Is Landorus Good?

Yes, Landorus is excellent for in-game story progression and casual play, but it is currently non-viable in serious competitive formats. Its Ground/Flying typing provides crucial immunities to Electric and Ground attacks, while its Therian form's Intimidate ability effortlessly neutralizes physical threats during standard playthroughs.

Landorus dominates casual playthroughs with its typing and Intimidate but shouldn't be brought to a serious competitive ranked match.

Rating 7/10 · Tier S-for In-Game, Untiered in Competitive · Role : Physical Sweeper / Intimidate Pivot

Strengths

• Immune to both Ground and Electric attacks
• Intimidate (Therian form) cripples physical attackers instantly
• Massive base Attack stat for easy story sweeping

Weaknesses

• Extreme 4x weakness to Ice-type moves
• Non-viable in current serious competitive formats
• Lacks a highly accessible, high-power physical Flying STAB

Landorus sits firmly at the top of in-game tier lists for casual playthroughs. Its base Attack stat allows it to break through most NPC teams with minimal setup.

You will primarily use its Therian form. The Incarnate form relies on Sand Force or Sheer Force, which require specific team compositions or hidden abilities that are tedious to manage in a standard playthrough.

As a physical sweeper and pivot, Landorus dictates the pace of casual battles. You send it in, drop the opponent's Attack with Intimidate, and either hit hard with a STAB Earthquake or pivot out.

Landorus excels whenever you know an opponent relies on Electric or Ground attacks. Its Ground/Flying typing grants total immunity to both, giving you incredibly safe switch-in opportunities.

It completely walls physical Electric-type attackers. Bosses or gym leaders utilizing these types waste their turns while Landorus enters the field and triggers Intimidate.

• Electric-type bosses: Landorus takes zero damage from their primary STAB and threatens them with super-effective Ground moves.
• Physical attackers: Intimidate effectively increases your entire team's physical bulk by forcing attack drops on entry.
• Ground-type heavy teams: The Flying typing allows Landorus to float over opposing Earthquakes safely.

Building Landorus for story mode is straightforward. You do not need complex competitive EV spreads; simply maximizing Attack and Speed yields the best results.

Earthquake is your primary damage dealing tool. It offers 100 accuracy, high base power, and benefits from Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB).

• Earthquake: Mandatory Ground STAB for consistent, massive damage.
• U-turn: Allows Landorus to deal chip damage and switch out if a bad matchup appears.
• Rock Slide / Stone Edge: Crucial coverage to hit Flying and Ice-types that resist or are immune to Ground.
• Fly: While not competitively viable, it serves as a functional Flying STAB for casual playthroughs.

The most glaring flaw in Landorus's design is its crippling 4x weakness to Ice-type moves. You cannot afford to keep it on the field against anything carrying Ice coverage.

Even a non-STAB Ice Beam from a bulky Water-type or a low-power Ice Shard will usually result in a one-hit knockout. This forces constant switching and demands solid defensive partners.

Additionally, Landorus lacks a highly accessible, spammable physical Flying-type attack. In casual play, you are often stuck using Fly, which takes two turns and gives the AI a chance to react or heal.

Finally, its Special Defense is relatively average. Strong special attackers, particularly Water-types, can easily punch through its health pool before it can retaliate.

Despite its stellar performance in story mode, Landorus is completely non-viable in serious competitive formats for the current generation. It simply does not appear in the top competitive usage statistics.

If you are looking to climb the ranked PvP ladder, you must leave Landorus in the PC. It struggles against the current power level and cannot keep up with the optimized threats found in serious tournaments.

Its predictable reliance on Intimidate and Earthquake makes it too easy for modern competitive players to exploit. Without a place in the current meta, it remains strictly a PvE or casual battle asset.

You should avoid adding Landorus to your team if you already have multiple Pokémon weak to Ice or Water. Stacking these weaknesses will make certain late-game boss fights incredibly frustrating.

It is also a poor choice if you need a dedicated special wall or a competitive PvP staple. If you fall into these categories, consider swapping it out.

• Gliscor: The best alternative if you want the Ground/Flying typing. Its Poison Heal ability provides unmatched longevity and utility that Landorus lacks.
• Garchomp: A superior alternative for pure offensive Ground-type damage. It offers higher Speed and devastating Dragon-type STAB without the awkward Flying-type move limitations.