Ferroseed Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Spikes wears down opposing Pokemon, making grounded foes take residual damage every time they switch in. Stealth Rock can be run over Spikes if the team cannot afford to have another Stealth Rock setter. Due to its typing, Ferroseed has a great matchup against common entry hazard removers like Rotom and Blastoise, making it one of the best Spikers in the tier. Leech Seed improves Ferroseed's longevity while draining the foe's HP. Protect lets Ferroseed scout moves from Choice-locked Pokemon like Passimian while recovering HP if the foe is afflicted with Leech Seed. Knock Off can cripple some potential switch-ins such as Incineroar and Passimian, removing their items. Gyro Ball paired with its terrible Speed lets Ferroseed do decent damage to fast Pokemon like Accelgor and Sceptile. Set Details Maximum HP and Defense EVs paired with a Relaxed nature and Eviolite maximize Ferroseed's defensive capacity, letting it take on both physical and special attackers. A Relaxed nature paired with 0 IVs in Speed is needed if Ferroseed runs Gyro Ball to maximize the damage output of this move. Iron Barbs lets Ferroseed whittle down physical attackers and punish Rapid Spin users. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 SpD can be used to allow Ferroseed to take a Choice Specs Focus Blast from Heliolisk and Savage Spin-Out from Vikavolt. Usage Tips Ferroseed should switch into Pokemon it counters like Heliolisk, Togedemaru, and Aerodactyl to force them out. While it is in, it should set up entry hazards or cripple opposing Pokemon with Leech Seed or Knock Off. Protect complements Leech Seed very well, giving Ferroseed another turn of recovery. Protect should be used when facing a possible Choice-locked Pokemon like Passimian to scout the move it wants to go for. Protect should also be utilized to sponge Z-Moves from Pokemon like Aerodactyl, as well as scouting super effective coverage moves, mainly from Comfey and Heliolisk, which would otherwise be walled by Ferroseed. Ferroseed should avoid setting up hazards if its facing Xatu, since Magic Bounce bounces them back. If Ferroseed is running Knock Off, it should be used to remove the foe's item. Ferroseed should be wary of Knock Off, since losing Eviolite heavily hinders its defensive capability and makes it whittled down quickly by the Pokemon it usually counters. Team Options Stealth Rock users like Seismitoad, Rhydon, and Druddigon provide really good support, since they can stack up entry hazards alongside Ferroseed while also checking Fire-type Pokemon. Druddigon is an especially great partner, since it can get up Stealth Rock against Xatu due to its Mold Breaker ability. Similarly, if Ferroseed is running Stealth Rock, Spikes users such as Garbodor and Mega Glalie make good partners to stack hazards. Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Blastoise, Vaporeon, and Slowking can check the biggest weakness Ferroseed has, which is Fire-type Pokemon. Blastoise can also provide Rapid Spin support. Fighting-type Pokemon can be huge threats to Ferroseed, so Ghost-type Pokemon such as Rotom and Mismagius can be great options to support. These Pokemon can also prevent Rapid Spin users from removing hazards. Pursuit trappers such as Sneasel and Aerodactyl can get rid of Ferroseed's best counter in Xatu. Pivot Pokemon such as Passimian, Heliolisk, and Togedemaru appreciate the hazards Ferroseed can provide, forcing their checks to get whittled down more easily. Passimian can take advantage of Defoggers with Defiant while providing a solid check to Incineroar. Setup Pokemon like Delphox, Incineroar, and Mismagius also appreciate the hazards that Ferroseed provides.

