Eisenhand Movesets & Wettbewerbs-Sets

Booster Energy lets Iron Hands hit as hard as possible without getting locked into one move by Choice Band. The given EV spread allows Iron Hands to live Choice Band Meowscarada's Play Rough and unboosted Modest Porygon-Z's Hyper Beam. Supercell Slam and Close Combat do heavy damage to obvious targets such as Galarian Moltres and Volcanion as well as neutrally affected Pokemon such as Haxorus, Ogerpon-W and Assault Vest Hoopa-U. Heavy Slam is vital coverage against Encore + Disable users like Iron Valiant and Alolan Ninetales. It also hits Protean Meowscarada using Play Rough and niche Fairy-types such as Diancie and Whimsicott. Fake Out gives Iron Hands strong odds to KO non-bulky variants of Walking Wake. Swords Dance is useful against Chople Berry Counter Hisuian Goodra and stall Pokemon like Corviknight and Manaphy. Iron Hands has clear issues against Ground-types and also loses to setup Pokemon that can comfortably take its attacks such as Cresselia, Iron Crown, and defensive variants of Volcarona. Its Primarina matchup is also uneasy without Assault Vest. Therefore, Ogerpon-W makes for an exceptional partner thanks to its strong STAB moves and access to Encore.

Iron Hands functions as a bulky attacker and pivot that provides support options such as Fake Out, and its STAB moves can handle prominent metagame staples like Incineroar and Urshifu formes. Iron Hands has a solid matchup against opposing Miraidon teams, as it is one of the few Pokemon capable of surviving a Hadron Engine-boosted Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Miraidon. In addition to that, Iron Hands matches up well against Terapagos and threatens it with Drain Punch. It also helps deal with Calyrex-I Trick Room teams by providing Fake Out support and utilizing its low speed to outspeed and KO Incineroar in Trick Room as well as trade decently with Calyrex-I in Electric Terrain by utilizing its Tera. Wild Charge is used over Thunder Punch, as it OHKOes Urshifu-R and, in Electric Terrain, 2HKOes Calyrex-I. The recoil damage can be compensated through Drain Punch recovery. Close Combat can be used on more offensively oriented teams to get some quick OHKOs on the likes of Incineroar, and Terapagos in Electric Terrain. Volt Switch is used so Iron Hands can be a slow pivot, which helps as a positioning tool. Ice Punch provides a way to 2HKO Amoonguss and Raging Bolt as well as OHKO the occasional Landorus. Meanwhile, Heavy Slam functions as a way to get quick KOs against the likes of Flutter Mane and Tera Fairy Calyrex-S outside of Electric Terrain. Assault Vest boosts Iron Hands's mediocre Special Defense stat. The defensive investment helps Iron Hands survive two Surging Strikes from Urshifu-R as well as two Body Presses from Zamazenta-C. Iron Hands's Special Defense is maximized to take full advantage of Assault Vest, while the Speed investment allows Iron Hands to outspeed Regidrago under Tailwind. The Attack EVs, meanwhile, ensure Quark Drive boosts its Attack stat even after an Intimidate. Tera Grass can be used to gain immunity to Spore and Rage Powder as well as a resistance to Urshifu-R's Surging Strikes and Landorus's Earth Power, whereas Tera Water gives Iron Hands an excellent defensive typing, allowing it to resist Surging Strikes from Urshifu-R and Glacial Lance from Calyrex-I. Tera Fairy is a solid defensive typing that is neutral into most of the metagame. Its immunity to Dragon helps as well when facing Miraidon and Regidrago. Iron Hands is particularly weak to faster setup teams, with foes like Tera Grass Clefairy and Amoonguss that can take hits from Iron Hands and redirect its moves, allowing Calyrex-S to set up with Nasty Plot. Ground-type Pokemon such as Landorus and Groudon can wall Iron Hands and threaten to 2HKO it. As a physical attacker, Iron Hands naturally struggles against Intimidate users like Incineroar as well as Defense-boosting Pokemon like Zamazenta-C that can set up Iron Defense, essentially walling Iron Hands. Miraidon naturally complements Iron Hands thanks to its Hadron Engine, as well as functioning as a fast offensive attacker capable of OHKOing all of the aforementioned checks. Meanwhile, a Trick Room setter such as Farigiraf provides excellent speed control to take advantage of Iron Hands's mediocre Speed tier. Farigiraf prevents any opposing Pokemon from using Fake Out thanks to Armor Tail while also having access to Helping Hand, which further boosts Iron Hands's offensive capabilities. Slower powerhouses like Ursaluna-B complement Iron Hands by threatening Incineroar and Zamazenta-C, as well as forming a solid Trick Room core with Farigiraf. Pokemon that fit well on a slower playstyle like Incineroar and Amoonguss also work well with Iron Hands by providing Fake Out, Intimidate, redirection and recovery to form a well-rounded balance core.

Drain Punch is used, as Assault Vest Iron Hands wants to keep staying on the field, Wild Charge is used as the most consistent Electric-Type STAB move, and finally Heavy Slam is used as coverage for Flutter Mane and as a strong neutral option. The 252 Special Defense EVs are used to minimize the damage taken from threatening special attacks like Earth Power from Landorus or Moonblast from Flutter Mane. The Speed EVs are used to outspeed the Urshifu formes and Adamant Ogerpon formes in Tailwind. Assault Vest helps Iron Hands's low Special bulk and allows it to take super effective hits better. Tera Grass is used to resist moves from Electric-resistant Ground- and Grass-type foes such as Landorus, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W while also providing a powder move immunity from Amoonguss. Tera Fire can also be used to resist Fairy- and Fire-type moves from Flutter Mane and Ogerpon-H; however, this keeps the weakness to Landorus as well as adding a Water-type weakness.

