
QC: shrang / Sweep / WreckDra
GP: P Squared / fleurdyleurse
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Ferrothorn has solid defensive stats and a good defensive typing which gives it many of resistances. It is commonly seen on teams as a strong check to Kyogre, Latios, and Latias. Ferrothorn's support movepool is very large consisting of moves such as Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Spikes, and Leech Seed. Its decent Attack stat combined with Gyro Ball allows it to check many fast threats such as Mega Gengar and Xerneas. However, Ferrothorn is rendered useless by Taunt, is very slow, and has a nasty 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.
Support
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name: Support
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Gyro Ball / Power Whip
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Protect / Thunder Wave / Toxic
ability: Iron Barbs
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
nature: Sassy
Moves
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Ferrothorn is one of the best entry hazard setters in Ubers thanks to its solid bulk. It fares very well against the most common Defoggers, Latios and Latias, especially if it is running a status move such as Toxic. Spikes allows Ferrothorn to pressure defensive teams, deterring them from switching. Gyro Ball is used to heavily damage faster Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Xerneas, while Power Whip hits Kyogre, Ground Arceus, and Palkia hard; italso packs quite a punch against neutral targets. Leech Seed helps Ferrothorn recover health and, combined with entry hazards, can be used to chip away at the foe's health. Protect works well with Leech Seed and Leftovers, allowing Ferrothorn to recover HP while scouting against Choice-locked Pokemon. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple setup sweepers, but it should not be used with Gyro Ball, as Thunder Wave will lower Gyro Ball's power. Toxic wears down common switch-ins to Ferrothorn such as support Arceus formes and Defog users; as such, it has good synergy with Spikes.
Set Details
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Iron Barbs helps Ferrothorn wear down physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan. Leftovers gives Ferrothorn some passive recovery, helping it avoid some crucial 2HKOs and 3HKOs. 252 HP and Special Defense EVs allow Ferrothorn to better check special attackers, such as Kyogre, while a Sassy nature further boosts Ferrothorn's special bulk. 0 Speed IVs should be used with Gyro Ball to strengthen it. Investing in Defense is also not a bad idea, as it helps Ferrothorn check powerful physical attackers such as Swords Dance Arceus variants with more ease.
Usage Tips
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You should aim to use Ferrothorn's good defensive typing and bulk to your advantage by using it to set up entry hazards. Ferrothorn should be taking hits and trying to wear down the opposing Pokemon with residual damage from Leech Seed, entry hazards, or Toxic. Around common Fire Blast or Focus Blast users such as Dialga, Palkia, and Mewtwo, use Protect to see if they have it. It should also be noted that Gyro Ball only has 8 PP, so use it only when you have to.
Team Options
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Ho-Oh is a good teammate for Ferrothorn, as the two work well together, and Ho-Oh appreciates Spikes support which wears down its checks and counters. Lugia can switch in to Fighting-types and a few Fire-types easily and phaze its foes to take advantage of Spikes. Water Arceus can check Ho-Oh and other Fire-types in general as well; it can also provide Defog support. Setup sweepers appreciate Ferrothorn setting up entry hazards, and using Toxic and Leech Seed to wear down bulky walls that they cannot muscle past. Ferrothorn also enjoys cleric support from Pokemon such as Blissey or Clefable, as it is easily worn down by burn damage.
Other Options
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You can opt to run Rocky Helmet over Leftovers to heavily damage Pokemon that use contact moves; however, the passive recovery from Leftovers is usually more useful. Knock Off can be used to neuter item-reliant Pokemon, such as Latios and Latias.
Checks & Counters
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**Fire-type Pokemon**: Fire-type Pokemon such as Mega Blaziken, Primal Groudon, and Ho-Oh are able to KO Ferrothorn with their STAB moves. However, Mega Blaziken and Ho-Oh are neutered by Thunder Wave and Toxic.
**Taunt**: Taunt users such as Yveltal completely shut Ferrothorn down but must be wary of Gyro Ball, Leech Seed, and status.
**Darkrai**: Darkrai can easily cripple Ferrothorn with Dark Void and proceed to use it as setup fodder if running Nasty Plot.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye stops Ferrothorn from setting up entry hazards and takes little damage from its attacks.
**Powerful Physical Wallbreakers**: Primal Groudon can easily beat Ferrothorn with Fire Punch, and Rayquaza can easily break through it with Dragon Ascent or V-create. Mega Salamence takes little damage from Gyro Ball and is unaffected by status if it is running Refresh, while it can easily render Ferrothorn setup fodder. However, all of them are annoyed by Leech Seed.
**Fire-type Coverage Moves**: Ferrothorn must be wary around Pokemon that commonly use Fire-type coverage moves, such as Fire Blast Dialga, Palkia, and Mewtwo as well as the occasional Hidden Power Fire Mega Diancie and Xerneas.
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