Forretress (Analysis)
[Overview]
<p>Forretress is still Forretress. He remains exceptionally good at what he does, namely providing entry hazard and Rapid Spin support, though outside of that role, he is extremely limited. Generation 5 brought him a few new toys to play with in Volt Switch, and the improvement to his long-time ability, Sturdy, which now acts as a psuedo Focus Sash. Though, unfortunately for Forretress, numerous Pokemon such as Reshiram and Magic Bounce Xatu have also come into play, making life a bit harder. All in all, play safe, support him well, and watch as your opponent is shredded and poisoned at every turn by layer after layer of entry hazards. Or, be a bit reckless, and shudder as your bagworm is repeatedly wiped out with every poor prediction you make. As long as he is not pushed too far outside his limits, Forretress will not disappoint.</p>
name: Ubers Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Volt Change / Gyro Ball / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature : Calm / Sassy
evs : 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
<p>Forretress’s amazing Bug / Steel typing, great overall bulk, and access Rapid Spin, as well as all three entry hazards, make it a great choice for a support role on nearly any team. Toxic Spikes are the crux of the set, and are incredibly dangerous in Ubers, due to the relatively limited selection of viable Pokemon immune to them, and with the prevalence of Choice item and Draco Meteor users, Forretress will find plenty of opportunities to set them up. Toxic Spikes ability to put dangerous sweepers, such as non-Flying, Steel-, or Poison-type, non-refresh-carrying formes of Arceus (Most notably the Extremekiller), Rock Polish Groudon, and Mewtwo on a timer, significantly lessens the load on a teams defensive core when dealing with such threats, and can often be the difference between getting swept, and staving off the assault. Rapid Spin is where Forretress carves out its biggest niche; thanks to its great resistances to common attacking types, including Ghost, Dark, Ice, and Dragon it is able to consistently switch in and remove entry hazards, allowing Pokemon such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Reshiram to come into play without loosing huge chunks of their health. Bulky grounded Pokemon, such as Groudon, Palkia, most Arceus formes, and Chansey also appreciate Forretress’s ability to remove Toxic Spikes, as they significantly reduce their staying power, even with only one layer. Spikes is generally the best option in the third slot, as there are fewer Pokemon able to reliably set them up, and it gives Forretress something to with Outrage turns, should Toxic Spikes not be as helpful against the opposing team. Stealth Rock is a fine option on more offensively oriented teams, where another member may be unable to tack it on their moveset. Volt Change, Gyro Ball, and Toxic are mainly fillers, but they have their uses. The first allows Forretress to act as a scout after it has already gotten a layer or two, and can be useful for setting up a Pursuit-trap on an expecting Spinblocker, or just building momentum. Gyro Ball provides Forretress with a usably meaty STAB attack, and can hit common switch-ins, such as Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Giratina-O for reasonable damage; if Gyro Ball is used, be sure to use a Sassy nature with a 0 Speed IV for maximum power output. Finally, Toxic allows Forretress to both cripple walls, such as Lugia and Ho-Oh, who are immune to his Toxic Spikes, as well as wear down Ghost-types blocking Rapid Spin, and punish unwary Arceus formes who may try to set up on Forretress.</p>
<p>Max HP and Special Defense with a Special Defense boosting nature is necessary to make the most of Forretress’s relatively low special bulk, and it needs all it can get to take the repeated Draco Meteors and Ice Beams thrown around in the tier. Leftovers is the item of choice, as Forretress needs the passive recovery to help shrug off weak or resisted attacks; keep in mind, however, that even with full investment, neutral special attacks still take a fair chunk out of his health, so be sure and play off of his numerous resistances. </p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Payback and can wear down Ghost-types such as Giratina-O, who may try and block Rapid Spin, although the change in Payback's mechanics prevents it from doing much damage should you catch its intended target on the switch, and Gyro Ball is usually more consistent. A physically defensive spread (252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Def Impish/Relaxed) is viable if your team needs Forretress to take physical hits from the likes of Groudon and Garchomp better, but without the investment in Special Defense, even resisted hits such as Ice Beam and Spacial Rend can take a chunk of health out of him.</p>
