[OVERVIEW]
Landorus's above-average Speed and wide array of coverage moves allow it to threaten many common Pokemon in the VGC 2016 metagame. It most notably finds its place as a check to Primal Groudon, as Landorus is one of the few Pokemon capable of reliably OHKOing it. That's about where its positive qualities end, however. Landorus's frailty means that even strong neutral attacks are likely to OHKO it. It's also relatively one dimensional, making it fairly predictable. Furthermore, Landorus having a completely useless ability in Sand Force means that it often finds itself lacking in damage output on neutral hits. Teams preparing for Primal Groudon so heavily doesn't do Landorus any favors either, as it may struggle to make good use of its Ground-type STAB moves. Finally, it faces competition from its alternative forme, Landorus-T, which is generally the better Ground-type attacker, thanks in part to Intimidate making it a better team supporter.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Sludge Bomb
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Force
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Earth Power is the main reason to use Landorus, as it allows it to eliminate all but the bulkiest of Primal Groudon sets. Earth Power also heavily damages common foes such as Aegislash and OHKOes most variants of Mega Mawile. Hidden Power Ice offers excellent coverage against the Flying-type foes immune to Earth Power such as Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, and it OHKOes all three of them if they are not investing in bulk. Delta Stream can make Mega Rayquaza problematic, however, as it will prevent Hidden Power Ice from being a guaranteed 2HKO. Grass Knot is used primarily to hit Primal Kyogre super effectively, dealing a large chunk of damage to it. Alternatively, Sludge Bomb can be used to deal significant amounts of damage to Xerneas, provided it hasn't already set up Geomancy. Protect is important to shield Landorus from attacks while its partner eliminates a threat or maneuvers into a better position.
Set Details
========
Life Orb is the recommended item, as it's necessary to improve Landorus's otherwise poor damage output up to acceptable levels. It's unfortunately stuck with Sand Force as an ability instead of its much better, but illegal, ability in Sheer Force. Sand is almost impossible to set up as a result of the Primal weather conditions not allowing it be active, so don't expect to ever receive its boost. A Timid nature and 252 Speed EVs are needed to allow Landorus to outpace the base 100 Speed tier, which is one of the biggest reasons to use Landorus in the first place. Special Attack EVs are maximized in order for Landorus to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Landorus should generally be brought out in the late-game, after an ally Pokemon has fainted, in order to decrease the number of options its targets have to switch out to. This also helps Landorus eliminate the opponent's Pokemon after they've been softened up over the course of the battle. Making predictions when using Landorus is almost always necessary due to the large number of Pokemon it threatens, forcing switches. This also makes Landorus a very high-risk, high-reward Pokemon that can end up doing nothing if played incorrectly. An example prediction would be using Hidden Power Ice to hit a Ground-weak foe, as the opponent will often attempt to switch to a Flying-type to avoid Earth Power. Be cautious around Electric-types, as while they might seem like easy prey for Landorus, they frequently carry Hidden Power Ice themselves, making them dangerous foes.
Team Options
========
Whimsicott and Crobat make for effective partners for Landorus due to their Tailwind support, which allows Landorus to outpace ordinarily faster foes such as Mega Salamence and Mega Rayquaza. Whimsicott's Fake Tears and Crobat's Super Fang also help Landorus pick up OHKOs on Pokemon like Mega Kangaskhan and Primal Kyogre, which it would otherwise miss out on. Xerneas is another good partner, as it appreciates Landorus's Ground-type STAB attacks for eliminating checks such as Aegislash, Mega Mawile, and Primal Groudon. In terms of defensive support for Landorus, Dark- and Ghost-types such as Yveltal, Weavile, and Gengar are useful for checking Cresselia, which is a problematic Pokemon thanks to its access to Levitate and Ice Beam. Sporting additional means to combat Primal Kyogre is also useful, so Grass- and Electric-types such as Ferrothorn and Raichu are also great partners.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Knock Off is probably the strongest of Landorus's other options, as it allows for the removal of Xerneas's Power Herb before it can use Geomancy, locking it into the move for another turn. Knock Off is also effective coverage against Cresselia and Gengar, two Pokemon that Landorus would otherwise struggle to deal much damage to. Stone Edge and Rock Slide can be useful for damaging foes such as Ho-Oh and Talonflame, which are hit 4x super effectively by them, and even Crobat as well, but be aware that both moves have less than perfect accuracy. Psychic can be an effective means to eliminate foes such as Amoonguss and Gengar. Focus Blast hits Mega Kangaskhan and Ferrothorn hard, but its poor accuracy leaves something to be desired. U-turn can be effective for momentum, allowing you to, for example, switch in a Primal Pokemon on the same turn Landorus switches out in order to regain control of the weather. Role Play can serve as a more direct option to control the weather when used on an allied Primal Pokemon. Finally, if Life Orb is already being used on a teammate, Expert Belt is a reasonable alternative, as Landorus will mostly be focusing on super effective hits anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-type Pokemon**: Water-types are often bulky enough to take Landorus's Ground-type attacks with ease and, in addition to their super effective STAB moves, frequently carry Ice-type attacks like Ice Beam and Icy Wind to hit it for massive damage. Primal Kyogre, while threatened by Grass Knot, can easily eliminate Landorus in a single hit. Palkia is also a notable check to Landorus, as its Dragon typing means it's not threatened by Grass Knot. Ludicolo is threatened by Sludge Bomb but is otherwise easily able to switch into Landorus's Ground-type attacks thanks to its Grass typing and can then proceed to OHKO Landorus.
**Ice-type Pokemon**: As Landorus is 4x weak to Ice, it stands to reason that Ice-type Pokemon are effective counters to Landorus. Weavile is the most notable example of this, as its high Speed and access to Icicle Crash mean it can easily OHKO Landorus. Kyurem frequently holds a Choice Scarf and can therefore outspeed and OHKO Landorus with either Ice Beam or Blizzard depending on whether Gravity is up or not.
**Faster Pokemon**: Any Pokemon with Ice-type attacks that outspeed Landorus threaten it. Greninja gains STAB on Ice Beam as a result of Protean and can therefore scare Landorus. Mewtwo also has access to Ice Beam and has an easy time eliminating Landorus from the field. Mega Rayquaza, while not often able to hit Landorus super effectively, still outspeeds it and deals massive damage with moves such as Dragon Ascent and Draco Meteor.
**Speed Control**: As one of Landorus's most important traits is its better-than-average Speed, eliminating this through the use of speed control strips it of its effectiveness. Tailwind is one means of doing this, as even the slowest of Pokemon can often outpace Landorus after their Speed is doubled. Trick Room from users such as Cresselia can prove equally as effective.
Landorus's above-average Speed and wide array of coverage moves allow it to threaten many common Pokemon in the VGC 2016 metagame. It most notably finds its place as a check to Primal Groudon, as Landorus is one of the few Pokemon capable of reliably OHKOing it. That's about where its positive qualities end, however. Landorus's frailty means that even strong neutral attacks are likely to OHKO it. It's also relatively one dimensional, making it fairly predictable. Furthermore, Landorus having a completely useless ability in Sand Force means that it often finds itself lacking in damage output on neutral hits. Teams preparing for Primal Groudon so heavily doesn't do Landorus any favors either, as it may struggle to make good use of its Ground-type STAB moves. Finally, it faces competition from its alternative forme, Landorus-T, which is generally the better Ground-type attacker, thanks in part to Intimidate making it a better team supporter.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Grass Knot / Sludge Bomb
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Sand Force
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Earth Power is the main reason to use Landorus, as it allows it to eliminate all but the bulkiest of Primal Groudon sets. Earth Power also heavily damages common foes such as Aegislash and OHKOes most variants of Mega Mawile. Hidden Power Ice offers excellent coverage against the Flying-type foes immune to Earth Power such as Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, and it OHKOes all three of them if they are not investing in bulk. Delta Stream can make Mega Rayquaza problematic, however, as it will prevent Hidden Power Ice from being a guaranteed 2HKO. Grass Knot is used primarily to hit Primal Kyogre super effectively, dealing a large chunk of damage to it. Alternatively, Sludge Bomb can be used to deal significant amounts of damage to Xerneas, provided it hasn't already set up Geomancy. Protect is important to shield Landorus from attacks while its partner eliminates a threat or maneuvers into a better position.
