[OVERVIEW]
* Ferrothorn is a remarkable defensive Pokemon because of its combination of great mixed bulk and a fantastic Grass / Steel typing.
* Its unique set of resistances and high bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats such as Latias, Latios, Manaphy, Mega Gyarados, Kyurem-B, Nihilego, and Tapu Fini.
* In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, Leech Seed, Thunder Wave, and Knock Off, making it a valuable asset to any defensive team.
* Because of its respectable Attack stat and high-powered STAB moves, Ferrothorn can be difficult to switch into for many offensively-oriented teams.
* However, while Ferrothorn's typing gives it a great set of resistances, it also gives it a glaring 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks, which means that Ferrothorn is easily forced out by Fire-type foes such as Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and Volcanion.
* Additionally, this crippling weakness leaves Ferrothorn vulnerable to lure moves such as Hidden Power Fire from Latios, Garchomp and Tyranitar's Fire Blast, and Clefable's Flamethrower.
* Ferrothorn is also easily trapped by the ubiquitous Magnezone, meaning it must be played incredibly cautiously, though this can somewhat be alleviated by running Shed Shell.
* Finally, Ferrothorn's Speed is awful, which means it almost always has to take an attack before it gets to make a move.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Gyro Ball / Power Whip
move 4: Power Whip / Protect / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ferrothorn is a very reliable setter of Spikes due to its combination of good bulk, great typing, and ability to beat common entry hazard removers such as Excadrill, Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Tapu Fini.
* Likewise, Stealth Rock is an alternative if your team lacks a user of the move, although the main draw of Ferrothorn is its ability to reliably set up Spikes.
* Leech Seed is a vital move on any Ferrothorn set, as it provides a form of recovery and passive damage, which is useful for chipping away at the opposing team's health.
* Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's primary choice for an attacking move, as it OHKOes Tapu Lele, Weavile, and Kyurem-B as well as doing significant damage to many fast Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Mega Pinsir, Gengar, and Fairy-types such as Clefable, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu.
* Power Whip is preferred in the last slot as a means of hitting Mega Gyarados, Excadrill, Keldeo, Azumarill, Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Manaphy hard.
* Protect allows Ferrothorn to scout the target's next move for any potential lures such as Fire Blast Tyranitar and Flamethrower Clefable, as well as accumulating more passive recovery from Leech Seed and Leftovers.
* Protect is particularly beneficial to Ferrothorn to rack up Leftovers recovery, as it lacks any form of instant recovery.
* Thunder Wave is an option for the last moveslot to cripple switch-ins such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Heatran. Iron Head can be run as a way of dealing with Clefable lacking a Fire-type move.
* Additionally, Knock Off is another option to annoy common switch-ins by removing their item, such as Heatran's, Celesteela's, Zapdos's, Dhelmise's, and Mew's Leftovers, and can be run in the last moveslot.
* Ferrothorn can choose to run both Stealth Rock and Spikes on the same set, as its last moveslot is quite flexible and it has many opportunities to set up entry hazards throughout a match.
* However, this puts a lot of pressure on Ferrothorn and is generally only used on more offensively inclined teams that appreciate the role compression Ferrothorn can provide.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread with a Relaxed nature gives Ferrothorn substantial mixed bulk, allowing it to take strong hits both physically and specially.
* 168 Special Defense EVs give Ferrothorn enough special bulk to survive two Ice Beams from +3 Manaphy.
* 88 Defense EVs let Ferrothorn avoid the 2HKO from Jolly Life Orb Excadrill after Stealth Rock damage while having a very good chance to avoid the 2HKO from Adamant Life Orb Excadrill at full health.
* If running Thunder Wave, Ferrothorn should run 12 Speed EVs with an Impish nature to outspeed a paralyzed Clefable and hammer it with Iron Head.
* If there's a lot of stress on Ferrothorn to handle physical attackers such as Azumarill, Adamant Excadrill, Mega Gyarados, Mega Sharpedo, and Diggersby, more Defense investment can be run to tank hit from these Pokemon more comfortably. For example, 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD avoids the 2HKO from Adamant Life Orb Excadrill's Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage while still having a good matchup versus Manaphy and Tapu Koko.
* Leftovers is the preferred item, as Ferrothorn lacks any form of immediate healing.
