[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat / Spirit Break
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Encore / Spirit Break
item: Booster Energy
tera type: Dark / Steel
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Iron Valiant serves as a potential sweeper, wallbreaker, and revenge killer for teams ranging from hyper offense to balance, as the move enables it to take full advantage of the setup opportunities afforded by Encore or threaten a sweep against many teams with three powerful attacks should Encore be forgone. Close Combat is the preferred STAB move, notably OHKOing Kingambit and dealing more damage to neutral targets like Cinderace and Rotom-W. Spirit Break is an alternative that has much better coverage with Knock Off, notably hitting Fairy-types like opposing Iron Valiant and Enamorus, as well as dealing much more damage to Great Tusk. Knock Off is extremely valuable, letting Iron Valiant break past Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and weakened Amoonguss and remove items like Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Rocky Helmet to help make progress against defensive teams. Encore allows it to take advantage of several Pokemon and lock them into setup moves like Dragon Dance from Baxcalibur, Curse or Iron Defense from Garganacl, and Bulk Up from Great Tusk; it can also lock targets into recovery moves like Recover and Roost, entry hazard moves like Stealth Rock and Spikes, or even weak moves like Knock Off. This can be done via prediction, pivoting via Volt Switch, U-turn, or Chilly Reception, or by sacrificing a Pokemon. Thus, with the threat of an Encore, Iron Valiant can take advantage of these Pokemon and turn them into setup fodders as they switch out. Booster Energy along a Jolly nature is essential to enable Iron Valiant to be as fast as possible, getting the jump on Choice Scarf Enamorus, +1 Baxcalibur, and Booster Energy Iron Moth and Walking Wake, thus giving it opportunities to both sweep and revenge kill. Tera Dark boosts Knock Off's power to very significant levels, making it even better against the Fighting- and Fairy-resistant foes that Knock Off is supposed to hit, notably OHKOing Gholdengo without a Swords Dance boost as well as Galarian Slowbro and Iron Moth at +2. Tera Dark also helps Iron Valiant set up on Psychic-type moves such as Galarian Slowking's Future Sight and Cresselia or Hatterene's Stored Power, especially if Iron Valiant can lock them into it with Encore. The same holds with Tera Steel, allowing Iron Valiant to set up on Poison-type moves like Toxic from Toxapex or Sludge Bomb from Galarian Slowking, as well as removing important weaknesses to moves such as Hurricane from Zapdos and Moltres and Moonblast from Enamorus and opposing Iron Valiant. In hyper offense teams, Iron Valiant appreciates teammates that can enable it to sweep like dual screens Dragapult, a hazard lead like Glimmora, Sandy Shocks, or Hisuian Samurott to weaken the opposition to ease a sweep, and other setup sweepers like Baxcalibur and Kingambit that can pave the way for one another, weakening common checks like Great Tusk and Landorus-T. In bulky offense and balance teams, fast teammates like Cinderace, Dragapult, and Zamazenta are appreciated so that Iron Valiant's Booster Energy can be preserved for the optimal time. On these kinds of teams, wallbreakers like Swords Dance Hisuian Samurott, Choice-item Hoopa-U, offensive Gholdengo, and Choice Band Meowscarada as well as entry hazard damage from setters like Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, and Hisuian Samurott can also aid in weakening the opposing team for a potential Iron Valiant sweep.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lydian.303291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/Dreadyfury.408271/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dkm.402001/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/milak.262594/
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat / Spirit Break
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Encore / Spirit Break
item: Booster Energy
tera type: Dark / Steel
ability: Quark Drive
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Iron Valiant serves as a potential sweeper, wallbreaker, and revenge killer for teams ranging from hyper offense to balance, as the move enables it to take full advantage of the setup opportunities afforded by Encore or threaten a sweep against many teams with three powerful attacks should Encore be forgone. Close Combat is the preferred STAB move, notably OHKOing Kingambit and dealing more damage to neutral targets like Cinderace and Rotom-W. Spirit Break is an alternative that has much better coverage with Knock Off, notably hitting Fairy-types like opposing Iron Valiant and Enamorus, as well as dealing much more damage to Great Tusk. Knock Off is extremely valuable, letting Iron Valiant break past Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and weakened Amoonguss and remove items like Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Rocky Helmet to help make progress against defensive teams. Encore allows it to take advantage of several Pokemon and lock them into setup moves like Dragon Dance from Baxcalibur, Curse or Iron Defense from Garganacl, and Bulk Up from Great Tusk; it can also lock targets into recovery moves like Recover and Roost, entry hazard moves like Stealth Rock and Spikes, or even weak moves like Knock Off. This can be done via prediction, pivoting via Volt Switch, U-turn, or Chilly Reception, or by sacrificing a Pokemon. Thus, with the threat of an Encore, Iron Valiant can take advantage of these Pokemon and turn them into setup fodders as they switch out. Booster Energy along a Jolly nature is essential to enable Iron Valiant to be as fast as possible, getting the jump on Choice Scarf Enamorus, +1 Baxcalibur, and Booster Energy Iron Moth and Walking Wake, thus giving it opportunities to both sweep and revenge kill. Tera Dark boosts Knock Off's power to very significant levels, making it even better against the Fighting- and Fairy-resistant foes that Knock Off is supposed to hit, notably OHKOing Gholdengo without a Swords Dance boost as well as Galarian Slowbro and Iron Moth at +2. Tera Dark also helps Iron Valiant set up on Psychic-type moves such as Galarian Slowking's Future Sight and Cresselia or Hatterene's Stored Power, especially if Iron Valiant can lock them into it with Encore. The same holds with Tera Steel, allowing Iron Valiant to set up on Poison-type moves like Toxic from Toxapex or Sludge Bomb from Galarian Slowking, as well as removing important weaknesses to moves such as Hurricane from Zapdos and Moltres and Moonblast from Enamorus and opposing Iron Valiant. In hyper offense teams, Iron Valiant appreciates teammates that can enable it to sweep like dual screens Dragapult, a hazard lead like Glimmora, Sandy Shocks, or Hisuian Samurott to weaken the opposition to ease a sweep, and other setup sweepers like Baxcalibur and Kingambit that can pave the way for one another, weakening common checks like Great Tusk and Landorus-T. In bulky offense and balance teams, fast teammates like Cinderace, Dragapult, and Zamazenta are appreciated so that Iron Valiant's Booster Energy can be preserved for the optimal time. On these kinds of teams, wallbreakers like Swords Dance Hisuian Samurott, Choice-item Hoopa-U, offensive Gholdengo, and Choice Band Meowscarada as well as entry hazard damage from setters like Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, and Hisuian Samurott can also aid in weakening the opposing team for a potential Iron Valiant sweep.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lydian.303291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/Dreadyfury.408271/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dkm.402001/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/milak.262594/
Last edited by a moderator:
