|
-
Intimidate
- Lowers the foe's Attack one stage. Decreases wild encounter rate.
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Sheer Force
- Increases power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but removes the effects.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
89
|
- |
319 |
382 |
- |
| Atk |
145
|
293 |
326 |
389 |
427 |
| Def |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| SpA |
105
|
221 |
246 |
309 |
339 |
| SpD |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| Spe |
91
|
196 |
218 |
281 |
309 |
Overview
As is befitting of its ability, Landorus-T is a Pokemon that is somewhat more intimidating than dangerous. When it was first announced, its massive 145 base Attack struck fear into the hearts of players everywhere, but in practice, it's not the harbinger of doom that everyone expected. Between a reduced 91 base Speed and the loss of Sand Force, Landorus-T is less offensive than its genie counterpart despite the former's higher Attack.
That said, it's not like Landorus-T is ineffectual in the metagame. Its solid 89 / 90 / 80 defenses are enhanced further by Intimidate, making it one of the few Pokemon capable of confronting Terrakion head-on, and it still has access to Swords Dance and Rock Polish to present a credible physical threat. On top of that, its massive Attack means that Landorus-T doesn't need much investment to pack a punch. Altogether, while it's not the offensive behemoth that was expected, it's still a solid Pokemon that has earned a well-deserved spot in the OU metagame.
Admittedly, 145 base Attack doesn't scream for tons of defensive investment, but Landorus-T has all the tools it needs to play the role of offensive pivot and steal momentum away from opposing teams. Its solid bulk and Intimidate let it stop many offensive threats cold, including Terrakion, a Pokemon with few real offensive answers. It's also a stellar user of Stealth Rock, as Landorus-T's bulk lets it easily lay down Stealth Rock, and its power makes it hard to Taunt against. U-turn is stellar for stealing momentum away from opponents, and Earthquake and Stone Edge combine to give solid offensive coverage as well as protection against some top threats, such as Terrakion and Dragonite.
Since Landorus-T's base Attack is so high, it can spend most of its EVs on defense. 200 HP / 244 Defense allows Landorus-T to sponge two Choice Band Stone Edges from Terrakion, and also avoids the OHKO from its +2 Rock Gem Stone Edge, something few Pokemon can boast. The remaining EVs and Adamant Nature give a high chance of OHKOing 4/0 Dragonite with Stone Edge after Stealth Rock, and also give Landorus-T a legitimate offensive presence on the team. To give an idea of how much offense this Landorus-T packs, even with only 64 EVs and a beneficial nature, Landorus-T has 376 Attack, giving it power rivaling a fully invested Landorus or Gyarados.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Hidden Power Ice is an option over Stone Edge for warding off Gliscor, Tangrowth, and other Landorus, but Stone Edge is stronger for general use, and wallbreaking isn't this Landorus-T's specialty. If you already have a Stealth Rock user on your team and you're so inclined, Landorus-T is a great user of Gravity, since it can make use of Gravity Earthquake itself, as well as U-turn to other teammates who benefit from Gravity. While Speed is advised against on this set, there are faster options. 104 EVs outspeed maximum Speed Tyranitar, while 144 EVs outspeed neutral-natured Heatran. However, taking EVs out of Attack hurts Landorus-T's offensive potential, while removing them from Defense and HP defeats the purpose of using a bulky spread. Landorus-T can opt for a more defensive spread, consisting of 252 HP / 252 Def for greater durability
This Landorus-T is a star on bulky offense, since it's a Stealth Rock user that most Magic Bounce users would never dream of switching into. As a result, it works best with offensive teammates, especially ones that profit well from offensive momentum. It's great for starting Volt-Turn, making it a great teammate for Rotom-W, which also provides Water and Ice resistances. Hydreigon is also a solid teammate for this reason, though a shared Ice weakness can be an issue. Since this Landorus-T lacks recovery, Wish support is highly suggested. Jirachi is one of the best teammates, since Landorus-T is immune to Ground, resistant to Fighting, and neutral to Fire. Vaporeon is also an excellent option, since it provides Water and Ice resistances, while Landorus-T is immune to Electric and neutral to Grass. Finally, Landorus-T's ability to force switches means that it makes great use of entry hazards.
Landorus-T's respectable bulk, useful ability in Intimidate, and key resistance to Fighting and immunity to Ground and Electric attacks make it a perfect candidate for a double boosting set. The main selling point of this set is its flexibility. With a Swords Dance boost, Landorus-T can rip through slower, more defensive teams while Rock Polish lets it clean up weakened, faster teams. Due to the aforementioned attributes, it is not uncommon for Landorus-T to grab multiple boosts and decimate unprepared teams. While Terrakion might seem like the superior double booster due to its higher Speed and access to STAB Stone Edge, Landorus-T sports a higher base Attack and has a much easier time setting up on common walls such as Forretress and Ferrothorn thanks to Intimidate and its lack of weaknesses to their STAB moves. Unlike Terrakion, Landorus-T is also not weak to common priority moves such as Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, although Ice Shard will quickly dismantle it.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread maximizes Landorus-T's Attack while allowing it to outspeed everything up to Adamant Toxicroak at +0 and common Choice Scarf users such as Keldeo and Latios after a Rock Polish. The remaining EVs are invested in HP for added longevity. If Toxicroak is not a concern, 184 Speed EVs is sufficient, with 24 EVs moved to HP for even more bulk. Alternatively, Landorus-T can simply opt to run max Speed with an Adamant nature to outpace Adamant Lucario and Timid Heatran without a boost at the cost of bulk.
