Taken over from Magicxgame and unfixable
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Ferrothorn has high defenses along with a fantastic defensive typing that grants it nine resistances and one immunity, allowing it to be one of the most capable walls in VGC. Ferrothorn's typing also gives it immunity to Spore and Sleep Powder and lets it take on Fairy-types. Ferrothorn's fairly high Attack stat allows it to hit with its powerful STAB moves, Gyro Ball and Power Whip, the latter having the capability to OHKO Rotom-W on the switch, though Ferrothorn does have to watch out for a burn. Ferrothorn's horrid Fire-type weakness is exploited by common threats such as Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame. Furthermore, Ferrothorn faces competition from Mega Mawile as a defensive Steel-type and from Amoonguss and Gourgeist as a bulky Grass-type.
Standard
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name: Standard
move 1: Power Whip
move 2: Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave / Substitute
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Protect
ability: Iron Barbs
item: Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 204 Atk / 52 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Brave
Moves
========
Power Whip is Ferrothorn's strongest STAB, KOing Rotom-W on the switch in. Gyro Ball hits incredibly powerfully thanks to Ferrothorn's pitiful Speed; it does have unimpressive coverage, however. Thunder Wave is able to cripple the majority of the fast-paced metagame. As a side note, never run Thunder Wave alongside Gyro Ball, because it reduces Gyro Ball's power. Substitute allows Ferrothorn to pull off SubSeed shenanigans and works well because of Ferrothorn's solid resistances. Leech Seed slowly wears down the foe, provides Ferrothorn with a source of recovery, and works well in tandem with Protect, which can scout for moves and accumulate Leech Seed damage.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP EV investment is needed to make full use of Ferrothorn's base 76 HP. 204 Attack EVs and a Brave nature allow it to OHKO Rotom-W with Power Whip. The rest of the EVs are put into Special Defense to patch up Ferrothorn's lower defense. 0 Speed IVs allow Ferrothorn to maximize Gyro Ball's power and underspeed other Pokemon when Trick Room is set. Lum Berry shields Ferrothorn from Rotom-W's Will-O-Wisp or cures sleep from Smeargle's Dark Void once. However, Rocky Helmet is also useful to severely annoy physical attackers, mainly Kangaskhan. One can run a more defensive spread with a Sassy or Relaxed nature. In addition, one can use 12 Speed EVs to allow Ferrothorn to outspeed paralyzed base 100 Speed Pokemon.
Usage Tips
========
Ferrothorn should be switched in on moves that it resists, such as Mega Kangaskhan's Return or a Choice-locked Draco Meteor. Unfortunately, Ferrothorn's STAB combination is resisted by a plethora of Pokemon, so Leech Seed is generally the preferred move. It is smart to save Ferrothorn for the end of the match because an opponent can potentially be out of super effective moves by then, thus making Ferrothorn a win condition. Ferrothorn is really only OHKOed by Fire-type moves, so keep it away from them at all costs!
Team Options
========
Ferrothorn appreciates Pokemon that resist its Fire-type weakness, such as Salamence and Gyarados, which also provide Intimidate support. Dragon-types such as Garchomp and the aforementioned Salamence appreciate Ferrothorn's Dragon- and Fairy-type resistances.
Talonflame has fantastic synergy with Ferrothorn and beats Fighting-types that threaten Ferrothorn. Politoed resists Fire-type moves and weakens their power via Drizzle. Rotom-W also resists Fire-type moves, and it has access to Will-O-Wisp to burn Fighting-types. Gothitelle makes for a good partner because it can trap Pokemon that lack a Fire-type move and make it difficult for them to break through Ferrothorn. Trick Room support from the likes of Chandelure allows Ferrothorn to go first thanks to its low Speed.
Other Options
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Rocky Helmet stacks with Iron Barbs and punishes physical attackers a great deal, though Ferrothorn prefers a defensive item. Sitrus Berry could also be used as an additional method of healing. However, it is usually more practical on a Pokemon such as Rotom-A because Ferrothorn really appreciates immunity to burns. A set of Thunder Wave / Leech Seed / Iron Head / Protect with a spread of 252 HP / 132 Atk / 108 Def / 4 SpD / 12 Spe with Leftovers lets Ferrothorn OHKO Gardevoir with Iron Head and survive two of Mega Mawile's Fire Fangs 81% of the time. Iron Head can be used for consistency, but Gyro Ball is all-around more powerful. Seed Bomb is more accurate than Power Whip but lacks power. Rest can be used for instant recovery and status relief, but it is unreliable because special Fire-type STAB moves OHKO Ferrothorn anyway.
Checks & Counters
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**Super Effective Moves**: Pokemon such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, Rotom-H, and Chandelure can easily OHKO Ferrothorn with their STAB moves. Fire-type coverage moves from the likes of Salamence and Hydreigon are also troublesome.
**Steel-types**: Other Steel-types such as Aegislash and Mawile do not mind Ferrothorn's STAB moves and some can even set up Substitutes to shield themselves from Leech Seed. Mawile can also hurt Ferrothorn's effectiveness via Intimidate.
**Intimidate Users**: Salamence, Scrafty, and Mega Manectric all lower Ferrothorn's Attack stat and carry super effective moves to hit Ferrothorn hard.
**Will-O-Wisp**: Will-O-Wisp from other Grass-types such as Gourgeist and Trevenant slowly wears Ferrothorn down and neuters its Attack.
Overview########
Ferrothorn has high defenses along with a fantastic defensive typing that grants it nine resistances and one immunity, allowing it to be one of the most capable walls in VGC. Ferrothorn's typing also gives it immunity to Spore and Sleep Powder and lets it take on Fairy-types. Ferrothorn's fairly high Attack stat allows it to hit with its powerful STAB moves, Gyro Ball and Power Whip, the latter having the capability to OHKO Rotom-W on the switch, though Ferrothorn does have to watch out for a burn. Ferrothorn's horrid Fire-type weakness is exploited by common threats such as Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame. Furthermore, Ferrothorn faces competition from Mega Mawile as a defensive Steel-type and from Amoonguss and Gourgeist as a bulky Grass-type.
Standard
########
name: Standard
move 1: Power Whip
move 2: Gyro Ball / Thunder Wave / Substitute
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Protect
ability: Iron Barbs
item: Lum Berry
evs: 252 HP / 204 Atk / 52 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Brave
Moves
========
Power Whip is Ferrothorn's strongest STAB, KOing Rotom-W on the switch in. Gyro Ball hits incredibly powerfully thanks to Ferrothorn's pitiful Speed; it does have unimpressive coverage, however. Thunder Wave is able to cripple the majority of the fast-paced metagame. As a side note, never run Thunder Wave alongside Gyro Ball, because it reduces Gyro Ball's power. Substitute allows Ferrothorn to pull off SubSeed shenanigans and works well because of Ferrothorn's solid resistances. Leech Seed slowly wears down the foe, provides Ferrothorn with a source of recovery, and works well in tandem with Protect, which can scout for moves and accumulate Leech Seed damage.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP EV investment is needed to make full use of Ferrothorn's base 76 HP. 204 Attack EVs and a Brave nature allow it to OHKO Rotom-W with Power Whip. The rest of the EVs are put into Special Defense to patch up Ferrothorn's lower defense. 0 Speed IVs allow Ferrothorn to maximize Gyro Ball's power and underspeed other Pokemon when Trick Room is set. Lum Berry shields Ferrothorn from Rotom-W's Will-O-Wisp or cures sleep from Smeargle's Dark Void once. However, Rocky Helmet is also useful to severely annoy physical attackers, mainly Kangaskhan. One can run a more defensive spread with a Sassy or Relaxed nature. In addition, one can use 12 Speed EVs to allow Ferrothorn to outspeed paralyzed base 100 Speed Pokemon.
Usage Tips
========
Ferrothorn should be switched in on moves that it resists, such as Mega Kangaskhan's Return or a Choice-locked Draco Meteor. Unfortunately, Ferrothorn's STAB combination is resisted by a plethora of Pokemon, so Leech Seed is generally the preferred move. It is smart to save Ferrothorn for the end of the match because an opponent can potentially be out of super effective moves by then, thus making Ferrothorn a win condition. Ferrothorn is really only OHKOed by Fire-type moves, so keep it away from them at all costs!
Team Options
========
Ferrothorn appreciates Pokemon that resist its Fire-type weakness, such as Salamence and Gyarados, which also provide Intimidate support. Dragon-types such as Garchomp and the aforementioned Salamence appreciate Ferrothorn's Dragon- and Fairy-type resistances.
Talonflame has fantastic synergy with Ferrothorn and beats Fighting-types that threaten Ferrothorn. Politoed resists Fire-type moves and weakens their power via Drizzle. Rotom-W also resists Fire-type moves, and it has access to Will-O-Wisp to burn Fighting-types. Gothitelle makes for a good partner because it can trap Pokemon that lack a Fire-type move and make it difficult for them to break through Ferrothorn. Trick Room support from the likes of Chandelure allows Ferrothorn to go first thanks to its low Speed.
Other Options
########
Rocky Helmet stacks with Iron Barbs and punishes physical attackers a great deal, though Ferrothorn prefers a defensive item. Sitrus Berry could also be used as an additional method of healing. However, it is usually more practical on a Pokemon such as Rotom-A because Ferrothorn really appreciates immunity to burns. A set of Thunder Wave / Leech Seed / Iron Head / Protect with a spread of 252 HP / 132 Atk / 108 Def / 4 SpD / 12 Spe with Leftovers lets Ferrothorn OHKO Gardevoir with Iron Head and survive two of Mega Mawile's Fire Fangs 81% of the time. Iron Head can be used for consistency, but Gyro Ball is all-around more powerful. Seed Bomb is more accurate than Power Whip but lacks power. Rest can be used for instant recovery and status relief, but it is unreliable because special Fire-type STAB moves OHKO Ferrothorn anyway.
Checks & Counters
########
**Super Effective Moves**: Pokemon such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, Rotom-H, and Chandelure can easily OHKO Ferrothorn with their STAB moves. Fire-type coverage moves from the likes of Salamence and Hydreigon are also troublesome.
**Steel-types**: Other Steel-types such as Aegislash and Mawile do not mind Ferrothorn's STAB moves and some can even set up Substitutes to shield themselves from Leech Seed. Mawile can also hurt Ferrothorn's effectiveness via Intimidate.
**Intimidate Users**: Salamence, Scrafty, and Mega Manectric all lower Ferrothorn's Attack stat and carry super effective moves to hit Ferrothorn hard.
**Will-O-Wisp**: Will-O-Wisp from other Grass-types such as Gourgeist and Trevenant slowly wears Ferrothorn down and neuters its Attack.
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