In-battle formes
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| HP: | 89 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 125 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 90 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 115 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 80 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 101 |
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Formes
- Base
- Therian
Strategies
- en
- es
Overview
Flying
Landorus is a fantastic special wallbreaker for Flying teams, as the combination of Sheer Force, a Life Orb, and a wide movepool is extremely powerful and difficult to defensively counteract. Being a Ground-type is already desirable for Flying teams, as the Electric-type immunity is greatly appreciated against Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Zeraora. Its Speed tier also narrowly edges out potent threats such as Mega Charizard X, Kyurem-B, and Volcarona. Landorus has a decent amount of bulk for its offensive prowess, so it can take at least one hit, such as Celesteela's Heavy Slam or Mew's Psychic. However, Landorus is susceptible to Water- and Ice-type moves from foes such as Keldeo and Alolan Ninetales. Landorus faces competition from Landorus-T, as that forme better checks potent threats to Flying teams such as Mega Diancie and Tapu Koko when running a Choice Scarf.
Ground
Landorus is the best special attacker Ground teams have to offer and one of the best special wallbreakers in the metagame. What makes it such an amazing wallbreaker is the combination of its good base 115 Special Attack, its Sheer Force ability, and the added power of Life Orb in addition to being able to freely change moves between each turns, in contrast to most other wallbreakers, which tend to use Choice items. Additionally, its Speed tier is just high enough to outspeed a multitude of Pokemon sitting at base 100 Speed and below, enabling it to outspeed dangerous threats like Mega Charizard Y and Hydreigon. Landorus's Earth Power is extremely powerful and, along with nice coverage in Sludge Wave and Focus Blast, Landorus can KO a great number of threats like Victini, Tapu Bulu, and Kyurem-B. In particular, the combination of Sludge Wave and Focus Blast nicely helps Landorus deal with Grass teams, which Ground teams usually struggle against. Landorus also has access to useful support moves in Gravity to pressure Flying teams and support its teammates, Knock Off to remove the items from foes, which helps to break past the Normal-type defensive core, and Rock Polish to become a late-game cleaner. As a wallbreaker, Landorus sports decent bulk that lets it survive powerful hits like Choice Specs Blacephalon's Shadow Ball and Mega Scizor's Swords Dance-boosted Bullet Punch. Unfortunately, even with its nice Speed tier, Landorus gets outsped and OHKOed by threats like Greninja, Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu. Also, Landorus's Ground / Flying typing exacerbates the Water- and Ice-type weaknesses commonly found on Ground teams, meaning fast users of such moves as well as Aqua Jet and Ice Shard users severely threaten Landorus and many of its teammates. Finally, even though Landorus is considered more viable than its Therian counterpart, using Landorus means you won't be able to add the reliable setup sweeper that is Landorus-T as a teammate.
Wallbreaker (Flying)
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Moves
Earth Power is Landorus's Ground-type STAB move, which reliably threatens Electric-, Steel-, and Poison-types such as Zeraora, Mega Scizor, and Toxapex. Sludge Wave is solid coverage against Fairy-types such as Clefable and Azumarill. Focus Blast is useful against Dark- and Normal-types such as Hydreigon and Porygon2. It can also hit Steel-types that are immune to Landorus's Earth Power, like Skarmory and Air Balloon Heatran. Landorus can run Stealth Rock to allow teammates such as Gliscor to run other options. Alternatively, Rock Slide helps against opposing Flying-types, which are immune to its Ground-type STAB move, such as Mantine and Zapdos. However, using Rock Slide over Stealth Rock isn't as ideal, since it's harder to fit on teammates such as Mega Aerodactyl and Skarmory, as they need that extra moveslot to fulfill their roles.
Set Details
Maximum Speed investment allows Landorus to be as fast as possible, outspeeding threats such as Kyurem-B and Mega Charizard Y. A Timid nature is utilized to boost its Speed to its peak without lowering one of its defensive stats. Alternatively, Landorus can use a Naive nature if it's using Rock Slide to boost its power. Landorus could use a Hasty nature to minimize damage taken from special attacks and, most notably, survive a Hidden Power Ice from Tapu Koko, though it no longer takes Choice Scarf Victini's V-create from full HP. Sheer Force and a Life Orb are powerful when used together, as Sheer Force negates Life Orb recoil to amplify Landorus's damage output.
