[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-6 points
**Overview**: Lanturn is a Pokemon that, on paper, seems promising for a low price. It has a good typing combination in Water / Electric, two good defensive abilities in Water Absorb and Volt Absorb, access to momentum in Volt Switch and Flip Turn, and a high HP stat that makes it decently bulky. However, despite these promising qualities, Lanturn tends to fall short due to its severe flaws. It doesn’t provide much support outside of paralysis and momentum; it has middling bulk, which can lead it to get worn down quickly, as it lacks reliable recovery; and it has a weak offensive profile that makes it passive and easily susceptible to being setup fodder against stronger Pokemon. While Lanturn can act as a durable pivot into some offensive types that are normally difficult to handle, such as Flying- and Ice-types, it can struggle to function outside of that role, and it generally is better to rely on other Pokemon to handle those types and have Lanturn as a backup to them instead.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Pivot**: Thanks to Lanturn’s defensive qualities and access to both Volt Switch and Flip Turn, it can function as a slow bulky pivot. By using either Volt Absorb or Water Absorb to handle the respective typing alongside using its natural resistances and bulk to chew hits, it can then pivot to a stronger teammate safely and create offensive pressure that way.
**Item-boosted Attacker**: Despite Lanturn’s weak offenses, it does have the tools to attempt a sweep. With access to Agility, it could, in theory, work as a surprise sweeper late-game. However, given its weak Special Attack, it needs items like Life Orb and Expert Belt to create any form of offensive pressure.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Thunderbolt, Scald, Discharge, Surf, Hydro Pump
**Setup Moves**: Agility
**Utility Moves**: Volt Switch, Flip Turn, Thunder Wave, Protect
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Dazzling Gleam
Niche Moves
========
**Eerie Impulse** Lanturn can use Eerie Impulse to weaken the opposing Pokemon’s Special Attack, which works well with stopping said Pokemon from setting up on it.
**Sucker Punch**: Sucker Punch can work well on Assault Vest to catch foes off guard and weaken them. However, given its weak Attack, it needs to be kept secret until the perfect opportunity.
**Whirlpool**: Whirlpool can be used by Lanturn to trap the opposing Pokemon and trade damage with the target. It is especially effective against bulky foes that Lanturn cannot deal much damage against otherwise.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Lanturn appreciates the recovery from Leftovers that allows it to maintain its health, letting it use more attacks throughout the match.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Lanturn tends to pivot around the field and switch in on attacks, Heavy-Duty Boots helps protect it from entry hazards that would weaken it overtime.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon gives Lanturn an immunity to Ground, which can be very useful by allowing it to pivot on Ground-type attacks.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Lanturn can use resistance Berries to tank a super effective attack and either keep up momentum, paralyze the target with Thunder Wave, or attack with its coverage.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry gives Lanturn immediate recovery when it needs to survive more than one strong attack, and it synergizes better than Leftovers on sets that frequently pivot.
**Assault Vest**: Lanturn can make use of Assault Vest to provide it with special bulk that it needs to handle special attackers and to be slightly less passive with more potential offensive investment.
**Damage-boosting items**: Since Lanturn lacks any latent power to sweep, it needs to rely on items such as Life Orb and Expert Belt to boost the power of its attacks in order to pose any form of offensive presence.
Tera
========
Lanturn cannot make use of Tera to its fullest. It lacks the offensive prowess to use it offensively and lacks any sort of defensive utility to use it defensively. On the off chance it is used as a Tera Captain, Tera Flying makes good use of Volt Absorb, grants Lanturn an immunity to Ground, and gives it coverage for hitting Grass-types with Tera Blast.
Draft Strategy
========
Lanturn can be drafted to give teams additional means to handle Water- and Electric-types and a reliable slow pivot to facilitate offense. However, given its low bulk and versatility, it shouldn’t be relied on to be the primary answer to said types and moreso as an additional option your team has in the back.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Lanturn appreciates having Ground-immune partners to work with, since it won’t want to deal with the threatening Ground-types that populate most drafts. Lanturn works well with Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, Enamorus, and Galarian Zapdos, since it is able to synergize with them thanks to its immunity to Electric from Volt Absorb.
