Pokémon Forretress

[Spiderpig2398]

Base Stats: 75 HP / 90 Atk / 140 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 40 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy | Overcoat (HA)
Notable Moves:
- Body Press
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
- Iron Defense
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Substitute
- Toxic Spikes
- Volt Switch

Full Movepool

Level Up
[00] Heavy Slam
[01] Zap Cannon
[01] Magnet Rise
[01] Toxic Spikes
[01] Tackle
[01] Protect
[01] Self-Destruct
[01] Bug Bite]
[12] Take Down
[17] Rapid Spin
[20] Rollout
[23] Curse
[28] Spikes
[32] Payback
[36] Explosion
[42] Iron Defense
[46] Gyro Ball
[50] Double Edge

TMs
[001] Take Down
[007] Protect
[015] Struggle Bug
[021] Pounce
[025] Facade
[028] Bulldoze
[032] Swift
[036] Rock Tomb
[045] Venoshock
[047] Endure
[048] Volt Switch
[049] Sunny Day
[050] Rain Dance
[051] Sandstorm
[053] Smart Strike
[055] Dig
[066] Body Slam
[070] Sleep Talk
[071] Seed Bomb
[074] Reflect
[075] Light Screen
[076] Rock Blast
[082] Thunder Wave
[083] Poison Jab
[085] Rest
[086] Rock Slide
[089] Body Press
[090] Spikes
[091] Toxic Spikes
[093] Flash Cannon
[099] Iron Head
[103] Substitute
[104] Iron Defense
[106] Drill Run
[111] Giga Drain
[116] Stealth Rock
[121] Heavy Slam
[124] Ice Spinner
[130] Helping Hand
[133] Earth Power
[134] Reversal
[149] Earthquake
[150] Stone Edge
[152] Giga Impact
[162] Bug Buzz
[163] Hyper Beam
[168] Solar Beam
[170] Steel Beam
[171] Tera Blast

Egg Moves
- Counter
- Flail
- Pin Missile
- Power Trick
- Sand Tomb
- Swift
- Toxic Spikes

Pros:
+ Bug/Steel is a very solid defensive typing, boasting resistances to some of the common offensive types thrown about in the tier.
+ Forretress can offer solid support with access to multiple hazards, hazard clearing in Rapid Spin, and a slow-pivot in Volt Switch.
+ 140 Defense gives it a massive amount of physical bulk, which similarly allows massive damage when paired up with access to Body Press.
+ Speaking of Body Press, access to it makes it able to deal with more Pokémon and be quite a bit more active in a battle.

Cons:
- For as good of a typing as Bug/Steel is, it is very weak to Fire, which is a very big problem when combined with powerful offensive threats such as Chi-Yu and Iron Moth running about. And that's before the things who use it as a coverage option.
- No access to any reliable recovery basically mandates Leftovers for most sets, which leaves it concerned about Knock Off users.
- Its physical bulk is held back by 75 HP being somewhat middling and 60 SpD being concerningly low.
- The loss of Toxic is a huge hit to its viability.

Terastal Potential:
- Forretress isn't the worst candidate for your Terastallizing Pokémon, but it isn't what you should actively go for as your user, being a defensive mon.
- There's use as an emergency option though, since you can go Steel to get more resistances and become less vulnerable against Fire. Alternatively, go Fighting to make its Body Presses do more at the cost of defensive potency.

Potential Set:
Defensive Spinner
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat / Sturdy
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Body Press
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Spikes / Stealth Rock

The classic hazard setting and clearing set, now with Body Press instead of Gyro Ball. The choice of hazard is up to you, but Spikes is less commonly learned than Stealth Rocks. Set whichever, deal some damage if you like, then pull out with a slow Volt Switch into something that can take it. It doesn't even become deadweight once it's done hazard setting, since it can still clock foes with hard hitting Body Presses.

There's ups and downs to the new version of Forretress, and there's gonna be lots of experimentation early on, but it's still a solid and decently splashable 'mon. Might not be firm OU material, but it can definitely do work on the right team with the right supports.

this is the first post of this variety I've made so I hope it's okay

 

[viol and bass]

I feel like you probably wanna run boots on this thing, particularly because you're gonna be volt switching on Gholdengo and friends a lot while failing to remove hazards. If you wanna play the long game vs. hazard stack teams which are everywhere, you kinda need boots.

 

[Eeveeto]

Both Payback and Earthquake are worth considering on this Mon when running Spin due to this calc:

0 Atk Forretress Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 138-164 (43.8 - 52%) -- 71.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

 

[STEELDRAGON]

Forretress really struggles as a entry hazard remover in the current environment. It also isn't a very good hazard setter either from my experience. It can check some of the most significant offensive threats in the tier though.

Forretress @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Counter/Volt Switch

This set is the best set I have found for it. Gyro Ball can actually hit for some pretty good damage against the faster pokemon and Counter+Sturdy can stop a threat in a emergency. Earthquake is mostly to hit the String Cheese man and fire types on the switch.