Set Details Iron Hands is a powerful attacker that uses its low Speed to take advantage of Trick Room while also supporting its teammates outside of Trick Room with Fake Out and powerful moves like Wild Charge and Low Kick. It boasts good matchups against the likes of Calyrex-I, Miraidon, Kyogre, Incineroar, and Chi-Yu, taking hits from them and retaliating with big damage. Low Kick often does more damage than Drain Punch against Restricted Pokemon, allowing Iron Hands to 2HKO Pokemon like Calyrex-I, Miraidon, and Zamazenta-C. Heavy Slam lets Iron Hands threaten Landorus and OHKO Fairy-types like Whimsicott and Flutter Mane. However, it worsens Iron Hands's damage output against the aforementioned Restricted Pokemon. Assault Vest allows Iron Hands to survive powerful moves like Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Miraidon in Electric Terrain and +2 Astral Barrage from Life Orb Calyrex-S. The EV spread allows Iron Hands to survive Close Combat from Life Orb Koraidon and +1 Psychic from Calyrex-S while also giving it as much Attack as possible. Tera Bug lets Iron Hands resist Ground- and Fighting-type moves like Headlong Rush from Ursaluna, Earth Power from Landorus, and Body Press from Zamazenta-C. Tera Water gives Iron Hands important resistances to Ice-, Water, and Fire-type attacks, letting it take Glacial Lance from Calyrex-I, Surging Strikes from Urshifu-R, Water Spout from Kyogre, and Flare Blitz from Koraidon more comfortably. Teambuilding Ursaluna is a tough matchup for Iron Hands, as they share the same Speed, and Ursaluna can OHKO Iron Hands with Headlong Rush. Ursaluna can also Terastallize into a Ghost-type to become immune to Iron Hands's Fake Out, Drain Punch, and Low Kick. Iron Hands struggles to hit Amoonguss with any of its moves, letting Amoonguss easily redirect its attacks and put it to sleep with Spore. Landorus is immune to Wild Charge, resists Drain Punch and Low Kick, and can 2HKO Iron Hands with Earth Power or Sandsear Storm. Calyrex-S can use Psychic to 2HKO Iron Hands and is immune to Iron Hands's Fighting-type STAB moves. Lunala with Electric Seed and Shadow Shield takes little damage from Iron Hands's Wild Charge and can deal heavy damage to it with Moonblast. Iron Hands is often used on Miraidon teams, as Miraidon can OHKO Landorus with Draco Meteor and threaten other threats for Iron Hands like, Amoonguss, Ursaluna, and Lunala. Miraidon's Electric Terrain activates Iron Hands's Quark Drive, boosts the power of Wild Charge, and stops Spore from Amoonguss. In return, Iron Hands uses Fake Out to allow Miraidon to safely attack. Iron Hands also appreciates Farigiraf and Calyrex-I's ability to cover Psychic- and Ground-types, respectively, and set Trick Room to aid Iron Hands when against faster teams. Volcarona and Grimmsnarl can threaten Psychic-types with Struggle Bug and Foul Play while providing useful damage mitigation through Flame Body and dual screens.

Iron Hands is the premier specially defensive pivot on Fighting teams thanks to its massive HP stat in conjunction with Assault Vest, which makes it bulky enough to respond to the strongest special attackers in the tier such as Flutter Mane, Iron Valiant, and Latios while still being physically bulky enough to punish Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Scarf Iron Boulder. Drain Punch provides recovery, often offsetting much of the damage received. Thunder Punch targets Tornadus-T and Primarina, while Heavy Slam hits Fairy-types like Hatterene, Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Flutter Mane. The last slot is quite flexible and ultimately depends on Iron Hands's teammates; Ice Punch covers threats such as Landorus, Latios, and Dragapult, Earthquake deals with Gholdengo, and Volt Switch allows Iron Hands to keep momentum while neutralizing Ceruledge's Focus Sash. Great Tusk has great synergy with Iron Hands, as it can remove entry hazards from the field, set up Stealth Rock, and deal with Gouging Fire and Ceruledge, while Iron Hands can tank special hits from Greninja, Iron Valiant, and Primarina for Great Tusk's benefit. By virtue of its defensive role, Iron Hands appreciates wallbreakers such as Iron Valiant, Keldeo, and Urshifu-R. Thanks to its colorful movepool, Iron Valiant can easily break through opposing defensive cores in the Flying, Dragon, Steel, and Water matchups. Keldeo and Urshifu-R are both fantastic wallbreakers and can lead the way against Steel and Ground teams by deleting their defensive cores such as Corviknight, Gholdengo, Hippowdon, and Clodsire with the appropriate move combination. Sneasler and Okidogi are both great partners for Iron Hands, as they can prevent it from being poisoned and can ease the Fairy matchup by removing Iron Valiant, Azumarill, and Hatterene. Choice Scarf Sneasler deals with popular Choice Specs foes like Flutter Mane, whereas Okidogi can check opposing Sneasler. In return, Iron Hands can take special Psychic-type hits in their place and retaliate with a powerful move. Zamazenta reaps many benefits from Iron Hands, as Iron Hands can provide it with a free switch in thanks to Volt Switch, letting Choice Scarf and Choice Band variants delete opposing threats safely. Iron Hands can also dispose of opposing special attackers, making IronPress Zamazenta nigh-unstoppable. Finally, Gallade pairs well with Iron Hands by sharing the same role and more easily addressing foes such as Clodsire, Toxapex, Volcarona, and Latios.

