Lanturn
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Lanturn was always a novelty; Water / Electric dual typing would not be seen again until Rotom-W, and Water / Volt Absorb proved valuable abilities to play around.
Sadly, none of those remarkable qualities transferred over to PoGO. In a meta infested with bulky Water-types, Lanturn has neither the Atk nor the Def to keep up. Its strong HP stat helps keep it afloat from a tank perspective, but Lanturn is still left at the lower end of both the Water and Electric-type worlds.
Offense
- Water Gun in tandem with Surf completes the Water-type profile.
- Hydro Pump is less efficient as a 1-bar move, denying a massive damage spike if Lanturn faints with energy.
- Spark and Thunderbolt are the preferred Electric-type offensive moves.
- Charge Beam is outclassed by Spark.
- Thunder is clearly inferior; its base power is far too low for a 1 bar move.
Defense
- Charge Beam is clearly superior to Water Gun, dealing more defensive DPS. However, the latter does have off-type advantage with Lanturn's best defensive Charged Move.
- Spark is inferior on defense.
- Thunderbolt is a strong choice; 2 bars make it both frequent and deadly.
- Surf can also be chosen for defense, though its damage is slightly behind.
- Hydro Pump is superior to Thunder; both are 1 bar moves with very early damage windows, but the former offers higher DPS and more meaningful coverage.
Spark and Water Gun are both perfectly viable fast moves. Spark is generally preferred because it has the same DPT as Water Gun while offering superior EPT. However, Water Gun can find uses when Water coverage is desirable.
The addition of Surf following the September 2022 update is a massive improvement for Lanturn, giving it much more speed in its moveset. Thunderbolt is a generally solid Electric-type attack, with a moderate energy cost. Thunder is largely worse than Thunderbolt, so you can skip out on this one. Hydro Pump is no longer considered due to its massive energy demands.
Lanturn features an interesting Water/Electric typing, good bulk, and a fairly speedy moveset. These qualities allow Lanturn to be extremely oppressive against Water- and Flying-type Pokemon, strongly countering Pokemon such as Azumarill, Pelipper, Skarmory, and Noctowl. It is also unique amongst Electric-type Pokemon in both said bulk and ability to pressure Clodsire. This ability to go toe to toe against Ground-type Pokemon leaves the Grass-type as Lanturn's sole true nemesis, which is generally not difficult to cover.
