Lairon (GP 2/2)

Endorfins · Mar 12, 2012

[Overview]

As with its Rock / Steel brethren, Probopass and Bastiodon, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it—like its evolutionary family—was blessed with a monstrous Defense stat, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most common physical attacking types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the Eviolite item, which both boosts its excellent Defense to dizzying heights and turns its terrible Special Defense into something usable. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-free Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to it. In addition, Lairon can stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with a boosting Autotomize set. When coupled with Head Smash, it can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering around its weaknesses, but it can easily pull its weight whether it is supporting your team with its massive defenses or shattering your opponent with its formidable Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running physically defensive investment along with Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even standard physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola, letting it even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks, such as Adamant Torterra's Earthquake and Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat. Stealth Rock is a must-have on any team and fits well on Lairon, who can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as well, as it is recoil-free and can do a lot of damage thanks to the STAB boost and Lairon's base 90 Attack. Earthquake completes a pseudo-EdgeQuake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types; however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola, who can't Toxic Lairon in return thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra, as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage when paired with Stealth Rock.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Lairon's HP and Defense are maximized along with a Impish nature to give it maximum physical bulk, letting it survive almost any unboosted physical hit. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it, Lairon is easily taken down; Trick and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, but Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out a powerful sweeper. Unfortunately, the prevalence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers preventing Lairon from regaining Sturdy makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used over Earthquake for a secondary STAB move, but it has poor super effective coverage and is often weaker than Head Smash.

Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, as they resist Fighting-type attacks and are immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat in particular is an outstanding choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also an excellent partner to Lairon as it is immune to the Fighting and Ground moves that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make a specially defensive set seem ridiculous, Eviolite allows it to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. For example, standard Jynx and SubCM Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon, while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equalized stat distribution and works well in checking a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is an excellent move for any team to have, and it should always be used on Lairon unless another team member is running the move. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar enables Lairon to remove threatening sweepers that would otherwise set up on it, while also scouting for switch-ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake allows Lairon to hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, but Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required, as is a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again the only item Lairon should use, but be aware that even with it, super effective special attacks can take Lairon down. However, a STAB recoil-less Head Smash—thanks to Rock Head—can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers, including Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used but, again, it has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. Lairon can also use Body Slam to spread around paralysis and slow down the opponent's team, letting Lairon smash them with Head Smash.

Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon is arguably outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. Its base 90 Attack isn't too shabby and is more than compensated for by the high Base Power of Head Smash. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is its main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt. Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard, especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits all Pokemon that resist Head Smash for at least neutral damage, with Torterra being the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the nature of choice to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed; however, Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino. In general, though, it is not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon: Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers, while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much-needed power boost. For example, the Life Orb boost lets it OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb, so Eviolite is normally the better choice.

Fighting- and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies, so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types, such as Golbat and Misdreavus are once again Lairon's best partners. A dual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it set up safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable; although it sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk, the payoff can be huge. Double-Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage alongside Head Smash, as it is also ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent by surprise, but it can only work once, and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also set up Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but it is completely outclassed in this role by Pokemon such as Mesprit, who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier. It is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple Iron Head flinches, and can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOes all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at Lairon's attempts at dealing damage and can set up Bulk Up boosts in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch. Additionally, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon; although it can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp, preventing it from posing much of a threat. Specially based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive Lairon, while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move, such as Haunter, will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set, but are very vulnerable to Toxic, and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall.

Any Choice Scarf holder with more than base 70 Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard-pressed to OHKO a healthy Lairon except with a super effective attack. Lastly, Taunt from the likes of Misdreavus disables defensive sets, but frail Taunt users such Murkrow must be careful of Head Smash.

Endorfins · Mar 16, 2012

Ready for gp!

Desolate · Mar 16, 2012

Endorfins said:
[Overview]

Like its Rock- and Steel-type competition, Probopass and Bastiodon, respectively, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it was blessed with a monster Defense stat that is the trademark for the Aggron evolution family, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most used physical attack types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the item Eviolite, which boosts both its excellent Defense to dizzying heights while also turning its normally terrible Special Defense into something that can actually be used to take a few Special attacks without crumbling. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-less Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to Rock. Lairon can also stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with Autotomize, which coupled with Head Smash can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering to mitigate its weaknesses, however if used correctly it can easily pull its weight, whether it's supporting your team with its massive Defenses, or shattering your opponent with its infamous Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running a physically defensive set along with an Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even physically defensive Pokemon, such as Tangela and Alomomola. With this EV spread, Lairon can even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks such as Adamant Toerterra's Earthquake and Sawk's Choice Scarf Close Combat! Stealth Rock is a must have on any team and fits well on Lairon as it can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as it's recoil-free and can do a lot of damage coming off base 90 Attacks and boosted by STAB. Earthquake completes an Edge-Quake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types, however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola who can't Toxic Lairon back, thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage from Stealth Rock that it may have set up earlier.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

HP and Defense are maximized along with an Impish nature to give Lairon the obscene amount of Defensive ability that lets it take almost any unboosted physical hit and survive. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it Lairon is easily taken down; Trick users and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, however Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out powerful sweepers. Unfortunately, the common presence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used as a secondary STAB instead of Earthquake but has poor super effective coverage and is in general weaker than Head Smash. Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, resisting Fighting-type attacks and being immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat is a great choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also a great option to partner with Lairon because of it's immunity to the types that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make Special Defense seem useless, the presence of Eviolite allows Lairon to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. standard Jynx and Sub Calm Mind Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equalized stat distribution and works well in checking a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is a great move to have and should always be used on Lairon unless another team member has the move as well. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten some walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar lets Lairon remove threatening sweepers who would otherwise use Lairon as setup bait while also scouting for switch ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake lets Lairon hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, however Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required along with a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again, the only item Lairon should use and even with it, super effective special attacks will be able to take it down. However, a STAB, recoil-less Head Smash, thanks to Rock Head can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers, including Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used once again but has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. Body Slam can also be used to spread around paralysis, slowing down the opponents team and letting Lairon smash them with a head Smash. Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite/Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant/Jolly
evs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon are argually outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. 90 base Attack isn't too shabby and when you have really high base power moves such as Head Smash, it really doesn't make too much of a difference. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is the main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt, Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits any Pokemon that resist Head Smash with Torterra the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the main choice of nature to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed, however Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino but is otherwise not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon, Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much needed power boost, for example, with a Life Orb, Lairon can OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb so Eviolite is normally the better choice. Fighting-types and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again Lairon's best partners. A Dual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it setup safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable but sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk but the pay off can be huge. Double Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage with Head Smash and is still walled by Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent off by surprise but it can only work once and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also setup Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but is completely outclassed by Pokemon such as Mesprit who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier and is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple flinches through Iron Head, Torterra can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOs all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at anything Lairon wants to do and can setup Bulk Up in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon, but can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, however it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp before it can cause anymore damage. Specially-based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive sets while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set but are very vulnerable to Toxic and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall. Any Choice Scarf holder with more than 70 base Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard-pressed to OHKO it unless it has a super effective attack or Lairon is sufficiently weakened. Lastly, Taunt disables Defensive sets but frail Taunt users must be careful of Head Smash.

