What it does
Iron Fist multiplies the power of all moves flagged as punching moves by 1.2×. The list is longer than intuition suggests: Drain Punch, Mach Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Shadow Punch, Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, Power-Up Punch, Plasma Fists.
Important: Close Combat is not a punching move and gets no Iron Fist boost. Neither does Superpower, Low Kick, or Brick Break. This trips people up. Check whether a specific move has the punch flag before assuming the bonus applies.
20% sounds modest, but applied to already-high base powers it adds up fast. Conkeldurr's Drain Punch at base 75 becomes effectively 90 under Iron Fist. Thunder Punch goes from 75 to 90. And Drain Punch still heals on top of the boosted damage.
Who runs it
Conkeldurr: 78% Iron Fist usage — the defining carrier. 140 base Attack, Drain Punch for boosted damage that also heals, Mach Punch for priority. Assault Vest covers the Sp. Def gap and lets it stay on the field. Iron Fist vs. Guts is a real trade-off (see Tips), but Iron Fist wins on consistency — no HP cost, active from turn 1.
Infernape: 48% usage, 108 base Speed. Mach Punch punches through slower threats; Fire Punch adds coverage. Quick enough to not rely on Trick Room, punching moves benefit from Iron Fist at every point in the game.
Crabominable: 39% usage. 132 base Attack, Fighting/Ice typing. Ice Punch at effective 90 power covers Dragons, Flyers, Grass, and Ground — an unusual coverage spread. 43 base Speed means Trick Room is essentially required.
Golurk: 28% usage. Ghost/Ground, immune to Fighting-type moves. Shadow Punch (Ghost-type, never misses) boosts to effective 72 power under Iron Fist. 55 base Speed works in Trick Room. Good partner for Trick Room setters.
Pangoro: 7% usage, 124 base Attack. Niche but has its matchups via Dark/Fighting typing.
How to use it
Iron Fist runs in the background from turn 1 — no activation condition, no HP drain, no setup. Just use punching moves and get the bonus.
Conkeldurr's core loop: Drain Punch deals boosted damage and recovers HP in the same action. With Assault Vest raising Sp. Def, it can sit on the field against special attackers while chipping them down and recovering the physical hits it takes. The drain loop compounds — you're healthier, they're weaker.
Mach Punch application: 48 power priority move after Iron Fist. Use it to finish off low-HP targets before they can move, or to hit an incoming threat before it acts. In singles, priority priority moves often decide who cleans up the endgame.
Tips & strategy
Iron Fist vs. Guts on Conkeldurr: Guts at full activation gives roughly ×1.5 Attack (beating Iron Fist's ×1.2 on the relevant moves), but costs HP each turn from the orb and requires surviving turn 1 to activate. Iron Fist costs nothing and starts immediately. If your team needs consistent pressure from the start or can't afford orb chip, Iron Fist is the cleaner choice. Guts is the higher ceiling that needs more support.
Verify the punch flag: do not assume. Close Combat and Brick Break look like they should benefit but don't. Shadow Punch and Ice Punch might be less obvious but do. Run a quick check on each move before locking your set.
Doubles pairing: Conkeldurr and Golurk's Fighting-type attacks are blocked by Ghost-types. In doubles, have a partner that can handle Ghosts, or have Shadow Punch ready on Golurk to work around it.