What is a good moveset for Landorus (both forms)?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Landorus, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some explanation, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Landorus Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Landorus (M) @ Life Orb

Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Calm Mind / Rock Polish
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast

Okay, this guy is an absolute MONSTER. I mean it. With Life Orb and Sheer Force, it reaches a 556 SAtk stat.

Calm Mind gives a Special Attack boost, but it is usually inferior to Rock Polish, which can be used to boost Lando's average Speed.
Hidden Power [Ice] nails all the Pokemon that are weak to it in OU.
Earth Power is extremely power STAB, and rips through things. It does.
Focus Blast is used to nail Pokemon like Skarmory.

Comments

Mention that if you run Rock Polish it's fine to run a Modest nature.

Answer 2

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf

Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

• Earthquake
• Stone Edge
• Superpower
• U-turn

Fast pivot set that uses U-turn to help Landorus's team maintain momentum. Stone Edge lets Landorus OHKO targets like Volcarona and Gyarados, and Superpower lets it hit the likes of Ferrothorn.

Comments

I suggest Hidden Power Ice to beat Gliscor and Garchomp, as well as other Landorus.

Answer 3

Landorus (M) @ Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brick Break / Outrage
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- U-turn

This is Landorus Choice set, Earthquake is STAB, Rock Slide gets boosted by Sheer Force, U-turn is used for scouting, since I mostly use this as a lead. The last move is preference, Brick Break and Outrage are for additional coverage.

Comments

U-turn is also effective against Skarmory which comes in on Landorus often.

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Won't sheer force stop U-turn from switching out landorus?

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https://pokemondb.net/ability/sheer-force

U-turn is not one of the moves that Sheer Force has an affect on.

Answer 4

Landorus-T @ Leftovers

Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Sweeper set that takes advantage of passive Pokemon with Substitute. The EVs combined with Intimidate + Bulk Up aim to make it difficult to break the sub. Stone Edge lets Landorus hit Flying-type Pokemon, and Leftovers allows Landorus to use Substitute more times.

Answer 5

Kit-Kat Landorus-T

After pulling the general idea of the set off of a Smogon page around 7 months ago, I have used and loved this set a lot, and it took me a while to perfect it. I realize Smogon has a similar set on their Landorus-T analysis page, but I didn't use Smogon for anything but the moves, which are fairly simple. After being contented with the set, I dubbed it Kit-Kat, which is based off of Landorus-T being based off of a cat, and my borderline addiction to Kit-Kat bars.

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Kit-Kat (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Item: Planning to stop Lando's sweep with an Ice Shard abuser were you? Too bad, because his Yache Berry allows him to take an Ice Shard when at decent health, meaning he can mow down said Ice Shard user and continue sweeping. It also gives him more oppurtunities to set up, as he can set up on something carrying Ice Beam or HP Ice(non STAB ofc) and wreak havoc.

Ability: Intimidate gives this set a lot more viability, as it gives Lando a lot of bulk, allowing him to come in and set up on a lot of things like Terrakion/Tyranitar/Scizor/etc.

EVs: The crux of the EVs is the Speed, allowing it to outspeed +2 Cloyster and more importantly any Scarfed Base 110 Pokemon with a speed boosting nature (After a Rock Polish ofc). And yes I realize that outspeeding +2 spd Cloyster after a RP is unrealistic but it's happened so no hate :D. The rest is used to max da Kitty's attack, the leftovers going into HP for bulk.

Moves: The best thing about this set is that it has all kinds of options. Up against a slow team? Don't bother using RP, just go for SD. Up against a fast but weakened or frail team? Skip SD and go right for the RP. Swords Dance puts Lando at 854 Atk after just one use, and Rock Polish puts him at 526 speed after on use, which is fast enough to outspeed all relevant threats in the tier. Earthquake is STAB and hits incredibly hard even before a Swords Dance, and Stone Edge hits Flying and Ice types, completing the coverage.

