Who would have expected that this flattened durian could ever stand a chance against the strongest Pokemon in the game? I didn't.
[OVERVIEW]
- An amazing defensive Pokemon which can take some of the strongest attacks in the metagame, while also having enough offensive capabilities to beat some of the strongest Pokemon in VGC 2016.
- Its Grass / Steel typing allows it to resist common attacks such as Primal Kyogre's Water-type attacks and Xerneas's Fairy-type attacks, together with other common moves.
- 74 base HP, 131 base Defense, and 116 Base Special Defense gives Ferrothorn a good bulk to complement its already great defensive typing.
- Iron Barbs as ability allows Ferrothorn to do chip damage to any Pokemon that touches it. This is particularly useful against Mega Kangaskhan, as it will always hit twice meaning that it will take Iron Barbs damage twice.
- Ferrothorn only has weakness to Fire and Fighting-type attacks, meaning that most of the time it won't be OHKOed. However, this also means that it struggles versus common Fire-type Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Talonflame, and Primal Groudon.
- Ferrothorn has a terrible base 20 Speed, which can be useful for and against Trick Room teams. But, without Trick Room, you are pretty much guaranteed to go last.
[SET]
name: Physical Tank
move 1: Power Whip
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Protect
item: Lum Berry
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 220 Atk / 36 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Power Whip is a solid base 120 STAB move capable of OHKOing Primal Kyogre depending on spread, together with other Water-types.
- Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's most reliable move, as it consistently 2HKOs a lot of Pokemon in the metagame. It can also OHKO most Xerneas after a Geomancy boost.
- Leech Seed gives Ferrothorn sustain, while also allowing it to beat Pokemon such as Xerneas and Primal Kyogre 1v1, even if it has been damaged beforehand.
- Protect is a staple VGC move which helps Ferrothorn to protect from dangerous situations.
========
- Ferrothorn's great defensive stats allows it to wall plenty of hits without the need of heavily investing into its defenses. Because of this, players often choose to invest in its around-average attack stat, allowing it to do massive amount of damage to Primal Kyogre and Xerneas, and picking some 2HKOs on Pokemon like Mega Kangaskhan which otherwise Ferrothorn couldn't 2HKO.
- The EV spread given focus on this, as the 220 Atk EVs will be more than enough for Ferrothorn to do enough damage to guarantee the 2HKO on Xerneas and Primal Kyogre regardless of EV spread.
- The 252 HP investment and the 36 SpD investment with the Sassy nature allows Ferrothorn to reliably switch into Modest Primal Kyogre's full HP Water Spout. This uses Ferrothorn's amazing bulk to accomplish something only a few other Pokemon can accomplish while also maintaining offensive presence.
- However, if you want to OHKO those Xerneas and Kyogre that don't invest much into their defenses, an alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 204 Atk / 52 SpD with a Brave Nature can be used as well. Keep in mind that this spread cannot avoid the 2HKO from Primal Kyogre's Water Spout 100% of the time, so Ferrothorn can't reliably switch into it.
========
- Leading with Ferrothorn is often not reccomended due to its low speed, and most of the time it's used as the team's defensive backbone to switch into really powerful moves such as boosted Xerneas's Moonblast. Leading with it is only a good idea if the opponent's team doesn't have a clear way of beating Ferrothorn.
- Ferrothorn can usually get a free switch in against weak physical attacks such as Fake Out or other resisted physical moves. If you confirmed that the opposing Mega Kangaskhan lacks Low Kick, you can freely switch Ferrothorn into it as it will take around 30% due to Iron Barbs recoil, and it can take up to 60% recoil damage if Ferrothorn is holding a Rocky Helmet.
- Ferrothorn also has a very good special bulk, that allows it to switch into Pokemon that can't do much damage to it such as Cresselia. Switching Ferrothorn into other resisted special moves such as Xerneas's Fairy STABs, Primal Kyogre's Water STABs, or Thundurus's special moves is a good idea to get Ferrothorn into the field.
- If you see that the opposing team doesn't have a clear way of beating Ferrothorn, you have to consider that the opponent may be running a Ferrothorn lure. Some common lures include Overheat Rayquaza and Flamethrower Dialga / Palkia.
- Try doing chip damage to Primal Kyogre before switching Ferrothorn in so Water Spout doesn't do as much damage as it normally would.
========
- Ferrothorn only has 2 weaknesses, but its Fire-type weakness is very exploitable. Primal Kyogre is usually paired with Ferrothorn to abuse Primal Kyogre's Primordial Sea, giving Ferrothorn only one weakness.
- Ferrothorn can also be used as a Primal Kyogre check, meaning that Primal Groudon teams will appreciate having something to switch into Primal Kyogre so Primal Groudon can come in later and completely beat Kyogre.
- Ferrothorn's best job is as a Xerneas check, so partners such as Rayquaza and Salamence will appreciate the ability to not only switch, but also do massive damage to a boosted Xerneas.
Other Options
=============
- Thunder Wave can be used if a team desperately needs a speed control method without compromising the team's structure. Using Thunder Wave means sacrificing one of the key moves of Ferrothorn and replacing it with a move that won't really benefit Ferrothorn at all, since it will still get outspeed by paralysed Pokemon.
- Worry Seed is an alternative for Trick Room teams to get rid of the opponent's primal weather. It's more effective for Primal Kyogre teams as it will often mean a OHKO on the opposing Primal Groudon. The downside of it is its usefulness outside of Trick Room, given that Ferrothorn will always get outsped by the Primal Pokemon outside of Trick Room.
- Seed Bomb is your classic Accuracy > Power trade, but you lose a whooping 40 BP just to be able to reliably hit the opponent. This trade is only reccomended to those Ferrothorn that focus more on bulk rather than attack, as they won't OHKO Primal Kyogre with Power Whip anyways.
===================
**Fire-types**: Ferrothorn's 4x weakness to Fire means that a STAB Fire-type move will be able to OHKO it. Plus, both of Ferrothorn's STABs can't do much damage to Fire-types.
**Steel-types with Fire-type moves**: Even though Ferrothorn can use Leech Seed to win the 1v1 against other Steel-types, those that carry a Fire-type move will always beat it since Ferrothorn can't deal enough damage nor heal enough damage to win the 1v1. These Pokemon include Fire Fang Mega Mawile and Flamethrower Dialga.
**Anything with a Fire-type move**
Last edited:
