Steel-type Pokémon were introduced in Generation II, almost 20 years ago now!
These metal juggernauts are not to be messed with, with a large range of resistances making them hard to take down.
As a result of this, they are a popular choice for trainers to use in their teams.
Famous users of Steel-type Pokémon include the gym leaders Jasmine and Byron, and the Hoenn champion Steven.
Although they might seem ironclad, there are a few ways to break through their defenses.
Read on to find out more about how you can beat Steel-type Pokémon!
Steel Type Pokémon Weaknesses & Strengths Chart
| Weakness | Strong Against |
| Fire, Fighting, Ground | Fairy, Ice, Rock |
Steel-Type Pokémon Weaknesses
Steel-type Pokémon are weak against Fire, Fighting, and Ground-type moves. These do double damage to them.
The Fire-type also takes half damage from Steel-type attacks.
Just like the metal they are based on, expect Steel-types to have a solid Defense stat.
This can often mean that other stats can be lacking, especially Special Defense. As a result, a good special move can help you out.
Otherwise, you can try to absorb the blow by sending out an Electric, Fire, Steel, or Water-type Pokémon which will only receive half the damage from the Steel-type moves.
Steel-Type Pokémon Strengths and Resistances
Steel-type Pokémon have one of the largest amounts of resistances in the game.
Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Normal, Ice, Rock, and Steel attacks do half damage to them. That’s a massive list!
Not only this, but Poison-type attacks will do no damage at all as Steel-types are immune to them.
This also goes for the Poison status effect, so don’t try to use Toxic on them!
Steel-type moves are also super effective against Ice, Fairy, and Rock-type Pokémon, so beware if you send one of these out against them in battle!
Pokémon Good Against Steel Types
There are plenty of Pokémon that can be good against Steel-type Pokemon, that either can exploit their weaknesses or resist their moves.
5 of the best Steel-type counters are:
Blaziken
Blaziken has two super effective types to help it to be good against Steel Pokémon: Fire and Fighting.
It has a great Attack stat to allow it to punch through its opponents easily.
Moves to look out for include Flare Blitz for big damage, and Low Kick, which helps to use the heavy weight of Steel-types against them.
Houndoom
Houndoom is a Dark/Fire-type with its dark moves hitting for normal damage, and Fire-type moves are super effective.
What makes Houndoom good against Steel-types is not only it’s typing but the fact it has good Special Attack.
Moves like Fire Blast and Dark Pulse can cut through the low Special Defense most Steel-types have, and Nasty Plot can boost its Special Attack even further for maximum damage output.
Mudsdale
Mudsdale is a Ground-type Pokémon with a unique ability that puts it on our recommended list.
Not only are its Ground-type moves super effective for double damage, but it has access to the ability Stamina.
When Mudsdale is hit by an attack, Stamina raises its Defense stat by one stage each time.
This can lead to Mudsdale becoming a formidable wall for your opponent to break through!
Swampert
Swampert is Water/Ground-type, which lets it resist Steel-type moves with its Water typing, but also hit hard with its Ground-type.
Although its Attack is slightly better than its Special Attack stat it can run a mix of moves really well so you can mix things up!
Scald can be a great choice of a move to use on Swampert as it can burn the opponent, halving their Attack.
Lucario
Lucario is a Steel/Fighting-type which allows it to resist Steel-type damage but also hit them back with Fighting attacks.
Lucario is a great all-rounder, with good Attack, Special Attack, and Speed.
This means you can run a range of moves depending upon what sorts of Steel-types are causing you problems!
There are plenty more Pokémon out there good against Steel-types. See our list below for some top choices with some recommended movesets.
| Pokémon | Type | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Blaziken | Fire/Fighting | Swords Dance Low Kick Flare Blitz Close Combat |
| Houndoom | Dark/Fire | Fire Blast Dark Pulse Nasty Plot Substitute |
| Mudsdale | Ground | Stealth Rock Smack Down Earthquake Body Press |
| Swampert | Water/Ground | Earthquake Flip Turn Scald Yawn |
| Lucario | Steel/Fighting | Aura Sphere Flash Cannon Extreme Speed Shadow Ball |
| Hippowdon | Ground | Yawn Slack Off Earthquake Stone Edge |
| Bewear | Normal/Fighting | Swords Dance Double Edge Drain Punch Darkest Lariat |
| Arcanine | Fire | Flamethrower Morning Sun Teleport Scorching Sands |
| Nidoking | Poison/Ground | Sludge Wave Earth Power Ice Beam Thunderbolt |
| Salazzle | Poison/Fire | Substitute Toxic Sludge Bomb Flamethrower |
| Gallade | Psychic/Fighting | Shadow Sneak Swords Dance Close Combat Psystrike |
| Chandelure | Ghost/Fire | Shadow Ball Calm Mind Energy Ball Fire Blast |
| Runerigus | Ghost/Ground | Earthquake Will o Wisp Poltergeist Iron Defense |
| Palossand | Ground/Ghost | Earth Power Shadow Ball Shore Up Hypnosis |
| Darmanitan | Fire | Flare Blitz Earthquake U-Turn Rock Slide |
Attacks Super Effective Against Steel-Type Pokémon
Fire, Ground, and Fighting-type attacks will be your moves of choice to defeat Steel-type Pokémon quickly and easily.
It’s always key to remember that you don’t need a Pokémon that has Fire, Ground, or Fighting typing to use a super effective move.
Lots of different Pokémon can learn them and help you out in a pinch.
Here is a list of some of the top 10 moves to look out for.
- Earthquake (Ground)
- Fire Blast (Fire)
- Focus Blast (Fighting)
- Aura Sphere (Fighting)
- Earth Power (Ground)
- Scorching Sands (Ground)
- Flamethrower (Fire)
- Flare Blitz (Fire)
- Close Combat (Fighting)
- Low Kick (Fighting)
Tips on Defeating Steel-Type Pokémon
Steel-type Pokémon can seem quite daunting, but they can be dealt with very quickly if you know how.
One thing to bear in mind is if the Pokémon you are up against has dual typing.
This can often help you to be able to focus more on the second type, especially given the resistance of Steel Pokémon.
For example, a lot of Steel-type Pokémon have the second type of Rock or Ground, such as Steelix, Bastiodon, and Aggron.
This means you can use a Water-type attack for super effective damage!
The reason this works is that Steel takes normal damage from Water, but it is super effective against Rock and Ground, meaning that the double damage from this will take effect.
The same can be said for Steel/Psychic types. You can use Ghost and Dark-type moves in the same way as our example above to cause super effective damage.
We also mentioned earlier that Steel-types often have great Defense. As a result, try going for special attacks rather than physical ones.
Steel-types can’t be poisoned, so you can’t wear them down that way. However, try using other status effects such as sleep, burn, or paralysis to slow down their momentum.
The burn status is particularly useful. Often Steel-type Pokémon have a good Attack stat, so burning them halves the attack power of their physical moves, alongside chipping away at their HP too!
We hope you enjoyed our Steel-type guide and that you now know how to get past their iron defense!
Are there any other types you are worried about facing? Let us and your fellow trainers know in the comments.