Martin
A monoid in the category of endofunctors
ランドロス
[OVERVIEW]
* Landorus-T is a staple pick due to its high versatility and good role compression making it very easy to fit onto teams.
* Between its great offensive and defensive typing, wide range of good options—most notably including U-turn and Stealth Rock—and access to Intimidate, Landorus-T has all the tools it needs to be an incredible pivot.
* Its only usable Flying-type STAB moves are Fly and Supersonic Skystrike.
* Its high Attack stat, satisfactory Speed stat, and access to U-turn to grab momentum make it a very solid Choice Scarf user.
* It lacks reliable recovery, making it easy to wear down.
* It is weak to two common types in Ice and Water.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Stone Edge / Knock Off
move 4: U-turn / Swords Dance
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is a reliable STAB attack.
* Stealth Rock chips away at your opponent's team as they switch around, which really adds up over time. Landorus-T is a very consistent user of the move.
* Stone Edge has near-perfect neutral coverage with Earthquake, with a special mention going to its ability to nail Mega Pinsir, allowing Landorus-T to check it. Also take note of how it catches Charizard before it Mega Evolves, preventing it from using Landorus-T for free Dragon Dances, as well as hitting Minior hard after forcing it to consume its White Herb with Intimidate.
* Knock Off is a good utility move, removing useful items like Shed Shell, Leftovers, Eviolite, and Rocky Helmet; it also nails Latios and Latias, among others. Most notably, this is useful against Skarmory when Landorus-T is paired with Magnezone, as it removes its Shed Shell, which makes it trappable later.
* A slow U-turn grabs momentum.
* Swords Dance is good to prevent Landorus-T from being complete bait against various Pokemon, such as Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Mega Scizor.
* Toxic catches bulky Pokemon like Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Mantine, and Buzzwole in one moveslot, but it doesn't have much immediate effect.
* Hidden Power Ice surprises opposing Landorus-T and other Pokemon that take quadruple damage from Ice-type attacks.
* Hidden Power Flying catches Buzzwole off guard.
Set Details
========
* The listed Special Defense investment lets Landorus-T avoids the OHKO from Life Orb Latios's Draco Meteor and the 2HKO from Life Orb Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam from full health.
* 16 Speed EVs let it outpace everything up to Adamant Tyranitar, including Jolly Azumarill and Magnezone.
* HP investment is maximized and the rest is dumped into Defense with an Impish nature to take as little from physical attacks as possible; this helps Landorus-T check Mega Charizard X and Excadrill, among other things.
* Relaxed is an option when utilizing Hidden Power to not lower its damage output; this also allows you to use U-turn after opposing Landorus-T consistently. If this nature is run, the 16 EVs in Speed should be moved into Defense.
* Rocky Helmet chips away at contact users, punishing U-turn and just generally doing lots of neat things. It can also somewhat bluff Choice Scarf; granted the power difference is pretty noticeable. It also has utility in making Rapid Spin fail to clear entry hazards from the field if the user is knocked out by the recoil.
* Leftovers can work and isn't necessarily a bad option, but the item works better on the more defensively inclined teams that Landorus-T isn't typically run on, whereas Rocky Helmet is better on the offensive teams that it is generally more effective on.
* Yache Berry is an option to better check Electric-types, but generally speaking this variant of Landorus-T prefers the utility provided by Rocky Helmet.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Landorus-T in on physical attacks that it can sponge.
* Use it primarily as a pivot.
* It is a reasonably good choice for a lead.
* Avoid letting it take strong special attacks wherever possible.
* If your opponent has Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X in the back, don't switch Lanndorus-T into attacks that it doesn't need to take in order to ensure that it is healthy enough to check it later.
* Try to use Stealth Rock against foes that fear Earthquake or Rocky Helmet, such as Excadrill, or otherwise just try to get it up as early as possible to put pressure on the opponent.
Team Options
========
* Frail Pokemon that appreciate a slow U-turn to get them in, such as Mega Alakazam, Tapu Koko, Pheromosa, Genesect, and Latios, are good teammates.
* VoltTurn users like Rotom-W, Mega Scizor, Genesect, and Pheromosa can form VoltTurn cores with it.
* Strong Pokemon that appreciate Stealth Rock such as Hydreigon, Hoopa-U, and Xurkitree work well with Landorus-T.
* Offensive Water-type answers such as Tapu Koko, Thundurus, and Serperior help it with that weakness.
* Pokemon that appreciate Ground-types being checked, such as Mega Charizard X, Bisharp, and Heatran, are good partners.
* Pokemon that resist Water- or Ice-type attacks, such as Keldeo, Manaphy, Ferrothorn, Latios, Latias, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Scizor, are appreciated.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Superpower / Knock Off / Explosion
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is a consistent STAB attack.
* U-turn is used so that Landorus-T can grab momentum throughout the game, as well as being a good way of picking off weakened Pokemon.
* Stone Edge provides good neutral coverage with Earthquake and hits Charizard, Volcarona, and Gyarados hard.
* Superpower hits Mega Gyarados and Kartana hard as well as being Landorus-T's strongest move to hit Ferrothorn. It also hits Porygon-Z hard before it uses Conversion.
* Knock Off hits Latios and Latias hard; it also removes items, providing good utility.
* Explosion can be used to heavily dent Rotom-W one time, among other things, while also creating momentum; it is a generally good catch-all tool for revenge killing.
* Hidden Power Ice is an option to revenge kill opposing Landorus and to chip away at Landorus-T, but this can be risky move to lock into due to its low Base Power, and you also need to catch them as they switch in.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack investment is used to make Landorus-T as strong as possible, and maximum Speed with a Jolly nature makes it as fast as possible—beating out foes like +1 Porygon-Z to revenge kill them with Earthquake.
* Adamant is an option if you appreciate the extra power, but losing out on the ability to revenge kill slower Pokemon with +1 Speed isn't usually worth the trade-off.
* Running 72 HP EVs is an option to take two Iron Heads from Adamant Excadrill from full health, but this comes at the cost of either a lot of power or the ability to pick off certain Pokemon at +1.
* Choice Scarf boosts Landorus-T's Speed and allowing it to outpace faster threats such as Latios and Tapu Koko. This makes it an excellent form of speed control for offensive teams.
* If Landorus-T carries Hidden Power Ice, run a Naive nature.
Usage Tips
========
* Primarily use this set to revenge kill foes.
* It can also be used to clean up late-game. That said, you must ensure all foes that are immune to or resist Ground are eliminated before you attempt this.
* Landorus-T is a good option to lead with.
* Try to maintain momentum as much as possible. U-turning on weakened Pokemon is often a good option.
* Be wary of switching this Landorus-T set in directly when checking foes due to its comparatively low bulk.
* Be aware of the risks and rewards of Earthquake and U-turn when playing, as locking Landorus-T into Earthquake means it can only hard switch out on a later turn, which makes it complete setup bait for Pokemon immune to Ground.
* Similarly, if your opponent has Mega Charizard X it may be best to avoid locking Landorus-T into Knock Off.
Team Options
========
* Wallbreakers that can help put Landorus-T in a position to clean and potentially also appreciate its ability to help get them in safely with U-turn, such as Tapu Lele, Hoopa-U, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Band Tyranitar, are good teammates.
* Pokemon that can eliminate Ground-resistant foes, such as Heatran, Tornadus-T, Choice Band Tyranitar, Weavile, Mamoswine, Tapu Koko, and Mega Aerodactyl, are appreciated. Special mention goes to Gyarados, which both can catch Grass-types with Bounce or Supersonic Skystrike and heavily threatens opposing Landorus-T.
* Other U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Rotom-W, Genesect, Pheromosa, and Tapu Koko can form VoltTurn cores with Landorus-T.
* Magnezone traps Skarmory and Celesteela, which wall Landorus-T otherwise.
* Stealth Rock and Spikes help wear down foes as they switch—both taking advantage of switches Landorus-T forces and weakening the foes enough for it to clean up—making Ferrothorn, Klefki, Clefable, and Nihilego good partners.
* Garchomp can lay down Stealth Rock and forms a Ground-type spam core with Landorus-T.
* Mega Venusaur can cover Water- and Ice-types that give Landorus-T a headache. (AP)
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Fly / Stone Edge
move 4: Stealth Rock / Stone Edge
item: Flyinium Z / Soft Sand
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Earthquake is a strong STAB attack.
* Swords Dance boosts Landorus-T's already immense Attack stat even further. This set uses a lot of common switch-ins such as Celesteela and opposing Landorus-T as setup bait.
* Fly turns into a 175-Base Power Supersonic Skystrike, which hits most Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground such as Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, Gliscor, and opposing Landorus-T extremely hard. To put its raw power into perspective, it almost OHKOes Rotom-W, defensive Celesteela, and specially defensive Skarmory at +2. That said, bear in mind that it is single-use and that you are stuck with a two-turn move afterwards.
* Stone Edge has near-perfect neutral coverage with Earthquake, notably hitting Charizard and Gyarados hard.
* Stealth Rock helps wear the opposing team down, and Landorus-T gets lots of opportunities to set it with the switches it forces.
* Gravity and Smack Down are both options to allow Landorus-T to hit Skarmory and Rotom-W with Earthquake, but it has a hard time fitting them onto the set.
* U-turn can be used to grab momentum.
* Explosion dents Rotom-W, among other things, and can be used to grab momentum.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature allow Landorus-T to hit as hard and fast as possible, outpacing foes like Adamant Excadrill and Timid Heatran.
* Other EV spreads can be used if you prefer more bulk. For example, 8 HP / 176 Atk / 80 Def / 244 Spe with an Adamant nature gets the jump on Timid Heatran, hits an Attack jump point, and helps Landorus-T set up on physical attackers more comfortably.
* A Jolly nature can be used to get the jump on Timid Xurkitree, but the drop in power is noticeable versus the defensive teams this set thrives against.
* Flyinium Z turns Fly into Supersonic Skystrike. This is mandatory alongside said move.
* Soft Sand bolsters Earthquake's damage output without causing recoil like Life Orb does.
* Rockium Z is an option which always OHKOes Skarmory, Rotom-W and Celesteela at +0 while nuking the majority of common Defog users, which is helpful for keeping Stealth Rock on the field.
* Lum Berry shields Landorus-T from status (namely burn) as it sets up.
* Yache Berry is also an option to shield Landorus-T from Ice Shard or attacks like Tapu Koko's and Thundurus's Hidden Power Ice one time.
* Passho Berry is an option to take Water-type moves from foes like Keldeo and Manaphy, but be aware that Scald has a nasty burn rate. Passho Berry is also helpful for preventing Azumarill from revenge killing Landorus-T.
* If using Explosion, Normalium Z is an option to allow you to fire off a powerful Normal-type attack twice in one game, although the first has lower power and does not grab momentum.
Usage Tips
========
* This Landorus-T set is good for pressuring defensive teams.
* Use Swords Dance against Pokemon that can't touch Landorus-T and foes that it forces out. Similarly, use Stealth Rock on Pokemon Landorus-T forces out.
* Don't necessarily use Landorus-T's Z-move the first time your opponent brings in its target. It is often best to keep it hidden until you know for certain your opponent isn't going to switch out of it so that you can target the right Pokemon.
* If running Fly, decide which Pokemon you are going to save Supersonic Skystrike for as early as possible; this means planning ahead.
Team Options
========
* Fast attackers like Tapu Koko, Pheromosa, Choice Scarf Keldeo, Mega Alakazam, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele take advantage of Landorus-T's ability to break down walls. Special mentions go to ones that have similar checks to Landorus-T, such as Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Zygarde, which appreciate having checks like Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Rotom-W pressured.
* Having other strong attackers such as Hoopa-U, Tapu Lele, Choice Specs Hydreigon, and Choice Specs Latios makes breaking down defensive teams even easier.
* Garchomp forms a Ground-type spam core with Landorus-T, sharing a lot of checks and helping break them down.
* Magnezone can trap Skarmory, which walls Landorus-T.
* Spikes from Pokemon like Ferrothorn helps Landorus-T break through foes.
* Volt Switch and U-turn users that can help get Landorus-T in, such as Mega Scizor and Rotom-W, make for good partners.
* Setup spam cores with Pokemon like Bisharp, Porygon-Z, Gyarados, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Charizard X put large amounts of pressure on the opposing team.
