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Pokemon Scarlet and Violetintroduced us to the Paradox Pokemon, bizarre creatures that appear to be either the prehistoric ancestors or futuristic descendants of Pokemon we know and love. And, if Walking Wake and Iron Leaves are any indication, there may be yet more Paradoxes to be encountered. However, there is one - rather, two - Paradox Pokemon who stands out among the group. The “kind of legendary but not really” Volcarona has not just one Paradox form, but two - one for both Scarlet and Violet. In Pokemon Scarlet, Volcarona’s paradox form is Slither Wing, a monstrous insect with a long, reptilian tail. And in Violet, Volcarona’s paradox form is Iron Moth, a mechanical recreation of the Sun Pokemon that resembles some strange UFO-like object.
Related:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Bug-Type Moves
Iron Moth is a Fire- and Poison-type Pokemon with the ability Quark Drive. Unlike its sibling Slither Wing, Iron Moth stays true to Volcarona’s stat spread of being a fast, specially oriented attacker - only now, Iron Moth dialed it up to eleven. Iron Moth is faster than Volcarona, can take special hits better than Volcarona, and hit harder than Volcarona. Heck, Iron Moth can even hit harder on its weaker physical side. While Iron Moth may seem like a direct upgrade to Volcarona in almost every way, there are some key differences that hold Iron Moth back from outshining its present-day ancestor.
Iron Moth’s Strengths
Quark Drive
Quark Drive is the ability of the future Paradox Pokemon, and Iron Moth is no different. Quark Drive is a versatile ability that heightens the user’s highest stat by 30% (50% if the stat is speed) when activated either through Electric Terrain or by holding a Booster Energy.
With a Quark Drive boost, Iron Moth’s ridiculous 140 base Special Attack can tear through teams. Or, if you’re looking to be a speedster, Iron Moth can reach speeds of up to 525 without any other stat boosts - fast enough to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame.
Alternatives To Dance
Volcarona’s greatest tool is Quiver Dance, a move that boosts the user’s Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all by 1 stage each. With just a few Quiver Dances, Volcarona can be set to sweep entire teams. So, as the futuristic descendant of Volcarona, Iron Moth should get Quiver Dance too, right? Well, no. That’d be a bit too much, considering how well Iron Moth performs without it.
So, what does Iron Moth have that can make up for this? Well, Iron Moth does keep Volcarona’s signature Fiery Dance, which has a 50% chance to raise Iron Moth’s Special Attack by 1. It’s a gamble, but that Special Attack boost can mean the difference between a 2HKO and a 1HKO. For Speed, Iron Moth learns Agility, which allows it to out-speed many other Pokemon, including a Choice Scarfed Dragapult.
Flying High
You may have noticed a key detail about Iron Moth; its Fire- and Poison-typing. Previously a typing unique to Salazzle, Fire and Poison affords Iron Moth both key resistances and a devastating weakness. Fire and Poison allow Iron Moth to comfortably switch in against Grass-, Bug-, and Fairy-type attacks for 0.25x damage, as well as normally resist Steel-, Fighting-, and Ice-type attacks as well as its own types. However, Iron Moth is also doubly weak to a very common type: Ground.
Any Pokemon with a 4x weakness already has to tread carefully, but a double weakness to Ground is a very scary thing, especially in a metagame where Pokemon like Garchomp and Great Tusk are the top dogs. There are a few ways to get around this, however: namely, Terastyllization. Terastylizing into the Flying-type grants you immunity to Ground while also boosting the damage of moves like Hurricane, a powerful coverage option for Iron Moth. Alternatively, if you wanted to choose a different Tera type, you can give your Iron Moth an Air Balloon to avoid Ground attacks until you take a hit.
Recommended Builds
We’ve analyzed Iron Moth, now let’s see what kind of builds perform best.
Iron Moth - Booster Energy
This build puts emphasis on speed and power. Iron Moth’s focus on speed allows it to boost its Speed to great levels with Quark Drive, letting it out-speed even unboosted Dragapult. Dazzling Gleam is a good coverage option, boosted further by Tera Fairy. Fiery Dance allows Iron Moth to bolster its Special Attack, dealing even more damage with moves like Energy Ball and Psychic. Tera Fairy also removes Iron Moth’s double weakness to Ground and Stealth Rock.
Iron Moth - Heavy-Duty Boots
Perhaps you’re looking for more utility? Iron Moth can learn Toxic Spikes, which can Badly Poison Pokemon that switch in once two layers are set up. Sludge Wave and Flamethrower are a great STAB combination and Overheat can be used if you’re looking for more firepower. In Harsh Sunlight, Iron Moth can deal even more damage and even heal itself with Morning Sun.
This build puts more emphasis on Iron Moth’s high special attack, relying on Agility for added speed instead of Quark Drive. If you’re looking to play in Ubers, this build is recommended. Iron Moth can absorb toxic spikes, and deal with enemy Iron Moth and Toxapex with Psychic. Dazzling Gleam can KO both Koraidon and Miraidon, as well as deal with threats like Chien-Pao. Energy Ball can hit Iron Bundle for super-effective damage, and deal with Garganacl and Ting-Lu if supported by a Tera Grass boost.