Answer 6

Slow Maximum Bulk

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 140 HP / 140 Atk / 120 Def / 108 SpD
Brave Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide / Stone Edge
- Hammer Arm / Superpower / U-turn
- Knock-off / U-turn

This was my VGC2015 bulky landorus that caught so many people off guard. I watched it live a Blizzard from a Cryogonal once and then OHKO it with Superpower. I believe this spead also makes the best use of Landous's bulk, living any HP ice and dealing a deadly blow back. Brave nature was to help with my teams "speed freak" issue, as trick-room teams tore me apart otherwise. Earquake for STAB, rock slide was for Talonflame, plus coverage and its a geat spread move. Superpower was for all of those Mega- Kangashans that run around and cause trouble, with Knock-off for removal of items + it can 2HKO Creselia, whose Ice beam with this spread

Bulky Assault Vest

Landorus-Therian @Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 140 HP / 140 Atk / 12 Def / 108 SpD / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide / Stone Edge
- Superpower / U-turn
- Knock Off / U-turn

This was the typical bulky Lando-T set from the 2015 worlds. 2 of the top cut Japanese players ran sets like this, playing off of Lando's great bulk thanks to indimidate. Stone edge was only there if you just had to have more power, as it does OHKO Thunderous with this spread. U-turn is great to get switch initiative or to get a free switch.

Comments

I know this is an old answer but is there a reason the first set has Brave instead of Adamant? Is lowering his speed useful in some way?
EDIT: Never mind I just skimmed over it earlier

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I might be doing something wrong, but I'm pretty sure the second set has 8 EVs spare. I put the set onto the showdown team builder, and it let me put it 8 more than said on here.

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yes me too.

Answer 7

Here's a set for Landorus-T in gen 8

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 Def
Impish Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Knock Off

Defogger set for Landorus-T in Gen 8 OU. Landorus has some benefits as a defogger, particularly its ability to switch in on Stealth Rocks users like Tyranitar and Heatran. U-turn helps Landorus transition into a teammate, and Knock Off is a low-risk choice that creates a long-term penalty for switching into Landorus.

Answer 8

Gen 8 OU

Double Dance Landorus

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

This set makes use of Landorus-T's gargantuan attack stat, making it a force to be reckoned with at +2. Thanks to Intimidate and Landorus's decent bulk, it's easy to set up at least one Rock Polish or Swords Dance for a sweep. Most of the time you should use Rock Polish first, since Landorus already has a ton of raw power (over 400 attack without any stat modifiers) but middling speed. Adamant is used instead of Jolly since the speed is going to be boosted so you don't need to outspeed anything before a boost. Earthquake is STAB and Stone Edge hits the things Earthquake can't, and Landorus doesn't have many other options in terms of coverage anyway. Leftovers gives Landorus a bit more longevity, but Life Orb can be used instead for more power.

This set fits well with Pokemon that can set Screens such as Tapu Koko or Alolan Ninetales, because it makes it much easier to set up both Rock Polish and Swords Dance for a sweep. Landorus normally serves as a Stealth Rock setter, so you'll need another Pokemon to do that job instead. Of course, Landorus itself benefits from hazards, since it makes Landorus's sweeping easier.

Answer 9

Even though Pokemon Home compatibility with Scarlet/Violet doesn't happen until 2023, Landorus forms are allowed to be used in Gen 9 National Dex Formats, so yeah.

Gen 9 National Dex Monotype Nasty Plot (Ground)

Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Sandsear Storm
- Sludge Wave
- Gravity