<p>A Ghost-type is a mandatory teammate to block Rapid Spin, which can make all of Forretress's hard work useless; the Giratina formes are probably the best, and both have good synergy with Forretress, though Ghost-type Arceus makes a great choice as well. Blissey and Chansey can take most any special attack directed at Forretress in stride, while supporting the team with Wish or Stealth Rock; Forretress can easily set up on many of the physical attackers that threaten the pink blobs in return, such as Garchomp and Groudon that lack a Fire-type move. Palkia can switch in on Specs Kyogre, a common, and terrifying switch in to Forretress, and threaten it out with Thunder, while also having great synergy with the shell. Sweepers like non-immune Calm Mind Arceus and Kyogre love having Forretress as a partner, to both set up, and remove Toxic Spikes. Ho-Oh and Reshiram enjoy Rapid Spin support, and can easily switch into most Fire-type attacks for Forretress; the bagworm can also tank Dragon-type moves for Reshiram in return, and can usually come in on defensive Groudon, who is a constant threat to Ho-Oh. Groudon also forms a potent physically defensive duo with Forretress, and can run Stealth Rock, psuedo haze to rack up entry hazard damage with Roar or Dragon Tail, and scare Dialga off with STAB Earthquake. Kyogre can lessen Forretress's Fire-type weakness thanks to Drizzle, and can also scare off Fire Punch Groudon, Ho-Oh, and select Arceus formes. Zekrom can stop defensive Kyogre and Ho-Oh with its STAB Bolt Strike.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As previously mentioned, Forretress is fairly limited outside of what has already been mentioned. Shed Shell is an option to escape from Magnezone or Chandelure, in Dream World, though Forretress will greatly miss the Leftovers recovery. Pain Split can help recover chunks health while annoying some of his common switch-ins, such as Kyogre, Giratina-O, Ho-Oh, and Dialga, but the recovery is unreliable mid to late game, and it is generally hard to find a moveslot for it. Forretress learns Reflect and Light Screen, and can make decent use of them, but it is usually best to either switch out, Volt Change, or just get another layer rather than use a screen. Under Light Screen and rain, however, Forretress can be a tough nut to crack. Protect can be used in the last slot to scout for things carrying a Fire-type attack, such as Espeon and Groudon, and can also ease prediction when dealing with choice item-users, but the listed moves are generally more useful, and Forretress has four moveslot syndrome as it is. Lastly, Earthquake can be used to catch Heatran, Magnezone, and Reshiram on the switch.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Magic Bounce Espeon and Xatu with Hidden Power Fire are probably Forretress's biggest counters; they reflect his attempts to set up entry hazards and can OHKO him with a 4x super effective Hidden Power. Tentacruel can also be annoying, as it absorbs Toxic Spikes, has access to Rapid Spin, and can scare Forretress off with a potentially rain-boosted Scald, while Forretress can do little back bar Earthquake. Foretress has trouble with any Pokemon carrying a Fire-type move, as nearly all will OHKO if rain is not present; Reshiram, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina-O, and Mewtwo are the most common users. Choice Scarf Palkia can switch into Fire-type attacks coming from Reshiram, Giratina-O, opposing Palkia, and Mewtwo, and threaten them out with its STAB Dragon-type moves, though it must be very wary of coming in on an unexpected Dragon-type move itself. Although Groudon is normally set up fodder for Forretress, it will sometimes run Fire Punch or Overheat fry the bug. Both Ho-Oh and Reshiram can switch in at will and threaten Forretress with their STAB Sacred Fire or Blue Flare, respectively, while only really fearing Stealth Rock damage or Toxic. Kyogre has little to fear from any of Forretress’s attacks, and can drown it without question with its Water-type STAB moves. Although rare in today's metagame, Heatran can roast Forretress with Lava Plume or Fire Blast. Poison Heal Gliscor can freely come in and either Taunt Forretress or set up a Substitute.</p>
