[OVERVIEW]
Iron Hands is a slow but exceptionally bulky and strong physical attacker, as well as one of the best Fake Out users in the tier. It fits best on Trick Room teams that benefit from its low Speed but also has enough bulk to compensate for its slowness and perform adequately on any team that appreciates the safe turns that Fake Out can provide. Iron Hands most commonly holds an Assault Vest to patch up its lower Special Defense stat and comfortably endure and trade attacks with its enemies. Another popular set foregoes Assault Vest to enable the use of Swords Dance, turning Iron Hands into a fearsome setup sweeper. With either set, Iron Hands is a reliable and well-rounded Pokemon that matches up decently into much of the metagame, although it does need to be wary of a few commonly encountered threats. Amoonguss, the tier's most common and bulkiest redirector, walls both of Iron Hands's STAB attacks and can survive two of its Ice Punches. Despite Iron Hands's massive bulk, a few especially hard-hitting Pokemon like Great Tusk and Armarouge have the offensive capability to break through it with ease. Finally, Iron Hands needs to be wary of priority blockers like Farigiraf, Indeedee-F, and Tsareena when using Fake Out.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Close Combat / Drain Punch
move 3: Wild Charge / Thunder Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / Drain Punch / Volt Switch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Grass / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
* Fake Out is a high-value utility move that creates safe turns for partners to provide speed control, boost stats, switch out, or attack.
* Close Combat is Iron Hands's strongest available STAB move and can inflict massive super effective damage on several top-tier Pokemon such as Iron Bundle, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu. It has the unwelcome (repetition) side effect of lowering Iron Hands's highly desirable bulk, however. Drain Punch can be run instead as a weaker alternative that provides healing.
* Wild Charge and Thunder Punch are secondary STAB moves that are useful for hitting Pokemon with an immunity or resistance to Close Combat, such as Gholdengo and Armarouge, as well as Pokemon weak to Electric-type attacks such as Palafin and Gyarados. Wild Charge provides a higher damage output than Thunder Punch at the expense of recoil damage, and either option is valid depending on personal preference.
* Ice Punch stops Iron Hands from being completely walled by Amoonguss while also hitting Garchomp and other Ground-types for super effective damage. Alternatively, Drain Punch can be run in this slot as a secondary Fighting-type STAB attack and used when Close Combat's drawbacks aren't worthwhile, while Volt Switch is useful to pivot out of an unfavorable matchup or to safely switch in a partner.
* The given EV spread with an Adamant nature prioritizes maximizing Iron Hands's Attack before using the remaining EVs and an Assault Vest to patch up its lower Special Defense. A Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs is sometimes preferable when using Iron Hands as a Trick Room attacker, but either way just be aware that an Adamant nature makes Iron Hands faster than Ting-Lu, while a Brave nature makes it slower.
* Tera Grass provides an immunity to Amoonguss's Spore and Rage Powder as well as a resistance to Ground-type attacks that Iron Hands is otherwise weak to. Tera Fighting can be used instead to boost Iron Hands's offensive presence, notably guaranteeing an OHKO versus standard Ting-Lu sets with Close Combat.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Thunder Punch / Fire Punch
move 4: Protect / Fake Out
item: Sitrus Berry / Safety Goggles
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Grass / Flying
[SET COMMENTS]
* Swords Dance boosts the damage output of Drain Punch and Thunder Punch to highly threatening levels. This move is especially useful for punishing opponents who play passively in anticipation of a more conventional set, which is inclined to click its STAB attacks or Fake Out immediately.
* Drain Punch is preferred over Close Combat on this set, since Iron Hands has access to Swords Dance to increase Attack and would rather take advantage of the HP recovery that boosted Drain Punches can provide.
* Thunder Punch is a secondary STAB attack that hits Pokemon with an immunity or resistance to Drain Punch, such as Gholdengo and Armarouge, as well as Pokemon weak to Electric-type attacks such as Palafin and Gyarados. Fire Punch can be run instead to prevent Iron Hands from being walled by Amoonguss while also hitting Gholdengo for super effective damage, at the cost of leaving Iron Hands without an effective move to hit Armarouge with.
* Protect is the preferred final move on this set for teams that want to make full use of Iron Hands's potential as a setup sweeper with longevity. Fake Out can be run instead to provide safe turns for Iron Hands's partners to move.