**Other Pivots**: By having other pivots to work with, Lanturn can help facilitate the offense of its team by allowing Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Tornadus-T, and Cinderace to better pivot around the field and maintain control of the game and pace.
**Wallbreakers**: The best way to take advantage of Lanturn’s pivoting is by having strong offensive Pokemon in the back that can come in and immediately pressure teams such as Chi-Yu, Sneasler, and Tornadus-T.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards can help provide additional damage against foes that want to switch into Lanturn's attacks, chipping them down gradually. Pokemon such as Garchomp, Glimmora, and Gliscor provide the necessary entry hazards to pressure teams.
Checks and Counters
========
**Grass- and Dragon-types**: Grass- and Dragon-types are able to chew Lanturn’s STAB attacks, only having to worry about status, which can be accounted for. Grass-types such as Ogerpon, Serperior, and Rillaboom can pressure it with their strong Grass-type attacks, and Dragon-types such as Baxcalibur, Latias, and Gouging Fire can pressure it with setup and strong coverage.
**Ground-types**: Although Lanturn can pivot out of Ground-types with Flip Turn, they can still be an strong offensive presence that forces it to run Air Balloon or Shuca Berry to not worry about their Ground-type attacks. Pokemon such as Gliscor, Garchomp, and Ting-Lu are able to pressure offensively while being able to accomplish other objectives such as getting up entry hazards or setting up.
**Setup Sweepers**: Given Lanturn's weak offenses and reliance on Thunder Wave and Scald burning for status, it can be prone to setup from a good amount of Pokemon, especially given the presence of Tera to allow for a better type matchup.
**Substitute**: In general, given Lanturn's low offensive output, reliance on Volt Switch and Flip Turn to make any progress, and Thunder Wave being the only deterrence for setup, it can be easily countered by having Substitute block Thunder Wave and tank its pivoting attacks.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-6 points
**Overview**: Lanturn is a Pokemon that, on paper, seems promising for a low price. It has a good typing combination in Water / Electric, two good defensive abilities in Water Absorb and Volt Absorb, access to momentum in Volt Switch and Flip Turn, and a high HP stat that makes it decently bulky. However, despite these promising qualities, Lanturn tends to fall short due to its severe flaws. It doesn’t provide much support outside of paralysis and momentum; it has middling bulk, which can lead it to get worn down quickly, as it lacks reliable recovery; and it has a weak offensive profile that makes it passive and easily susceptible to being setup fodder against stronger Pokemon. While Lanturn can act as a durable pivot into some offensive types that are normally difficult to handle, such as Flying- and Ice-types, it can struggle to function outside of that role, and it generally is better to rely on other Pokemon to handle those types and have Lanturn as a backup to them instead.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Pivot**: Thanks to Lanturn’s defensive qualities and access to both Volt Switch and Flip Turn, it can function as a slow bulky pivot. By using either Volt Absorb or Water Absorb to handle the respective typing alongside using its natural resistances and bulk to chew hits, it can then pivot to a stronger teammate safely and create offensive pressure that way.
**Item-boosted Attacker**: Despite Lanturn’s weak offenses, it does have the tools to attempt a sweep. With access to Agility, it could, in theory, work as a surprise sweeper late-game. However, given its weak Special Attack, it needs items like Life Orb and Expert Belt to create any form of offensive pressure.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Thunderbolt, Scald, Discharge, Surf, Hydro Pump
**Setup Moves**: Agility
**Utility Moves**: Volt Switch, Flip Turn, Thunder Wave, Protect
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Dazzling Gleam
Niche Moves
========
**Eerie Impulse** Lanturn can use Eerie Impulse to weaken the opposing Pokemon’s Special Attack, which works well with stopping said Pokemon from setting up on it.
**Sucker Punch**: Sucker Punch can work well on Assault Vest to catch foes off guard and weaken them. However, given its weak Attack, it needs to be kept secret until the perfect opportunity.
