[OVERVIEW]
A Grass / Steel typing and impressive bulk allow Ferrothorn to be a prominent support Pokemon in Anything Goes. Importantly, these attributes allow Ferrothorn to be one of the only reliable Kyogre answers in the metagame. Ferrothorn is also a reliable answer to common support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water, walling them without much trouble. In addition to this, Ferrothorn's access to Spikes, Stealth Rock, and a myriad of other viable support moves makes it very useful as a support Pokemon, capable of being fit on many defensive archetypes. However, unlike other defensive Pokemon, Ferrothorn is crippled by its lack of reliable recovery. Due to this, Ferrothorn is forced to rely on Leech Seed and Leftovers to regain its health. It also bears a massive 4x weakness to Fire and 2x weakness to Fighting, meaning that common threats in Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow force it out easily. Additionally, many Pokemon can run Fire-type coverage and effectively deal with Ferrothorn as well.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Gyro Ball / Power Whip
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy / Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe / 31 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed enables Ferrothorn to slowly regain health throughout the match without solely relying on Leftovers in addition to slowly wearing down opposing Pokemon. Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's strongest means of attacking, allowing it to deal large amounts of damage to threats that don't resist it. Power Whip is better against Kyogre; however, it is otherwise much worse than Gyro Ball, since it can't deal substantial damage to Mega Gengar, Mega Rayquaza, and Vivillon. Spikes provides useful utility by dealing substantial damage to aid setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza, Geomancy Xerneas, and Swords Dance Necrozma-DM. Stealth Rock can be used instead of Spikes if Ferrothorn's team lacks a setter. Protect gives Ferrothorn an extra turn of recovery from Leech Seed and Leftovers. Toxic can be used over Protect to impair Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh switch-ins, but Protect is often preferred due to how often Ferrothorn's health is paramount to the outcome of a match.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment paired with a Sassy nature gives Ferrothorn maximum special bulk to efficiently check Kyogre and support Arceus formes. 0 Speed IVs are run to increase Gyro Ball's power. A Careful nature should be used instead if Gyro Ball isn't used. Leftovers allows Ferrothorn to regain health passively throughout the course of the match to aid with longevity. Iron Barbs provides another way for Ferrothorn to damage opposing Pokemon, as any contact moves that are used against Ferrothorn will deal damage to the user.
Usage Tips
========
Keep Ferrothorn healthy during the course of the match by using Leech Seed generously, especially if there is a Kyogre still remaining in the game. Feel free to switch into Kyogre, Lugia, Skarmory, and support Arceus formes to capitalize on their inability to deal sufficient damage to Ferrothorn and attempt to regain health via Leech Seed. Set up multiple layers of Spikes when opposing Pokemon are unable to deal substantial damage to Ferrothorn. Be wary with moves such as Gyro Ball, as their PP may run out before opposing threats are effectively dealt with. Use Iron Barbs to inflict damage against physical attackers such as Extreme Killer Arceus and defensive Yveltal if necessary; however, Ferrothorn should not be used as a sole check to these Pokemon. If using Toxic, use it liberally to weaken Pokemon that can remove entry hazards. Be wary of Ferrothorn becoming setup fodder against Pokemon like Ultra Necrozma and Zygarde-C, as they can capitalize on Ferrothorn's passiveness and set up without much hassle. Scout for Fire-type coverage from support Arceus formes to prevent Ferrothorn from being OHKOed by an unexpected attack. Avoid letting Ferrothorn get burned, as it cancels out Leftovers recovery and overall makes regaining health difficult.
Team Options
========
Zygarde-C is a great partner to Ferrothorn, as it's an effective answer to Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow, while Ferrothorn can also aid with Zygarde-C's massive weaknesses to Kyogre, Arceus-Fairy, and Xerneas. Arceus-Fairy is another good partner due to its ability to check Marshadow and Yveltal, whereas Ferrothorn is able to put a halt to Primal Kyogre, Celesteela, and support Necrozma-DM, some of Arceus-Fairy's most prevalent answers. Ho-Oh can be paired with Ferrothorn to help with special attackers like Calm Mind Arceus formes and Geomancy Xerneas. Checks to Primal Groudon like Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and the aforementioned Zygarde-C are extremely beneficial to Ferrothorn due to its inability to deal substantial damage to Primal Groudon. Answers to Ho-Oh such as Arceus-Rock, Arceus-Water, and Tyranitar are extremely useful to have due to Ferrothorn's crippling weakness to it. Pokemon that can check Xerneas more reliably than Ferrothorn such as Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison are required due to the prevalence of Focus Blast on Geomancy Xerneas sets; Ferrothorn should never be used as a team's sole Xerneas answer. Pokemon that appreciate the support from Ferrothorn's Spikes such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza and Swords Dance Necrozma-DM are good partners due to the number of 2HKOs and OHKOs they can obtain after entry hazard damage. Ferrothorn can also switch into Pokemon that pressure Mega Rayquaza and Necrozma-DM such as Lugia and support Arceus formes. Other Pokemon that appreciate Ferrothorn's ability to switch into Kyogre such as Arceus-Steel and Arceus-Rock are also very good options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bullet Seed is an option for more effectively dealing with Substitute variants of Kyogre, but it is otherwise virtually outclassed by Power Whip. Knock Off allows Ferrothorn to remove items from opposing Pokemon; however, due to the prevalence of Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre, this move is often not useful. Chople Berry provides a way for Ferrothorn to survive Marshadow's Close Combat, but Ferrothorn generally doesn't want to stay in on Marshadow regardless, and it really needs the passive recovery that Leftovers provides. Shed Shell allows Ferrothorn to escape from Shadow Tag users Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, but Leftovers is almost always a better item. Thunder Wave can be used to impair support Arceus formes; however, these Pokemon would usually be better dealt with using Toxic.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Ferrothorn has a hard time impairing Ho-Oh without inflicting a status ailment via Toxic or Thunder Wave and hence generally doesn't appreciate Ho-Oh's presence on opposing teams. Stealth Rock can be used to deter Ho-Oh from switching in repeatedly; however, Ho-Oh can switch in when Stealth Rock is being set and Defog immediately, making it unmanageable for Ferrothorn.
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon can switch into any of Ferrothorn's attacks without taking much damage and OHKO it in return with any Fire-type attack. While Primal Groudon doesn't like being badly poisoned if Ferrothorn opts to run Toxic, it frequently runs Rest and can avoid eventually falling to residual damage.
**Marshadow**: While it doesn't appreciate switching into Gyro Ball or Power Whip, Marshadow can OHKO Ferrothorn with Close Combat. Marshadow can also set up with Bulk Up against Ferrothorn to simultaneously weaken Ferrothorn's attacks and boost its own Attack stat.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye walls Ferrothorn completely. Mega Sableye is too slow for Gyro Ball to do significant damage, and Power Whip can't even 2HKO specially defensive variants. Mega Sableye can also impair Ferrothorn for the remainder of the match using Will-O-Wisp or Knock Off.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Mega Rayquaza has no issues with Ferrothorn, as many sets that forgo V-create can still OHKO with Dragon Ascent. Mega Rayquaza doesn't appreciate switching into Gyro Ball, however.
**Gothitelle**: By repeatedly using Charm and Taunt, Gothitelle can eliminate Ferrothorn from the match without much effort.
**Calm Mind Arceus formes**: Arceus-Dark and Arceus-Steel can both repeatedly set up with Calm Mind against Ferrothorn while shrugging off anything Ferrothorn can do. Other Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground can also set up against Ferrothorn provided it lacks super effective coverage.
**Fire-type Coverage**: Arceus formes, Celesteela, and Ultra Necrozma can run Fire-type coverage to avoid being walled by Ferrothorn; however, this is very often inferior to other coverage.
**Bulky Setup Sweepers**: Necrozma-DM and Zygarde-C are both able to take repeated attacks from Power Whip and Gyro Ball while setting up Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, respectively.
