Iron Hands ex and its Amp You Very Much attack has gained it some noteriety in the Pokemon TCG since it came out in Paradox Rift. However, it’s always been a secondary attacker, taking pinch hits at opportune moments for an extra prize card. Today, however, that could all change thanks to Temporal Forces and (in particular) Iron Crown ex.

Iron Hands ex deck list and strategy

Pokémon (9)
4 Iron Hands ex PAR 70
3 Iron Crown ex SV5M 36
2 Miraidon SV5M 52
Trainer (35)
4 Professor's Research PAF 88
4 Arven OBF 186
3 Iono PAF 80
1 Morty's Confidence SV5K 69
4 Techno Radar PAR 180
4 Electric Generator PAF 79
4 Counter Catcher PAR 160
2 Nest Ball PAF 84
1 Reboot Pod SV5M 63
4 Future Booster Energy Capsule PAR 164
2 Heavy Baton SV5M 66
2 Town Store OBF 196
Energy (16)
13 Lightning Energy 4
3 Gift Energy LOR 171

How does the Iron Hands ex deck work?

Iron Hands ex is entirely focused on Iron Hands ex’s Amp You Very Much Attack which can do an impressive 200 damage when powered up with all four Iron Crown ex in play.

While 200 damage may not sound like a lot when compared with other Pokemon ex out there like Chien-Pao ex or Roaring Moon ex capable of dishing out a lot more, you can’t forget to factor in the extra prize you get when you take a knockout against opposing Pokemon.

This extra prize makes Iron Hands ex effective against most decks. You can take an extra prize when you knock out a Pokemon ex or V and win the game in two knockouts, or you can absolutely steamroll single prize decks by taking the game in just three knockouts.

Iron Crown ex supplies the extra power Iron Hands needs

As great as Iron Hands ex is, it can’t be its own attacker without Iron Crown ex. iron Crown ex has the potential to seriously power up many Future Pokemon decks. In this case, you aren’t using it as a secondary attacker and only have it in play to power up your Iron Hands ex.

Cobalt Command is the ability to watch here, granting 20 more damage to Future Pokemon facing off against your opponent’s active. If you manage to get four Iron Crown ex onto your bench, you can grant your Iron Hands ex an additional eighty damage, bringing Amp You Very Much up to 200 damage.

Energy acceleration is a serious advantage to this Iron Hands ex deck

While many were bemoaning Flaaffy’s Dynamic Motor leaving the format after the 2024 rotation, this deck more than makes up for that loss with several new options to accelerate energy onto Iron Hands ex.

You have three impactful ways to accelerate energy into this deck: Electric Generator, Miraidon, and Reboot Pod.

Electric Generator has been a staple for electric Pokemon decks since it came out in Scarlet and Violet, letting you search the top five cards on your deck for up to two lightning energy, and then attaching that energy to your benched Iron Hands ex however you like.

Miraidon from Temporal Forces, meanwhile, is a huge benefit for this deck, letting you accelerate two energy onto your Iron Hands ex. This especially helpful if you go second as you can launch the attack first turn and start moving closer to your goal of having Amp You Very Much going strong.

Last but not least, Reboot Pod is a powerful ACE SPEC card for any future deck, and it can go a long way in ensuring your Iron Hands ex has what it needs to start attacking. Reboot Pod lets you attach lightning energy from your discard to each of your Future Pokemon in play.

Reuse energy with Heavy Baton

A new card in Temporal Forces also helps Iron Hands ex. When attached to Iron Hands, when that Pokemon is knocked out, you can move up to three energy from that Pokemon to another of your Iron Hands ex on the bench. That’s a huge and deadly advantage, helping ensure that your Iron Hands ex Amp You Very Much train can keep going without having to do all the work of accelerating four energies all over again.

Additional future cards bolster this deck

Lastly, it’s important to note that this deck is entirely built out of Future Pokemon, and benefits from several of the Future specific trainer cards now available via Paradox Rift and Temporal Forces.

While we’ve covered Reboot Pod already, you can also take full advantage of Future Booster Energy Capsule and Techno Radar.

Future Booster Energy Capsule removes the need to play switch cards thanks to the free retreat it grants your Pokemon. Meanwhile, it also adds an additional twenty damage to your Iron Hands ex’s attack, enabling Iron Hands ex to swing for 220 with Amp You Very Much – an impressive feat that takes KOs against many basic Pokemon ex.

Techno Radar, on the otherhand, is incredibly powerful, allowing you to add two future Pokemon into your hand for only the cost of discarding a card.

Building entire Future focused decks hasn’t been very popular until now, so that card has seen considerably less play than it will in the future.

Arven and Town Store make it easy to add cards to your hand

Last but not least, Arven makes up the primary card search engine of this deck, enabling you to pull powerful items and tools into your hand. Meanwhile, the two Town Store cards this deck runs also helps you bring Pokemon Tool cards to your hand, which are pretty important to this deck’s strategy.

When all is said and done, Iron Hands ex is a great example of what a Future Pokemon deck can do with all of the new support from Temporal Forces, and shares a glimpse at how fun and exciting the future of the Pokemon TCG meta is going to be.

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