Is Tapu Lele worth using in Pokemon GO?

Tapu Lele, one of the four "Tapu" Pokemon in the Alola Region, has recently emerged in Pokemon GO. Many trainers are currently scrambling to acquire it.

Defender of Akala Island, Tapu Lele is a Psychic/Fairy type Legendary Pokemon. It is worshipped by Akala's locals and shares its status as a guardian deity in Alola with Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini.

In Pokemon GO, Tapu Lele has a reasonably high attack stat and a solid defense stat. Its overall stamina isn't ideal, but each Pokemon must have a shortcoming somewhere, even if it isn't a major one.

---

Examining Tapu Lele's battle capability in Pokemon GO

Tapu Lele's ceiling isn't the highest in battle for a Legendary Pokemon (Image via Niantic)

There are a few things to appreciate about Tapu Lele's upside in Pokemon GO. Its Fairy/Psychic-type combo is relatively rare in the current state of the game.

The Pokemon has a varied collection of moves to learn, including Ghost-type Astonish and Fighting-type Focus Blast. Its relatively high stats also make it something of a contender in PvP, but it falls short of many of the more popular Legendary Pokemon picks.

Due to their similar typing and stats, Tapu Lele can be compared to standard Gardevoir in Pokemon GO. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but it's a bit disappointing for this particular Alolan Legendary.

Despite this, Tapu Lele has a few battle applications. Its typing and moves should give it play against Dragon and Fighting-type Pokemon. However, Ghost, Poison, and Steel-types can hammer away at it quickly, making it a poor pick against many PvP meta-favorites like Giratina and Registeel.

Despite its shortcomings in PvP, a strong team can make up for Tapu Lele's struggles. Setting up a battle party with Pokemon that can counter those that give Tapu Lele trouble is an effective strategy.

Additionally, since this Legendary Pokemon is lacking in the durability department, it doesn't hurt to bring along Pokemon that perform well in the defender and closer roles. For example, Reshiram and Zekrom or Registeel and Galarian Stunfisk make for great tanky options to close out battles that Tapu Lele can't.

Some Pokemon GO trainers may be looking for Pokemon that are similar to Tapu Lele but perform better in battle. In this case, they should consider the likes of Cresselia, Sylveon, Defense Forme Deoxys, Mewtwo, Togekiss, and Zacian in its Hero of Many Battles form.

These Pokemon may not all be Psychic/Fairy, but they excel as fighters in at least one of those typing categories.