Ferroseed
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[Overview]
<p>Being the first Grass / Steel type Pokemon to grace the Little Cup Metagame, hopes are being held high for Ferroseed due to a couple of key characteristics, it owns which makes it (making it) of great use in LC battles. The first of these characteristics is its resistance-chart: an impressive 10 resistances, 1 immunity, and only 2 weaknesses greatly helps the Thorn Pokemon when it comes to walling some of the most destructive sweepers in Little Cup. Couple this with amazing 91 base Defense and 86 base Special Defense stats, and you’ve got one of the best defensive Pokemon in LC. Even (What's) more, Ferroseed has a great “supporting” (support) movepool including Spikes, Toxic Spikes (Stealth Rock), and Thunder Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed / Stealth Rock / Thunder Wave
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Protect / Bullet Seed
nature: Sassy
item: Oran Berry / Evolution Stone / Shed Shell
evs: 84 HP / 36 Atk / 188 Def / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Ferroseed’s massive defensive prowess and considerable bulk, along with its access to moves like Spikes, Stealth, and Leech Seed, it can effectively support its teammates in a variety of ways, ranging from breaking through defensive Pokemon to setting up the field for another Pokemon’s sweep. Spikes is a staple on this set as it’s more or less Ferroseed’s “specialty,” although if you feel Stealth Rock is a needed support, the second moveslot can be used to accommodate said move. However, the second moveslot can also be given to Leech Seed, which is often necessary when using Ferroseed as it is its only way of regaining health. Thunder Wave can also be used in the second moveslot to cripple Pokemon like Houndour, a common switch-in to Ferroseed. Gyro Ball is used mainly as a reliable STAB-move to cause direct damage. in case Ferroseed gets Taunted by an opposing Pokemon. Gyro Ball (It) also takes advantage of Ferroseed’s mediocre base Speed stat. Protect is the recommended move in the fourth moveslot as it allows Ferroseed to deal with the Hi Jump Kick users which it tends to attract; however, Bullet Seed can be used as a secondary STAB move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs recommended are geared towards making Ferroseed as defensively-orientated as possible, allowing it to take attacks on both the physical and special sides of the spectrum; a small EV investment has also been put into Attack to give Ferroseed’s Gyro Ball (and Bullet Seed) slightly more power. A Sassy nature is recommended on this set, as is its Special Defense is its weaker defensive side, and it’ll often need the extra Special Defense when dealing with the commonly based special (specially-based) Fire-type attacks. On another note, a Sassy nature also lowers Ferroseed’s speed, magnifying the power of Gyro Ball. Either an Oran Berry or an Evolution Stone are the recommended options as they increase Ferroseed’s durability and longevity in a battle. A Shed Shell can be used if you fear being trapped by Magnemite. In terms of optional moves, Seed Bomb can be used on the set if you value the extra power; Toxic can also be used to help get past defensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Pokemon which benefit from Spikes and/or Stealth Rock support generally make the best partners to Ferroseed. Mantyke is an excellent example as it shares great synergy with Ferroseed and also benefits from the entry hazard support which breaks opponent’s Pokemon’s Focus Sashes. Other examples of decent partners include Dratini and Totodile, which both need entry hazards support to secure useful (certain) KO's. Ferroseed has an excellent resistance chart (resistances), with only two weaknesses. Unfortunately, Ferroseed’s two weaknesses, Fighting- (x2) and Fire- (x4) type attacks, are quite common in LC. Pokemon like Houndour and Machop are some of Ferroseed’s worst nightmares.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Ferroseed's Spikes (and Stealth Rock) support make offensively-inclined Pokemon the best teammates as they are able to take full advantage of the support when attempting a sweep. Mantyke, Totodile, Mijimaru (Oshawott) , and Dratini are all be great examples of such Pokemon. Spin-blockers also prove to be invaluable as the last thing Ferroseed would want is its entry hazards being blown away by a Rapid Spinner. Pururiru (Frillish) is one of the best choices for a spin-blocker to use alongside Ferroseed, as not only is the “Floating” Pokemon able to block Rapid Spin, but it also shares great defensive synergy with Ferroseed. Gastly is also a Pokemon to consider for this spot. Lastly, a Choice Scarf Gligar proves to be a valuable partner as it can easily deal with Pokemon Ferroseed often lures, such as Houndour and Machop, which fall to Gligar’s STAB-attacks. Mantyke also excels at this job in a similar way to Gligar, only with different STAB-attacks.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>In terms of offensively-orientated options, Ferroseed doesn’t have many options. It is really limited due to its mediocre base Speed and its less-than-average base Attack stat. A Curse set can be used as it acts as a reliable attack stat booster, and even though it reduces Ferroseed’s Speed, it doesn’t really matter. Taking Ferroseed's already mediocre base Speed into account, Curse can be used in conjunction with Gyro Ball as the constantly lower (decreasing) Speed will make Gyro Ball a lot more powerful. A Rock Polish set can also be utilized, but its viability is extremely situational due to Ferroseed’s Speed still not been quite (being very) impressive after the Rock Polish Boost and (while) its Attack stat is not being sufficient enough to cause any major damage to an opposing Pokemon. Sub-Seed can be used as it focuses on Ferroseed’s defensive qualities while also having (acting as) an offensive pivot. This set, like the Rock Polish set, is extremely situational due to Ferroseed’s mediocre Speed. Lastly, Explosion can be used, allowing Ferroseed to go out with a “bang,” although Explosion is a lot less intimidating this generation, and is not recommended. also Moves such as Poison Jab and Payback can also be used, but are not recommended due to their mediocre coverage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Due to the fact that Ferroseed has an amazing 10 resistances, 1 immunity, and only 2 weaknesses, there’s only a handful of Pokemon which can really “check” or “counter” it. Although they may have the moves (and STAB boost) required to bring down Ferroseed, the residual damage from the entry hazards may render the (these) "counters” useless. Pokemon like Houndour, Machamp (Machop) and Zuruggu (Scraggy) are prime examples of Ferroseed’s “counters” as they have the required STAB-attacks and offensive base stat layouts to pose a threat, although all of them must be wary of switching repeatedly into a field strewn with Spikes and/or Stealth Rock. Pokemon like Houndour must also beware of switching into a predicted Thunder Wave, which will cripple it for the remainder of the battle. Other examples of such Pokemon include Darrumaaka (Darumaka), Dokkara (Timburr), Ponyta, and Kojofuu (Mienfoo). Lastly, Magnemite poses to be a huge threat to Ferroseed (without a Shed Shell), as its ability, Magnet Pull, prevents Ferroseed from switching out, allowing Magnemite to comfortably destroy it with a super-effective Hidden Power Fire.</p>