Hi there. In this Pokemon TCG post, I am sharing an observation of the rising price and popularity of Iron Hands ex. Since the release of Temporal Forces in March 22 with some stores selling product a few days earlier, the price of Iron Hands ex has been going up like crazy.
From the Paradox Rift expansion the price went down to around 10 CAD after the initial release hype went down. I type this on April 3 which is five days after the release of the latest Temporal Forces expansion set. The price from Toronto's 401 Games store is listed at 25 CAD. The price did go crazy with this card.
Images are mainly from Bulbapedia website.
Iron Hands The Pokemon
Iron Hands is a Fighting and Electric Paradox Pokemon from the Scarlet & Violet series. It is a relative of Hariyama from the future. This Pokemon looks like a cyborg sumo wrestler with large hands.
Iron Hands ex The Card
Iron Hands ex the card is an Electric type Pokemon with a bulky 230 HP. Its first attack of Arm Press does 160 damage for 2 Lightning energy and a colourless energy. The second attack is something that cannot be ignored. It is called Amp You Very Much. For one Lightning energy and 3 colourless energy it does 120 damage but if this attacks knocks out an opponent's Pokemon then the user of this card gains an extra prize card.
With the Amp You Very Much attack, the user of Iron Hands ex can knockout a single prize Pokemon and gain 2 prize cards. Knocking out a two prized Pokemon from Amp You Very Much yields 3 prize cards for the attacker. This attacker can make it easier for you to take all 6 prize cards for the win.
Cards That Go Well With Iron Hands ex
Iron Hands ex is also a Future Pokemon that is compatible with Future Energy Booster Capsule for free retreat and an added +20 damage.
Miraidon from Temporal Forces provides energy accleration from its first attack of Peak Acceleration.
The newly released Iron Crown ex from Temporal Forces helps add 20 damage for Future Pokemon (except any Iron Crown ex)
Electric Generator can accelerate Lightning energy from the deck onto Iron Hands ex as it is an Electric Pokemon.
Why It's Good
When Iron Hands ex was released from the Paradox Rift expansion in November 2023 there were some vocal people who were scared of this. The second attack of Amp You Very Much is something to be mindful of. Pokemon with Lightning weakness had to be careful of Iron Hands ex as it can takes multiple prizes quickly.
With the release of Temporal Forces and support cards like Miraidon and Iron Crown ex, it is easier to power up Iron Hands ex with energy to set up the Amp You Very Much attack. Future decks with Iron Hands ex, Miraidon and Iron Crown ex are pretty fast in the early game. If there is no response to the opponent's Future attackers and Iron Hands ex then you can lose the game quickly without getting your setup in play. It is more of the competitive Pokemon TCG scene that has driven up the price from 7USD in mid February 2024 to 19 USD in late March 2024.
Iron Hands ex TCG Player price chart as of April 4, 2024.
Fighting Types As A Counter To Iron Hands ex
With the sudden surge in popularity of Iron Hands ex there will be people looking for counters against it. One obvious counter to Iron Hands ex is having Fighting types as the weakness to Iron Hands ex is Fighting. Some theoretical counters (with links) are listed below:
Niche Fighting Counters To Iron Hands ex
I have included some niche counters as well. Not sure if these will see much use.