marilli
With you
Meant to be the Second set after Support.
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Bullet Seed / Knock Off
move 4: Leech Seed
item: Figy Berry
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 28 Atk / 124 Def / 100 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Curse provides a way for Ferrothorn to boost its offensive capabilities and actually beat bulky Pokemon with recovery, such as Mega Salamence.
* Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's strongest STAB move, has good neutral coverage, and gets stronger with Curse.
* Bullet Seed provides a secondary STAB move that can hit Water-types super effectively, which is important because Ferrothorn is often tasked with the duty of checking threats such as Greninja and Mega Gyarados. Bullet Seed also has the utility of hitting through Substitute and Disguise.
* However, Knock Off is an option that provides better neutral coverage, in addition to hitting Steel-types like Aegislash and Mega Metagross super effectively. It also provides Ferrothorn with great utility in removing the items of its foes. Removing the Berry from Snorlax or Eviolite from Porygon2 can be devastating as usual, but removing Leftovers from Heatran or Celesteela allows Ferrothorn to limit the number of times they can switch in and defeat them in the long run.
* Leech Seed has multiple purposes on this set. In general, it is the best move to throw out on the forced switches that Ferrothorn tends to induce, as it chips down Fire-types and other Ferrothorn checks to eventually pave the way for a Curse sweep. In addition, it allows Ferrothorn to completely ignore damage from opposing physical attackers, especially after some Curse boosts.
Set Details
========
* Figy Berry is the preferred item on Curse Ferrothorn because it allows Ferrothorn to set up against strong physical Z-Moves and super effective attacks as well as heal back up to high HP to survive subsequent attacks with the boosted Defense from Curse.
* Iron Barbs adds valuable chip damage for Ferrothorn to take on physical attackers, which usually use contact moves.
* The Defense investment allows Ferrothorn to survive a +2 Never-Ending Nightmare from Mimikyu as well as potentially take on Hammer Arm Metagross one-on-one.
* The EV spread also avoids a 3HKO from Breloom's Mach Punch and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Psychic.
* A more specially defensive spread such as 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD with a Sassy nature is possible, as it will let Ferrothorn survive Tapu Lele's All-Out Pummeling, but it is an inferior option, as it gives Ferrothorn a harder time setting up Curse in front of physical attackers.
* Alternatively, a more physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Relaxed nature lets Ferrothorn best combat teams that stack physical attackers such as Mimikyu, Breloom, and Mega Salamence hoping to overwhelm the physically defensive wall. However, this opens up Ferrothorn to special attacks from the likes of Tapu Lele and Greninja that it should otherwise check.
Usage Tips
========
* Before blindly setting up with Curse, try to weaken and remove would-be counters with super effective Fire-type attacks.
* Pokemon like Celesteela and Heatran feel fairly comfortable switching into Ferrothorn, as they take minimal damage from any of its attacks and can threaten it out with a Fire-type move. Against such Pokemon, it is advised to slowly chip their HP away with Leech Seed and use Ferrothorn as a bulky pivot before attempting to set up with Curse. Using Curse will simply waste a turn, as Ferrothorn is forced to switch out.
* If the opponent's Ferrothorn checks are frail attackers such as mixed Mega Salamence and Mega Blaziken, throwing out Gyro Ball on the switch can put a lot of pressure on them, as they are limited in the number of times they can switch in.
* Once its counters have been removed, Ferrothorn easily finds room to set up Curse boosts thanks to its resistances to Water, Fairy, and Electric as well as its strong physical bulk, which Curse further augments.
* Even when going for a Curse sweep, look for an opportune time to use Leech Seed. The move can essentially nullify the amount of damage the foe can do to Ferrothorn with resisted special hits, as well as physical hits once Ferrothorn has some Curse boosts.
Team Options
========
* As with most Ferrothorn sets, this one appreciates teammates that can repeatedly check opposing Fire- and Fighting-type Pokemon.
* Water- and Dragon-types such as Tapu Fini, Gyarados, and Mega Salamence are particularly good options for their resistances to both Fire- and Fighting-type attacks.
* Flying- and Fairy-type Pokemon that check Fighting-types are also appreciated. Defensive Landorus-T cannot switch into Fire-type moves particularly well, but it checks most Fighting-type attackers that lack Ice Punch.
* Pair Ferrothorn with specially defensive Pokemon such as Heatran and Porygon2, as this set lacks the special bulk and survivability to take on neutral attacks from the likes of Aegislash.
* Wallbreakers in general can wear down the opposing team with coverage moves. Once they manage to KO a threat, the opposing team has one fewer option to deal with Ferrothorn's Leech Seed. Mixed Mega Salamence is an example that has excellent type synergy with Ferrothorn with its resistance to Fire and Fighting.
