[OVERVIEW]
Between decent bulk and stellar defensive typing, Ferrothorn is an excellent wall and the backbone of many balance or stall teams in AG. It has great utility options, though its minimal offensive presence hurts it. Ferrothorn is very good at forcing switches, but it is prone to being worn down due to its lack of recovery.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed gives Ferrothorn much more recovery than Leftovers alone would and punishes nearly any switch-in due to the lack of Grass-type Pokemon and Magic Guard Pokemon in Anything Goes. Protect gives Ferrothorn free recovery and allows it to scout for moves such as V-create on Mega Rayquaza. Gyro Ball gives Ferrothorn a decent offensive presence, preventing it from being setup bait for sweepers such as Xerneas and Mega Rayquaza. Stealth Rock is used to capitalize on all of the free turns Ferrothorn gets, allowing it to deal more passive damage on all of the switches it forces. Spikes is an option over Stealth Rock if your team already has a Stealth Rock setter.
Set Details
========
Leftovers gives Ferrothorn passive recovery. Iron Barbs allows Ferrothorn to punish physical attackers that make contact. The EVs and a Sassy nature give Ferrothorn the most special bulk possible, and the nature also makes Ferrothorn as slow as possible to maximize Gyro Ball damage.
Usage Tips
========
Try to use Leech Seed as much as possible, as it wears down foes very quickly while keeping Ferrothorn healthy. Ferrothorn should come in on physical attackers for the most part, though it can also come in on Kyogre and Xerneas. Use Protect a lot as well, both to scout for moves such as Arceus's Overheat and Rayquaza's V-create and to PP stall. However, Protect can become predictable and your opponent can take advantage of you spamming it, so mixing it up is good sometimes. Keep Ferrothorn away from Fire-types, as they easily KO it.
Team Options
========
Rocky Helmet Yveltal and Giratina are great options, as they can switch into Mega Rayquaza and most variants of Primal Groudon, which is very helpful for Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn's biggest downfall is its lack of reliable recovery, so pairing it with a Wish passer such as Blissey or Chansey allows them to heal it up, and in turn it can sponge physical attacks for them. A cleric such as Xerneas or Blissey pairs extremely well with Ferrothorn because a burn cripples Ferrothorn permanently. Primal Groudon is another great partner, as it absorbs Will-O-Wisp, which would otherwise cripple Ferrothorn, while also being a decent switch-in to Fire-type moves, and in return Ferrothorn provides amazing support by absorbing hits from Kyogre, allowing Primal Groudon to switch back in next turn to reset Desolate Land. Ho-Oh checks such as Rock Arceus are essential for Ferrothorn to perform well. Ferrothorn appreciates checks for special Arceus formes, such as Ho-Oh, which synergizes very well with Ferrothorn because it can sponge physical hits for it in return. Physically defensive Water Arceus has excellent synergy with Ferrothorn, as it deals with Ho-Oh, handles all variants of Primal Groudon except for Double Dance, and can absorb V-create and Overheat with ease.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Power Whip allows Ferrothorn to hit Water Arceus and Kyogre, but Gyro Ball is generally better coverage-wise. Thunder Wave is an option in order to cripple foes, but it is often hard to justify the moveslot. It also synergizes poorly with Gyro Ball, so if Ferrothorn carries Thunder Wave, it should carry Iron Head or Power Whip as its attacking move. Rocky Helmet is an option in order to deal more passive damage to physical attackers, though it is hard to justify its use instead of passive recovery. Toxic can be used to whittle down a foe's health even faster but is often not too useful, as Ferrothorn has to use its turns to preserve its HP in the form of Leech Seed. Rest can be run to deal with Ferrothorn's lack of recovery, although Ferrothorn is almost fodder while asleep and may have problems surviving the sleep turns. However, Leech Seed aids its resiliency tremendously. Substitute is an option to take advantage of Leech Seed recovery along with Protect, although it is hard to spare a moveslot for and requires extensive scouting of your opponent's sets. Running a physically defensive set allows Ferrothorn to take on a prevalent threat in Arceus, as well as allowing it to survive a +1 Dragon Ascent from Mega Rayquaza.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chip Damage**: Ferrothorn is very prone to being worn down, preventing it from checking foes it is supposed to check. It is difficult to keep healthy; both chip damage from burns and attacks wear Ferrothorn down quickly.
**Fire-types**: Almost all Fire-type moves will OHKO Ferrothorn. They can be seen on random Pokemon occasionally, such as Mega Rayquaza carrying V-create and Arceus carrying Overheat, but Ferrothorn can scout them with Protect.
**Special Arceus**: Special Arceus formes such as Ground Arceus and Ghost Arceus are very threatening to Ferrothorn because they can easily 2HKO it with their STAB Judgment after a Calm Mind or after minimal prior damage.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Rayquaza can easily OHKO Ferrothorn with V-create, and even if it doesn't carry it, a +1 Dragon Ascent OHKOes Ferrothorn thanks to Rayquaza's incredible power.
**Mega Mewtwo X**: As the only relevant Fighting-type in AG, Mega Mewtwo X has no issue OHKOing Ferrothorn with its STAB Low Kick or Drain Punch.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh in particular is a huge problem for Ferrothorn, as it shrugs off any attack it has, easily OHKOes it with Sacred Fire, and even carries Substitute and Lum Berry sometimes to ignore Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn definitely needs a teammate to deal with Ho-Oh to function well.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye bounces back Ferrothorn's utility moves, making it reluctant to use them all game just due to Sableye's presence, and takes minimal damage from all of Ferrothorn's attacks. It can also punish Ferrothorn with a burn.
