Lairon

Using Lairon in a Playthrough

The Aron line develops into one of Hoenn's most physically imposing families, combining Steel/Rock typing, tremendous Defense, and strong physical Attack at the cost of low Speed and severe weaknesses. Aron evolves into Lairon at level 32 and Aggron at level 42, with Aggron reaching base 110 Attack and an enormous base 180 Defense, making physical Normal-, Flying-, Rock-, Ice-, and several other resisted attacks extremely easy to absorb. The defensive typing is polarized, however: Fighting and Ground attacks deal quadruple damage and Water is also super effective, so Aggron's gigantic Defense does not make those matchups safe. Rock Head can remove recoil from moves such as Double-Edge and later Head Smash, while modern Sturdy can guarantee survival from full HP against one ordinary hit; Earthquake, Rock Slide or Stone Edge, Iron Head or Heavy Slam, and broad elemental coverage provide substantial offensive flexibility. Mega Aggron undergoes an especially important transformation by becoming pure Steel, gaining base 230 Defense and Filter in traditional ability-based games, dramatically reducing the type weaknesses that make ordinary Aggron so risky.

Lairon in Competitive Pokémon

Standard Aggron has usually occupied lower competitive tiers because base 180 Defense and strong Attack are undermined by low Speed, weak Special Defense, and quadruple weaknesses to Fighting and Ground. It can still exert real offensive pressure through Rock Head and high-powered attacks such as Head Smash, while Stealth Rock, Heavy Slam, Earthquake, Roar, and Thunder Wave give it useful support options. Mega Aggron is a fundamentally different defensive Pokemon: it becomes pure Steel, reaches base 230 Defense, gains base 140 Attack, and uses Filter to reduce the damage of super-effective attacks by 25 percent. Smogon has described Mega Aggron as one of the game's great physical tanks, capable of checking powerful physical attackers while setting Stealth Rock or spreading status. Its remaining limitations are base 50 Speed, only moderate special bulk, and lack of reliable recovery outside Rest, but the Mega form turns an extremely polarized defensive Pokemon into a much more stable physical wall.

Lairon in Nuzlockes

The Aron line can be excellent in a Nuzlocke when used against the right physical opponents because even Aron and Lairon possess impressive Defense and Aggron's base 180 Defense can trivialize many resisted physical attacks. The problem is that Fighting and Ground deal quadruple damage to all three ordinary stages, while Water is also super effective, making unexpected coverage from those types potentially lethal despite the armor. Modern Sturdy is valuable emergency insurance when the Pokemon is at full HP, and Rock Head can safely enable recoil moves that would otherwise create unnecessary self-damage. The relatively late levels of 32 and 42 mean the player spends a significant period training Aron and Lairon before reaching the final form, but both middle stages are sturdy enough to contribute if carefully matched. Mega Aggron is substantially safer where available because pure Steel removes the quadruple weaknesses and Filter softens remaining super-effective hits, but ordinary Aggron should always be treated as a specialist rather than a universal tank.

Lairon inhabits mountains rich in iron ore and mineral springs, feeding on iron from rocks while drinking highly nutritious spring water to temper and strengthen its armored body. Territorial disputes are settled through violent body collisions, and Lairon also demonstrates strength by ramming boulders to see how large a shower of sparks it can produce. Scratches and dents across the armor preserve a visible record of those conflicts rather than being signs of weakness. Because the best nesting sites are often the same places humans want to mine for iron, wild Lairon have repeatedly come into direct conflict with mining operations as well as with rival members of their own species.