[OVERVIEW]
Ferrothorn has a decent Grass / Steel typing that gives it a useful set of resistances, allowing it to check a plethora of threats such as Primal Kyogre, Z-Geomancy Xerneas, and support Arceus variants thanks to its high defensive stats. It has access to plenty of good utility moves such as Spikes, Toxic, and Leech Seed, making it a decent choice for any balance team. It has a pretty good Attack stat coupled with two powerful STAB moves, preventing it from being dead weight against offensive threats such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, Arceus-Ground, and Yveltal. Despite all of those good points, Ferrothorn's typing gives it exploitable Fire and Fighting weaknesses, which makes Ferrothorn leaves it threatened by common Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Mega Lucario, Primal Groudon, and offensive threats that run a Fighting- or Fire-type coverage move such as Mewtwo, Lunala, Dialga, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza. It's also easily beaten by wallbreakers such as Mega Salamence, Arceus-Ghost, and offensive Primal Groudon. Lastly, it's rendered near useless by Taunt users such as Yveltal and Mega Gengar and has to rely on Leech Seed and Leftovers to recover, with the drawback of always moving second, meaning that Ferrothorn can be easily beaten if it's not healthy throughout the battle.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes damages opposing grounded Pokemon in order to wear them down and support a teammate's sweep. Leech Seed can be used to deal chip damage to switch-ins and gradually recover Ferrothorn's HP, which is especially helpful in combination with Leftovers, Protect, and Iron Barbs. Gyro Ball, backed by Ferrothorn's extremely low Speed, deals serious damage to many offensive threats such as Mega Gengar, Yveltal, and Mewtwo. Protect, in tandem with Leech Seed and Leftovers, grants Ferrothorn even more recovery and the ability to scout a foe's next move. Toxic is a solid option to let Ferrothorn cripple its switch-ins and spread poison, forcing many switches and easily wearing down the opposing team in tandem with Spikes. It also helps against Calm Mind sweepers such as Arceus-Dark without Refresh, Lunala, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Ground. Power Whip provides Ferrothorn with a powerful STAB attack, hitting most foes that do not resist it for respectable amounts of damage and 2HKOing defensive Primal Kyogre most of the time.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Sassy nature maximizes Ferrothorn's special bulk to check threats such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. Leftovers provides Ferrothorn with a solid form of passive recovery. Iron Barbs allows Ferrothorn to punish attackers that make contact. A Sassy nature with 0 IVs in Speed should be used with Gyro Ball to increase its power, but if it isn't being run, a Careful nature and 31 IVs in Speed should be used instead.
Usage Tips
========
Ferrothorn can switch in on Pokemon such as support Arceus or Primal Kyogre thanks to its defensive typing and set Spikes or use Leech Seed, which is very spammable in a meta that lacks Grass-types and guarantees passive recovery for Ferrothorn, wears down opposing Pokemon, and helps a teammate that switches into the affected Pokemon. Protect can be useful to PP stall attacks such as Sacred Fire from Ho-Oh and Moongeist Beam from Lunala as well as scout a foe's Fire-type attacks and Focus Blast to keep Ferrothorn safe. However, it should be also used cautiously, as it can give setup sweepers such as Rayquaza and Mega Lucario a free turn. Avoid switching Ferrothorn in too many times if it is not healthy or if the opponent has set entry hazards in order to keep it healthy to check threats such as Primal Kyogre and Fairy-types. Ferrothorn can be used as as a status absorber, as it can switch in on common status users such as Lugia, support Arceus, and Zygarde-C, since it's immune to Toxic and doesn't mind paralysis, though burns are a bit annoying, since it cancels Leftovers recovery and makes Ferrothorn unable to deal huge damage with its STAB moves. Gyro Ball should be used carefully due to its low PP.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can handle Fire-types, such Arceus-Water and Primal Kyogre, which are two solid checks to Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon, are good partners for Ferrothorn. Zygarde-C fits very well with Ferrothorn, as it's a decent counter to Fire-types, checks physical attackers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Lucario, and Arceus-Ghost very well, and can use Dragon Tail to phaze setup sweepers and rack up Spikes damage. In return, Ferrothorn can switch into most Ice Beam users and handle Primal Kyogre and Fairy-types. Arceus-Ground is a decent check to Primal Groudon and Mega Lucario and can threaten Ho-Oh and balance teams that don't mind Ferrothorn with its Swords Dance set. Ho-Oh is a good switch-in to Xerneas lacking Thunder or Hidden Power Rock, is able to check Mega Lucario lacking Stone Edge and mixed Rock Polish and defensive variants of Primal Groudon, and can spread burns with Sacred Fire, while appreciating the Spikes, Toxic immunity, and Leech Seed support that Ferrothorn provides. Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, and Magearna can beat Mega Sableye and provide cleric support and act as a solid check to Substitute Zygarde-C and other Dragon-types. Mega Gengar can trap Ferrothorn's threats or pick up KOs on weakened Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, and can use Destiny Bond to get rid of Ho-Oh. Yveltal and Arceus-Dark are two good checks to Arceus-Ghost and Mega Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Chople Berry allows Ferrothorn to survive a strong Fighting-type move once, allowing it to check Geomancy Xerneas and Life Orb Deoxys-A more easily. Thunder Wave can be used if your team needs speed control, as Ferrothorn can easily cripple Pokemon such as Lunala and Yveltal with it, but Power Whip is preferred over Gyro Ball then, as the latter will deal less damage to paralyzed foes. Knock Off isn't a common option, but it can cripple some attackers that run Choice items, Life Orb, Leftovers, or Power Herb by removing it. Stealth Rock can be used over Spikes if Ferrothorn's teammates don't run it, but Ferrothorn can't set it reliably, as it fears most of the common Stealth Rock users such as Primal Groudon and Dialga.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-type Moves**: Ho-Oh can switch into Ferrothorn safely and forces it out, Primal Groudon can also easily switch into Ferrothorn, and set up Stealth Rock, Swords Dance, or Rock Polish while Ferrothorn switches out, but Ferrothorn can wear down Primal Groudon slowly with Leech Seed and Spikes. Attackers such as Mewtwo, Yveltal, Arceus, Solgaleo, Dialga, and Rayquaza can run Fire-type moves to beat Steel-types and Ferrothorn, and some Arceus formes such as Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Fairy sometimes carry Fire Blast to beat it.