Swords Dance combined with a high Attack stat, great coverage, and well-rounded Defense makes Iron Hands a strong wallbreaker for Electric teams, being able to match up well against various Steel-, Dark-, Flying-, and Fire-types. Drain Punch grants Iron Hands some form of recovery and still hits hard, notably OHKOing Hisuian Goodra and 2HKOing Ting-Lu after a Swords Dance. Thunder Punch OHKOes Articuno and Corviknight after one Swords Dance. Ice Punch allows Iron Hands to threaten several Flying-types its STAB moves aren't very effective against, like both Landorus formes and Dragonite. Earthquake is an alternative option that allows Iron Hands to threaten several Steel- and Fire-types, OHKOing Gholdengo and 2HKOing Torkoal after one Swords Dance boost. With a Shuca Berry, Iron Hands can take STAB Ground-type attacks that could easily revenge kill it, such as Landorus's Earth Power and Choice Scarf Iron Treads's Earthquake. Using a Lum Berry allows Iron Hands to immediately cure status & especially burn, which would otherwise weaken Iron Hands's wallbreaking capabilities. This also allows it to bypass Moltres's Flame Body and punish Sableye for attempting to burn it. 116 Defense EVs in tandem with Lum Berry allow Iron Hands to take a +2 Earthquake from Dragonite and Choice Band Iron Treads's Earthquake, as well as taking a little over 50% damage from Choice Scarf Meowscarada's Play Rough. With 140 Speed EVs, Iron Hands outspeeds Ting-Lu and Corviknight. Sandy Shocks is mandatory on Electric teams, being the only viable pick with access to entry hazards, allowing Iron Hands to easily take out weakened foes. Iron Hands struggles with various Fairy-types like Hatterene, Flutter Mane, and Enamorus. Hence, it appreciates teammates that can deal with them, such as Assault Vest Magnezone for Hatterene and Choice Scarf Pawmot and Regieleki for the latter two. In return, the three of them appreciate Iron Hands running Ice Punch to deal with the Ground-types that they can struggle against. Choice Specs Zapdos appreciates Iron Hands covering specially defensive walls such as Clodsire and Galarian Slowking, and, in return, Zapdos provides a Ground immunity and the ability to OHKO Great Tusk. Lastly, Iron Hands's wallbreaking opens up sweeping possibilities from the likes of Rotom-W and Choice Scarf Pawmot.

Opting for a Swords Dance set, Iron Hands leverages its impressive Attack to punch through walls, often benefitting from the surprise factor, as opponents will expect the common Assault Vest variant, to set itself up on targets like Dragon Dance Dragapult and Curse Alolan Muk. Drain Punch synergizes well with Swords Dance to provide Iron Hands with great recovery while hitting even Fighting-neutral Pokemon hard like opposing Iron Hands and Gouging Fire. Thunder Punch knocks down Water- and Flying-type foes such as Primarina, Toxapex, and Tornadus-T. Lastly, Ice Punch deals with Dragonite, Clodsire, Dragapult, and Gliscor, which would otherwise take little damage from its STAB moves. Alternatively, Heavy Slam lets Iron Hands be more proactive in the Fairy matchup by providing it with a solid coverage option to stomp the likes of physical Iron Valiant and Hatterene. The given EV spread allows Iron Hands to outspeed Skarmory while maximizing its bulk, effectively preventing it from losing to IronPress Skarmory, and an Adamant nature lets it secure an OHKO on Landorus-T. The item should be chosen in accordance to its moveset. Shuca Berry lets it survive one hit from Gliscor and Landorus so it can remove them with Ice Punch safely. In a similar fashion, Roseli Berry gives it the edge against Choice Specs Flutter Mane by letting it survive one Moonblast and OHKO it in retaliation with Heavy Slam. With access to Rapid Spin to ensure Iron Hands can come in safely, Great Tusk makes for a nice partner. The defensive variant can keep Ceruledge in check, while the offensive variant can remove key threats from the field such as Flutter Mane, Landorus, and Latios so that Iron Hands can focus on addressing only a few foes, increasing its overall impact. In return, Iron Hands can remove Hatterene, Primarina, and Ogerpon-W for Great Tusk, as it cannot hurt them significantly. Assault Vest Gallade is another premier teammate for Swords Dance Iron Hands, providing a failsafe to popular Choice Specs threats like Latios, Greninja, and Flutter Mane that force Iron Hands to switch out. Furthermore, Gallade substantially improves the Poison matchup thanks to its STAB combination that is unresisted by the type, effortlessly removing Iron Moth and Okidogi. Bulk Up Scrafty synergizes quite well defensively with Iron Hands thanks to its Psychic immunity, which lets it come in on Choice Specs Latios, and Shed Skin, which turns it into a potent status absorber and combines well with Rest to give it incredible durability to handle special moves throughout the match. Due to the very offensive nature of the type, Iron Hands pairs well with wallbreakers like Urshifu-R, Keldeo, Iron Valiant, Sneasler, and Okidogi that can create setup opportunities for it. Urshifu-R and Keldeo provide invaluable offensive power in the Ground and Steel matchups, easily overwhelming their defensive structures like Clodsire, Hippowdon, Skarmory, and Gholdengo through sheer power. With its wide movepool, Iron Valiant is a jack-of-all-trades, being able to patch any offensive shortcoming by running appropriate coverage moves and item. While it is a valuable asset in almost every matchup, its impact is more prevalent in the Flying, Dragon, and Water matchups where its movepool lets it truly shine, taking out foes like Skarmory, Landorus, Latios, and Swampert. Choice Scarf Sneasler deals with Iron Valiant and Ogerpon formes while providing utility options such as Switcheroo and Toxic Spikes to cripple the opposing team. Alternatively, Bulk Up Okidogi capitalizes on its great defensive typing and mixed bulk to break through defensive cores in the Poison and Ghost matchups while only being 3HKOed by Moonblast from Choice Scarf Enamorus and Iron Valiant.

