In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele is a Legendary Pokemon rated A-Tier. At 570 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a wallbreaker. Moonblast with Choice Scarf is the standard set.

What is Tapu Lele weak to?

In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele's biggest threats include Gengar (Poison), Dusknoir (Ghost), and Metagross (Steel), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What role does Tapu Lele play in battle?

In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele fills the wallbreaker role. It's a special attacker with base 130 Sp. Atk. Base 95 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

What counters Tapu Lele?

In Sword & Shield, the best way to handle Tapu Lele: Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Physical attackers can break through.

Tapu Lele - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Wallbreaker

ATier

95Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Tapu Lele's built around special offense. Sp. Atk leads the charge, HP pays for it. Near-impossible to catch, worth 3 Sp. Atk EVs. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Pseudo

HP70

Attack85

Defense75

Sp. Atk130

Sp. Def115

Speed95

Total570

Details

Catch Rate

Legendary3 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.2 m

Weight18.6 kg

Base XP257

Abilities

Psychic SurgeTop Pick

When this Pokémon enters battle, it changes the terrain to Psychic Terrain.

TelepathyHARare

Protects against friendly Pokémon's damaging moves.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpA+3SpDSpe

Strong Special Attack training target

Tapu Lele Weakness

Type-wise, Tapu Lele takes extra damage from Poison, Ghost, and Steel. Dragon moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Tapu Lele's special bulk (base 115 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Tapu Lele Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Poison, Ghost, Steel
0.5x (Resist)	Psychic
0.25x (Resist)	Fighting
0x (Immune)	Dragon

Type ChartGood

3Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score0

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

½xResist

¼xResist

0xImmune

STAB (4)

Fighting Poison Dragon Dark

How to Beat Tapu Lele in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Tangrowth's Sludge Bomb hits Tapu Lele for 44-53%.

TangrowthRecovers HP on switch via Regenerator, walls physical sets Grass	A
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemAssault Vest NatureRelaxed Moves Knock Off Sludge Bomb Power Whip Focus Blast Damage vs Tapu Lele Knock Off 21-25% Sludge Bomb 2x 44-53% Focus Blast 7-9% View Tangrowth builds →
ToxapexResists Fairy, recovers HP on switch via Regenerator, burns with Scald PoisonWater	A
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemBlack Sludge NatureBold Moves RecoverRecovery ScaldSTAB ToxicUtility HazeUtility Damage vs Tapu Lele Scald 17-20% View Toxapex builds →
PelipperRecovers with Roost, burns with Scald WaterFlying	B
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemDamprock NatureBold Moves U Turn RoostRecovery DefogUtility ScaldSTAB Damage vs Tapu Lele U Turn 12-14% Scald 26-31% View Pelipper builds →
BuzzwoleRecovers with Roost, walls physical sets BugFighting	B
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemRocky Helmet NatureAdamant Moves Ice Punch Close Combat RoostRecovery Earthquake Damage vs Tapu Lele Close Combat 23-27% Earthquake 51-60% View Buzzwole builds →
MandibuzzImmune to Psychic, recovers with Roost DarkFlying	B
Recommended Build AbilityOvercoat ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureImpish Moves U Turn RoostRecovery Foul Play DefogUtility Damage vs Tapu Lele U Turn 16-19% View Mandibuzz builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

No breeding, no evolution. Tapu Lele is a Psychic/Fairy legendary with 570 base stat total that you obtain once and build around. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#786Tapu LeleDoes not evolve

Breeding

Unavailable

Undiscovered egg group

Sword & Shield Tapu Lele Best Moveset

You commit to a move every time Tapu Lele comes in. Choice Scarf gives speed patching through item lock, and Psychic Surge adds to that. Max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs make sure the locked move actually hurts. Double STAB covers the rest.

