What it does
Ice Punch is a physical Ice-type contact move with base power 75. Being a punching move, it gets a 1.2x boost from Iron Fist, which brings the effective power to the equivalent of a 90-power normal move. That's the edge it has over Icicle Crash (base 85, no Iron Fist scaling) — on the right user, Ice Punch actually hits harder.
The 10% Freeze chance is the other half of the move's value. Freeze in doubles is one of the most dangerous status conditions in the game: a frozen Pokemon skips its entire action for the turn, not just has reduced chance to move. That's a full turn where you're effectively playing two-versus-one — you can double-target the other Pokemon, set up positioning, or swap freely. Freeze doesn't resolve until the end of the frozen Pokemon's action phase, so the opportunity window is real and wide.
You won't build a strategy around freezing. But when it procs on a key support Pokemon or the opponent's last remaining answer to your team, it can close out a game that felt contested.
Who runs it
Conkeldurr (42%) is the heaviest user in the data. Iron Fist is one of its standard abilities, and its Attack stat is enormous — Ice Punch on Conkeldurr hits the equivalent of base 90 before STAB adjustments on the opposition. It covers Dragon, Grass, and Ground types that Fighting doesn't handle, and those types are well-represented in the Champions format.
Rhyperior (34%) has a massive Attack stat. Ice Punch is its answer to Dragon and Grass threats — but unlike Conkeldurr, Rhyperior does not have Iron Fist, so it uses Ice Punch at base power rather than the boosted value.
Tyranitar (34%) lacks Ice STAB but runs Ice Punch for Dragon coverage specifically. Its base Attack is high enough that even without Iron Fist, the output is respectable. It's the go-to on Dragon matchups.
Lucario (23%) is fast and hits hard. Ice Punch rounds out its coverage triangle with Close Combat, giving it credible answers to Dragon, Ground, and Grass in one moveset.
Golurk (16%) has Iron Fist and runs Ice Punch for Dragon and Grass coverage, filling its weaker type matchups.
Palafin (12%) and Machamp (12%) use it as coverage filler and Iron Fist exploitation, respectively.
Beartic (8%) is the Ice-type of the group — it gets STAB on top of everything else. Paired with Swift Swim, its Ice Punch under rain can lead before slower targets act.
How to use it
For non-Ice types, the move is pure coverage. In doubles, you rarely have the luxury of bringing a dedicated Ice attacker, so packing Ice Punch into a Fighting-type's slot broadens the threat range without a new team slot. One Pokemon answering Dragon, Ground, and Grass pressures your opponent's teambuilding significantly.
If your Pokemon has Iron Fist, Ice Punch should be first on the consideration list whenever you need Ice coverage. The damage boost is clean and comes with no downside — it's just a free upgrade compared to other Ice physical options without scaling.
Once a freeze lands, shift your focus immediately. Pile on the non-frozen target, not the frozen one. A frozen Pokemon is a sitting duck; use the free turn to push the game state decisively, not to hit it for small damage.
Don't telegraph freeze dependency in your mental plan. Ice Punch is a coverage move that occasionally freezes, not a freeze move that also does damage. Plan around the coverage, celebrate the freeze.
Tips & strategy
Contact moves trigger Rough Skin and Rocky Helmet. Punching a Garchomp wearing Rocky Helmet costs you HP. Check the opponent's item and ability situation before committing, especially if it's a defensive counter-hit setup.
Ice Punch versus Ice Beam is a stat check. If the Pokemon's Special Attack is higher, Ice Beam usually wins on damage. Ice Punch is for Iron Fist users and physically-oriented sets that need Ice coverage and can't justify a special move in the spread.
Freeze is the most complete status condition in the game — the target literally cannot act. In doubles, if Ice Punch freezes on turn one or two, the opponent is down a Pokemon for that turn without a switch. You're playing two-on-one, and you choose what that looks like.