Iron Valiant
VGC Guide
Iron Valiant is the most versatile offensive Paradox Pokémon in VGC: Fairy and Fighting dual STAB combined with Quark Drive boosting its highest stat 30% in Electric Terrain. With 130 Attack and 120 Special Attack, Iron Valiant can run either physical or special sets — making it nearly impossible to wall with a single Pokémon.
Quark Drive: Electric Terrain Power Boost
Quark Drive activates in Electric Terrain or when holding Booster Energy, boosting the highest stat by 30%. On physical sets with 130 base Attack as the highest stat, effective Attack reaches 169. On special sets with 120 SpAtk as highest, effective SpAtk reaches 156. Booster Energy is consumed on entry but its effect persists regardless of terrain changes.
Dual STAB: Fairy and Fighting Wide Coverage
Moonblast hits Dragon, Fighting, and Dark types; Close Combat hits Steel, Rock, and Ice types. Between the two STAB moves, almost every top VGC threat is covered. Shadow Ball covers Ghost-types, and Spirit Break — a Fairy spread move — lowers the target’s Special Attack providing disruption utility on top of raw damage.
EV Spreads
Team Partners
Miraidon sets Electric Terrain passively via Hadron Engine, activating Iron Valiant’s Quark Drive without consuming Booster Energy. Together they form an Electric Terrain dual core: Miraidon handles Electric STAB while Iron Valiant covers Fairy and Fighting.
Incineroar’s Intimidate lowers opposing physical attackers’ Attack when switching in, giving Iron Valiant safer entry. Iron Valiant’s Fairy STAB covers Fighting and Dark types that threaten Incineroar, creating strong mutual protection.
Tornadus sets Tailwind, letting Iron Valiant’s 116 base Speed outspeed even faster Choice Scarf users. Iron Valiant’s Fairy moves are unaffected by Prankster immunity (non-priority), and Tailwind immediately enables full offensive output.
Flutter Mane’s Fairy special attacks combine with Iron Valiant’s Fighting STAB to cover each other’s weaknesses. Flutter Mane handles special walls while Iron Valiant breaks through Steel and Rock types that resist Flutter Mane’s Moonblast.
How to Counter Iron Valiant
Poison-types are immune to Fairy STAB (Moonblast, Spirit Break) and resist Fighting with neutral or favorable matchups. While Iron Valiant can run Psychic coverage, leading with a Poison-type forces Iron Valiant to reveal its set before attacking.
Steel-types resist both Fairy and Poison but are weak to Close Combat. Iron Valiant cannot break through Steel without using Close Combat, which drops Defense and SpDef two stages — punishing it with a revenge kill on the next turn.
Ghost-types are immune to Close Combat. If Iron Valiant does not carry Shadow Ball, Ghost-types can freely switch into Fighting STAB with zero risk. Even with Shadow Ball, 60 SpDef means special Ghost coverage is still manageable.
Base 116 Speed is very fast, but Choice Scarf users above this threshold can revenge kill before Iron Valiant acts. Calyrex-Shadow at base 150 Speed fully outspeeds Iron Valiant even without Scarf, threatening an OHKO with Astral Barrage.