Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players urged to stop using Iron Hands in Decidueye Raids
GAME FREAK / THE POKEMON COMPANYThe first wave of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet 7-star Decidueye Tera Raids is over, and players are being urged NOT to use Iron Hands after the immense number of failed raids.
Since players first entered the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s post-game, Iron Hands has been a go-to for many trainers participating in 5- and 6-star Tera Raids. Its access to Belly Drum, hard-hitting moves like Close Combat and Wild Charge, and dual Fighting/Electric typing make it a great Pokemon in battle.
But higher-tier raids are more complex and require additional strategizing to take down. That said, some players treat the “Belly Drum into Close Combat” strategy as a one-size-beats-all technique, disregarding the boss’s potential moveset or type matchup.
Players will often abandon Tera Raids altogether if they see a player lock in with an Iron Hands or Azumarill, especially during the recent 7-star Decidueye Tera Raid event. And it’s reached the point where players are urging others not to bring their future paradox Hariyama on online forums.
Players urged to leave Iron Hands out of Decidueye raids
7-star Tera Raids are the most challenging battles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and one wrong pick can spell demise for a team. Even with Decidueye – arguably the easiest 7-star raid to date – its devastating physical attacks can quickly take out a bad matchup.
But the issue with Iron Hands isn’t its defense; it’s the Pokemon’s attack stat. Iron Hands is a physical attacker, but Decidueye has Feather Dance in its moveset. This move lowers a Pokemon’s physical attack stat by two stages with each use.
Not only that, but Decidueye buffs its own attack stat at the beginning of the match and can deal a devastating blow if Iron Hands chooses to use Belly Drum up front. And this exact thing has led to players like Minimallycheese posting about their experience on the r/PokemonScarletViolet subreddit.
The post, sitting just shy of 1,000 upvotes, was flooded with comments from players sharing in their anguish. But some claimed their Iron Hands pulled off a win over Decidueye while also admitting RNG played a big role in their victory.
“It took Decidueye getting paralyzed for my Iron Hands to win. As long as you can get that Thunder Punch with Shell Bell off first, you should be good,” one user commented. Another stated, “I beat Decidueye my first time with Iron Hands, but there was a lot of good RNG involved.”
But as a few players pointed out, Iron Hands is a viable Pokemon in Tera Raids when used correctly. It’s the continuous use of Belly Drum that makes playing with an Iron Hands so frustrating. And there are plenty of other options, such as Bellibolt and Miraidon, that work better in team and solo play.