Overview
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Landorus is one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier. The combination of Sheer Force and recoil-less Life Orb boosts all of its attacks with a secondary effect to monstrous levels. It is also one of the most difficult Pokemon for stall to handle due to Calm Mind and Knock Off allowing it to bypass some of its normal checks and counters. This is furthered by its ability to form fantastic cores around a Pursuit trapper and additional special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y and Keldeo to simply overwhelm their counters. It also sits at a decent Speed tier, putting it ahead of both Mega Charizard X and Y, as well as Manaphy and even Mega Medicham. However, Landorus is just slow enough to leave it susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Latios, Keldeo, Greninja, and others. Landorus's 4x weakness to Ice is also problematic, making it difficult to pair it with Pokemon such as Garchomp and Dragonite. However, these faults are dwarfed compared to the many positives that Landorus boasts.
Special Attacker
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name: Special Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Sludge Wave / Knock Off / Stealth Rock
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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Blessed with a fantastic movepool, Landorus has just about everything it needs to succeed. Earth Power is ridiculously strong after Sheer Force, Life Orb, and STAB boosts, and is incredibly difficult for even neutrally hit Pokemon to switch into without fearing a 2HKO. Psychic's main use is as a way to hit Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Conkeldurr for super effective damage, as well as hitting Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Zapdos for neutral damage if Landorus is not running Sludge Wave. Focus Blast is great for OHKOing Tyranitar, as well as to prevent Landorus from being walled by Skarmory. It is also Landorus's most powerful move with which to hit Chansey. Because Landorus has such a good movepool, the last slot really depends on what the rest of the team needs. Sludge Wave is a fantastic option to hit Clefable, Sylveon, and Azumarill on the switch. It is also more powerful than Psychic, making it the best option for neutral hits. Knock Off is good for luring in Chansey and removing its Eviolite, thus crippling it for the rest of the match. Lastly, Landorus can be an effective user of Stealth Rock if no other setter is available on a team. Rock Slide is an option in the last slot as well, as it can OHKO Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y on the switch. U-turn can also be used to grab momentum on a predicted switch and hits Latios and Latias for super effective damage, but usually coverage is preferred.
Set Details
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An EV spread of 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe with a Modest nature can be used in order to outspeed positive-natured Mega Gyarados and 216 Speed Kyurem-B while getting an extra boost in power, although usually this is irrelevant since Landorus already hits so hard. A Modest nature should only be used if the rest of the team can cover both Charizard formes, as well as other Pokemon with base 100 Speed such as Manaphy and Mega Medicham. It is important that if using a physical attack such as Knock Off or Rock Slide, a Naive nature is used over Timid.
Usage Tips
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Landorus is one of the best stallbreakers in the tier, being able to take down common stall cores such as the core of Mega Venusaur and Heatran, as well as having access to Knock Off to cripple Chansey. Knock Off is especially useful when used in tandem with other special attackers such as Charizard Y and Thundurus. Because of this, it can be used both early- and late-game. Either use it to break through special walls for another Pokemon to clean up late-game or vice versa. Double switching into Bisharp or other Pursuit trappers on a predicted switch into Latios, Latias, or Chansey is also helpful to eliminate Landorus's counters as early as possible.
Team Options
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The best partners to Landorus are other special attackers. Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus, and Keldeo all work well with it, as they can all wear down their similar counters by repeated attacking. Pursuit trappers such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Aegislash also make good partners, as they can trap Latios and Latias. Bisharp and Tyranitar can even deal enough damage to wear down Chansey with their STAB Pursuit. Because faster Pokemon such as Garchomp, Keldeo, and Greninja can be problematic, Azumarill also makes a great partner, being able to defeat all of them.
