Moves
Volt Switch is the main draw of using Lanturn. Lanturn forces many switches and can gain momentum with Volt Switch, and because of its low Speed, it is often able to allow a teammate to come in unscathed even if the opponent does not switch. Its second move, Scald, is highly threatening to Fire-types, such as Emboar. Very few Pokemon are willing to switch into Scald due to its burn chance, which also deters Ground-types that may want to block Volt Switch. Protect allows Lanturn to secure Leftovers recovery, which is important because Lanturn often must take many attacks over the course of a battle and has no other recovery of its own. It also incurs possible burn or poison damage inflicted on Lanturn's foes and scouts for attacks, which is especially useful against enemies holding Choice items. Heal Bell removes any status conditions Lanturn's teammates have incurred, but if the team does not require a cleric or already carries another one, Lanturn can use Toxic to wear down bulky foes that are not immediately threatened by Lanturn's attacks, such as Jellicent. Thunder Wave is another option, crippling fast offensive Pokemon and supporting Lanturn's slower teammates, but be advised that Lanturn personally cannot take advantage of paralysis, as it prefers having a slow Volt Switch and relies somewhat on residual burn or poison damage.
Set Details
Volt Absorb is preferred over Water Absorb because Lanturn already packs a resistance to Water, while it is otherwise neutrally hit by Electric; furthermore, Volt Absorb allows Lanturn to block enemy Volt Switches. Leftovers regenerates Lanturn's health passively, which is crucial, as Lanturn possesses no recovery of its own. Lanturn's EV spread is flexible and can be adjusted to suit your team's needs; you can opt for a more physically defensive spread or a more specially defensive spread. The suggested EV spread aims to maximize Lanturn's overall defenses while minimizing residual damage, with a bias towards Special Defense, as Lanturn primarily takes special attacks. A slightly more physically defensive spread of 104 HP / 224 Def / 180 SpD with a Calm nature can be used so that Lanturn can take certain attacks better, such as Psyshock, U-turn, Houndoom's Crunch, Emboar's Flare Blitz, or Fletchinder's Acrobatics, though this comes at the cost of some Special Defense. Dropping Lanturn's Speed IV to 26 allows minimum Speed Alomomola to outspeed Lanturn so that Lanturn's Volt Switch brings in a teammate unscathed.
Usage Tips
Lanturn is a great switch-in to special attackers whose moves it resists, such as Magneton, Clawitzer, and offensive Jolteon. It is not incredibly physically bulky, however, so while you shouldn't hesitate to switch it into Fletchinder, whose attacks Lanturn generally resists, be careful when switching Lanturn into powerful wallbreakers such as Emboar. Take advantage of Lanturn's ability to wall and force out many Pokemon by using Volt Switch to set up an advantageous matchup, but don't use Volt Switch blindly against teams with Pokemon immune to Electric. Lastly, if Lanturn is slower than a certain Pokemon that does not threaten it at all (such as Alomomola, which might hit your other team members with a Scald burn or Toxic) you may want to switch in Lanturn so you can then Volt Switch out to another Pokemon safely.
Team Options
As Lanturn is mostly a support Pokemon itself, it generally does not require too much support. It should be coupled with Pokemon that appreciate the free switches Lanturn's slow Volt Switch provides, Pokemon that despise status, such as Uxie, or Pokemon that rely on Rest for recovery, such as Curse Registeel. Lanturn personally hates Toxic Spikes and Spikes-stacking in general, so some entry hazard control is advised, especially paired with grounded Poison-types. Furthermore, it can create VoltTurn chains with teammates that possess U-turn or Volt Switch of their own, including Flygon, Meloetta, and Rotom-C. As Lanturn is easily worn down, it appreciates Wish support on more defensive teams, although be wary of using Alomomola due to redundancy in its role and typing. In addition to Wish, Aromatisse can use Heal Bell, taking pressure off of Lanturn and freeing up a moveslot for it to use Toxic. One particularly good teammate for Lanturn is Golbat, which can handle Grass-types, Defog away entry hazards, and if desired, use U-turn. It is also immune to Ground-type attacks, which Lanturn is weak to, though Golbat should not switch directly into Rhyperior.