[Dreamworld]
<p>Forretress got Overcoat from Dreamworld, which protects against damage from weather. This may be a viable option should Forretress find itself on a hail-centric team, though Sturdy is generally the superior option in Uber battles. Shadow Tag Chandelure can be a great teammate as it can trap and kill several common switch-ins to Forretress after he Volt Changes out of them. A Custap Berry in conjunction with the new Sturdy mechanic can allow Forretress to function as a sort of suicide lead, but that is usually a waste of its defensive potential.</p>
Forretress (Analysis)
[Overview]
Forretress is still Forretress. He remains exceptionally good at what he does, namely providing entry hazard and Rapid Spin support, though outside of that role, he is extremely limited. Generation 5 brought him a few new toys to play with in Volt Switch, and the improvement to his long-time ability, Sturdy, which now acts as a psuedo Focus Sash. Though, unfortunately for Forretress, numerous Pokemon like Reshiram and Magic Bounce Espeon have also come into play, making life a bit harder. Play safe, support him well, and watch as your opponent is shredded and poisoned at every turn by layer after layer of entry hazards. Or, be a bit reckless, and shudder as your bagworm is repeatedly wiped out with every poor prediction you make. As long as he is not pushed too far outside his limits, Forretress will not disappoint.
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Volt Change / Gyro Ball / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature : Calm
evs : 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
[Dreamworld]
Forretress got Overcoat from Dreamworld, which protects against damage from weather. This may be a viable option should Forretress find itself on a hail-centric team, though Sturdy is generally the superior option in Uber battles. Shadow Tag Chandelure can be a great teammate as it can trap and kill several common switch-ins to Forretress after he Volt Changes out of them. A Custap Berry in conjunction with the new Sturdy mechanic can allow Forretress to function as a sort of suicide lead, but that is usually a waste of its defensive potential.
[Overview]
Forretress is still Forretress. He remains exceptionally good at what he does, namely providing entry hazard and Rapid Spin support, though outside of that role, he is extremely limited. Generation 5 brought him a few new toys to play with in Volt Switch, and the improvement to his long-time ability, Sturdy, which now acts as a psuedo Focus Sash. Though, unfortunately for Forretress, numerous Pokemon like Reshiram and Magic Bounce Espeon have also come into play, making life a bit harder. Play safe, support him well, and watch as your opponent is shredded and poisoned at every turn by layer after layer of entry hazards. Or, be a bit reckless, and shudder as your bagworm is repeatedly wiped out with every poor prediction you make. As long as he is not pushed too far outside his limits, Forretress will not disappoint.
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Volt Change / Gyro Ball / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature : Calm
evs : 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Best defensive user of Toxic Spikes in Ubers, and the most consistent user of Rapid Spin
- Has great resistances to common attacking types including Ghost, Dark, Ice, and Dragon.
- Very exploitable Fire-type weakness that needs to be well covered.
- Neutral special attacks still take a fair chunk out of his health, so play off of his great resistances,
- Spikes is generally better as there are fewer Pokemon able to reliably set them up, and it gives Forretress something to with Outrage turns should Toxic Spikes not be as helpful against the opposing team. Stealth Rock is a fine option on more offensively oriented teams where another member may be unable to tack it on their moveset.
- Volt Change and Toxic are mainly fillers, but they have their uses. The first allows Forretress to act as a scout after it has already gotten a layer or two, while Toxic allows Forretress to cripple walls and wear down Ghost-types blocking Rapid Spin.
