• Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!

Quality Control OO Iron Valiant QC 1/2

Heatranator

The Magma before the Storm
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
[OVERVIEW]

Iron Valiant stands out as a top tier offensive Pokemon in the tier, able to utilise its wide movepool to devestate any Pokemon that might attempt to check it. Options such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Mixed, or Choice Specs have very different counterplay, and thus a well played Iron Valiant can take out Pokemon such as Zapdos or Galarian Slowking that might want to check it. Iron Valiant is also an incredible revenge killer with Booster Energy, able to threaten Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Ogerpon-W while also outspeeding them. Iron Valiant can furthermore dip into its utility movepool, with options such as Encore and Destiny Bond either giving it more setup turns or allowing it to surprise typical counterplay even further. However, Iron Valiant does have its flaws. Pokemon such as Hatterene, Moltres, Iron Moth, Tornadus-T, and Tera Poison Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott, can check the vast majority of its sets, while Pokemon such as Dondozo and Iron Crown are able to take on specific sets such as Swords Dance and Calm Mind respectively, once they have been identified. Furthermore, while it can typically take most strong neutral hits in a pinch, its low bulk does impede its sweeping potential, as priority users such as Dragonite, Weavile, Rillaboom, and especially Scizor can revenge kill it once it has been weakened.

Other Options
=============

Heavy Duty Boots allows Iron Valiant to consistently switch into battle over the course of a longer game by ignoring entry hazards. Choice Scarf gives Iron Valiant a permanent speed boost so it can consistently revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Darkrai and Zamazenta, though locking into a moveslot can be awkward for its teammates. Tera Blast Ground allows Iron Valiant to smack Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Galarian Weezing, and Iron Moth for super effective damage, while also gaining an immunity to Raging Bolt's Thunderclap. Choice Band sets can be used to lure in and break through traditional counters to physical Iron Valiant such as Gholdengo and Great Tusk by OHKO'ing them, while also being able to use Trick against walls such as Moltres and Dondozo it may not threaten as easily, which can also help teammates such as Iron Treads and Dragonite that are otherwise walled by them. Life Orb or Expert Belt is an option to increase the power of Iron Valiants Mixed sets, though the recoil damage from Life Orb can hurt its ability to stay out of revenge killing range from Pokemon such as Dragonite, while Expert Belt doesn't help it against Pokemon such as Galarian Weezing that already wall Iron Valiant. Substitute is an option on Swords Dance and Calm Mind sets to allow Iron Valiant to scout opposing Pokemon to give it a free turn of setup while also protecting it against revenge killers such as Extreme Speed Dragonite or Choice Scarf Darkrai. An Adamant nature alongside Shadow Sneak can be used to give Iron Valiant a lot more power while still retaining some of its revenge killing capabilities, though typically this is best used on Sticky Web teams.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
 
Last edited:
add remove highlight comment

Let me know once it is implemented and I can give it another look. Mainly interested about the comments I made after the second paragraph for OO missing

[OVERVIEW]

Iron Valiant stands out as a top tier offensive Pokemon in the tier, able to utilise its wide movepool to devestate any Pokemon that might attempt to check it. Options such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Mixed, or Choice Specs have very different counterplay, and thus a well played Iron Valiant can take out Pokemon such as Great Tusk or Galarian Slowking that might want to check it. Would be good to have Pokemon that check it more consistently; Great Tusk only checks one set and it has to be weakened already. Something like Zapdos and Galarian Slowking could be okay here Iron Valiant is also an incredible revenge killer with Booster Energy, able to OHKO Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Swords Dance Ogerpon-Wellspring while also outspeeding them. You do not OHKO any of these. Maybe rework the sentence to mention how you revenge kill them(?) Just without saying revenge kill twice Iron Valiant can furthermore dip into its utility movepool, with options such as Encore and Destiny Bond either giving it more setup turns or allowing it to surprise typical counterplay even further. However, Iron Valiant does have its flaws. While it has a variety of options to choose from, it cannot fit them all into its set, meaning that Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking and Zamazenta can check it once they have scouted out the set. You are nearly repeating the sentence from above but on a different light. Perhaps an approach is to straight up mention dedicated checks to each set, with for example Moltres checking Swords Dance, Galarian Weezing checking mixed, Galarian Slowking Choice Specs and so on. Furthermore, while it can typically take most strong neutral hits in a pinch, its low bulk does impede its sweeping potential, as priority users such as Dragonite, Rillaboom, Weavile, and especially Scizor can revenge kill it once it has been weakened. Would be good to include more of its conventional checks either in the sentence I posted above or somewhere else. Notably Gholdengo, Pecharunt, Hatterene, Tornadus-T, Iron Moth; of course there are others like Glimmora, Iron Crown, Dondozo checking Swords Dance sets, but in general the idea is to not miss out on Pokemon you usually perceive as checks