Moves Leech Seed allows Ferroseed to weaken foes like Gurdurr and Simisear, which might attempt to take advantage of it, and provides decent healing due to Ferroseed's low HP stat. Gyro Ball takes advantage of Ferroseed's abysmal Speed to hit fast and frail threats like Dodrio, Lycanroc, and boosted Omastar decently hard. Protect allows Ferroseed to scout Choice-locked Pokemon like Primeape and Drampa, take Z-Moves from Pokemon like Alolan Persian and Alolan Raichu more comfortably, and get more Leech Seed recovery. Running both Spikes and Stealth Rock can be considered, although Ferroseed can't do its job as reliably without Protect, and this can also leave it overwhelmed, as it's forced to perform more tasks. Set Details The Special Defense and HP investment alongside Eviolite allows Ferroseed to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Aurorus's Blizzard after Stealth Rock and hail damage. The leftover EVs go into Defense to allow Ferroseed to take hits such as Kangaskhan's Double-Edge and Lycanroc's Fire Fang more comfortably. A Relaxed nature is preferred over Impish to slightly boost Gyro Ball's power. Usage Tips Ferroseed should aim to switch into threats like Kangaskhan and Aggron and proceed to set Spikes or Stealth Rock, as these threats find themselves forced out. It can also use Leech Seed to cripple the incoming Pokemon and recover some health. Against threats that commonly run Choice items, such as Drampa, Stoutland, and Primeape, Ferroseed should use Protect to scout what they're locking themselves into. This allows you to react accordingly and either switch out to a threat that deals with the Choice-locked foe, keep Ferroseed in to set Spikes or Stealth Rock up, or even use Leech Seed to recover health or Gyro Ball to weaken the foe. However, Pokemon such as Gurdurr and Oricorio-E can take advantage of that by setting up. Against frail and fast threats, such as Lycanroc, Dodrio, and Haunter, prioritize using Gyro Ball over setting entry hazards up or using Leech Seed, as they all take a good amount of damage. Ferroseed may need to be careful about preserving its health if it's needed to check a late-game sweeper such as Omastar or Alolan Sandslash. In these cases, prioritize chipping down foes and healing Ferroseed with Leech Seed over setting entry hazards. Team Options Ferroseed appreciates spinblockers, so Jellicent and Oricorio-G make for good partners. They also deal with Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Primeape for Ferroseed and appreciate the entry hazards it sets. In exchange, Ferroseed deals with Kangaskhan and Lycanroc. Due to its weakness to Fire-types such as Simisear and Fire-type coverage from threats like Victreebel, Pokemon that resist Fire like Lanturn and Altaria make for decent teammates, although Defog Altaria can conflict with a Spikes-setting Ferroseed. They can also cure Ferroseed from status with Heal Bell. Fighting-type switch-ins such as Oricorio-E, Musharna, and Swanna are all heavily appreciated by Ferroseed, and Oricorio-E can even keep Ferroseed's entry hazards up with Taunt. In return, Ferroseed switches into troublesome Rock-types for Oricorio-E and Swanna. Ferroseed forms a solid entry hazard setting core with Regirock, which also switches into Oricorio-E and Oricorio-G for Ferroseed and lifts some pressure off Ferroseed to check Normal-types. In exchange, Ferroseed can check Ground-types like Golurk and Mudsdale and pivot into a predicted Toxic. Pokemon such as Stoutland, Eelektross, Articuno, and Dodrio appreciate the entry hazards Ferroseed sets, as they allow them to either wallbreak or sweep more easily. Finally, due to Ferroseed's lack of reliable recovery, it can easily find itself overwhelmed by opposing entry hazards. Due to this, entry hazard removers like Hitmonchan and Cryogonal make for good partners. Hitmonchan appreciates the entry hazards Ferroseed sets, potentially allowing it to clean late-game with Mach Punch, while Cryogonal switches into Victreebel and Aurorus and appreciates Ferroseed's ability to switch into Pokemon like Lycanroc.