The Landorus forms get access to Nasty Plot and Sandsear Storm in Gen 9, so I decided to post a Landorus-I set that uses those two moves for Gen 9 NatDex Monotype on Ground teams. Nasty Plot boosts Landorus' already good special attack. Sandsear Storm is a new special Ground-type move with 100 BP and 80% accuracy (will get to that) that also has a 20% chance to burn... which means Sandsear Storm gets a Sheer Force boost, making it more powerful. :D Sludge Wave is used to target Pokemon who resist Sludge Wave, such as Breloom, Tapu Bulu, and Meowscarada if it is a Grass-type, and it gets a Sheer Force boost. Gravity makes this thing even more crazy. Gravity not only allows Landorus' Ground-type move able to hit Pokemon who are normally immune to Ground-types such as Corviknight, Celesteela, Zapdos, and Rotom-Heat, but it also improves Sandsear Storm's 80% accuracy while under Gravity. This means that under Gravity, you have a powerful accurate Sheer Force boosted Ground-type move that can also hit Pokemon normally immune to Ground-type moves. Life Orb is used to boost the power of your attacks and it doesn't have recoil damage due to Sheer Force.

So, yeah. Enjoy using this set in Gen 9 NatDex Monotype! :)

Answer 10

I'm really surprised that it took six years for someone to post this set. Intimidate is an amazing Ability in any situation, effectively boosting the corresponding Pokemon's Defense stat by half when switching into opposing Physical attackers. This greatly expands on Landorus' otherwise mediocre defensive capabilities.

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet - Using this item allows Landorus to almost check the very common combination of Volt Switch and U-Turn, by absorbing Volt Switches, and punishing U-Turns.
Ability: Intimidate - As mentioned before, it's a pretty damn good Ability.
- Earthquake - This attack is surprisingly strong, coming off of Lando's huge 145 base Attack stat + STAB and great coverage from the Ground Typing.
- Hidden Power Ice - While not necessary on this version of Landorus, it is a great tool to be able to deal huge damage to opposing Landorus, Zygarde, Gliscor and Garchomp.
- Stealth Rock - Landorus has a lot of opportunities to set up Stealth Rocks for your team, since it forces a lot of switches between its high attack stat, and the Intimidate boost making Physical attackers not want to stay in and waste turns while they could try to switch.
- U-turn** - Taking advantage of the fact that Landorus forces switches and being able to gain momentum based on your opponent's moves is another great tool that Landorus brings to the table.*

Landorus is without a doubt the most flexible Pokemon in OU, with the ability to run Choice Scarf, Choice Band, Double Dance, Offensive Z-Move, Defensive Z-Move, Defensive Rocks, Offensive Rocks, Specially Offensive, and Normal Offensive, it has a plethora of options to choose from. All of which are perfectly viable (Except maybe Special Offensive).

Answer 11

Landorus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off

Fairly typical SD wallbreaker/ cleaner set that uses Knock Off > Superpower, potentially so it may act as more of an annoyance mid-game. +2 LO Earthquake has few switchins that aren't immune.

Answer 12

Landorus (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 196 Atk / 60 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

• Stone Edge
• Earthquake
• Bulk Up
• Punishment

Cheesy set-up sweeper check that can transition into its own setup with Bulk Up. Its main target would be users of moves like Stored Power and Calm Mind that are weak to Dark (Reuniclus, Espeon, etc).

Answer 13

Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 132 Atk / 128 SAtk / 248 Spd
Rash Nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Rock Slide
- Rock Polish
- Earth Power
- Psychic

Standard attacker set for Landorus-I that aims to recreate the Ground + Rock coverage combo through a mixed set. Landorus-I's balanced attacking stats, backed by Sheer Force + LO, make this practical.

Rock Polish lets Landorus escalate and become a sweeper. Psychic offers neutral coverage.

Answer 14

Landorus (M) @ Expert Belt

Ability: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Earthquake
- Smack Down
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Expert Belted set.
Earthquake is you main STAB, and will hurt if Tyranitar decides to come in.
Smack Down is to be used with prediction. If your opponent is going to switch into something that is immune to Earthquake, Smack Down will cancel the immunity out and allow Earthquake.
U-turn is to scout, and hits Celebi really hard.
Hidden Power [Ice] is to hit the many Pokemon that are weak to Ice (Gliscor, Salamence, Dragonite it Stealth Rocks up).