Other Options
=============

Either a Modest nature or Adamant nature alongside either Vacuum Wave or Shadow Sneak can be used to give Iron Valiant a lot more power while still retainin some of its revenge killing capabilities, though typically this is best used on Sticky Web teams. The Modest and Vacuum Wave part is already in the Calm Mind set. Shadow Sneak / Adamant on Webs barely exists so moving that part further below would be good Choice Band sets can be used to break through traditional physical walls such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta due to its access to Spirit Break, while also being able to use Trick against walls such as Moltres and Dondozo it may not threaten as easily. Would be good to mention its lure potential Life Orb is an option to increase the power of Iron Valiants Mixed sets, which can pair especially well on Electric Terrain teams to still give it a Speed Boost, though the recoil damage can hurt its ability to stay out of revenge killing range from Pokemon such as Dragonite. Electric Terrain might be far too niche since Pincurchin is not even in the VR. Up to you if you want to leave that mention, either way would be good to add Expert Belt around here Tera Stellar is an option that gives Iron Valiant a small boost to all its moves, allowing it to break through Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking and Zamazenta it might otherwise not OHKO. However, Iron Valiant typically prefers the defensive benefits that option such as Tera Steel or Tera Ghost provide, or the raw power like Tera Fairy provide over multiple uses. I have never seen Stellar. If you have documented instances I could recheck, else I would remove Thunder Wave can be used to slow down Pokemon such as Darkrai and Deoxys-S, while also punishing walls such as Pecharunt. Same here, documented instances Substitute is an option to allow Iron Valiant to scout opposing Pokemon to give it a free turn of setup while also protecting it against revenge killers such as Extreme Speed Dragonite or Choice Scarf Darkrai. Would be good to mention this is particularly used on Swords Dance and Calm Mind sets Drain Punch gives Iron Valiant some sustain, allowing it to brawl with Pokemon such as Great Tusk a lot easier while keeping it out of priority range. Have seen it like once, I would remove but dont mind keeping all the way down here

- Heavy-Duty Boots is the big set missing that should be listed at the start of OO
- Choice Scarf is arguably the second biggest OO that is also missing
- Tera Blast Ground would be a good OO as it has not only shown in usage stats through several months, but has documented uses in the following posts:


[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
 
Last edited:
add remove highlight comment

QC 1/2
after implemented, thank you!

[OVERVIEW]

Iron Valiant stands out as a top tier offensive Pokemon in the tier, able to utilise its wide movepool to devestate any Pokemon that might attempt to check it. Options such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Mixed, or Choice Specs have very different counterplay, and thus a well played Iron Valiant can take out Pokemon such as Zapdos or Galarian Slowking that might want to check it. Iron Valiant is also an incredible revenge killer with Booster Energy, able to massively overselling threaten Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Swords Dance Ogerpon-Wellspring while also outspeeding them. Iron Valiant can furthermore dip into its utility movepool, with options such as Encore and Destiny Bond either giving it more setup turns or allowing it to surprise typical counterplay even further. However, Iron Valiant does have its flaws. Pokemon such as Hatterene, Gholdengo, Moltres, Probably a safer add and Tornadus-T can check the vast majority of its sets, while Pokemon such as Dondozo and Iron Crown are able to take on specific sets Would it be worth it to mention the sets specifically? Up to you once they have been identified. Furthermore, while it can typically take most strong neutral hits in a pinch, its low bulk does impede its sweeping potential, as priority users such as Dragonite, Weavile, Rillaboom, and especially Scizor can revenge kill it once it has been weakened. Still think it would be good to include more checks, maybe the Poison-types are a good pick to do this since they resist both STABs, so like Pecharunt, Iron Moth, and maybee Tera Poison Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott. Up to you though, if you feel what you have is enough then that's fine

