Ferroseed Incense Day PvP Guide

G’day PoGO lovers! Coming up very soon is the next Incense Day on May 26, featuring Ferroseed! Featuring a host of Grass and Steel types, this looks to be a fantastic event for PvP players! Let’s take a look at the event spawns and dive into which ones you should consider prioritising a hunt for!

Ferroseed Incense Day Overview

Date & Time

Bonuses ⭐

Niantic infographic

Ferroseed Incense Day

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Best Event Spawns for PvP

1. Ferroseed

We must start with the featured mon, Ferroseed. Its evolution Ferrothorn is a very decent pick in PvP, with meta relevance in the Great League and to a lesser extent the Ultra League, and was recently almost a staple pick in the Great League Remix meta. Ferrothorn is essentially a Grass type that benefits a lot from its sub-Steel typing, enabling it additional resistances to Flying, Psychic, Steel, and neutralising Ice and Bug type damage. It does come with some additional weaknesses to Fire (now doubly weak), Fighting type damage. 

Ferrothorn’s moveset is quite diverse, albeit a little slow. Bullet Seed is a very good fast move for generating energy, but its damage output is quite poor. Power Whip is the required charged move of choice, and then the secondary charged move can be any of Mirror Shot (cheapest charged move), Thunder (best coverage), and Flash Cannon (powerful but expensive). Thunder is probably the move of choice as it helps with hitting back against Flying types and has neutral power into Fire types and is cheaper than Flash Cannon.

In terms of gameplay in the Great League, Thorn is amazing into the numerous Water types in the Great League, such as Lanturn, Whiscash, Swampert, Azumarill, Feraligatr and Dewgong. Where Ferro struggles a little is in some of its disadvantageous matchups (particularly into the fighters), as it doesn’t have fantastic coverage and it takes quite a few Bullet Seeds to reach Power Whip. But in the right team composition and match situation, Ferro puts in some excellent work. If you’re looking at optimal IV’s, the bulkier the better (0-13-13 is the rank 1 to aim for).

Make sure you take this opportunity to grind for XL candy for the Ultra League build, as you will ideally want to max out to Level 50 to optimise its bulk. Just watch out for Talonflame and Charizard! 

Ferroseed itself is decent in the Little Cups, but is more of an anti-meta pick as it has no Grass type moves in its arsenal right now. Definitely less of a priority than its evolution.

2. Galarian Meowth

This is one of the rarest opportunities that has come along in recent times – wild Galarian Meowth spawns. Why is this such a big deal? Previously, if you’ve only been able to get research level IV’s (primarily through eggs), the control you have over your build has been fairly limited to date. Having the ability to grind for different IV variants is an opportunity that should not be taken for granted.

In terms of gameplay, Perrserker is a bit of a swiss army knife, with access to Shadow Claw, Close Combat and Foul Play as its typical moveset, with the option for Iron Head as alternative coverage into Fairy types. Perrserker in the Great League does have a bit of a tough time into the various Ground and Fighting types which tend to dominate the meta, although it does have solid play, particularly in the 1v1 shield scenarios into meta mons such as Cresselia, Bastiodon, Victreebel and Trevenant. 

Perrserker is definitely seen a little bit more often in the Ultra League, as it has really decent matchups against some of the most common staple picks of Giratina, Cresselia, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Trevenant. It does however still have some challenging matchups that are challenging to overcome, such as Poliwrath, Verizion, Talonflame and Charizard.

A quick review into IV’s seems to indicate that in the Ultra League, the more bulk the better, but in the Great League having a more attack weighted variant can actually produce slightly better outcomes. This isn’t entirely surprising – in the Great League, the overall bulk of most mons isn’t as much to contend with as in the Ultra League. Having every ounce of stat product you can get will help Perrserker to stay in battle for a little bit longer against the bulkier mons that are all over the Ultra League meta. Overall, what I like about Perrserker is that even in its unfavourable matchups, it can generally threaten shields due to being to its charged moves super quickly, and the benefit of its fast move Shadow Claw being able to deal a decent amount of damage. Definitely something to prioritise throughout the day.

