[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 11 points
**Tera Price Range:** 13 points
**Overview**: Iron Crown is an offensive Steel-type with a variety of setup and attacking sets. Opponents need to respect Booster Energy setup as well as Choice Specs wallbreaking, creating an overwhelming offensive presence. This becomes even more potent with access to Tera, making sets even more unpredictable and difficult to handle. Also, Iron Crown can act as a solid pivot with its typing and access to Volt Switch, enabling powerful offensive teammates. However, it lacks some of the utility expected from a Steel- or Psychic-type Pokemon, most notably entry hazards, requiring teammates to provide that utility. It also has a relatively shallow movepool and often relies on Tera for type coverage.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup Sweeper**: Iron Crown will often use Booster Energy to boost its speed alongside setup moves such as Calm Mind and Iron Defense for a late-game sweep. It can also boost its Special Attack and use Agility to outspeed foes.
**Choice Attacker**: This set is a great mix-up against opponents expecting a late-game setup sweeper. This allows Iron Crown to switch in multiple times and keep attacking, and it is often great when its STAB moves line up well in the matchup.
**Pivot**: Iron Crown can also make use of its good defensive typing and access to Volt Switch to pivot around foes. These pivot sets make use of Iron Crown's good Special Attack and powerful attacking moves to help make progress, and they commonly run Assault Vest or another defensive item to help check opposing threats.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Tachyon Cutter, Psyshock, Psychic, Psychic Noise
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Agility, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Volt Switch
**Coverage**: Focus Blast, Air Slash, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Future Sight**: Future Sight is a great option when Iron Crown is paired with a strong Fighting-type to force guaranteed KOs against opposing teams that cannot take moves of both types at the same time. Volt Switch enables this strategy as well by letting Iron Crown take the initiative to respond to a switch and bring in whatever Pokemon will ensure a KO in that sequence. Note that having Future Sight as Iron Crown's only Psychic-type STAB move may enable certain foes to switch into it much more freely. This makes it a good option on Assault Vest sets, which have the moveslot to spare.
**Stored Power**: Stored Power is mostly used on either Weakness Policy sets or sets with multiple setup moves. The immediate power of other STAB moves typically makes them easier to use.
Common Items
========
**Booster Energy**: Booster Energy gives Iron Crown an immediate stat boost to either force KOs or force out foes and enable it to set up safely. Pairing Speed-boosting with special setup and vice versa gives it a lot of potency as a late-game sweeper.
**Choice Specs / Scarf**: Choice items are quite useful on Iron Crown, leveraging its strong Special Attack to immediately threaten foes. The significance of a Choice item over Booster Energy is that Iron Crown can switch out and still see the same level of power throughout the match.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest is a good option on a pivot set to enable Iron Crown to take more hits and stick around longer, utilizing Volt Switch to pivot safely into a teammate without sustaining much damage itself.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries allow Iron Crown to trade favorably with certain foes and catch them off guard, but it often loses a lot of its value without an item to boost its stats.
**Weakness Policy**: Weakness Policy is an alternative way to boost Iron Crown's stats and can be paired with Agility to make Iron Crown a powerful offensive threat. However, this setup is less consistent than Booster Energy, requiring a super effective hit to come online.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is a good choice on bulkier Iron Crown sets with Calm Mind, enabling it to stay healthy against more passive teams.
Tera
========
Iron Crown can benefit from being a Tera Captain, but it doesn't necessarily need it. This Pokemon is often drafted for its Steel typing, and doesn't need Tera to function as much as some high tier Tera Captains. That being said, if it is made a captain, there are some notable benefits. The additional coverage is often crucial for breaking through bulky Pokemon that resist its STAB moves. The other significant reason to make Iron Crown a Tera Captain is its low price point. It can be paired with other strong Tera Captains in the 14-15 point price range, creating a nightmare to prep for. Tera Ghost, Fire, and Fighting are all excellent offensive Tera types. Changing types can also give Iron Crown the defensive utility it often needs to set up freely, utilizing Tera types such as Tera Water, Dragon, and Fairy.