Moves Stealth Rock or Spikes is mandatory, giving Ferroseed the ability to utilize its above average bulk to set the entry hazard and support teammates. Gyro Ball is Ferroseed's main attack, taking advantage of its poor Speed stat in order to take on the likes of Mega Altaria and Mega Aerodactyl and discourage prominent threats such as Terrakion and Choice Scarf Hydreigon from directly switching in. Leech Seed is mandatory as Ferroseed's only form of recovery, allowing it to stay healthy over the course of long games. Toxic lets Ferroseed take on Celebi and Latias and also punishes common switch-ins such as Rotom-H, making it the best option in the majority of scenarios. Protect can be useful, however, to scout the likes of Choice Scarf Krookodile and Choice Band Terrakion and gain extra Leech Seed recovery. Set Details Eviolite is mandatory, giving Ferroseed the bulk it needs to take on metagame staples like Primarina. The given HP and Special Defense investment lets Ferroseed avoid a 4HKO from Choice Specs Primarina's Hydro Pump, with the remaining EVs placed into Defense in order to improve its survivability against weaker physical attackers. A Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs provide the strongest possible Gyro Ball. Iron Barbs is Ferroseed's only ability, punishing common Rapid Spin users such as Starmie. Usage Tips Ferroseed's bulk and typing give it good matchups against threats like Primarina and Latias, forcing them to switch out. Use these switches as an opportunity to set entry hazards. However, before sending in Ferroseed, scout for coverage moves such as Hidden Power Fire on Latias and Fire Blast on Mega Altaria. The combination of Gyro Ball and Toxic is nearly mandatory for taking on the likes of Latias, Grassium Z Celebi, and Choice Specs Primarina, so prioritize landing Toxic on these threats before doing anything else. Protect should be used to scout out Knock Off and Trick users like Krookodile and Togekiss, which is important due to Ferroseed's reliance on Eviolite to check foes. It can also help Ferroseed scout for Choice item users with super effective coverage like Choice Scarf Infernape, as well as get a free turn of Leech Seed. Do not let Ferroseed stay in for too long, as its reliance on status moves for damage can often give openings to setup sweepers like Nasty Plot Infernape. If entry hazards are up, however, using Leech Seed is a semi-reliable option to recover HP while also chipping away at switch-ins. Still, Ferroseed's reliance on Leech Seed means one should focus on using it to check only one or two threats at most in order to avoid overstretching your limited resources and losing too much momentum. Lastly, Iron Barbs should be used to deter Rapid Spin as well as punishing weaker U-turns from foes like Gligar and defensive Celebi. Team Options Ferroseed fits best on bulky offense and balance teams looking for an entry hazard setter and answer to common threats like Choice Specs Primarina and Mega Altaria. Knock Off switch-ins are a necessity when using Ferroseed, so Fairy-types like Sylveon and defensive Primarina make for good partners. Sylveon and Florges in particular work well, as they can heal Ferroseed with Wish. Additionally, Heal Bell support from teammates such as Sylveon, Florges, Blissey, and Mega Altaria is helpful to keep Ferroseed healthy throughout a match. Fire- and Fighting-type checks such as Latias and Tentacruel are also necessities when using Ferroseed, as they can take on common switch-ins like Cobalion. Strong wallbreakers that can take advantage of entry hazards set by Ferroseed, like Nidoking, are good complements as well. Hydreigon in particular appreciates Ferroseed checking Fairy-types and Latias for it, making it a good option. Ghost-types like Mimikyu and Gengar can also take advantage of entry hazards while also blocking Rapid Spin from users Ferroseed cannot check safely, like Tentacruel. If using Spikes, an offensive Stealth Rock user is necessary in order to stop Defog and Rapid Spin users from removing entry hazards, as Ferroseed's lackluster matchups versus common removers like Empoleon, Mew, and Tentacruel mean it will struggle to keep Spikes up without support. Krookodile is a good example of this, as it can also use Taunt to prevent the use of Defog. Physical walls like Slowbro form defensive good cores with Ferroseed, as Ferroseed can deal with a lot of threatening special attackers that they cannot, like Primarina and Starmie. Checks to Scizor, like Tentacruel and Rotom-H, are good partners as well. Rock-types such as Terrakion and Rhyperior can take on Rotom-H and free up Ferroseed to run Spikes. Infernape is a very good teammate, taking advantage of the entry hazards set by Ferroseed, while Ferroseed can answer common checks to Infernape like Primarina and Latias.