**Taunt**: Ferrothorn is unable to perform most of its functions by solely using attacks and thus is usually forced out if hit by Taunt.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Chloe, 262044]]
- Quality checked by: [[Catalystic, 314467], [Megazard, 202117], [lotiasite, 302985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [lotiasite, 302985]]
A Grass / Steel typing and impressive bulk allow Ferrothorn to be a prominent support Pokemon in Anything Goes. Importantly, these attributes allow Ferrothorn to be one of the only reliable Kyogre answers in the metagame. Ferrothorn is also a reliable answer to common support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Water, walling them without much trouble. In addition to this, Ferrothorn's access to Spikes, Stealth Rock, and a myriad of other viable support moves makes it very useful as a support Pokemon, capable of being fit on many defensive archetypes. However, unlike other defensive Pokemon, Ferrothorn is crippled by its lack of reliable recovery. Due to this, Ferrothorn is forced to rely on Leech Seed and Leftovers to regain its health. It also bears a massive 4x weakness to Fire and 2x weakness to Fighting, meaning that common threats in Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow force it out easily. Additionally, many Pokemon can run Fire-type coverage and effectively deal with Ferrothorn as well.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Gyro Ball / Power Whip
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy / Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe / 31 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed enables Ferrothorn to slowly regain health throughout the match without solely relying on Leftovers in addition to slowly wearing down opposing Pokemon. Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's strongest means of attacking, allowing it to deal large amounts of damage to threats that don't resist it. Power Whip is better against Kyogre; however, it is otherwise much worse than Gyro Ball, since it can't deal substantial damage to Mega Gengar, Mega Rayquaza, and Vivillon. Spikes provides useful utility by dealing substantial damage to aid setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza, Geomancy Xerneas, and Swords Dance Necrozma-DM. Stealth Rock can be used instead of Spikes if Ferrothorn's team lacks a setter. Protect gives Ferrothorn an extra turn of recovery from Leech Seed and Leftovers. Toxic can be used over Protect to impair Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh switch-ins, but Protect is often preferred due to how often Ferrothorn's health is paramount to the outcome of a match.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Defense investment paired with a Sassy nature gives Ferrothorn maximum special bulk to efficiently check Kyogre and support Arceus formes. 0 Speed IVs are run to increase Gyro Ball's power. A Careful nature should be used instead if Gyro Ball isn't used. Leftovers allows Ferrothorn to regain health passively throughout the course of the match to aid with longevity. Iron Barbs provides another way for Ferrothorn to damage opposing Pokemon, as any contact moves that are used against Ferrothorn will deal damage to the user.
Usage Tips
========
Keep Ferrothorn healthy during the course of the match by using Leech Seed generously, especially if there is a Kyogre still remaining in the game. Feel free to switch into Kyogre, Lugia, Skarmory, and support Arceus formes to capitalize on their inability to deal sufficient damage to Ferrothorn and attempt to regain health via Leech Seed. Set up multiple layers of Spikes when opposing Pokemon are unable to deal substantial damage to Ferrothorn. Be wary with moves such as Gyro Ball, as their PP may run out before opposing threats are effectively dealt with. Use Iron Barbs to inflict damage against physical attackers such as Extreme Killer Arceus and defensive Yveltal if necessary; however, Ferrothorn should not be used as a sole check to these Pokemon. If using Toxic, use it liberally to weaken Pokemon that can remove entry hazards. Be wary of Ferrothorn becoming setup fodder against Pokemon like Ultra Necrozma and Zygarde-C, as they can capitalize on Ferrothorn's passiveness and set up without much hassle. Scout for Fire-type coverage from support Arceus formes to prevent Ferrothorn from being OHKOed by an unexpected attack. Avoid letting Ferrothorn get burned, as it cancels out Leftovers recovery and overall makes regaining health difficult.
