◠‿◠
[SET]
name: Expert Belt
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Expert Belt
ability: Sand Force
nature: Naive
evs: 228 Atk / 28 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Landorus is possibly the best user of Expert Belt in OU thanks to his fantastic mixed attacking stats and excellent movepool. Because he's often assumed to be a Choice Scarf user if Leftovers or Life Orb haven't been revealed, Landorus can catch a lot of Pokemon off-guard if they think he is locked into a single attack. This set excels at luring common Ground-type resistant Pokemon, such as Gliscor and Dragonite, that think they can come in for free on a Choice-locked Earthquake, only to eat a super effective Hidden Power Ice boosted by Expert Belt the next turn. While Landorus is undoubtedly a potent lure, his uses certainly don't end there. An impressive base 101 Speed means Landorus can be a dangerous late-game sweeper once physical walls have been weakened enough, while access to U-turn allows Landorus to scout and preserve momentum.</p>
<p>Earthquake and Stone Edge are two extremely powerful moves when coming off an immense base 125 Attack, and when combined with potential Sand Force and Expert Belt boosts, not many Pokemon will be willing to switch into this sand genie. Hidden Power Ice is arguably the crux of the set, as it provides Landorus a means of eliminating Gliscor, who is one of Choice Scarf Landorus's primary counters. U-turn may seem like a filler attack, but it's very useful for feigning a Choice Scarf and it allows Landorus to scout incoming Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Speed is necessary to make use of Landorus's amazing Speed tier, as he outpaces common threats such as Salamence, Celebi, Jirachi, and Volcarona. The slight investment in Special Attack lets Landorus OHKO Gliscor even without Stealth Rock, while the rest of the EVs are dumped into Attack to give Landorus all the power he needs.</p>
<p>While Landorus's mixed attacking prowess makes switching into it a daunting task, Skarmory and Bronzong will happily hop in on any attack thanks to their superb typings. Scizor definitely will not want to take an Earthquake in the sand, but if it comes in safely, it will threaten to put Landorus out of commission with Bullet Punch if Landorus has sustained a little bit of prior damage. Rotom-W is a fairly decent switch-in to Landorus thanks to its immunity to Earthquake, and it has the ability to tank a Stone Edge and OHKO back with Hydro Pump. While they must be careful not to come in on the wrong attack, Latios, Starmie, and Gengar all resist at least one of Landorus's moves and will force him out thanks to their superior Speed and huge Special Attack stats. When using Landorus, the first Pokemon you'll likely want to pair him up with is Tyranitar, as his ability, Sand Stream, provides Landorus with eternal sandstorm weather to boost his attacks. Due to the nature of his counters, Landorus functions exceptionally well on trap teams, especially those with Magnezone and a Pursuit user. Magnezone can trap and eliminate pesky Steel-types, especially Skarmory, which will often facilitate a sweep for Landorus at the end of matches. Similarly, Pokemon like Choice Band Scizor or Choice Scarf Tyranitar can effectively eliminate the likes of Latios, Starmie, and Gengar, and they can often come in for free thanks to Landorus's U-turn. It might be worth partnering Landorus up with some sturdy Water-type resists, especially if Landorus is being used on a sand team. Rotom-W is an excellent choice because it counters Steel-types very well, while Starmie also deserves mention because it can spin away the hazards that Skarmory lays. Due to Landorus's ability to lure and OHKO Gliscor, Terrakion makes a very good partner because it can spam its powerful Close Combat with near impunity once Gliscor is out of the equation.</p>