Usage Tips
Landorus can be used as an early-game wallbreaker or sometimes as a lead, since its power and coverage options are very difficult to counteract defensively. Use teammates with pivoting options such as Volt Switch Zapdos and U-turn Tornadus-T to bring in Landorus safely, as this will keep up offensive pressure against the opponent. Take advantage of switches Landorus forces by setting up Stealth Rock against slower, weaker foes. Landorus can also act as a potent revenge killer against weakened foes and slower threats like Nidoking and non-Choice Scarf Victini. While Landorus has decent bulk, it should avoid taking unnecessary damage in order to wallbreak as much as possible. Setting Stealth Rock isn't always necessary, especially against foes such as Swampert and Mew that look to set up Stealth Rock of their own. Watch out for Ice-type coverage from foes such as Tapu Koko and Greninja, as they can OHKO Landorus. It's also ideal to avoid Knock Off users like Deoxys-S and Mega Sableye, as removing Landorus's Life Orb lessens its damage output. Landorus also provides an Electric immunity by virtue of its Ground typing, but it must be careful of coverage such as Hidden Power Ice.
Team Options
Zapdos is a solid switch-in to Water-types that threaten Landorus, such as Suicune and Gyarados. Its ability to utilize Defog, provide momentum through Volt Switch, and stall out bulkier foes such as Swampert through Substitute and Toxic can create better opportunities for Landorus to sweep teams. Mantine is a defensive pivot into Ice- and Water-type attacks for Landorus, as the former is a neutrality for Mantine while it completely walls the latter due to Water Absorb. It also has incredible special bulk that it can use to check special attackers such as Blacephalon and Greninja and can also use Defog to remove entry hazards for Flying teams. Mega Charizard Y can threaten Ice-types such as Mamoswine and Cloyster, as well as bulkier Water-types like Gastrodon and Slowbro through the combination of Drought and Solar Beam, for Landorus. In return, Landorus can switch into incoming Electric-type attacks for Mega Charizard Y. Mega Aerodactyl can check Ice-types such as Weavile and Alolan Ninetales for Landorus, and it's also able to Pursuit trap weakened foes such as Choice Scarf Victini and Latios that can threaten Landorus. Additionally, having Landorus take care of Stealth Rock allows Mega Aerodactyl to be an incredible asset against Dragon teams, as it would be able to use both Stone Edge and Pursuit to threaten the biggest threats to Flying teams such as Kyurem-B and Latios. Tornadus-T acts as utility for Landorus, as it removes Stealth Rock that can chip away at Landorus's health while also having access to Knock Off, which allows it to remove Chansey's Eviolite for Landorus. It's also a fast pivot that can consistently grasp momentum for Flying teams through U-turn and Regenerator. Celesteela is a general wall for Landorus, providing security against powerful priority users such as Mamoswine and Dragonite while also being able to use Leech Seed to help Landorus regain some of its HP if need be. Gliscor is another defensive pivot for Landorus, and it can also relieve some pressure off of Landorus from switching into Electric-type attacks thanks to its Ground typing and better recovery. Dragonite can break special walls, such as Chansey and Mantine, while Landorus can break down physical walls for Dragonite such as Toxapex and Avalugg. Skarmory assists Landorus by stacking entry hazards against foes without Ground-type immunities through Spikes and its own Stealth Rock, and it can also Defog away Stealth Rock that would chip away at Landorus and its teammates.
Special Wallbreaker (Ground)
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Moves
Earth Power, coupled with Sheer Force and Life Orb, is Landorus's strongest STAB move, enabling it to deal considerable damage to physical walls like Slowbro and Mega Venusaur. Sludge Wave is used as a way to hurt problematic Grass-types, OHKOing dangerous threats like Tapu Bulu and Breloom. Outside of Gravity, Sludge Wave also hits most Flying-types for neutral damage. Gravity greatly helps Landorus and its teammates against Flying and Steel teams, as it enables Landorus and the rest of the team to deal with troublesome threats found on these teams like Zapdos, Mega Charizard Y, and Celesteela that would be very problematic to deal with otherwise. Rock Polish, on the other hand, lets Landorus clean opposing teams late-game by almost outspeeding the entire metagame, including some threats like Modest Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain, Tapu Koko, and Choice Scarf Keldeo.