Moves Spikes gets chip damage against any grounded Pokemon that switches in. Stealth Rock is an alternative if no other teammate carries the move. Gyro Ball, combined with Ferroseed's abysmal Speed that ensures that it is almost always fully powered, makes up for its lacking offensive presence. Knock Off cripples any switch-ins by removing their item. Leech Seed is Ferroseed's only form of recovery and pressures Pokemon to switch out. Protect, when used along with Leech Seed, lets Ferroseed wear down its foes and recover even more HP, as well as help scout for moves against Choice-locked foes. Thunder Wave cripples fast threats such as Pyroar, Magmortar, and Primeape, but do not use it with Gyro Ball, as lowering the Speed of opposing Pokemon powers down the move. Toxic hits Grass-types and stalls out opponents along with Leech Seed. Set Details The given EV spread increases Ferroseed's physical bulk and allows Ferroseed to avoid the 3HKO from Life Orb Samurott's Ice Beam. A Relaxed nature and 0 Speed IVs should be used with Gyro Ball to increase its power, but if Knock Off is being run, Impish should be used instead. Eviolite boosts Ferroseed's defenses significantly, making it very hard to take down. A specially defensive spread is an alternative if the team needs a more reliable answer to specially offensive Water- and Grass-types, but this makes Ferroseed less effectively wall physical attackers such as Kangaskhan and Swords Dance Samurott. Usage Tips Set up either Spikes or Stealth Rock against Pokemon that cannot do much in return, such as Kabutops, Lanturn, and Mawile, or on forced switches. Use Leech Seed to keep Ferroseed healthy and to pressure Pokemon that try to set up. Sometimes it is best to use Leech Seed again expecting a switch to get more HP back and chip damage against the foe. Protect is good for scouting for Pokemon that try to lure Ferroseed, such as Hidden Power Fire Samurott or Superpower Kabutops, and should be used to gain more Leech Seed recovery. Try not to use the move too much, as the opponent will take advantage of that by setting up on the turn Ferroseed uses Protect. Protect also helps against Choice-locked attackers by scouting for what move the Pokemon will lock itself into. If using Thunder Wave, use it to cripple fast Pokemon such as Floatzel and Archeops. Thunder Wave is also useful against rain teams, as Ferroseed is able to switch in on the majority of rain sweepers and slow them down. Team Options Due to Ferroseed's exploitable Fire weakness, it is generally best to pair it up with Water-types such as Lanturn, Prinplup, Quagsire, and Carracosta. All of these Pokemon are able to switch in on Fire-types such as Pyroar and Magmortar and threaten them with their STAB moves. Ferroseed can also run Spikes over Stealth Rock if paired with Carracosta or Prinplup. More offensively inclined Water-types such as Samurott and Kabutops also pair well with Ferroseed, if using it on balance teams. Ground-types such as Stunfisk, Rhydon, and Golurk pair well with Ferroseed, as they have good synergy, with Ferroseed covering their Water- and Grass-type weaknesses. All of these Pokemon are also capable of running Stealth Rock, allowing Ferroseed to run Spikes. Having a Ghost-type such as Mismagius, Rotom, or Haunter to spinblock is also very helpful for Ferroseed. Mismagius can also switch in on Primeape, which easily breaks past Ferroseed with Close Combat. Mismagius and Haunter also have access to Taunt to prevent Pokemon from using Defog. All of these Pokemon also threaten Xatu, which switches in on Ferroseed with impunity. Liepard is another good partner for Ferroseed, as it threatens Xatu with Knock Off and can also Pursuit trap it.