3. Phantump

Trevenant needs no introduction for PvP players. Blessed with an excellent moveset of Shadow Claw, Seed Bomb and Shadow Ball, Trevenant hits hard and fast for Ghost and Grass type damage. In a nutshell, Trevenant is very very good in the Great League and Ultra League. Particularly in the 1v1 scenario, Trev puts in so much work against nearly everything – its only real struggles are into bulky Dark types such as Mandibuzz and Umbreon, where it lacks the coverage to hit back against them with anything other than resisted damage. In longer drawn out battles (eg: 2v2 scenario) Trev’s potency does reduce a little, due to its lower defense stats than some of its competitors. I highly recommend hanging onto some with good stat product IV’s and if you don’t yet have the shiny, this could be an opportunity to nab one for your dex!

4. Magnemite

Magnezone has become an absolute beast in PvP in recent times, particularly in the Great League Remix (and is even better as a shadow). It is definitely one of the more challenging mons to use in PvP due to the pacing of its fast move Volt Switch, the debuffing effects of its primary charged move, Wild Charge, and its overall frailty. However, in the right team comp and with bait and switch style play, Zone can be absolutely devastating as it is just so powerful, even when dealing resisted damage! Keep it away from Fighting and Ground types and let Zone go to work. Magnezone is also more than decent in the Master Premier format, particularly as an answer to Gyarados and Metagross.

Magneton is also quite a good spice pick in limited formats, but does lack a little bit of power compared to its evolution and with even less stat product! 

5. Beldum

Metagross was once absolutely everywhere in the Master League, but is definitely less sighted these days with the rise of several new meta staples which get in its way, such as Ho-Oh, Landorus and Solgaleo, and old annoyances such as Groudon and Dialga. Still, it has lots of play into Fairy types, taking them down with relative ease, and doing ok into the Dragon types in the meta too. Although it’s not the PvP powerhouse it once was, I would definitely still recommend grinding for Beldum XL candy and the hundo for a few other reasons:

• Metagross is the current #2 Steel type raid attacker in the game;
• Shadow Metagross (which costs even more XL candy) is the #1 Steel type raid attacker in the game;
• Mega Metagross will one day be the #1 Steel type raid attacker in the game, bar none;
• The cross-over into PvP relevance is a no-brainer.

The one caveat to all of the above is that Metagross must have Meteor Mash to be relevant in either format, so wait until the next event comes with this as a feature before you evolve your Beldums!

6. Shieldon

Ah, wallface. Everyone’s most hated Rock–Steel type Bastiodon is absolutely polarising. Like it or not, Bastiodon is a meta staple in the Great League, particularly in the much-loathed “grass-hole” team composition. With a slowwwwww moveset of Smack Down, Stone Edge and Flamethrower (or in the right scenario Flash Cannon), Basti isn’t exactly threatening shields too often, but it’s an excellent answer to Dragon, Flying and Fire types. Overall, it is just super annoying to take down in neutral matchups due to its extremely high defensive stat product.

In terms of IV’s – the bulkier the better. If you’re looking to maximise your build then getting close to the rank 1 in stat product is the way to go, as there’s not a lot to lose from an attack perspective in hunting for extra defense. The extra bulk can help it to pump out 1 or 2 extra Smack Downs and help it to outlast the likes of Jellicent, Victreebel and Trevenant. 

Runner-Up Event Spawns for PvP

I’ll spend a bit less time on deep analysis in this section – overall, these are more in the second tier for PvP, and none are PvE relevant.

1. Togedemaru

Togedemaru

Togedemaru is a sneaky strong pick in limited metas, with a decent win-loss record in the Great League and Ultra League. However, this is entirely dependent on successfully baiting with Fell Stinger and nuking with Wild Charge. It has play with a chip and dip style or as a closer with shields, but it does struggle where its Electric type damage is resisted, and Thunder Shock’s damage output is quite poor, meaning it will usually struggle to farm anything down. Definitely spice value, and the XL build requires a maxed out L50 hundo, so now is the time to grind for XL candy if you are looking for a new project!

2. Tangela

I’ve previously written about Tangrowth being a sneaky good pick in the Master League Premier format. Tangrowth puts in serious work in this format, with excellent coverage against Water, Ground, Flying and Fire types with its versatile Grass and Rock moveset of Vine Whip, Power Whip and Rock Slide. Maxed out as a L50, you’ll need to maximise your Tangela XL candy for this, and the added benefit is that Tangrowth is a decent enough Grass type raid attacker. Tangrowth is also very decent in the Ultra League Premier Cup, so all in all, it’s worth prioritising Tangela spawns during this event. 