Team Options
========
Zygarde-C is a great partner to Ferrothorn, as it's an effective answer to Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, and Marshadow, while Ferrothorn can also aid with Zygarde-C's massive weaknesses to Kyogre, Arceus-Fairy, and Xerneas. Arceus-Fairy is another good partner due to its ability to check Marshadow and Yveltal, whereas Ferrothorn is able to put a halt to Primal Kyogre, Celesteela, and support Necrozma-DM, some of Arceus-Fairy's most prevalent answers. Ho-Oh can be paired with Ferrothorn to help with special attackers like Calm Mind Arceus formes and Geomancy Xerneas. Checks to Primal Groudon like Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and the aforementioned Zygarde-C are extremely beneficial to Ferrothorn due to its inability to deal substantial damage to Primal Groudon. Answers to Ho-Oh such as Arceus-Rock, Arceus-Water, and Tyranitar are extremely useful to have due to Ferrothorn's crippling weakness to it. Pokemon that can check Xerneas more reliably than Ferrothorn such as Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Poison are required due to the prevalence of Focus Blast on Geomancy Xerneas sets; Ferrothorn should never be used as a team's sole Xerneas answer. Pokemon that appreciate the support from Ferrothorn's Spikes such as Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza and Swords Dance Necrozma-DM are good partners due to the number of 2HKOs and OHKOs they can obtain after entry hazard damage. Ferrothorn can also switch into Pokemon that pressure Mega Rayquaza and Necrozma-DM such as Lugia and support Arceus formes. Other Pokemon that appreciate Ferrothorn's ability to switch into Kyogre such as Arceus-Steel and Arceus-Rock are also very good options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Bullet Seed is an option for more effectively dealing with Substitute variants of Kyogre, but it is otherwise virtually outclassed by Power Whip. Knock Off allows Ferrothorn to remove items from opposing Pokemon; however, due to the prevalence of Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre, this move is often not useful. Chople Berry provides a way for Ferrothorn to survive Marshadow's Close Combat, but Ferrothorn generally doesn't want to stay in on Marshadow regardless, and it really needs the passive recovery that Leftovers provides. Shed Shell allows Ferrothorn to escape from Shadow Tag users Gothitelle and Mega Gengar, but Leftovers is almost always a better item. Thunder Wave can be used to impair support Arceus formes; however, these Pokemon would usually be better dealt with using Toxic.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ho-Oh**: Ferrothorn has a hard time impairing Ho-Oh without inflicting a status ailment via Toxic or Thunder Wave and hence generally doesn't appreciate Ho-Oh's presence on opposing teams. Stealth Rock can be used to deter Ho-Oh from switching in repeatedly; however, Ho-Oh can switch in when Stealth Rock is being set and Defog immediately, making it unmanageable for Ferrothorn.
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon can switch into any of Ferrothorn's attacks without taking much damage and OHKO it in return with any Fire-type attack. While Primal Groudon doesn't like being badly poisoned if Ferrothorn opts to run Toxic, it frequently runs Rest and can avoid eventually falling to residual damage.
**Marshadow**: While it doesn't appreciate switching into Gyro Ball or Power Whip, Marshadow can OHKO Ferrothorn with Close Combat. Marshadow can also set up with Bulk Up against Ferrothorn to simultaneously weaken Ferrothorn's attacks and boost its own Attack stat.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye walls Ferrothorn completely. Mega Sableye is too slow for Gyro Ball to do significant damage, and Power Whip can't even 2HKO specially defensive variants. Mega Sableye can also impair Ferrothorn for the remainder of the match using Will-O-Wisp or Knock Off.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Mega Rayquaza has no issues with Ferrothorn, as many sets that forgo V-create can still OHKO with Dragon Ascent. Mega Rayquaza doesn't appreciate switching into Gyro Ball, however.
**Gothitelle**: By repeatedly using Charm and Taunt, Gothitelle can eliminate Ferrothorn from the match without much effort.
**Calm Mind Arceus formes**: Arceus-Dark and Arceus-Steel can both repeatedly set up with Calm Mind against Ferrothorn while shrugging off anything Ferrothorn can do. Other Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground can also set up against Ferrothorn provided it lacks super effective coverage.
**Fire-type Coverage**: Arceus formes, Celesteela, and Ultra Necrozma can run Fire-type coverage to avoid being walled by Ferrothorn; however, this is very often inferior to other coverage.
**Bulky Setup Sweepers**: Necrozma-DM and Zygarde-C are both able to take repeated attacks from Power Whip and Gyro Ball while setting up Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, respectively.
**Taunt**: Ferrothorn is unable to perform most of its functions by solely using attacks and thus is usually forced out if hit by Taunt.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Chloe, 262044]]
- Quality checked by: [[Catalystic, 314467], [Megazard, 202117], [lotiasite, 302985]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [lotiasite, 302985]]
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