Moves Spikes damages grounded Pokemon as they switch in. Leech Seed gradually drains the foe's health, providing Ferroseed with a method of recovery. Protect helps Ferroseed gain more recovery from Leech Seed and allows it to scout for coverage moves such as Hidden Power Fire and attacks from Choice-locked Pokemon. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple fast attackers such as Aerodactyl. Gyro Ball hits decently hard thanks to Ferroseed's low Speed and can pressure faster attackers such as Meloetta and Sneasel. Seed Bomb can be used if a more consistent method of direct damage is desired in addition to hitting Water-types such as Samurott more effectively. Knock Off is also a good option to cripple Pokemon like Sigilyph by removing their items. It should be noted that paralyzed foes take less damage from Gyro Ball, so running Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball together is rather counterproductive. Set Details A Sassy nature with maximum HP and Special Defense EVs, and 0 Speed IVs maximize Ferroseed's bulk and allow it to take reduced damage from entry hazards while also increasing Gyro Ball's power. If Seed Bomb or Knock Off is chosen over Gyro Ball, a Careful nature with maximum Speed IVs is more effective. Iron Barbs wears down the foe every time it uses a contact move, which works well in conjunction with Leech Seed. Eviolite greatly increases Ferroseed's bulk, making it much harder to KO. Usage Tips Ferroseed's typing is its greatest asset, allowing it to force out common attackers that can't damage it thoroughly such as Sneasel and Aerodactyl, which gives it an opportunity to set up entry hazards or cripple its foes with Thunder Wave. Leech Seed is also useful for putting a timer on most setup sweepers, as it forces them out most of the time, giving Ferroseed even more opportunities to set up entry hazards. Protect can be used to provide an extra turn of Leech Seed recovery and scout for possible coverage moves and Choice-locked Pokemon such as Exploud; it shouldn't be relied on, however, as the foe can set up on the turn Ferroseed uses Protect. Avoid Knock Off at all costs, as losing its Eviolite greatly neuters Ferroseed's defensive capabilities. Iron Barbs punishes the foe for trying to remove the entry hazards that Ferroseed has set up with Rapid Spin. As a bonus, if the foe faints from Iron Barbs recoil after using Rapid Spin, all entry hazards will remain on the field. Team Options Bulky Water-types are great overall partners for Ferroseed due to their resistance to Fire-type moves. Alomomola provides Wish support for Ferroseed, while Ferroseed provides a useful resistance to Grass-type attacks in return. Slowking and Jellicent can switch into both Fire- and Fighting-type moves, although neither of them can switch into Knock Off. Diancie can also switch into Fire-type moves for Ferroseed as well as providing Stealth Rock and cleric support. Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Rotom are helpful for spinblocking and switching into Fighting-type attacks. Wish support from Alomomola and Aromatisse, the latter of which can also provide cleric support, is quite appreciated, as Leech Seed is a rather unreliable method of recovery. Fighting-type checks such as Slowking and Granbull are also appreciated to alleviate the pressure that Fighting-types put on Ferroseed. Mega Camerupt can switch into Knock Off and Fire-type attacks to an extent for Ferroseed, while in return, Ferroseed switches into Water-type attacks.

This is standard fare for Ferroseed in RU. This set allows Ferroseed to check and counter a plethora of threats in RU while using its expansive movepool to support its team. Spikes is the entry hazard of choice, as Ferroseed can find many opportunities to switch in and set up the entry hazard to slowly build up passive damage against the opposing team. Stealth Rock is an alternative to lessen the pressure on Ferroseed to continually set up entry hazards, but do keep in mind that it gets much wider distribution than Spikes does, thus making Spikes the better option on most teams. Thunder Wave generally gets the nod to allow Ferroseed to cripple faster Pokemon, such as Moltres, Gallade, and Entei, that might attempt to switch into it. If you're using more of a stall-based team, Protect could be a better option to stall for Leech Seed damage and possible poison damage from Toxic Spikes support. In general, this also allows Ferroseed to scout for possible Choice-locked attackers or stray Fire- or Fighting-type moves. Leech Seed is a must in the next slot as it provides the only form of recovery Ferroseed has. This works well in conjunction with Spikes anyway, as it will force the opponent to stay in and