Scarf can also be run, but make nature Lonely and replace Smack Down with Stone Edge.

Comments

Why does it have a special move? Geez

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It's an old set, and anyways, Lando has decent SAtk + Hidden Power grants coverage.

Answer 15

Landorus @Life orb
Trait: Sheer force

EVs 252 Satk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Nature Modest
_____

Moveset

• Earth power
• Focus blast
• Psychic
• Rock polish

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Explaination: A special Landorus rock polish sweeper moveset made for the gen 5 games. STAB Earth Power. Focus Blast and Psychic coverage.

Answer 16

Landorus (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)

• U-Turn
• Hidden Power [Ice]
• Stone Edge
• Earthquake

Standard Scarf Landorus-T set. HP Ice is odd at first glance, but helps greatly in the neutral against opposing Landorus and Gliscor. An more defensively-oriented set might even forego Stone Edge, since HP Ice already hits targets like Dragonite and Garchomp.

U-turn + EdgeQuake is standard on offensive sets.

Answer 17

Offensive Doubles Intimidate Support

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 176 HP / 224 Atk / 56 SpA / 52 Spe
Naive Nature
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn / Rock Slide

In the fast paced doubles metas a fast intimidate backed by strong attacks is quite handy, especially considering Lando checks Bisharp, one of the most common Defiant Pokemon, and can also handle Torndadus, the other common one. Add on an immunity to thunder wave and you've got quite the mon. U-turn is the better option as it nails the practically omnipresent cresselia and allows for free intimidate reuse, but Rock Slide is nice for the genies, Togekiss, and completing the Edgequake combo

Answer 18

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Soft Sand
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, - SpA)
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Knock Off
- Stealth Rock / Superpower

As a majority of Landorus-T are Scarfed, this specific Landorus-T can truly shine. Once the opponent sees no item on Landorus-T, they automatically assume that it is Scarfed, and let crucial Pokemon stay in for Landorus-T to simply switch moves to deal with them. Stealth Rock should only be used if no other Pokemon carries it on your team, as it will give away the type of Landorus you are.

Comments

I have this set too

Answer 19

Special Attacker

Landorus (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Force / Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Calm Mind
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot

I'm working on one just like this. Earth Power for STAB. Calm mind for set up (if you need it). Focus Blast and Grass Knot are coverage.

Answer 20

(For Whatever Form)
Landorus @ Bright Powder/Wide Lens
Moveset:

• Bulldoze
• Rock Tomb
• Grass Knot
• Focus Blast

As you can see already, this moveset encourages slowing down opposing Pokemon. I encourage a stat of 252 SAtk, 252 Atk, and 4 Spe with a Relaxed, Lax, or Sassy nature which prioritizes defenses over speed or other defenses.
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Bulldoze - Bulldoze covers various Pokemon while still lowering their speed a stage. It also gets STAB which changes the power from 60 to 90 which is still okay since you're lowering speed. With the natures provided, it seems easy to come back the next round since none of those decrease speed. If you're training with the stats I've provided, however, you might want to plan anywhere from 2-3 rounds** with Bulldoze in play.

Rock Tomb - Rock Tomb provides coverage and lowers speed as well. Rock Tomb is here for the coverage and for the opposing flying types that cause trouble cough Articuno cough and with the Wide Lens in play, it makes it harder to miss this attack on them.

Grass Knot - Grass Knot is primarily coverage for water types. There's not much of anything else to say after that.

Focus Blast - Focus Blast adds coverage and gives potential chance to kill the opposing Pokemon's special defense. With its accuracy, however, you may miss which is why I recommend Wide Lens on the Pokemon.
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Bright Powder Usage - If you think that enemies are prone to attack, don't like the day-to-day enemies that attack Landorus, or know you have amazing luck, you may try out using Bright Powder and lower the opponent's accuracy instead. With this moveset, however, you may just try using Hammer Arm or Brick Break instead of Focus Blast if you want to balance things out. Rock Tomb** shouldn't be that much of a problem.