[OVERVIEW]
Landorus
========
* Landorus is an excellent special wallbreaker due to its ability Sheer Force coupled with Life Orb and an amazing movepool.
* Landorus has an incredibly strong STAB Earth Power along with great coverage moves including Sludge Wave, Focus Blast, and Rock Slide.
* Having Sludge Wave allows Landorus to be a potent threat against Grass teams that Ground teams will normally struggle with.
* Landorus outspeeds the crowded base 100 Speed tier, notably outpacing Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Manaphy.
* It also has solid bulk for a wallbreaker, allowing it to take hits such as Bullet Punch from a +2 offensive Mega Scizor and Victini's V-Create.
* Being the main special attacker of Ground teams, it complements its teammates very well by taking on physical walls such as Slowbro.
* Landorus suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, as it has multiple options for the last slot that it can utilize such as Rock Slide, Rock Polish, and a few others.
* Although it has a solid base Speed, it still is outpaced by threats such as Weavile and Greninja that will easily OHKO Landorus.
* Using Landorus means you won't be able to have Landorus-T on your team, meaning you lose out on a powerful Z-move user, set-up sweeper that can easily tear through some teams after they been have been weakened.
* Being weak to Ice- and Water-type attacks is unfortunate, as these are both fairly common offensive coverage options that Ground teams are already weak to, and it gives Landorus a weakness to common priority, such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Mamoswine's Ice Shard.
[SET]
name: Offensive Wallbreaker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Rock Slide / Rock Polish
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earth Power is Landorus's main STAB attack, having a monstrous damage output that allows it to get off heavy hits such as doing a minimum of 76% to Slowbro and having a nearly guaranteed OHKO on Diggersby.
* Sludge Wave is one of Landorus's main selling points, as it allows it to be a dominant force against Grass teams, OHKOing Pokemon such as Tapu Bulu and Breloom. It also allows Landorus to tear through Fairy teams when coupled with Earth Power.
* Focus Blast improves Landorus's coverage allowing it to take on Pokemon such as Hydregion and Air Balloon Heatran along with Celesteela and Skarmory if Landorus is not using Gravity.
* Rock Slide can be used as physical coverage to better take on Mantine and ensure an OHKO on Mega Charizard Y.
* Rock Polish is another option as it allows Landorus to outspeed virtually the entire meta, except for +2 Mew, and it allows Landorus to function as a great late-game cleaner.
* Gravity is an excellent support move that allows Landorus to break Flying teams with the help of it's teammates. It also ensures your team has a great check to Celesteela, which can otherwise be a huge nuisance.
* Calm Mind can be used to break multiple defensive cores including the Eviolite core on Normal teams, as Landorus 2HKOes Chansey at +1. It makes Landorus an excellent balance breaker.
Set Details
========
* Sheer Force is what makes Landorus an excellent wallbreaker, as it allows all of Landorus's attacking moves to multiplied by 1.3x, increasing its damage output substantially.
* Life Orb is used in tandem with Sheer Force, as it makes Landorus's attacks even stronger without the drawback of taking residual damage when it attacks because Sheer Force nullifies this effect of Life Orb.
* Max Special Attack and Speed EVs make Landorus as strong and fast as possible.
* A Naive nature is used to allow Landorus to outspeed the entire crowded base 100 Speed tier while not lowering Landorus's Attack. Still, though, the loss of bulk means Pokemon such as Hydreigon have a chance of OHKOing Landorus with their strong attacks. Naive is preferred over Hasty nature, as it allows Landorus to better take priority such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch.
* A Timid nature should be used and the 4 Attack EVs should be moved to Defense if it is not running Rock Slide.
Usage Tips
========
* Landorus should be used to wallbreak as early as possible to open up opportunities for its teammates throughout the game. For example, if Landorus is able to take out Celesteela on a Steel team, then Mega Garchomp will be in a great position.
* It is still very useful for breaking throughout mid-game and is a decent cleaner if it is preserved until late-game, especially if Rock Polish is used.
* Landorus should generally be brought in against weaker Pokemon or after another teammate faints, as while it has decent bulk, it will still get 2HKOed by most unresisted STAB moves such as Excadrill's Iron Head.
