A lot of people love the Gen 2 Pokemon Tyranitar. It looked cool and was very useful in the game, considering that it is a Pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
The question that some people think is that what is Iron Thorns’ weakness?
If you’ve played Scarlet or Violet, then Iron Thorns might remind you of Tyranitar. It is a Pokemon from the recently released Gen 9.
This Pokemon looks like a futuristic version of Tyranitar. It’s probably why it is known as a Paradox Pokemon. Other examples of Paradox Pokemon include Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, Iron Jugulis, Iron Leaves, and Iron Bundle.
Like all other Pokemon, no matter how strong one looks or have stats to boot, there are always strengths and weaknesses to any Pokemon. Even Legendary and Mythical Pokemon can be taken out by a Bidoof as long as the player knows what they’re doing.
That’s where we’ll dissect what makes Iron Thorns Tick.
Table of Contents
Everything About Iron Thorns
Iron Thorns is a Pokemon introduced in Gen 9 and only in Gen 9 as of now. It only has this form so it doesn’t evolve by any means.
It looks like a robotic and maybe even a futuristic Tyranitar. Based on its overall physique, it definitely looks like a dead ringer for Tyranitar.
Iron Thorns is a Rock/Electric-type Pokemon with the ability called Quark Drive. Quark Drive raises the user’s highest stat on an Electric Terrain or if the user is holding Booster Energy.
Speaking of stats, Iron Thorns has high Attack, HP, and Defense while the rest are just below average. It can only be found in the Pokemon Violet, specifically in the Great Crater of Paldea.
Players of Pokemon Scarlet can only get it through trading. It spawns at any time of the day with an 8% encounter rate and a level range of 52 to 60.
Iron Thorns Weakness
Let’s get to the point on this one: being a Rock and Electric-type Pokemon, Iron Thorns should have a multitude of weaknesses.
The types that deal 2x damage (or super-effective damage) on Iron Thorns are Grass, Water, and Fighting-type moves. Those three are super effective against Rock-types which is the main type of Iron Thorns.
Moreover, Iron Thorns can receive 4x damage from Ground-type attacks since both Rock and Electric types are weak to it.
What are Iron Thorns’ Strengths?
We can’t discuss weaknesses without putting in Iron Thorns’ strengths.
In terms of defensive properties, some types only deal half the damage to Iron Thorns: Normal, Electric, Fire, and Poison-type moves. Those types deal less damage due to the Rock-type aspect of Iron Thorns.
The type that deals the least amount of damage is Flying-type. Flying-type moves are not effective on Iron Thorns because Rock and Electric-types are resistant to Flying-types.
In terms of offense, Iron Thorns excel in Physical-based combat. It has good base stats in Attack and Defense but is lacking in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
It’s a good Pokemon to have when you want to endure initial attacks due to its good physical defense and OHKOing potential.
Despite its low base Speed, Iron Thorns is quite bulky for most battles except against Pokemon that can dish out strong Special Attacks.
A Good Sandwich for Iron Thorns
If you want to capture an Iron Thorns which has a low encounter rate, it is ideal to make sandwiches with Humungo Power property because Iron Thorns is a large Pokemon.
Additionally, make a sandwich that increases the encounter rate for Electric-types as well. Don’t worry about the Rock-type since Iron Thorns spawns in a Rocky Biome anyway. The boosted Electric-type encounter rate is enough to maximize the odds of finding it.
Iron Thorns or Tyranitar?
Considering that Tyranitar is also in Gen 9, some people would think it is better to get one over Iron Thorns.
First of all, Tyranitar’s stats are quite similar to Iron Thorns. Both excel in physical combat by having high base Attack, HP, and Defense. Their special stats and Speed are a bit abysmal so the typing is where things differ.
Tyranitar is a Rock and Dark-type so the second type will have its own sets of weaknesses aside from Rock which Iron Thorns already has.
As for the moves, pretty much both of them have access to the same movepool — from powerful Ground-type moves like Earthquake, to Electric-type moves like Thunder. Both can even use Ice Punch which was banned in some competitive events.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is a bit harder to get a Tyranitar than Iron Thorns. Tyranitar is caught through five-star raids, and you may need to look at detailed guides to help you.
In Closing
Now that you know everything about Iron Thorns’ weakness, you’re probably thinking of getting one. It is only available for Violet, so it is undoubtedly a must-have Pokemon.
With a version-exclusive Pokemon on your side, you can trade it for other Pokemon that are exclusive to Pokemon Scarlet.
Iron Thorns is one of those endgame Pokemon or the ones you can get near the end post-game. It’s big and strong, but unfortunately has a couple of weaknesses which we just discussed throughout this article.
We hope this helped you a lot to become a better Pokemon trainer in Paldea! For more guides on Pokemon SV, check out our other contents here at Pokemoncoders:
- How to Get Hidden Ability in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- How to Get False Swipe TM in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- How to Evolve Charcadet in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