* Chople Berry is a solid alternative that gives Ferrothorn the edge in matchups versus Superpower Tyranitar, Choice Band Scizor, Tapu Bulu, Mega Alakazam, and Focus Blast Tapu Lele and lets it tank a Superpower from Azumarill. However, it should be used on more offensive builds that appreciate the defensive prowess Chople Berry provides through covering a multitude of additional threats.
* Shed Shell is a viable option to prevent Magnezone from trapping Ferrothorn; however, it comes at the cost of Leftovers's passive recovery and the utility of Chople Berry.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Ferrothorn in on Pokemon that don't threaten it, such as Suicune, Chansey, Tapu Fini, and Slowbro, and proceed to set up Spikes or Stealth Rock.
* Leech Seed is a spammable move, particularly if the opposing team lacks a Pokemon that is immune to it, and can rack up significant passive recovery for Ferrothorn throughout a match.
* If Ferrothorn is running Protect, use it cautiously. Although the passive recovery from Leftovers is very useful, the free turns can be taken advantage of by Pokemon such as Tail Glow Manaphy and Substitute Mega Alakazam. Protect should also be used to scout for lure moves such as Latios's or Primarina's Hidden Power Fire.
* If the opponent has a Magnezone, it is important to play cautiously with Ferrothorn and pivot around to avoid getting trapped.
* Likewise, making double switches on predicted Zapdos and Skarmory switch-ins helps maintain momentum and will help maintain offensive pressure on the opponent, as entry hazards will stay up.
* Ferrothorn can also pivot into weaker hits such as Landorus-T's U-turn and Azumarill's Aqua Jet to rack up chip damage and slowly wear down the opposing side.
Team Options
========
* Ferrothorn invites in every Fire-type in the tier, so checks to Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Alolan Marowak are appreciated. Heatran is a solid partner that handles most Fire-types, and can lure opposing Heatran with Earth Power. Mantine, Rotom-W, Azumarill, Slowbro, Cresselia, and Hippowdon are also good choices that work well in tandem with Ferrothorn.
* Defiant users that can take advantage of the opponent trying to remove Ferrothorn's entry hazards with Defog, such as Bisharp and Thundurus, also make good teammates. Likewise, Pokemon that can deal with Zapdos are much appreciated, as it can Defog away Ferrothorn's hazards with ease and threaten it out with Heat Wave. These include Tyranitar, Terrakion, Weavile, and Tapu Lele.
* Pokemon that can deal with Fighting-types such as Breloom, Terrakion, Keldeo, and Mega Medicham such as Clefable, Mew, Azumarill, and Cresselia are very useful.
* Likewise, Ferrothorn appreciates Pokemon to eliminate Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Bisharp, which could otherwise set up all over it, so Keldeo, Magnezone, Volcarona, and Zapdos, all have good synergy.
* Stealth Rock setters such as Landorus-T, Heatran, and Alolan Marowak share good synergy with Ferrothorn and allow it to run Spikes.
* Ferrothorn works quite well on rain teams and appreciates the weakening of Fire-type attacks, so Pelipper is a very good partner that can also deal with Fighting-types.
* Dugtrio in particular is a useful partner for Ferrothorn, as it can trap Magnezone, Heatran, Volcanion, and Alolan Marowak, thus relieving a lot of pressure off it. Furthermore, Pursuit trappers such as Weavile and Tyranitar can trap Starmie, Latias, and Latios, letting Ferrothorn keep up its hazards much more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* While Ferrothorn has access to quite an abundance of support moves, it doesn't really have much use for other options than the ones mentioned in the main set.
* Toxic allows Ferrothorn to cripple common switch-ins such as Zapdos, Mandibuzz, and Tangrowth and works well in tandem with Leech Seed.
* Bulldoze hits Heatran and Magnezone hard, but it will not OHKO either of them.
* Curse is a decent boosting option, as Ferrothorn has high Special Defense and is immune to Toxic, which makes it a solid wincon on particular teams.
* Rest is an an option alongside Leech Seed for semi-reliable recovery. However, it leaves Ferrothorn as fodder for at least two turns and forces Ferrothorn to drop a utility move.
* If Ferrothorn is run on Trick Room teams, Explosion is an option, as it does significant damage to most opponents and gains momentum for the team.
* Worry Seed is an interesting option that can remove Magnezone's Magnet Pull on the switch, as well as Clefable's and Reuniclus's Magic Guard, although it is relatively gimmicky outside of that.
