[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake / Earth Power
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Taunt / Grass Knot
item: Rocky Helmet
tera type: Water / Steel
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With the combination of its ability, stats, movepool, and typing, Landorus-T is one of the best bulky pivots in the tier. Landorus-T can also be useful against physical threats, chipping them with Rocky Helmet and reducing their damage with Intimidate. Stealth Rock allows it to bring utility to the team, and it can set them up after it comes in on the many Pokemon it checks. It is also able to keep them up either against the Defoggers or the spinners of the tier, depending on if it runs Taunt or Grass Knot, respectively. Earthquake can be used as a powerful STAB move, hitting hard even if uninvested, but Earth Power is also an option to be able to chip key Pokemon like Iron Defense Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Breaking Swipe Gouging Fire. U-turn means that Landorus-T can come on the field and check some key Pokemon like Kingambit, Roaring Moon, and non-Ice Spinner Dragonite while also gaining mometum with ease. Taunt can be used to prevent Pokemon like Gliscor and Ting-Lu from putting up entry hazards against it, letting it U-turn after to an ally that can threaten them out. It is also useful to limit setup sweepers like Dragonite, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit, making them easier to revenge kill. Grass Knot is an alternative mostly to hit Great Tusk and Ting-Lu harder while staying on the field. Landorus-T can run an Impish nature with Earthquake and U-turn to do notable damage or go with a Bold nature to not weaken its Earth Power and Grass Knot. A Landorus-T using Taunt will run 36 Speed EVs to outspeed defensive Gliscor, preventing it from setting up Spikes or using Toxic, meaning it can reliably pivot out on Gliscor without its teammates needing to worry about those moves. However, maximum HP and Defense investment can be used to maximize its defensive capabilities. Tera Water is used as an overall great defensive type, letting it turn the tables on Great Tusk's Ice Spinner, Weavile's Triple Axel, and Gouging Fire's Fire-type attacks. It synergizes well with its Rocky Helmet by punishing those contact moves hard, particularly weakening Weavile heavily, if it decides to Tera. Tera Steel is also an option, letting it resist Ice-type attacks, notably Freeze-Dry from Kyurem, and to be able to more reliably check Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Meowscarada. It is important to note that Tera Steel leaves it vulnerable to Earthquakes from opposing Landorus-T, as well as Great Tusk. Rocky Helmet in general is useful to punish opposing Landorus-T U-turns, as well as moves from some key Pokemon like Zamazenta.
Due to its characteristics, Landorus-T fits on more on offense and bulky offense teams, which love its ability to support its teammates by letting them come on the field safely. It is a good partner for Gholdengo, especially defensive variants, as it appreciates Landorus-T's ability to switch into some of the Dark-types such as Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Roaring Moon, while Gholdengo forces Skarmory, opposing Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Corviknight to switch out, even preventing a Defog from the latter. Kyurem is also a good partner, appreciating the free switch-ins Landorus-T provides for it to release its powerful attacks like Draco Meteor and Ice Beam while also being able to switch in on opposing Landorus-T and Serperior. Ogerpon-W is also a good choice, as Landorus-T can minimize the damage from Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Rillboom while chipping them with the Rocky Helmet, U-turns, or its STAB moves. Kingambit is also notable, as it offers a switch-in to Meowscarada's and Weavile's Triple Axel, while Landorus-T can toy with Skarmory and Corviknight with Taunt and beat Zamazenta. Some of the scariest setup Pokemon benefit from Landorus-T's Intimidate to set up, including Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, and Gouging Fire. Landorus-T will struggle to keep itself healthy on more balanced and defensive teams due to the lack of reliable recovery. Alomomola can be a good partner with its Wish while also being able to safely switch into Weavile, Great Tusk, and Barraskewda. Another good partner is Corviknight, which can come in on special Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Meowscarada more easily while creating a U-turn spam core.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slikkles.519103/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bt89.487308/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake / Earth Power
