Gen 3 Guiding Light: The Rise of Lanturn in ADV OU

SEA

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NUPL Champion
Guiding Light: The Rise of Lanturn in ADV OU
:rs/tyranitar::rs/skarmory::rs/metagross::rs/gengar::rs/lanturn::rs/aerodactyl:


Introduction
Hello all, my name is SEA, and I’d like to show you the culmination of a month’s hard work. As some of you may be aware, Lanturn is a bit of a recent addition to the ADV landscape, pioneered by myself and a few others. I’ve wanted to share a team of mine for a while, and I finally decided to do it. This team performs the most consistently for me, and I figured I’d share it with the rest of the ADV Community!​
I’ve always tried to incorporate unusual or underused Pokemon or sets onto my teams, with varying amounts of success. However, due to a lack of knowledge in the tiers I build and not a great grasp on the team-building process in general, many of them end up unsuccessful. Just ask anybody who teambuilds with me about some of my worst ideas, such as Scarf Celesteela in SM OU or Nevermeltice Articuno in ADV OU.​
Before we get into the actual contents of the team, perhaps some of you are unaware of what Lanturn does in ADV. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a synopsis of what it does.​
Lanturn provides a team with a non-Blissey counter to Starmie. Due to its resistances to Water, Electric, and Ice, Lanturn is capable of shrugging off anything OU's favorite starfish can throw at it barring the rarely seen Psychic (and even that can be played around if necessary). Considering both that Starmie is a huge threat towards offensive teams like this one and that Blissey gives up too many free turns to naturally fit into this style, Lanturn's role compression is invaluable. Another advantage Lanturn has over Blissey is its ability, Volt Absorb, which the mere presence of can disincentivize your opponent from even using their Electric moves. Thanks to its unique typing and ability, it completely walls Electric types that use Hidden Power Ice instead of Hidden Power Grass. Pokemon reliant on BoltBeam coverage such as Gengar also struggle to break Lanturn. With both of its STABs, it hits the infamous “Milodol” core (Milotic + Claydol) super effectively without having to rely on flimsy Hidden Power coverage. Mixed attackers such as mixed Salamence or mixed Tyranitar also have difficulty breaking through it, and are threatened out by the fear of Ice Beam and Hydro Pump respectively. Of course, it’s not perfect. It critically invites Blissey, Celebi, and Jirachi to come in for free. It’s also a Water type that is trapped by Dugtrio. It lacks reliable recovery, meaning that while it can beat all of the Pokemon mentioned above, it doesn’t have the sustainability to take on 3 of these threats in a game. If your opponent has Starmie and mixed Salamence for example, you are not going to be able to switch your Lanturn into Salamence, as you need to keep its health to switch into Starmie. Of course, once something faints, you can reliably bring in Lanturn to force out Salamence. Lanturn being frail on the physical side necessitates a good Rock resist more than other Waters do. With all that out of the way, let’s get down to the team.​
At first, I threw Lanturn on a team as somewhat of a joke. It's one of my favorite Pokemon, and I've messed around with it in other generations just for some fun, so I figured, "Why not?" I debuted the team in BKC's Discord server for a tournament and Lanturn performed quite well. I figured, “What the hell,” I'll build a real team around this thing.​
This team was the first version I built with some folks in Mushi Musha's ADV Discord Server. It was a perfectly fine team, but I felt it was too reliant on Gengar’s Focus Punches to get anything done against Special Walls. I toyed around with a few variations of the team before moving on from that six entirely. The team wanted sand to make Spikes damage and Lanturn’s Hydro Pumps stick. That brings us to the team we have today.​
Teambuilding Process

