What is a good moveset for Iron Hands?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Iron Hands, post an answer below and upvote the best ones.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some explanation, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Iron Hands Pokedex & learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Gen 9 National Dex UU Swords Dance

Iron Hands @ Leftovers
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 164 Atk / 252 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
- Ice Punch

A Swords Dance set for Gen 9 NatDex UU. Swords Dance boost Iron Hands' attack to allow it to mow through defensive Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Celesteela. Close Combat and Wild Charge are used for STAB moves with nice power. Ice Punch makes Iron Hands have BoltBeam coverage and allows you to hit Pokemon such as the Lati twins, Mega Altaria, Tera Ground Tornadus-Therian, and Amoonguss super effectively. Tera Electric is used to allow Iron Hands to resist flying moves and gets rid of most of the weaknesses it has due to its Fighting/Electric typing.

92 Speed EVs are used to outspeed Celesteela not using a -speed nature to let you OHKO it with a +2 Wild Charge without Celesteela using Leech Seed on you. 252 Defense EVs with an Impish Nature is used to help Iron Hands beat Pokemon such as Hawlucha, Tera Normal Dragonite, and Tera Flying Rillaboom. The rest of the EVs are used in attack to help Iron Hand's attacks hit hard. For those wondering why I have Defense EVs over HP EVs, it's because Iron Hands has a high base HP. It also doesn't have a really bad special defense just like how Chansey/Blissey's defense stat is really low, so Iron Hands really doesn't need HP EVs.

Comments

Wouldn't Drain Punch tie in better with tankiness?

Answer 2

National Dex Monotype Assault Vest (Electric)

Iron Hands @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 72 HP / 92 Atk / 52 Def / 248 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Rock Slide
- Volt Switch / Heavy Slam / Earthquake

Iron Hands takes the role as a specially defensive Assault Vest tank on Electric teams, throwing punches and other things to punish opposing Pokemon. With a powerful punch that can drain the opposing Pokemon's HP and restore some HP to Iron Hands, it can deal with Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Blissey. With a punch that feels so cold that feels like Ice, Iron Hands can handle Dragon-types such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Kommo-o, Dragalge, as well as Pokemon such as Landorus, Tornadus-Therian, Thundurus-Therian, and Gliscor. Tired of Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y being able to resist its punches, Iron Hands decides to throw rocks at them to knock them out of the sky. The last move you use depends on what you want Iron Hands to do or beat. Volt Switch allows Iron Hands to switch out of bad matchups. Iron Hands can flatten out Mega Diancie and Alolan Ninetales with a Heavy Slam. By stomping on the ground really hard, Iron Hands can summon an Earthquake that defeats Gholdengo and non-Air Balloon Heatran. Assault Vest allows Iron Hands to tank special hits more comfortably.

248 SpD EVs gives Iron Hands special bulk. 44 Speed EVs allow Iron Hands to outspeed Blissey. 92 Attack EVs allow Iron Hands to OHKO Garchomp with Ice Punch when Electric Terrain is up due to Quark Drive. 72 HP EVs along with 52 Defense EVs allow Iron Hands to live a +2 Earthquake from Dragonite.

Answer 3

Iron Hands @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Volt Switch
- Fake Out / Earthquake / Ice Punch / Iron Head

This thing is pretty dang bulky and hits hard. Assault Vest makes you specially bulky which is nice. Tera Steel is a good defensive type, but if there are better ones than feel free to criticize. Drain Punch is STAB and heals you. Thunder Punch is STAB that can paralyze. Volt Switch allows you to pivot, and this thing is slow so it can bring in a sweeper safely. Fake Out provides chip damage, but could probably be replaced by Earthquake for electrics and fires, Ice Punch for dragons, grounds, and grasses or Iron Head for fairies.

Comments

Iron Head might be good for dealing with fairies, but I don't know what you would replace.

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Thanks, Iron Head would probably be a good replacement for Fake Out.

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I think that Heavy Slam is better than Iron Head because Iron Hands is very heavy.

Answer 4

Gen 9 OU doubles physical tank set
Item: Expert Belt
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Electric/Steel (chose the first one because I couldn’t be bothered, and I chose Steel because it handles Iron Hands’ Fairy weakness)
EVs: 252 HP, 232 Atk, 26 Def
Nature: Impish (lowers SpA, boosts Def)
Doubles Partner: Pincurchin with Electric Surge, Terrain Extender, and Self-Destruct
- Thunder Punch
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch

Answer 5

Iron Hands @ Booster Energy/Muscle Band
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera: Whatever
EVs: 252 Atk/252 HP/4 Spd
Adamant Nature
-Swords Dance
-Drain Punch
-Brick Break
-Thunder Punch

This set focuses on Iron Hands dealing enormous damage, while staying healthy enough to sweep a team. Swords Dance is for dealing as much damage as possible, preferably on the first turn Iron Hands is in. Drain Punch is powerful fighting STAB while keeping itself healthy. Brick Break is for taking out Light Screen/Reflect/Aurora Veil. Thunder Punch is for strong Electric STAB. The main counter for this set is a Dragapult screen-setter. I recommend having a speed-based Flutter Mane, as it will outspeed dragapult and OHKO (unless it has focus sash) it. Having a speed-based Flutter Mane is why I also included the Muscle Band item because Flutter Mane should have a Booster Energy for boosting its speed to outspeed almost everything. I hope I helped!

Comments

Tera: Whatever isn't really a good suggestion. Is this a lead set?

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yeah it is a lead set

Answer 6

VGC Reg F, flutter mane and gholdengo bully

Iron Hands @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 168 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Fake Out
- Wild Charge
- Swords Dance

This set is built specifically to deal with gholdengo, more specifically, the gholdengo that Tolar Webb used to win the most recent Knoxville regionals. With a booster energy boost, iron Hands deals around 75% damage, so you can just double target it for the KO, but in my eyes that is not enough. With a booster energy and swords dance + wild Charge, iron Hands deals more than enough damage to get the KO. And, to add on to that, the investment in speed + tailwind allows iron Hands to put speed the same gholdengo. Oh and steel tera means that it resists make it rain, to bully gholdengo even more.

+2 252+ Atk Quark Drive Iron Hands Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 44 Def Gholdengo: 229-271 (118 - 139.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

For a more broad version of the set analysis: booster energy boosts increases the attack, as mentioned before steel tera resists make it rain and fairy moves, like dazzling gleam flutter mane. The EVs in attack increase damage even further, the evs in Def, SpDef and HP give it bulk. Drain punch is STAB and helps heal damage from wild Charge recoil, fake out is priority and annoys the opponent, swords dance boosts attack even further. Anyway back onto flutter mane's bullying session. The tera steel allows iron Hands to resist moonblast, and even if they run mystical fire, it still will not be enough

252 SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Mystical Fire vs. 72 HP / 168 SpD Tera Steel Iron Hands: 146-172 (61.3 - 72.2%) -- guaranteed 2 KO

And a swords dance wild Charge is so strong, it can faint flutter mane nearly three times over

+2 252+ Atk Quark Drive Tera Steel Iron Hands Wild Charge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flutter Mane: 370-436 (284.6 - 335.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Thank you and enjoy bullying flutter mane and gholdengo.

Answer 7

(Gen 9) National Dex Monotype Shuca Berry Swords Dance (Electric)

Iron Hands @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 24 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch

A Swords Dance Shuca Berry set Iron Hands can use on Electric teams in NatDex Monotype (and SV Monotype). This set is nice as a wincon to clean through teams. Swords Dance gives Iron Hands a way to boost its attack stat to be able to break through or clean through teams. Drain Punch is the chosen Fighting STAB since it gives Iron Hands HP recovery, letting it stick around longer to break through teams and works well given how bulky Iron Hands is. Thunder Punch is the Electric STAB since this set doesn't want to deal with the recoil from Wild Charge or lose 50% HP by using it against a Ground-type switching in or a Pokemon using Protect with Supercell Slam. Ice Punch provides the coveted BoltBeam coverage, being useful to hit Pokemon such as Gliscor, Landorus, Clodsire, Thundurus-Therian, the Lati twins, Mega Altaria, and Garchomp super effectively. Shuca Berry is used to let Iron Hands eat a ground type move so it can hit back with a move to OHKO the Pokemon using the ground move, which is useful against Ground-types like Excadrill, Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus.

248 Special Defense EVs are used for special bulk since Iron Hands already has a high HP stat. 220 Speed EVs allows Iron Hands to outspeed Heatran that don't have speed EVs. 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant Nature gives Iron Hands a boost to its attacking power, and it reaches a jump point for its attack stat. The leftover EVs are used in HP. The EV spread is made for the National Dex Monotype format. You can use this in SV Monotype but with the standard EV spred of 116 Def / 252 Def / 140 Spe with an Adamant Nature that lets it survive a +2 Earthquake from Dragonite since Iron Hands can use Lum Berry on the Swords Dance set in SV Monotype, with the speed EVs letting Iron Hands outspeed Corviknight.