Hi, I'm not apart of the GP team, but I will check the grammar and prose so someone from the team can just review my changes. Changes look like this.

sirndpt · Mar 16, 2012

[Overview]

Like its Rock~~- and~~ / Steel-type competition Probopass and Bastiodon, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it —like its evolution family—was blessed with a monsterrous Defense stat ~~that is the trademark for the Aggron evolution family~~, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most -used physical attack types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the ~~item~~ Eviolite item, which bo~~osts both~~th boosts its excellent Defense to dizzying heights ~~while also~~and turn~~ing~~s its ~~normally~~ terrible Special Defense into something ~~that can actually be used to take a few Special attacks without crumbling~~usable. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-~~less~~free Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to ~~Rock.~~it. In addition, Lairon can ~~also~~ stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with ~~Autotomize which~~a boosting Autotomize set. When coupled with Head Smash, it can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering ~~to mitigate its weaknesses, however, if used correctly,~~around its weaknesses, but it can easily pull its weight whether it is supporting your team with its massive Ddefenses or shattering your opponent with its ~~infamous~~formidable Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically dDefensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP/<space>/<space>252 Def/<space>/<space>4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running a physically defensive seinvestment along with an Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even ~~physically defensive staples such as Tangela and Alomomola. With the EV spread, Lairon can~~standard physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola, letting it even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks, such as Adamant Toerterra's Earthquake and ~~Sawk's~~ Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat!. Stealth Rock is a must -have on any team and fits well on Lairon ~~as it~~, who can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as well, as it is recoil-free and can do a lot of damage ~~coming off base 90 Attacks and boosted by STAB~~thanks to the STAB boost and Lairon's base 90 Attack. Earthquake completes a pseudo -Edge-Quake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types,; however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola, who can't Toxic Lairon ~~back~~in return thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra, as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage ~~from~~with the Stealth Rock that it mayight have set up earlier.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Lairon's HP and Defense isare maximized along with a Impish nature to give ~~Lairon the obscene amount of Defensive ability that lets it tak~~it maximum physical bulk, letting it survive almost any unboosted physical hit ~~and survive~~. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it, Lairon is easily taken down; Trick users and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, ~~however,~~but Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out a powerful sweepers. Unfortunately, the ~~common pres~~prevalence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers <where does this come into play?> makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used ~~as a secondary STAB instead of Earthquake~~over Earthquake for a secondary STAB move, but it has poor super effective coverage and is ~~in general, weaker than Head Smash.~~ often weaker than Head Smash <or did you mean "is in general inferior to Head Smash" - which expresses your intended meaning better?>.

Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, as they resist~~ing~~ Fighting-type attacks and ~~being~~are immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat i~~s a great~~n particular is an outstanding choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also a ~~great option to~~n excellent partner ~~with~~to Lairon as it is immune to the ~~typ~~Fighting and Ground moves that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP/<space>/<space>4 Def/<space>/<space>252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make Sa special Dly defensive se~~em useless, the presence of~~t seem ridiculous, Eviolite allows ~~Lairon~~it to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. For example, standard Jynx and Sub ~~Calm Mind~~CM Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon, while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equaliszed stat distribution and works well in checkniing a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is a ~~great move~~n excellent move for any team to have, and it should always be used on Lairon unless another team member ~~has~~is running the move ~~as well~~. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten ~~some~~ walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar enablets Lairon to remove threatening sweepers ~~who~~that would otherwise ~~use Lairon as~~ set<space>up baon it, while also scouting for switch-ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake ~~let~~allows Lairon to hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, ~~however~~but Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required, a~~long with~~s is a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again, the only item Lairon should use ~~and~~, but be aware that even with it, super effective special attacks ~~will be able to take it~~can take Lairon down. However, a STAB recoil-less Head Smash —thanks to Rock Head —can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers that include Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used ~~once~~, but again ~~but~~, has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. ~~Body Slam can also be used~~Lairon can also use Body Slam to spread around paralysis, and slow~~ing~~ down the opponent's team ~~and~~, letting Lairon smash them with ~~a h~~Head Smash. 

Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite/<space>/<space>Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant/<space>/<space>Jolly
evs: 4 HP/<space>/<space>252 Atk/<space>/<space>252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon ~~are~~is argualbly outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. 90Its base 90 Attack isn't too shabby and ~~when you have really~~is more than compensated for by the high bBase pPower ~~moves such as Head Smash, it really doesn't make too much of a difference~~of Head Smash. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is ~~the~~its main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt,. Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard, especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits anyll Pokemon that resist Head Smash for at least neutral damage, with Torterra being the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the ~~main choice of natur~~nature of choice to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed,; however, Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino ~~but is otherw~~. In general, though, it ise not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon,: Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers, while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much -needed power boost~~, f~~. For example, ~~with a Life Orb, Lairon can~~the Life Orb boost lets it OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb, so Eviolite is normally the better choice. 

Fighting-~~types~~ and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies, so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types, such as <who? respectively>, are once again Lairon's best partners. A Ddual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it set<space>up safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable bu; although it sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk ~~but~~, the pay off can be huge. Double -Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage ~~with~~alongside Head Smash, a~~nd is still walled by~~s it is also ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent ~~off~~ by surprise, but it can only work once, and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also set<space>up Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but it is completely outclassed in this role by Pokemon such as Mesprit, who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier ~~and~~. It is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple ~~flinches through Iron Head, Torterra~~Iron Head flinches, and can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOes all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at ~~anything Lairon wants to do~~Lairon's attempts at dealing damage and can set<space>up Bulk Up boosts in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch. Additionally, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon bu; although it can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, ~~however,~~ it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp ~~before it can cause anymore damage~~, preventing it from posing much of a threat. Specially based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive ~~sets~~Lairon, while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move, <such as who?>, will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set, but are very vulnerable to tToxic, and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall. 

Any Choice Scarf holder with more than 70 base 70 Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard -pressed to OHKO ~~it unless it has a super effective attack or Lairon is sufficiently weakened~~a healthy Lairon outside of a super effective attack. Lastly, Taunt disables Ddefensive sets, but frail Taunt users <such as? also suggest some bulky taunt users here as well> must be careful of Head Smash.

[Overview]

Like its Rock / Steel-type competition Probopass and Bastiodon, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it—like its evolution family—was blessed with a monstrous Defense stat, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most-used physical attack types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the Eviolite item, which both boosts its excellent Defense to dizzying heights and turns its terrible Special Defense into something usable. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-free Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to it. In addition, Lairon can stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with a boosting Autotomize set. When coupled with Head Smash, it can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering around its weaknesses, but it can easily pull its weight whether it is supporting your team with its massive defenses or shattering your opponent with its formidable Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running physically defensive investment along with an Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even standard physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola, letting it even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks, such as Adamant Torterra's Earthquake and Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat. Stealth Rock is a must-have on any team and fits well on Lairon, who can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as well, as it is recoil-free and can do a lot of damage thanks to the STAB boost and Lairon's base 90 Attack. Earthquake completes a pseudo-EdgeQuake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types; however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola, who can't Toxic Lairon in return thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra, as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage with the Stealth Rock that it might have set up earlier.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Lairon's HP and Defense are maximized along with a Impish nature to give it maximum physical bulk, letting it survive almost any unboosted physical hit. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it, Lairon is easily taken down; Trick users and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, but Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out a powerful sweeper. Unfortunately, the prevalence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers <where does this come into play?> makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used over Earthquake for a secondary STAB move, but it has poor super effective coverage and is often weaker than Head Smash <or did you mean "is in general inferior to Head Smash" - which expresses your intended meaning better?>.

Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, as they resist Fighting-type attacks and are immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat in particular is an outstanding choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also an excellent partner to Lairon as it is immune to the Fighting and Ground moves that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make a specially defensive set seem ridiculous, Eviolite allows it to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. For example, standard Jynx and SubCM Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon, while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equalized stat distribution and works well in checking a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is an excellent move for any team to have, and it should always be used on Lairon unless another team member is running the move. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar enables Lairon to remove threatening sweepers that would otherwise set up on it, while also scouting for switch-ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake allows Lairon to hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, but Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required, as is a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again the only item Lairon should use, but be aware that even with it, super effective special attacks can take Lairon down. However, a STAB recoil-less Head Smash—thanks to Rock Head—can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers that include Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used, but again, has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. Lairon can also use Body Slam to spread around paralysis and slow down the opponent's team, letting Lairon smash them with Head Smash.

Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon is arguably outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. Its base 90 Attack isn't too shabby and is more than compensated for by the high Base Power of Head Smash. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is its main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt. Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard, especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits all Pokemon that resist Head Smash for at least neutral damage, with Torterra being the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the nature of choice to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed; however, Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino. In general, though, it is not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon: Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers, while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much-needed power boost. For example, the Life Orb boost lets it OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb, so Eviolite is normally the better choice.

Fighting- and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies, so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types, such as <who? respectively>, are once again Lairon's best partners. A dual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it set up safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable; although it sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk, the payoff can be huge. Double-Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage alongside Head Smash, as it is also ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent by surprise, but it can only work once, and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also set up Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but it is completely outclassed in this role by Pokemon such as Mesprit, who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier. It is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple Iron Head flinches, and can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOes all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at Lairon's attempts at dealing damage and can set up Bulk Up boosts in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch. Additionally, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon; although it can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp, preventing it from posing much of a threat. Specially based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive Lairon, while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move, <such as who?>, will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set, but are very vulnerable to Toxic, and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall.

Any Choice Scarf holder with more than base 70 Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard-pressed to OHKO a healthy Lairon outside of a super effective attack. Lastly, Taunt disables defensive sets, but frail Taunt users <such as? also suggest some bulky taunt users here as well> must be careful of Head Smash.

Like its Rock- and Steel-type competition, Probopass and Bastiodon, respectively,

both are Rock / Steel, so that isn't exactly how you use "respectively"

Misdreavus is also a great option to partner with Lairon because of it's immunity to the types that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

this should be its instead of it's :]

Roar lets Lairon remove threatening sweepers who would otherwise use Lairon as setup bait while also scouting for switch ins

switch-ins is correct here

Specially-based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive sets

there's no need to use a hyphen after an adverb :]

you also missed quite a few obvious errors, like the slashes of the [SET] section, base 90 Attack (not 90 base), and Base Power (not base power) -- reading over the formatting guide and spelling and grammar standards might help for your next check :]

Endorfins, note the formatting of the [SET] section - there should be spaces before and after every slash. kinda nitpicking here, but just wanted to point out that you use "great" quite a bit :<

whew this was long, anyway have a GP APPROVED 1/2

also sorry mafe XD

Mafeking · Mar 16, 2012

ONE SECOND. ARE YOU SERIOUS SIRN.

please note that I love sirn and she's the best ever

also here's the placeholder llama I was resizing to use here but oops!

ugh yes finally sirn is done

doing the second check for this.

Removals
(Additions/Replacements)

[Overview]

Like (As with) its Rock / Steel-type competition (brethren,) Probopass and Bastiodon, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it—like its evolution(ary) family—was blessed with a monstrous Defense stat, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most-used (common) physical attack(ing) types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the Eviolite item, which both boosts its excellent Defense to dizzying heights and turns its terrible Special Defense into something usable. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-free Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to it. In addition, Lairon can stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with a boosting Autotomize set. When coupled with Head Smash, it can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering around its weaknesses, but it can easily pull its weight whether it is supporting your team with its massive defenses or shattering your opponent with its formidable Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running physically defensive investment along with an Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even standard physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola, letting it even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks, such as Adamant Torterra's Earthquake and Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat. Stealth Rock is a must-have on any team and fits well on Lairon, who can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as well, as it is recoil-free and can do a lot of damage thanks to the STAB boost and Lairon's base 90 Attack. Earthquake completes a pseudo-EdgeQuake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types; however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola, who can't Toxic Lairon in return thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra, as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage with the Stealth Rock that it might have set up earlier (when paired with Stealth Rock).

