Madness, allowing cleaners and revenge killers like Mega Lopunny, Zeraora, and Kartana to finish games with ease once foes are weakened down enough.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers—especially physically offensive Pokemon—strongly benefit from Misty Terrain, making them immune to status effects as well as Tapu Fini's ability to easily chip foes down with Nature's Madness, giving them opportunities to set up. Good partners include Mega Gallade, Mega Scizor, and Necrozma.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types like Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Heatran work well with Tapu Fini by resisting Poison and Grass, while Tapu Fini can resist Fire- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at them.
**Entry Hazard-weak Teammates**: Tapu Fini is one of the most reliable hazard removers in the metagame, so Pokemon that are weak to hazards like Thundurus, Blacephalon, and Victini appreciate not having to take unnecessary chip damage.
Checks and Counters
========
**Wallbreakers**: Many of the strongest wallbreakers in the format such as Tapu Koko, Kartana, and Mega Mawile can easily break through Tapu Fini with strong super effective or even neutral STAB moves. Non-Mega Pokemon can also use Z-Moves to effortlessly break through it, freeing up teammates that it normally checks.
**Chip Damage**: Since Tapu Fini lacks recovery and often relies on Leftovers or pinch Berries, it does not appreciate getting weakened down throughout matches. Entry hazards can negate the effects of Leftovers, especially if it is switching in and out frequently, and it can quickly get weakened by low-damage attacks that add up over time.
**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes activate and poison Tapu Fini before Misty Terrain activates, making it a reliable way to deal lots of extra chip damage to it.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/odinrm.613514/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
