
u may not see it, but im secretly taking a piss
Overview
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Ferroseed is a very underrated Pokemon in RU. It has great defensive stats, the ability to use Eviolite, as well as a great defensive typing leaving it weak to only Fire- and Fighting-type moves, making it an ideal wall. Ferroseed is also complemented with a wide range of support moves, most notably Spikes, which isn't as common as Stealth Rock in RU and provides great utility. Ferroseed also serves as a good counter to threats in the tier such as Sharpedo,(AC) and can cripple other threats such as Yanmega with Thunder Wave. However, Ferroseed does have some glaring flaws. It is very weak to Knock Off, as without Eviolite, it loses most of its walling capability. It is also no longer resistant to Ghost- and Dark-type moves. Ferroseed is also very slow, meaning that it will usually move last during battle. Furthermore, Ferroseed is also shut down by Taunt, as its whole niche is to support the team. However, Ferroseed is a great Pokemon on any team if used correctly.
Supporting Seed
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name: Supporting Seed
move 1: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Thunder Wave
move 4: Seed Bomb / Gyro Ball
ability: Iron Barbs
item: Eviolite
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish / Relaxed
Moves
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This is Ferroseed's most viable set. Spikes is the main move of the set, and provides chip damage every time a grounded Pokemon switches in. Stealth Rock can also fit the role of the preferred entry hazard, but Spikes is generally better as it is less common in the tier and there are other Stealth Rock setters such as Bronzong and Registeel. Leech Seed gradually wears down the opponent and is Ferroseed's only form of recovery. Protect can work well with Leech Seed in draining the opponent's health, but Thunder Wave can be used as an alternative to cripple faster threats such as Zangoose and Sceptile. Seed Bomb is to stop Ferroseed from being Taunt bait, and hits Kabutops and Rhyperior reasonably hard, while Gyro Ball can be used to hit Slurpuff.
Set Details
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252 HP EVs maxes out Ferroseed's HP, letting it take hits much better. 252 Defense EVs with an Impish nature maximize Ferroseed's Defense, letting it take hits from Pokemon such as Rhyperior and Escavalier. However, a Relaxed nature should be used to maximize damage if it's using Gyro Ball. A specially defensive spread can also work to counter special Water-, Grass-, and Electric-type Pokemon better, but most of these Pokemon will pack coverage for Ferroseed, and the physically defensive spread is better for Escavalier and Sharpedo. An Eviolite is an absolute must, as it gives Ferroseed a notable boost to its defenses, which are its claim to fame in the tier. Lastly, Iron Barbs is the preferred ability for Ferroseed as it wears down the foe for every physical hit taken, and works well when used with Leech Seed.
Usage Tips
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The most important thing to remember when using this set is to not stay in on Knock Off, as it gets rid of Eviolite, and to not stay in on Taunt, as it stops Ferroseed from using its support moves, which is one of the most important reasons to ever use Ferroseed. Ferroseed can also force some switches on Pokemon such as Sharpedo and Doublade lacking Sacred Sword, so predicting what will switch in correctly can provide a free turn of setting up Spikes or landing Thunder Wave on whatever switches in. Protect can also be used to scout out moves on unusual switch-ins, and can be used for a free turn of recovery if Leech Seed is up. Lastly, be careful when using Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball on the same set, as it can be counterproductive at times.
Team Options
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Aromatisse and Alomomola can be good partners as they can pass Wishes, and Ferroseed doesn't have any other means of recovery outside of Leech Seed. Alomomola can form a defensive core with Ferroseed, as Ferroseed can take super effective Grass-type and Electric-type moves for it, and in return, Alomomola can take super effective Fire-type moves for Ferroseed. Slowking also can form a defensive core and resists Fighting-type attacks as well, at the cost of not being able to take Knock Off well either. Jellicent can also form a defensive core with Ferroseed and has higher overall special bulk than Slowking and Alomomola, as well as the ability to spinblock. Doublade can also work as a spinblocker, but shares the same Fire-type weakness as Ferroseed which stops Doublade from forming a good defensive core with Ferroseed as well as Jellicent. Slower sweepers such as Gallade, Hitmonlee, and Moltres that can take advantage of Ferroseed's paralysis support make great partners. Moltres in particular is a good partner, as it not only takes advantage of the paralysis support, but also resists Ferroseed's weaknesses.
Other Options
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Ferroseed really doesn't have any other options. Toxic can also be used to slowly wear down the opponent in conjunction with Leech Seed and Protect, but Ferroseed doesn't have a moveslot anywhere on its set to fit it. Bullet Seed can also be used over Seed Bomb and Gyro Ball to deal more damage occasionally, but it can sometimes be unreliable. Lastly, a Mental Herb can be used to stop Ferroseed from being complete Taunt bait, but giving up the added bulk is not recommended, and it only works once.
Checks & Counters
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**Drapion**: Drapion can use Taunt on Ferroseed, and can easily set up on it with Swords Dance as it resists Seed Bomb and isn't very threatened by Gyro Ball. Drapion also can use Knock Off, which gets rid of Ferroseed's Eviolite.
**Taunt** If Ferroseed is Taunted, it loses a great deal of potential utility. Pokemon such as Qwilfish can also easily Taunt Ferroseed and set up Spikes on it.
**Knock Off** If Ferroseed is hit with Knock Off, it loses its Eviolite, which is one of the only reasons Ferroseed is worth using.
**Virizion** Virizion usually will have a Lum Berry to shake off paralysis, is immune to Leech Seed, and can hit hard with its Fighting-type STAB moves.
**Fire-types** Fire-types such as Delphox and Moltres easily outspeed and OHKO Ferroseed, making them great counters. However, they should be wary about taking a Thunder Wave if they try to switch in.
**Fighting-types** Fighting-types such as Emboar and Gallade hit Ferroseed hard to the point of which it can't recover with Leech Seed. However, they should be aware that they can be crippled by Thunder Wave.
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