Draft Strategy
========
Above all else, Iron Crown teams need to fill in utility roles elsewhere. Many typical drafts find a lot of their utility in Steel- and Psychic-type Pokemon, which Iron Crown simply doesn't provide. It is also important to play to Iron Crown's strengths, pairing it with strong offensive partners so that one teammate can enable the other.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Iron Crown appreciates additional chip damage from entry hazards to help it wallbreak or sweep. Pokemon such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu are excellent partners in this role.
**Fighting-types / Physical Attackers**: A physical attacker, particularly a Fighting-type, is a great option to pair with Iron Crown offensively. The duo can cover each other's weaknesses, with one enabling the other depending on the matchup. Pokemon such as Great Tusk, both Urshifu formes, and Sneasler can often fill this role well. Iron Crown also forms an effective VoltTurn core with both Urshifu formes and Sneasler, forcing a lot of chip damage and making positioning easier.
**Strong Secondary Tera Captains**: If Iron Crown is chosen as a Tera Captain, it often wants a teammate around the 14-15 point price range that can benefit a lot from Tera as well to force preparation. Pokemon such as Iron Moth, Keldeo, Ceruledge, Annihilape, and Ogerpon-Cornerstone are excellent choices.
**Frail Wallbreakers**: Iron Crown can also use a pivot set to enable glass cannon teammates to enter the field safely. Pokemon such as Greninja, Darkrai, Enamorus, and Iron Bundle can all take advantage of this.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel-type Pokemon and Special Walls**: Iron Crown often has trouble hitting several types of foes, including Dark-, Steel-, and Psychic-types. Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Jirachi, Metagross, and Iron Treads can easily switch into its STAB moves. It often needs to rely on the inaccurate Focus Blast or set its Tera type to combat these foes.
**Phasing**: Given that Iron Crown often runs Booster Energy, many opponents run phasing moves such as Roar or Whirlwind to stop its setup sets.
**Fast Revenge Killers / Priority**: Iron Crown's merely decent Speed often leaves it vulnerable to opposing Choice Scarf users, and its Tera type needs to be selected carefully to take hits from opposing priority moves. Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Roaring Moon, and Palafin can pose a threat to Iron Crown's setup.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/streetcredcookie.304744/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 11 points
**Tera Price Range:** 13 points
**Overview**: Iron Crown is an offensive Steel-type with a variety of setup and attacking sets. Opponents need to respect Booster Energy setup as well as Choice Specs wallbreaking, creating an overwhelming offensive presence. This becomes even more potent with access to Tera, making sets even more unpredictable and difficult to handle. Also, Iron Crown can act as a solid pivot with its typing and access to Volt Switch, enabling powerful offensive teammates. However, it lacks some of the utility expected from a Steel- or Psychic-type Pokemon, most notably entry hazards, requiring teammates to provide that utility. It also has a relatively shallow movepool and often relies on Tera for type coverage.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup Sweeper**: Iron Crown will often use Booster Energy to boost its speed alongside setup moves such as Calm Mind and Iron Defense for a late-game sweep. It can also boost its Special Attack and use Agility to outspeed foes.
**Choice Attacker**: This set is a great mix-up against opponents expecting a late-game setup sweeper. This allows Iron Crown to switch in multiple times and keep attacking, and it is often great when its STAB moves line up well in the matchup.
**Pivot**: Iron Crown can also make use of its good defensive typing and access to Volt Switch to pivot around foes. These pivot sets make use of Iron Crown's good Special Attack and powerful attacking moves to help make progress, and they commonly run Assault Vest or another defensive item to help check opposing threats.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Tachyon Cutter, Psyshock, Psychic, Psychic Noise
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Agility, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Volt Switch
**Coverage**: Focus Blast, Air Slash, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Future Sight**: Future Sight is a great option when Iron Crown is paired with a strong Fighting-type to force guaranteed KOs against opposing teams that cannot take moves of both types at the same time. Volt Switch enables this strategy as well by letting Iron Crown take the initiative to respond to a switch and bring in whatever Pokemon will ensure a KO in that sequence. Note that having Future Sight as Iron Crown's only Psychic-type STAB move may enable certain foes to switch into it much more freely. This makes it a good option on Assault Vest sets, which have the moveslot to spare.
**Stored Power**: Stored Power is mostly used on either Weakness Policy sets or sets with multiple setup moves. The immediate power of other STAB moves typically makes them easier to use.
