We are about a month into VGC 2016 and January’s 2016 International Challenge on Battle Spot is eminent. If you’re like me then you are preparing your team for the excessively common Primal Groudon/Xerneas/Mega Kangaskhan core along with Smeargle shenanigans Though there are other common threats we should keep in mind or even consider using. Ferrothorn is currently the eleventh most used Pokémon on the Special Battle Spot format according to the Pokémon Global Link. It’s not a Legendary, it doesn’t Mega Evolve, and it hasn’t made a deal with the devil like Smeargle obviously has, so why is Ferrothorn so viable?
Ferrothorn’s Grass/Steel typing is amazingly suited for this metagame, offering teams nine different resistances! Because of this, its natural bulk, and its decent Attack stat, Ferrothorn is able to hard-counter and easily KO two huge behemoths, Xerneas and Kyogre. Its ability, Iron Barbs, also comes in handy, particularly when facing Mega Kangaskhan. The big mama is punished for its own broken ability, receiving twice the residual damage any other physical attacker would when targeting Ferrothorn. Its Grass typing even makes Ferrothorn immune to some annoying tricks like Spore, Rage Powder, and Sleep Powder.
Ferrothorn is not perfect though! It has a few weaknesses that you should consider compensating before adding it to your team or that you can exploit when you face it. As resistant as Ferrothorn is to most attacks, it has a devastating 4x weakness to Fire. It doesn’t appreciate taking Fighting type attacks either. Ferrothorn’s bulk also comes at the cost of having one of the lowest Speed stats in the competitive scene.
One of the reasons Ferrothorn is doing so well in this VGC format, however, is that its weaknesses are easily mitigated. It’s most often paired with Primal Kyogre, whose Primordial Sea ability completely eliminates the use of Fire moves. Ferrothorn’s Fighting weakness can also be resisted by the right Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Fairy, or Ghost type partner. In fact Ferrothorn makes a great member of both Dragon/Fairy/Steel and Fire/Water/Grass cores, which can help bring balance to your entire team.
Ferrothorn’s horrible Speed stat can make it one of the fastest Pokémon around when Trick Room is in play. It just needs a strong Trick Room setter as a teammate like Cresselia, Dialga, Palkia, or even Gothitelle. Trick Room is actually such a common form of Speed control in this metagame that some trainers don’t even bother enlisting a setter to their team. Instead, they keep a fat, slow Pokémon like Ferrothorn or Amoonguss on hand to punish those who rely too heavily on Trick Room.
If you’re interested in training a Ferrothorn and you don’t know where to start here are a couple sample sets that you can test out.
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Iron Barbs, Sassy, 0 Sp IVs
252 HP, 220 Att, 36 SpD
Gyro Ball
Power Whip
Leech Seed
Protect
This moveset is the most common among Ferrothorn. Its low Speed gives Gyro Ball amazing damage output. Power Whip is Ferrothorn’s most powerful physical Grass STAB attack, but it only has 85% accuracy. Leech Seed stacked with Leftovers as an item gives Ferrothorn a sizable amount of HP recovery at the end of every turn and Protect is obviously invaluable on any Pokémon in doubles.
Ferrothorn’s main role in this metagame is to take hits from Xerneas and Kyogre long enough to take them out, so running a Sassy nature is a good idea. As much HP investment as possible is recommended to supplement Ferrothorn’s defensive stats. 220 Attack EVs are enough to guarantee a one-shot on a 0 Def/4 HP invested Kyogre. Placing the remaining EVs in Special Defense helps to make Ferrothorn even bulkier.
Ferrothorn @ Sitrus Berry
Iron Barbs, Brave, 0 Sp IVs
244 HP, 252 Att, 12 SpD
Gyro Ball
Seed Bomb
Worry Seed
Protect
This build is a little more offensive. A Brave nature with full Attack investment brings the most potential out of Gyro Ball. If you’re frustrated with Power Whip’s accuracy Seed Bomb is Ferrothorn’s second most powerful physical Grass STAB attack, but it takes away any chance to one-shot Kyogre. Worry Seed can be an invaluable move, removing Primal Weather abilities and protecting allies from Dark Void or Spore. 244 HP EVs allows Ferrothorn to use its Sitrus Berry efficiently.
There are other moves available to Ferrothorn worth noting like Thunder Wave. It’s a decent form of Speed control with a chance to fully Paralyze your opponent. Explosion is a risky but powerful attack. Just be sure Ferrothorn and maybe its teammate are in a state worthy of going kamikaze. Use Substitute if you think you can resist enough attacks to not waste the sacrificial HP. Ferrothorn’s low Speed can make Payback a reliably effective Dark type attack as well.
If you want to make the most out of the Iron Barbs ability Rocky Helmet is the item for you. Any Mega Kangaskhan that dares to use Fake Out to flinch your Ferrothorn will have a huge chunk of its HP taken away after four hits of residual damage. Status ailments like Burn, Sleep, Paralysis, and Confusion are rampant in Pokémon battles. Use a Lum Berry if you want to reduce your chances of being affected. You can increase Ferrothorn’s damage output with items like Life Orb, Expert Belt, and Choice Band, or drastically increase its Special Defense with Assault Vest. Just keep in mind that most of these items come at the cost of HP reduction or locking you into certain moves.
Ferrothorn is an obese tank that should not be trifled with in this VGC season. Used effectively, it can easily flatten some of the most feared threats of the format like Xerneas and Kyogre. Battle well, trainers, and show the masses that there is an answer to any OP Pokémon!
Señor Sableye