Assault Vest complements Iron Hands's already impressive HP stat and physical bulk with even higher special bulk after heavy Special Defense investment. This enables Iron Hands to become one of the most impressive special walls in the tier, capable of shrugging off super effective Ground-type damage from Landorus's Earth Power and Sandsear Storm and easily switching in on most forms of neutral special damage from Pokemon like Gholdengo and Tornadus. Fake Out allows Iron Hands to support its partners and allow them to set up, attack with a free turn, or even just pivot out and reposition in the face of opposing offensive pressure. Wild Charge provides strong STAB damage into most of the metagame, capable of OHKOing opposing Tornadus and threatening 2HKOs on important neutral targets like Ogerpon-W and Offensive Gholdengo. Drain Punch hits many common Fighting-weak targets like Incineroar, Chien-Pao, and Kingambit for solid damage while allowing Iron Hands to recover respectable amounts of HP, adding to its already impressive longevity. As an alternative, Close Combat provides significantly stronger damage output, threatening 2HKOs on practically every neutral target in the format, including bulkier Pokemon like Ogerpon-W that normally avoid the 2HKO from Drain Punch. However, this comes at the cost of both losing out on Drain Punch's ability to extend Iron Hand's longevity and greatly weakening its defenses. The last moveslot is typically occupied by Ice Punch, which allows Iron Hands to OHKO opposing Landorus, which is one of the biggest offensive checks to Iron Hands and is naturally resistant to both of Iron Hands's STAB types. Ice Punch also enables Hands to hit Grass Types like Sinistcha and Rillaboom. Heavy Slam is a more niche option that primarily allows Iron Hands to OHKO opposing Diancie and Alolan Ninetales. Finally, Volt Switch allows Iron Hands to function as a slow, bulky pivot to help safely bring in offensive teammates like Chien-Pao and Landorus and make greater use of its access to Fake Out support. Tera Water allows Iron Hands to turn all of its weaknesses into neutralities with an all-around solid defensive typing. This particularly helps into offensive opponents like Chien-Pao and Landorus. However, this type swap makes Iron Hands weaker into opposing Iron Hands, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W. Tera Grass allows Iron Hands to resist Earth Power and more effectively play into opposing Landorus, while also granting resistances to Grass-type and Water-type damage from Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W. FIt also grants Iron Hands an immunity to Spore and Rage Powder, helping get around opposing Amoonguss and Sinistcha. However, this typing makes Iron Hands worse against opposing Tornadus and Chien-Pao. Tera Fairy gives Iron Hands a broadly neutral typing, allowing it to escape pins and more easily Terastallize out of its weaknesses without fear of becoming weak to another attack from the opposing side. The given EV spread allows Iron Hands to outspeed and OHKO Landorus, Tornadus, and Terastalized bulky Ogerpon-W under Tailwind while otherwise maximizing its special bulk. While Iron Hands is extremely versatile and can be played with basically any other viable Doubles partner, it is commonly paired with Chien-Pao to deal increased damage and help support Chien-Pao's fragility with Fake Out, while not being too bothered by its Sword of Ruin thanks to Iron Hands's impressive physical bulk. Iron Hands also pairs nicely with Tailwind setters like Tornadus, which allow Iron Hands to overcome its low natural Speed stat and attack before foes such as Landorus that would otherwise outspeed it. Other common partners include Ogerpon-W for Follow Me support, a Ground resistance, and the ability to offensively pressure opposing Landorus. Landorus itself is a valuable partner for further special attacking assistance against physically bulky Pokemon that would otherwise give Iron Hands trouble. Bulkier setup options like Nasty Plot Gholdengo or Diamond Storm Diancie can also give Iron Hands trouble if they are able to successfully get into position, as Iron Hands will struggle to remove them on its own.

Swords Dance Iron Hands is a threatening sweeper that can completely turn the game around if put into a situation where it can recover most of its health every turn with a boosted Drain Punch. Both Ice Punch and Fire Punch can hit Amoonguss and Sinistcha, which otherwise safely redirect Iron Hands's moves. Ice Punch checks Landorus, while Fire Punch is more useful on teams weak to Gholdengo, which otherwise walls Iron Hands. Protect allows Iron Hands to dodge Fake Out or a lethal attack, buying a turn for a partner to switch in and provide redirection, Tailwind, or Fake Out support. Iron Hands pairs well with Tailwind setters like Tornadus, since its Speed investment lets it outspeed threats like Landorus and the Ogerpon formes under Tailwind. Alternatively, minimum Speed investment Iron Hands can be used with Trick Room users like Sinistcha and Farigiraf. Iron Hands appreciates redirection support to help it set up or redirect attacks when at low HP, giving it a chance to recover with Drain Punch. Ogerpon-W has Follow Me and threatens Ground-types like Landorus. Sinistcha can protect Iron Hands with Rage Powder, provides healing with Hospitality and Life Dew, and can set Trick Room as a means of speed control. Clear Amulet prevents Intimidate from Incineroar and Landorus-T, guarantees higher immediate damage output, and has the added benefit of blocking Parting Shot and preventing the Attack drop from Gouging Fire's and Roaring Moon's Breaking Swipe. Tera Grass allows Iron Hands to bypass Rage Powder, grants it an immunity to Spore from Amoonguss, and makes it resist Ground-type moves from common threats like Landorus and Ursaluna-B, while Tera Water is a good neutral typing in the metagame.