Other Options
=============

Heavy Duty Boots allows Iron Valiant to consistently switch into battle over the course of a longer game by ignoring entry hazards. Choice Scarf gives Iron Valiant a permanent speed boost so it can consistently revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Darkrai and Zamazenta, though locking into a moveslot can be awkward for its teammates. Tera Blast Ground allows Iron Valiant to smack Pokemon such as Raging Bolt, Galarian Weezing, and Iron Moth for super effective damage. Could be worth to add Galarian Slowking instead of Bolt, and then dedicate a small sentence to Bolt as you also get an immunity to Thunderclap Choice Band sets can be used to lure in and break through traditional physical walls such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta due to its access to Spirit Break, Think the lure aspect is moreso about how for example Gholdengo may try to stomach a regular Knock Off, only to get OHKOed by a banded one while also being able to use Trick against walls such as Moltres and Dondozo it may not threaten as easily, which can also help teammates such as Iron Treads and Dragonite that are otherwise walled by them. Life Orb or Expert Belt is an option to increase the power of Iron Valiants Mixed sets, though the recoil damage from Life Orb can hurt its ability to stay out of revenge killing range from Pokemon such as Dragonite, while Expert Belt doesn't help it against Pokemon such as Galarian Weezing that already wall Iron Valiant. Substitute is an option on Swords Dance and Calm Mind sets to allow Iron Valiant to scout opposing Pokemon to give it a free turn of setup while also protecting it against revenge killers such as Extreme Speed Dragonite or Choice Scarf Darkrai. An Adamant nature alongside Shadow Sneak can be used to give Iron Valiant a lot more power while still retaining some of its revenge killing capabilities, though typically this is best used on Sticky Web teams.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
 
Last edited:
Add
Remove
Highlight
Comment

[OVERVIEW]

Iron Valiant stands out as a top tier offensive Pokemon in the tier, able to utilise its Speed, high attacking stats either physically or specially, and a wide movepool of setup, coverage, and utility to devestate any Pokemon that might attempt to check it. Options Set variety such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Mixed, or Choice Specs have very different counterplay from each other, and thus a well played Iron Valiant can take out Pokemon such as Zapdos or Galarian Slowking that might want to check its other sets. Iron Valiant is also can be (cause it doesnt apply to specs) an incredible late-game cleaner and revenge killer with Booster Energy, able to outspeed and subsequently (booster is first and foremost the one that lets you outspeed them so mentioning it as a side note in the back is selling it a bit short so moved it to the front for emphasis) threaten Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Ogerpon-W (you dont really need booster energy to outspeed this; maybe other examples like pult or darkrai instead) while also outspeeding them. (mention choice specs selling point or niche here and why one would want to run it, esp compared to its other sets/other breakers, cause the booster energy in the previous sentence is really just covering the setup & mixed sets) Iron Valiant can furthermore dip into its utility movepool, with options such as Encore and Destiny Bond (add trick here) either giving it more setup turns, or allowing it to surprise typical counterplay even further, or emergency checking opposing offensive threats. However, Iron Valiant does have its flaws. (fluff) Pokemon such as Hatterene, Moltres, Iron Moth, (not wrong but this is mostly just a check for val when you run offense, but for the sake of the list's length then highlighting more common, sturdy, and splashable valiant checks are prob better. for example, tinkaton and av prim/mola tend to be good pivots into it, esp when the set isnt revealed yet) Tornadus-T, (unless tornt is av idt it wants to pivot into most vals sets?) and Tera Poison Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott, can check the vast majority of its sets, while Pokemon such as Dondozo and Iron Crown (glowking is prob a better mention cause it's generally defensive and doesnt take boosted sballs as much) are able to take on specific sets such as Swords Dance and Calm Mind respectively, once they have been identified. (can prob segue into saying how it cant always fit the coverage it wants and thus might be walled by something in the game even though mon can be a headache in the builder. like no tbolt means corv and molt can beat you, and no psyshock means clod walls, etc) Furthermore, while it can typically take most strong neutral hits in a pinch, (not really worth highlighting cause its bulk is still atrocious esp if you compare it with other offensive mons that has proper defensive utility like dnite zama gambit) its low bulk does impede its sweeping potential, as priority users such as Dragonite, Weavile, Rillaboom, and especially Scizor can revenge kill it once it has been weakened. (regarding its low bulk, you can also mention how this often doesnt give you the necessary easy setup opportunities. especially cause most sets lack the immediate damage output to threaten stuff out so even mons you theoretically can force out can just stay in and trade with you. from there you can also segue to talk about its lack of defensive utility [esp compared to our other offensive mons like dnite and zama], meaning it's basically relegated to only offensive teams)

