Introduced in Generation II in an attempt to rebalance Typing as a whole, Steel Types should have taken the Pokémon world by storm. They were designed to hit hard, be sturdy, and change up the metagame. Unfortunately, Steel Types have been largely ignored by Game Freak ever since, with older Types getting priority when it comes to new designs.
That said, this isn’t to say there aren’t strong Steel Types out there. In fact, some of the strongest Pokémon in the metagame are Steel Types. Of course, not all Steel Types are created equally and some are undeniably better than others, but when Game Freak puts their mind on creating a new Steel Pokémon, they often knock them out of the park.
Updated December 15th, 2020 by Tanner Kinney: With the latest title, Sword and Shield, finally complete with its DLC expansions, steel-types have seen some love. Both of the main legendaries of the games are part steel-type, which is nice to see. There were a few other great additions like Duraludon and Copperjah, but they can hardly be considered as strong as other Pokemon. Still, along with some returning faces, there are enough steel-types of note to make any specialist satisfied.
15 Corviknight (Gen VIII)
Corviknight is a unique kind of bird, primarily due to the bulk it boasts. It has great typing and is defense oriented as well. Its abilities are solid, each with their own uses. It isn’t quite as fast as other birds, though, which makes it an interesting choice for an entire region’s taxi service.
Regardless, many trainers were instantly drawn to Corviknight’s design. It’s an edgy black bird, a far cry from the typical Route 1 bird. It isn’t quite as game-changing as Kalos’s Talonflame, but it plays its role incredibly well. In terms of utility, it has plenty of moves to stall and support its team. In terms of offense, it packs a mean Brave Bird with enough buffs. It’s a well-rounded steel-type and clearly a fan favorite.
14 Melmetal (Gen VII/VIII)
Melmetal is an odd Pokemon. It was the first Pokemon to be exclusively designed and released for Pokemon Go. However, it also found use in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, and can even be transferred to Sword and Shield. It may be a bit more common than your average mythical Pokemon, but it definitely has the power of one.
Melmetal is like if Regigigas didn’t have to deal with Slow Start. It has absurdly high HP, attack, and defense with a poor speed stat. It’s a classic steel-type in every way, including its industrial design. This bulk allows it to play many different roles. It can be purely offensive with a Choice Band, or play it safer with an Assault Vest to cover its poor special defense. Either way, Melmetal is certainly a cool and exciting Pokemon.
13 Kartana (Gen VII)
Kartana is almost the opposite of a classic steel-type. Its typing makes it incredibly weak to fire-type Pokemon, and its statline has it be essentially have the bulk of a wet napkin. However, it’s fairly fast and has a ridiculously high base attack of 181, the highest of any non-Mega Evolved Pokemon. In terms of hitting hard, it can’t be beat.
Kartana truly is a glass cannon, which is an interesting twist for the type. Like many other Ultra Beasts, it’s highly specialized and Beast Boost only make it stronger. Like the paper it resembles, it can also flex into many different strategies and builds depending on what the trainer needs from their offensive threat. With enough Beast Boosts, it really does feel like there is no counter.
12 Zacian and Zamazenta (Gen VIII)
In their base forms, Zacian and Zamazenta are identical. When they equip their specialty piece of gear, however, they change into fulfilling entirely different roles, but with near equal power. Zamazenta trades speed for bulk but still is fast on its feet. Zacian simply gets faster as a result, its sword boosting how aerodynamic it is (or something). Zacian plays offense while Zamazenta plays defense.
Despite that, both of them are valid selections for any team composition. Zacian is arguably better, as its typing is very good and checks many other Uber-tier Pokemon. Plus, that extra speed is certainly not a bad thing. Despite that, it really comes down to which doggo the player likes more. Either way, they’re still both the goodest lads.
11 Necrozma Dusk Mane (Gen VII)
Necrozma is one of those Pokemon capable of fusion, like Kyurem in the past and Calyrex in Sword and Shield. However, when it takes over the bodies of either Lunala or Solgaleo, it pretty much just replaces both of them in terms of usage. Necrozma-DM, a steel-type like Solgaleo, was one of the definitive Pokemon of the Ubers metagame in Sun and Moon.
Necrozma-DM is unmatched in many different qualities. It has great defensive-typing, a wide movepool of coverage options and entire sets, and an ability that pretty much negates and offensive checks for it. The worst thing you can say about Necrozma-DM is that it’s a tad slow, but in a Trick Room that’s not a disadvantage. There are so many options for this Pokemon, and it is easily one of the most powerful steel-types in the franchise’s history.
10 Celesteela (Gen VII)
Celesteela’s lack of speed would typically pose a problem for the Pokémon, but considering how well rounded it is otherwise, Celesteela actually ends up with a lot of different ways to counter its naturally low Speed. Not only does it have high enough Defense to tank a hit or two, its move pool will keep it alive effortlessly with a bit of creative thinking.
By coupling Leech Seed with Leftovers, Celesteela will be able to regain enough health to pose a serious threat in a competitive battle. A Celesteela that’s been EV trained in Speed will also be able to make up for some of the Pokémon’s inherent failings, contributing to a party member that’ll be sure to stay in the ring long after it should have fainted.
