[OVERVIEW]
Forretress is one of two viable Pokemon in GSC Ubers that is able to set Spikes, with the other one being Cloyster. When compared to Cloyster, the benefits Forretress brings are primarily defensive in nature; being blessed with the Bug / Steel typing means it is immune to the status move Toxic and resists Normal-type attacks, so it can repeatedly afford to come in multiple times on the format's most centralizing threat, Snorlax, to set entry hazards and spin. This typing also gives it an excellent matchup against defensive Pokemon such as Celebi, taking minimal damage from its STAB moves 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 matchups it has, and it is threatened by a myriad of Pokemon due to often having to use Spikes + Rapid Spin on the same moveset. Zapdos, Mewtwo, and Ho-Oh all threaten it, and even stray neutral hits from Pokemon like Skarmory and 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, as 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: Entry Hazard Setter
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Toxic / Rapid Spin
move 3: Rapid Spin / Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ghost / Hidden Power Bug
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 ensure that opponents won't be able to switch their Pokemon in and out without risk. Toxic is the main way Forretress will deal damage in longer games, as statusing Pokemon like Golem and Cloyster that otherwise switch in freely on Forretress will hamper their longevity and can allow Forretress to keep Spikes on the field versus both. Rapid Spin is preferred on teams that are not able to fit a dedicated entry hazard remover such as Golem, Tentacruel, or Starmie and should only really be used on Pokemon that can't significantly damage Forretress such as Celebi. Forretress can opt to run Explosion to ensure that it deals immense damage after it has set down Spikes or flat out KO some threats like Vaporeon and Jolteon that otherwise switch in freely on it. Forretress has a handful of options when it comes to Hidden Power coverage; Hidden Power Fire is preferred to ensure lasting damage against opposing Forretress while also dealing damage to Pokemon such as Steelix, while Hidden Power Ghost means Ghost-type switch-ins like Gengar and Misdreavus are hit super effectively, which can allow Forretress to use Rapid Spin to clear away hazards. Finally, Hidden Power Bug can threaten a 2HKO on Celebi while still hitting Pokemon like Mew and Mewtwo super effectively on the switch.
Team Options
========
Forretress primarily shows up on team structures like balance and stall that require an entry hazard setter with longevity and a Toxic immunity. Barrier Mewtwo is a common partner with Forretress, being able to threaten opposing hazard setters with Flamethrower or Toxic while also walling physical sweepers such as Snorlax. 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 damage throughout extended games. Tyranitar and Rhydon can be paired with Forretress, as they resist Fire-type moves and can begin setting up Curse boosts acting as phazing 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 heal in front of them with Recover.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Another moveset that Forretress can run is Hidden Power Fire / Spikes / Defense Curl / Rest, letting it act as a physical wall while still being able to set Spikes and threaten opposing Forretress. Giga Drain might be tempting on some structures to hit Cloyster and Golem super effectively, but it holds poor coverage outside of that in the format 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 foes' 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 tier's litany of special attackers. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Raikou all scare Forretress out and can fire off strong special attacks as it switches out. In the case of Jolteon and Vaporeon, they can use this as an opportunity to set up Growth and then pass the boost to their teammates. The two Eeveelutions do however have to respect Forretress using Explosion to KO them.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh OHKOes Forretress with Flamethrower, while Forretress holds no chance of threatening Ho-Oh past poisoning it or using Explosion, and even then, a full-health Ho-Oh is favored to survive the detonation.
**Ghost-types**: Misdreavus and Gengar take minimal damage from most Forretress sets and can block Rapid Spin, and in Gengar's case, it's also immune to Forretress's Toxic. Hidden Power Ghost Forretress does however pose a challenge for them, 3HKOing both.