Other Options
=============

A set with Heavy Duty Boots allows Iron Valiant to consistently switch into battle over the course of a longer game by ignoring entry hazards, letting it fit on balance teams to combat hazard-stacking strategies, providing the archetype with a Knock Off user and speed control as well as disruption from Encore. (just elaborating the boots set further but feel free to reword) Choice Scarf gives Iron Valiant a permanent speed boost so it can consistently revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Darkrai and Zamazenta, though locking into a moveslot can be awkward for its teammates. (technically applies to other choice item users, so not really an issue worth noting unless you mention specifically why valiant is a poor scarfer compared to other scarfers like enamorus and gholdengo. either way, another value of scarf over booster is the utility with trick, so would like it to be mentioned here) Tera Blast Ground allows Iron Valiant to compress coverage into a single slot to (since it can technically run stuff like sball or psyshock to hit these targets so this addition makes it clearer) smack Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Galarian Weezing, and Iron Moth (add a steel here like dengo) for super effective damage, while also gaining an immunity to Raging Bolt's Thunderclap (if you're mentioning the defensive utility also talk about the poison resist against mons like glowking). Choice Band sets can be used to lure in and break through traditional counters checks (you can ohko dengo with +2 knock while tusk hates if you're the spirit break variant so i wouldnt call them counters to the SD set at all) to physical Iron Valiant such as Gholdengo and Great Tusk by OHKO'ing them, (another value of the CB set worth highlighting is you can 2HKO mons like mola corv & hatt, which can otherwise switch in & easily stomach a +2 attack from SD val) while also being able to use Trick against physical walls such as Moltres and Dondozo it may not threaten as easily, which can also help teammates such as Iron Treads Kingambit and Dragonite that are otherwise walled by them. Life Orb or Expert Belt is an option to increase the power of Iron Valiants Mixed all-out attacking sets, though the recoil damage from Life Orb can hurt its ability to repeatedly wallbreak and stay out of revenge killing range from Pokemon such as Dragonite, while Expert Belt doesn't help it against Pokemon such as Galarian Weezing that already wall Iron Valiant. (another option you can write is pairing this variant of valiant on eterrain teams w pincurchin, cause the archetype seem to always pop up once in a while even though the mon is UR, your call though) Substitute is an option on Swords Dance and Calm Mind sets to allow Iron Valiant to scout opposing Pokemon to give it a free turn of setup while also protecting it against revenge killers such as Extreme Speed Dragonite or Choice Scarf Darkrai. An Adamant nature alongside Shadow Sneak can be used on Sticky Web teams to give Swords Dance Iron Valiant a lot more power while still retaining some of its revenge killing and late-game cleaning capabilities, though typically this is best used on Sticky Web teams.

some other stuff to consider:
- tera water + liquidation on SD sets
- focus blast on CM sets
- boltbeam punches on SD set (ice punch is already written on the SD set writeup but i think it's more fitting for OO alongside tpunch)
- taunt


[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/heatranator.647728/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
Looks like a lot but it's mostly just explanations and for you to elaborate on stuff further. Would like to take a look at this again before stamping, let me know once it's implemented or if you need any clarifications.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top