- Gyro Ball and Payback are both options that can deter frail threats such as Darkrai, Shaymin-S, and Mewtwo from setting up on Forretress; Payback and can wear down Ghost-types such as Giratina-O, who may try and block Rapid Spin, although the change in Payback's mechanics prevents it from doing much damage should you catch its intended target on the switch. If either attack is run, be sure to use either a Careful (Payback) or Sassy with a 0 speed IV (Gyro Ball) nature.
- A physically defensive spread (252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Def Impish/Relaxed) is viable if your team needs Forretress to take physical hits from the likes of Groudon and Garchomp better, but without the investment in Special Defense, even resisted hits like Ice Beam and Spacial Rend can take a chunk of health out of him.
- Blissey and Chansey can take most any special attack directed at Forretress in stride, while supporting the team with Wish or Stealth Rock.
- A Ghost-type is a mandatory teammate to block Rapid Spin, which can make all of Forretress' hard work useless.
- The Giratina formes are probably the best, and both have good synergy with Forretress
- Palkia can switch in on Specs Kyogre and threaten it out with Thunder, while also having great synergy with Forretress.
- Sweepers like Calm Mind Arceus and Kyogre love having Forretress as a partner to both set up and remove Toxic Spikes.
- Ho-Oh and Reshiram enjoy Rapid Spin support, and can easily switch into most Fire-type attacks from Forretress.
- Groudon forms a potent physically defensive duo with Forretress, and can run Stealth Rock, psuedo haze to rack up entry hazard damage with Roar or Dragon Tail, and scare Dialga off with STAB Earthquake.
- Kyogre can lessen Forretress' Fire-type weakness thanks to Drizzle, and can also scare off Fire Punch Groudon, Ho-Oh, and select Arceus formes.
- Zekrom can stop defensive Kyogre and Ho-Oh with its STAB Bolt Strike.
- Shed Shell is an option to escape from Magnezone or Chandelure, in Dream World.
- Pain Split can help Forretress recover health while annoying some of his common switch-ins, such as Kyogre, Espeon, Ho-Oh, and Dialga.
- Forretress learns Reflect and Light Screen, and can make decent use of them, but it is usually best to either switch out, Volt Change, or just get another layer rather than use a screen. Under Light Screen and rain, Forretress can be a tough nut to crack, though.
- Protect can be used in the last slot to scout for things carrying a Fire-type attack, such as Espeon, and can also ease prediction when dealing with choice item-users.
- Magic Bounce Espeon with Hidden Power Fire is probably Forretress' biggest counter. It reflects his attempts to set up entry hazards and can OHKO him with a 4x super effective Hidden Power.
- Magic Bounce Xatu is pretty much the same.
- Foretress has trouble with any Pokemon carrying a Fire-type move, as nearly all will OHKO if rain is not present; Reshiram, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina-O, and Mewtwo are the most common users. Choice Scarf Palkia can switch into Fire-type attacks coming from Reshiram, Giratina-O, opposing Palkia, and Mewtwo, and threaten them out with its STAB Dragon-type moves, though it must be very wary of comming in on an unexpected Dragon-type move itself.
- Although Groudon is normally set up fodder for Forretress, it will sometimes run Fire Punch or Overheat fry the Bug.
- Both Ho-Oh and Reshiram can switch in at will and threaten Forretress with their STAB Sacred Fire or Blue Flare, respectively, while only really fearing Stealth Rock damage.
- Although rare in today's metagame, Heatran can roast Forretress with Lava Plume.
- Poison Heal Gliscor can freely come in and either Taunt Forretress or set up a Substitute.
[Dreamworld]
Forretress got Overcoat from Dreamworld, which protects against damage from weather. This may be a viable option should Forretress find itself on a hail-centric team, though Sturdy is generally the superior option in Uber battles. Shadow Tag Chandelure can be a great teammate as it can trap and kill several common switch-ins to Forretress after he Volt Changes out of them. A Custap Berry in conjunction with the new Sturdy mechanic can allow Forretress to function as a sort of suicide lead, but that is usually a waste of its defensive potential.