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Taunt / Grass Knot
item: Rocky Helmet
tera type: Water / Steel
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
With the combination of its ability, stats, movepool, and typing, Landorus-T is one of the best bulky pivots in the tier. Landorus-T can also be useful against physical threats, chipping them with Rocky Helmet and reducing their damage with Intimidate. Stealth Rock allows it to bring utility to the team, and it can set them up after it comes in on the many Pokemon it checks. It is also able to keep them up either against the Defoggers or the spinners of the tier, depending on if it runs Taunt or Grass Knot, respectively. Earthquake can be used as a powerful STAB move, hitting hard even if uninvested, but Earth Power is also an option to be able to chip key Pokemon like Iron Defense Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Breaking Swipe Gouging Fire. U-turn means that Landorus-T can come on the field and check some key Pokemon like Kingambit, Roaring Moon, and non-Ice Spinner Dragonite while also gaining mometum with ease. Taunt can be used to prevent Pokemon like Gliscor and Ting-Lu from putting up entry hazards against it, letting it U-turn after to an ally that can threaten them out. It is also useful to limit setup sweepers like Dragonite, Gouging Fire, and Kingambit, making them easier to revenge kill. Grass Knot is an alternative mostly to hit Great Tusk and Ting-Lu harder while staying on the field. Landorus-T can run an Impish nature with Earthquake and U-turn to do notable damage or go with a Bold nature to not weaken its Earth Power and Grass Knot. A Landorus-T using Taunt will run 36 Speed EVs to outspeed defensive Gliscor, preventing it from setting up Spikes or using Toxic, meaning it can reliably pivot out on Gliscor without its teammates needing to worry about those moves. However, maximum HP and Defense investment can be used to maximize its defensive capabilities. Tera Water is used as an overall great defensive type, letting it turn the tables on Great Tusk's Ice Spinner, Weavile's Triple Axel, and Gouging Fire's Fire-type attacks. It synergizes well with its Rocky Helmet by punishing those contact moves hard, particularly weakening Weavile heavily, if it decides to Tera. Tera Steel is also an option, letting it resist Ice-type attacks, notably Freeze-Dry from Kyurem, and to be able to more reliably check Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Meowscarada. It is important to note that Tera Steel leaves it vulnerable to Earthquakes from opposing Landorus-T, as well as Great Tusk. Rocky Helmet in general is useful to punish opposing Landorus-T U-turns, as well as moves from some key Pokemon like Zamazenta.
Due to its characteristics, Landorus-T fits on more on offense and bulky offense teams, which love its ability to support its teammates by letting them come on the field safely. It is a good partner for Gholdengo, especially defensive variants, as it appreciates Landorus-T's ability to switch into some of the Dark-types such as Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Roaring Moon, while Gholdengo forces Skarmory, opposing Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Corviknight to switch out, even preventing a Defog from the latter. Kyurem is also a good partner, appreciating the free switch-ins Landorus-T provides for it to release its powerful attacks like Draco Meteor and Ice Beam while also being able to switch in on opposing Landorus-T and Serperior. Ogerpon-W is also a good choice, as Landorus-T can minimize the damage from Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire, and Rillboom while chipping them with the Rocky Helmet, U-turns, or its STAB moves. Kingambit is also notable, as it offers a switch-in to Meowscarada's and Weavile's Triple Axel, while Landorus-T can toy with Skarmory and Corviknight with Taunt and beat Zamazenta. Some of the scariest setup Pokemon benefit from Landorus-T's Intimidate to set up, including Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, and Gouging Fire. Landorus-T will struggle to keep itself healthy on more balanced and defensive teams due to the lack of reliable recovery. Alomomola can be a good partner with its Wish while also being able to safely switch into Weavile, Great Tusk, and Barraskewda. Another good partner is Corviknight, which can come in on special Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Meowscarada more easily while creating a U-turn spam core.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/slikkles.519103/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bt89.487308/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/alkazoth.518682/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