* The given EV spread and Adamant nature prioritize maximizing Iron Hands's Attack before using the remaining EVs to patch up its lower Special Defense. A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs are sometimes preferable when using Iron Hands as a Trick Room attacker, but either way just be aware that an Adamant nature makes Iron Hands faster than Ting-Lu, while a Brave nature makes it slower.
* Tera Grass provides an immunity to Amoonguss's Spore and Rage Powder as well as a resistance to Ground-type attacks that Iron Hands is otherwise weak to. Tera Flying is an alternative option that offers full immunity to Ground-type attacks at the expense of powder move immunity, but this can be patched up with Safety Goggles, which is the preferred item for Tera Flying Iron Hands.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Iron Hands can be made even bulkier by shifting some or all of its Attack EVs into HP and Defense. Moving 64 EVs into HP allows the Assault Vest Iron Hands set to survive two boosted Shadow Balls from Modest Nasty Plot Gholdengo, as well as one Overheat from a Tera Fire Choice Specs Chi-Yu. In addition to the 64 HP EVs, an additional 48 EVs can be moved into Defense to allow Iron Hands to survive two Extreme Speeds or Dragon Claws from Tera Normal Choice Band Dragonite, as well as one Headlong Rush from Adamant Great Tusk. Iron Hands can also invest 124 EVs in Speed to outspeed Garchomp under Tailwind but should retain at least 100 Attack EVs and an Adamant Nature when doing so to ensure Ice Punch OHKOes Garchomp. Tera Fire can be used to prevent burns from Will-O-Wisp users like Arcanine while also providing a STAB boost to Fire Punch. Heavy Slam can be run as a coverage move if Fairy-types such as Sylveon are a concern. Finally, Belly Drum can be used in place of Swords Dance as a higher-risk, higher-reward Attack-boosting move, but losing 50% HP in the process is a high price to pay for a Pokemon that prides itself on its bulk and longevity. When using Belly Drum in combination with a Sitrus Berry, ensure that Iron Hands's HP stat is an even number so that Sitrus Berry activates after the 50% HP drop.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[GenOne, 306383]]
- Quality checked by: [[big pichu, 586432], [zoe, 531334]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Lumari, 232216]]
Iron Hands is a slow but exceptionally bulky and strong physical attacker, as well as one of the best Fake Out users in the tier. It fits best on Trick Room teams that benefit from its low Speed but also has enough bulk to compensate for its slowness and perform adequately on any team that appreciates the safe turns that Fake Out can provide. Iron Hands most commonly holds an Assault Vest to patch up its lower Special Defense stat and comfortably endure and trade attacks with its enemies. Another popular set foregoes Assault Vest to enable the use of Swords Dance, turning Iron Hands into a fearsome setup sweeper. With either set, Iron Hands is a reliable and well-rounded Pokemon that matches up decently into much of the metagame, although it does need to be wary of a few commonly encountered threats. Amoonguss, the tier's most common and bulkiest redirector, walls both of Iron Hands's STAB attacks and can survive two of its Ice Punches. Despite Iron Hands's massive bulk, a few especially hard-hitting Pokemon like Great Tusk and Armarouge have the offensive capability to break through it with ease. Finally, Iron Hands needs to be wary of priority blockers like Farigiraf, Indeedee-F, and Tsareena when using Fake Out.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Close Combat / Drain Punch
move 3: Wild Charge / Thunder Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / Drain Punch / Volt Switch
item: Assault Vest
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Grass / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
* Fake Out is a high-value utility move that creates safe turns for partners to provide speed control, boost stats, switch out, or attack.
* Close Combat is Iron Hands's strongest available STAB move and can inflict massive super effective damage on several top-tier Pokemon such as Iron Bundle, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu. It has the unwelcome (repetition) side effect of lowering Iron Hands's highly desirable bulk, however. Drain Punch can be run instead as a weaker alternative that provides healing.
* Wild Charge and Thunder Punch are secondary STAB moves that are useful for hitting Pokemon with an immunity or resistance to Close Combat, such as Gholdengo and Armarouge, as well as Pokemon weak to Electric-type attacks such as Palafin and Gyarados. Wild Charge provides a higher damage output than Thunder Punch at the expense of recoil damage, and either option is valid depending on personal preference.
* Ice Punch stops Iron Hands from being completely walled by Amoonguss while also hitting Garchomp and other Ground-types for super effective damage. Alternatively, Drain Punch can be run in this slot as a secondary Fighting-type STAB attack and used when Close Combat's drawbacks aren't worthwhile, while Volt Switch is useful to pivot out of an unfavorable matchup or to safely switch in a partner.
* The given EV spread with an Adamant nature prioritizes maximizing Iron Hands's Attack before using the remaining EVs and an Assault Vest to patch up its lower Special Defense. A Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs is sometimes preferable when using Iron Hands as a Trick Room attacker, but either way just be aware that an Adamant nature makes Iron Hands faster than Ting-Lu, while a Brave nature makes it slower.
* Tera Grass provides an immunity to Amoonguss's Spore and Rage Powder as well as a resistance to Ground-type attacks that Iron Hands is otherwise weak to. Tera Fighting can be used instead to boost Iron Hands's offensive presence, notably guaranteeing an OHKO versus standard Ting-Lu sets with Close Combat.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Thunder Punch / Fire Punch
move 4: Protect / Fake Out
item: Sitrus Berry / Safety Goggles
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Adamant / Brave
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Grass / Flying
[SET COMMENTS]
* Swords Dance boosts the damage output of Drain Punch and Thunder Punch to highly threatening levels. This move is especially useful for punishing opponents who play passively in anticipation of a more conventional set, which is inclined to click its STAB attacks or Fake Out immediately.
* Drain Punch is preferred over Close Combat on this set, since Iron Hands has access to Swords Dance to increase Attack and would rather take advantage of the HP recovery that boosted Drain Punches can provide.
* Thunder Punch is a secondary STAB attack that hits Pokemon with an immunity or resistance to Drain Punch, such as Gholdengo and Armarouge, as well as Pokemon weak to Electric-type attacks such as Palafin and Gyarados. Fire Punch can be run instead to prevent Iron Hands from being walled by Amoonguss while also hitting Gholdengo for super effective damage, at the cost of leaving Iron Hands without an effective move to hit Armarouge with.
* Protect is the preferred final move on this set for teams that want to make full use of Iron Hands's potential as a setup sweeper with longevity. Fake Out can be run instead to provide safe turns for Iron Hands's partners to move.
* The given EV spread and Adamant nature prioritize maximizing Iron Hands's Attack before using the remaining EVs to patch up its lower Special Defense. A Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs are sometimes preferable when using Iron Hands as a Trick Room attacker, but either way just be aware that an Adamant nature makes Iron Hands faster than Ting-Lu, while a Brave nature makes it slower.
* Tera Grass provides an immunity to Amoonguss's Spore and Rage Powder as well as a resistance to Ground-type attacks that Iron Hands is otherwise weak to. Tera Flying is an alternative option that offers full immunity to Ground-type attacks at the expense of powder move immunity, but this can be patched up with Safety Goggles, which is the preferred item for Tera Flying Iron Hands.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Iron Hands can be made even bulkier by shifting some or all of its Attack EVs into HP and Defense. Moving 64 EVs into HP allows the Assault Vest Iron Hands set to survive two boosted Shadow Balls from Modest Nasty Plot Gholdengo, as well as one Overheat from a Tera Fire Choice Specs Chi-Yu. In addition to the 64 HP EVs, an additional 48 EVs can be moved into Defense to allow Iron Hands to survive two Extreme Speeds or Dragon Claws from Tera Normal Choice Band Dragonite, as well as one Headlong Rush from Adamant Great Tusk. Iron Hands can also invest 124 EVs in Speed to outspeed Garchomp under Tailwind but should retain at least 100 Attack EVs and an Adamant Nature when doing so to ensure Ice Punch OHKOes Garchomp. Tera Fire can be used to prevent burns from Will-O-Wisp users like Arcanine while also providing a STAB boost to Fire Punch. Heavy Slam can be run as a coverage move if Fairy-types such as Sylveon are a concern. Finally, Belly Drum can be used in place of Swords Dance as a higher-risk, higher-reward Attack-boosting move, but losing 50% HP in the process is a high price to pay for a Pokemon that prides itself on its bulk and longevity. When using Belly Drum in combination with a Sitrus Berry, ensure that Iron Hands's HP stat is an even number so that Sitrus Berry activates after the 50% HP drop.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[GenOne, 306383]]
- Quality checked by: [[big pichu, 586432], [zoe, 531334]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Lumari, 232216]]
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