Between decent bulk and stellar defensive typing, Ferrothorn is an excellent wall and the backbone of many balance or stall teams in AG. It has great utility options, though its minimal offensive presence hurts it. Ferrothorn is very good at forcing switches, but it is prone to being worn down due to its lack of recovery.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Leftovers
ability: Iron Barbs
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed gives Ferrothorn much more recovery than Leftovers alone would and punishes nearly any switch-in due to the lack of Grass-type Pokemon and Magic Guard Pokemon in Anything Goes. Protect gives Ferrothorn free recovery and allows it to scout for moves such as V-create on Mega Rayquaza. Gyro Ball gives Ferrothorn a decent offensive presence, preventing it from being setup bait for sweepers such as Xerneas and Mega Rayquaza. Stealth Rock is used to capitalize on all of the free turns Ferrothorn gets, allowing it to deal more passive damage on all of the switches it forces. Spikes is an option over Stealth Rock if your team already has a Stealth Rock setter.
Set Details
========
Leftovers gives Ferrothorn passive recovery. Iron Barbs allows Ferrothorn to punish physical attackers that make contact. The EVs and a Sassy nature give Ferrothorn the most special bulk possible, and the nature also makes Ferrothorn as slow as possible to maximize Gyro Ball damage.
Usage Tips
========
Try to use Leech Seed as much as possible, as it wears down foes very quickly while keeping Ferrothorn healthy. Ferrothorn should come in on physical attackers for the most part, though it can also come in on Kyogre and Xerneas. Use Protect a lot as well, both to scout for moves such as Arceus's Overheat and Rayquaza's V-create and to PP stall. However, Protect can become predictable and your opponent can take advantage of you spamming it, so mixing it up is good sometimes. Keep Ferrothorn away from Fire-types, as they easily KO it.
Team Options
========
Rocky Helmet Yveltal and Giratina are great options, as they can switch into Mega Rayquaza and most variants of Primal Groudon, which is very helpful for Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn's biggest downfall is its lack of reliable recovery, so pairing it with a Wish passer such as Blissey or Chansey allows them to heal it up, and in turn it can sponge physical attacks for them. A cleric such as Xerneas or Blissey pairs extremely well with Ferrothorn because a burn cripples Ferrothorn permanently. Primal Groudon is another great partner, as it absorbs Will-O-Wisp, which would otherwise cripple Ferrothorn, while also being a decent switch-in to Fire-type moves, and in return Ferrothorn provides amazing support by absorbing hits from Kyogre, allowing Primal Groudon to switch back in next turn to reset Desolate Land. Ho-Oh checks such as Rock Arceus are essential for Ferrothorn to perform well. Ferrothorn appreciates checks for special Arceus formes, such as Ho-Oh, which synergizes very well with Ferrothorn because it can sponge physical hits for it in return. Physically defensive Water Arceus has excellent synergy with Ferrothorn, as it deals with Ho-Oh, handles all variants of Primal Groudon except for Double Dance, and can absorb V-create and Overheat with ease.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Power Whip allows Ferrothorn to hit Water Arceus and Kyogre, but Gyro Ball is generally better coverage-wise. Thunder Wave is an option in order to cripple foes, but it is often hard to justify the moveslot. It also synergizes poorly with Gyro Ball, so if Ferrothorn carries Thunder Wave, it should carry Iron Head or Power Whip as its attacking move. Rocky Helmet is an option in order to deal more passive damage to physical attackers, though it is hard to justify its use instead of passive recovery. Toxic can be used to whittle down a foe's health even faster but is often not too useful, as Ferrothorn has to use its turns to preserve its HP in the form of Leech Seed. Rest can be run to deal with Ferrothorn's lack of recovery, although Ferrothorn is almost fodder while asleep and may have problems surviving the sleep turns. However, Leech Seed aids its resiliency tremendously. Substitute is an option to take advantage of Leech Seed recovery along with Protect, although it is hard to spare a moveslot for and requires extensive scouting of your opponent's sets. Running a physically defensive set allows Ferrothorn to take on a prevalent threat in Arceus, as well as allowing it to survive a +1 Dragon Ascent from Mega Rayquaza.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chip Damage**: Ferrothorn is very prone to being worn down, preventing it from checking foes it is supposed to check. It is difficult to keep healthy; both chip damage from burns and attacks wear Ferrothorn down quickly.
**Fire-types**: Almost all Fire-type moves will OHKO Ferrothorn. They can be seen on random Pokemon occasionally, such as Mega Rayquaza carrying V-create and Arceus carrying Overheat, but Ferrothorn can scout them with Protect.
**Special Arceus**: Special Arceus formes such as Ground Arceus and Ghost Arceus are very threatening to Ferrothorn because they can easily 2HKO it with their STAB Judgment after a Calm Mind or after minimal prior damage.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Rayquaza can easily OHKO Ferrothorn with V-create, and even if it doesn't carry it, a +1 Dragon Ascent OHKOes Ferrothorn thanks to Rayquaza's incredible power.
**Mega Mewtwo X**: As the only relevant Fighting-type in AG, Mega Mewtwo X has no issue OHKOing Ferrothorn with its STAB Low Kick or Drain Punch.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh in particular is a huge problem for Ferrothorn, as it shrugs off any attack it has, easily OHKOes it with Sacred Fire, and even carries Substitute and Lum Berry sometimes to ignore Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn definitely needs a teammate to deal with Ho-Oh to function well.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye bounces back Ferrothorn's utility moves, making it reluctant to use them all game just due to Sableye's presence, and takes minimal damage from all of Ferrothorn's attacks. It can also punish Ferrothorn with a burn.
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