QC: AM / jukain / ben gay
GP: Goddess Briyella / P Squared
Overview
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Landorus is one of the most fearsome wallbreakers in the tier. The combination of Sheer Force and recoil-less, Life Orb-boosted attacks raises its power to monstrous levels. With multiple effective boosting moves at its disposal, such as Rock Polish and Calm Mind, Landorus can exert immense amounts of pressure versus all playstyles. In addition, Landorus is an excellent offensive Stealth Rock user that can easily fit on offensive and balanced teams, notably being able to break through Mega Sableye — a typical stop on defensive teams to entry hazard setters. Though Landorus is known as an offensive Pokemon, its Ground / Flying typing only provides two weaknesses while giving it immunities to two common attacking types. Landorus also sits at a decent Speed tier, just above that of base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir, Victini, and both of Charizard's Mega Evolutions. However, Landorus's Speed leaves it outpaced by common offensive threats such as Keldeo, Latios, Latias, Thundurus, and Mega Lopunny. Despite its excellent coverage movepool, Landorus often struggles with certain Pokemon depending on which move it lacks.
Rock Polish
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name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Sludge Wave / Knock Off
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Modest / Rash
Moves
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Rock Polish doubles Landorus's Speed, allowing it to outspeed almost the entire unboosted metagane. Earth Power is Landorus's strongest STAB move when factoring in the Life Orb and Sheer Force boosts and hits most Pokemon that don't resist or are immune to it for incredible amounts of damage. Sludge Wave provides coverage on Grass- and Fairy-types such as Celebi, Chesnaught, Tangrowth, Azumarill, Clefable, Sylveon, and Mega Altaria and is also useful to hit Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon such as Thundurus, Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Latios, Latias, and Rotom-W. Despite not being boosted by Sheer Force, Hidden Power Ice provides crucial coverage on opposing Landorus formes, Gliscor, Garchomp, and Dragonite. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used for the general utility of removing items from opposing Pokemon and also hits Gengar, Latios, and Latias harder than any of this set's other attacks. Knock Off is also helpful to cripple Pokemon that rely on their item to repeatedly take attacks, such as Chansey and Assault Vest Tornadus-T. Psychic and Focus Blast are alternate coverage moves that can be used to hit Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, Skarmory, Chansey, and Mandibuzz. Note that Focus Blast can be used in place of Hidden Power Ice or Sludge Wave.
Set Details
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The given EV spread maximizes Landorus's offensive presence and Speed. A Modest nature is used because Landorus can afford to lose some Speed for the extra power thanks to Rock Polish. However, a Rash nature should be used when Knock Off is chosen to maintain Landorus's Attack stat. Life Orb is the chosen item to give a 1.69x boost to Landorus's attacks that have secondary effects, bar Knock Off, when combined with Sheer Force.
Usage Tips
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This set is best used as a mid- or late-game sweeper against weakened or unprepared offensive teams. However, early-game, this set should be played like a normal Landorus, firing off powerful attacks and utilizing its coverage moves to hit their respective targets. It is important for Landorus to avoid status conditions and unnecessary damage before setting up to give it as many turns as possible to fire off attacks on the opposing team. Finding the right opportunity to set up is crucial. Some examples of when Landorus can set up include when it is against a Landorus-T locked into Earthquake, a Keldeo locked into Secret Sword, or a -2 Special Attack Latios or Latias.
Team Options
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Pursuit support from Pokemon such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, Scizor, and Mega Scizor is very helpful to weaken or eliminate bulky Psychic-types that typically are used to check Landorus, such as Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Celebi. Note that Celebi loses to Sludge Wave variants, so it is a more important Pursuit target if Knock Off is chosen over Sludge Wave. Due to the fact that Landorus lures in and KOes Gliscor with Hidden Power Ice, Pokemon that benefit from Gliscor's removal such as Gengar and Mega Lopunny make for good teammates. If Hidden Power Ice is not chosen, Gengar can also lure in and KO Gliscor with Icy Wind. Note that pairing Mega Lopunny with Landorus allows the former to run a support or boosting move such as Baton Pass or Power-Up Punch over Ice Punch. Healing Wish support from Pokemon such as Celebi, Jirachi, or Latias is extremely helpful to revive Landorus when it is weakened or give it a second chance at sweeping — this also allows Landorus to play even more recklessly. Pokemon that force Choice Scarf Landorus-T into using Earthquake in order to give Landorus a setup opportunity, such as Mega Diancie, Mega Metagross, Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, Heatran, and Mega Lopunny, also make good partners. Despite sharing a nasty 4x weakness to Ice, Garchomp checks certain Pokemon that threaten Landorus, notably Talonflame, Bisharp, Mega Lopunny, and Azumarill. In addition, Mega Diancie greatly appreciates Landorus luring in Celebi and hitting it with Sludge Wave, as well as hitting Choice Scarf Landorus-T with Hidden Power Ice. Stealth Rock support is very important to aid in Landorus's sweeping capabilities, such as in breaking Dragonite's Multiscale and allowing Landorus to KO Thundurus with Sludge Wave after Stealth Rock damage, provided it has a Rock Polish up. Thus, Pokemon such as the aforementioned Garchomp, Azelf, Mamoswine, and Terrakion make for good teammates.
