Steel (type)

Revision as of 19:16, 11 May 2013 by Samjohn95 (talk | contribs)
This article is about the in-game type. For the TCG type, see Metal (TCG).

The Steel type (Japanese: はがねタイプ Steel type) is one of the seventeen types. Notable Trainers that specialize in the Steel type include Jasmine of Olivine City, Steven Stone, former Champion of Hoenn, and Byron of Canalave City. Prior to changes in Generation IV all Steel-type moves were physical, but they may now also be special depending on the attack.

The Steel type was introduced in Generation II. As well as introducing new Pokémon with the Steel type, Magnemite and Magneton were retconned to be a dual-type Electric/Steel Pokémon.

Statistical averages

Overall

Stat
HP: 65.45
Attack: 85.79
Defense: 110.79
Sp.Atk: 70.87
Sp.Def: 82.95
Speed: 55.61
Total: 471.45


Fully evolved

Stat
HP: 74.08
Attack: 97.65
Defense: 119.04
Sp.Atk: 78.96
Sp.Def: 90.46
Speed: 63.27
Total: 523.46


Battle properties

Offensive   Defensive
Power Types   Power Types
 
 
½×  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
½×  
 
 
 
 
 
 
None  


Characteristics

Defense

Defensively, Steel types are considered to be the best type of Pokémon to use. Pure steel Pokémon have resistances to 11 of the 17 types, which can make for a good physical and special tank in battle. Steel types also have an immunity to Poison-type attacks, and are very tricky to inflict the Poison condition on. They can hold up to many attacks, because of their typically high Defense. They are also notably the only type capable of resisting the Dragon type that could otherwise take advantage of its STAB.

However, all three of the Steel type's weaknesses — Fighting, Ground and Fire — are very common and popular types. This makes it weak to common moves of those types, including the extremely common Earthquake. Fortunately, most Steel types are dual-types, which defends usually against one of these types; however, it is possible for dual-type Steel Pokémon to develop double weaknesses to some of these moves.

Pokémon purely of the Steel type have the 2nd greatest amount of resistances in the game. Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone, being Steel and Electric, are the most resistant Pokémon in the game, having 12 resistances plus an immunity to Poison. The added Electric type means these Pokémon are also resistant to Electric moves, and have a double resistance to Flying and Steel moves. However, they also have a double weakness to Ground-type moves (though this can be negated with the move Magnet Rise, giving them a second immunity).

Offense

Offensively, it is only recommended to use Steel-type moves for STAB. There are only two types weak to Steel: Ice and Rock, both of which are rarely used defensively, and have other type weaknesses with more versatility. Furthermore, the types that do resist Steel are very common (Including itself). There are only five pure Steel-type Pokémon and thus most have a second type able to provide more effective moves that could offset this disadvantage. Steel-type Pokémon typically have good Attack and below-average Special Attack, though there are some high-powered outliers in either the Physical field, such as Scizor, Metagross and Excadrill, and the Special field, such as Lucario, Empoleon and Magnezone. Said outliers are used often, so STAB on Steel-type moves can prove valuable. All in all, Steel can be a useful type offensively if combined with STAB, paired with another type for support and boosted by a high base total of at least one of the attacking stats.

Contest Properties

When used in Contests, Steel-type moves typically become Cool moves, but can also be of the other four Contest types.

Pokémon

As of Generation V, there are 38 Steel-type Pokémon or 5.86% of all Pokémon, making it the 14th most common type.

Pure Steel-type Pokémon

# Name
303   Mawile
379   Registeel
599   Klink
600   Klang
601   Klinklang

Pokéstar Studios Pokémon

# Name
N/A   MT
N/A   Transport

Half Steel-type Pokémon

Primary Steel-type Pokémon

# Name Type 1 Type 2
208   Steelix Steel Ground
227   Skarmory Steel Flying
304   Aron Steel Rock
305   Lairon Steel Rock
306   Aggron Steel Rock
374   Beldum Steel Psychic
375   Metang Steel Psychic
376   Metagross Steel Psychic
385   Jirachi Steel Psychic
436   Bronzor Steel Psychic
437   Bronzong Steel Psychic
483   Dialga Steel Dragon
638   Cobalion Steel Fighting

Secondary Steel-type Pokémon

# Name Type 1 Type 2
081   Magnemite* Electric Steel
082   Magneton* Electric Steel
205   Forretress Bug Steel
212   Scizor Bug Steel
395   Empoleon Water Steel
410   Shieldon Rock Steel
411   Bastiodon Rock Steel
413   Wormadam* Bug Steel
448   Lucario Fighting Steel
462   Magnezone Electric Steel
476   Probopass Rock Steel
485   Heatran Fire Steel
530   Excadrill Ground Steel
589   Escavalier Bug Steel
597   Ferroseed Grass Steel
598   Ferrothorn Grass Steel
624   Pawniard Dark Steel
625   Bisharp Dark Steel
632   Durant Bug Steel
649   Genesect Bug Steel

Pokéstar Studios Pokémon

# Name Type 1 Type 2
N/A   F-00 Steel Normal
N/A   MT2 Steel Electric

Moves

Gen Move Category Contest Power Accuracy PP Target Description
V Autotomize Status % 15 (max 24)
     
     
Self
The user sheds part of its body to make itself lighter and sharply raise its Speed stat.
IV Bullet Punch Physical Smart 40 100% 30 (max 48)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user strikes the target with tough punches as fast as bullets. This move always goes first.
III Doom Desire Special Cool 140 100% 5 (max 8)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
Two turns after this move is used, the user blasts the target with a concentrated bundle of light.
IV Flash Cannon Special Smart 80 100% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user gathers all its light energy and releases it at once. It may also lower the target's Sp. Def stat.
V Gear Grind Physical 50 85% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user attacks by throwing two steel gears at its target.
IV Gyro Ball Physical Beauty Varies 100% 5 (max 8)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user tackles the target with a high-speed spin. The slower the user, the greater the damage.
V Heavy Slam Physical Varies 100% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user slams into the target with its heavy body. The more the user outweighs the target, the greater its damage.
III Iron Defense Status Tough % 15 (max 24)
     
     
Self
The user hardens its body's surface like iron, sharply raising its Defense stat.
IV Iron Head Physical Tough 80 100% 15 (max 24)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The foe slams the target with its steel-hard head. It may also make the target flinch.
II Iron Tail Physical Cool 100 75% 15 (max 24)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The target is slammed with a steel-hard tail. It may also lower the target's Defense stat.
IV Magnet Bomb Physical Cool 60 % 20 (max 32)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user launches steel bombs that stick to the target. This attack will not miss.
IV Metal Burst Physical Beauty Varies 100% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Self
The user retaliates with much greater power against the target that last inflicted damage on it.
II Metal Claw Physical Cool 50 95% 35 (max 56)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The target is raked with steel claws. It may also raise the user's Attack stat.
III Metal Sound Status Smart 85% 40 (max 64)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
A horrible sound like scraping metal harshly reduces the target's Sp. Def stat.
III Meteor Mash Physical Cool 100 85% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The target is hit with a hard punch fired like a meteor. It may also raise the user's Attack.
IV Mirror Shot Special Cute 65 85% 10 (max 16)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The user looses a flash of energy at the target from its polished body. It may also lower the target's accuracy.
V Shift Gear Status % 10 (max 16)
     
     
Self
The user rotates its gears, raising its Attack and sharply raising its Speed.
II Steel Wing Physical Cool 70 90% 25 (max 40)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
The target is hit with wings of steel. It may also raise the user's Defense stat.
All details are accurate to Generation VII games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual move's page. Target data assumes user is in the lower left.

Trivia

  • Out of all the types, Steel has the most resistances and the highest average Defense.
  • Because of Magnemite and Magneton's addition of their secondary Steel type in Generation II, there has been at least one Steel-type Pokémon introduced in each generation. Despite this, there is not a Steel-type move from each generation; Steel is the only type not assigned to a move introduced in Generation I. This is the opposite situation to the other type introduced in Generation II, Dark, as this generation saw Bite change from a Normal- to a Dark-type move but featured no retroactive Dark-type Pokémon.
  • Though Steel-type moves deal super-effective damage against both Ice- and Rock-type Pokémon, there has not yet been a Pokémon of that type combination, and therefore, Steel-type moves currently cannot deal 4× damage.
  • All Steel-type moves affect only one Pokémon at a time.
  • The Steel type is the only type to lack a move that functions differently in Double Battles.
  • Steel is the only type that has a non-neutral type matchup with all seventeen types, considering both offense and defense.
  • Each of the three starter types have a different effectiveness when attacking a pure Steel-type Pokémon. Grass does ½× damage, Water does 1× damage, and Fire does 2× damage.
  • Generation V introduced the most Steel-type Pokémon of any Generation, with 12 and Generation II introduced the least Steel-type Pokémon, with four.
  • Every Steel-type specialist has used Skarmory in their final team in the last game that he or she appears in.
  • All Steel-type moves except for Autotomize have a name that consists of two words.
  • Generation IV introduced the most Steel-type moves of any Generation, with seven and Generation II introduced the least Steel-type moves, with three.
  • A pure Steel-type Pokémon has more resistances than any dual type Pokémon that is not part Steel.

In other languages

Language Title
  Japanese はがね (鋼) Hagane
Mandarin Chinese 鋼 / 钢 Gāng
  Danish Stål
  Dutch Staal
  Finnish Teräs
  French Acier
  German Stahl
  Greek Μετάλλου Metallou
  Hebrew פלדה Plada
  Indonesian Baja
  Italian Acciaio
  Korean 강철 Gangcheol
  Norwegian Stål
  Polish Stalowy
Portuguese   Brazil Aço Steel
Metal
Metálico
  Portugal Metal
  Romanian Oțel
  Russian Стальной Stal'noy
  Spanish Acero
  Swedish Stål
  Thai เหล็ก