Set Details
Sheer Force boosts all of Landorus's STAB and coverage moves except Knock Off by a factor of 1.3, thus making it a terrific wallbreaker. Life Orb should be the only item used on Landorus, as it improves its damage output even further without having to suffer the recoil damage thanks to Sheer Force. Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs coupled with a Timid nature are used so that Landorus can be as fast and strong as possible. If Landorus uses Knock Off in its fourth moveslot, the 4 Special Defense EVs should be moved to Attack and a Naive nature should be used instead to avoid lowering its Attack stat, enabling it to achieve certain KOs like an OHKO on Latios after Stealth Rock damage. A Naive nature is chosen over Hasty so that Landorus can better tank priority moves coming from the likes of Azumarill and Mega Scizor.
Usage Tips
As a wallbreaker, Landorus is best used to punch holes early-game so it can pave the way for its teammates to eventually sweep or clean the opposing team. Even with its decent bulk, it's preferable to bring Landorus onto the field against weak attackers, such as Skarmory and opposing Hippowdon, or after a teammate has fainted, as it's still easily 2HKOed by a vast number of Pokemon like Mega Lopunny and opposing Excadrill. Because Landorus has such a fantastic damage output, it often forces opponents to switch in their specially defensive Pokemon, such as Chansey and Mantine. If Landorus cannot seriously harm them, it's often best to switch out to a physical wallbreaker like Excadrill or Mamoswine. If Landorus is running Knock Off, however, removing the special wall's item might be more profitable than switching out. Gravity is best used in matchups like Flying, Steel, and Electric where there are numerous airborne threats. More specifically, Landorus can set up Gravity when forcing a passive Pokemon like Skarmory to switch out or when it's being sacrificed against slower Pokemon, such as Mega Charizard Y and Rotom-W. In the instance that Landorus carries Rock Polish, the best course of action would be to not set up until late-game, when its checks, such as Keldeo and Latios, are weakened, and to safely do so against Pokemon that are more likely to switch out. Having many viable options for its last move as its disposal, Landorus can use that unpredictability to its advantage by concealing its last move, if possible, until an opportunity opens up. In the long run, the opponent will have to carefully play around it, whether it's to not lose any Ground-immune Pokemon, to preserve its special wall's item, or to avoid being swept clean late-game. However, for whatever move Landorus has in its final moveslot, it's important to try and keep Landorus away from status, as status will chip down its health rather quickly, especially if entry hazards are to be taken into account. Furthermore, opposing Knock Off users can remove Landorus's Life Orb and make it considerably less powerful, preventing it from achieving certain OHKOs, such as against Celesteela with Gravity support, and 2HKOs, such as against Mega Sableye.
Team Options
All of Landorus's teammates really enjoy Gravity support, as it lets them freely spam their Ground-type STAB moves against Flying-types and other airborne threats. Seismitoad and Gastrodon are both great additions to any Ground team due to their Water immunities and Ice neutralities. Seismitoad can stop Belly Drum Azumarill's sweep with Sludge Wave and get rid of Chansey's Eviolite with Knock Off, while Gastrodon can repeatedly switch into Greninja's and Keldeo's moves due to its superior longevity. Dugtrio is a superb offensive teammate for Landorus, as after the latter has set up Gravity, Dugtrio can trap airborne threats like Mega Charizard Y and Celesteela that couldn't be trapped otherwise. Additionally, Dugtrio can trap and dispose of Chansey and Choice Scarf users like Tapu Bulu and Kyurem-B for Landorus. In return, Landorus can deal with physical walls like Skarmory and Slowbro. Sand Rush Excadrill can form a potent wallbreaking core with Landorus because they can blast through each other's checks. Furthermore, Excadrill can clean opposing teams after Landorus has punched holes in them, outspeeding and KOing most opposing threats, especially against Fairy and Ice teams. Hippowdon is a great switch-in to fast and strong physical attackers that would severely weaken or outright KO Landorus, such as Mega Gallade and Choice Scarf Victini. Hippowdon can also set Stealth Rock so that Landorus can OHKO threats like Focus Sash Breloom and offensive Mega Scizor. Swords Dance Garchomp is one of the few setup sweepers found on Ground teams and can take advantage of Landorus's early wallbreaking to inflict severe damage upon the opposing team. It can also dispose of numerous threats that Landorus has a hard time against, such as Chansey and Mantine, while Landorus takes out physical walls like Skarmory and Clefable for Garchomp. Mamoswine and Mega Garchomp can also wallbreak alongside Landorus and overwhelm troublesome Flying, Grass, and Normal teams. As a bonus, Mamoswine can switch into Ice-type moves aimed at Landorus, while Mega Garchomp, in addition to being neutral to Water-type moves that Landorus is weak to, is bulky enough to survive Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer or Azumarill's +6 Aqua Jet before KOing them in return with Fire Blast and Earthquake, respectively.
