Is Therian Landorus with Sandsear Storm good in Pokemon GO PvP and PvE?

Therian Landorus in Pokemon GO is getting a new Charged Attack called Sandsear Storm during its time as a 5-star raid boss in January 2024. The move will be available in the game for the first time, raising the question, "Is it any good in PvP and PvE settings of the AR-based mobile game?"

You can catch Therian Landorus between January 24 and 31 to get a variant of the Pocket Monster that knows Sandsear Storm. This article will give you an overview of the move's viability in trainer battles, Gyms, and raids.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.

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Is Sandsear Storm Therian Landorus worth using in Pokemon GO Battle League?

Therian Landorus in the main series games (Image via TPC)

Before getting into whether or not Therian Landorus is good with the new move, let us look at its base stats and other attacks.

Fast Attacks

• Mud Shot
• Extrasensory

Charged Attacks

• Earthquake
• Bulldoze
• Stone Edge
• Superpower
• Sandsear Storm [Needs an Elite Charged TM]

Base Stats

• Attack: 289
• Defense: 179
• Stamina: 205

Sandsear Storm is a 60 base power attack and consumes 45 energy. Being a Ground-type move, Therian Landorus will benefit from the same-type attack-bonus (STAB), making its base power 72. Like Thundurus' Wildbolt Storm or the commonly used Icy Wind, this attack is guaranteed to lower the target's Attack stat by one stage.

In the Master League of Pokemon GO Battle League, where Therian Landorus is most prevalent, this boosts the critter's viability extensively. According to PvPoke simulations, having Sandsear Storm and Stone Edge as Charged Moves is slightly better than Superpwer and Stone Edge when both sides have a shield each. When both sides have two shields, the former is better by a large margin.

This can be attributed to two reasons: Firstly, Sandsear Storm costs only 45 energy. Therefore, it acts as the perfect bait move that also deals decent chip damage thanks to Therian Landorus' impressive Attack stat. Secondly, Wildbolt Storm's guaranteed debuff allows the Pocket Monster to stick around on the battlefield for longer.

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Is Sandsear Storm Therian Landorus worth using in Pokemon GO Gym and Raid battles?

In PvE battles, Sandsear Storm deals 140 damage at 100 energy in 1.8s to 2.6s. Compared to this, Earthquake deals 140 damage for 100 energy in 2.7s - 3.5s. Therefore, the former has a higher damage per second output.

Hence, the combination of Mud Shot + Sandsear Storm, with 18.89 DPS, outclasses Mud Shot + Earthquake, which has a DPS of 16.79. If you have a maxed-out Therian Landorus in Pokemon GO that does not know Sandsear Storm, you should definitely consider using an Elite Charged TM on it.

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How to get a Therian Landorus that knows Sandsear Storm in Pokemon GO

To get a Therian Landorus that knows Sandsear Storm, you must successfully take down the Legendary Pocket Monster in 5-star raids between January 24-31, 2024. If you manage to catch this critter via these raid battles, it will know that exclusive move.

If you miss this window, you may use an Elite Charged TM to teach Sandsear Storm to a Therian Landorus from your collection.