Iron Moth Movesets & Competitive Sets

Iron Moth is able to utilize its great offensive typing, huge movepool, and the Booster Energy item to quickly eliminate important threats like Iron Crown, non-Assault Vest Urshifu-S, and Sylveon. Overheat can OHKO Metagross, Corviknight, and Alolan Ninetales. Sludge Wave easily gets rid of Fairy-type Pokemon like non-bulky Primarina and Iron Valiant. Dazzling Gleam notably beats Urshifu-S. Bug Buzz can easily handle non-Assault Vest or Choice Scarf Hoopa-U. Acid Spray is commonly used to get KOs on Pokemon that are usually difficult for Iron Moth to get rid of otherwise, like non-Clear Amulet Pecharunt and Sitrus Berry Manaphy. Protect is most commonly used to prevent Custap Berry users like Primarina from going first with an attack. Endure is used for a similar reason, with it being more useful against Hoopa-U due to Hyperspace Fury breaking Protect, but it also risks Iron Moth into getting hit by Encore from Primarina. Since Iron Moth's biggest issue tends to be its weakness to Water-type Pokemon like Manaphy and Dondozo, Grass-type Pokemon like Meowscarada and Serperior often make for good teammates.

Set Details Choice Specs Iron Moth is the strongest wallbreaker available for sun teams. Its Tera Fire Overheat under sun can 2HKO Arghonaut and Skeledirge, two of the best special walls in the metagame, and still deal massive damage to frailer targets at -2. Solar Beam more reliably 2HKOes Arghonaut, Toxapex, and Garganacl so that Iron Moth isn't required to Terastallize to be effective. Fiery Dance lets Iron Moth snowball and end games once the opposing team has no remaining Unaware users and is sufficiently weakened. Sludge Wave 2HKOes Astrolotl and Dragonite and OHKOes Cinderace outside of sun, which could otherwise tank an Overheat and pivot around the weakened hit. Ground-type Tera Blast OHKOes Ceruledge, Astrolotl, Skeledirge, and opposing Iron Moth with a surprise hit. Drought Jumbao is a required teammate to set up sun. Healing Wish can help Iron Moth offset Stealth Rock damage and get into battle late-game. Other Protosynthesis users like Roaring Moon and Great Tusk fit fantastically alongside Iron Moth. Roaring Moon's Choice Band-boosted attacks complement Iron Moth's strong special attacks, and its U-turn can bring Iron Moth in safely against a Fairy- or Steel-type switch-in. Great Tusk can remove entry hazards and switch into strong physical attackers like Roaring Moon and Kingambit. In return, Iron Moth very easily switches into Jumbao, one of Great Tusk's hard counters. Eject Button Hatterene is a fantastic teammate that helps keep Stealth Rock off the field and give Iron Moth a crucial free switch.

Set Details Booster Energy Iron Moth fits best on hyper offense teams where Booster Energy's one-time use can be easily justified. Although it faces some competition from Quiver Dance Volcarona, its instant power and higher natural Speed tier gives it a niche over Volcarona. Fiery Dance allows Iron Moth to snowball quickly, while Sludge Wave forces Arghonaut and Garganacl to think twice before Terastallizing into a Fairy-type. Energy Ball 2HKOes Arghonaut, Krilowatt, and Garganacl, but Psychic maintains coverage against Arghonaut while pressuring Venomicon, Dragapult, and Clodsire harder. Ground-type Tera Blast allows Iron Moth to push past Skeledirge, Astrolotl, Clodsire, and Ceruledge, which would otherwise give it serious trouble. Dazzling Gleam is best when Iron Moth is Tera Fairy, hitting Roaring Moon and Dragapult more effectively. Tera Fairy allows Iron Moth to stomach Roaring Moon's STAB moves and Kingambit's Sucker Punch, removing them for a surprise KO. Agility helps Iron Moth sweep better, but it displaces a coverage move and is generally outclassed by Volcarona as a setup sweeper. Tera Grass is the best option, turning Iron Moth's severe Ground weakness into a resistance and boosting Energy Ball. An EV spread of 124 Def / 132 SpA / 252 Spe can be used so that Booster Energy raises Iron Moth's Speed, but the drop in power is noticeable. Booster Energy Iron Moth can also fit on sun teams to thwart typical counterplay to its Choice Specs set. Solar Beam should be run to OHKO specially defensive Garganacl at +1 and with Quark Drive active. However, Choice Specs is usually more effective against unprepared teams. Iron Moth fits excellently on hyper offense teams. Entry hazard setters like Meowscarada, Greninja, and Garchomp enable Iron Moth to net KOs more easily. Rapid Spin users like Caribolt and Great Tusk remove Stealth Rock to help Iron Moth leverage its good special bulk. Other hyper offense sweepers like Dragon Dance Roaring Moon, Swords Dance Iron Valiant, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Scale Shot + Swords Dance Miasmaw tend to struggle with Jumbao, which Iron Moth can help deal with. Supreme Overlord Kingambit can clean up games after Iron Moth has broken holes and fainted.

