pkmnlab

Iron Defense

Steel · Status · 16 Pokémon in Reg M-B
Steel
Iron Defense
TypeSteel
CategoryStatus
Base power—
Accuracynever misses
PP15
Priority0
PokémonTypes Its usageCarries it
Kingambit 47.2% 0.1% Kommo-o 4.3% 2.3% Corviknight 2.3% 17.2% Mudsdale 0.42% 0.6% Mega Steelix 0.26% 22.8% Mega Chesnaught 0.26% 30% Mega Aggron 0.24% 83.5% Cofagrigus 0.23% 27.6% Orthworm 0.15% 31.4% Mega Slowbro 0.15% 21.3% Skarmory 0.13% 9% Garganacl 0.08% 59.3% Avalugg-Hisui 0.04% 5.8% Sandaconda 0.02% 80.6% Bastiodon 0.02% 72.8% Avalugg 0.01% 5.3%

What it does

Raises the user's Defense by 2 stages.

Who carrys it

16 of the 277 Pokémon measured on the Regulation M-B ladder carry Iron Defense. The one that matters most is Kingambit, which is on 47.2% of teams and carrys it on 0.1% of its sets. The full list is above, ordered by how much of the format each one is.

What it hits

As a Steel move it is super effective against Fairy, Ice and Rock, resisted by Electric, Fire, Steel and Water. 4 other Steel moves appear in this format: Iron Head, Flash Cannon, Bullet Punch, Heavy Slam.

Who could and does not

62 Pokémon legal in this regulation can learn Iron Defense at all, against the 16 that actually bring it. The gap is the interesting number: it is the set of Pokémon that have the option and decline it. The most-played of those are Sinistcha, Archaludon, Torkoal, Excadrill, Toxapex and Glimmora — each of them measured on the ladder, each of them leaving this move on the shelf.

How concentrated it is

Across the ladder, Iron Defense accounts for an expected 0.01 of the six slots on an average team, which makes it the 120th most-brought of the 121 moves this format runs. 4% of that comes from Kingambit alone, so it is spread across the field rather than propped up by one Pokémon. Its carriers are mostly Steel (7), Ground (3) and Rock (3).

Where these numbers come from

Usage is Smogon's published statistics for the Regulation M-B VGC ladder, and the description is the one shipped in the Pokémon Showdown data set. Both are regenerated on every build rather than written by hand, so this page follows the format instead of trailing it. Take any of it to the team builder or the damage calculator.

Where this goes next

Build

Open the builder with Kingambit seated — Kingambit brings Iron Defense to more teams than any of the other 15 Pokémon that carry it.

More

All 121 moves the format runs, ordered by how many copies an average team carries.