(approved by scpinion)
QC: Zarif / iVid / SirSkit
GP: Rare Poison / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
**Water**:
Thanks to Volt Absorb, Lanturn has a rare Electric immunity, which is essential for all Water teams to function reliably. It's also unique in that its low weight makes it relatively unthreatened by Grass Knot, making it the only Electric-immune Pokemon able to beat Thundurus. To complement its immunity, Lanturn has fantastic mixed bulk, primarily due to its massive HP stat, and can switch into many special attacks safely. It's packed with many support options such as being able to spread burns with Scald, poison with Toxic, and even paralysis with Thunder Wave. Lanturn is also the only viable user of Heal Bell, which makes it a necessity for any defensive team, and is therefore difficult to take down via status. Lanturn is slow but uses that to its advantage by bringing a slow Volt Switch to the table, which helps it escape bad situations and pivot teammates in safely. It does lack reliable recovery, though, making it very easily worn down with no way to substantially heal. Lanturn has disappointing Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense, making it more of a very weak pivot than a wall. Setup sweepers that don't fear Scald burns, such as Lum Berry Bisharp, can easily take advantage of Lanturn's lack of power. Lanturn is also weak to Ground-type attacks, which many other utility options on Water teams are weak to as well, making it somewhat difficult to have good type synergy.
[SET]
name: Support (Water)
move 1: Scald
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Toxic / Thunder Wave
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Calm
evs: 40 HP / 216 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald makes Lanturn difficult to switch into, thanks to its chance to burn, and gives Lanturn decent offensive presence, in spite of its lack of damage output. Heal Bell is used to provide cleric support to the team by healing status ailments. Toxic is the preferred status move to put the opponent's team on a timer and to deal meaningful damage to foes. Defensive Pokemon are crippled by the scaling damage, and when Toxic is combined with Heal Bell, Lanturn is capable of defeating opposing walls, even those that rely on status such as Zapdos, with it. Thunder Wave is an alternative to Toxic for more balanced teams, as Lanturn can slow down opposing threats such as Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Kyurem-B to allow its teammates more breathing room. It does, however, make Lanturn lose to most walls such as Porygon2. As the final move, Volt Switch gives Lanturn an option to pivot out while keeping up momentum. Thanks to its low Speed and ability to force out foes, it can safely bring in teammates.
Set Details
========
Volt Absorb is used to give Lanturn an Electric immunity, making it a very reliable switch-in to almost all Electric-type attacks. Leftovers is the preferred item to give Lanturn some form of recovery. Because of its bulk, Lanturn can often receive a great amount of recovery over a long match. The HP EVs put Lanturn at a Leftovers number, maximizing its only recovery option. Maximum Special Defense investment and a Calm nature help make Lanturn able to switch into more special attacks for the team. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense to try to give Lanturn as much mixed bulk as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Take full advantage of Lanturn's Volt Absorb to bring it into threatening Electric-type attacks. Volt Absorb also helps heal Lanturn on occasion, but this shouldn't be relied upon. Lanturn should mainly be used to pivot in between teammates by bringing it in and Volt Switching out. Lanturn can also use Volt Switch defensively to avoid its checks as they come in, such as Mew. While Lanturn is weak to Grass-type attacks, its low weight makes it take very little damage from Grass Knot, so freely pivot Lanturn into its users such as Thundurus. Because it relies heavily on Leftovers for recovery, do be careful of letting Lanturn be worn down too quickly, though, if its Electric immunity is critical for the matchup. It should avoid switching into and facing Knock Off users such as Bisharp in most cases, to protect its Leftovers. Lanturn should seek to spread status whenever it's in and doesn't want to immediately pivot out. Against more defensive teams, Toxic should be used liberally to wear down walls. However, if it's using Thunder Wave instead, be careful not to paralyze opposing walls, as burning them is preferred for the residual damage. Against more offensive teams, Thunder Wave and Scald can be used freely to cripple threats such as Kingdra and Togekiss. Use Heal Bell when necessary to cleanse status ailments. While conserving PP is important in matchups against stall teams, Lanturn cannot afford to take many turns of burn or poison damage due to its lack of recovery, so if Lanturn is afflicted by status, make sure to Heal Bell as soon as possible.
Team Options
========
Thanks to its bulk, Lanturn fits on pretty much any balanced or stall team. Almost all of Water appreciates its Volt Absorb, and all stall teams will want its Heal Bell support. Physical attackers such as Azumarill and Mega Gyarados are much less afraid of Scald when Lanturn can use Heal Bell to cleanse their status. Alomomola is one of the best teammates for Lanturn, as it can pass huge Wishes to Lanturn and can also switch into most physical attackers that threaten Lanturn. Notably, Ground-type attackers such as Landorus-T are easily walled by it. Slowbro can also easily wall many physical attackers, including Mega Medicham. Both Alomomola and Calm Mind Slowbro hate status, which Lanturn can cleanse in return. Tentacruel provides a lot of utility that Lanturn needs: it can set Toxic Spikes, saving Lanturn the effort of poisoning foes, and use Rapid Spin, keeping Lanturn from needing to take extra damage from entry hazards. Tentacruel and Empoleon, a Stealth Rock setter, are very often paired with Lanturn for their ability to switch into Grass-type attacks, although they do compound the Ground weakness. Sap Sipper Azumarill is a notable teammate that can also serve as a counter to many Grass-types. Starmie is an entry hazard remover that can be used on more offensive teams. Swampert is a defensive option that can take Earthquakes quite easily while setting up Stealth Rock and acting as a secondary Electric immunity for the likes of Kyurem-B. As another physically bulky Ground-type, Quagsire is a good teammate for its Unaware ability, making it a very reliable answer to setup sweepers such as Bisharp. Attackers in general appreciate Lanturn's diverse status capabilities; poisoned walls are easier to break down, and paralyzed revenge killers are neutered. Setup sweepers such as Tail Glow Manaphy and Mega Gyarados are good receivers of Lanturn's slow Volt Switch, as they only need one or two free turns to become almost unstoppable after setting up. Bounce Gyarados is particularly good for its Ground immunity, which Lanturn appreciates being able to Volt Switch into, and its use of Bounce to take out Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur. Volcanion and Keldeo are great wallbreakers that can also be brought in with Volt Switch to bring down clerics such as Togekiss and Chansey that try to switch into Lanturn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
**Water**:
A more physically defensive spread is usable but makes Lanturn more easily worn down by special attackers such as Thundurus. Furthermore, Lanturn's physical bulk will still be subpar. More HP investment is also usable, taking out of Defense, to improve Lanturn's special bulk further, but the net gains are minimal in comparison to the loss of physical bulk. A RestTalk set is usable to provide Lanturn with some form of recovery but results in losing much of Lanturn's utility and causes it to be even more vulnerable setup fodder.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water**:
**Ground-types**: Although few can switch into Scald for fear of being burned or taking serious damage, wallbreakers such as Landorus, Mega Garchomp, and Excadrill can easily threaten to OHKO Lanturn. They can also block Lanturn's Volt Switch attempts.
**Grass-types**: While Lanturn is capable of burning them with Scald or Volt Switching out of harm, Grass-types generally don't fear Lanturn, and the likes of Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn, which are immune to Toxic, can easily switch in and threaten it.
**Wallbreakers**: Powerful attackers such as Mega Medicham, Hoopa-U, and Dragonite are capable of outright OHKOing Lanturn, although they generally hate to be burned by Scald or poisoned by Toxic.
**Stallbreakers**: Stallbreakers that use Taunt such as Gliscor and Mew can cripple Lanturn and prevent it from cleansing its status. Others such as Rain Dance Manaphy and Calm Mind Clefable can easily set up on Lanturn as it pivots out. Gliscor and Manaphy in particular are notable for not being meaningfully affected by any status ailments.
**Substitute**: Because Lanturn lacks damage and typically relies on using status, Substitute users such as Mega Gardevoir can be difficult for it to handle. Substitute setup sweepers such as Raikou are especially problematic, as Lanturn cannot break their Substitute as it pivots out.
QC: Zarif / iVid / SirSkit
GP: Rare Poison / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
**Water**:
Thanks to Volt Absorb, Lanturn has a rare Electric immunity, which is essential for all Water teams to function reliably. It's also unique in that its low weight makes it relatively unthreatened by Grass Knot, making it the only Electric-immune Pokemon able to beat Thundurus. To complement its immunity, Lanturn has fantastic mixed bulk, primarily due to its massive HP stat, and can switch into many special attacks safely. It's packed with many support options such as being able to spread burns with Scald, poison with Toxic, and even paralysis with Thunder Wave. Lanturn is also the only viable user of Heal Bell, which makes it a necessity for any defensive team, and is therefore difficult to take down via status. Lanturn is slow but uses that to its advantage by bringing a slow Volt Switch to the table, which helps it escape bad situations and pivot teammates in safely. It does lack reliable recovery, though, making it very easily worn down with no way to substantially heal. Lanturn has disappointing Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense, making it more of a very weak pivot than a wall. Setup sweepers that don't fear Scald burns, such as Lum Berry Bisharp, can easily take advantage of Lanturn's lack of power. Lanturn is also weak to Ground-type attacks, which many other utility options on Water teams are weak to as well, making it somewhat difficult to have good type synergy.
[SET]
name: Support (Water)
move 1: Scald
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Toxic / Thunder Wave
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Calm
evs: 40 HP / 216 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald makes Lanturn difficult to switch into, thanks to its chance to burn, and gives Lanturn decent offensive presence, in spite of its lack of damage output. Heal Bell is used to provide cleric support to the team by healing status ailments. Toxic is the preferred status move to put the opponent's team on a timer and to deal meaningful damage to foes. Defensive Pokemon are crippled by the scaling damage, and when Toxic is combined with Heal Bell, Lanturn is capable of defeating opposing walls, even those that rely on status such as Zapdos, with it. Thunder Wave is an alternative to Toxic for more balanced teams, as Lanturn can slow down opposing threats such as Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Kyurem-B to allow its teammates more breathing room. It does, however, make Lanturn lose to most walls such as Porygon2. As the final move, Volt Switch gives Lanturn an option to pivot out while keeping up momentum. Thanks to its low Speed and ability to force out foes, it can safely bring in teammates.
Set Details
========
Volt Absorb is used to give Lanturn an Electric immunity, making it a very reliable switch-in to almost all Electric-type attacks. Leftovers is the preferred item to give Lanturn some form of recovery. Because of its bulk, Lanturn can often receive a great amount of recovery over a long match. The HP EVs put Lanturn at a Leftovers number, maximizing its only recovery option. Maximum Special Defense investment and a Calm nature help make Lanturn able to switch into more special attacks for the team. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense to try to give Lanturn as much mixed bulk as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Take full advantage of Lanturn's Volt Absorb to bring it into threatening Electric-type attacks. Volt Absorb also helps heal Lanturn on occasion, but this shouldn't be relied upon. Lanturn should mainly be used to pivot in between teammates by bringing it in and Volt Switching out. Lanturn can also use Volt Switch defensively to avoid its checks as they come in, such as Mew. While Lanturn is weak to Grass-type attacks, its low weight makes it take very little damage from Grass Knot, so freely pivot Lanturn into its users such as Thundurus. Because it relies heavily on Leftovers for recovery, do be careful of letting Lanturn be worn down too quickly, though, if its Electric immunity is critical for the matchup. It should avoid switching into and facing Knock Off users such as Bisharp in most cases, to protect its Leftovers. Lanturn should seek to spread status whenever it's in and doesn't want to immediately pivot out. Against more defensive teams, Toxic should be used liberally to wear down walls. However, if it's using Thunder Wave instead, be careful not to paralyze opposing walls, as burning them is preferred for the residual damage. Against more offensive teams, Thunder Wave and Scald can be used freely to cripple threats such as Kingdra and Togekiss. Use Heal Bell when necessary to cleanse status ailments. While conserving PP is important in matchups against stall teams, Lanturn cannot afford to take many turns of burn or poison damage due to its lack of recovery, so if Lanturn is afflicted by status, make sure to Heal Bell as soon as possible.
Team Options
========
Thanks to its bulk, Lanturn fits on pretty much any balanced or stall team. Almost all of Water appreciates its Volt Absorb, and all stall teams will want its Heal Bell support. Physical attackers such as Azumarill and Mega Gyarados are much less afraid of Scald when Lanturn can use Heal Bell to cleanse their status. Alomomola is one of the best teammates for Lanturn, as it can pass huge Wishes to Lanturn and can also switch into most physical attackers that threaten Lanturn. Notably, Ground-type attackers such as Landorus-T are easily walled by it. Slowbro can also easily wall many physical attackers, including Mega Medicham. Both Alomomola and Calm Mind Slowbro hate status, which Lanturn can cleanse in return. Tentacruel provides a lot of utility that Lanturn needs: it can set Toxic Spikes, saving Lanturn the effort of poisoning foes, and use Rapid Spin, keeping Lanturn from needing to take extra damage from entry hazards. Tentacruel and Empoleon, a Stealth Rock setter, are very often paired with Lanturn for their ability to switch into Grass-type attacks, although they do compound the Ground weakness. Sap Sipper Azumarill is a notable teammate that can also serve as a counter to many Grass-types. Starmie is an entry hazard remover that can be used on more offensive teams. Swampert is a defensive option that can take Earthquakes quite easily while setting up Stealth Rock and acting as a secondary Electric immunity for the likes of Kyurem-B. As another physically bulky Ground-type, Quagsire is a good teammate for its Unaware ability, making it a very reliable answer to setup sweepers such as Bisharp. Attackers in general appreciate Lanturn's diverse status capabilities; poisoned walls are easier to break down, and paralyzed revenge killers are neutered. Setup sweepers such as Tail Glow Manaphy and Mega Gyarados are good receivers of Lanturn's slow Volt Switch, as they only need one or two free turns to become almost unstoppable after setting up. Bounce Gyarados is particularly good for its Ground immunity, which Lanturn appreciates being able to Volt Switch into, and its use of Bounce to take out Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur. Volcanion and Keldeo are great wallbreakers that can also be brought in with Volt Switch to bring down clerics such as Togekiss and Chansey that try to switch into Lanturn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
**Water**:
A more physically defensive spread is usable but makes Lanturn more easily worn down by special attackers such as Thundurus. Furthermore, Lanturn's physical bulk will still be subpar. More HP investment is also usable, taking out of Defense, to improve Lanturn's special bulk further, but the net gains are minimal in comparison to the loss of physical bulk. A RestTalk set is usable to provide Lanturn with some form of recovery but results in losing much of Lanturn's utility and causes it to be even more vulnerable setup fodder.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water**:
**Ground-types**: Although few can switch into Scald for fear of being burned or taking serious damage, wallbreakers such as Landorus, Mega Garchomp, and Excadrill can easily threaten to OHKO Lanturn. They can also block Lanturn's Volt Switch attempts.
**Grass-types**: While Lanturn is capable of burning them with Scald or Volt Switching out of harm, Grass-types generally don't fear Lanturn, and the likes of Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn, which are immune to Toxic, can easily switch in and threaten it.
**Wallbreakers**: Powerful attackers such as Mega Medicham, Hoopa-U, and Dragonite are capable of outright OHKOing Lanturn, although they generally hate to be burned by Scald or poisoned by Toxic.
**Stallbreakers**: Stallbreakers that use Taunt such as Gliscor and Mew can cripple Lanturn and prevent it from cleansing its status. Others such as Rain Dance Manaphy and Calm Mind Clefable can easily set up on Lanturn as it pivots out. Gliscor and Manaphy in particular are notable for not being meaningfully affected by any status ailments.
**Substitute**: Because Lanturn lacks damage and typically relies on using status, Substitute users such as Mega Gardevoir can be difficult for it to handle. Substitute setup sweepers such as Raikou are especially problematic, as Lanturn cannot break their Substitute as it pivots out.
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