**Mega Sableye**: Thanks to Magic Bounce, Mega Sableye can switch into Ferrothorn and bounce back Spikes and Leech Seed while taking little damage from Gyro Ball and Power Whip, potentially burning it with Will-O-Wisp, and forcing Ferrothorn to switch out.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Strong attackers such as Mega Salamence and Arceus-Ghost can set up on Ferrothorn and easily break through it with strong physical attacks.
**Fighting-type Moves**: Pokemon such as Mega Lucario, Mega Blaziken, Mega Mewtwo X, and Pheromosa can easily beat Ferrothorn with their STAB moves, while the last two can also set up on it. Pokemon such as Lunala, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Deoxys-A often run Fighting-type coverage moves, which pose a threat to Ferrothorn.
**Taunt**: Taunt users such as Yveltal, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-S can shut down Ferrothorn, making it unable to set Spikes and Leech Seed or scout moves. While it can do damage back with Gyro Ball, it will usually switch out.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can use Ferrothorn as setup fodder if it packs Swords Dance, and it doesn't mind Leech Seed, Thunder Wave, or Ferrothorn's STAB moves. Defog variants can easily pivot into Ferrothorn and remove Spikes.
Ferrothorn has a decent Grass / Steel typing that gives it a useful set of resistances, allowing it to check a plethora of threats such as Primal Kyogre, Z-Geomancy Xerneas, and support Arceus variants thanks to its high defensive stats. It has access to plenty of good utility moves such as Spikes, Toxic, and Leech Seed, making it a decent choice for any balance team. It has a pretty good Attack stat coupled with two powerful STAB moves, preventing it from being dead weight against offensive threats such as Mega Gengar, Xerneas, Arceus-Ground, and Yveltal. Despite all of those good points, Ferrothorn's typing gives it exploitable Fire and Fighting weaknesses, which makes Ferrothorn leaves it threatened by common Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Mega Lucario, Primal Groudon, and offensive threats that run a Fighting- or Fire-type coverage move such as Mewtwo, Lunala, Dialga, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza. It's also easily beaten by wallbreakers such as Mega Salamence, Arceus-Ghost, and offensive Primal Groudon. Lastly, it's rendered near useless by Taunt users such as Yveltal and Mega Gengar and has to rely on Leech Seed and Leftovers to recover, with the drawback of always moving second, meaning that Ferrothorn can be easily beaten if it's not healthy throughout the battle.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Protect / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes damages opposing grounded Pokemon in order to wear them down and support a teammate's sweep. Leech Seed can be used to deal chip damage to switch-ins and gradually recover Ferrothorn's HP, which is especially helpful in combination with Leftovers, Protect, and Iron Barbs. Gyro Ball, backed by Ferrothorn's extremely low Speed, deals serious damage to many offensive threats such as Mega Gengar, Yveltal, and Mewtwo. Protect, in tandem with Leech Seed and Leftovers, grants Ferrothorn even more recovery and the ability to scout a foe's next move. Toxic is a solid option to let Ferrothorn cripple its switch-ins and spread poison, forcing many switches and easily wearing down the opposing team in tandem with Spikes. It also helps against Calm Mind sweepers such as Arceus-Dark without Refresh, Lunala, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Ground. Power Whip provides Ferrothorn with a powerful STAB attack, hitting most foes that do not resist it for respectable amounts of damage and 2HKOing defensive Primal Kyogre most of the time.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Sassy nature maximizes Ferrothorn's special bulk to check threats such as Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. Leftovers provides Ferrothorn with a solid form of passive recovery. Iron Barbs allows Ferrothorn to punish attackers that make contact. A Sassy nature with 0 IVs in Speed should be used with Gyro Ball to increase its power, but if it isn't being run, a Careful nature and 31 IVs in Speed should be used instead.