* Due to its monstrous damage output, Landorus often forces switches into specially defensive walls that you can take advantage of by hard switching into one of your physical wallbreakers such as Mega Garchomp or Excadrill.
* Gravity should normally be set up when Landorus is forcing a switch or is being sacked to a slower Pokemon against Flying teams or teams with Ground-immune Pokemon.
* Landorus can be used as a solid revenge killer with its solid base Speed, allowing it to outpace Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Breloom.
* Rock Polish should be saved for late-game situations when specially defensive walls are already crippled, while Calm Mind can be used throughout the game, although the earlier the better, to break defensive cores and open up opportunities for its teammates.
* Landorus's wide movepool gives it useful unpredictability you can use to your advantage. If possible, conceal moves on your set, especially your last slot, to force your opponent to play more carefully.
* Landorus prefers not to be statused, as it will quickly be worn down throughout the match if poison or burn damage racks up on top of entry hazards. Burns especially should be avoided if you are using Rock Slide and still have a purpose for it.
Team Options
========
* Seismitoad and Gastrodon support Landorus well, as they both are Water immune Pokemon that switch into Water-type attacks such as Keldeo's Scald and Greninja's Hydro Pump, which would otherwise OHKO Landorus. It should be noted that Seismitoad can beat Azumarill with Sludge Wave, while Gastrodon will lose to it.
* Excadrill works well with Landorus, since it beats common counters to it such as Chansey. Landorus's wallbreaking capabilities also complement Excadrill, as Landorus allows Excadrill to clean late-game when threats have been worn down or beaten by Landorus. Excadrill is also extremely helpful for sweeping Ice teams with Iron Head in the sand.
* Hippowdon supports Landorus by switching into strong attackers such as Choice Scarf Buzzwole and Choice Scarf Victini that could either OHKO or get off a heavy hit on Landorus, respectively. Hippowdon also sets Stealth Rock, which allows Landorus to OHKO Pokemon such as Togekiss that it normally wouldn't be able to.
* Mamoswine is a great partner due to Thick Fat allowing it to take on Ice-type attacks that would destroy Landorus. It also takes on Flying-types such as Zapdos and Mantine that Landorus will struggle with if it is not running Rock Slide.
* Mega Garchomp works well with Landorus, as it is neutral to Water-type attacks and they wallbreak together very well, with Garchomp hitting special walls while Landorus hitting physical walls.
* Dugtrio complements Landorus by eliminating threats such as Keldeo and Chansey after trapping them with its Earthquake and Reversal combination.
* Both Choice Scarf and Swords Dance Garchomp work well with Landorus, as they appreciate Landorus's wallbreaking power so it can attempt to clean or sweep late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ground
--------
* Knock Off with a Naive nature can be used to OHKO Latios after Stealth Rock damage and break the Normal-type Eviolite core, but it's forced to sacrifice more important coverage or support.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ground
--------
**Offensive Water-types**: Pokemon such as Greninja and Keldeo will have no trouble taking out Landorus with their STAB Water-type attacks.
**Offensive Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Alolan Ninetales, Weavile, and Mamoswine will easily take out Landorus; however, none of them can switch into Landorus.
**Chansey**: With its monstrous HP stat, Chansey will easily eat any attack Landorus goes for. Chansey still has to watch out for both Knock Off and Calm Mind, though.
**Revenge Killers**: Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Volcanion and Hidden Power Ice users such as Choice Scarf Magnezone and Nihilego will easily OHKO Landorus. Certain weather and Terrain sweepers such as Kingdra and Alolan Raichu will also OHKO Landorus.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mantine, Latios, and Dragonite are good checks to Landorus, but many of these Pokemon can be threatened by Rock Slide.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Assault Vest Meloetta, Araquanid, and Mantine, will easily sponge hits from Landorus and retaliate with solid damage or just recover off damage, although the latter two are threatened by Rock Slide.
**Lures**: Pokemon such as Hidden Power Ice Celesteela, Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu, and Assault Vest Magearna will bait Landorus so they can KO it with their powerful STAB or coverage moves.