Other Options
Flying
Knock Off can be used in Landorus's last moveslot as a better countermeasure to one of its best checks in Chansey, as it can remove its Eviolite and let Landorus damage it more effectively through its special attacks. However, teammates such as Tornadus-T and Gliscor can run Knock Off with better consistency. Calm Mind also can be used in place of Rock Slide, as it boosts Landorus's powerful Special Attack to greater heights. However, Landorus is already strong enough to break down nearly everything and in Monotype, so Calm Mind is a bit redundant. Rock Polish can also be used in the last slot with a Modest nature as a means of checking faster attackers in Greninja and Mega Lopunny, but then Landorus can no longer outspeed foes such as Kyurem-B and Porygon-Z.
Ground
Calm Mind lets Landorus become a balance breaker, pressuring multiple defensive cores like the dual Eviolite core on Normal teams and the Mega Sableye + Mandibuzz core commonly found on Dark teams. However, Ground teams have their fair share of wallbreakers and strong sweepers to manage those kinds of cores and would rather have Landorus sport a support move like Gravity to help the entire team instead. Rock Slide, which is preferred over Stone Edge because of its comparable damage output due to Sheer Force and better accuracy, can be used to OHKO Mega Charizard Y and deal major damage to other Flying-types like Zapdos and Mantine, but it has little use in other matchups like Grass and Normal and much less overall utility than Gravity and even Knock Off. Focus Blast allows Landorus to threaten even more walls, such as Porygon2 and Ferrothorn, in addition to some airborne threats like Skarmory and Air Balloon Heatran outside of Gravity. Knock Off can be used instead of Rock Polish to remove items like Chansey's Eviolite, which enables Landorus to break the Normal-type defensive core for its teammates.
Checks and Counters
Flying
Ice-types: Ice-types like Alolan Ninetales and Mamoswine can easily OHKO Landorus with their STAB and priority moves.
Water-types: Water-types such as Keldeo, Greninja, and Suicune can pressure Landorus with their STAB moves.
Revenge Killers: Faster foes like Latios, Mega Lopunny, and Tapu Koko can threaten to revenge kill Landorus. However, they must be wary of Landorus's powerful coverage options if they aren't able to KO it.
Specially Defensive Walls: Specially defensive tanks such as Chansey, Mantine, and Celesteela can stomach most of Landorus's attacks and can recover their health from any damage taken.
Ground-immune Pokemon: Foes with Levitate or Flying-types such as Mega Latias, Rotom-W, and Gliscor are immune to Landorus's Earth Power while also being able to stomach any other offensive option it can use.
Ground
Water-types: Most Water-types, such as Greninja, Keldeo, and Gyarados, can OHKO Landorus and are either faster than it or bulky enough to tank one of its attacks. As a result, most of these Pokemon easily gain the upper hand against Landorus, forcing it out or simply KOing it.
Specially Defensive Pokemon: Pokemon like Chansey, Mantine, and Araquanid all tank Landorus's attacks rather easily and can either heal off the damage or deal major damage to Landorus in return; however, they fear the occasional Knock Off.
Super Effective Priority Users: Though none of them can switch into Landorus, Ice Shard users, namely Mamoswine and Weavile, can use their strong priority moves to easily KO Landorus before it even moves. In addition, Azumarill can OHKO Landorus with Aqua Jet at +6.
Revenge Killers: Choice Scarf users like Tapu Bulu and Victini and naturally faster threats like Tapu Koko and Nihilego can all dispose of Landorus with their STAB or coverage moves.
Airborne Pokemon: Without Gravity support, Landorus will have a lot of trouble dealing with Flying-types like Celesteela and Zapdos or healthy Levitate users like Rotom-W, while they can stall Landorus out or, in Rotom-W's case, OHKO it.