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Bullet Seed / Knock Off
move 4: Leech Seed
item: Figy Berry
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 28 Atk / 124 Def / 100 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Curse provides a way for Ferrothorn to boost its offensive capabilities and actually beat bulky Pokemon with recovery, such as Mega Salamence.
* Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's strongest STAB move, has good neutral coverage, and gets stronger with Curse.
* Bullet Seed provides a secondary STAB move that can hit Water-types super effectively, which is important because Ferrothorn is often tasked with the duty of checking threats such as Greninja and Mega Gyarados. Bullet Seed also has the utility of hitting through Substitute and Disguise.
* However, Knock Off is an option that provides better neutral coverage, in addition to hitting Steel-types like Aegislash and Mega Metagross super effectively. It also provides Ferrothorn with great utility in removing the items of its foes. Removing the Berry from Snorlax or Eviolite from Porygon2 can be devastating as usual, but removing Leftovers from Heatran or Celesteela allows Ferrothorn to limit the number of times they can switch in and defeat them in the long run.
* Leech Seed has multiple purposes on this set. In general, it is the best move to throw out on the forced switches that Ferrothorn tends to induce, as it chips down Fire-types and other Ferrothorn checks to eventually pave the way for a Curse sweep. In addition, it allows Ferrothorn to completely ignore damage from opposing physical attackers, especially after some Curse boosts.
Set Details
========
* Figy Berry is the preferred item on Curse Ferrothorn because it allows Ferrothorn to set up against strong physical Z-Moves and super effective attacks as well as heal back up to high HP to survive subsequent attacks with the boosted Defense from Curse.
* Iron Barbs adds valuable chip damage for Ferrothorn to take on physical attackers, which usually use contact moves.
* The Defense investment allows Ferrothorn to survive a +2 Never-Ending Nightmare from Mimikyu as well as potentially take on Hammer Arm Metagross one-on-one.
* The EV spread also avoids a 3HKO from Breloom's Mach Punch and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Psychic.
* A more specially defensive spread such as 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD with a Sassy nature is possible, as it will let Ferrothorn survive Tapu Lele's All-Out Pummeling, but it is an inferior option, as it gives Ferrothorn a harder time setting up Curse in front of physical attackers.
* Alternatively, a more physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Relaxed nature lets Ferrothorn best combat teams that stack physical attackers such as Mimikyu, Breloom, and Mega Salamence hoping to overwhelm the physically defensive wall. However, this opens up Ferrothorn to special attacks from the likes of Tapu Lele and Greninja that it should otherwise check.
Usage Tips
========
* Before blindly setting up with Curse, try to weaken and remove would-be counters with super effective Fire-type attacks.
* Pokemon like Celesteela and Heatran feel fairly comfortable switching into Ferrothorn, as they take minimal damage from any of its attacks and can threaten it out with a Fire-type move. Against such Pokemon, it is advised to slowly chip their HP away with Leech Seed and use Ferrothorn as a bulky pivot before attempting to set up with Curse. Using Curse will simply waste a turn, as Ferrothorn is forced to switch out.
* If the opponent's Ferrothorn checks are frail attackers such as mixed Mega Salamence and Mega Blaziken, throwing out Gyro Ball on the switch can put a lot of pressure on them, as they are limited in the number of times they can switch in.
* Once its counters have been removed, Ferrothorn easily finds room to set up Curse boosts thanks to its resistances to Water, Fairy, and Electric as well as its strong physical bulk, which Curse further augments.
* Even when going for a Curse sweep, look for an opportune time to use Leech Seed. The move can essentially nullify the amount of damage the foe can do to Ferrothorn with resisted special hits, as well as physical hits once Ferrothorn has some Curse boosts.
Team Options
========
* As with most Ferrothorn sets, this one appreciates teammates that can repeatedly check opposing Fire- and Fighting-type Pokemon.
* Water- and Dragon-types such as Tapu Fini, Gyarados, and Mega Salamence are particularly good options for their resistances to both Fire- and Fighting-type attacks.
* Flying- and Fairy-type Pokemon that check Fighting-types are also appreciated. Defensive Landorus-T cannot switch into Fire-type moves particularly well, but it checks most Fighting-type attackers that lack Ice Punch.
* Pair Ferrothorn with specially defensive Pokemon such as Heatran and Porygon2, as this set lacks the special bulk and survivability to take on neutral attacks from the likes of Aegislash.
* Wallbreakers in general can wear down the opposing team with coverage moves. Once they manage to KO a threat, the opposing team has one fewer option to deal with Ferrothorn's Leech Seed. Mixed Mega Salamence is an example that has excellent type synergy with Ferrothorn with its resistance to Fire and Fighting.
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