take more Leech Seed damage or switch out and deal with Spikes damage. The final slot keeps Ferroseed from being complete Taunt bait. Gyro Ball is generally preferred as it hits decently hard thanks to Ferroseed's abysmal Speed stat. However, if your team really struggles with Water-type sweepers, namely Omastar and Crawdaunt, Seed Bomb is an option to better handle them. The EV spread gives Ferroseed as much bulk as possible with a heavy preference in physical bulk, as a lot of Ferroseed's resistances, such as Dark, Dragon, and Rock, are physical attacks on most occasions. A Relaxed nature is used with 0 Speed IVs to maximize the damage output from Gyro Ball. One can reverse the spread with a Sassy nature to give Ferroseed much better special bulk to take more advantage of its resistances to Water-, Grass-, Electric-, and Psychic-type moves. However, many of these Pokemon commonly carry coverage moves that are super effective against Ferroseed. Due to its many resistances, it is quite easy to form a defensive core with Ferroseed. Slowking is a great teammate as it resists both Fire- and Fighting-type moves for Ferroseed and can form quite the annoying paralysis core with Ferroseed, which in turn can take on many of the attacks Slowking can't handle. Alomomola is another worthy option as its gigantic Wishes can easily keep Ferroseed healthy while the duo can wall the vast majority of physical attackers in the tier. Uxie, Mesprit, and Sigilyph are other Psychic-types that can be used to check the Fighting-type Pokemon that Ferroseed dislikes. Although Ferroseed matches up well against the likes of Cryogonal and Kabutops, a spinblocker is a decent option to ensure that the entry hazards Ferroseed typically lays down aren't removed. Spiritomb and Rotom are the best choices since each can deal with the best spinner in the tier—Kabutops—reliably in most circumstances. Spiritomb can also handle Cryogonal without much difficulty. Any offensive Pokemon that has decent synergy with Ferroseed and benefits from Spikes, and possibly paralysis, support can make for good teammates. Druddigon and Sigilyph generally struggle with Steel-types, all of which are grounded, thus making them vulnerable to the Spikes Ferroseed can lay down. Moltres and Magmortar enjoy paralysis support and the Spikes Ferroseed lays can quickly wear down Lanturn, arguably their best check, which lacks reliable recovery. Moltres is also notable for its ability to wipe out most Fighting-types in the tier with its absurdly powerful STAB Hurricane. Finally, a Stealth Rock user is useful to form an entry hazard setting core with Ferroseed. Golurk, Uxie, and Rhydon are the most notable as each can resist Fighting- or Fire-type moves for Ferroseed.

With an amazing typing that gives it ten resistances and one immunity at the cost of a mere two weaknesses, Ferroseed is great user of Spikes. Spikes is a superb supporting move, limiting the number of times the opponent can switch while also helping many sweepers obtain OHKOs that they would miss otherwise. If your team already has a Spikes user, you may run Stealth Rock in its place. Leech Seed is used as Ferroseed's main form of recovery, and it also discourages Pokemon from setting up on Ferroseed. Thunder Wave is the primary option in the third slot, crippling fast setup sweepers, such as Cobalion and Weavile, trying to use it as fodder, and enabling a sweep for your own slower sweepers, particularly Togekiss. Protect is a possible secondary option that allows Ferroseed to scout opposing Choice users and gain Leech Seed recovery. In the last slot, Gyro Ball is used to hit many sweepers relatively hard and prevents Ferroseed from being crippled by Taunt. Although the main spread is specially defensive, one may opt to use either a physically defensive spread or split EVs for a mixed wall. Toxic is a viable option over Gyro Ball to cripple many walls and quickly end an opponent's sweep due to the fact that Ferroseed's Gyro Ball is not powerful enough. Because this set is meant to set up entry hazards, a spinblocker, namely Dusclops or Mismagius, is useful to prevent the entry hazards from being spun away. Pokemon that enjoy entry hazard support, such as Weavile, make great partners for Ferroseed, as do phazers such as Suicune and Donphan, who can rack up entry hazard damage on the opponent. Bulky Water-types, particularly Slowbro, make great partners for Ferroseed, as they can take the powerful Fire- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Ferroseed, while it can take the Electric- or Grass-type attacks aimed at said Water-type. Due to Ferroseed's weak offenses, a revenge killer is recommended, as practically everything can use Ferroseed as setup bait.