9 Ferrothorn (Gen V)
Pretty much any Pokémon that has access to Stealth Rock is going to end up serving a vital role on any team. As Stealth Rock damages any Pokémon that gets swapped in, it can allow players to keep a consistent health lead. Taking into account Ferrothorn’s insane defense stats and that lead will keep him active for quite a while.
In this respect, Ferrothorn is best used as a supportive Pokémon, enduring damage while dishing out enough perhaps not to outright faint opponents, but to set up fainting for later. Ferrothorn also has naturally strong STAB moves, meaning that it can realistically do some serious damage against the right Typing.
8 Mega-Scizor (Gen VI)
It’s kind of crazy how useful a Typing like Bug/Steel ends up being. With surprisingly excellent resistances, Scizor is able to Mega Evolve into Mega-Scizor, an even better version of his base form. Save for his HP, all his stats end up rising considerably with Mega-Scizor in particular hitting and tanking physical hits on a level few Johto Pokémon can muster.
His Ability, Technician, also buffs all his sub 60 power attacks with a 1.5 multiplier, making Mega-Scizor’s obscene attack stat all the more imposing. This is to say nothing of Roost, a move which allows Mega-Scizor to heal himself in battle, a rarity for most Steel Type Pokémon.
7 Magearna (Gen VII)
Like with Celesteela, Magerna will suffer from its low speed should trainers allow it to. It won’t hit fast and it won’t be hitting first more often than not. That said, Magerna has the stats to more than make up for its low speed. Not only is its attack high enough to do some serious damage, its special attack is even higher, dishing out monstrous damage at every turn.
Magearna also falls on the tankier side of things even if its HP is nothing to write home about. With the right EV training, Magearna should realistically be able to one shot other Pokémon with its killer special attack stat. Of course, should it get swept due to its low speed, that won’t be happening, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep Magearna alive.
6 Excadrill (Gen V)
Excadrill has some truly pitiful stats when it comes down to it. His defense, special attack, and special defense are all borderline terrible. At first glance, he’s a Pokémon that perhaps should be ignored. Fortunately for Excadrill, his Ground/Steel Typing ends up giving him a natural defense against the Electric heavy meta game.
More importantly, Excadrill is one of the better sweepers in the game even if he might not look it. His high attack stat makes fainting other Pokémon insanely easy for him. A Sand Rush Excadrill using Swords Dance is going to end up demolishing the competition in no time flat.
5 Jirachi (Gen III)
As a Legendary, it’s only natural Jirachi wind up with some advantages over his Steel Type counterparts. For starters, Jirachi has above average stats for literally every single stat. Though he excels nowhere, featuring a base value of 100 across the board, he’s not hurting in any single department, making Jirachi a very well rounded Pokémon.
Jirachi also has access to Healing Wish— one of the few healing based moves in the game— and excellent Typing. This allows Jirachi to play an active role for a quite a while. Jirachi also hits surprisingly hard and can cover a wide variety of different Type advantages, ensuring he can always contribute meaningfully.
4 Empoleon (Gen IV)
So, it’s important to make a distinction here: this doesn’t apply to current Empoleon. Rather, this only applies for Empoleon in his debut Generation. Much like Alakazam in Gen 1, Game Freak didn’t really plan around Empoleon’s inherent insanity. In Generation 4, Empoleon has resistances to eleven Types.
This alone allows Empoleon to utterly tower over the competition, staying alive far longer than he should. He’s undeniably one of the singlest best Pokémon in Gen 4, if not the best. Naturally, Game Freak did not let this be and Empoleon has been severely nerfed since. It was always bound to happen, though. Just look at Alakazam. Despite that, Empoleon still has power and is a bit underrated as a result.
3 Mega Mawile (Gen VI)
In terms of pure stats, Mawile is the single worst Pokémon on this list. Mawile might realistically be one of the worst Pokémon in general going off stats alone. Bad attack and defense paired with awful HP, special attack, special defense, and speed lead to a Pokémon best left forgotten. Until one takes into consideration their Mega Evolution that is.
As Mega Mawile, Mawile becomes one of the best breakers and revenge killers in the game. His move pool is wide enough where he can end up covering just about any situation, plowing through the current meta game. Mega Mawile also ends up with reasonably high defense, giving the Pokémon a very reliable sturdiness.
2 Heatran (Gen IV)
As a Fire/Steel Type Pokémon, Heatran ends up with some very interesting resistances that end up keeping him alive fairly long in battles. His well rounded stats also force him to end up one of the more balanced Pokémon in the game, being able to survive multiple different scenarios while also engaging creatively with the opposition.
Of note, Heatran’s Lava Plume is quite the devastating STAB move. It hits often and it hits hard. While Heatran is unlikely to sweep due to his very low speed, he can realistically survive six altercations back to back if EV trained properly.
1 Aegislash (Gen VI)
The only Uber on this list, Aegislash really is one of a kind. His insanely high defense and special defense stats as a Base are going to keep him alive far longer than he should stay alive, and his Typing is unique enough where there’s not too much to actively hurt him. On the flip side, his Blade form is strong enough to decimate any Pokémon in its path.Aegislash can cover so much ground that there’s a good reason Smogon relegate him to the Uber tier. The only real downside to Aegislash is his lack of proper recovery. Leftovers can really only go so far when it comes down to it. That said, when it pertains to Aegislash, it likely won’t come down to it.
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