cyberacc
formerly Suckingmoreducks
Forretress shows up in GSC Ubers due to its ability to set Spikes and spin. When compared to Cloyster the benefits Forretress brings are primarily defensive in nature; Being blessed with the Steel and Bug typing it means it is immune to the status move Toxic and resists Normal-type attacks, so unlike Cloyster it can afford to come in multiple times on the formats' most centralizing threat Snorlax to set hazards and spin. This typing gives it an excellent match up against defensive Pokemon such as Celebi, taking minimal damage from its' STABs and can use it as an opportunity to remove hazards or set them up. This defensive prowess comes at a large cost; Forretress is incredibly passive barring the few good match ups it has, and it is threatened by a myriad of Pokemon due to it often having to compress Spikes + Spin in the same moveset. Zapdos, Mewtwo and Ho-Oh, all threaten it and even stray neutral hits from Pokemon like Skarmory or Tyranitar can rack up over time until it can no longer do its' job. This means that it should not be used as aggressively as Cloyster, every stray hit matters with Forretress and careful positioning is required to ensure that Forretress can get the most use out of its function.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Toxic / Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes ensures grounded targets such as Mewtwo and Snorlax are going to be taking constant damage switching in which will allow threats such as Mewtwo, Zapdos, Ho-Oh and Tyranitar to deal lasting damage. Rapid Spin is preferred on teams that are not able to fit a dedicated hazard remover such as Golem or Starmie. Toxic is the main way Forretress will deal damage in longer games, statusing Pokemon like Golem, Lugia and Mew will hamper their ability to act as threats while in the case of Golem ensuring that Forretress's Spikes will have a consistent uptime as Golem is put on a timer. On some teams Forretress can opt to run Explosion to ensure that it can deal immense damage after it has set down Spikes. Forretress has a handful of options when it comes to Hidden Power coverage, HP Fire is preferred to ensure lasting damage against opposing Forretress while also dealing damage to Pokemon such as Steelix and Skarmory, Hidden Power Ghost hits all Ubers barring Ho-Oh super-effectively and notably means Ghost-type switch-ins like Gengar and Misdreavus are hit super-effectively. Finally Hidden Power Bug is an option option, as it will threaten a 2 hit KO on Celebi while still hitting Pokemon like Mew and Mewtwo super-effectively.
Team Options
========
Forretress primarily shows up on team structures like balance and stall that require a hazard setter with longevity. These teammates have to apply offensive pressure themselves, by phasing or by dealing heavy damage, to make up for Forretress's passivity. Barrier Mewtwo is a common partner with Forretress, being able to threaten oppossing hazard setters with Flamethrower or Toxic while also walling physical sweepers such as Snorlax and Swords Dance Marowak. Ho-Oh is a good partner to Forretress, checking threats like Mewtwo and Mew without Rock Slide while also being able to use Whirlwind to rack up large amounts of hazard chip throughout extended games. Tyranitar or Rhydon can be paired with Forretress, being able to resist Fire-type moves and begin setting up Curses acting as phasing sweepers that make great use of the Spikes Forretress puts down. Forretress struggles dealing with strong Electric-type attacks coming off of the likes of Zapdos and Raikou, so pairing it with Celebi ends up covering this weakness since Celebi can soak up their attacks and Recover on them.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Another moveset that Forretress can run is HP Fire, Spikes, Defense Curl and Rest, letting it act as a Snorlax wall while still being able to set Spikes and threaten opposing Forretress. This role is often taken by other members of the team, so careful consideration is required before one chooses to run the moveset. Giga Drain might be tempting on some structures to hit Cloyster and Golem super-effectively, but Forretress is often cramped with moveslots as is. On top of that Giga Drain has poor coverage in GSC Ubers, hitting none of the Ubers super-effectively. Finally, Protect is an option on some teams to allow Forretress to heal off the damage taken by Spikes and also allows it to scout the opponents movesets.
Checks and Counters
=============
Strong special attackers: Forretress's special bulk is meager and given its lack of reliable recovery it will often take unrecoverable damage from the tiers' litany of special attackers. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Jolteon, Vaporeon and Raikou all scare Forretress out and can fire off strong special attacks as Forretress has to switch out. In the case of Jolteon and Vaporeon they can use this as an opportunity to set up Growth and then pass it to their teammates. The two Eeveelutions do however have to respect Forretress using Explosion to KO them.