Iron Moth establishes itself as a premier Choice Scarf user on Fire teams, boosting its already good Speed stat in order to act as speed control to immediately threaten Pokemon such as Weavile and Greninja as well as a late-game cleaner. Its wide array of coverage options, good STAB combination, and very high Special Attack make it a difficult Pokemon to answer. Dazzling Gleam allows Iron Moth to hit Dragon-types such as Dragapult and Hydreigon, while Discharge and Energy Ball both provide coverage against Water-types; Discharge covers targets neutral to Energy Ball such as Toxapex and Pelipper, while Energy Ball is stronger and also hits Water/Ground types such as Gastrodon and Quagsire. U-turn forgoes a coverage move in order to allow Iron Moth to maintain momentum even when it cannot break through a team. Fiery Dance can be run instead of Flamethrower, forgoing a bit of power and burn chance in exchange for the potential to snowball into a sweep. Iron Moth pairs well with wallbreakers that can open holes for it such as Scovillain and Hisuian Arcanine. The former aids with bulky Water-types such as Toxapex and Gastrodon that may give Iron Moth trouble depending on its coverage, while the latter appreciates Iron Moth's speed control and potential pivoting capabilities to destroy problematic Fire-types and special walls, including Skeledirge and Hisuian Goodra. Torkoal provides Stealth Rock, status, and Rapid Spin support as well as powering up Iron Moth's Flamethrower with the sun. Paldean Tauros-F can threaten Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Heatran that wall Iron Moth, while Iron Moth can discourage faster Pokemon such as Greninja and Iron Treads from switching in—neither of which Paldean Tauros-F wants to take on. Volcarona can aid Iron Moth in wearing down a team, as both Pokemon can make progress to help the other break through; additionally, Volcarona can heavily damage Psychic- and Dark- types such as Espathra and Ting-Lu that can give Iron Moth trouble. Finally, Iron Moth's bad bulk makes pivoting support from Cinderace, Talonflame, and Moltres appreciated to help it get in easier; Cinderace can also provide hazard control with Court Change, while Talonflame can achieve the same with Defog.

Iron Moth is an offensive powerhouse and potent revenge killer on Poison teams thanks to its high Speed, great Special Attack, and wide movepool. Flamethrower melts through Steel-types such as Corviknight, Scizor, and Gholdengo that its teammates are unable to handle. Discharge eviscerates Flying- and Water-types like Talonflame, Pelipper, and physically defensive Toxapex. Dazzling Gleam fells the mighty Dark- and Dragon-types such as Hydreigon, Sableye, and Dragapult. U-turn allows Iron Moth to safely pivot out of unfavorable matchups against threats like Flash Fire Heatran, Clodsire, and Alolan Muk. Alternatively, Energy Ball checks Ground-types such as Swampert, Great Tusk, and Sandy Shocks. Sneasler and Okidogi pair well with Iron Moth, as they can take on specially defensive walls such as Alolan Muk, Blissey, and Hisuian Goodra, which Iron Moth can't break. They can also eliminate threats like Flash Fire Heatran and Tyranitar while appreciating Iron Moth's ability to remove threats like Sableye and Talonflame, which cause them significant issues. Galarian Weezing can use Defog to remove entry hazards and spread burn with Will-O-Wisp. Furthermore, it can provide safe entry as well as check Ground-types like defensive Great Tusk, Garchomp, and Clodsire thanks to Levitate. Amoonguss can deal with Water- and Ground-types that threaten Iron Moth such as Barraskewda, Gastrodon, and Hippowdon while also being able to use Spore to put threats to sleep, giving Iron Moth safe entry. Physically bulky Toxapex handles threats like Lokix and Mimikyu, which can use their powerful priority moves like Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak, respectively, to remove Iron Moth; it also helps to check threats like Keldeo, Kleavor, and Araquanid. Alolan Muk takes on Psychic- and Ghost-type threats such as Hatterene, Espathra, Flutter Mane, and Spectrier. Overqwil provides assistance to Iron Moth by taking on Gallade and Iron Boulder along with being able to lay Spikes to chip down special walls such as Hisuian Goodra and Empoleon. Clodsire can set Stealth Rock along with being able to remove opposing threats like Volcarona and Heatran.

Equipped with Choice Specs, Iron Moth turns into the best special wallbreaker on Poison teams. Flamethrower is a consistent Fire-type STAB move that allows Iron Moth to remove Corviknight and Skarmory. Alternatively, Fiery Dance, although having slightly less power than Flamethrower, can allow Iron Moth to snowball through teams that don't have a response to it thanks to the chance to boost its Special Attack after usage. Fire Blast, despite its lower accuracy provides higher power, which allows Iron Moth to OHKO specially defensive Jirachi and score a 2HKO on Alolan Muk and Clodsire. Discharge is great coverage, targeting threats that resist its Fire-type STAB moves such as Gyarados and Toxapex. Energy Ball nails threats like Swampert, Gastrodon, Garganacl, and Ursaluna that the previous two moves can't hit. Overheat is a strong nuke that can shred high-priority threats like Landorus, and it also has a chance to OHKO Gliscor after Stealth Rock damage. Dazzling Gleam can be used as coverage to threaten Dragon- and Dark-types like Raging Bolt and Hydreigon. However, by choosing to run Dazzling Gleam, Iron Moth forfeits its ability to nuke the aforementioned threats with Overheat. Because of Iron Moth's vulnerability to faster Water- and Ground-types, Toxapex, Amoonguss, and Galarian Weezing all synergize well with it. Both Toxapex and Amoonguss wall the likes of Ogerpon-W and Barraskewda. Additionally, Toxapex handles both Choice Scarf Kleavor and Hisuian Arcanine, and threatens them back, while Amoonguss can inflict Spore to give Iron Moth safe switch-ins as well as threaten Choice Band Excadrill with Foul Play. Galarian Weezing causes trouble for Dragon- and Ground-types like Roaring Moon, Dragonite, Choice Scarf Great Tusk, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T thanks to Levitate and Will-O-Wisp. Galarian Weezing also serves as entry hazard removal for Iron Moth with Defog. Galarian Slowking and Alolan Muk both handle Psychic-types like Latios, Latias, and Indeedee that threaten Iron Moth. Galarian Slowking has the added benefit of taking on Heatran and opposing Iron Moth, as well as pressuring foes with Future Sight, while Alolan Muk halts Galarian Slowking. In return, Iron Moth checks slower Ground-types that threaten them like Mamoswine and Iron Treads. Pecharunt threatens both Azumarill and Dragonite for Iron Moth, as well as bringing it in safely with Parting Shot thanks to its low Speed. In return, Iron Moth removes Nasty Plot Hydreigon for Pecharunt with Dazzling Gleam. Entry hazard support from the likes of Clodsire and Overqwil aids in Iron Moth's wallbreaking. Clodsire also deals with Fire-types like Heatran and Volcarona, while Overqwil slows down Iron Boulder and Choice Scarf Gallade, which threaten to OHKO Iron Moth. Glimmora is a great teammate for Iron Moth, as it is able to set up Stealth Rock to aid Iron Moth's wallbreaking, remove hazards with Mortal Spin, and spread poison with Toxic, even against opposing Poison-types if it's running Corrosion. Choice Scarf Glimmora outspeeds and threatens non-Air Balloon Heatran, Weavile, and unboosted Roaring Moon, which all threaten Iron Moth. In return, Iron Moth threatens Steel-types for Glimmora like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Air Balloon Gholdengo. Iron Moth and Okidogi form a strong wallbreaking core, with Iron Moth removing Corviknight, Amoonguss, and Swampert, while Okidogi removes Hisuian Goodra, Heatran, and Bisharp. Choice Scarf Sneasler not only threatens faster foes like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Choice Scarf Iron Treads, but it can also bring Iron Moth in with U-turn against Sableye and can spread status with Dire Claw to aid Iron Moth's wallbreaking.

Defensive Iron Moth may seem a bit weird on paper, but its Fire typing and serviceable bulk can allow it to act as a unique speedy wall for Poison teams to consistently checks the likes of Iron Valiant, Scizor, and Articuno. Flamethrower puts pressure onto Steel- and Ice-types such as Scizor, Iron Treads, and Articuno. Discharge can be vital for helping to spread paralysis along with handling Water-types like Pelipper and Toxapex, which easily take its Fire-type STAB move, and threatening Moltres. Alternatively, Sludge Wave can be used to easily handle Iron Valiant and Alolan Ninetales along with removing Ogerpon-H after minor chip damage. Toxic can help to force timers onto bulkier Calm Mind users like Raging Bolt and Volcarona, while U-turn can be used to keep momentum for Iron Moth's teammates. The main EV spread with a Timid nature lets Iron Moth make full use of its Speed to outspeed and eliminate Iron Treads and Alolan Ninetales without worry, while the secondary spread with a Calm nature allows Iron Moth to outspeed Timid Heatran while maximizing its bulk, allowing it to survive a Choice Scarf Enamorus Earth Power from full HP. Amoonguss serves as a key teammate to Iron Moth, being able to handle Water- and Ground-type threats such as Ogerpon-W, Urshifu-R, and Great Tusk with ease along with being able to take Knock Off from foes like Alolan Muk and Empoleon, preventing Iron Moth from losing its Heavy-Duty Boots. Galarian Weezing is a strong check to foes like Clodsire, Garchomp, and Dragonite, and it appreciates Iron Moth handling Gholdengo. Pecharunt can pair well with Iron Moth to create a solid pivot core with its Parting Shot and Iron Moth's U-turn on top of being capable of taking on physical attackers like Iron Hands, Iron Boulder, and Azumarill. Alolan Muk can support Iron Moth against special attackers that can overwhelm it such as Flutter Mane, Greninja, and Latios. Galarian Slowking can provide Future Sight to help remove other problematic walls such as Toxapex, while the Assualt Vest variant can easily use Earthquake to lure in and handle Heatran. Okidogi and Sneasler handle problematic Rock-type foes like Kleavor, Ogerpon-C, and Garganacl and can break through Hisuian Goodra for Iron Moth, while they appreciate Iron Moth being easily able to absorb Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Galarian Weezing and bulky Spectrier. Glimmora appreciates Iron Moth's U-turn to safely bring it in; in return, it can handle Fire-types Iron Moth can struggle against like Ceruledge and Torkoal.

With a pair of Heavy-Duty Boots, Iron Moth can switch in safely on entry hazards and go to town. It can easily set up a Substitute on foes such as Articuno, Moltres, and Amoonguss or predicted Sucker Punches from the likes of Bisharp to begin causing havoc while being safe from strong attacks. Fiery Dance pairs nicely with Substitute to give Iron Moth plenty of chances to boost up its Special Attack. However, Flamethrower is more consistent, being able to reliably OHKO Alolan Ninetales. Either Fire-type STAB melts Steel- and Ice-type threats like Corviknight, Scizor and Frosmoth. Discharge shocks Water-type switch-ins like Toxapex, Empoleon, and Azumarill, along with scaring Flying-types like Moltres and Enamorus out. Energy Ball gives Iron Moth the ability to threaten all Water-types with the exception of Ogerpon-W by hitting Quagsire and Rotom-W, along with blasting through Ground- and Rock-types like Ursaluna, Mamoswine, and Garganacl. Galarian Weezing's immunity to Ground-type attacks and high physical bulk make it an invaluable partner for Iron Moth, enabling it to safely come in against monsters like Great Tusk, Clodsire, and Mamoswine and threaten them out with the fear of Will-O-Wisp burns, and in return Iron Moth threatens Steel-types like Corviknight and Gholdengo. Physically defensive Amoonguss's Grass typing lets it take on many of the Water- and Ground-type threats Iron Moth is typically scared of like Urshifu-R, Quaquaval, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads with its STAB attacks. Spore also creates opportunities for Iron Moth to safely switch in and set up Substitute. Physically defensive Toxapex handles faster threats and Fire-types like Kleavor, Hisuian Arcanine, and Ceruledge with its STAB Surf and Haze. Alolan Muk's incredible special bulk and ability to handle threatening Ghost-, Dark- and Psychic-type threats like Flutter Mane, Spectrier, Greninja, Darkrai, and Espathra is invaluable. Overqwil can deal with Psychic-types like Galarian Slowking, Hatterene, and Espathra while setting Spikes, which Iron Moth can use to add to its offensive pressure and Fiery Dance sweeping potential. Assault Vest Galarian Slowking serves as another incredible special wall, being able to threaten out foes such as Kommo-o, Volcarona, and opposing Iron Moth. Galarian Slowking can further use STAB Future Sight to set traps to catch opposing switch-ins to Iron Moth such as Iron Hands and Clodsire. Water Absorb Clodsire handles Fire-types that would switch into Iron Moth's STAB moves like Ninetales and Volcanion with STAB Earthquake. It can also use Unaware to check Volcarona and set up Stealth Rock to pressure Fire-types. Glimmora can also set Stealth Rock and threaten out Fire-types like Talonflame and Skeledirge with its STAB Power Gem and Heatran with Earth Power, and using Corrosion, it can ruin special walls like Alolan Muk, Galarian Slowking, and Clodsire with Toxic. Sneasler's higher base Speed and STAB moves can allow it to blast through threats like Choice Specs Iron Valiant, Heatran, the Ogerpon formes, and Bisharp. Alternatively, Sneasler can use a Choice Scarf to outspeed and remove Choice Specs Greninja while using Switcheroo to mess up walls like Clodsire. Okidogi can remove threats like Bisharp, Heatran and Ogerpon-C while softening up other threats such as Toxapex and Clodsire with Knock Off.

Iron Moth is a powerful cleaner that is frequently able to snowball quickly with Fiery Dance, enabling it to break past would-be checks such as Gliscor and Landorus-T. Iron Moth uses Energy Ball to hit Water Types like Alomomola and Hisuian Samurott; it could also use Psychic to hit Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. It also has access to Dazzling Gleam to hit Dragon-types such as Raging Bolt, Garchomp, and Mega Latios; alternatively, Iron Moth could use Substitute. This allows Iron Moth to dodge status moves from Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking, as well as blocking priority from Kingambit and Raging Bolt. Iron Moth has 132 EVs invested into Special Attack to allow its Special Attack stat to be one point less then its Speed stat. This allows Iron Moth’s to get a Speed boost from its Booster Energy. Iron Moth could use other items if it is paired with Tapu Koko; for example, Heavy Duty Boots help to preserve its longevity. Iron Moth is often inconsistent, as it struggles against common Pokemon such as Heatran, Ting-Lu, and Mega Tyranitar and is weak to Stealth Rock, meaning it functions best on hyper offense structures. Great Tusk is an excellent partner, as it can take out Heatran and Mega Tyranitar for Iron Moth and can remove entry hazards. Iron Moth appreciates other Pokemon with Rapid Spin like Terapagos and other forms of hazard prevention like Hatterene and Mega Diancie. Iron Moth also values teammates like Volcarona and Raging Bolt, as they share checks like Mega Tyranitar, Heatran, and Ting-Lu. Iron Moth matches up well into Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Gholdengo, making Pokemon that have a poor matchup into them good partners. Tapu Lele, which can block priority using Psychic Surge, and Ogerpon-W, which breaks past Pokemon like Alomomola and Heatran, specifically enjoy Iron Moth’s presence on their team, as they all struggle with these foes. Iron Moth also values Stealth Rock to make it harder for its checks, like Mega Tyranitar, to switch in. Mega Diancie and Landorus-T both are able to set and deny hazards while doing significant damage before they faint through Endeavor and Explosion, respectively. Tapu Koko is another great partner for Iron Moth, as it can set Electric Terrain; this makes Iron Moth less reliant on Booster Energy to outspeed foes such as Mega Lopunny and Zamazenta. Tapu Koko can also offer valuable support by setting up dual screens; these let Iron Moth take hits from Pokemon like Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Terapagos variants lacking Earth Power that could take an attack from or outspeed Iron Moth.

With its unique typing, Iron Moth provides both offensive and defensive utility for balance and bulky offense teams, handling Steel- and Fairy-types such as Ferrothorn, Choice Specs Iron Valiant, and Gholdengo. Fiery Dance is preferred over other Fire-type moves due to the boosts given, which make Iron Moth a stronger wallbreaker and allow it to push past Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Moltres. Sludge Wave is necessary to hit Fairy-types such as Clefable, Iron Valiant, and Tapu Lele while also being a strong option against Fire-resistant foes such as Hisuian Samurott, Raging Bolt, and the aforementioned Moltres. U-turn allows Iron Moth to keep up momentum for its team, punishing defensive switch-ins such as Heatran and Toxapex more easily while enabling other strong attackers. Morning Sun improves Iron Moth's longevity, letting it wallbreak more consistently. Alternatively, Toxic Spikes punishes passive play against Iron Moth while wearing down defensive structures, including Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar and Ting-Lu, quicker for its teammates. Energy Ball is another option, notably 2HKOing Alomomola unboosted while OHKOing Mega Diancie and Great Tusk after Stealth Rock, preventing the latter from using Rapid Spin. However, it doesn't have much use outside of this, since its damage output against other threats is poor without boosts. Iron Moth works best on bulky offense teams that appreciate its pivoting and wallbreaking capabilities. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Ting-Lu, and Mega Tyranitar all easily shut down Iron Moth, with the latter being able to Pursuit trap it with ease. Physically offensive partners such as Urshifu-R, Garchomp, and Weavile are valuable teammates that can break past these walls for Iron Moth. They all appreciate Iron Moth handling Fairy-types such as Clefable and Tapu Fini in return, as well as absorbing Toxic Spikes from Toxapex and Glimmora to improve their longevity. The aforementioned Garchomp, as well as Landorus-T and Ferrothorn, can set entry hazards such as Stealth Rock to help wear down defensive structures quicker, which allows Iron Moth to clean up more easily with its high Speed. If Iron Moth uses Toxic Spikes, it can even stack hazards with these teammates; this makes Gholdengo a good partner with its ability to deny Defog and Rapid Spin, as well as its ability to handle Psychic-types such as Tapu Lele and Mega Medicham. A major roadblock for Iron Moth is Heatran, which effectively counters Iron Moth. Ground-, Water-, and Fighting-types such as Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta are good allies for breaking past it with ease. In return, they appreciate Iron Moth handling bulkier foes such as Clefable, Ferrothorn, and Pecharunt. Pivot support from teammates such as Choice Scarf Urshifu-R, Roaring Moon, and Tapu Koko are great for enabling Iron Moth against foes it does well against but may not want to directly switch into, such as Melmetal and Kartana, while Iron Moth can enable these threats against foes it struggles versus, such as Heatran, Raging Bolt, and Toxapex. Tapu Koko is especially good since it enables Iron Moth's Quark Drive via Electric Surge, allowing Iron Moth to OHKO both Hisuian Samurott and Urshifu-R with Sludge Wave or OHKO bulky Gholdengo with Fiery Dance unboosted. Tapu Lele is also a solid teammate, threatening Toxapex and Ting-Lu for Iron Moth while giving immunity to priority from Urshifu-R and Kingambit, both of which would otherwise pick off Iron Moth after minimal chip damage. In return, Iron Moth breaks through bulky Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, while they can both overwhelm a shared check in Heatran.

Iron Moth functions as a great offensive pivot, leveraging its solid typing bolstered by Desolate Land, high Special Attack, solid bulk and Speed, and deep coverage movepool to soft-check powerful threats like Zapdos, Gholdengo, and Moltres. Fiery Dance is preferred to potentially turn Iron Moth into a dangerous setup sweeper, but bulky variants can opt for Flamethrower for more consistent damage overall as well as more PP. Solar Beam is the preferred second move, immediately threatening checks like Manaphy and Swampert. Toxic Spikes allows Iron Moth to wear down bulky RegenVest foes like Roaring Moon and Manaphy over time, while Sludge Wave threatens Zapdos, Scream Tail, and Primarina. U-turn allows Iron Moth to pivot out of disadvantageous matchups like Well-Baked Body Steel-types, incoming Primordial Sea users, and Swampert if lacking Solar Beam. An offensive spread is usually preferred, especially if running coverage moves, but alternatively, a set with maximum HP and Speed can be used to be a more effective switch-in to foes like Zapdos and Primarina. Iron Moth finds itself best suited for balance or bulky offense teams that highly appreciate the combination of defensive utility and offensive firepower it brings. Offensive pivots like Meowscarada, Roaring Moon, and Slither Wing are especially great teammates, forming a potent VoltTurn core with Iron Moth. Roaring Moon threatens Psychic-types like Deoxys-S, Azelf, and Iron Crown while acting as a secondary check to Zapdos, which can otherwise come in on Iron Moth's Fire-type moves for free. Iron Moth, meanwhile, threatens the physical walls that Roaring Moon can struggle to make progress against. Iron Moth is incredibly vulnerable to Knock Off and, if its item gets removed, entry hazards, making Great Tusk and Corviknight amazing teammates. Even with specialized coverage, Iron Moth struggles to make progress against special walls like Swampert, Meloetta, and Chansey, and its Speed stat leaves much to be desired, meaning fast physical wallbreakers that can handle these special walls like Chien-Pao, Roaring Moon, and Zamazenta are near mandatory; these teammates also greatly appreciate Toxic Spikes wearing down checks like Great Tusk and physically defensive Manaphy.

