Draft Iron Hands

[blittius]

[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards

**Price range**: 14-15 points

**Overview**: Iron Hands operates as a dominant offensive tank due to its impressive stats, which, once coupled with its strong STAB moves and diverse movepool, can enable efficient wallbreaking. What makes Iron Hands so valuable on teams is that it can be pioneered in the building stage to be able to trade damage with almost any Pokemon of choice and still have enough longevity to be useful for the rest of a battle. This is due to Swords Dance, which can be used in conjunction with Drain Punch to allow Iron Hands to become a potent sweeper. Iron Hands is extremely flexible with the amount of items it can run, which can allow it to bait the opponent into making a play that works in Iron Hands's favor. However, Iron Hands's poor Speed stat can allow it to be easily revenge killed by faster offensive threats and can make it a common target of disruption via Encore or Taunt while in the process of attempting to set up.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: With a Choice Band or Booster Energy, Iron Hands can tear through defensive Pokemon using STAB Close Combat or Wild Charge. Access to moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Heavy Slam can then make it extremely hard for defensive Pokemon such as Gliscor and Galarian Weezing to switch in and tank the STAB attacks.

**Setup sweeper**: Swords Dance can allow Iron Hands to clean up games, especially if the opposing team is physically offensive, as Iron Hands's natural physical bulk is utilized to survive several hits while keeping itself healthy with Drain Punch.

**Bulky pivot**: Iron Hands can be paired with a defensive item of choice, such as Assault Vest or Sitrus Berry, to be able to soft check multiple threats. This would allow Iron Hands to absorb multiple hits, threaten to KO foes, and gain momentum by using Volt Switch to keep up the offensive pressure in a game.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Close Combat, Drain Punch, Body Press, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch, Supercell Slam

**Setup moves**: Swords Dance

**Utility moves**: Volt Switch, Endure, Rest, Sleep Talk, Protect, Substitute

**Coverage**: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Ice Punch, Play Rough, Rock Slide, Fire Punch

Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense**: In order to take advantage of its high Defense stat, Iron Hands can use Iron Defense to boost the damage of Body Press. This is only really used instead of Swords Dance + Drain Punch sets when you believe Iron Hands will have better longevity handling physically offensive teams.

**Whirlwind**: Since Iron Hands is so naturally bulky, it can phaze setup sweepers with Whirlwind to regain control of a battle.

**Facade**: After using Swords Dance, Iron Hands can bait faster Pokemon such as Rotom-W into using Will-O-Wisp to take advantage of Facade's full power.

**Fake Out**: Fake Out can be used to chip fast offensive Pokemon who that are more defensively frail, increasing its chance to grab possible KOs.

Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: With the extra power granted by a Choice Band, Iron Hands can punch holes into an opponent's team by using Close Combat or possibly a coverage move for Pokemon attempting to check Iron Hands.

**Resistance Berries**: Since Iron Hands is so proficient at absorbing hits, it can be paired with a resistance Berry to lure possible super effective moves and successfully KO a Pokemon after using Swords Dance the turn prior.

**Assault Vest**: Iron Hands can utilize Assault Vest to lure in specially offensive Pokemon that seek to take advantage of Iron Hands's low Special Defense. Iron Hands would mainly use this to soft check specially offensive threats that would otherwise KO it.

**Booster Energy**: Iron Hands can use Booster Energy to increase Attack and reach a similar level of wallbreaking capability to Choice Band sets. This allows Iron Hands to freely beat down defensive cores while requiring less prediction. Booster Energy can be used on Swords Dance sets so Iron Hands can wallbreak while having the capability to run Drain Punch, keeping itself healthy as well. Booster Energy can also possibly be used to increase Defense, boosting the damage on Iron Defense + Body Press sets. Booster Energy can also be used to break through Unaware Pokemon, as they will take increased damage if using Attack Booster Energy.

**Sitrus Berry**: Iron Hands can be paired with a Sitrus Berry to avoid getting 2HKOed, which can allow it to soft check offensive threats attempting to wallbreak and sweep.

**Leftovers**: Leftovers can be used for consistent HP recovery, giving Iron Hands increased longevity, (ac) especially when paired with Drain Punch.

Niche Items
========
**Punching Glove**: As Iron Hands has access to a plethora of punching moves, it can utilize Punching Glove to increase its damage output while also avoiding Rocky Helmet chip damage, which would lower the effective amount of HP recovered from using Drain Punch.

**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots is used when the plan is to increase Iron Hands's longevity for as long as possible, and it doesn't need a damage-boosting item to carry out its given role. This can allow Iron Hands to be much more aggressive in plays against entry hazard-reliant teams.

**Custap Berry**: If Iron Hands ever uses Swords Dance, it can utilize a Custap Berry to catch a faster Pokemon off guard, use Drain punch, and possibly KO it, while also increasing its HP to survive any other possible attacks from the foe. Custap Berry can also be used in conjunction with the move Endure to force out any possible sweepers as a last resort.

**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack can be used as an alternative to Volt Switch when you want to gain momentum if the opponent's initial answer would be a bulky Ground-type. This allows Iron Hands to freely use a STAB Close Combat and pivot out one time, avoiding the stat drop altogether.

**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Iron Hands to freely set up on Pokemon that have access to status moves that would hinder its sweeping capability.

**Mental Herb**: Since Iron Hands has a very slow Speed stat, it can be prone to fast Taunt and Encore users, so using a Mental Herb can allow Iron Hands to gain a free turn of setup.

Tera
========
Iron Hands without Tera is a great Pokemon that can use many items to make use of its natural typing and stats, which would allow you to choose better options for a Tera Captain instead. However, Iron Hands is still an excellent Tera user. Defensive Tera types such as Water, Fairy, and Flying can work exceptionally well, as they can further increase its setup opportunities while also being able to give it a better defensive typing to avoid getting 2HKOed by multiple high-tier threats, also removing the need to run a resistance Berry; this allows for other items to be used.

Draft Strategy
========
Iron Hands is best drafted with solid pivots to allow it to freely come in and use its wallbreaking prowess to secure KOs. Since Iron Hands can function without Tera, you are able to Tera your higher-tier Pokemon to maximize their potential for the team. However, if you do decide to Tera Iron Hands, it is best to draft Tera-banned higher-tier teammates or Pokemon that can function without Tera in early rounds, such as Iron Valiant, Greninja, and Garchomp.

**Entry hazard setter**: Iron Hands can struggle to break through teams that have consistent recovery, but if Iron Hands's attacks are supported by entry hazards, they can gradually chip down Pokemon to allow Iron Hands to clean games. Examples include Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Landorus-T.

**Special wallbreakers**: Drafting a special wallbreaker can help complement an offensive core with Iron Hands to force pressure against teams. Examples include Enamorus, Chi-Yu, and Latios.

**Speed control**: Since Iron Hands has a poor Speed stat, it is important to draft faster Pokemon that can consistently help revenge kill and prevent opponents from opting to run Attack-boosting natures over Speed-boosting natures. This can also make it so the opposing team is forced into running Choice Scarf to outspeed your quicker Pokemon, rather than being able to have a free item slot for lures such as resistance Berries and Rocky Helmet for Iron Hands. Examples include Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Palafin.

**Pivots**: As bulky as Iron Hands is, it still doesn’t like to switch into attacks to take free damage, which can effect its functionality as a sweeper, so it enjoys pivots that can safely bring it in, easing the pressure of taking damage. Examples include Galarian Slowking, Tornadus-T, and Rotom-W.

**Knock Off absorber**: Iron Hands functions extremely well as a Knock Off absorber; however,in game plans where you need to utilize its held item, having a secondary Knock Off absorber can be beneficial. Examples include Clefable, Corviknight, and Great Tusk.

Checks and Counters
========
**Specially offensive wallbreakers**: Specially offensive wallbreakers can take advantage of Iron Hands's low Special Defense to deal drastic amounts of damage or force it out, preventing it from cleaning after having set up. Examples include Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Ursaluna-B.

**Status**: Fast Encore users can look to take advantage of Iron Hands being slow to shut down setup sets and even using the free turns to setup themselves. Examples include Iron Valiant, Dragonite, and Tinkaton. On top of this, Iron Hands can be prone to getting hit by Toxic or statused by Toxic Spikes, putting it on a timer, or getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, cutting down its Attack, which will prevent it from wallbreaking consistently. These status conditions can be avoided through items; however, one item may not be a catch-all for each of the ways it can become statused from an opposing team.

**Physically bulky Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon can sponge attacks from Iron Hands, and if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, they can gradually bring Iron Hands into KO range for other Pokemon to take it out. Examples include Great Tusk, Uxie, and Deoxys-D.

**Ground-types**: Many Ground-types boast strong defensive stats, allowing them to tank Close Combat while slowing your momentum by blocking Volt Switch. This can often allow the Ground-type to gain a free turn to set up an entry hazard, which is able to gradually chip down Iron Hands. Examples include Great Tusk, Donphan, and Swampert. If Iron Hands is not holding a Choice Band to force 2HKOs, it can be hindered by the use of Rocky Helmet on these defensive Ground-types and be threatened out, as it is 2HKOed by STAB Earthquake or Earth Power. This can be avoided with Tera or a resistance Berry, but these could make it susceptible to the other checks and counters listed.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/

 

[blittius]

ready for QC

 

[Hacker]

qc 1/2

[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards

**Price range**: 14-15 points

**Overview**: Iron Hands operates as a dominant offensive tank due to its impressive stats which once coupled with its strong STABs and diverse movepool, can look to wallbreak efficiently. What makes Iron Hands so valuable on teams is that it can be pioneered in the building stage to be able to trade damage with almost any Pokemon of choice and still have the longevity to be useful for the rest of a battle. This is due to Swords Dance, which can be used in conjunction with Drain Punch to allow Iron Hands to become a potent sweeper. Iron Hands is extremely flexible with the amount of items it can run, which can allow it to bait the opponent into making a play which works in Iron Hands favour. However, Iron Hands poor Speed stat can allow it to be easily revenged by faster offensive threats and can make it a common target of becoming Encored or Taunted while in the process of attempting to setup.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles (i think a mention of something like offensive utility would be good, maybe better term tho?) but a role that covers like av hands, volt switch to pivot, etc)
========
**Wallbreaker**: If Holding a Choice Band, Iron Hands can look to tear through defensive Pokemon using STAB Close Combat or Wild Charge. Access to moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake and Heavy Slam can then make it extremely hard for Pokemon such as Gliscor or Galarian Weezing to switch in as they would otherwise check Iron Hands.

**Setup sweeper**: Swords Dance can allow Iron Hands to clean up games, especially if the opposing team is physically offensive as Iron Hands natural physical bulk is utilized to survive several hits while keeping itself healthy with Drain Punch.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Close Combat, Drain Punch, Body Press, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch, Supercell Slam

**Setup moves**: Swords Dance

**Utility moves**: Volt Switch, Endure, Rest, Sleep Talk, Protect

**Coverage**: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Ice Punch, Play Rough, Rock Slide

Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense**: In order to take advantage of its high base defense stat, Iron Hands can use Iron Defense to then boost the damage of Body Press. This is only really used over Swords Dance Drain Punch sets when you believe Iron Hands will have better longevity handling physically offensive teams.

**Whirlwind**: Since Iron Hands is so naturally bulky, it can prevent many sweepers from setting up/who are already set up and phase them out to regain control of a game. (reword this sentence, something like it can limit setup sweepers with whirlwind)

**Facade**: After using Swords Dance, Iron Hands can bait faster Pokemon such as Rotom-W into using Will-O-Wisp to take advantage of Facades full power.

**Fake Out**: Fake Out can be used to chip fast offensive Pokemon who are more frail on the defensive side to open up possible KO’s.

Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots is used when the plan is to increase Iron Hands longevity for as long as possible, and it doesn't need a damage boosting item to carry out its given role. This can allow Iron Hands to be much more aggressive in plays against entry hazard-reliant teams. (i would move this to niche ngl, but u only rly run it for spikes since u heal off rocks. could run it for tspikes asw but still feels niche)

**Choice Band**: Iron Hands under the impression it is running a Choice Band, will be able to punch holes into the enemies defense using Close Combat or possibly a coverage move for Pokemon attempting to check Iron Hands to attain KO’s.

**Resistance Berries**: Since Iron Hands is so proficient in absorbing hits, it can be paired with a resistance berry to lure possible super effective moves to successfully KO a Pokemon after using Swords Dance the turn prior.

**Booster Energy**: Against Unaware Pokemon such as Clodsire or Clefable, Iron Hands can look to use Booster Energy to increase Attack and still have the same capability to wallbreak when compared to using Choice Band. This also allows Iron Hands to not become Choice-locked so it can freely beat down defensive cores whilst not needing to predict what to click as much. Booster Energy can be used on Swords Dance sets so Iron Hands can wallbreak whilst having the capability to running Drain Punch in order to also keep itself healthy as well. Booster Energy can also possibly be used to increase defense as well, to boost the damage on Iron Defense Body Press sets.

**Sitrus Berry**: Iron Hands can be paired with a Sitrus Berry to avoid getting 2KO’d by moves which can allow it to soft check offensive threats attempting to wallbreak/sweep.

**Leftovers**: Leftovers can be used for consistent HP recovery to allow for increased longevity when also paired with Drain Punch.

Niche Items
========
**Punching Gloves**: As Iron Hands has access to a plethora of punching moves, it can utilize punching gloves to increase its damage output whilst also avoiding Rocky Helmet chip which would lower the amount of HP recovered through Drain Punch.

**Custap Berry**: If Iron Hands ever uses Swords Dance, it can utilize a Custap Berry to catch a faster Pokemon off guard to Drain Punch them and possibly KO, whilst also increasing its HP to survive any other possible attacks from the opponent. Custap can also be used in conjunction with the move Endure to force out any possible sweepers as a last resort.

**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack can be used as an alternative to Volt Switch, where you want to gain momentum but the opponents initial answer would be a bulky Ground type. This allows Iron Hands to freely use a STAB Close Combat whilst not reaping the negatives of Iron Hands defensive stats dropping.

**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Iron Hands to freely setup on Pokemon that have access to status moves to hinder its sweeping capability.

**Mental Herb**: Since Iron Hands has a very slow base Speed stat, it can be prone to fast Taunt/Encore users so using a Mental Herb can allow Iron Hands to gain a free turn of setup.

**Assault Vest**: Iron Hands can utilize an Assault Vest to lure specially offensive Pokemon into attacking to take advantage of Iron Hands low Special Defense. Iron Hands would mainly use this to soft check specially offensive threats that would otherwise KO. (feels common to me)

Tera
========
Iron Hands without Tera is a great Pokemon that can use many items to make use of its natural typing and stats, however, Iron Hands is still an excellent choice for a Tera captain user. Defensive Teras such as Water, Fairy, and Flying can work exceptionally well as you can further increase its setup opportunities whilst also being able to give it a better defensive typing to avoid getting 2KO’d by multiple high tier threats so you do not need to run a resistance Berry; this allows for new possible choices Iron Hands can pick as an item.

Draft Strategy
========
Iron Hands is best drafted with solid pivots to allow it to freely come in and use its wallbreaking prowess to secure kills. Since Iron Hands can function without Tera, you are able to Tera your higher tier Pokemon to maximize their potential for the team. However, if you do decide to Tera Iron Hands, it is best to draft in your early rounds Tera banned high tiers or Pokemon that can function without Tera, such as Iron Valiant, Greninja and Garchomp.

**Entry hazard setter**: Iron Hands can struggle to break down teams that have consistent recovery, but if Iron Hands attacks are supported by entry hazards, they can gradually chip down Pokemon to allow Iron Hands to clean games. Examples include Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Landorus-T.

**Special wallbreakers**: Drafting a special wallbreaker can help complement an offensive core with Iron Hands to force pressure against teams. Examples include Enamorus, Chi-Yu, and Latios.

**Speed control**: Since Iron Hands has a poor base Speed stat, it is important to draft faster Pokemon that can help revenge kill consistently and prevent the usage of enemy Pokemon opting to run Attack-boosting natures over Speed-boosting natures. This can also make it so the enemy team is forced into running Choice Scarf to outspeed your quicker Pokemon, rather than being able to have a free item slot for lures such as resistance Berries or Rocky Helmet for Iron Hands. Examples include Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Palafin.

**Pivots**: As bulky as Iron Hands is, it still doesn’t like to switch into attacks to take free damage which can effect its functionality as a sweeper, so it enjoys pivots that can safely switch into it to ease the pressure of taking damage. Examples include Galarian Slowking, Tornadus-T, and Rotom-W.

**Knock Off absorber**: Iron Hands functions extremely well as a Knock Off absorber, however in gameplans where you need to utilize its held item, having a secondary Knock Off absorber can be beneficial. Examples include Clefable, Corviknight, and Great Tusk.

Checks and Counters (i think grounds are a good mention here, tho shuca does exist)
========
**Specially offensive wallbreakers**: Specially offensive wallbreakers can look to take advantage of Iron Hands low Special Defense to deal drastic amounts of damage, or force it out of a state where it can clean. Examples include Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Ursaluna-Bloodmoon.

**Status**: Fast Encore users can look to take advantage of Iron Hands being slow to shut down setup sets, and even using the free turns to setup themselves. Examples include Iron Valiant, Dragonite, and Tinkaton. On top of this, Iron Hands can be prone to getting hit by Toxic/Toxic Spike that can put it on a timer, or Will-O-Wisp, to cut down its attack which will prevent it from wallbreaking consistently. These status conditions can be avoided through items, however you can only run one item a game, making it hard to deem fit which is the best route to go.

**Physically bulky Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon can effortlessly sponge attacks from Iron Hands, and if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, can gradually chip Iron Hands into range for other Pokemon to take it out. Examples include Great Tusk, Uxie, and Donphan.

 

[scionicle]

qc 2/2

[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards

**Price range**: 14-15 points

**Overview**: Iron Hands operates as a dominant offensive tank due to its impressive stats, (ac) which once coupled with its strong STABs and diverse movepool, can look to wallbreak efficiently enable efficient wallbreaking. What makes Iron Hands so valuable on teams is that it can be pioneered in the building stage to be able to trade damage with almost any Pokemon of choice and still have the longevity to be useful for the rest of a battle. This is due to Swords Dance, which can be used in conjunction with Drain Punch to allow Iron Hands to become a potent sweeper. Iron Hands is extremely flexible with the amount of items it can run, which can allow it to bait the opponent into making a play which works in Iron Hands favour. However, Iron Hands poor Speed stat can allow it to be easily revenged by faster offensive threats and can make it a common target of becoming Encored or Taunted while in the process of attempting to setup.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: If Holding a Choice Band or Booster Energy, Iron Hands can look to tear through defensive Pokemon using STAB Close Combat or Wild Charge. Access to moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake and Heavy Slam can then make it extremely hard for defensive Pokemon such as Gliscor or Galarian Weezing to switch in as they would otherwise check Iron Hands and tank the STAB attacks.

**Setup sweeper**: Swords Dance can allow Iron Hands to clean up games, especially if the opposing team is physically offensive as Iron Hands natural physical bulk is utilized to survive several hits while keeping itself healthy with Drain Punch.

**Offensive utility Bulky pivot**: Iron Hands can look to be paired with a defensive item of choice to be able to soft check multiple threats, such as Assault Vest or Sitrus Berry. This would allow Iron Hands to soak multiple hits, threaten back with KO's, and gain momentum by being a slow pivot using Volt Switch to keep up the offensive pressure in a game whilst also alleviating that pressure off your own team. (These parts feel redundant)

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Close Combat, Drain Punch, Body Press, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch, Supercell Slam

**Setup moves**: Swords Dance

**Utility moves**: Volt Switch, Endure, Rest, Sleep Talk, Protect

**Coverage**: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Ice Punch, Play Rough, Rock Slide, Fire Punch

Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense**: In order to take advantage of its high base defense stat, Iron Hands can use Iron Defense to then boost the damage of Body Press. This is only really used over Swords Dance Drain Punch sets when you believe Iron Hands will have better longevity handling physically offensive teams.

**Whirlwind**: Since Iron Hands is so naturally bulky, it can limit setup sweepers with Whirlwind to regain control of a battle.

**Facade**: After using Swords Dance, Iron Hands can bait faster Pokemon such as Rotom-W into using Will-O-Wisp to take advantage of Facades full power.

**Fake Out**: Fake Out can be used to chip fast offensive Pokemon who are more frail on the defensive side to open up possible KO’s.

**Focus Punch**: (Can be used alongside substitute to take advantage of passive pokemon)

Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: Iron Hands under the impression it is running a Choice Band, will be able to With the extra power granted by a Choice Band, Iron Hands can punch holes into the enemies defense using Close Combat or possibly a coverage move for Pokemon attempting to check Iron Hands to attain KO’s.

**Resistance Berries**: Since Iron Hands is so proficient in absorbing hits, it can be paired with a resistance berry to lure possible super effective moves to successfully KO a Pokemon after using Swords Dance the turn prior.

**Assault Vest**: Iron Hands can utilize an Assault Vest to lure specially offensive Pokemon into attacking that seek to take advantage of Iron Hands low Special Defense. Iron Hands would mainly use this to soft check specially offensive threats that would otherwise KO.

**Booster Energy**: Against Unaware Pokemon such as Clodsire or Clefable, Iron Hands can look to use Booster Energy to increase Attack and still have the same capability to wallbreak when compared to using Choice Band reach a similar level of wallbreaking capability to Choice Band sets. This also allows Iron Hands to not become Choice-locked so it can freely beat down defensive cores whilst not needing to predict what to click as much requiring less prediction. Booster Energy can be used on Swords Dance sets so Iron Hands can wallbreak whilst having the capability to running Drain Punch in order to also keep itself healthy as well. Booster Energy can also possibly be used to increase defense as well, to boost the damage on Iron Defense Body Press sets. (Mentioning Unaware mons is fine; I'd just do it later in the paragraph. Right now, it seems like booster is only a good option when fighting them)

**Sitrus Berry**: Iron Hands can be paired with a Sitrus Berry to avoid getting 2KO’d by moves which can allow it to soft check offensive threats attempting to wallbreak/sweep.

**Leftovers**: Leftovers can be used for consistent HP recovery to allow for increased longevity when also especially when paired with Drain Punch.

Niche Items
========
**Punching Gloves**: As Iron Hands has access to a plethora of punching moves, it can utilize punching gloves to increase its damage output whilst also avoiding Rocky Helmet chip which would lower the amount of HP recovered through Drain Punch.

**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots is used when the plan is to increase Iron Hands longevity for as long as possible, and it doesn't need a damage boosting item to carry out its given role. This can allow Iron Hands to be much more aggressive in plays against entry hazard-reliant teams.

**Custap Berry**: If Iron Hands ever uses Swords Dance, it can utilize a Custap Berry to catch a faster Pokemon off guard to Drain Punch them and possibly KO, whilst also increasing its HP to survive any other possible attacks from the opponent. Custap can also be used in conjunction with the move Endure to force out any possible sweepers as a last resort.

**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack can be used as an alternative to Volt Switch, where you want to gain momentum but the opponents initial answer would be a bulky Ground type. This allows Iron Hands to freely use a STAB Close Combat whilst not reaping the negatives of Iron Hands defensive stats dropping.

**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Iron Hands to freely setup on Pokemon that have access to status moves to that would hinder its sweeping capability.

**Mental Herb**: Since Iron Hands has a very slow base Speed stat, it can be prone to fast Taunt/Encore users so using a Mental Herb can allow Iron Hands to gain a free turn of setup.