* With its decent offensive stats, Ferrothorn also has the option to run a Choice Band set, but such a set is gimmicky and wastes its potential as a support Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Alolan Marowak, and Heatran resist Ferrothorn's STAB attacks and can OHKO Ferrothorn with their respective Fire-type STAB attacks. Volcanion can also decimate Ferrothorn with its high-powered Fire-type moves but can take hefty damage from Power Whip.
**Magnezone**: If Ferrothorn is not running Shed Shell, Magnezone can trap Ferrothorn with Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone also fears very little from Ferrothorn, as it resists both of its STAB attacks.
**Fighting-types**: Strong Fighting-types, such as Buzzwole, Terrakion, Keldeo, Pheromosa, Kommo-o, and Breloom, can heavily dent Ferrothorn with their STAB moves, if not OHKO it. However, they all have to be wary of switching into Gyro Ball or Power Whip.
**Steel-types**: With the combination of Roost and Swords Dance, Mega Scizor uses Ferrothorn as setup fodder, as it takes virtually no damage from any move in its arsenal. Similarly, Bisharp can overwhelm Ferrothorn with a Swords Dance-boosted Knock Off. Genesect can pick Ferrothorn off with Flamethrower or simply U-turn into a response, whilst Celesteela can roast Ferrothorn with Fire Blast. A special mention goes to Kartana, which resists both of Ferrothorn's STAB moves as well as being immune to Leech Seed, therefore making it complete setup fodder.
**Zapdos**: Zapdos resists both Ferrothorn's STAB moves and can threaten Ferrothorn out with Heat Wave or simply clear away its entry hazards with Defog.
**Taunt**: Taunt users that fear little from Ferrothorn's attacks, such as Mew and Mandibuzz, completely shut it down.
**Magic Guard Users**: Clefable can outstall Ferrothorn's Gyro Balls with maximum Defense investment and proceed to set up with Calm Mind. Defensive Clefable can also lure Ferrothorn and 2HKO it with Flamethrower, or OHKO it with Fire Blast if it's the offensive set. Furthermore, Reuniclus doesn't care about what Ferrothorn does and proceeds to set up with Calm Mind and pick it off with Focus Blast.
* Ferrothorn is a remarkable defensive Pokemon because of its combination of great mixed bulk and a fantastic Grass / Steel typing.
* Its unique set of resistances and high bulk allow Ferrothorn to check a plethora of threats such as Latias, Latios, Manaphy, Mega Gyarados, Kyurem-B, Nihilego, and Tapu Fini.
* In addition to this, Ferrothorn has access to a wide array of support moves such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, Leech Seed, Thunder Wave, and Knock Off, making it a valuable asset to any defensive team.
* Because of its respectable Attack stat and high-powered STAB moves, Ferrothorn can be difficult to switch into for many offensively-oriented teams.
* However, while Ferrothorn's typing gives it a great set of resistances, it also gives it a glaring 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks, which means that Ferrothorn is easily forced out by Fire-type foes such as Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and Volcanion.
* Additionally, this crippling weakness leaves Ferrothorn vulnerable to lure moves such as Hidden Power Fire from Latios, Garchomp and Tyranitar's Fire Blast, and Clefable's Flamethrower.
* Ferrothorn is also easily trapped by the ubiquitous Magnezone, meaning it must be played incredibly cautiously, though this can somewhat be alleviated by running Shed Shell.
* Finally, Ferrothorn's Speed is awful, which means it almost always has to take an attack before it gets to make a move.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Gyro Ball / Power Whip
move 4: Power Whip / Protect / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Ferrothorn is a very reliable setter of Spikes due to its combination of good bulk, great typing, and ability to beat common entry hazard removers such as Excadrill, Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Tapu Fini.
* Likewise, Stealth Rock is an alternative if your team lacks a user of the move, although the main draw of Ferrothorn is its ability to reliably set up Spikes.
* Leech Seed is a vital move on any Ferrothorn set, as it provides a form of recovery and passive damage, which is useful for chipping away at the opposing team's health.
* Gyro Ball is Ferrothorn's primary choice for an attacking move, as it OHKOes Tapu Lele, Weavile, and Kyurem-B as well as doing significant damage to many fast Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Mega Pinsir, Gengar, and Fairy-types such as Clefable, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Bulu.
* Power Whip is preferred in the last slot as a means of hitting Mega Gyarados, Excadrill, Keldeo, Azumarill, Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Manaphy hard.