All-out Attacker Iron Moth serves as an excellent wallbreaker, utilizing its high base Special Attack and good coverage to break down common defensive options in the tier. When using Sheer Force, Fire Blast threatens to OHKO Zamazenta and Pecharunt. Flamethrower can be opted for instead, trading in the ability to threaten the aforementioned KOs for accuracy. Fiery Dance should exclusively be used on Hadron Engine variants, as it allows Iron Moth to potentially spiral out of control in a single turn. Energy Ball is necessary for would-be checks like RegenVest Swampert and Manaphy. Discharge smacks Well-Baked Body Skarmory and Gholdengo and, hits Manaphy harder than Energy Ball if using Hadron Engine, and dissuades Roaring Moon from switching in with its nasty chance of paralysis, while Dazzling Gleam invalidates Roaring Moon as an answer to Iron Moth. Life Orb pairs perfectly with Sheer Force, granting Iron Moth extra power with no drawback on its Sheer Force-boosted moves. Heavy-Duty Boots can be considered on Hadron Engine sets, allowing Iron Moth to disregard entry hazards. Iron Moth truly shines on balance and more offensive teams looking for a wallbreaker that is near-impossible to switch into safely. Thus, other special wallbreakers and pivots like Azelf, Zapdos, and Hisuian Electrode appreciate Iron Moth's ability to overload their checks like RegenVest Manaphy, Swampert, and Roaring Moon. Defensive pivots like Corviknight, RegenVest Swampert, and Manaphy grant Iron Moth a backbone it can rely on to stomach hits in its place and pivot out; these Pokemon also can thwart revenge killing attempts from faster threats like Roaring Moon, Deoxys-S, and Chien-Pao. Iron Moth appreciates entry hazard removal from options like Great Tusk and Corviknight when not utilizing Heavy-Duty Boots. Iron Moth suffers from four-moveslot syndrome and as a result cannot threaten targets like RegenVest Roaring Moon without Dazzling Gleam and Well-Baked Body Skarmory and Gholdengo without Discharge; hence, teammates that can deal with these targets like Latios, Chien-Pao, and Choice Specs Primarina pair well with it.

Choice Scarf Iron Moth makes for a great cleaner on Fire teams by virtue of its diverse moveset and being able to outspeed Mega Swampert and non-Choice Scarf Greninja. Energy Ball handles Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types like Greninja, Mega Diancie, and Great Tusk. Sludge Wave targets the Ogerpon formes as well as Fairy-types such as Enamorus and Tapu Koko. Dazzling Gleam covers threats such as Hydreigon and Kommo-o. Torkoal sets up sun to boost Iron Moth's Fiery Dance to make it a more terrifying snowballing option and Stealth Rock to aid Iron Moth's cleaning, notably breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy from their users. Both Torkoal and Cinderace also serve as entry hazard control with Rapid Spin and Court Change, respectively, and the latter can bring Iron Moth in with U-turn to keep momentum. Mega Charizard X and Hisuian Arcanine pair well with Iron Moth, as they take on Heatran and Blissey, which otherwise wall Iron Moth. Heatran itself serves as a great partner, as due to its access to Magma Storm and Taunt, it can shut down and eliminate walls such as Toxapex. In return, Heatran appreciates Iron Moth taking on Ground-types such as Great Tusk, Mega Swampert, and Gastrodon. Thanks to Iron Moth's ability to take on bulky foes such as Mega Sableye and Tapu Fini as well as speedy Pokemon such as Iron Treads and Choice Scarf Enamorus, it can enable late-game sweepers such as Ceruledge and Volcarona to begin their own sweep.

Iron Moth can serve as a devastating Choice Specs wallbreaker for Poison teams thanks to its staggering Special Attack stat and incredible offensive movepool. Fire Blast reliably 2HKOes Black Sludge Alolan Muk and Clodsire while always OHKOing Archaludon and Landorus at the cost of accuracy. Discharge shocks Water- and Flying-types such as Toxapex, Pelipper, and Tornadus-T. Dazzling Gleam shines through Dragon- and Dark-type threats like Kommo-o and Hydreigon. Finally, Energy Ball can blow through Ground-types like Swampert. Alternatively, Overheat is Iron Moth's most powerful move, used to completely nuke two huge threats to Poison teams in Gliscor and Galarian Moltres after minor chip damage. Sneasler pairs well with Iron Moth to create a solid offensive core, with Sneasler handling special walls like Heatran, Blissey, and Empoleon while Iron Moth removes physical ones such as Skarmory, Staraptor, Hippowdon, and Pelipper. Mega Venusaur serves as an imperative teammate for Iron Moth, taking on Water- and Ground-types capable of handling it like Choice Scarf Urshifu-R, Ting-Lu, and Clodsire. Alolan Muk switches into and checks faster Psychic-types like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Deoxys-Speed for Iron Moth. Crobat and Galarian Weezing provide Defog support to remove Stealth Rock and keep Iron Moth healthy while also being immune to Ground-type attacks aimed at it. Crobat can also support Iron Moth by using U-turn to bring it in safely. Toxapex can deal with opposing Fire-types like specially defensive Heatran and Mega Charizard X and uses Toxic to wear down threats capable of handling Iron Moth such as Tyranitar and Assault Vest Iron Hands. Galarian Slowking provides Future Sight and Chilly Reception support to aid Iron Moth's wallbreaking and bring it in safely.

Good Speed, the useful ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, and great coverage make Iron Moth a reasonable alternative to other offensive Fire-types like Chi-Yu and Gouging Fire. Meteor Beam and Power Herb: Beyond being a more flexible way to boost Iron Moth's Special Attack than other options, Meteor Beam and Power Herb let Iron Moth crush opposing Fire-types who can otherwise use their bulk to be an issue, like Entei and opposing Iron Moth. Overheat: Even with the lack of extra coverage, Overheat is so strong that very few Pokemon can safely switch into it if using Choice Specs. Energy Ball: Energy Ball is highly recommended to hit Urshifu-R and Ursaluna-B as hard as possible. Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam makes sense with Tera Fairy, dealing huge damage to Roaring Moon and OHKOing Urshifu-S. Toxic Spikes: Iron Moth stands out as a good choice for an offensive Toxic Spikes setter, though note that it fears Ting-Lu far more than Meowscarada. Other Options Flame Charge: If not using a Choice item, coverage can be sacrificed in exchange for giving Iron Moth the ability to outspeed major threats such as Iron Bundle, Flutter Mane, and Chien-Pao. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Medium: Iron Moth's sheer offensive power and good Speed tier means Terastallization isn't integral to it, but it can be a good tool to stop revenge kills. Grass: Tera Grass massively improves Iron Moth's matchup against common foes like Urshifu-R, Landorus-T, and Primarina, and also prevents the rare Breloom lead from launching Spore successfully. Water: Tera Water gives coverage against other Fire-types with Tera Blast, and is still a good option to prevent Choice Scarf Urshfu-R from revenge killing with Surging Strikes. Ghost: Tera Ghost pairs best with Meteor Beam or Booster Energy variants, letting Iron Moth dodge Normal-type priority that would usually revenge kill it from Dragonite, Ogerpon-H, and Entei. Fire: When paired with Overheat and Choice Specs, Tera Fire means Fire-resistant foes aren't safe; with even physically defensive Incineroar taking over 60% from it! Fairy: The Dark-type resistance Tera Fairy provides can be a good way to catch Chien-Pao off guard after its Focus Sash has been broken, and saves Iron Moth from Urshifu-S's Sucker Punch. Items Booster Energy: While Booster Energy does make this Iron Moth less flexible in terms of switching out, the extra power can allow Iron Moth to run bulkier EV spreads, and the lack of recoil like Life Orb can make it a good late-game cleaner too. Choice Specs: Choice Specs turns Iron Moth into a full blown wallbreaker. Focus Sash: Focus Sash makes predicting against foes like Landorus-T less troublesome, and is a perfect fit if setting up Toxic Spikes. Assault Vest: Iron Moth's good special bulk makes Assault Vest a fine choice, letting it survive new attacks such as an unboosted Hydro Pump from Iron Bundle. It can be paired with bulkier EV spreads for even more impressive feats! Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf outspeeds important threats such as Iron Bundle, Flutter Mane, and Dragapult, who could otherwise outspeed and KO Iron Moth. Note that this item does compete heavily with the more powerful Chi-Yu, so make sure aspects of Iron Moth like Toxic Spikes absorption are important to the team. Bulkier EV Spreads 164 HP / 100 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe with Modest: This EV spread survives Tera Normal Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Life Orb Chien-Pao's Throat Chop from full health, survives two Shadow Balls from Modest Flutter Mane that lack an offensive boost, and outspeeds Modest Chi-Yu and Adamant Urshifu formes. If using Assault Vest, even Choice Specs Flutter Mane fails to 2HKO with Shadow Ball! 140 HP / 28 Def / 160 SpA / 180 Spe with Modest: This Assault Vest based spread avoids a 2HKO from Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Shadow Ball, and OHKOes Iron Bundle with Fiery Dance.

Iron Moth may seem like a strange Pokemon to use as a bulky Toxic spreader, but it sets itself apart from other Pokemon like Toxapex thanks to being far less passive and having access to phazing. Fiery Dance: While Fiery Dance is not a particularly reliable away to sweep, taking the chance is worth it considering Iron Moth's Speed. Toxic Spikes versus Toxic: Toxic Spikes is the preferred option for its excellent team support for bulky Pokemon like Garganacl, Charm Flutter Mane, and Latias. Toxic on the other hand, lets Iron Moth independently punish bulky responses to it like Ting-Lu and Porygon2. Whirlwind: A phazing move may not seemingly gel well with Speed investment, but it has incredible utility when Toxic Spikes are set up, punishing teams that leave their Toxic Spikes absorber in on Iron Moth. Sludge Wave versus Energy Ball: Giving up on Whirlwind does lose a unique selling point as a Toxic Spikes setter, but in exchange makes Iron Moth much harder to check with Chi-Yu and Primarina. Sludge Wave's damage output makes it the best choice, but Energy Ball stops Swampert from having a field day. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Medium: When the aim is to simply set up Toxic Spikes, Terastallization is not that important. However, Iron Moth's typing gives it enough weaknesses that Terastallization can give it a far longer life span. Water: Tera Water gives Iron Moth a resistance to Water-type moves without losing its resistance to Ice and Fire, which is helpful against Urshifu-R, Chien-Pao and Chi-Yu. It's also a great type to use with Tera Blast for dealing damage to Chi-Yu and Ursaluna-B. Grass: Tera Grass lets Iron Moth deal with powerful Earthquakes from the likes of Ting-Lu and Landorus-T, gives it a vital resistance to Water, and nullifies Spore. Fairy: Tera Fairy's Dark resistance can surprise Chien-Pao looking to revenge kill Iron Moth and protects it from powerful Dragon-type attacks from the likes of Choice Band Dragonite and Gouging Fire. Items Booster Energy: Booster Energy can be paired with specialized EV spreads to either get easier KOs, gain a Speed boost, or survive surprising special attacks at the cost of the flexibility of more general EV spreads designed to switch in multiple times. Sitrus Berry: The quick burst of recovery Sitrus Berry gives can be paired with specialized EV spreads, allowing Iron Moth to survive a wider range of attacks. Covert Cloak: Covert Cloak protects Iron Moth from the dreaded Salt Cure, which can otherwise put a timer on phazing. It also prevents specially defensive Iron Moth from losing to Chi-Yu's flinch chance. Leftovers versus Black Sludge: Leftovers's residual recovery pairs well with using Whirlwind as much as possible, but it's a fairly high-value item. Black Sludge is an acceptable alternative, but note that it will hurt Iron Moth after Terastallization if not using Tera Poison. Booster Energy Exclusive EV Spreads 188 HP / 244 Def / 36 SpA / 4 SpD / 36 Spe with Modest: This Booster Energy optimized spread OHKOes 4 Special Defense EVs Iron Bundle with a Quark Drive-boosted Fiery Dance while having good enough physical bulk to have a good chances of surviving powerful attacks from full health, like Timid Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Psyshock. 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe with Calm: This EV spread gives Iron Moth a Special Defense boost with Quark Drive, making it so bulky that even a Modest Choice Specs Chi-Yu has a low chance of 2HKOing it with Dark Pulse! Sitrus Berry Exclusive EV Spreads When using Sitrus Berry, make sure to run an even HP stat, so that one use of Ruination will activate it. 180 HP / 228 Def / 100 Spe with Timid: This EV spread almost always survives two hits from Jolly Focus Sash Chien-Pao's Crunch with Sitrus Berry, and it outspeeds Jolly Annihilape. 244 HP / 188 Def / 12 SpA / 12 SpD / 52 Spe with Bold: This EV spread has around a 90% chance of avoiding a 2HKO from Adamant Focus Sash Chien-Pao's Crunch. The minor Special Defense investment also avoids a 2HKO from Modest Chi-Yu's Dark Pulse and Timid Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Shadow Ball. Other EV Spread Examples 236 HP / 228 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpD / 36 Spe with Modest: This EV spread survives Timid Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Psyshock from full health. 196 HP / 132 SpD / 180 Spe with Calm: This EV spread almost always avoids the 2HKO from Modest Chi-Yu's Dark Pulse while outspeeding it alongside Adamant Urshifu-R. 244 HP / 164 SpD / 100 Spe with Timid: This EV spread outspeeds Jolly Annihilape and, as a bonus, gives Leftovers Iron Moth a nearly guaranteed chance to avoid being 2HKOed by Modest Chi-Yu's Dark Pulse and Choice Specs Flutter Mane's Shadow Ball. 244 HP / 52 Def / 4 SpA / 12 SpD / 196 Spe with Timid: This EV spread sacrifices some bulk to outspeed Garchomp while still surviving Life Orb Chien-Pao's Crunch and having a great shot of surviving two uses of Dark Pulse from Timid Chi-Yu. It also gets a Speed boost from Quark Drive. Benchmarks for Speed EVs Like many fast bulky Pokemon, Iron Moth has a huge variety of viable EV builds. If you'd like to make your own EV spread though, keep these Speed tiers in mind! Natures that can efficiently use these Speed tiers will be mentioned. 36 Speed EVs with any Neutral Nature: This is the minimum amount of Speed to run, outspeeding Jolly Breloom. 52 Speed EVs with any Neutral Nature: This outspeeds Modest Gholdengo. 76 Speed EVs with Timid or 180 Speed EVs with Calm This outspeeds Modest Chi-Yu and Adamant Urshifu formes. Note that Timid will give Iron Moth a bonus point to Speed, but a Calm nature has a greater chance of surviving some special attacks with specific EV spreads. 100 Speed EVs with Timid: This outspeeds Jolly Annihilape. 132 Speed EVs with Timid: This is the minimum investment for Iron Moth to get a Speed boost from Quark Drive, assuming no Special Attack investment, since doing so will increase Special Attack instead. 156 Speed EVs with Timid: This outspeeds Jolly Urshifu formes and Mimikyu. 196 Speed EVs with Timid: This outspeeds Jolly Garchomp.

With Booster Energy in its circuits, Iron Moth can sacrifice some of its power to become a surprisingly effective late-game sweeper and emergency revenge killer. While Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle are the usual go-to for this, Iron Moth doesn't have to worry about Toxic Spikes or Scizor's Bullet Punch. Energy Ball: Energy Ball is the best option for dealing damage to bulky foes like Ting-Lu and Suicune, and it also OHKOes Iron Bundle. Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam is Iron Moth's ticket to overloading Dragon-types like Garchomp and Roaring Moon, who can otherwise stop a sweep. Toxic Spikes versus Toxic: This Iron Moth set is arguably the fastest offensive Toxic Spikes setter that makes sense, making it a reasonable option for Toxic Spike loving teammates like Garganacl. Toxic on the other hand, directly puts a timer on common bulky switch-ins like Dragonite and Ting-Lu. Psychic: While not providing great coverage overall, Psychic is Iron Moth's best move against Toxapex and opposing Iron Moth. EV Spread: The given EV Spread ensures Iron Moth gets a Speed boost upon consuming Booster Energy while providing as much protection from priority attacks as possible. It also avoids a OHKO from Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T's Flying Tera Blast. Tera Types Tera Dependency - Medium If saved for late game, Iron Moth can often get itself in a position to sweep without worrying about revenge kills. Terastallization however, can reduce its vulnerability to certain priority attacks and allow it to be used earlier. Grass: Tera Grass is among the best options, preventing foes Aqua Jet Urshifu-R from from easily stopping a late-game sweep, plus dealing big damage to physically defensive Ting-Lu with Energy Ball. Water: Tera Water still aids against Urshifu-R, but does so while not being OHKOed by Choice Scarf Landorus-T's Flying Tera Blast, at the cost of doing less well against bulky Water and Ground Pokemon. Ghost: Tera Ghost blocks common Normal-type priority, from foes like Dragonite, Entei, and Ogerpon-H. Fairy: Tera Fairy punishes Chien-Pao and Urshifu-S from attempting to revenge kill with Sucker Punch.