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Lairon's HP and Defense are maximized along with a Impish nature to give it maximum physical bulk, letting it survive almost any unboosted physical hit. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it, Lairon is easily taken down; Trick users and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, but Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out a powerful sweeper. Unfortunately, the prevalence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers preventing Lairon from regaining Sturdy makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used over Earthquake for a secondary STAB move, but it has poor super effective coverage and is often weaker than Head Smash.

Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, as they resist Fighting-type attacks and are immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat in particular is an outstanding choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also an excellent partner to Lairon as it is immune to the Fighting and Ground moves that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make a specially defensive set seem ridiculous, Eviolite allows it to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. For example, standard Jynx and SubCM Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon, while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equalized stat distribution and works well in checking a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is an excellent move for any team to have, and it should always be used on Lairon unless another team member is running the move. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar enables Lairon to remove threatening sweepers that would otherwise set up on it, while also scouting for switch-ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake allows Lairon to hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, but Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required, as is a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again the only item Lairon should use, but be aware that even with it, super effective special attacks can take Lairon down. However, a STAB recoil-less Head Smash—thanks to Rock Head—can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers that include (comma) (including) Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used, but (comma) again, (it) has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. Lairon can also use Body Slam to spread around paralysis and slow down the opponent's team, letting Lairon smash them with Head Smash.

Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon is arguably outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. Its base 90 Attack isn't too shabby and is more than compensated for by the high Base Power of Head Smash. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is its main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt. Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard, especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits all Pokemon that resist Head Smash for at least neutral damage, with Torterra being the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the nature of choice to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed; however, Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino. In general, though, it is not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon: Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers, while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much-needed power boost. For example, the Life Orb boost lets it OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb, so Eviolite is normally the better choice.

Fighting- and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies, so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types, such as Golbat and Misdreavus are once again Lairon's best partners. A dual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it set up safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable; although it sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk, the payoff can be huge. Double-Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage alongside Head Smash, as it is also ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent by surprise, but it can only work once, and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also set up Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but it is completely outclassed in this role by Pokemon such as Mesprit, who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier. It is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple Iron Head flinches, and can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOes all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at Lairon's attempts at dealing damage and can set up Bulk Up boosts in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch. Additionally, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon; although it can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp, preventing it from posing much of a threat. Specially based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive Lairon, while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move, such as Haunter, will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set, but are very vulnerable to Toxic, and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall.

Any Choice Scarf holder with more than base 70 Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard-pressed to OHKO a healthy Lairon outside of (except with) a super effective attack. Lastly, Taunt from the likes of Misdreavus disables defensive sets, but frail Taunt users such Murkrow must be careful of Head Smash.

[Overview]

As with its Rock / Steel brethren, Probopass and Bastiodon, Lairon is a very unbalanced Pokemon in both stats and typing. While it—like its evolutionary family—was blessed with a monstrous Defense stat, it was also cursed with a terrible typing that gives it glaring weaknesses to the two most common physical attacking types, Ground and Fighting. Unlike its counterparts, however, Lairon can use the Eviolite item, which both boosts its excellent Defense to dizzying heights and turns its terrible Special Defense into something usable. Like its brother Aggron in RU, Lairon also wields a mighty recoil-free Head Smash that can dent most walls and destroy any Pokemon weak to it. In addition, Lairon can stray from its normally defensive roles and surprise the opposition with a boosting Autotomize set. When coupled with Head Smash, it can easily destroy a tier that is largely weak to Rock-type attacks. Using Lairon effectively always requires careful maneuvering around its weaknesses, but it can easily pull its weight whether it is supporting your team with its massive defenses or shattering your opponent with its formidable Head Smash.