* Protect allows Ferrothorn to scout the target's next move for any potential lures such as Fire Blast Tyranitar and Flamethrower Clefable, as well as accumulating more passive recovery from Leech Seed and Leftovers.
* Protect is particularly beneficial to Ferrothorn to rack up Leftovers recovery, as it lacks any form of instant recovery.
* Thunder Wave is an option for the last moveslot to cripple switch-ins such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Heatran. Iron Head can be run as a way of dealing with Clefable lacking a Fire-type move.
* Additionally, Knock Off is another option to annoy common switch-ins by removing their item, such as Heatran's, Celesteela's, Zapdos's, Dhelmise's, and Mew's Leftovers, and can be run in the last moveslot.
* Ferrothorn can choose to run both Stealth Rock and Spikes on the same set, as its last moveslot is quite flexible and it has many opportunities to set up entry hazards throughout a match.
* However, this puts a lot of pressure on Ferrothorn and is generally only used on more offensively inclined teams that appreciate the role compression Ferrothorn can provide.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread with a Relaxed nature gives Ferrothorn substantial mixed bulk, allowing it to take strong hits both physically and specially.
* 168 Special Defense EVs give Ferrothorn enough special bulk to survive two Ice Beams from +3 Manaphy.
* 88 Defense EVs let Ferrothorn avoid the 2HKO from Jolly Life Orb Excadrill after Stealth Rock damage while having a very good chance to avoid the 2HKO from Adamant Life Orb Excadrill at full health.
* If running Thunder Wave, Ferrothorn should run 12 Speed EVs with an Impish nature to outspeed a paralyzed Clefable and hammer it with Iron Head.
* If there's a lot of stress on Ferrothorn to handle physical attackers such as Azumarill, Adamant Excadrill, Mega Gyarados, Mega Sharpedo, and Diggersby, more Defense investment can be run to tank hit from these Pokemon more comfortably. For example, 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD avoids the 2HKO from Adamant Life Orb Excadrill's Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage while still having a good matchup versus Manaphy and Tapu Koko.
* Leftovers is the preferred item, as Ferrothorn lacks any form of immediate healing.
* Chople Berry is a solid alternative that gives Ferrothorn the edge in matchups versus Superpower Tyranitar, Choice Band Scizor, Tapu Bulu, Mega Alakazam, and Focus Blast Tapu Lele and lets it tank a Superpower from Azumarill. However, it should be used on more offensive builds that appreciate the defensive prowess Chople Berry provides through covering a multitude of additional threats.
* Shed Shell is a viable option to prevent Magnezone from trapping Ferrothorn; however, it comes at the cost of Leftovers's passive recovery and the utility of Chople Berry.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Ferrothorn in on Pokemon that don't threaten it, such as Suicune, Chansey, Tapu Fini, and Slowbro, and proceed to set up Spikes or Stealth Rock.
* Leech Seed is a spammable move, particularly if the opposing team lacks a Pokemon that is immune to it, and can rack up significant passive recovery for Ferrothorn throughout a match.
* If Ferrothorn is running Protect, use it cautiously. Although the passive recovery from Leftovers is very useful, the free turns can be taken advantage of by Pokemon such as Tail Glow Manaphy and Substitute Mega Alakazam. Protect should also be used to scout for lure moves such as Latios's or Primarina's Hidden Power Fire.
* If the opponent has a Magnezone, it is important to play cautiously with Ferrothorn and pivot around to avoid getting trapped.
* Likewise, making double switches on predicted Zapdos and Skarmory switch-ins helps maintain momentum and will help maintain offensive pressure on the opponent, as entry hazards will stay up.
* Ferrothorn can also pivot into weaker hits such as Landorus-T's U-turn and Azumarill's Aqua Jet to rack up chip damage and slowly wear down the opposing side.
Team Options
========
* Ferrothorn invites in every Fire-type in the tier, so checks to Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Alolan Marowak are appreciated. Heatran is a solid partner that handles most Fire-types, and can lure opposing Heatran with Earth Power. Mantine, Rotom-W, Azumarill, Slowbro, Cresselia, and Hippowdon are also good choices that work well in tandem with Ferrothorn.
* Defiant users that can take advantage of the opponent trying to remove Ferrothorn's entry hazards with Defog, such as Bisharp and Thundurus, also make good teammates. Likewise, Pokemon that can deal with Zapdos are much appreciated, as it can Defog away Ferrothorn's hazards with ease and threaten it out with Heat Wave. These include Tyranitar, Terrakion, Weavile, and Tapu Lele.
