Best Steel-type attackers in Pokémon Go
Which are the best Steel-type Pokémon for Go Battle League and raids in Pokémon Go?
Steel-type Pokémon are just one of 18 different types in the world of Pokémon Go. Each has its own strengths, weaknesses and best Pokémon. Steel is mostly known for its fantastic defense, with resistances to more than half of the Pokémon types in the game. Steel also destroys the annoying Fairy-type, which is good to know.
As such, it's important to know the best Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go. Given that they are super-resistant to Poison and super-effective against Fairy, Ice and Rock-type Pokémon, this is a type you should keep an eye on. But, as always, some are worthy of your time, Candy and Stardust, and others are not.
So, to make life easy for everyone, I've split this page into multiple sections, including an overview of what Steel-type Pokémon are, the best Legendary Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go and the best non-Legendary Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go, including a brief analysis of each.
On this page:
Best Steel-type Legendary Pokémon
With so many different Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go, it is getting incredibly difficult to know which ones you can rely on. Level for level, is a perfect Zacian better than a perfect Zamazenta? How do the budget options Lucario and Metagross compare? Who is the best Steel-type in Master League? As always, the strongest Pokémon depends on the situation, which is why our lists below come with a brief note for each Pokémon, telling you where and how it is useful.
As with our list of best Pokémon in Pokémon Go, we’re going to avoid focusing on Shadow Pokémon and Mega Pokémon. Including them would pretty much knock everything else out of this list. If you want to read more about either of those, you can check out our best Shadow Pokémon and best Mega Pokémon in Pokémon Go guides.
And finally, it's also worth adding that this is an editorialised list of Pokémon - it's not strictly the Pokémon that throw the biggest punches.
Here’s a breakdown of the best Steel-type Legendary Pokémon:
Crowned Sword Zacian
- Crowned Sword Zacian types: Fairy/Steel
- Crowned Sword Zacian weaknesses: Fire and Ground
- Crowned Sword Zacian recommended moves: Metal Claw (Fast), Behemoth Blade (Charged), Close Combat
- Main use: Master League, Raids, Max Battles
Crowned Sword Zacian is the strongest Steel-type attacker in the franchise, let alone in Pokémon Go. This means that if you have a hundo already, congratulations, because nothing is going to beat that as far as Steel-typing is concerned.
This Pokémon is incredibly versatile. It’s always at the top of the Master League, capable of taking part in Gigantamax/Dynamax Battles and is incredibly useful as a regular raid attacker - putting everything we’ve said aside, Behemoth Blade comes with an Adventure Effect which boosts the attack stat of the other Pokémon taking part in your Raid/Max Battle.
There’s not much else to add. Two weaknesses, 11 resistances (including double Dragon resistance)... simply put this is one of the best Pokémon in the game.
Crowned Shield Zamazenta
- Crowned Shield Zamazenta types: Fighting/Steel
- Crowned Shield Zamazenta weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, and Ground
- Crowned Shield Zamazenta recommended moves: Ice Fang (Fast), Behemoth Bash (Charged), Close Combat (Charged)
- Main use: Master League, Raids, Max Battles
Crowned Shield Zamazenta is the other side of the coin from its cousin, Crowned Sword Zacian. Where Sword Doggo cares about attack, Shield Doggo cares about defense. Basically, it used so much hair gel that its fur became hard as steel. It’s not canon, but we don’t care. That’s now lore and we’re sticking with it.
Naturally, this makes it a slightly worse attacker, but we’re talking minor amounts relative to the rest of the field. It’s still significantly stronger than the strongest Steel-type Mega in the franchise (Lucario Z, if you’re curious).
Like Zacian, this Pokémon excels at pretty much everything. It’s a different set of match-ups due to its change in typings, and well worth a look if you like Master League - especially if you give it Ice Fang. If you’re not keen on Master League, run Metal Claw as your Fast move instead.
Dusk Mane Necrozma
- Dusk Mane Necrozma types: Psychic/Steel
- Dusk Mane Necrozma weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost and Ground
- Dusk Mane Necrozma recommended moves: Shadow Claw (Charged), Dark Pulse (Charged), Sunsteel Strike (Charged)
- Main use: Master League, Raids
Dusk Mane Necrozma is an exceptional Pokémon. While it’s not the strongest Necrozma, it is one of the strongest Steel-types in the game. It’s well worth a look in pretty much every game mode you can run it in.
The above moveset is recommended for Master League, where it's a very good tank, but if you’re simply after something for PVP, we suggest running Metal Claw as your Fast move instead.
Dialga Origin
- Dialga Origin types: Steel/Dragon
- Dialga Origin weaknesses: Fighting and Ground
- Dialga Origin recommended moves: Dragon Breath (Fast), Roar of Time (Legacy Charged), Iron Head (Charged)
- Main use: Master League, Raids, Adventure Effect
Dialga Origin has overtaken what was once king of Master League. This thing has fantastic stats, very few weaknesses, let alone relevant ones, and a devastating moveset. Sure, it’s better as a Dragon-type attacker thanks to Roar of Time, but it’s still worth considering should you need a Steel-type attacker.