[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake / Toxic
move 4: Roar
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

When running physically defensive investment along with Eviolite, Lairon's Defense skyrockets to levels that dwarf even standard physical walls such as Tangela and Alomomola, letting it even survive powerful 4x super effective attacks, such as Adamant Torterra's Earthquake and Choice Scarf Sawk's Close Combat. Stealth Rock is a must-have on any team and fits well on Lairon, who can reliably set it up due to its incredible bulk. Head Smash is a great move for Lairon as well, as it is recoil-free and can do a lot of damage thanks to the STAB boost and Lairon's base 90 Attack. Earthquake completes a pseudo-EdgeQuake combo with Head Smash and can take down Fire- and Rock-types; however, Toxic can be used to cripple walls such as Alomomola, who can't Toxic Lairon in return thanks to its Steel typing. Roar is used in the last slot to phaze out threatening setup sweepers such as Torterra, as well as scout for switch-ins and rack up hazard damage when paired with Stealth Rock.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Lairon's HP and Defense are maximized along with a Impish nature to give it maximum physical bulk, letting it survive almost any unboosted physical hit. Eviolite is the lynchpin of Lairon's success and without it, Lairon is easily taken down; Trick and Knock Off users are a constant threat to Lairon as they can easily rob it of its valuable item. Rock Head is a great ability for Lairon as it removes recoil from Head Smash, but Sturdy can be used instead to make sure Lairon can survive a hit at full HP and possibly Roar out a powerful sweeper. Unfortunately, the prevalence of entry hazards and the lack of Leftovers preventing Lairon from regaining Sturdy makes this option hard to pull off successfully. Iron Head can be used over Earthquake for a secondary STAB move, but it has poor super effective coverage and is often weaker than Head Smash.

Flying-types make excellent teammates for Lairon, as they resist Fighting-type attacks and are immune to Ground-type moves. Golbat in particular is an outstanding choice as it is one of the few bulky Flying-types in the tier and has great synergy with Lairon. Misdreavus is also an excellent partner to Lairon as it is immune to the Fighting and Ground moves that hit Lairon for 4x super effective damage.

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Roar
move 4: Earthquake / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Rock Head
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Although Lairon's stat spread might make a specially defensive set seem ridiculous, Eviolite allows it to take weaker and resisted special moves with aplomb after significant investment. For example, standard Jynx and SubCM Mesprit are both countered by specially defensive Lairon, while many physical threats are still kept at bay. This Lairon trades insane physical bulk for a more equalized stat distribution and works well in checking a greater variety of threats. Stealth Rock is an excellent move for any team to have, and it should always be used on Lairon unless another team member is running the move. Head Smash lets Lairon take down frail threats and can even threaten walls such as Golbat and Shelmet. Roar enables Lairon to remove threatening sweepers that would otherwise set up on it, while also scouting for switch-ins and accumulating hazard damage. Earthquake allows Lairon to hit the Steel- and Fighting-types that resist Head Smash, but Toxic can be used if you find Lairon needs a way to take down physical walls such as Alomomola.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In order to boost Lairon's poor Special Defense to decent levels, full investment in Special Defense and HP is required, as is a Careful nature. Eviolite is once again the only item Lairon should use, but be aware that even with it, super effective special attacks can take Lairon down. However, a STAB recoil-less Head Smash—thanks to Rock Head—can easily threaten most of the tiers special sweepers, including Magmortar and Jynx. Iron Head can be used but, again, it has redundant coverage with Head Smash and is quite weak overall. Lairon can also use Body Slam to spread around paralysis and slow down the opponent's team, letting Lairon smash them with Head Smash.

Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types are once again great partners for Lairon as they can take the Fighting- and Ground-type moves that Lairon hates with little to no consequence. Lairon can also take the Ice-type attacks that trouble Flying-types while Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at its Ghost-type teammates bounce off Lairon's steel exterior.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Head Smash
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Iron Head
item: Eviolite / Life Orb
ability: Rock Head
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Although defensive Lairon is arguably outclassed by Bastiodon and Probopass, it is with an offensive set that Lairon can distinguish itself from its fellow Rock- and Steel-types. Its base 90 Attack isn't too shabby and is more than compensated for by the high Base Power of Head Smash. Autotomize boosts Lairon's terrible Speed to decent levels and lets Lairon go for a sweep. Head Smash is its main offensive move and differentiates itself from other Rock Polish sweepers such as Camerupt. Head Smash hits most Pokemon ridiculously hard, especially as a large amount of Pokemon in NU are weak to Rock-type attacks. Earthquake hits all Pokemon that resist Head Smash for at least neutral damage, with Torterra being the only notable exception. Iron Head is a reliable STAB move that never misses and has a good chance to flinch the opponent after a Speed boost.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Adamant is the nature of choice to give Lairon the most attacking power after full EV investment in Attack and Speed; however, Jolly can be used to let Lairon outrun Pokemon such as Cinccino. In general, though, it is not worth the reduction in power. The choice between Eviolite and Life Orb is an important one and will influence how you play Lairon: Eviolite lets Lairon take hits while it sets up and makes it less vulnerable to revenge killers, while Life Orb sacrifices significant amounts of bulk for a much-needed power boost. For example, the Life Orb boost lets it OHKO offensive Mesprit with Head Smash. Unfortunately, Lairon loses out on bulk when using Life Orb, so Eviolite is normally the better choice.

Fighting- and Ground-types are Lairon's greatest enemies, so Flying-types and Levitating Ghost-types, such as Golbat and Misdreavus are once again Lairon's best partners. A dual screen user such as Gardevoir can aid in Lairon's sweep by setting up screens to safeguard Lairon from powerful hits and let it set up safely.

[Other Options]

Lairon doesn't really have much in the way of other options. A Choice Band set is usable; although it sacrifices most of Lairon's bulk, the payoff can be huge. Double-Edge also benefits from Rock Head but provides no significant coverage alongside Head Smash, as it is also ineffective against Rock- and Steel-types. Metal Burst can catch your opponent by surprise, but it can only work once, and Lairon will often be easily picked off afterwards. Lairon can also set up Sunny Day and Rain Dance for your team, but it is completely outclassed in this role by Pokemon such as Mesprit, who has U-turn to get a sweeper in safely.

[Checks and Counters]

Torterra is one of the best Lairon counters in the tier. It is only really troubled by Toxic or multiple Iron Head flinches, and can then reply with a devastating Earthquake that OHKOes all but the most physically defensive Lairon. Gurdurr laughs at Lairon's attempts at dealing damage and can set up Bulk Up boosts in Lairon's face before finishing it off with Drain Punch. Additionally, status from Toxic or Body Slam only helps to make Gurdurr stronger thanks to its Guts ability. Weezing can also counter Lairon; although it can be worn down with entry hazards and multiple Head Smashes, it can burn Lairon with Will-O-Wisp, preventing it from posing much of a threat. Specially based Water-types such as Gorebyss can easily deal with defensive Lairon, while Pokemon that use Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground as a coverage move, such as Haunter, will also have little trouble getting past Lairon. Physically defensive Pokemon such as Alomomola and Tangela can sponge multiple Head Smashes from the offensive set, but are very vulnerable to Toxic, and can do little back to Lairon aside from whittling it down with Leech Seed and Waterfall.

Any Choice Scarf holder with more than base 70 Speed can outspeed a +2 Lairon, but will be hard-pressed to OHKO a healthy Lairon except with a super effective attack. Lastly, Taunt from the likes of Misdreavus disables defensive sets, but frail Taunt users such Murkrow must be careful of Head Smash.

GP (2/2)

Endorfins · Mar 16, 2012

jake · Mar 16, 2012

Lairon (GP 2/2)

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare

Desolate

Banned deucer.

sirndpt

Mafeking

channels his inner Wolverine

Endorfins

Your Worst Nightmare

jake

underdog of the year

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