All-Out Attacker
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name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Sludge Wave / Knock Off
move 3: Focus Blast / Stealth Rock
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Naive
Moves
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Earth Power is a mandatory STAB move that hits most Pokemon which do not resist or are immune to it for heavy damage. Sludge Wave targets Grass- and Fairy-types such as Celebi, Tangrowth, Chesnuaght, Azumarill, Togekiss, Azumarill, Clefable, and Mega Altaria, while also providing coverage on Levitating or Flying-type Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Rotom-W, and Thundurus. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to hit Latios and Latias harder than any of Landorus's other moves, as well as crippling Pokemon that rely on their item such as Chansey and Assault Vest Tornadus-T. Focus Blast provides coverage on the likes of Skarmory, Bronzong, Mandibuzz, and Chansey; the latter notably is 2HKOed by Focus Blast after losing its Eviolite, making Knock Off and Focus Blast an excellent combination. However, if coverage on the mentioned Pokemon is provided elsewhere on your team, Stealth Rock is a perfectly viable option if you cannot fit it on another team member. Hidden Power Ice provides important coverage on Pokemon such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, Dragonite, and Garchomp. Rock Slide can be used to hit Pokemon such as Pinsir, Assault Vest Tornadus-T, Volcarona, and Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon, maximizing Landorus's Special Attack and Speed. A Timid nature is necessary to outspeed positive-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Mega Gardevoir, but a Naive nature should be used with Knock Off to preserve Landorus's Defense stat to take priority attacks better. Life Orb is the only item that should be used, as it gives Landorus's attacks with a secondary effect, bar Knock Off, a 1.69x boost.
Usage Tips
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Landorus is best played aggressively early on, firing off strong Earth Powers when given the opportunity. Utilize Landorus's chosen coverage moves to hit the appropriate targets. It is important for Landorus to avoid status conditions and take as little damage as possible in order to preserve its wallbreaking capabilities. Versus defensive teams, Knock Off is generally the best move to go for early-game to cripple bulkier Pokemon by removing their Leftovers or Assault Vest.
Team Options
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Pursuit support from Pokemon such as Bisharp, Scizor, and Tyranitar is very helpful to weaken or KO bulky Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Celebi. This is especially helpful for dealing with Latios and Latias if Knock Off is not chosen, but it is otherwise not as necessary, as Landorus only needs a small amount of prior damage to KO them with Knock Off. Gengar appreciates Landorus luring in specially defensive Gliscor and weakening it with Hidden Power Ice, and they form a solid wallbreaking duo. Mega Diancie is a great teammate to check some of the priority users that threaten Landorus, such as Bisharp and Talonflame, while also outspeeding or Speed tying with Pokemon that are often used to revenge kill Landorus such as Keldeo, Latias, and Latios. Setup sweepers also benefit from Landorus's wallbreaking ability, such as Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo, Nasty Plot Thundurus, Rock Polish Mega Diancie, and Swords Dance Bisharp. Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Garchomp, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Mamoswine is helpful to wear down Landorus's switch-ins, notably securing the 2HKO on Chansey with Focus Blast after its Eviolite has been Knocked Off.
Calm Mind
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name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Psychic / Hidden Power Ice
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Calm Mind boosts Landorus's Special Attack and Special Defense to incredible levels, allowing it to break through bulkier Pokemon. Earth Power is Landorus's strongest Sheer Force-boosted STAB move and hits very hard after a boost. Focus Blast provides important coverage on the likes of Skarmory, Mandibuzz, and Chansey. Psychic hits Mega Venusaur and Conkeldurr, as well as Flying-type and Levitating Pokemon such as Thundurus and Rotom-W. Hidden Power Ice can be used to target Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. Lastly, Sludge Wave is another choice to provide coverage on Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Clefable, but it should only be used if Landorus's teammates cannot cover these Pokemon.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon, maximizing Landorus's offensive power and Speed. A Timid nature is used to outspeed positive-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard Y. Life Orb provides a significant boost to Landorus's attacks with a secondary effect when coupled with Sheer Force.