Common Items
========
**Booster Energy**: Booster Energy gives Iron Crown an immediate stat boost to either force KOs or force out foes and enable it to set up safely. Pairing Speed-boosting with special setup and vice versa gives it a lot of potency as a late-game sweeper.
**Choice Specs / Scarf**: Choice items are quite useful on Iron Crown, leveraging its strong Special Attack to immediately threaten foes. The significance of a Choice item over Booster Energy is that Iron Crown can switch out and still see the same level of power throughout the match.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest is a good option on a pivot set to enable Iron Crown to take more hits and stick around longer, utilizing Volt Switch to pivot safely into a teammate without sustaining much damage itself.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries allow Iron Crown to trade favorably with certain foes and catch them off guard, but it often loses a lot of its value without an item to boost its stats.
**Weakness Policy**: Weakness Policy is an alternative way to boost Iron Crown's stats and can be paired with Agility to make Iron Crown a powerful offensive threat. However, this setup is less consistent than Booster Energy, requiring a super effective hit to come online.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is a good choice on bulkier Iron Crown sets with Calm Mind, enabling it to stay healthy against more passive teams.
Tera
========
Iron Crown can benefit from being a Tera Captain, but it doesn't necessarily need it. This Pokemon is often drafted for its Steel typing, and doesn't need Tera to function as much as some high tier Tera Captains. That being said, if it is made a captain, there are some notable benefits. The additional coverage is often crucial for breaking through bulky Pokemon that resist its STAB moves. The other significant reason to make Iron Crown a Tera Captain is its low price point. It can be paired with other strong Tera Captains in the 14-15 point price range, creating a nightmare to prep for. Tera Ghost, Fire, and Fighting are all excellent offensive Tera types. Changing types can also give Iron Crown the defensive utility it often needs to set up freely, utilizing Tera types such as Tera Water, Dragon, and Fairy.
Draft Strategy
========
Above all else, Iron Crown teams need to fill in utility roles elsewhere. Many typical drafts find a lot of their utility in Steel- and Psychic-type Pokemon, which Iron Crown simply doesn't provide. It is also important to play to Iron Crown's strengths, pairing it with strong offensive partners so that one teammate can enable the other.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Iron Crown appreciates additional chip damage from entry hazards to help it wallbreak or sweep. Pokemon such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu are excellent partners in this role.
**Fighting-types / Physical Attackers**: A physical attacker, particularly a Fighting-type, is a great option to pair with Iron Crown offensively. The duo can cover each other's weaknesses, with one enabling the other depending on the matchup. Pokemon such as Great Tusk, both Urshifu formes, and Sneasler can often fill this role well. Iron Crown also forms an effective VoltTurn core with both Urshifu formes and Sneasler, forcing a lot of chip damage and making positioning easier.
**Strong Secondary Tera Captains**: If Iron Crown is chosen as a Tera Captain, it often wants a teammate around the 14-15 point price range that can benefit a lot from Tera as well to force preparation. Pokemon such as Iron Moth, Keldeo, Ceruledge, Annihilape, and Ogerpon-Cornerstone are excellent choices.
**Frail Wallbreakers**: Iron Crown can also use a pivot set to enable glass cannon teammates to enter the field safely. Pokemon such as Greninja, Darkrai, Enamorus, and Iron Bundle can all take advantage of this.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel-type Pokemon and Special Walls**: Iron Crown often has trouble hitting several types of foes, including Dark-, Steel-, and Psychic-types. Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Jirachi, Metagross, and Iron Treads can easily switch into its STAB moves. It often needs to rely on the inaccurate Focus Blast or set its Tera type to combat these foes.
**Phasing**: Given that Iron Crown often runs Booster Energy, many opponents run phasing moves such as Roar or Whirlwind to stop its setup sets.
**Fast Revenge Killers / Priority**: Iron Crown's merely decent Speed often leaves it vulnerable to opposing Choice Scarf users, and its Tera type needs to be selected carefully to take hits from opposing priority moves. Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Roaring Moon, and Palafin can pose a threat to Iron Crown's setup.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/streetcredcookie.304744/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/vmnunes.613460/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