Iron Hands is an extremely potent offensive threat that uses its impressive bulk to set up Swords Dance and sweep with a combination of its high base Attack, great STAB combination, and a Speed donation. Swords Dance allows Iron Hands to score 2HKOs on many defensive staples such as Great Tusk, Rotom-W, and Landorus-T and OHKO most offensive Pokemon. Drain Punch keeps Iron Hands healthy, and Thunder Punch hits many Flying-types like Ho-Oh, Corviknight, and Skarmory. Ice Punch gives Iron Hands a way to hit Ground- and Dragon-types such as Eternatus, Clodsire, and Landorus-T. Alternatively, a +2 Earthquake will 2HKO Galarian Slowking and reliably OHKO Zacian-C, as well as doing more damage to Eternatus and Clodsire than Ice Punch, but it leaves Iron Hands unable to cover Landorus-T. Close Combat and Supercell Slam both provide great damage, but the former reduces Iron Hands's defenses while the latter has the potential to deal significant recoil damage, both of which can make Iron Hands susceptible to early KOs. Booster Energy allows Iron Hands to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame, greatly improving its ability to clean late game. It is worth noting that if Iron Hands receives Speed from Arceus, Booster Energy will boost Attack, not Speed. You can circumvent this by only giving Iron Hands 220 Attack EVs and putting the remaining EVs in Special Defense, but if you're receiving Speed from something slower than Arceus, redirecting Attack EVs will not be worth it. Tera Fire allows Iron Hands to more reliably take on Weavile, Hisuian Electrode, and Zacian-C while also giving it an immunity to burns. Tera Flying allows Iron Hands to dodge a Ground-type move and win a free turn to get in a crucial Swords Dance. Iron Hands likes receiving Speed from fast gods like Eternatus, Zacian-C, and even Arceus, and works well on the offensive teams these gods create. Iron Hands will have the easiest time cleaning after its checks have been sufficiently worn down, and to that end, it pairs well with offensive Knock Off users like Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile; these Pokemon weaken their shared checks and importantly remove Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Rocky Helmet from defensive Pokemon like Rotom-W, making it easier for Iron Hands to break through them later. Iron Hands also appreciates entry hazard support to wear down its checks further, such as Spikes from Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Ting-Lu or Stealth Rock from Great Tusk, Excadrill, and Iron Treads. Iron Hands is stopped in its tracks by Unaware users such as Clefable, Clodsire, and Skeledirge, so it appreciates strong wallbreakers such as Hisuian Electrode, Choice Specs Iron Valiant, and Choice Band Urshifu-S that can break through them.

Iron Hands's unique STAB combination aided by Swords Dance makes it a powerful wallbreaker that can set up against numerous defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Toxapex, and Ting-Lu while retaining a good matchup against offensive powerhouses such as Kingambit and Urshifu-R due to its insane physical bulk. Supercell Slam is preferred due to its higher power, notably OHKOing bulky Gholdengo at +2 after a layer of Spikes. However, Thunder Punch can be used instead for its consistency, since it is significantly less prediction reliant due to the recoil Supercell Slam may induce against Ground-types such as Gliscor and Protect users such as Alomomola. Drain Punch gives Iron Hands increased longevity alongside destroying Ferrothorn, while Ice Punch hits Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp, preventing them from directly switching in. Leftovers provides more longevity for Iron Hands, synergizing nicely with Drain Punch to enable easier setup against passive foes such as Ferrothorn; it additionally avoids the 2HKO from Mega Lopunny's Close Combat. Punching Glove allows Thunder Punch variants of Iron Hands to play more aggressively against Moltres, bulky Volcarona, and Garchomp, and the additional power enables Iron Hands to OHKO defensive Zapdos at +2 with Ice Punch. Booster Energy is a good option on hyper offense teams, where its power allows Iron Hands to OHKO Clefable and Pecharunt at +2 with Supercell Slam. Finally, Shuca Berry can be considered to lure and remove foes like Great Tusk and the aforementioned Garchomp while improving its trading capabilities against foes such as Dragonite and Melmetal. However, it is much more matchup dependent. The Speed EVs allow Iron Hands to outspeed Corviknight, preventing it from beating Iron Hands one-on-one with Iron Defense. The rest of the EVs are invested into Special Defense, allowing Iron Hands to survive Tapu Lele's unboosted Moonblast. Although Iron Hands has impressive physical bulk, its Speed is abysmal, meaning it is prone to being outsped and revenge killed by Fairy- and Psychic-types such as Iron Valiant, Tapu Lele, and Mega Latios. Therefore, a strong defensive backbone on the bulky offense teams Iron Hands fits well on is essential for supporting it; this includes teammates such as Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Mega Scizor. The former two appreciate Iron Hands checking Dark-types such as Kingambit and Mega Tyranitar in return. This defensive backbone should also include teammates that handle powerful Ground-types such as Great Tusk and opposing Landorus-T, such as Alomomola, Ogerpon-W, and the aforementioned Mega Scizor. The former provides additional longevity for Iron Hands with Wish support, and it and Ogerpon-W can enable Iron Hands against Ferrothorn and Toxapex. Entry hazard support boosts Iron Hands's wallbreaking potential, notably letting it OHKO Tapu Lele with unboosted Supercell Slam after Stealth Rock; therefore, teammates such as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn are valuable. On hyper offense teams that want to capitalize on Booster Energy variants of Iron Hands, dual screens support from Tapu Koko and Zamazenta is ideal to elevate its bulk to new heights. This notably allows it to survive Choice Specs Tapu Lele's Psychic from full HP, making it very difficult to reliably revenge kill. It also allows Iron Hands to set up more aggressively in front of would-be threats such as Ogerpon-W and non-IronPress Zamazenta. It should be noted that Tapu Koko's Electric Surge makes Iron Hands less reliant on Booster Energy, either giving it multiple chances to wallbreak or allowing it to use a different item such as Leftovers or Shuca Berry for extra longevity. Offensive teammates such as Garchomp, Dragonite, and Hisuian Samurott, all appreciate Iron Hands's wallbreaking potential, and in return, they all overwhelm physical walls such as Landorus-T, Clefable, and Zamazenta. Hisuian Samurott in particular can set up Spikes, aiding more in wallbreaking against tanks such as bulky Gholdengo and Mega Venusaur, which is appreciated heavily by Iron Hands. In return, it breaks past Toxapex and Tapu Fini for Hisuian Samurott for Zamazenta.

