[OVERVIEW]
Lanturn is blessed with unique and valuable typing in a metagame full of Water-types. Its resistance to Water and Ice alongside its access to powerful STAB Electric-type moves makes it uniquely well positioned to take on common foes like Slowbro, Slowking, and Blastoise, and the threat of STAB Surf deters the usual checks to Electric-types, such as Nidoqueen and Piloswine. Its high HP, decent Special Defense, and lack of weaknesses to specially offensive types aside from Grass allow it to feasibly take on almost any special attacker, including powerful Psychic-types like Mr. Mime and Kadabra if needed. However, its weakness to Ground prevents it from switching into Ground-types despite being a bulky Water-type, and its middling Special Attack stat means it can struggle to threaten bulkier foes that are not weak to its attacks, such as Quagsire, Ampharos, and Hypno. Furthermore, Grass-types like Bellossom and Victreebel resist both of its usual attacks and can force Lanturn into a purely defensive role, in which it does not excel.
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Surf
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is the most straightforward and reliable set for Lanturn. Thunder is the preferred Electric-type STAB attack, as its high base damage compensates for Lanturn's fairly low Special Attack, and its high paralysis chance poses a threat even to more resilient foes. Surf is Lanturn's most consistent attack and does just enough damage to Nidoqueen that it cannot recover enough health with Moonlight and Leftovers to stay out of 2HKO range, meaning if Lanturn connects with Surf on the switch, the standard Moonlight Nidoqueen will be forced to switch out or risk fainting. Rest gives Lanturn the ability to switch into many special attacks with ease without having to worry too much about getting worn down. Sleep Talk is particularly useful for keeping up Lanturn's threat level while it is asleep and therefore acts as a deterrent to dangerous foes like Nidoqueen, Scyther, and Granbull.
Lanturn typically switches into one of the many Water-types in the tier, forcing them out with the threat of Thunder. From there, you are free to guess what the opponent might switch into and choose the appropriate move. Lanturn is quite an awkward Pokemon to switch into if the opponent does not have a special wall like Hypno, Chansey, or Ampharos due to its high power STAB attacks, good coverage, and the threat of paralysis from Thunder. It is one of very few Pokemon that is capable of safely taking repeated hits from the likes of Slowbro while threatening it in return and also having enough damage output to threaten Nidoqueen. However, due to it having a weakness to Ground, it cannot fulfill the same generic physical wall role that the other bulky Water-types in the tier can, nor can it safely check Nidoqueen despite being able to discourage it from switching in.
Team Options
========
While Lanturn has a clear niche with clear advantages, it can be difficult to fit onto a team, as while it performs admirably as a special wall, it does not compare to Hypno or Chansey in this regard, nor does it do everything one might want their bulky Water-type to do. Lanturn strongly benefits from additional measures to handle Nidoqueen; some options fit for this purpose include Granbull, the combination of Gligar and Piloswine, and other bulkier Water-types such as Quagsire and Slowking. Lanturn can have a difficult time dealing with the raw power of other Electric-types such as Ampharos and Electabuzz, so Ground-types such as Nidoqueen and Piloswine make for good teammates. These Ground-types also tend to draw in the Water-types that Lanturn can capitalize on. While Lanturn has enough power to threaten Granbull and can take a hit or two in return, it is wise to use a more reliable option to deal with Curse Granbull. Haunter and Magneton are two options that deal with mono-attacking Granbull reliably. Grass-types such as Bellossom are enormous problems for Lanturn; they are most safely dealt with by using another Rest user that is not weak to Grass, such as Hypno, Mr. Mime, or Pinsir. However, Qwilfish can also deal with Bellossom in the short term and provides Spikes that Lanturn and its team can take advantage of.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Lanturn has access to several useful support options, including Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Toxic, and Confuse Ray. It is a viable option to drop Rest, Sleep Talk, or both and use some of these support options, although this limits the number of times Lanturn can take hits from Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mr. Mime and also makes it highly susceptible to status. Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump are options, but Thunder is preferred to Thunderbolt for its extra power and high chance of inflicting paralysis, and Hydro Pump is much less reliable than Surf, as its low accuracy allows Nidoqueen to potentially fish for a miss or attempt to run Lanturn out of PP by using Moonlight repeatedly. Ice Beam is available to target Bellossom and Jumpluff, although this is generally worse than the longevity offered by RestTalk.
Checks and Counters
========
**Grass-types**: Bellossom, Victreebel, and Vileplume can all switch into Lanturn safely, although they are crippled by the potential paralysis from its Thunder. Once they have gotten in, they can threaten Lanturn with STAB attacks, boost their offensive stats with Swords Dance or Growth, or inflict status on Lanturn's teammates as they try to switch in.
**Special Walls**: Chansey, Hypno, and Ampharos take minimal damage from Lanturn's attacks and can force it out with the threat of powerful attacks, such as Chansey's Present and Ampharos's Thunder, or, in the absence of these options, set up Light Screen for a teammate, cripple Lanturn with status, or PP stall it. Chansey can also cure its teammates of paralysis that Lanturn may have inflicted.
**Quagsire**: Quagsire is the only viable Ground-type that is not weak to Surf. It can therefore switch into Lanturn relatively safely and threaten a 2HKO with its super effective STAB Earthquake. However, its Special Defense is not great, so it should be wary of switching into Surf too many times, especially if Spikes are up.
**Nidoqueen**: Nidoqueen is not a safe response to Lanturn, as Lanturn barely manages an average of 54% damage with Surf. However, if Lanturn is paralyzed or if a healthy Nidoqueen switches into any move other than Surf, Nidoqueen will have a significant advantage, as it can 2HKO Lanturn with its faster STAB Earthquake and potentially heal off any damage traded as Lanturn is forced to retreat.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Estronic, 240732]]
Lanturn is blessed with unique and valuable typing in a metagame full of Water-types. Its resistance to Water and Ice alongside its access to powerful STAB Electric-type moves makes it uniquely well positioned to take on common foes like Slowbro, Slowking, and Blastoise, and the threat of STAB Surf deters the usual checks to Electric-types, such as Nidoqueen and Piloswine. Its high HP, decent Special Defense, and lack of weaknesses to specially offensive types aside from Grass allow it to feasibly take on almost any special attacker, including powerful Psychic-types like Mr. Mime and Kadabra if needed. However, its weakness to Ground prevents it from switching into Ground-types despite being a bulky Water-type, and its middling Special Attack stat means it can struggle to threaten bulkier foes that are not weak to its attacks, such as Quagsire, Ampharos, and Hypno. Furthermore, Grass-types like Bellossom and Victreebel resist both of its usual attacks and can force Lanturn into a purely defensive role, in which it does not excel.
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Surf
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is the most straightforward and reliable set for Lanturn. Thunder is the preferred Electric-type STAB attack, as its high base damage compensates for Lanturn's fairly low Special Attack, and its high paralysis chance poses a threat even to more resilient foes. Surf is Lanturn's most consistent attack and does just enough damage to Nidoqueen that it cannot recover enough health with Moonlight and Leftovers to stay out of 2HKO range, meaning if Lanturn connects with Surf on the switch, the standard Moonlight Nidoqueen will be forced to switch out or risk fainting. Rest gives Lanturn the ability to switch into many special attacks with ease without having to worry too much about getting worn down. Sleep Talk is particularly useful for keeping up Lanturn's threat level while it is asleep and therefore acts as a deterrent to dangerous foes like Nidoqueen, Scyther, and Granbull.
Lanturn typically switches into one of the many Water-types in the tier, forcing them out with the threat of Thunder. From there, you are free to guess what the opponent might switch into and choose the appropriate move. Lanturn is quite an awkward Pokemon to switch into if the opponent does not have a special wall like Hypno, Chansey, or Ampharos due to its high power STAB attacks, good coverage, and the threat of paralysis from Thunder. It is one of very few Pokemon that is capable of safely taking repeated hits from the likes of Slowbro while threatening it in return and also having enough damage output to threaten Nidoqueen. However, due to it having a weakness to Ground, it cannot fulfill the same generic physical wall role that the other bulky Water-types in the tier can, nor can it safely check Nidoqueen despite being able to discourage it from switching in.
Team Options
========
While Lanturn has a clear niche with clear advantages, it can be difficult to fit onto a team, as while it performs admirably as a special wall, it does not compare to Hypno or Chansey in this regard, nor does it do everything one might want their bulky Water-type to do. Lanturn strongly benefits from additional measures to handle Nidoqueen; some options fit for this purpose include Granbull, the combination of Gligar and Piloswine, and other bulkier Water-types such as Quagsire and Slowking. Lanturn can have a difficult time dealing with the raw power of other Electric-types such as Ampharos and Electabuzz, so Ground-types such as Nidoqueen and Piloswine make for good teammates. These Ground-types also tend to draw in the Water-types that Lanturn can capitalize on. While Lanturn has enough power to threaten Granbull and can take a hit or two in return, it is wise to use a more reliable option to deal with Curse Granbull. Haunter and Magneton are two options that deal with mono-attacking Granbull reliably. Grass-types such as Bellossom are enormous problems for Lanturn; they are most safely dealt with by using another Rest user that is not weak to Grass, such as Hypno, Mr. Mime, or Pinsir. However, Qwilfish can also deal with Bellossom in the short term and provides Spikes that Lanturn and its team can take advantage of.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Lanturn has access to several useful support options, including Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Toxic, and Confuse Ray. It is a viable option to drop Rest, Sleep Talk, or both and use some of these support options, although this limits the number of times Lanturn can take hits from Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mr. Mime and also makes it highly susceptible to status. Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump are options, but Thunder is preferred to Thunderbolt for its extra power and high chance of inflicting paralysis, and Hydro Pump is much less reliable than Surf, as its low accuracy allows Nidoqueen to potentially fish for a miss or attempt to run Lanturn out of PP by using Moonlight repeatedly. Ice Beam is available to target Bellossom and Jumpluff, although this is generally worse than the longevity offered by RestTalk.
Checks and Counters
========
**Grass-types**: Bellossom, Victreebel, and Vileplume can all switch into Lanturn safely, although they are crippled by the potential paralysis from its Thunder. Once they have gotten in, they can threaten Lanturn with STAB attacks, boost their offensive stats with Swords Dance or Growth, or inflict status on Lanturn's teammates as they try to switch in.
**Special Walls**: Chansey, Hypno, and Ampharos take minimal damage from Lanturn's attacks and can force it out with the threat of powerful attacks, such as Chansey's Present and Ampharos's Thunder, or, in the absence of these options, set up Light Screen for a teammate, cripple Lanturn with status, or PP stall it. Chansey can also cure its teammates of paralysis that Lanturn may have inflicted.
**Quagsire**: Quagsire is the only viable Ground-type that is not weak to Surf. It can therefore switch into Lanturn relatively safely and threaten a 2HKO with its super effective STAB Earthquake. However, its Special Defense is not great, so it should be wary of switching into Surf too many times, especially if Spikes are up.
**Nidoqueen**: Nidoqueen is not a safe response to Lanturn, as Lanturn barely manages an average of 54% damage with Surf. However, if Lanturn is paralyzed or if a healthy Nidoqueen switches into any move other than Surf, Nidoqueen will have a significant advantage, as it can 2HKO Lanturn with its faster STAB Earthquake and potentially heal off any damage traded as Lanturn is forced to retreat.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Estronic, 240732]]
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