* Pokemon that can deal with Fighting-types such as Breloom, Terrakion, Keldeo, and Mega Medicham such as Clefable, Mew, Azumarill, and Cresselia are very useful.
* Likewise, Ferrothorn appreciates Pokemon to eliminate Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Bisharp, which could otherwise set up all over it, so Keldeo, Magnezone, Volcarona, and Zapdos, all have good synergy.
* Stealth Rock setters such as Landorus-T, Heatran, and Alolan Marowak share good synergy with Ferrothorn and allow it to run Spikes.
* Ferrothorn works quite well on rain teams and appreciates the weakening of Fire-type attacks, so Pelipper is a very good partner that can also deal with Fighting-types.
* Dugtrio in particular is a useful partner for Ferrothorn, as it can trap Magnezone, Heatran, Volcanion, and Alolan Marowak, thus relieving a lot of pressure off it. Furthermore, Pursuit trappers such as Weavile and Tyranitar can trap Starmie, Latias, and Latios, letting Ferrothorn keep up its hazards much more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* While Ferrothorn has access to quite an abundance of support moves, it doesn't really have much use for other options than the ones mentioned in the main set.
* Toxic allows Ferrothorn to cripple common switch-ins such as Zapdos, Mandibuzz, and Tangrowth and works well in tandem with Leech Seed.
* Bulldoze hits Heatran and Magnezone hard, but it will not OHKO either of them.
* Curse is a decent boosting option, as Ferrothorn has high Special Defense and is immune to Toxic, which makes it a solid wincon on particular teams.
* Rest is an an option alongside Leech Seed for semi-reliable recovery. However, it leaves Ferrothorn as fodder for at least two turns and forces Ferrothorn to drop a utility move.
* If Ferrothorn is run on Trick Room teams, Explosion is an option, as it does significant damage to most opponents and gains momentum for the team.
* Worry Seed is an interesting option that can remove Magnezone's Magnet Pull on the switch, as well as Clefable's and Reuniclus's Magic Guard, although it is relatively gimmicky outside of that.
* With its decent offensive stats, Ferrothorn also has the option to run a Choice Band set, but such a set is gimmicky and wastes its potential as a support Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Alolan Marowak, and Heatran resist Ferrothorn's STAB attacks and can OHKO Ferrothorn with their respective Fire-type STAB attacks. Volcanion can also decimate Ferrothorn with its high-powered Fire-type moves but can take hefty damage from Power Whip.
**Magnezone**: If Ferrothorn is not running Shed Shell, Magnezone can trap Ferrothorn with Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone also fears very little from Ferrothorn, as it resists both of its STAB attacks.
**Fighting-types**: Strong Fighting-types, such as Buzzwole, Terrakion, Keldeo, Pheromosa, Kommo-o, and Breloom, can heavily dent Ferrothorn with their STAB moves, if not OHKO it. However, they all have to be wary of switching into Gyro Ball or Power Whip.
**Steel-types**: With the combination of Roost and Swords Dance, Mega Scizor uses Ferrothorn as setup fodder, as it takes virtually no damage from any move in its arsenal. Similarly, Bisharp can overwhelm Ferrothorn with a Swords Dance-boosted Knock Off. Genesect can pick Ferrothorn off with Flamethrower or simply U-turn into a response, whilst Celesteela can roast Ferrothorn with Fire Blast. A special mention goes to Kartana, which resists both of Ferrothorn's STAB moves as well as being immune to Leech Seed, therefore making it complete setup fodder.
**Zapdos**: Zapdos resists both Ferrothorn's STAB moves and can threaten Ferrothorn out with Heat Wave or simply clear away its entry hazards with Defog.
**Taunt**: Taunt users that fear little from Ferrothorn's attacks, such as Mew and Mandibuzz, completely shut it down.
**Magic Guard Users**: Clefable can outstall Ferrothorn's Gyro Balls with maximum Defense investment and proceed to set up with Calm Mind. Defensive Clefable can also lure Ferrothorn and 2HKO it with Flamethrower, or OHKO it with Fire Blast if it's the offensive set. Furthermore, Reuniclus doesn't care about what Ferrothorn does and proceeds to set up with Calm Mind and pick it off with Focus Blast.
Last edited by a moderator:
