*Fantastic 74/131/116 defenses *Great Grass/Steel defensive typing *Great support movepool *Base 94 Attack means Ferrothorn is no slouch on the offensive *Very slow base 20 Speed, which is good for a Gyro Ball user == Support == Ferrothorn (F) @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet / Shed Shell Trait: Iron Barbs EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SDef Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd) - Spikes - Leech Seed / Stealth Rock - Gyro Ball / Protect / Thunder Wave - Power Whip Set Comments: *Spikes is Ferrothorn's main niche in the tier, and it should only be considered that Spikes is a mandatory move on the moveset. *Leech Seed is also a very effective move, useful for preventing opposing Pokemon from setting up on it while providing self-healing at the same time. Stealth Rock, should also be considered, but Ferrothorn can rarely find time to set up both layers of Entry Hazards. *Because Ferrothorn is as slow as molasses, Gyro Ball should be considered as it wrecks fast pokemon such as Latios. Protect is also a good move to scout for dangerous moves, such as Hidden Power [Fire] from Latios. Protect also helps Ferrothorn gain a turn of Leftovers recovery, and also a turn of Leech Seed recovery should it have planted its seeds. Thunder Wave can also be used to provide paralysis support for the team. *Power Whip is used in the last moveslot because of its overall good coverage, whacking the Water-types for decent amount of damage. *Leftovers should be the item choice, as it grants Ferrothorn reliable recovery outside of Leech Seed. Rocky Helmet is also a viable item choice on the standard set, as Pokemon that use contact moves against Ferrothorn will lose 29% of their health due to the combination of Rocky Helmet and Iron Barbs. This is especially helpful in warding off Pokemon that want to use Rapid Spin against Ferrothorn, as Rapid Spin does not remove entry hazards if the user faints from Iron Barbs immediately after using the move. Shed Shell can also be used to get out of Magnezone's Magnet Pull. == Choice Band == Ferrothorn (F) @ Choice Band Trait: Iron Barbs EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef Brave Nature (+Atk -Spd) - Gyro Ball - Power Whip - Bulldoze - Spikes / Explosion Set Comments: *While Ferrothorn's stats might point to a defensive role, Ferrothorn also carries an often over-looked base 94 Attack, when boosted by Choice Band, can do truckloads of damage with the appropriate move. Ferrothorn's Steel and Grass typing also gives it surprisingly good coverage with each other, with only Fire and Steel resisting this combination. *Power Whip serves as the strongest Grass move Ferrothorn has, smacking down most of the water-types. *Gyro Ball wrecks fast pokemon, such as Latios. *Bulldoze is Ferrothorn's best option against Fire and Steel types, slowing them down as well. Keep in mind that due to Ferrothorn's low speed, Ferrothorn will often be outsped even after the opponent has suffered a speed drop. *Spikes, while not the best move to be locked into, but can be useful in supporting the team. Explosion, however, on the other hand, is very appealing, but comes at the cost of Ferrothorn's life and is not much more powerful than Ferrothorn's STAB moves. *A Brave Nature is used because it powers up Gyro Ball's power. == Other Options == *A RestoChesto set can also be used, as it revives Ferrothorn back to full health, making Ferrothorn a nigh impossible nut to crack. Heal Bell support is also much appreciated on this set, not requiring Ferrothorn to wake up after 2 turns after it has consumed its Chesto Berry. *Curse is a viable set-up move on Ferrothorn, but due to the high number of Fire and Fighting-type moves that lurk in the tier, Ferrothorn will likely be KOed before it is able to fire off any shots. Curse+Gyro Ball is a highly effective strategy though. *Gravity can also be used to help support the team, but Gravity is often an extremely gimmicky strategy. *Ferrothorn can also help to set up Stealth Rock should your team lack a pokemon to set them up, but Ferrothorn is one of the few pokemon that has access to Spikes. *Toxic is a viable option as well, but it is generally dismissed in favor of Leech Seed, which heals Ferrothorn in addition to racking up residual damage. *On the Choice Band set, Ferrothorn can use Return, Rollout, Payback, Shadow Claw, or even Leech Seed in the fourth slot, although Spikes and Explosion are generally superior options. *Thunder can be used to hit skarmory and sub gyarados, but ferrothorn Is tight on moveslots as it is already. == Checks and Counters == *Skarmory and Forretress are Ferrothorn's best counters, taking almost nothing from Ferrothorn's attacks. Skarmory can effectively taunt Ferrothorn, rendering Ferrothorn effectively useless. Forretress can also spin away the hazards that Ferrothorn has set up, as well as getting away from Leech Seed, while also taking absolutely taking nothing from its attacks. *Pokemon that carry Fire-type moves, such as Heatran, Infernape, Ninetales, and Hydreigon, are more than capable of forcing Ferrothorn out. However, Ferrothorn is capable of surviving some weaker Fire-type attacks, such as Tyranitar's Flamethrower. This gives Ferrothorn the opportunity to either attack back or set up entry hazards. *Likewise, users of powerful Fighting-type attacks, such as Conkeldurr and Terrakion, will also scare most Ferrothorn off. Magic Bounce Xatu and Espeon, as well as Taunt Skarmory, are capable of rendering Ferrothorn nearly useless by preventing it from laying down Spikes while providing their own form of team support in the form of either dual screens or Spikes, respectively. *Magnezone with either Hidden Power Fire or the combination of Charge Beam and Substitute is also capable of making Ferrothorn's life miserable. Finally, because Ferrothorn does not have reliable recovery outside of Leech Seed and Rest, it can eventually be worn down by powerful or boosted neutral hits.
They aren't strictly counters, but Forretress can spin away Ferro's hazards and Leech Seed. If Skarmory has Taunt, Ferrothorn can't do anything to it. Mention ChestoRest and Bulldoze as a general option to kill Mag/CM Jirachi or slow down an opposing sweeper in OO.
Is a specially defensive set worth a mention? I know the main listed one has great special bulk already, but going max/max? *shrugs*
I do remember Thunder Ferrothorn having a niche back in BW1 which should still work in BW2, happened to see it in some well built rain teams, that actually had a decent success in battle, luring in Skarmory and Intimidate Sub Gyarados. I think it should deserve at least an OO mention. [secret] neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs neutral 252/24 spdef skarmory 53.89% to 63.47% HP damage neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs neutral 252/32 spdef skarmory 53.29% to 62.87% HP damage neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs neutral 0/252 spdef skarmory 50.18% to 59.78% HP damage neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs neutral 252/252 spdef skarmory 40.72% to 48.5% HP damage neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs positive 0/252 spdef skarmory 45.76% to 54.61% HP damage neutral 180 spa thunder ferro vs neutral 160/96 spdef skarmory 52.73% to 62.38% HP damage Gyarados is clearly a 100% 2HKO. The main point is how many Sp.Atk EVs you want to invest to face opponent's Skarmory, 180 EVs are purely a personal choice. The set remains the same, 252 HP Ferrothorn with Gyro Ball, Leech Seed and Spikes/Stealth Rock with the addition of Thunder.[/secret]
Seems fair enough, but ferro is quite tight on moveslots as it is, but hitting swarm nd gyarados looks like it can see some use.
Ferrothorn really needs Leech Seed for Recovery. I would put the SR slash next to Spikes, or mention it as an alternative if just Stealth Rock is needed, and Spikes is not necessary.