I was using a Lanturn team on the ladder when, unbeknownst to me, I ran into Gacu. He beat me in that game and PMed me on Discord, telling me how cool the idea of using Lanturn was. I was thrilled by his compliment. He later mentioned building a physically oriented team with a Lanturn on it in a Discord server. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity, trying to make this Pokemon gain some more traction, and this is what I got.​
:tyranitar:
:lanturn:
From my previous experimentations, I found myself wanting sand to pair with Lanturn, so lead Tyranitar was a perfect fit. Of course, Lanturn is also on the team, as it’s what I’m building around.​
:tyranitar:
:lanturn:
:skarmory:
I mostly build Spikes offense anyway, and Skarmory is my preferred Spiker. Lanturn appreciates Spikes a ton, and what better fit for a Spiker than a Skarmory, which has great synergy with Lanturn?​
:tyranitar:
:lanturn:
:skarmory:
:aerodactyl:
An issue I had experimenting with other Lanturn builds was their general lack of speed. I decided to help fix this issue by using Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl also works wonders on Spikes stacking teams in general as a cleaner.​
:tyranitar:
:lanturn:
:skarmory:
:aerodactyl:
:metagross:
Rock resists are vital, and, at the time I made this team, I was using Choice Band Metagross. It's an excellent wallbreaker, but, as you will see later on, having a Choice Band Metagross as your only Rock resist isn't a great idea.​
:tyranitar:
:lanturn:
:skarmory:
:aerodactyl:
:metagross:
:gengar:
Finally, a Spikes offense staple, we have Gengar acting as our spinblocker. To effectively wear down teams, you want to keep your Spikes up as much as possible, and Gengar itself greatly appreciates the Spikes being down.​
Here is what the team looks like currently. I played many games with it, but I was not getting anywhere. I was stuck in what is the ADV ladder's equivalent of purgatory. Blissey was such an issue for me, and my Choice Band Metagross got overwhelmed by the constant Rock moves. I changed it to a CB Choice Band Jirachi to try and improve my matchup against Blissey, but it did not help with my Rock-type issues whatsoever. I had to find a solution to this problem, so I went to somebody who has helped me numerous times in the past, fellow Lanturn supporter: Hclat. We decided to remove the 2nd Choice Banded Pokemon, and leave it to only Aerodactyl. I began to experiment with a new Tyranitar set as well. The UD Tyranitar, while great, just wasn't working for me. The damage on the physical side was not enough, and I often found myself wanting Rock Slide, so I went with a more physically oriented set. With all that out of the way, here is the final version of the team.​
:rs/tyranitar:
Tyranitar @ Leftovers​
Ability: Sand Stream​
EVs: 184 Atk / 152 SpA / 172 Spe​
Lonely Nature​
- Rock Slide​
- Fire Blast​
- Hidden Power [Grass]​
- Brick Break​
The idea of a mixed Tyranitar was always appealing to me. However, the usually mixed Tyranitar sets are often a special Tyranitar first, and a physical one second. I wanted to change that around and make it a physically oriented Tyranitar that uses special coverage. Not only was this set an experiment for that philosophy, but it is also great for this team.​
This Tyranitar set is a dangerous lead. 184 Attack EVs allow you to always OHKO 4 HP Zapdos with Rock Slide after sand damage. I wanted this much Attack investment for a better chance against Blissey. Against 4 HP / 252 Def Blissey without a Bold nature, you get a guaranteed 2HKO, and against 4 HP / 252 Def Blissey with a Bold Nature, you almost always 2HKO it. Finally, against 252 HP / 252 Def Blissey with a Bold Nature, you need a Spike down to secure the 2HKO. The Special Attack investment is to guarantee the 2HKO on 252 HP Jirachi after a Spike with Fire Blast. Thanks to UD for suggesting Lonely over Naughty to better sponge moves like Thunderbolt. You can opt to use Naughty, but I prefer Lonely. Of course, setting up Sand Stream for offense is amazing as it negates Leftovers recovery to make your damage permanent. Hidden Power Grass is for the ever-present Swampert who is otherwise challenging to wear down due to the sand immunity. The Speed invest hits 201 speed which outspeeds Agility Metagross, and is a solid Speed in general. You can opt for Lum Berry as the item to negate early game status such as Zapdos Thunder Wave, Gengar Will-o-Wisp, or the occasional Gengar Hypnosis, and you can run Focus Punch over Brick Break if you are comfortable with making those predictions.​
:rs/skarmory:
Skarmory @ Leftovers​
Ability: Keen Eye​
EVs: 252 HP / 248 SpD / 8 Spe​
Careful Nature​
IVs: 0 Atk​
- Spikes​
- Whirlwind​
- Protect​
- Toxic​
A Pokemon that needs no introduction. Skarmory is incredible in the ADV metagame, and it is my go-to Spiker. You can change this set around, like adding Drill Peck instead of the more passive Protect and Toxic if you feel like it, but this is the set I prefer. I run 8 Speed EVs as opposed to 4 because 248 Special Defense investment does not change any Magneton roll that max Special Defense has. Spikes accomplish a great deal for this team. Whether it's getting Pokemon into a more reliable 2HKO range for Tyranitar, allowing Aerodactyl to clean late game, or putting Pokemon into Lanturn Hydro Pump range, spikes drive this team forward. If you plan on using this in a tournament, change Whirlwind to Roar to bluff drill peck, but for playing on the ladder, Whirlwind prevents you from being cheesed too hard by Baton Pass.​
:rs/metagross:
Metagross @ Leftovers​
Ability: Clear Body​
EVs: 208 HP / 216 Atk / 84 Def​
Adamant Nature​
- Meteor Mash​
- Earthquake​
- Explosion​
- Protect​
Metagross holds this team together quite well. Switching into the plethora of Rock-type moves in the tier is a tough task, but Protect Metagross does it quite well. I decided to change the set from Choice Band to Leftovers at the suggestion of Hclat, which was a great idea. This Metagross lasts way longer than the Choice Banded variant ever did, and it's a very reliable switch-in.. I modified the EV Spread slightly from the sample set for a bit more Attack investment. It improves some offensive rolls at the cost of a little bit of bulk, but if you have a preferred Leftovers Metagross spread other than this one, you can run that instead.​
:rs/gengar:
Gengar @ Leftovers​
Ability: Levitate​
EVs: 40 Atk / 252 SpA / 216 Spe​
Hasty Nature​
- Fire Punch​
- Ice Punch​
- Explosion​
- Hidden Power [Grass]​
Offensive Gengar is a beautiful thing. It's tough to give up one of Fire Punch, Hidden Power Grass, Ice Punch, Thunderbolt, or Will-O-Wisp, but I decided that Explosion was the best for this team in place of Thunderbolt (thank you to Gacu for the Gengar spread). You can consider trying out other options here, such as a bulkier spread. I like this Gengar set as it makes use of Spikes to apply a ton of pressure, even on fatter Pokemon like Snorlax and Blissey. Explosion can also be a real asset for this team late game, further helping to threaten said fatter mons and forcing switches. I am bigger on offensive Gengar than most are, so feel free to play around with this spread if it’s not to your taste.​
:rs/lanturn:
Lanturn (F) @ Leftovers​
Ability: Volt Absorb​
EVs: 252 SpA / 48 SpD / 208 Spe​
Modest Nature​
IVs: 0 Atk​
- Hydro Pump​
- Thunderbolt​
- Ice Beam​
- Protect​
Finally, we get to the main attraction of this team: Lanturn. So, what does it do? Well, take a look at my first 4 Pokemon and show me the Starmie switch-in. There isn't one! Thankfully, Lanturn is here to alleviate that issue completely. This team can struggle with Water types, and Lanturn prevents them from ever getting going. Even if Suicune gets a few Calm Minds up, you have ways around it, such as phazing or Explosion. Lanturn holds this team together on the special side, almost like a Snorlax, except that it's immune to Electric-type moves. Zapdos can give it some problems with HP Grass, as can Jolteon, but they can generally be played around with the rest of the team. A great feature of Lanturn is its ability to turn on the offensive whenever it pleases. After you have accumulated some Spikes chip on your opponent’s team, you can begin to pound them with Hydro Pumps or Thunderbolts. Even Snorlax doesn't appreciate switching into constant Hydro Pumps when paired with Spikes damage. I chose Protect as the last move to ease switching between my Metagross and Skarmory in front of the tier’s plentiful banded SlideQuake users like Metagross, Aerodactyl, or even Salamence. Using Protect, of course, can backfire if predicted. The upside, however, is often worth the potential downside as this team can struggle to check both Rock Slide and Earthquake with the same Pokemon. This spread hits 222 Speed to outspeed 252 Speed Tyranitar, and max Special Attack investment for the most damage out of lanturn’s admittedly mediocre special attack stat. The rest is dumped into Special Defense. Now, I know what you're thinking, “SEA, why is it Female?” Well, it’s to hit more Hydro Pumps!​
:rs/aerodactyl:
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band​
Ability: Rock Head​
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe​
Jolly Nature​
- Rock Slide​
- Double-Edge​
- Earthquake​
- Hidden Power [Flying]​
Nothing too complicated here. It's CB Aerodactyl, a fantastic late-game cleaner, and it really helps this team's overall lack of speed. Oddly enough, it pairs quite well with Lanturn, as most Pokemon Lanturn forces in or switches into, Aerodactyl can either beat or get chip on. Examples include Blissey, Milotic, Suicune, and other Water-types. Aerodactyl greatly appreciates the chip that Skarmory provides, through both Spikes and Toxic. Breaking down Pokemon for an Aerodactyl end game sweep is pretty crucial with this team, and is therefore something you should keep in mind while playing. Since your Water-type is trappable by Dugtrio, Aerodactyl allows you to punish Dugtrio for trapping Lanturn.​
Threatlist