As is the case for most sweepers, entry hazard support tremendously helps this set, as not only does Landorus-T naturally forces a lot of switches, but entry hazards also help it achieve OHKOs on some bulkier Pokemon. Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Skarmory are all fine choices in this regard. Although Earthquake and Stone Edge provides near-perfect coverage in OU, this set still has trouble muscling through several common walls, notably Gliscor, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, and Skarmory. Thus, partners that can soften or lure these walls are highly recommended. This includes common OU Pokemon such as Choice Band Terrakion, Expert Belt Jirachi, Ice Punch Lucario, and Technician Breloom, all of which naturally attract these Pokemon. Alternatively, Gothitelle can be used to eliminate them with Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, and Thunderbolt. Note that as the last Pokemon, Landorus-T can potentially beat Skarmory and Hippowdon as they can no longer phaze it.
Leftovers is the item of choice as the extra recovery is very helpful when setting up in front of walls or tanking priority moves. Alternative items for this set include Lum Berry, Yache Berry, Life Orb, and Earth Plate. Lum Berry is especially useful for setting up on Jirachi without fearing a Body Slam paralysis, as well as Will-O-Wisp or Scald burns from bulky Water types, which despite being super effective, can usually be tanked by Landorus-T outside of rain. Yache Berry can be used to take an Ice Shard from Mamoswine, Weavile, or Donphan trying to cut short Landorus-T's sweep. Finally, Life Orb and Earth Plate are useful items that boost Landorus-T's power, the former giving a more significant boost at the cost of HP. However, keep in mind that Leftovers is still the preferred item on this set as it also helps Landorus-T in checking and setting up on the premier physical attacker in the game, Terrakion, as well as other physical attackers such as non-Ice Punch Lucario and Jirachi.
91 base Speed is plenty to warrant a Choice Scarf set, especially considering that unlike its Incarnate version, Landorus-T doesn't have to rely on weather for its physical damage output. Earthquake is basic STAB, though it's iffy on a Choice set due to its relatively common immunities. U-turn is also a given, as it's excellent for keeping momentum after Landorus-T forces a switch. Stone Edge provides solid neutral coverage, while Superpower is the best option against Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Bronzong. It also hits Air Balloon Heatran, which is useful. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ice pounds Dragon-types, wards off Gliscor and opposing Landorus of all stripes, and can break down Tangrowth. Remember to use the right nature—Jolly for Superpower and Naive for Hidden Power Ice.
When using Landorus-T as a Choice Scarf user, it's important to make sure that it's the build for the position. While Landorus-T provides Intimidate and is weather-independent, Landorus packs way more of a punch on sand teams due to Sand Force, and its 101 base Speed sits in an important Speed tier, outspeeding +1 Salamence, +1 Volcarona, and opposing Choice Scarf users, especially Jirachi. The two are very similar, so make sure to pick the right Landorus for the job.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Punishment is cute against some boosting Pokemon, and can be especially good against opponents such as Sigilyph and Calm Mind Latias, who become incredibly dangerous after a couple of boosts and need overwhelming power to take down. Explosion is an option, as it provides solid neutral coverage and plenty of punch as a last-ditch attack. EVs are very basic: Attack is maximized to provide maximum offensive power, and 224 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature give Landorus-T enough Speed to outspeed +1 neutral-natured base 100s. The rest goes into HP to give Landorus-T a little more bulk.
As with any Landorus-T set, this works best on bulky offense. Intimidate and good resistances give it plenty of chances to switch in, and as primarily a speedy hit-and-run Pokemon, it doesn't take a lot of support to make it effective. That said, Stealth Rock is always an issue, as it makes it harder for Landorus-T to switch in repeatedly. Starmie is the best spinner for the slot, as it provides crucial resistances to Water and Ice, and Landorus-T can switch into Electric attacks, especially Thunder, and come out unscathed. Wish support from Jirachi is also nice, as it helps Landorus-T leverage its bulk and ability to switch in.
An unorthodox setup set, Gravity wrecks a lot of top Landorus-T counters. Without their Ground immunities, Pokemon such as Skarmory, Bronzong, Gliscor, and Balloon carriers lose the ability to switch into Landorus-T with impunity. On top of that, Stone Edge is 100% accurate in Gravity, temporarily making it not the worst move in the game. Finally, Hidden Power Ice blows up the few defensive Pokemon not crippled by Gravity, such as exceptionally bulky Gliscor, Tangrowth, and some other Grass-types. Alternatively, U-turn can be used to hit Grass-types and pass Gravity to other abusers on the team.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Spikes provide double duty here, as not only does Landorus-T greatly appreciate the chip damage, but Gravity renders many normally unaffected fliers and levitators vulnerable to them. Ferrothorn provides a longer-lasting presence, can also spread Thunder Wave, and resists Water for Landorus-T. As icing, Ferrothorn gains 100% accurate Power Whip and Leech Seed, two moves it relies on to be effective.
Special mention here goes to teammates that can effectively make use of Gravity. Starmie comes to mind, as it can use Hydro Pump and Thunder with 100% accuracy without requiring Rain for the latter, and Starmie brings with it useful resistances. Mamoswine doubles up on the Ground-type threat, which is both a blessing and a curse due to shared weaknesses. Still, if Landorus-T can break through Ground resistances, Mamoswine can be a real terror. Between Earthquake with no immunities and 100% accurate Icicle Crash and Stone Edge, Mamoswine is a far more reliable offensive threat with Gravity in effect.
A Pokemon like Landorus-T is incredibly effective when it doesn't have to predict against opponents, and the best way to ease prediction is Substitute. Luckily, Intimidate is perfect for picking up free Substitutes as it scares out opposing Pokemon that are unable to deal with Landorus-T. Once that Substitute is up, Landorus-T is extremely threatening, as it can OHKO / 2HKO most of the metagame with ease, and most of the things it 2HKOs are slower. Between Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Hidden Power Ice, it's got coverage against nearly the entire metagame, making it hard to switch into and incredibly safe against setup Pokemon. Alternately, Swords Dance is an option, allowing Landorus-T to pick up a quick boost against slower teams or take advantage of forced switches.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The item selection here is pretty straightforward. Leftovers lets Landorus-T put up more Substitutes, which makes it more effective in the long run, and also makes it easier for Landorus-T to switch into resisted attacks and still set up its Substitute. However, it's easy for Landorus-T to land super effective attacks, and when it does, Expert Belt will make them that much effective, and 20% can be the difference between life and death for some bulky Pokemon. Expert Belt also has the distinction of bluffing a Choice Scarf set if you can get it in against a slower Pokemon, catching the opponent off guard with Substitute at an important moment.
While this Pokemon is less likely to straight sweep a team, it's perfectly suited to open up holes for other team members. With a Pokemon as powerful as Landorus-T, it often takes a sacrifice to break its Substitute, and this can open the way for another powerful physical sweeper to dominate. Pokemon such as Double Dance or SubSD Terrakion, as well as Dragon Dance variants of Salamence and Dragonite can run rampant after Landorus-T does its job.
Other Options
Landorus-T has some options that seem decent at first glance, but have some notable issues. Bulk Up provides a more balanced approach to a boosting set, but is much more at home on Landorus, which can use its higher speed to secure more Bulk Ups as well as being a more potent threat after boosting. Swords Dance is in the same boat, with its potency being very Speed-dependent. RestTalk has been a classic combination on Pokemon like Landorus-T, most notably Gyarados, but the changed sleep mechanics in Generation 5 have made it largely ineffectual. Rock Tomb is an option on some sets to make up for the lack of Speed, but its low Base Power makes it extremely unappealing.
An offensive EV spread can be used on the Offensive Pivot set for a more offensive Stealth Rock user similar to how Terrakion is often used. However, Terrakion is a more potent user of this type of set due to its superior speed, since it is more than capable of being an offensive threat without boosting moves or items due to its impeccable two-move coverage. Landorus-T's middling Speed makes it a bit more dependent on specialized spreads, Choice items, and setup moves to do its damage, and there's simply no room for Stealth Rock on an offensive set.
Checks and Counters
Given that Landorus is effectively the same Pokemon, it should come as no surprise that the same Pokemon largely answer them both. However, like Landorus, there's really no such thing as a "hard counter" to it. Skarmory comes closest, as most Landorus-T sets will be entirely unable to break through it, but Gravity turns that matchup on its head. Virizion can easily sponge Hidden Power Ice, but its mediocre physical defense means that it can't switch into too many Earthquakes throughout the match. Bulky variants of Latias can easily take a Stone Edge and recover off the damage, but U-turn is still unfriendly, as whatever follows Landorus-T is likely to force Latias out and prevent it from Recovering. Gliscor fears nothing except Hidden Power Ice, but is deathly afraid of said move, so make sure to scout out the set before sending Gliscor in headlong. Slowbro is probably the best counter, as it can take anything Landorus-T throws at it and recover it off passively with Regenerator. However, watch out for U-turn, especially if paired with a Pursuit user to eliminate Slowbro on the way out.
Landorus-T's Speed tier renders it much easier to confront offensively than its alternate form. Notably, Salamence outspeeds it and packs an Earthquake immunity, though Stone Edge and Hidden Power Ice do a number on it. Thundurus-T does the same, and will easily destroy Landorus-T with Hidden Power Ice. Jirachi can be hard to switch in, but it can eliminate it with Ice Punch or play flinch games in a pinch. Faster variants of Celebi often carry Hidden Power Ice, which also deals with Landorus-T with ease. Last, but certainly not least, Mamoswine can use Ice Shard to bypass Landorus-T's Speed advantage and take it out. It can also Icicle Crash against bulkier sets, which Landorus-T is unlikely to survive.