**Fire-type coverage**: Fire-type coverage from the likes of Mew, Mewtwo, Tyranitar, and Snorlax is immensely threatening; should Forretress not respect it, it will easily be OHKOed.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cyberacc.185125/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/isa.168574/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mashing.537354/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Forretress is one of two viable Pokemon in GSC Ubers that is able to set Spikes, with the other one being Cloyster. When compared to Cloyster, the benefits Forretress brings are primarily defensive in nature; being blessed with the Bug / Steel typing means it is immune to the status move Toxic and resists Normal-type attacks, so it can repeatedly afford to come in multiple times on the format's most centralizing threat, Snorlax, to set entry hazards and spin. This typing also gives it an excellent matchup against defensive Pokemon such as Celebi, taking minimal damage from its STAB moves 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 matchups it has, and it is threatened by a myriad of Pokemon due to often having to use Spikes + Rapid Spin on the same moveset. Zapdos, Mewtwo, and Ho-Oh all threaten it, and even stray neutral hits from Pokemon like Skarmory and 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, as 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: Entry Hazard Setter
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Toxic / Rapid Spin
move 3: Rapid Spin / Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ghost / Hidden Power Bug
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 ensure that opponents won't be able to switch their Pokemon in and out without risk. Toxic is the main way Forretress will deal damage in longer games, as statusing Pokemon like Golem and Cloyster that otherwise switch in freely on Forretress will hamper their longevity and can allow Forretress to keep Spikes on the field versus both. Rapid Spin is preferred on teams that are not able to fit a dedicated entry hazard remover such as Golem, Tentacruel, or Starmie and should only really be used on Pokemon that can't significantly damage Forretress such as Celebi. Forretress can opt to run Explosion to ensure that it deals immense damage after it has set down Spikes or flat out KO some threats like Vaporeon and Jolteon that otherwise switch in freely on it. Forretress has a handful of options when it comes to Hidden Power coverage; Hidden Power Fire is preferred to ensure lasting damage against opposing Forretress while also dealing damage to Pokemon such as Steelix, while Hidden Power Ghost means Ghost-type switch-ins like Gengar and Misdreavus are hit super effectively, which can allow Forretress to use Rapid Spin to clear away hazards. Finally, Hidden Power Bug can threaten a 2HKO on Celebi while still hitting Pokemon like Mew and Mewtwo super effectively on the switch.
Team Options
========
Forretress primarily shows up on team structures like balance and stall that require an entry hazard setter with longevity and a Toxic immunity. Barrier Mewtwo is a common partner with Forretress, being able to threaten opposing hazard setters with Flamethrower or Toxic while also walling physical sweepers such as Snorlax. 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 damage throughout extended games. Tyranitar and Rhydon can be paired with Forretress, as they resist Fire-type moves and can begin setting up Curse boosts acting as phazing 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 heal in front of them with Recover.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Another moveset that Forretress can run is Hidden Power Fire / Spikes / Defense Curl / Rest, letting it act as a physical wall while still being able to set Spikes and threaten opposing Forretress. Giga Drain might be tempting on some structures to hit Cloyster and Golem super effectively, but it holds poor coverage outside of that in the format 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 foes' 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 tier's litany of special attackers. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Raikou all scare Forretress out and can fire off strong special attacks as it switches out. In the case of Jolteon and Vaporeon, they can use this as an opportunity to set up Growth and then pass the boost to their teammates. The two Eeveelutions do however have to respect Forretress using Explosion to KO them.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh OHKOes Forretress with Flamethrower, while Forretress holds no chance of threatening Ho-Oh past poisoning it or using Explosion, and even then, a full-health Ho-Oh is favored to survive the detonation.
**Ghost-types**: Misdreavus and Gengar take minimal damage from most Forretress sets and can block Rapid Spin, and in Gengar's case, it's also immune to Forretress's Toxic. Hidden Power Ghost Forretress does however pose a challenge for them, 3HKOing both.
**Fire-type coverage**: Fire-type coverage from the likes of Mew, Mewtwo, Tyranitar, and Snorlax is immensely threatening; should Forretress not respect it, it will easily be OHKOed.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cyberacc.185125/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/isa.168574/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mashing.537354/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