**Whirlpool**: Whirlpool can be used by Lanturn to trap the opposing Pokemon and trade damage with the target. It is especially effective against bulky foes that Lanturn cannot deal much damage against otherwise.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Lanturn appreciates the recovery from Leftovers that allows it to maintain its health, letting it use more attacks throughout the match.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Lanturn tends to pivot around the field and switch in on attacks, Heavy-Duty Boots helps protect it from entry hazards that would weaken it overtime.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon gives Lanturn an immunity to Ground, which can be very useful by allowing it to pivot on Ground-type attacks.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Lanturn can use resistance Berries to tank a super effective attack and either keep up momentum, paralyze the target with Thunder Wave, or attack with its coverage.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry gives Lanturn immediate recovery when it needs to survive more than one strong attack, and it synergizes better than Leftovers on sets that frequently pivot.
**Assault Vest**: Lanturn can make use of Assault Vest to provide it with special bulk that it needs to handle special attackers and to be slightly less passive with more potential offensive investment.
**Damage-boosting items**: Since Lanturn lacks any latent power to sweep, it needs to rely on items such as Life Orb and Expert Belt to boost the power of its attacks in order to pose any form of offensive presence.
Tera
========
Lanturn cannot make use of Tera to its fullest. It lacks the offensive prowess to use it offensively and lacks any sort of defensive utility to use it defensively. On the off chance it is used as a Tera Captain, Tera Flying makes good use of Volt Absorb, grants Lanturn an immunity to Ground, and gives it coverage for hitting Grass-types with Tera Blast.
Draft Strategy
========
Lanturn can be drafted to give teams additional means to handle Water- and Electric-types and a reliable slow pivot to facilitate offense. However, given its low bulk and versatility, it shouldn’t be relied on to be the primary answer to said types and moreso as an additional option your team has in the back.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Lanturn appreciates having Ground-immune partners to work with, since it won’t want to deal with the threatening Ground-types that populate most drafts. Lanturn works well with Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, Enamorus, and Galarian Zapdos, since it is able to synergize with them thanks to its immunity to Electric from Volt Absorb.
**Other Pivots**: By having other pivots to work with, Lanturn can help facilitate the offense of its team by allowing Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Tornadus-T, and Cinderace to better pivot around the field and maintain control of the game and pace.
**Wallbreakers**: The best way to take advantage of Lanturn’s pivoting is by having strong offensive Pokemon in the back that can come in and immediately pressure teams such as Chi-Yu, Sneasler, and Tornadus-T.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards can help provide additional damage against foes that want to switch into Lanturn's attacks, chipping them down gradually. Pokemon such as Garchomp, Glimmora, and Gliscor provide the necessary entry hazards to pressure teams.
Checks and Counters
========
**Grass- and Dragon-types**: Grass- and Dragon-types are able to chew Lanturn’s STAB attacks, only having to worry about status, which can be accounted for. Grass-types such as Ogerpon, Serperior, and Rillaboom can pressure it with their strong Grass-type attacks, and Dragon-types such as Baxcalibur, Latias, and Gouging Fire can pressure it with setup and strong coverage.
**Ground-types**: Although Lanturn can pivot out of Ground-types with Flip Turn, they can still be an strong offensive presence that forces it to run Air Balloon or Shuca Berry to not worry about their Ground-type attacks. Pokemon such as Gliscor, Garchomp, and Ting-Lu are able to pressure offensively while being able to accomplish other objectives such as getting up entry hazards or setting up.
**Setup Sweepers**: Given Lanturn's weak offenses and reliance on Thunder Wave and Scald burning for status, it can be prone to setup from a good amount of Pokemon, especially given the presence of Tera to allow for a better type matchup.
**Substitute**: In general, given Lanturn's low offensive output, reliance on Volt Switch and Flip Turn to make any progress, and Thunder Wave being the only deterrence for setup, it can be easily countered by having Substitute block Thunder Wave and tank its pivoting attacks.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf2.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