* Mega Gyarados, Mega Sharpedo, and other offensive Water-types appreciate having Grass-types baited in and eliminated.
* Landorus-T provides good support for a cleanup by a fast Pokemon such as Tapu Koko or Mega Alakazam.
* Mega Venusaur is a generally nice option for its ability to blanket check Water- and Ice-types.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Rock Polish
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Rockium Z / Soft Sand
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance powers through slow teams, whereas Rock Polish beats fast teams.
* You don't necessarily need to set up both Swords Dance and Rock Polish in one game
* Earthquake is a consistent STAB move.
* Stone Edge provides near-perfect neutral coverage and does a nice job covering Flying-types, which are immune to Earthquake, such as Gyarados and Charizard.
* Fly can be used for Supersonic Skystrike to catch Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, but Landorus-T has difficulty fitting it onto the set and generally prefers Stone Edge versus offensive teams.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack and Speed with an Adamant nature lets Landorus-T outpace Adamant Excadrill and Timid Heatran at +0.
* Jolly is an option that allows it to outpace Naughty Choice Scarf Pheromosa at +2 and outpace Jolly Excadrill as well as to get the jump on opposing Adamant Landorus-T. This comes with a significant drop in power, however.
* A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 32 Atk / 88 Def / 28 SpD / 108 Spe or 252 HP / 16 Atk / 104 Def / 28 SpD / 108 Spe with an Adamant nature makes setting up easier at the cost of a lot of firepower. The Special Defense investment allows Landorus-T to take one Draco Meteor from Life Orb Latios or two Dazzling Gleams from Life Orb Tapu Koko, while the Speed investment lets it outrun most bulky Mew and Jirachi variants—a benchmark that extends to Jolly Tyranitar and neutral-natured base 70s. You can choose the Attack and Defense investment based on whether you prefer a little extra firepower or a little extra physical bulk. The first spread avoids the 3HKO from Jolly Life Orb Excadrill just over 50% of the time, whereas the second spread hits a jump point in Attack and brings that percentage up to just over 70%.
* Rockium Z lets Landorus-T dent Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Tangrowth, Skarmory, and Tapu Bulu and acts as a panic button when Earthquake and Stone Edge can't OHKO something.
* Soft Sand bolsters Earthquake without causing recoil.
* Lum Berry provides a buffer against status when setting up.
* Yache Berry can shield Landorus-T against Ice Shard from Weavile and Mamoswine and also allows you to set up on attacks like Tapu Koko's Hidden Power Ice.
* Passho Berry can shield Landorus-T against Aqua Jet and allows it to set up on some Water-type attacks.
* If running Fly, Flyinium Z is mandatory.
Usage Tips
========
* This set uses opposing physically defensive Landorus-T, which often switches in to check Landorus-T, to set up both Swords Dance and Rock Polish.
* Having both Swords Dance and Rock Polish on one set makes it flexible, pulling apart offensive teams (which require the Speed) or defensive teams (which require the added power), respectively.
* You won't often get both up in one game; do not try to force it. It is generally a case of choosing which is more useful depending on matchup.
* Don't set up versus offensive teams until you are able to eliminate everything on the opponent's team.
* Try to set up in front of physical attackers that are somewhat neutered by Intimidate or in front of Pokemon that can't touch Landorus-T.
Team Options
========
* Stealth Rock and Spikes can help put Pokemon in range of Earthquake, making setters like Ferrothorn and Clefable good partners.
* Wallbreakers that have synergy through shared checks, such as Life Orb Garchomp, Zygarde, and Mamoswine, make for good partners, as they help pressure said checks easily and are the best means of utilizing Landorus-T's generally poor role compression when using this set.
* Other setup Pokemon, such as Bisharp, Weavile, Mega Charizard X, Gyarados, Mega Gyarados, and Porygon-Z, put large amounts of pressure on the opposing team when paired with Landorus-T.
* Magnezone is good for its ability to trap Skarmory and Celesteela for Landorus-T.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A set with Gravity, Earthquake, Fly, and either Swords Dance or U-turn holding Flyinium Z is a good alternative and can be very difficult for defensive teams to deal with due to Earthquake and Supersonic Skystrike hitting the entire tier really hard under Gravity, but the turn it takes to set up is not always worthwhile.
* A set with Substitute and Swords Dance is an option to provide a longer lasting buffer against status than Lum Berry, although Landorus-T has difficulty fitting it onto a set. Salac Berry is also an option on such a set to allow Landorus-T to clean up versus offensive teams, but it brings Landorus-T down to a point where it is very susceptible to priority and is generally less consistent than a double dance set.
* A Choice Band set with Earthquake, Stone Edge, U-turn, and Knock Off / Explosion could work due to being a complete nuke, but generally speaking Soft Sand is better because being locked into Earthquake is not always ideal.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Grass-types**: Tangrowth takes virtually nothing from any attack other than Supersonic Skystrike or Fly, is absurdly physically bulky, and has Regenerator to heal up throughout the match and keep checking Landorus-T repeatedly. Also, if it is running a physically defensive set, it can punish U-turn with Rocky Helmet. Tapu Bulu is neutral to U-turn and Stone Edge, resists Knock Off and Earthquake, and sets up Grassy Terrain to halve Earthquake's Base Power, although it must be wary of Supersonic Skystrike.
**Skarmory**: Along with Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu, Skarmory is argubly the hardest counter to Landorus-T in the game. It is slower, meaning that using Roost doesn't make it vulnerable to Earthquake, it can use Whirlwind to clear any boosts Landorus-T has attained, and if it carries Rocky Helmet it can punish U-turn too. It is immune to Earthquake and neutral to Stone Edge courtesy of its typing. It must be wary of a common partner in Magnezone, however.
**Pokemon Immune to Ground**: Defensive Celesteela completely walls physically defensive and Choice Scarf Landorus-T and can stall it out between Leech Seed and Protect, but it must be wary of variants with Swords Dance, which use it as setup bait. Gyarados and Charizard can take advantage of Landorus-T locked into Earthquake to set up Dragon Dances, and Gyarados forces it out by virtue of its offensive typing regardless. A niche option is Bronzong, which is immune to Earthquake and resists both Stone Edge and Supersonic Skystrike. Rotom-W sponges Landorus-T's attacks and forces it out with the threat of Will-O-Wisp or Hydro Pump, which it can use as an opportunity to use Volt Switch if a switch is expected.
**Water-types**: Keldeo, Manaphy, and fast Tapu Fini variants outpace Landorus-T and threaten it with Surf or Scald. Defensive Tapu Fini and Suicune don't take much from an unboosted Earthquake, and both threaten it with Scald. Gyarados is immune to Earthquake and forces it out while using Dragon Dance. Mantine is immune to Earthquake, but it must be wary of Stone Edge. Azumarill and Crawdaunt have priority Aqua Jet to revenge kill it. Slowbro is physically bulky to the point that it can pretty easily sponge Earthquakes, and Mega Slowbro does the same thing without fear of Knock Off. Rotom-W is immune to Earthquake and threatens Landorus-T with Will-O-Wisp and Hydro Pump, allowing it to potentially grab momentum with Volt Switch as it forces Landorus-T out.
**Ice-types**: Weavile outpaces Landorus-T barring Choice Scarf and boosted Rock Polish sets and OHKOes it with Icicle Crash; even if Weavile is slower, it can deal with Landorus-T with Ice Shard. Jolly Mamoswine also outpaces non-Jolly Landorus-T while also threatening it with Ice Shard in a pinch. Alolan Ninetales outpaces Landorus-T if it is not running Choice Scarf or does not have Rock Polish boosts and OHKOes it with Freeze-Dry.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Latios, Mega Charizard Y, and Tornadus-T all pose as big threats due to their ability to hit Landorus-T hard on its lower defense. Tapu Fini is faster and almost impossible to switch into, whereas Hoopa-U does the same versus defensive variants.
**Fast Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Genesect and Choice Scarf Pheromosa outpace even Choice Scarf variants and OHKO them with Ice Beam. Tapu Koko is faster than non-Choice Scarf variants, resists Knock Off, and OHKOes with Hidden Power Ice, although it must be wary of the rare Yache Berry.
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