Tapu Lele Weaknesses and Raid Counters in Pokemon GO

You might assume, based on its softer color palette and cuter appearance than Tapu Koko, that Tapu Lele is one of the kinder members of the Alolan Guardian quartet. You would be assuming wrong, as while Tapu Lele does heal and help the residents of its territory, it also tends to harm them just as often, depending on its mood. It’s a surprisingly callous Pokemon, which makes picking a fight with it a potentially dangerous endeavor. To keep you safe, here are Tapu Lele’s weaknesses and Raid counters in Pokemon GO.

Tapu Lele Weaknesses and Resistances in Pokemon GO

Tapu Lele is a Psychic/Fairy type, an unusual combination that only gives it a handful of resistances, but the few it has are quite decisive. Those resistances break down like this:

• Resistant to: Psychic
• Double-Resistant to: Fighting, Dragon
• Weak against: Poison, Ghost, Steel

Despite what its small stature may imply, Tapu Lele is a heavy-hitting Pokemon, even more than Tapu Koko. Tapu Lele has a base attack of 259, a base defense of 208, and a base stamina of 172. With a CP range of 1,912 – 1,996, 2,390 – 2,496 boosted, there’s not a lot of deviation to worry about, but that’s still a lot of CP, which means high stats.

Tapu Lele Moveset in Pokemon GO

Meanwhile, these are the moves available in Tapu Lele’s kit:

Quick Moves

• Confusion (Psychic)
• Astonish (Ghost)

Main Moves

• Struggle (Normal)
• Psyshock (Psychic)
• Moonblast (Fairy)
• Focus Blast (Fighting)
• Future Sight (Psychic)

Tapu Lele Counters in Pokemon GO

Tapu Lele generally leans more into its Psychic typing than its Fairy typing, with more Psychic moves in its kit than Fairy moves. As such, you can fight it the same way you’d fight most Psychic Pokemon, with its most critical weakness being Ghost types. If you’re going Ghost, you can’t go wrong with the Ghost DPS master, Chandelure. The only thing Tapu Lele could counter Chandelure with is Astonish, which is a pretty weak Ghost move, and Chandelure’s attack potential is more than sufficient to outpace it. 

List of Tapu Lele Counters

• Chandelure – Hex/Shadow Ball
• Metagross – Bullet Punch/Meteor Mash
• Hoopa Unbound – Astonish/Shadow Ball
• Dialga – Metal Claw/Iron Head
• Genesect – Metal Claw/Magnet Bomb
• Jirachi – Charge Beam/Boom Desire
• Mewtwo – Psycho Cut/Shadow Ball
• Gengar – Shadow Claw/Sludge Bomb
• Excadrill – Metal Claw/Iron Head
• Roserade – Poison Jab/Sludge Bomb

Alternatively, if you’d like to direct your efforts more toward Tapu Lele’s Fairy half, you want a strong and sturdy Steel type. Metagross is an excellent choice for this route, as it’s resistant to Psychic and Fairy moves and packs some of the meanest Steel moves in the game. Again, there’s the Ghost weakness to remember, but a simple Astonish can’t do much in the face of Metagross’s iron-clad defense.

If you’d like to use a Legendary, Hoopa Unbound can absolutely pulverize Tapu Lele with its own Ghost moves and absurd attack stats. It is weak to Fairy moves, which is a bit more concerning as Moonblast is a stronger move than Astonish, but the difference is likely negligible. 

For more counter guides and other related content, check our website’s Pokemon GO section!