Best Build

Solid pick

Ability

Psychic Surge

Item

Choice ScarfSPEED

Best Nature for Tapu Lele

Modest+SPA

Tapu Lele best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

SpA

SpD

Spe

Special Revenge Killer Moveset

MoonblastSTAB
PsyshockSTAB
Focus Blast
PsychicSTAB

Recommended Teammates

FerrothornDecent

Moves

TMs define Tapu Lele's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Future Sight and Moonblast, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Ghost and Grass coverage and more. That's where the options open up.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Astonish

—3010015Ghost

Lv 1

Confusion

—5010025Psychic

Lv 5

Withdraw

———40Water

Lv 10

Aromatherapy

C——5Grass

Lv 15

Draining Kiss

C5010010Fairy

Lv 20

Psybeam

B6510020Psychic

Lv 25

Flatter

D—10015Dark

Lv 30

Aromatic Mist

D——20Fairy

Lv 35

Sweet Scent

——10020Normal

Lv 40

Extrasensory

B8010020Psychic

Lv 45

Psyshock

S8010010Psychic

Lv 50

Mean Look

D——5Normal

Lv 55

Nature's Madness

D—9010Fairy

Lv 60

Moonblast

S9510015Fairy

Lv 65

Tickle

D—10020Normal

Lv 70

Skill Swap

C——10Psychic

Lv 75

Psychic Terrain

D——10Psychic

TM Moves

TR83

Ally Switch+2

C——15Psychic

TR49

Calm Mind

C——20Psychic

TM29

Charm

C—10020Fairy

TR92

Dazzling Gleam

A8010010Fairy

TM87

Draining Kiss

C5010010Fairy

TR26

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TR65

Energy Ball

C9010010Grass

TM39

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM59

Fling

——10010Dark

TR64

Focus Blast

S120705Fighting

TR34

Future Sight

A12010010Psychic

TM09

Giga Impact

C150905Normal

TR77

Grass Knot

D—10020Grass

TM61

Guard Swap

D——10Psychic

TM08

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TR46

Iron Defense

C——15Steel

TM17

Light Screen

C——30Psychic

TM72

Magic Room

D——10Psychic

TR90

Play Rough

C909010Fairy

TM60

Power Swap

———10Psychic

TM25

Protect+4

A——10Normal

TR11

Psychic

S9010010Psychic

TM91

Psychic Terrain

D——10Psychic

TM69

Psycho Cut

C7010020Psychic

TR25

Psyshock

S8010010Psychic

TM18

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM21

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM76

Round

C6010015Normal

TM19

Safeguard

C——25Normal

TR33

Shadow Ball

C8010015Ghost

TR40

Skill Swap

C——10Psychic

TR27

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM24

Snore

—5010015Normal

TM62

Speed Swap

———10Psychic

TR82

Stored Power

D2010010Psychic

TR20

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM34

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TR37

Taunt

A—10020Dark

TM23

Thief

D6010025Dark

TR09

Thunder

C1107010Electric

TR08

Thunderbolt

B9010015Electric

TM71

Wonder Room

———10Psychic

Egg Moves

Tapu Lele doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tapu Lele can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Tapu Lele in Sword & Shield

Tapu Lele doesn't appear in Sword & Shield. Transfer it from Sun or Ultra Sun to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

Tapu Lele is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

Sun Ultra Sun

Tapu Lele Guide

In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele is a Legendary Pokemon rated A-Tier. At 570 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a wallbreaker. Moonblast with Choice Scarf is the standard set.
In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele's biggest threats include Gengar (Poison), Dusknoir (Ghost), and Metagross (Steel), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
Psychic Surge is the go-to ability for Tapu Lele. It when this Pokémon enters battle, it changes the terrain to Psychic Terrain. Its hidden ability Telepathy can work in specific setups.
In Sword & Shield, Tapu Lele fills the wallbreaker role. It's a special attacker with base 130 Sp. Atk. Base 95 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Sword & Shield, the best way to handle Tapu Lele: Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Physical attackers can break through.

Game Availability

Tapu Lele has appeared in 3 games since Sun & Moon, spanning 4 generations. As a Legendary, it's typically a one-per-save encounter tied to the story or post-game content.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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