Steel Type Pokemon - The Ultimate Defensive Typing

Steel type has the most resistances of any type in Pokemon: 11 resistances and 1 immunity. This makes it the ultimate defensive typing for competitive play.

Steel Type Resistances & Immunities

Steel resists 11 types and is immune to 1:

Resists (0.5×):

Normal
Flying
Rock
Bug
Steel
Grass
Psychic
Ice
Dragon
Fairy

Immune to:

Poison (0×)

This is absurd. Steel resists more than half of all types in the game. It's the backbone of every defensive team.

Steel Type Weaknesses

Steel is weak to only 3 types:

Fire (2×)
Fighting (2×)
Ground (2×)

All three are common offensive types, which is Steel's main drawback. But with proper team support, Steel types can wall almost anything.

Why Steel is the Best Defensive Type

1. Resists 11 Types

Steel resists more types than any other. This includes:

Ice — Most types are weak to Ice, but Steel resists it
Dragon — Steel walls Dragon attacks
Fairy — Steel is one of only two types that resists Fairy
Psychic — Steel resists Psychic, making it a great check

2. Immune to Poison

Poison immunity means:

No Toxic stall
No Poison damage
Can switch into Toxic Spikes without penalty

3. Excellent Dual-Type Combinations

Steel pairs incredibly well with other types to cover its weaknesses:

Steel/Fairy (Magearna, Zacian):

11 resistances, 2 immunities (Dragon, Poison)
Only weak to Fire and Ground
Best defensive typing in the game

Steel/Flying (Skarmory, Corviknight):

Immune to Ground (Steel's biggest weakness)
Resists 10 types
Only weak to Fire and Electric

Steel/Psychic (Metagross, Jirachi):

Resists 9 types
Weak to Fire, Ground, Ghost, Dark

Steel/Dragon (Dialga, Duraludon):

Resists 10 types
Only weak to Fighting and Ground

Best Steel Type Pokemon

Corviknight

Type: Flying/Steel
Ability: Pressure / Mirror Armor
Role: Physical wall, defogger

Corviknight is the best defensive Steel type in OU. Flying/Steel gives it a Ground immunity, and Mirror Armor reflects stat drops (Intimidate, Defog, etc.).

Standard Set:

Brave Bird
Roost
Defog
U-turn / Iron Head

Check Corviknight's full type matchups →

Ferrothorn

Type: Grass/Steel
Ability: Iron Barbs
Role: Physical wall, hazard setter

Ferrothorn has the highest Defense of any Steel type (131 base). Iron Barbs damages attackers on contact. Grass/Steel resists Water, Electric, and Grass — perfect for walling Water types.

Standard Set:

Stealth Rock
Leech Seed
Power Whip
Gyro Ball / Knock Off

Check Ferrothorn's full type matchups →

Heatran

Type: Fire/Steel
Ability: Flash Fire
Role: Special attacker, trapper

Heatran is the only Fire/Steel type. This gives it a 4× resistance to Ice and immunity to Fire (via Flash Fire). It's the best Fairy-type check in the game.

Standard Set:

Magma Storm (traps opponents)
Earth Power
Flash Cannon
Taunt / Stealth Rock

Check Heatran's full type matchups →

Metagross

Type: Steel/Psychic
Ability: Clear Body
Role: Physical attacker, tank

Metagross has 135 base Attack and 130 base Defense. Clear Body prevents stat drops (Intimidate, Sticky Web, etc.). Excellent bulk and offensive presence.

Standard Set:

Meteor Mash (STAB, 90 BP, 20% chance to raise Attack)
Earthquake
Zen Headbutt
Ice Punch / Bullet Punch

Check Metagross's full type matchups →

Magearna

Type: Steel/Fairy
Ability: Soul-Heart
Role: Special attacker, tank

Steel/Fairy is the best defensive typing in Pokemon. Magearna resists 11 types and is immune to Dragon and Poison. Soul-Heart boosts Special Attack by 1 stage whenever any Pokemon faints.

Standard Set:

Fleur Cannon
Flash Cannon
Volt Switch
Focus Blast

Scizor

Type: Bug/Steel
Ability: Technician
Role: Physical attacker, priority user

Technician boosts moves with 60 BP or less by 1.5×. Bullet Punch becomes 60 BP with STAB and Technician (90 effective BP priority move).