Ho-Oh: Ho-Oh will OHKO Forretress with Flamethrower and Forretress holds no chance of threatening Ho-Oh past poisoning it or using Explosion, and even with Explosion a full health Ho-Oh is favored to survive the detonation.
Ghost types: Misdreavus and Gengar take minimal damage from most Forretress sets and will block Rapid Spin, and in Gengar's case will also be immune to Forretress's Toxic. HP Ghost Forretress does however pose a challenge for them, 3HKOing both.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Toxic / Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Bug / Hidden Power Ghost
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes ensures grounded targets such as Mewtwo and Snorlax are going to be taking constant damage switching in which will allow threats such as Mewtwo, Zapdos, Ho-Oh and Tyranitar to deal lasting damage. Rapid Spin is preferred on teams that are not able to fit a dedicated hazard remover such as Golem or Starmie. Toxic is the main way Forretress will deal damage in longer games, statusing Pokemon like Golem, Lugia and Mew will hamper their ability to act as threats while in the case of Golem ensuring that Forretress's Spikes will have a consistent uptime as Golem is put on a timer. On some teams Forretress can opt to run Explosion to ensure that it can deal immense damage after it has set down Spikes. Forretress has a handful of options when it comes to Hidden Power coverage, HP Fire is preferred to ensure lasting damage against opposing Forretress while also dealing damage to Pokemon such as Steelix and Skarmory, Hidden Power Ghost hits all Ubers barring Ho-Oh super-effectively and notably means Ghost-type switch-ins like Gengar and Misdreavus are hit super-effectively. Finally Hidden Power Bug is an option option, as it will threaten a 2 hit KO on Celebi while still hitting Pokemon like Mew and Mewtwo super-effectively.
Team Options
========
Forretress primarily shows up on team structures like balance and stall that require a hazard setter with longevity. These teammates have to apply offensive pressure themselves, by phasing or by dealing heavy damage, to make up for Forretress's passivity. Barrier Mewtwo is a common partner with Forretress, being able to threaten oppossing hazard setters with Flamethrower or Toxic while also walling physical sweepers such as Snorlax and Swords Dance Marowak. Ho-Oh is a good partner to Forretress, checking threats like Mewtwo and Mew without Rock Slide while also being able to use Whirlwind to rack up large amounts of hazard chip throughout extended games. Tyranitar or Rhydon can be paired with Forretress, being able to resist Fire-type moves and begin setting up Curses acting as phasing sweepers that make great use of the Spikes Forretress puts down. Forretress struggles dealing with strong Electric-type attacks coming off of the likes of Zapdos and Raikou, so pairing it with Celebi ends up covering this weakness since Celebi can soak up their attacks and Recover on them.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Another moveset that Forretress can run is HP Fire, Spikes, Defense Curl and Rest, letting it act as a Snorlax wall while still being able to set Spikes and threaten opposing Forretress. This role is often taken by other members of the team, so careful consideration is required before one chooses to run the moveset. Giga Drain might be tempting on some structures to hit Cloyster and Golem super-effectively, but Forretress is often cramped with moveslots as is. On top of that Giga Drain has poor coverage in GSC Ubers, hitting none of the Ubers super-effectively. Finally, Protect is an option on some teams to allow Forretress to heal off the damage taken by Spikes and also allows it to scout the opponents movesets.
Checks and Counters
=============
Strong special attackers: Forretress's special bulk is meager and given its lack of reliable recovery it will often take unrecoverable damage from the tiers' litany of special attackers. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Jolteon, Vaporeon and Raikou all scare Forretress out and can fire off strong special attacks as Forretress has to switch out. In the case of Jolteon and Vaporeon they can use this as an opportunity to set up Growth and then pass it to their teammates. The two Eeveelutions do however have to respect Forretress using Explosion to KO them.
Ho-Oh: Ho-Oh will OHKO Forretress with Flamethrower and Forretress holds no chance of threatening Ho-Oh past poisoning it or using Explosion, and even with Explosion a full health Ho-Oh is favored to survive the detonation.
Ghost types: Misdreavus and Gengar take minimal damage from most Forretress sets and will block Rapid Spin, and in Gengar's case will also be immune to Forretress's Toxic. HP Ghost Forretress does however pose a challenge for them, 3HKOing both.
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