Just make sure you don’t ditch Roar of Time. This Adventure Effect pauses the timer for certain items (Lucky Egg, Star Piece, Incense and Daily Adventure Incense) for six minutes. That’s a pretty cool ability, especially while out grinding on triple XP/Stardust Community Days.
Melmetal
- Melmetal types: Steel
- Melmetal weaknesses: Fire, Fighting and Ground
- Melmetal recommended moves: Thunder Shock (Fast), Double Iron Bash (Legacy Charged), Dynamic Punch (Charged)
- Main use: PVP, Gym Defense
Melmetal is one of those odd Pokémon that sticks out for being unique. In this case, it’s the only Mythical Pokémon eligible as a Gym defender. This is important because it is very bulky and has a lot of resistances (though a weakness to Fighting is a shame here).
It’s also very good in PVP - top ranked in Great League, top-5 in Ultra League and a very strong contender in Master League. If you pick up a Meltan with decent IVs, this is a Pokémon you should consider maxing out!
The Harvest Festival: Applin Picking event is currently running. Want to know what's happening this month? Then take a look at the September schedule or the October schedule if you're already looking ahead. Don't forget to keep an eye out for both the rarest Pokémon and the best Pokémon in your travels.
Best Steel-type non-Legendary Pokémon
As a rule of thumb, Legendary Pokémon are typically stronger than non-Legendary Pokémon. However, if things were that simple you wouldn’t be here.
Some pseudo-Legendries and even the odd regular Pokémon can go toe-to-toe with even the most famous Pokémon. Metagross is a fantastic example of this. Along with Tinkaton and Lucario, it actually hits harder than the formidable Dialga and Dialga Origin… There are some exceptional Steel-types you should keep an eye out for, including the trio above.
Again, this is an editorialised list of Pokémon, not simply those who have the biggest attack stats.
Here's a breakdown of the best Steel-type non-Legendary Pokémon:
Metagross
- Metagross types: Steel/Psychic
- Metagross weaknesses: Dark, Fire, Ghost, and Ground
- Metagross recommended moves: Bullet Punch (Fast), Meteor Mash (Legacy Charged)
- Main use: Raid attacker, Master League, Mega Evolution
Metagross should be your go-to budget Steel-type attacker. It has a buddy distance of just 5km, meaning you can walk a lot of candy out of it if need be, if Beldum is out of season. But it’s available frequently enough that you shouldn’t struggle to pick one up.
Meteor Mash is essential to its success, and well worth an Elite TM if you pick up a hundo. This thing takes down Fairy types like nobody’s business.
This makes it particularly useful in Master League, as you may have guessed. With Shadow Claw (Legacy Fast), Meteor Mash (Legacy Charged) and Earthquake (Charged), you can take down a surprising chunk of the meta.
It’s also unsurprisingly good at being a Gym defender, but let’s be honest here - you’re better off not locking Metagross away in a gym.
Tinkaton
- Tinkaton types: Fairy/Steel
- Tinkaton weaknesses: Fire and Ground
- Tinkaton recommended moves: Fairy Wind (Fast), Gigaton Hammer (Legacy Charged), Bulldoze (Charged)
- Main use: Ultra League
Tinkaton is the number-one Pokémon in Ultra League, thanks in no small part to the devastating power of Gigaton Hammer. At 300 damage, this move is eye-wateringly powerful.
For now, it lacks a Steel-type Fast move, which is why we don’t recommend it for Raids just yet. When it picks up Metal Claw as a Fast move (it learns it in the main-series games, so it’s only a matter of time), it will become as terrifying as it is pink.
Which pushes our Tinks into PVP territory only for now. It is an absolute demon in Ultra League, with formidable bulk and a great list of positive matchups. We really can’t recommend this Pokémon enough.
Lucario
- Lucario types: Fighting/Steel
- Lucario weaknesses: Fighting, Fire and Ground
- Lucario recommended moves: Force Palm (Legacy Fast), Meteor Mash (Charged)
- Main use: Raid attacker, Mega Evolution
When you see Lucario next to you in a Raid, you know you’re in for a good time. This Pokémon has long been a top-tier attacker, running the same attacks as Metagross as a Steel-type attacker at a bare minimum. If you have access to the Legacy move Force Palm, that beats Bullet Punch, even as a Steel-type attacker.
Its Mega Evolution, to nobody’s surprise, is also excellent. But the real reason we’re mentioning this is its unreleased Z-form, Mega Lucario Z. This Pokémon actually outperforms Dusk Mane Necrozma, which is quite something. Make sure you keep that in mind if you’re lucky enough to spot a hundo Riolu.
What are Steel-type Pokémon?
In order to save you from having to remember it, here's a breakdown of the Steel-typing in Pokémon Go.
Steel-type explained
- Type: Steel
- Weak to: Fighting, Fire and Ground
- Resistant to: Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock and Steel
- Very resistant to: Poison
- Super effective against: Fairy, Ice and Rock
- Not very effective against: Electric, Fire, Water and Steel
- Boosted by: Snowy weather
Good luck finding the most powerful Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Go!