Tera
========
Iron Hands without Tera is a great Pokemon that can use many items to make use of its natural typing and stats, however, Iron Hands is still an excellent choice for a Tera captain user. Defensive Teras such as Water, Fairy, and Flying can work exceptionally well as you can further increase its setup opportunities whilst also being able to give it a better defensive typing to avoid getting 2KO’d by multiple high tier threats so you do not need to run a resistance Berry; this allows for new possible choices Iron Hands can pick as an item. (Include a line about there usually being better options for a captain)

Draft Strategy
========
Iron Hands is best drafted with solid pivots to allow it to freely come in and use its wallbreaking prowess to secure kills. Since Iron Hands can function without Tera, you are able to Tera your higher tier Pokemon to maximize their potential for the team. However, if you do decide to Tera Iron Hands, it is best to draft in your early rounds Tera banned high tiers or Pokemon that can function without Tera, such as Iron Valiant, Greninja and Garchomp.

**Entry hazard setter**: Iron Hands can struggle to break down teams that have consistent recovery, but if Iron Hands attacks are supported by entry hazards, they can gradually chip down Pokemon to allow Iron Hands to clean games. Examples include Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Landorus-T.

**Special wallbreakers**: Drafting a special wallbreaker can help complement an offensive core with Iron Hands to force pressure against teams. Examples include Enamorus, Chi-Yu, and Latios.

**Speed control**: Since Iron Hands has a poor base Speed stat, it is important to draft faster Pokemon that can help revenge kill consistently and prevent the usage of enemy Pokemon opting to run Attack-boosting natures over Speed-boosting natures. This can also make it so the enemy team is forced into running Choice Scarf to outspeed your quicker Pokemon, rather than being able to have a free item slot for lures such as resistance Berries or Rocky Helmet for Iron Hands. Examples include Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Palafin.

**Pivots**: As bulky as Iron Hands is, it still doesn’t like to switch into attacks to take free damage which can effect its functionality as a sweeper, so it enjoys pivots that can safely switch into it to ease the pressure of taking damage. Examples include Galarian Slowking, Tornadus-T, and Rotom-W.

**Knock Off absorber**: Iron Hands functions extremely well as a Knock Off absorber, however in gameplans where you need to utilize its held item, having a secondary Knock Off absorber can be beneficial. Examples include Clefable, Corviknight, and Great Tusk.

Checks and Counters
========
**Specially offensive wallbreakers**: Specially offensive wallbreakers can look to take advantage of Iron Hands low Special Defense to deal drastic amounts of damage, or force it out of a state where it can clean. Examples include Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Ursaluna-Bloodmoon.

**Status**: Fast Encore users can look to take advantage of Iron Hands being slow to shut down setup sets, and even using the free turns to setup themselves. Examples include Iron Valiant, Dragonite, and Tinkaton. On top of this, Iron Hands can be prone to getting hit by Toxic/Toxic Spike that can put it on a timer, or Will-O-Wisp, to cut down its attack which will prevent it from wallbreaking consistently. These status conditions can be avoided through items, however you can only run one item a game, making it hard to deem fit which is the best route to go.

**Physically bulky Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon can sponge attacks from Iron Hands, and if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, can gradually chip Iron Hands into range for other Pokemon to take it out. Examples include Great Tusk, Uxie, and Deoxys-D.

**Ground Types**: Similarly to physically bulky Pokemon, mMany Ground types boast strong defensive stats, being able allowing them to tank Close Combat and prevent while preventing momentum by blocking Volt Switch. This can often allow the Ground type to gain a free turn to set up an entry hazard which is able to gradually chip down Iron Hands. Examples include Great Tusk, Donphan, and Swampert. If Iron Hands is not holding a Choice Band to force 2KO's, it can be hindered by usage of Rocky Helmet on these defensive Ground types and be threatened to swap out, being 2KO'd by STAB Earthquake or Earth Power. This can be avoided with the usage of Tera or a resistance Berry, but these could make it susceptible to the other checks and counters listed.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
[/QUOTE]

 

[blittius]

GP Team we ready

 

[ken]

1/1 GP Team done
add remove comment

caught

[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards

**Price range**: 14-15 points

**Overview**: Iron Hands operates as a dominant offensive tank due to its impressive stats, which, (ac) once coupled with its strong STABs STAB moves and diverse movepool, can enable efficient wallbreaking. What makes Iron Hands so valuable on teams is that it can be pioneered in the building stage to be able to trade damage with almost any Pokemon of choice and still have the enough longevity to be useful for the rest of a battle. This is due to Swords Dance, which can be used in conjunction with Drain Punch to allow Iron Hands to become a potent sweeper. Iron Hands is extremely flexible with the amount of items it can run, which can allow it to bait the opponent into making a play which that works in Iron Hands's favor favour. However, Iron Hands's poor Speed stat can allow it to be easily revenged revenge killed by faster offensive threats and can make it a common target of becoming Encored or Taunted disruption via Encore or Taunt while in the process of attempting to set (as) up.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: If Holding With a Choice Band or Booster Energy, Iron Hands can look to tear through defensive Pokemon using STAB Close Combat or Wild Charge. Access to moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, (ac) and Heavy Slam can then make it extremely hard for defensive Pokemon such as Gliscor or and Galarian Weezing to switch in and tank the STAB attacks.

**Setup sweeper**: Swords Dance can allow Iron Hands to clean up games, especially if the opposing team is physically offensive, (ac) as Iron Hands's natural physical bulk is utilized to survive several hits while keeping itself healthy with Drain Punch.

**Bulky pivot**: Iron Hands can look to be paired with a defensive item of choice, (ac) such as Assault Vest or Sitrus Berry, to be able to soft check multiple threats (rc) such as Assault Vest or Sitrus Berry. This would allow Iron Hands to soak absorb multiple hits, threaten to KO foes back with KO's, and gain momentum by using Volt Switch to keep up the offensive pressure in a game.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Close Combat, Drain Punch, Body Press, Wild Charge, Thunder Punch, Supercell Slam

**Setup moves**: Swords Dance

**Utility moves**: Volt Switch, Endure, Rest, Sleep Talk, Protect, Substitute

**Coverage**: Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Ice Punch, Play Rough, Rock Slide, Fire Punch

Niche Moves
========
**Iron Defense**: In order to take advantage of its high base Defense stat, Iron Hands can use Iron Defense to boost the damage of Body Press. This is only really used over instead of Swords Dance + Drain Punch sets when you believe Iron Hands will have better longevity handling physically offensive teams.

**Whirlwind**: Since Iron Hands is so naturally bulky, it can limit phaze setup sweepers with Whirlwind to regain control of a battle.

**Facade**: After using Swords Dance, Iron Hands can bait faster Pokemon such as Rotom-W into using Will-O-Wisp to take advantage of Facade's (aa) full power.

**Fake Out**: Fake Out can be used to chip fast offensive Pokemon who that are more defensively frail, (ac) on the defensive side to open up increasing its chance to grab possible KO’s KOs.

Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: With the extra power granted by a Choice Band, Iron Hands can punch holes into the enemies defense an opponent's team by using Close Combat or possibly a coverage move for Pokemon attempting to check Iron Hands.

**Resistance Berries**: Since Iron Hands is so proficient in at absorbing hits, it can be paired with a resistance Berry to lure possible super effective moves to and successfully KO a Pokemon after using Swords Dance the turn prior.

**Assault Vest**: Iron Hands can utilize an Assault Vest to lure in specially offensive Pokemon that seek to take advantage of Iron Hands's low Special Defense. Iron Hands would mainly use this to soft check specially offensive threats that would otherwise KO it.

**Booster Energy**: Iron Hands can look to use Booster Energy to increase Attack and reach a similar level of wallbreaking capability to Choice Band sets. This allows Iron Hands to freely beat down defensive cores whilst while requiring less prediction. Booster Energy can be used on Swords Dance sets so Iron Hands can wallbreak whilst while having the capability to running run Drain Punch, (ac) in order to also keeping itself healthy as well. Booster Energy can also possibly be used to increase Defense as well, to boosting the damage on Iron Defense + Body Press sets. Booster Energy can also be used to beat past break through Unaware Pokemon, (ac) as they will take the full brunt increased damage (rc) if Iron Hands Attack was increased by it using Attack Booster Energy.

**Sitrus Berry**: Iron Hands can be paired with a Sitrus Berry to avoid getting 2KO’d by moves 2HKOed, (ac) which can allow it to soft check offensive threats attempting to wallbreak and sweep.

**Leftovers**: Leftovers can be used for consistent HP recovery, (ac) to allow for giving Iron Hands increased longevity, (ac) especially when paired with Drain Punch.

Niche Items
========
**Punching Gloves Glove**: As Iron Hands has access to a plethora of punching moves, it can utilize punching gloves Punching Glove to increase its damage output whilst while also avoiding Rocky Helmet chip damage, (ac) which would lower the effective amount of HP recovered through from using Drain Punch.

**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots is used when the plan is to increase Iron Hands's longevity for as long as possible, and it doesn't need a damage-boosting (ah) item to carry out its given role. This can allow Iron Hands to be much more aggressive in plays against entry hazard-reliant teams.

**Custap Berry**: If Iron Hands ever uses Swords Dance, it can utilize a Custap Berry to catch a faster Pokemon off guard, (ac) to Drain Punch them and possibly KO use Drain punch, and possibly KO it, whilst while also increasing its HP to survive any other possible attacks from the opponent foe. Custap Berry can also be used in conjunction with the move Endure to force out any possible sweepers as a last resort.

**Eject Pack**: Eject Pack can be used as an alternative to Volt Switch (rc) where when you want to gain momentum but if the opponent's (aa) initial answer would be a bulky Ground-type (ah). This allows Iron Hands to freely use a STAB Close Combat and pivot out one time, avoiding the stat drop altogether whilst not reaping the negatives of Iron Hands defensive stats dropping.

**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Iron Hands to freely set (as) up on Pokemon that have access to status moves that would hinder its sweeping capability.

**Mental Herb**: Since Iron Hands has a very slow base Speed stat, it can be prone to fast Taunt and Encore users, (ac) so using a Mental Herb can allow Iron Hands to gain a free turn of setup.

Tera
========
Iron Hands without Tera is a great Pokemon that can use many items to make use of its natural typing and stats, which would allow you to Terrastalize choose better options for a Tera Captain instead. However, Iron Hands is still an excellent Tera user. Defensive Teras Tera types such as Water, Fairy, and Flying can work exceptionally well, (ac) as you they can further increase its setup opportunities whilst while also being able to give it a better defensive typing to avoid getting 2KO’d 2HKOed by multiple high-tier (ah) threats, (ac) so you do not also removing the need to run a resistance Berry; this allows for new possible choices Iron Hands can pick as an item other items to be used.

Draft Strategy
========
Iron Hands is best drafted with solid pivots to allow it to freely come in and use its wallbreaking prowess to secure kills KOs. Since Iron Hands can function without Tera, you are able to Tera your higher-tier (ah) Pokemon to maximize their potential for the team. However, if you do decide to Tera Iron Hands, it is best to draft in your early rounds Tera-banned (ah) higher-tier teammates tiers or Pokemon that can function without Tera in early rounds, such as Iron Valiant, Greninja, (ac) and Garchomp.

**Entry hazard setter**: Iron Hands can struggle to break down through teams that have consistent recovery, but if Iron Hands's attacks are supported by entry hazards, they can gradually chip down Pokemon to allow Iron Hands to clean games. Examples include Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Landorus-T.

**Special wallbreakers**: Drafting a special wallbreaker can help complement an offensive core with Iron Hands to force pressure against teams. Examples include Enamorus, Chi-Yu, and Latios.

**Speed control**: Since Iron Hands has a poor base Speed stat, it is important to draft faster Pokemon that can consistently help revenge kill consistently and prevent the usage of enemy Pokemon opponents from opting to run Attack-boosting natures over Speed-boosting natures. This can also make it so the enemy opposing team is forced into running Choice Scarf to outspeed your quicker Pokemon, rather than being able to have a free item slot for lures such as resistance Berries or and Rocky Helmet for Iron Hands. Examples include Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Palafin.

**Pivots**: As bulky as Iron Hands is, it still doesn’t like to switch into attacks to take free damage, (ac) which can effect its functionality as a sweeper, so it enjoys pivots that can safely switch into it to ease bring it in, easing the pressure of taking damage. Examples include Galarian Slowking, Tornadus-T, and Rotom-W.

**Knock Off absorber**: Iron Hands functions extremely well as a Knock Off absorber; (rc, asc) however, (ac) in game (as) plans where you need to utilize its held item, having a secondary Knock Off absorber can be beneficial. Examples include Clefable, Corviknight, and Great Tusk.

Checks and Counters
========
**Specially offensive wallbreakers**: Specially offensive wallbreakers can look to take advantage of Iron Hands's low Special Defense to deal drastic amounts of damage (rc) or force it out, (ac) of a state where it can clean preventing it from cleaning after having set up. Examples include Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Ursaluna-Bloodmoon.

**Status**: Fast Encore users can look to take advantage of Iron Hands being slow to shut down setup sets (rc) and even using the free turns to setup themselves. Examples include Iron Valiant, Dragonite, and Tinkaton. On top of this, Iron Hands can be prone to getting hit by Toxic or statused by Toxic Spikes, (ac) that can putting it on a timer, or getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, to cutting down its Attack, (ac) which will prevent it from wallbreaking consistently. These status conditions can be avoided through items; (rc, asc) however, (ac) you can only run one item a game, making it hard to deem fit which is the best route to go one item may not be a catch-all for each of the ways it can become statused from an opposing team.

**Physically bulky Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon can sponge attacks from Iron Hands, and if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, they can gradually chip bring Iron Hands into KO range for other Pokemon to take it out. Examples include Great Tusk, Uxie, and Deoxys-D.

**Ground-types**: Many Ground-types (ah) boast strong defensive stats, allowing them to tank Close Combat while preventing slowing your momentum by blocking Volt Switch. This can often allow the Ground-type (ah) to gain a free turn to set up an entry hazard, (ac) which is able to gradually chip down Iron Hands. Examples include Great Tusk, Donphan, and Swampert. If Iron Hands is not holding a Choice Band to force 2KO's 2HKOs, it can be hindered by usage the use of Rocky Helmet on these defensive Ground-types (ah) and be threatened to swap out, being 2KO'd as it is 2HKOed by STAB Earthquake or Earth Power. This can be avoided with the usage of Tera or a resistance Berry, but these could make it susceptible to the other checks and counters listed.

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