Usage Tips
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This set excels against balanced and defensive teams and should be played fairly aggressively, especially when paired with Healing Wish support. Early-game, Landorus should just be launching off strong Earth Powers and utilizing its coverage moves on their appropriate targets. Landorus should set up a Calm Mind versus a weak defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon or Celebi. However, versus offensive teams, Landorus has very few opportunities to set up a Calm Mind; it should just use its strong attacks early-or mid-game in order to break holes for a teammate.
Team Options
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Healing Wish support from the likes of Celebi, Latias, and Jirachi is very helpful to give Landorus another chance to sweep. In addition, the former two easily switch into Keldeo, a common offensive check to Landorus. Mega Diancie is another great teammate to check the priority users that threaten Landorus, particularly Talonflame and Bisharp. In addition, Mega Diancie's Rock Polish set pairs very well with this set due to the fact that Calm Mind Landorus has a great matchup against defensive teams, while Rock Polish Diancie can clean up weakened offensive teams. Other special attackers that can either pressure Chansey or lure it in to remove its Eviolite so that Landorus doesn't have to rely on Focus Blast make for good teammates. As such, Keldeo, Gengar, Flare Blitz Mega Charizard Y, Knock Off Mega Alakazam, and Magma Storm Heatran pair well with Landorus. Pursuit support from the likes of Scizor, Mega Scizor, Bisharp, and Tyranitar is excellent to eliminate or weaken bulky Psychic-types such as Celebi, Latios, and Latias. This is crucial for this set, as it has no way of dealing significant damage to Latios and Latias, and to a lesser extent, Celebi. Due to the fact that this set excels versus defensive teams, Pokemon that have a good matchup versus offensive teams in general are great teammates; some that have not already been listed are Talonflame, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Aerodactyl.
Other Options
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Gravity allows Landorus to hit Flying-type and Levitating Pokemon with Earth Power and also has the added benefit of significantly increasing Focus Blast's accuracy. Substitute takes advantage of the switches Landorus forces and lets Landorus avoid Bisharp's Sucker Punch. A Choice Scarf set is generally better suited for Landorus-T, but Landorus's higher Speed and surprise factor make it somewhat usable.
Checks & Counters
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**Counters**: Specific specially bulky Pokemon such as Cresselia, Mega Latias, and Gyarados completely counter Landorus, as they can sponge up its attacks and cripple it with a status condition or hit it hard with an attack.
**General Checks**: Pokemon such as Bronzong, Slowking, Goodra, and specially defensive Mega Sableye (Calm Mind, Knock Off, and Metal Burst variants) are solid checks to Landorus. However, Goodra is only a shaky check to Knock Off variants due to the fact that Knock Off + Earth Power combined with Stealth Rock damage has a high chance of KOing Goodra.
**Move-Specific Checks**: Certain Pokemon check Landorus if it lacks the appropriate coverage move. If Landorus lacks Knock Off, Gengar, Mew, and Chansey handle Landorus very well. If Landorus lacks Hidden Power Ice, specially defensive Gliscor has no trouble taking Landorus's attacks and crippling it with Knock Off or using it as setup fodder for Swords Dances. Opposing Landorus formes and Dragonite also fit under this scenario. If Landorus lacks Sludge Wave, Chansey and Mega Charizard Y act as solid checks. If Rock Slide is not chosen, Assault Vest Tornadus-T and Mega Charizard Y have no trouble switching into Landorus's attacks. Lastly, if Landorus lacks Focus Blast, Skarmory and Mandibuzz check Landorus.
**Revenge Killers**: Provided Landorus has not acquired a Rock Polish boost, naturally faster Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Weavile, Tornadus-T, Thundurus, Keldeo, Mega Manectric, and Choice Scarf users such as Kyurem-B, Heatran, and Hydreigon can revenge kill Landorus, though some require a bit of prior damage. However, it should be noted that the majority of these Pokemon should not be switching into Landorus, as they check it with offensive pressure.
**Priority Users**: Priority users such as Talonflame, Bisharp, Azumarill, Mamoswine, and Weavile are able to revenge kill Landorus after a little prior damage.
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