Set Details
========
Life Orb is the recommended item, as it's necessary to improve Landorus's otherwise poor damage output up to acceptable levels. It's unfortunately stuck with Sand Force as an ability instead of its much better, but illegal, ability in Sheer Force. Sand is almost impossible to set up as a result of the Primal weather conditions not allowing it be active, so don't expect to ever receive its boost. A Timid nature and 252 Speed EVs are needed to allow Landorus to outpace the base 100 Speed tier, which is one of the biggest reasons to use Landorus in the first place. Special Attack EVs are maximized in order for Landorus to hit as hard as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Landorus should generally be brought out in the late-game, after an ally Pokemon has fainted, in order to decrease the number of options its targets have to switch out to. This also helps Landorus eliminate the opponent's Pokemon after they've been softened up over the course of the battle. Making predictions when using Landorus is almost always necessary due to the large number of Pokemon it threatens, forcing switches. This also makes Landorus a very high-risk, high-reward Pokemon that can end up doing nothing if played incorrectly. An example prediction would be using Hidden Power Ice to hit a Ground-weak foe, as the opponent will often attempt to switch to a Flying-type to avoid Earth Power. Be cautious around Electric-types, as while they might seem like easy prey for Landorus, they frequently carry Hidden Power Ice themselves, making them dangerous foes.
Team Options
========
Whimsicott and Crobat make for effective partners for Landorus due to their Tailwind support, which allows Landorus to outpace ordinarily faster foes such as Mega Salamence and Mega Rayquaza. Whimsicott's Fake Tears and Crobat's Super Fang also help Landorus pick up OHKOs on Pokemon like Mega Kangaskhan and Primal Kyogre, which it would otherwise miss out on. Xerneas is another good partner, as it appreciates Landorus's Ground-type STAB attacks for eliminating checks such as Aegislash, Mega Mawile, and Primal Groudon. In terms of defensive support for Landorus, Dark- and Ghost-types such as Yveltal, Weavile, and Gengar are useful for checking Cresselia, which is a problematic Pokemon thanks to its access to Levitate and Ice Beam. Sporting additional means to combat Primal Kyogre is also useful, so Grass- and Electric-types such as Ferrothorn and Raichu are also great partners.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Knock Off is probably the strongest of Landorus's other options, as it allows for the removal of Xerneas's Power Herb before it can use Geomancy, locking it into the move for another turn. Knock Off is also effective coverage against Cresselia and Gengar, two Pokemon that Landorus would otherwise struggle to deal much damage to. Stone Edge and Rock Slide can be useful for damaging foes such as Ho-Oh and Talonflame, which are hit 4x super effectively by them, and even Crobat as well, but be aware that both moves have less than perfect accuracy. Psychic can be an effective means to eliminate foes such as Amoonguss and Gengar. Focus Blast hits Mega Kangaskhan and Ferrothorn hard, but its poor accuracy leaves something to be desired. U-turn can be effective for momentum, allowing you to, for example, switch in a Primal Pokemon on the same turn Landorus switches out in order to regain control of the weather. Role Play can serve as a more direct option to control the weather when used on an allied Primal Pokemon. Finally, if Life Orb is already being used on a teammate, Expert Belt is a reasonable alternative, as Landorus will mostly be focusing on super effective hits anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-type Pokemon**: Water-types are often bulky enough to take Landorus's Ground-type attacks with ease and, in addition to their super effective STAB moves, frequently carry Ice-type attacks like Ice Beam and Icy Wind to hit it for massive damage. Primal Kyogre, while threatened by Grass Knot, can easily eliminate Landorus in a single hit. Palkia is also a notable check to Landorus, as its Dragon typing means it's not threatened by Grass Knot. Ludicolo is threatened by Sludge Bomb but is otherwise easily able to switch into Landorus's Ground-type attacks thanks to its Grass typing and can then proceed to OHKO Landorus.
**Ice-type Pokemon**: As Landorus is 4x weak to Ice, it stands to reason that Ice-type Pokemon are effective counters to Landorus. Weavile is the most notable example of this, as its high Speed and access to Icicle Crash mean it can easily OHKO Landorus. Kyurem frequently holds a Choice Scarf and can therefore outspeed and OHKO Landorus with either Ice Beam or Blizzard depending on whether Gravity is up or not.
**Faster Pokemon**: Any Pokemon with Ice-type attacks that outspeed Landorus threaten it. Greninja gains STAB on Ice Beam as a result of Protean and can therefore scare Landorus. Mewtwo also has access to Ice Beam and has an easy time eliminating Landorus from the field. Mega Rayquaza, while not often able to hit Landorus super effectively, still outspeeds it and deals massive damage with moves such as Dragon Ascent and Draco Meteor.
**Speed Control**: As one of Landorus's most important traits is its better-than-average Speed, eliminating this through the use of speed control strips it of its effectiveness. Tailwind is one means of doing this, as even the slowest of Pokemon can often outpace Landorus after their Speed is doubled. Trick Room from users such as Cresselia can prove equally as effective.
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