Usage Tips
========
Ferrothorn can switch in on Pokemon such as support Arceus or Primal Kyogre thanks to its defensive typing and set Spikes or use Leech Seed, which is very spammable in a meta that lacks Grass-types and guarantees passive recovery for Ferrothorn, wears down opposing Pokemon, and helps a teammate that switches into the affected Pokemon. Protect can be useful to PP stall attacks such as Sacred Fire from Ho-Oh and Moongeist Beam from Lunala as well as scout a foe's Fire-type attacks and Focus Blast to keep Ferrothorn safe. However, it should be also used cautiously, as it can give setup sweepers such as Rayquaza and Mega Lucario a free turn. Avoid switching Ferrothorn in too many times if it is not healthy or if the opponent has set entry hazards in order to keep it healthy to check threats such as Primal Kyogre and Fairy-types. Ferrothorn can be used as as a status absorber, as it can switch in on common status users such as Lugia, support Arceus, and Zygarde-C, since it's immune to Toxic and doesn't mind paralysis, though burns are a bit annoying, since it cancels Leftovers recovery and makes Ferrothorn unable to deal huge damage with its STAB moves. Gyro Ball should be used carefully due to its low PP.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can handle Fire-types, such Arceus-Water and Primal Kyogre, which are two solid checks to Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon, are good partners for Ferrothorn. Zygarde-C fits very well with Ferrothorn, as it's a decent counter to Fire-types, checks physical attackers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Lucario, and Arceus-Ghost very well, and can use Dragon Tail to phaze setup sweepers and rack up Spikes damage. In return, Ferrothorn can switch into most Ice Beam users and handle Primal Kyogre and Fairy-types. Arceus-Ground is a decent check to Primal Groudon and Mega Lucario and can threaten Ho-Oh and balance teams that don't mind Ferrothorn with its Swords Dance set. Ho-Oh is a good switch-in to Xerneas lacking Thunder or Hidden Power Rock, is able to check Mega Lucario lacking Stone Edge and mixed Rock Polish and defensive variants of Primal Groudon, and can spread burns with Sacred Fire, while appreciating the Spikes, Toxic immunity, and Leech Seed support that Ferrothorn provides. Fairy-types such as Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, and Magearna can beat Mega Sableye and provide cleric support and act as a solid check to Substitute Zygarde-C and other Dragon-types. Mega Gengar can trap Ferrothorn's threats or pick up KOs on weakened Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, and can use Destiny Bond to get rid of Ho-Oh. Yveltal and Arceus-Dark are two good checks to Arceus-Ghost and Mega Gengar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Chople Berry allows Ferrothorn to survive a strong Fighting-type move once, allowing it to check Geomancy Xerneas and Life Orb Deoxys-A more easily. Thunder Wave can be used if your team needs speed control, as Ferrothorn can easily cripple Pokemon such as Lunala and Yveltal with it, but Power Whip is preferred over Gyro Ball then, as the latter will deal less damage to paralyzed foes. Knock Off isn't a common option, but it can cripple some attackers that run Choice items, Life Orb, Leftovers, or Power Herb by removing it. Stealth Rock can be used over Spikes if Ferrothorn's teammates don't run it, but Ferrothorn can't set it reliably, as it fears most of the common Stealth Rock users such as Primal Groudon and Dialga.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-type Moves**: Ho-Oh can switch into Ferrothorn safely and forces it out, Primal Groudon can also easily switch into Ferrothorn, and set up Stealth Rock, Swords Dance, or Rock Polish while Ferrothorn switches out, but Ferrothorn can wear down Primal Groudon slowly with Leech Seed and Spikes. Attackers such as Mewtwo, Yveltal, Arceus, Solgaleo, Dialga, and Rayquaza can run Fire-type moves to beat Steel-types and Ferrothorn, and some Arceus formes such as Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Fairy sometimes carry Fire Blast to beat it.
**Mega Sableye**: Thanks to Magic Bounce, Mega Sableye can switch into Ferrothorn and bounce back Spikes and Leech Seed while taking little damage from Gyro Ball and Power Whip, potentially burning it with Will-O-Wisp, and forcing Ferrothorn to switch out.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Strong attackers such as Mega Salamence and Arceus-Ghost can set up on Ferrothorn and easily break through it with strong physical attacks.
**Fighting-type Moves**: Pokemon such as Mega Lucario, Mega Blaziken, Mega Mewtwo X, and Pheromosa can easily beat Ferrothorn with their STAB moves, while the last two can also set up on it. Pokemon such as Lunala, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Deoxys-A often run Fighting-type coverage moves, which pose a threat to Ferrothorn.
**Taunt**: Taunt users such as Yveltal, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-S can shut down Ferrothorn, making it unable to set Spikes and Leech Seed or scout moves. While it can do damage back with Gyro Ball, it will usually switch out.
**Mega Scizor**: Mega Scizor can use Ferrothorn as setup fodder if it packs Swords Dance, and it doesn't mind Leech Seed, Thunder Wave, or Ferrothorn's STAB moves. Defog variants can easily pivot into Ferrothorn and remove Spikes.
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