Iron Hands's high natural bulk, solid defensive typing, and access to Volt Switch allow it to be a great RegenVest user. Close Combat provides a strong Fighting-type STAB move that can potentially 2HKO RegenVest Swampert, whereas Drain Punch provides a bit of immediate recovery and doesn't hinder its bulk. Earthquake hits Pecharunt and Gholdengo. Ice Punch nails Ground-types that can block Volt Switch like Great Tusk and the Landorus formes. The given EV spread enables Iron Hands to check physical attackers like Chien-Pao and non-Choice Band Zamazenta, since it is unable to be 2HKOed by either at full HP, while also dealing with special attackers like Gholdengo, Zapdos, and Iron Moth. Iron Hands is best suited for balance and offensive team structures that appreciate its defensive prowess and solid role compression in addition to its ability to scare many defensive Pokemon. Iron Hands is a good choice for teams that lack checks for physical Dark-types like Roaring Moon, Kingambit, and Chien-Pao as well as special attackers like Gholdengo and Iron Moth. Iron Hands struggles with Psychic- and Fairy-types like Latios, Deoxys-S, and Scream Tail; therefore, it appreciates allies like Iron Treads, Heatran, and Scream Tail. Ground-types like Great Tusk, Swampert, and the Landorus formes all threaten Iron Hands with their STAB moves and are immune to Volt Switch, so it finds partners such as Corviknight, Moltres, and Earth Eater Gholdengo valuable. Strong physical attackers like Cinderace, Choice Band Zamazenta, and the Ogerpon formes frighten Iron Hands; thus, physical walls like Pecharunt and the aforementioned Corviknight can help Iron Hands against these threats.

Surge Surfer Iron Hands is a great wallbreaker, leveraging the Speed boost procured by its ability to outspeed almost the entire unboosted metagame and set up with Swords Dance in order to break though opposing teams. It also has a great matchup against a lot of defensive staples such as Corviknight and Gholdengo. Ice Punch allows Iron Hands to hit Garchomp and foes that resist its STAB combination such as Latios, Dragonite, and Landorus-T for greater damage. Since Iron Hands is reliant on Electric Terrain to function, it must be paired with a Hadron Engine pivot such as Latios or Sandy Shocks, both of which can apply additional pressure on Great Tusk; in return, Iron Hands can beat Pokemon that Sandy Shocks is unable to hit such as Landorus-T. Iron Hands is not a conventional wallbreaker, and it can struggle to power through teams on its own; therefore, teammates such as Roaring Moon and Iron Boulder are appreciated, as they can apply pressure on Pokemon such as Deoxys-D and physically defensive Great Tusk, respectively, which Iron Hands struggles against. Pivots such as Roaring Moon and Galarian Zapdos are also great partners, as they can bait in Pokemon that Iron Hands can easily take advantage of to set up, such as Primarina and Corviknight.

Amazing stats, solid typing, and access to Swords Dance allow Iron Hands to be a dangerous setup sweeper. Earth Eater lets Iron Hands set up safely versus Great Tusk, Swampert, and the Landorus formes as well as check Earthquake Roaring Moon. Substitute gives Iron Hands a way to set up freely on walls like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Iron Treads while preventing threats like Deoxys-S and Choice Band Zamazenta from coming in and forcing it out. 60 HP and 252 Special Defense EVs let the Substitute withstand two hits from Pecharunt's Malignant Chain, protecting Iron Hands from being poisoned. Iron Hands is best suited for balance and bulky offense team structures that appreciate its defensive prowess and ability to sweep opposing teams. Scream Tail is a significant threat to Iron Hands, as it outspeeds and OHKOes Iron Hands with Pixilate Boomburst whether Iron Hands is behind a Substitute or not, so checks to it like Iron Treads, Heatran, and Iron Moth are important. Without a Substitute, Iron Hands is susceptible to strong attackers like Deoxys-S, Latios, and Azelf, so partners that can switch into these threats like the aforementioned Iron Treads as well as RegenVest Pokemon like Manaphy and Swampert are valuable; in return, they appreciate Iron Hands for its ability to check Roaring Moon, Great Tusk, and Kingambit. Iron Hands struggles to deal with Pecharunt, so offensive checks to it like Gholdengo and Roaring Moon are quite helpful.

The Attack investment allows Iron Hands to OHKO no bulk Mega Salamence and outspeed Landorus-I in Tailwind. Misty Seed and Psychic Seed hands should be used in conjunction with terrain setters like Tapu Fini and Indeedee-F respectively.

Iron Hands serves a solid role on Fighting teams, being the type's premier Assault Vest user that can take on threatening special attackers such as Mega Charizard Y, Greninja, and Iron Valiant. Thunder Punch breaks through problematic Flying- and Water-types like Tornadus-T, Mega Pidgeot, and Manaphy. Ice Punch deals with Ground- and Grass-types switching in to take on Iron Hands's Thunder Punch such as Gliscor and Celebi. Drain Punch provides Iron Hands with a form of recovery while still enabling it to check threats such as Hydreigon. Finally, Volt Switch allows Iron Hands to be a slow pivot for Fighting teams that can safely bring in frail offensive threats like Sneasler. Alternatively, Heavy Slam can be used to let Iron Hands crush Fairy-types like Mega Diancie. The chosen EV spread allows for Iron Hands to OHKO uninvested Tornadus-T while maintaining bulk. For teammates, Iron Valiant is a special attacking threat that can break past physical walls like Slowbro and Mega Sableye that hamper Iron Hands. Iron Hands appreciates Mega Gallade being able to handle Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur and Okidogi, which wall it. Great Tusk provides Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock support to help with Iron Hands's longevity and make it more threatening, the latter potentially allowing it to 2HKO physically bulky Toxapex. Sneasler can handle Fairy-types that Iron Hands cannot such as Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele while appreciating Iron Hands's slow Volt Switch to safely get it on the field. Since Keldeo is able to deal with Ground-types such as Great Tusk and the Landorus formes, which threaten Iron Hands immensely, it serves as an excellent teammate. Similarly, Hisuian Lilligant, after a boost, can break past Ground-types such as Swampert and Sand Rush Excadrill along with Water-types that can overwhelm Iron Hands like Rotom-W. Kommo-o helps Iron Hands with breaking through walls such as Scizor and Gholdengo that can prove problematic for it.

By holding an Assault Vest, Iron Hands trades its wallbreaking potential for unparalleled defensive utility, letting it blanket check a variety of threats Electric teams struggle against. Ice Punch deals sizable damage to most Ground- and Dragon-types, letting Iron Hands take advantage of its massive bulk to beat Landorus and Gliscor one-on-one, as well as stopping weakened Dragon Dance Dragonite in their tracks. Volt Switch takes advantage of Iron Hands's low Speed stat and ability to force switches as a way of generating momentum. In the last slot, Heavy Slam is preferred, as it smashes otherwise dangerous Fairy-types like Mega Diancie, Tapu Lele, and Iron Valiant. However, Thunder Punch broadens Iron Hands's neutral coverage the most and has increased power under Electric Terrain, and Rock Slide lets Iron Hands OHKO a huge nuisance in Volcarona as well as Mega Charizard Y. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment allows Iron Hands to take as little damage from special attackers as it possibly can, optimizing its blanket-checking capabilities. Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain support is essential for Iron Hands, as the Attack boost from Quark Drive makes it dish enough damage back to not be taken advantage of by setup sweepers like Mega Latias and Ogerpon-W. Zapdos and Rotom-W serve as bulky Ground-immune pivots that blow away entry hazards with Defog and relieve pressure off of Iron Hands by also beating Gliscor and Dragon Dance Dragonite. Zapdos's offensive sets are able to blow walls that Iron Hands struggles against as well, such as Mega Venusaur and Gastrodon. Offensive Pokemon like Raging Bolt, Alolan Raichu, and Zeraora appreciate Iron Hands's pivoting bringing them into the field safely.

Iron Hands's unique combination of a solid offensive typing, phenomenal power and bulk, and all-around excellent coverage turns it into the premier physical attacker on Electric teams. By holding a Shuca Berry, it's also able to take a hit from and remove some of the most dangerous Ground-types like Landorus, Ursaluna, and Garchomp. Swords Dance scales up Iron Hands's power to superb levels, letting it muscle through otherwise tough-to-break walls like Porygon2, Ting-Lu and Gholdengo. Ice Punch rounds off the set incredibly well by allowing Iron Hands to beat the aforementioned Ground-types one-on-one, potentially turning it into a potent wincon in the Flying and Dragon matchups in tandem with its other moves. The given EV spread makes sure Iron Hands outspeeds Skarmory, letting it beat Iron Defense variants before getting forced out, and maximizes Iron Hands's special bulk so that it can survive a hit from threats like Tapu Lele and Mega Diancie. Tapu Koko disposes of Pokemon that Iron Hands hates such as Mega Gallade and Mega Latios, and its Electric Terrain support lets Iron Hands OHKO Gholdengo and Archaludon at +2 with its STAB attacks. In return, Iron Hands pummels the special walls that Tapu Koko can't answer, such as Clodsire and Hisuian Goodra. Regieleki, Alolan Raichu, and Zeraora greatly appreciate Iron Hands's Ground-type-removing capabilities, so they can spam their powerful Electric-type moves late-game. Sandy Shocks lays down entry hazards for more KOs to be scored by Iron Hands, notably making it two-shot Celesteela and Skarmory while unboosted with Thunder Punch. Both Zapdos and Rotom-W are great defensive pivots that can remove entry hazards with Defog and bring Iron Hands safely into the field with Volt Switch.

Iron Hands's incredible bulk gives it one of the game's strongest Substitutes, letting it set up on a unique list of threats. Swords Dance: Swords Dance lets Iron Hands set up on the passive foes it blocks with Substitute. The Attack boost also pairs very well with Drain Punch, keeping Iron Hands healthy and making it much harder to break. Ice Punch: Ice Punch provides more immediate damage against pure Ground-types and the ever-present Dragonite. Earthquake: Earthquake hits Gholdengo, Iron Moth, and Tera Fire Chi-Yu hard. It also does well against foes that try to block Drain Punch with Tera Poison. Tera Types Tera Dependency - High: Despite having a strong bulk profile, Iron Hands frequently needs to remove its common Ground- and Fairy-type weaknesses to be effective. Fairy: Tera Fairy removes all of Iron Hands's most troublesome weaknesses while also granting a powerful Dragon-type immunity. This does, however, make Iron Hands much easier to revenge kill with Gholdengo and Iron Moth. Water: Tera Water is another solid defensive option that drastically improves the Chi-Yu matchup. Likewise, the resistance to Ice is fantastic against Chien-Pao and Baxcalibur, with the latter no longer being able to rely on Icicle Spear to effectively break through Substitute. Fighting: Tera Fighting boosts Drain Punch's output while removing Iron Hands's Ground weakness. Fire: Tera Fire can block Will-O-Wisp from support Dragapult and Rotom formes, which otherwise outspeed and burn Iron Hands if it doesn't already have Substitute up. Grass: Tera Grass can turn the tide against faster Grass-types like Breloom and Wo-Chien, blocking their status moves and buying a free turn to start setting up. EV Spreads 92 HP / 4 Atk / 172 Def / 212 SpD / 28 Spe with Impish: The defensive investment keeps uninvested Dondozo's Wave Crash from breaking Iron Hands's Substitute, providing superior protection from Fissure spam. After Terastallizing, non-STAB Earthquake from the likes of Dragonite and Baxcalibur often fails to break Substitute as well. On the specially defensive side, a full health Iron Hands can survive a Fire Blast from Modest Tera Fire Chi-Yu.

With its great Attack, its good natural bulk, and a healing move in Drain Punch, Iron Hands stands out as a premier bulky attacker. Supercell Slam versus Thunder Punch: Supercell Slam is easily the most powerful Electric STAB attack available, but be mindful of Ground-type switch-ins that can trigger its recoil. Thunder Punch can be used as a safer option but at the cost of power. Ice Punch: Ice Punch gives Iron Hands a good option to hit Dragonite and Landorus-T. Heavy Slam: Heavy Slam is Iron Hands's best option to hit Fairy-types. If fully invested in Attack, Heavy Slam OHKOs even the bulkiest of Flutter Mane. Volt Switch: Volt Switch, though incredibly weak, can scout switches and maintain offensive momentum. Fake Out: Fake Out picks off weakened, normally faster threats, such as Dragonite and Chi-Yu. It can also beat Focus Sash leads, such as Chien-Pao and Urshifu-R. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Medium / High: Physically defensive sets are less reliant on Terastallization to function. For Assault Vest sets, however, it'll be needed to handle Choice Specs Flutter Mane, argubly the most dangerous special attacker in the metagame. Water: Tera Water's Ice and Fire resistances help a lot against Chien-Pao, Urshifu-R, and Chi-Yu. Flying: Tera Flying lets Iron Hands greatly improve its matchup against Ground-types like Ursaluna-B and Landorus-T and dodge Fissure attempts from the likes of Dondozo and Ting-Lu. Fairy: A Fairy-type Tera allows Iron Hands to take advantage of its great bulk by giving it a better defensive typing, though previously walled Steel-types like Gholdengo and Archaludon become a lot more threatening. Steel: Tera Steel grants a resistance to Fairy and boosts Heavy Slam's power, drastically improving defensive Iron Hands's matchup against Flutter Mane. EV Spreads 28 Speed EVs versus negative Speed nature: 28 Speed EVs are required to outrun 4 Speed EV Ursaluna-B. However, some sets prefer to run a negative speed nature to make Volt Turn as slow and as powerful as possible. If using a negative Speed nature, you can allocate the 28 Speed EVs elsewhere. 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 Spe with Impish or Relaxed: This spread is meant to be used with Sitrus Berry, giving Iron Hands incredible survivability against physical threats such as Chien-Pao, Ogerpon-H and Urshifu-R. With Sitrus Berry recovery, not even Terastallized Jolly Ogerpon-H's Ivy Cudgel can 2HKO Iron Hands! 68 HP / 168 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD / 28 Spe with Adamant: This balanced spread invests enough Defense to avoid the 2HKO from Jolly Tera Flying Choice Band Dragonite's Tera Blast. After outrunning 4 Speed EV Ursaluna-B, the rest is invested into improving Attack. Sitrus Berry is not required for the Dragonite caluclation above, though it is generally recommended for this spread. 252 Atk / 228 SpD / 28 Spe with Adamant: This Assault Vest spread balances power and special bulk. With Drain Punch recovery, even Tera Normal Bloodmoon can struggle to 2HKO Iron Hands!