Calm Mind
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name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Sludge Wave / Focus Blast
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moves
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As if Landorus wasn't already powerful enough, Calm Mind can boost its Special Attack even further, making it an absolute terror for both stall and balanced teams to face. Calm Mind not only boosts Landorus's Special Attack, but also its Special Defense, allowing it to live attacks such as Hidden Power Ice from Thundurus, Mega Manectric, and Raikou. Earth Power is the most powerful neutral option; getting STAB, Sheer Force, Life Orb, and possibly Calm Mind boosts makes it an insanely powerful attack. Psychic is the best option for hitting Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Assault Vest Conkeldurr for super effective damage, as well as hitting opposing Landorus and Gliscor for 2HKOs before a boost and OHKOs at +1. The choice between Sludge Wave and Focus Blast depends on what the rest of the team can handle. Sludge Wave is good for hitting Sylveon, Clefable, and Azumarill for super effective damage. However, Focus Blast makes breaking through Chansey much easier, scoring a 2HKO after a single Calm Mind boost. It also has the added bonus of hitting Skarmory, which is able to tank Landorus's moves otherwise.
Set Details
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An EV spread of 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe is usable if outspeeding Jolly Excadrill, Charizard, and Manaphy with a Speed boosting nature isn't as important to your team, and it gives Landorus even more of a punch, but usually the Speed is more appreciated. Landorus hits incredibly hard even without a Modest nature.
Usage Tips
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This set should be used to demolish stall and balanced offense. It works best in the late-game as a cleaner, grabbing a boost and then breaking through Pokemon weakened by its teammates. Like Landorus's other sets, Calm Mind appreciates Pursuit trappers to lure in and trap Pokemon such as Latios and Latias, which can be troublesome for Landorus to beat, as they are faster and their Psyshocks hit its unboosted Defense. Landorus actually has surprising bulk, so don't be afraid to stay in on attacks such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Hidden Power Ice from the likes of Thundurus after a Calm Mind boost.
Team Options
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Other special attackers are the best partners for Landorus, being able to overwhelm special walls for Landorus to clean up in late-game. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Keldeo, and Thundurus fit this role well. As previously stated, Pursuit trappers such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Aegislash also provide a great way to eliminate Latios and Latias early-game, and Bisharp and Tyranitar can even wear down Chansey.
Other Options
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Rock Polish is probably the best option outside of the listed sets. It has the ability to murder offensive teams that aren't prepared for it; however, Landorus finds it difficult to set up a boost, and it is nearly a wasted moveslot against defensive and balanced teams. Gravity is an interesting option, but considering the main Levitate Pokemon that trouble Landorus are faster than it anyways, using Gravity as they switch into it isn't very effective and can actually hurt the rest of the team. Choice Scarf is another interesting set, but it is usually done better by Landorus-T,which finds it easier to switch in as a pivot thanks to Intimidate, and the extra Speed is not usually needed. Swords Dance sets can also be used with Sand Force and sand support, but this role is usually performed better by Landorus-T, and it does poorly against offensive teams. The same can be said about Double Dance sets.
Checks & Counters
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**Latios and Latias**: Both of these Pokemon are probably the most common offensive checks to Landorus. They can survive any of its attacks and retaliate with a Draco Meteor or Psyshock. They also have access to Roost to recover off any damage taken by switching in. Their only downside is being weak to Pursuit, which can make them easy to eliminate without careful play.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Chansey, specially defensive Dragonite, specially defensive Mandibuzz, and Assault Vest Tornadus-T all make for decent switch-ins to Landorus. They can each switch into its moves relatively easily and retaliate by either hitting it with a Toxic or one of their own powerful attacks. They each face their own problems with specific Landorus sets. Chansey is crippled by Knock Off, Mandibuzz gets smashed by a +1 Focus Blast, and Tornadus-T can also come in on Knock Off and lose its Assault Vest. Dragonite also needs to be at close to full health to survive and hates losing its Leftovers to Knock Off.
**Faster Pokemon and Priority**: Landorus, while not slow, is not particularly fast either, and it has no form of priority to compensate for this. Pokemon such as Keldeo and Greninja can come in and revenge kill it with their STAB Water-type moves. Thundurus, Mega Manectric, and Raikou can all KO Landorus with Hidden Power Ice after some prior damage. Choice Band Talonflame and Azumarill can pick off weakened Landorus with their powerful priority attacks. Finally, Mamoswine and Weavile both can OHKO Landorus with their STAB Ice Shard.
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