Agility Metagross paired with Magneton is a huge issue for this team. Protect Metagross can get itself out of range from a 2HKO from opposing Metagross’ Earthquake, but using Metagross as your main Rock resist means it is highly likely that it is already chipped. Spikes damage also accentuates this issue.​
Teams that can overload Lanturn, such as Rain with multiple abusers, can beat this team down. Lanturn feels comfortable taking on a singular abuser (not named Ludicolo), but it cannot handle two. Opponents who realize that Lanturn is stopping them from winning with their Suicune or Starmie late game can remove it with Explosion Gengar and open up a hole in your team. You have Protect to get around this specific problem, but it is still something to keep in mind.​
Magneton plus Claydol teams are often the toughest matchup for this team. Skarmory is the engine that drives this team forwards, but Magneton completely wipes it out. Teams with Magneton plus Claydol and Milotic are less of an issue because Lanturn fares pretty well against them, due to the slower nature of those teams.​
Teams with Blissey are somewhat difficult to handle, but not that difficult to deal with. Between spikes damage, Lanturn’s ability to force switches, and Tyranitar’s ability to force it out, you can overload the Blissey fairly easily. It can be a nuisance late game, however, if you haven’t successfully chipped it enough by then.​
1599697742921.png
Here was my ladder peak with it, before getting subsequently haxed into oblivion 2 games in a row and losing 67 points. (Yes, I know, horrible GXE, but I rarely use alts.) Here are a few replays as well:​

