Iron Hands ex is a 230 HP Lightning Basic from the future side of Paradox Rift, and its signature attack bends the prize race itself: Amp Yo...
Iron Hands ex is a 230 HP Lightning Basic from the future side of Paradox Rift, and its signature attack bends the prize race itself: Amp You Very Much does 120 damage and, if it scores a Knock Out, takes an extra Prize card.
What Iron Hands ex Does
Iron Hands ex — Basic Lightning Pokémon from Paradox Rift (card #70 of 182), 230 HP, Double Rare.
Arm Press — Cost: Lightning + Lightning + Colorless. Damage: 160.
Amp You Very Much — Cost: Lightning + Colorless + Colorless + Colorless. Damage: 120. If your opponent's Pokémon is Knocked Out by damage from this attack, take 1 more Prize card.
Weakness: Fighting ×2. Resistance: none. Retreat Cost: 4.
Which Decks Want It
Lightning decks run it as a mid-game prize accelerator — most famously beside Miraidon ex, where it turns small Knock Outs into double-Prize turns. Any deck that can charge its hefty Energy cost gets an attacker that warps the scoreboard.
Related reading: Zapdos ex (151) Card Spotlight: Voltaic Float and the Free-Retreat Tempo Game — keep it open for when you finish this one.
Playing With (and Against) It
The extra Prize only matters on a Knock Out, so target selection is everything: hunting a damaged 120-or-less HP Pokémon with Iron Hands ex swings the race by two full turns. Its other attack costs four Energy, so plan the charge-up a turn ahead. Keep its Weakness (Fighting ×2) in mind when you choose your matchups.
By the Numbers
Iron Hands ex is one of 20 Pokémon ex printed at Double Rare in Paradox Rift. Its 230 HP ranks #7 among those 20 ex on raw bulk. The Pokémon also appears in Prismatic Evolutions in the card data we track, so compare printings before you settle on a favorite — our comparison series does exactly that for the era's repeat stars. Its hardest printed hit is Arm Press at 160 damage — the number every Weakness and Resistance calculation in its matchups starts from.
Verdict: Iron Hands ex earns its spotlight in Paradox Rift — a card with a clear job, a clear home, and a clear plan for the turns it is on the table. That is more than most cards in any set can say.
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