Landorus
========
* Landorus is an excellent special wallbreaker due to its ability Sheer Force coupled with Life Orb and an amazing movepool.
* Landorus has an incredibly strong STAB Earth Power along with great coverage moves including Sludge Wave, Focus Blast, and Rock Slide.
* Having Sludge Wave allows Landorus to be a potent threat against Grass teams that Ground teams will normally struggle with.
* Landorus outspeeds the crowded base 100 Speed tier, notably outpacing Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Manaphy.
* It also has solid bulk for a wallbreaker, allowing it to take hits such as Bullet Punch from a +2 offensive Mega Scizor and Victini's V-Create.
* Being the main special attacker of Ground teams, it complements its teammates very well by taking on physical walls such as Slowbro.
* Landorus suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, as it has multiple options for the last slot that it can utilize such as Rock Slide, Rock Polish, and a few others.
* Although it has a solid base Speed, it still is outpaced by threats such as Weavile and Greninja that will easily OHKO Landorus.
* Using Landorus means you won't be able to have Landorus-T on your team, meaning you lose out on a powerful Z-move user, set-up sweeper that can easily tear through some teams after they been have been weakened.
* Being weak to Ice- and Water-type attacks is unfortunate, as these are both fairly common offensive coverage options that Ground teams are already weak to, and it gives Landorus a weakness to common priority, such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Mamoswine's Ice Shard.
[SET]
name: Offensive Wallbreaker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Rock Slide / Rock Polish
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earth Power is Landorus's main STAB attack, having a monstrous damage output that allows it to get off heavy hits such as doing a minimum of 76% to Slowbro and having a nearly guaranteed OHKO on Diggersby.
* Sludge Wave is one of Landorus's main selling points, as it allows it to be a dominant force against Grass teams, OHKOing Pokemon such as Tapu Bulu and Breloom. It also allows Landorus to tear through Fairy teams when coupled with Earth Power.
* Focus Blast improves Landorus's coverage allowing it to take on Pokemon such as Hydregion and Air Balloon Heatran along with Celesteela and Skarmory if Landorus is not using Gravity.
* Rock Slide can be used as physical coverage to better take on Mantine and ensure an OHKO on Mega Charizard Y.
* Rock Polish is another option as it allows Landorus to outspeed virtually the entire meta, except for +2 Mew, and it allows Landorus to function as a great late-game cleaner.
* Gravity is an excellent support move that allows Landorus to break Flying teams with the help of it's teammates. It also ensures your team has a great check to Celesteela, which can otherwise be a huge nuisance.
* Calm Mind can be used to break multiple defensive cores including the Eviolite core on Normal teams, as Landorus 2HKOes Chansey at +1. It makes Landorus an excellent balance breaker.
Set Details
========
* Sheer Force is what makes Landorus an excellent wallbreaker, as it allows all of Landorus's attacking moves to multiplied by 1.3x, increasing its damage output substantially.
* Life Orb is used in tandem with Sheer Force, as it makes Landorus's attacks even stronger without the drawback of taking residual damage when it attacks because Sheer Force nullifies this effect of Life Orb.
* Max Special Attack and Speed EVs make Landorus as strong and fast as possible.
* A Naive nature is used to allow Landorus to outspeed the entire crowded base 100 Speed tier while not lowering Landorus's Attack. Still, though, the loss of bulk means Pokemon such as Hydreigon have a chance of OHKOing Landorus with their strong attacks. Naive is preferred over Hasty nature, as it allows Landorus to better take priority such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch.
* A Timid nature should be used and the 4 Attack EVs should be moved to Defense if it is not running Rock Slide.
Usage Tips
========
* Landorus should be used to wallbreak as early as possible to open up opportunities for its teammates throughout the game. For example, if Landorus is able to take out Celesteela on a Steel team, then Mega Garchomp will be in a great position.
* It is still very useful for breaking throughout mid-game and is a decent cleaner if it is preserved until late-game, especially if Rock Polish is used.
* Landorus should generally be brought in against weaker Pokemon or after another teammate faints, as while it has decent bulk, it will still get 2HKOed by most unresisted STAB moves such as Excadrill's Iron Head.
* Due to its monstrous damage output, Landorus often forces switches into specially defensive walls that you can take advantage of by hard switching into one of your physical wallbreakers such as Mega Garchomp or Excadrill.
* Gravity should normally be set up when Landorus is forcing a switch or is being sacked to a slower Pokemon against Flying teams or teams with Ground-immune Pokemon.
* Landorus can be used as a solid revenge killer with its solid base Speed, allowing it to outpace Pokemon such as Kyurem-B and Breloom.
* Rock Polish should be saved for late-game situations when specially defensive walls are already crippled, while Calm Mind can be used throughout the game, although the earlier the better, to break defensive cores and open up opportunities for its teammates.
* Landorus's wide movepool gives it useful unpredictability you can use to your advantage. If possible, conceal moves on your set, especially your last slot, to force your opponent to play more carefully.
* Landorus prefers not to be statused, as it will quickly be worn down throughout the match if poison or burn damage racks up on top of entry hazards. Burns especially should be avoided if you are using Rock Slide and still have a purpose for it.
Team Options
========
* Seismitoad and Gastrodon support Landorus well, as they both are Water immune Pokemon that switch into Water-type attacks such as Keldeo's Scald and Greninja's Hydro Pump, which would otherwise OHKO Landorus. It should be noted that Seismitoad can beat Azumarill with Sludge Wave, while Gastrodon will lose to it.
* Excadrill works well with Landorus, since it beats common counters to it such as Chansey. Landorus's wallbreaking capabilities also complement Excadrill, as Landorus allows Excadrill to clean late-game when threats have been worn down or beaten by Landorus. Excadrill is also extremely helpful for sweeping Ice teams with Iron Head in the sand.
* Hippowdon supports Landorus by switching into strong attackers such as Choice Scarf Buzzwole and Choice Scarf Victini that could either OHKO or get off a heavy hit on Landorus, respectively. Hippowdon also sets Stealth Rock, which allows Landorus to OHKO Pokemon such as Togekiss that it normally wouldn't be able to.
* Mamoswine is a great partner due to Thick Fat allowing it to take on Ice-type attacks that would destroy Landorus. It also takes on Flying-types such as Zapdos and Mantine that Landorus will struggle with if it is not running Rock Slide.
* Mega Garchomp works well with Landorus, as it is neutral to Water-type attacks and they wallbreak together very well, with Garchomp hitting special walls while Landorus hitting physical walls.
* Dugtrio complements Landorus by eliminating threats such as Keldeo and Chansey after trapping them with its Earthquake and Reversal combination.
* Both Choice Scarf and Swords Dance Garchomp work well with Landorus, as they appreciate Landorus's wallbreaking power so it can attempt to clean or sweep late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ground
--------
* Knock Off with a Naive nature can be used to OHKO Latios after Stealth Rock damage and break the Normal-type Eviolite core, but it's forced to sacrifice more important coverage or support.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ground
--------
**Offensive Water-types**: Pokemon such as Greninja and Keldeo will have no trouble taking out Landorus with their STAB Water-type attacks.
**Offensive Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Alolan Ninetales, Weavile, and Mamoswine will easily take out Landorus; however, none of them can switch into Landorus.
**Chansey**: With its monstrous HP stat, Chansey will easily eat any attack Landorus goes for. Chansey still has to watch out for both Knock Off and Calm Mind, though.
**Revenge Killers**: Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Volcanion and Hidden Power Ice users such as Choice Scarf Magnezone and Nihilego will easily OHKO Landorus. Certain weather and Terrain sweepers such as Kingdra and Alolan Raichu will also OHKO Landorus.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mantine, Latios, and Dragonite are good checks to Landorus, but many of these Pokemon can be threatened by Rock Slide.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Assault Vest Meloetta, Araquanid, and Mantine
**Lures**: Pokemon such as Hidden Power Ice Celesteela, Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu, and Assault Vest Magearna will bait Landorus so they can KO it with their powerful STAB or coverage moves.
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