Final Words

Thank you for reading all the way through this RMT, a lot of time has gone into this. Here’s a few closing remarks about the team itself:​
  • Do not be afraid to get aggressive. You’re playing Offense, after all.
  • Utilize your Explosions wisely, but do not be afraid to use them. They can blow holes wide open.
  • Keep your endgame in mind. Aerodactyl is dangerous late game, and there are times when sacrificing a Pokemon for chip on a threat to Aerodactyl is absolutely worth it. With that being said, don’t be too reckless.
  • Use Lanturn. Please. I’m not the most experienced player or builder, and I’m sure there are some more creative ways to use this Pokemon.
I’d like to finish this off by giving some thanks.​
GreenGogoatttt Thanks for all the help with grammar and for being a great friend.​
nchmax You also helped with grammar and writing, and you're pretty cool I guess.​
Gacu Your praise was a great deal of motivation to me, and I appreciate people like you embracing something new.​
vapicuno Your innovative, albeit unusual builds are a huge inspiration to me, and even though they are incredibly annoying, I hope you don't stop making them.​
BKC's Discord server, for backing me on this idea, as well as BKC himself, for the Lanturn Gang video (which you should all watch if you haven't).​
Mushi Musha's Discord server, you guys are awesome and incredibly willing to put up with my garbage ideas.​
Xrn_n For all the tests, being the luckiest player alive, and a great dude to talk to.​
Some other Lanturn gang shoutouts: THE918th PanWithQueso Axgwd Lambo_murphy44 and about 200 other people I am inevitably going to miss, you guys are all great.​
Lanturn gang out​
 
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