Tapu Koko- Physical Attacker?!-With RetroTyphlosion

[RetroTyphlosion]

Picture  removed due to coming from a questionable source. I apologize for those who had to see it.

Hi everyone, it's RetroTyphlosion, and yes, you read it right, Tapu Koko can be used as a Physical Attacker.  Surprisingly, Tapu Koko, a traditional Special Attacker, can be used as a powerful Physical Attacker that strikes fear into the hearts of many poor Araquanid. You see, I always used my personal Tapu Koko as a more Physical 'mon, and you would be surprised to see just how hard it hits. Now, Without rather ado, I present to you: Tapu Koko!
​​​​​​Type:
Under normal battle conditions in Generation VII, this Pokémon is:
 Damaged normally by:
Normal1×Rock1×Ghost1×Steel1×Fire1×Water1×Grass1×Psychic1×Ice1×Fairy1×
Weak to:
Poison2×Ground2×
Immune to:Dragon0×
Resistant to:Fighting½×Flying½×Bug½×Electric½×Dark
 Well, as you can see from this very poorly aligned version of a type chart, Tapu Koko excels with only two weaknesses, none of which are 4x, an immunity to Dragon, and resistances to 5 types! However, one of its weaknesses, Ground, is one of the most common attacking types in the game, with Pokémon like Garchomp ruling the scene. Moreover, Poison type moves can be learned by many hard hitting Pokémon, including Araquanid and Pheromosa, which outspeeds Koko as well. However, it's 5 resistances and immunity allow it to take out many other threats.

 

Stats:
HP:70 (130 - 177) Attack:115 (108 - 183) Defense:85 (81 - 150) Sp.Atk:95 (90 - 161) Spec.Def:75 (72 -139) Speed:130 (121-200) Total:570
If you can't tell by now, I'm awful at aligning, but that's not the point. What I'm trying to get across is this: Simply put, Tapu Koko has more Attack than Spec. Attack. It's defensive stats are so-so, and it's definitely not a wall, but it is extremely fast, And it can do a truckload of damage. 

Movepool: 
Okay, here's where it gets interesting. Tapu Koko's movepool is mostly special, but with Strong Physical attacks like Wild Charge, Brave Bird, Sky Drop, Giga Impact, Return, and Steel Wing, Tapu Koko is able to easily utilize its Attack stat. Moreover, Tapu Koko has some interesting Status Moves, such as Taunt, Nature's Madness, Swagger, Double Team, and Roost, which allow it to function as a quick Status user as well.

Set No. 1
Electrium Z
Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Nature: Lonely
Ev's: 252 Atk, 124 SpA, 112 Spe
Moveset:
Protect/Roost
Wild Charge
Sky Drop
Thunderbolt

 

I use a similar set on my Tapu Koko. Simply put, a Tapu Koko with such high Attack, using a STAB Z move, in electric attack boosting terrain can pretty much Nuke everything there is. Protect is standard, but Roost actually might be preferable (and I like it more), as it allows Koko to stay around a tad bit longer. And, it can easily restore HP damage from Wild Charge recoil. Thunderbolt is in there to provide some special coverage, and some powerful electric hits without the recoil of Wild Charge. And finally, the new trend, Sky Drop Koko, is on here because A) it does damage and B) Since Koko is so fast, it can easily remove a threat from the field for a turn. Overall, this is probably my favorite Tapu  Koko set.

Pair Option:
Silvally

Specifically, Ground Type Silvally. I always pair my Tapu Koko with a Silvally, and it works better than you would think it would. Let's be honest: With STAB Wild Charge and STAB Multi-Attack (especially if it's Sword Danced) can take out just about anything. These two physical sweepers have amazing synergy, and their types pretty much Nullify (no pun intended) each other's weaknesses. I know Silvally never was A+ tier material, and it doesn't have much defense. However, even though it's not the best Pokemon, it works surprisingly well with a Tapu Koko. It's also good because, as I said, people will not view it as a threat and, until you get in to battle, your opponents can only guess at what type it will be, which is actually quite nice for you. And, since these two Pokémon are fast and deal tons of damage, you can remove threats without taking hits from them. I have used this pair a whole lot, and it either OHKO's or 2HKO's just about everything. Don't look down on this; it's better than you think.

Weaknesses: 
​​​​​​Trick Room: Since Koko is so fast and doesn't have the best defense, Trick Room pretty much Kills it. Stay away from Porygon2, Mimikyu, Oranguru, and Niheligo.
Ground Type Attacks: Simply Put, Ground attacks (especially Z moves) kinda Nerf the poor Guardian Deity. Stay away from Garchomp.
Poisoninum Z: Okay, the only Pokemon that can really use this effectively is Pheromosa, which you really need to look out for, as it can outspeed and just slam little Koko.

​​​​​​Conclusion: Well, there you go. A physical Tapu Koko. It's honestly better then it looks. @0kamii, I hope you liked this. I sure do. Well, goodbye everyone, hope you liked this build, as it's my first one. Have a great day!

[croissant]

not saying physical koko is necessarily bad, but please dont run giga impact or return lmao. they dont provide any significant coverage and are overall useless, you could probably go with either roost or taunt in the last slot. anyways i dont really like the fact that its only STAB attacks makes it kill itself, and i think the set is pretty subpar to other koko builds (especially when running giga impact lol), and although i think going mixed would be better to incorporate physical attacks while being able to use decently powerful hp ices and dazzling gleams, it is definitely usable and at least it provides surprise factor to an extent. also i wouldnt recommend silvally in vgc at all since everything it does is pretty much outclassed by other pokemon. like the enthusiasm though, keep up the good work.

ps: just a suggestion, adding calcs would be a great idea to prove your point instead of just saying "it hits hard!!!", but they are nit mandatory.

edit; i cant write lol

[RetroTyphlosion]

(Jun 13, 2017, 08:39 AM)écarlate Wrote: not saying physical koko is necessarily bad, but play dont run giga impact or return lmao. they dont provide any significant coverage and are overall useless, you could probably go with either roost or taunt in the last slot. anyways i dont really like the fact that its only STAB attacks makes it kill itself, and i think the set is pretty subpar to other koko builds (especially when running giga impact lol), and although i think going mixed would be better to incorporate physical attacks while being able to use decently powerful hp ices and dazzling gleams, it is definitely usable and at least it provides surprise facot to an extent. also i wouldnt recommend silvally in vgc at all since everything it does is pretty much outclassed by other pokemon. like the enthusiasm though, keep up the good work.

ps: just a suggestion, adding calcs would be a great idea to prove your point instead of just saying "it hits hard!!!", but they are nit mandatory.

Yeah, I think I'm going to edit this Tapu Koko a bit...... I never liked that Giga Impact anyway. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Reis]

Would using a Z-Powered work up be a good move?
Since his Attack would go up 2 stages and he already has a high attack stat, moves like Giga Impact wouldn't be such a bad idea since it might be able to sweep some hitters like Garchomp.
Choice Band would also deal massive damage and contribute to the other physical moves.
Also, I don't think Tapu Koko can learn Swords Dance, I checked pokemon DB and I dont see Swords Dance there.

[RetroTyphlosion]

(Jun 13, 2017, 05:46 PM)Reis Wrote: Would using a Z-Powered work up be a good move?
Since his Attack would go up 2 stages and he already has a high attack stat, moves like Giga Impact wouldn't be such a bad idea since it might be able to sweep some hitters like Garchomp.
Choice Band would also deal massive damage and contribute to the other physical moves.
Also, I don't think Tapu Koko can learn Swords Dance, I checked pokemon DB and I dont see Swords Dance there.

@Reis Work Up actually might not be that bad, but, of course, it kind of gives opponents a free hit on Tapu Koko that turn, who isn't very defensive. Moreover, Garchomp resists Giga Impact, and Giga Impact doesn't provide much coverage, so it's not so hot. I am thinking about making a Choice Band set, though...... I'll probably update this set with it soon. Oh, and I wasn't talking about Koko learning Swords Dance, I was talking about how Silvally has Swords Dance. Anyways, though, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

[0kamii]

@RetroTyphlosion

Well, well, well. Looks like you finally delivered on that VGC analysis you promised us, Retro. Love the unorthodox approach to a common VGC mon. Though, I will say that there's a reason Koko is commonly used as a Special Attacker. As I'm sure you've noticed, Koko's physical movepool is quite limited, which is odd because it has better Attack than Sp. Attack. I think @Wolfey did an analysis on Tapu Koko, and he included a physical variant. Maybe you could draw some inspiration from that?

If you would allow me to play devil's advocate, what benefits are there to using a physical Tapu Koko as opposed to a special one? Why should I bother when the special variant is already well-established and very effective in VGC?

- 0kamii

[RetroTyphlosion]

(Jun 14, 2017, 09:08 AM)0kamii Wrote: @RetroTyphlosion

Well, well, well. Looks like you finally delivered on that VGC analysis you promised us, Retro. Love the unorthodox approach to a common VGC mon. Though, I will say that there's a reason Koko is commonly used as a Special Attacker. As I'm sure you've noticed, Koko's physical movepool is quite limited, which is odd because it has better Attack than Sp. Attack. I think @Wolfey did an analysis on Tapu Koko, and he included a physical variant. Maybe you could draw some inspiration from that?

If you would allow me to play devil's advocate, what benefits are there to using a physical Tapu Koko as opposed to a special one? Why should I bother when the special variant is already well-established and very effective in VGC?

- 0kamii

@0kamii In response to your Devil's Advocate......
I really view Physical Koko as a more powerful version of Special Koko. Since its attacking stats are more powerful, it can hit even harder than Special Koko.
But the real reason is this:
Physical Koko is just like my Attacking Porygon2. It's a surprise. People don't view Porygon2 as an offensive threat, but instead, mine packs a punch. My Tapu Koko is similar. Instead of being the Special Attacker it's defined as, it is instead a hard hitting Physical Attacker that is a major threat. 
Well, glad you responded. I was checking this post tons ever since I made it to see if you commented!

[Reis]

(Jun 13, 2017, 08:09 PM)RetroTyphlosion Wrote:

(Jun 13, 2017, 05:46 PM)Reis Wrote: Would using a Z-Powered work up be a good move?
Since his Attack would go up 2 stages and he already has a high attack stat, moves like Giga Impact wouldn't be such a bad idea since it might be able to sweep some hitters like Garchomp.
Choice Band would also deal massive damage and contribute to the other physical moves.
Also, I don't think Tapu Koko can learn Swords Dance, I checked pokemon DB and I dont see Swords Dance there.

@Reis Work Up actually might not be that bad, but, of course, it kind of gives opponents a free hit on Tapu Koko that turn, who isn't very defensive. Moreover, Garchomp resists Giga Impact, and Giga Impact doesn't provide much coverage, so it's not so hot. I am thinking about making a Choice Band set, though...... I'll probably update this set with it soon. Oh, and I wasn't talking about Koko learning Swords Dance, I was talking about how Silvally has Swords Dance. Anyways, though, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

If work up gives them a free turn, use a Pokemon like Greninja with Mat block, so it is fast and it covers the work up move.

[RetroTyphlosion]

(Jun 14, 2017, 01:22 PM)Reis Wrote:

(Jun 13, 2017, 08:09 PM)RetroTyphlosion Wrote:

(Jun 13, 2017, 05:46 PM)Reis Wrote: Would using a Z-Powered work up be a good move?
Since his Attack would go up 2 stages and he already has a high attack stat, moves like Giga Impact wouldn't be such a bad idea since it might be able to sweep some hitters like Garchomp.
Choice Band would also deal massive damage and contribute to the other physical moves.
Also, I don't think Tapu Koko can learn Swords Dance, I checked pokemon DB and I dont see Swords Dance there.

@Reis Work Up actually might not be that bad, but, of course, it kind of gives opponents a free hit on Tapu Koko that turn, who isn't very defensive. Moreover, Garchomp resists Giga Impact, and Giga Impact doesn't provide much coverage, so it's not so hot. I am thinking about making a Choice Band set, though...... I'll probably update this set with it soon. Oh, and I wasn't talking about Koko learning Swords Dance, I was talking about how Silvally has Swords Dance. Anyways, though, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

If work up gives them a free turn, use a Pokemon like Greninja with Mat block, so it is fast and it covers the work up move.

@Reis Well, the problem is, this Tapu Koko is designed for the 2017 VGC tournament, something I'm getting in to. Greninja, like all Non-Alolan Pokémon, is banned from VGC this year. So is Throh, the only other Pokémon that gets mat block.

[stephenWITNESS]

I wonder what would happen if Nintendo released an event Tapu Koko with play rough?