3. Hisuian Voltorb

Hisuian Electrode is a staple pick in the Electric Cup meta, so it’s worth getting one with decent IV’s to give you a bulkier prospect to help it stand up a bit longer in the mirror and against Lanturn. In the open Great League meta, it does have a lot of play into the many Water types and Skarmory, but struggles in its more neutral matchups, particularly where it’s receiving a lot of fast move damage in return. If you’re looking for an Ultra League project, there are worse ideas! The maxed out L50 Electrode gets to 2430CP, and does have some challenges against some meta staples, but does pretty well into most Water and Flying types. Definitely worthy of consideration!

4. Hoppip

Jumpluff has a very decent win-loss record in the Great League! It’s got a fantastic moveset in Fairy Wind, Grass Knot and Acrobatics (its Community Day move), is quite bulky, and has nice Grass and Flying typing for the Great League, which resists a lot of the Water type meta. It does struggle a lot against fellow Flying types due to its own Grass typing, struggles against Fire types, and it does get beaten down by some of the bulkier Rock types. One of the big downsides for Jump is that it can’t double up on charged moves Jumpluff definitely stands out more in limited meta formats, and it’s definitely worth having a decent IV one in your arsenal – the bulkier, the better.

Using Mega Evolutions for XL Candy

One aspect to not miss out on throughout this event is mega evolution. Mega evolving one of your high ‘mega’ level Pokémon (ie: a mega that has reached the highest mega evolution level) will increase your chances of receiving XL candy when catching Pokémon. These opportunities to catch a condensed group of Pokémon types don’t come around as frequently as you’d expect, so this is a great opportunity to grind with purpose.

Below demonstrates the primary XL grinding opportunities, by mon, league and type:

Spawn	PvP mon	League/s for XL	Types
Ferroseed	Ferrothorn	Ultra League	Grass Steel
Tangela	Tangrowth	Master Premier Raids	Grass
Phantump	Trevenant	Ultra League	Grass Ghost
Meowth (Galarian)	Perrserker	Ultra League	Steel
Magnemite	Magnezone Magneton	Magnezone: Master Premier, Raid Magneton: Ultra League (spice)	Electric Steel
Beldum	Metagross	Master League Master Premier Raid	Psychic Steel
Shieldon	Bastiodon	Great League	Rock Steel
Togedemaru		Ultra League	Electric Steel

Mega Pokémon and Bonuses

Here are the bonuses you get from Mega/Primal levels:

Here are some guides to support you with understanding mega evolution mechanics and bonuses available:

• Mega Evolution in Pokémon Go: Ultimate Guide
• Complete Mega Evolution Guide
• Mega Evolution and Mega Raid Updates

Complete Mega Evolution Guide

Event Rating: 8.5/10

Overall, this is a really great event in my opinion, with a welcome return to form with a significant number of strong features. For newer players, there are some really great features, including:

• Loads of PvP relevant spawns, including some quite rare spawns in Galarian Meowth (which I can’t recall ever being a wild spawn!), Beldum and Shieldon;
• Morelull isn’t exactly PvP relevant, but 500 stardust per catch is always appreciated!
• A slightly longer event running over 6 hours means that more people are able to participate at a time which suits them (I’ve been a little peeved with recent events only running for 3 hours, meaning lots of people miss out due to life stuff taking priority);
• Increased shiny Ferroseed chance is really nice, as it’s still quite new and hasn’t been a community day, giving more people the opportunity to access it.
• Double incense length for the Daily Incense – meaning twice the amount of time to hopefully encounter one of the Galarian Legendary birds!
• A (virtually free) incense box through the store, a welcome return and a bit of a throwback to yesteryear where there were actually good box incentives!

There are a few missed opportunities though, such as:

• No exclusive evolution move for Metagross. Many people will have a Meteor Mash Metagross, but many newer players may not have this. This could indicate that a community d4ay classic for Beldum is coming up, so watch this space…
• Longer incense is only for Daily Incense – and will realistically be spawning mostly event spawns. It would have been great for the double duration to be for regular incense too.

I hope this quick guide has helped you prioritise your hunting for this event, and as always, you can find me on Twitter or Instagram for more analysis.

See ya later,

JTizzle