Standard Set:

Bullet Punch (priority)
U-turn
Swords Dance
Knock Off / Superpower

Check Scizor's full type matchups →

Aegislash

Type: Steel/Ghost
Ability: Stance Change
Role: Mixed attacker, tank

Aegislash has 150/150 defenses in Shield Forme and 150/150 offenses in Blade Forme. Steel/Ghost gives it 3 immunities (Normal, Fighting, Poison).

Standard Set:

King's Shield
Shadow Ball
Flash Cannon
Shadow Sneak

Check Aegislash's full type matchups →

Steel Type Moves

Best Steel Attacking Moves

Meteor Mash (90 BP, 90% accuracy, 20% chance to raise Attack)
Iron Head (80 BP, 100% accuracy, 30% chance to flinch)
Flash Cannon (80 BP, 100% accuracy, 10% chance to lower SpD)
Bullet Punch (40 BP, priority +1, boosted by Technician)
Gyro Ball (variable BP, stronger when user is slower)

Best Steel Status Moves

Stealth Rock (most important move in competitive Pokemon)
Iron Defense (+2 Defense)
Metal Burst (reflects damage taken)

Countering Steel Types

Fire Types

Fire is the most reliable Steel counter:

Heatran (Fire/Steel) — Resists Steel, immune to Fire
Volcarona (Bug/Fire) — Quiver Dance sweeper, Fire Blast OHKOs most Steel types
Cinderace (Fire) — Pyro Ball hits like a truck

Fighting Types

Fighting is super effective against Steel:

Close Combat (120 BP, lowers Defense and SpD)
Superpower (120 BP, lowers Attack and Defense)
Urshifu (Fighting/Dark) — Wicked Blow ignores stat changes

Ground Types

Ground is the most common Steel counter:

Earthquake (100 BP, 100% accuracy, most common coverage move)
Landorus-T (Ground/Flying) — Intimidate + Earthquake
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) — Earthquake + Swords Dance

Coverage Moves

Most Pokemon run Fire, Fighting, or Ground coverage specifically to hit Steel types:

Fire Blast / Flamethrower
Close Combat / Superpower
Earthquake / Earth Power

Steel Type in Competitive Tiers

OU (OverUsed)

Steel types are essential in OU:

Corviknight (S-tier defogger)
Ferrothorn (S-tier physical wall)
Heatran (A-tier special wall)
Magearna (banned to Ubers in some gens)

Ubers

Even in Ubers, Steel types are everywhere:

Zacian-Crowned (Fairy/Steel, most broken Pokemon in Gen 8)
Necrozma-Dusk Mane (Psychic/Steel)
Dialga (Steel/Dragon)

VGC (Doubles)

Steel types are common in VGC:

Metagross (Meteor Mash + Protect)
Ferrothorn (Trick Room setter)
Zacian (restricted legendary)

Steel Type Strategy Tips

1. Use Steel Types as Defensive Pivots

Steel's 11 resistances make it easy to switch in. Use Steel types to pivot into Ice, Dragon, Fairy, or Psychic attacks.

2. Pair with Ground Immunities

Steel is weak to Ground. Pair it with Flying types, Levitate users, or Air Balloon holders:

Corviknight (Flying/Steel)
Skarmory (Flying/Steel)
Bronzong (Steel/Psychic with Levitate)

3. Watch for Fire Coverage

Most teams run Fire coverage specifically to hit Steel types. Be careful switching into:

Fire Blast / Flamethrower
Magma Storm (Heatran)
Overheat

4. Set Stealth Rock

Many Steel types learn Stealth Rock. Use them to set hazards early:

Ferrothorn
Heatran
Metagross
Excadrill

Steel Type in Pokemon GO

Steel types are excellent in Pokemon GO:

Best Steel Attackers:

Metagross (Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash)
Dialga (Metal Claw + Iron Head)
Excadrill (Metal Claw + Iron Head)

Steel Type in Raids:

Essential for Fairy-type raid bosses (Togekiss, Gardevoir)
Resists Ice moves in Ice-type raids

Check Pokemon GO type chart →

Steel/Fairy: The Best Defensive Typing

Steel/Fairy is the best defensive typing in Pokemon:

Resistances: 11 types
Immunities: Dragon, Poison
Weaknesses: Fire, Ground

Best Steel/Fairy Pokemon:

Zacian-Crowned (Fairy/Steel, banned to Ubers)
Magearna (Steel/Fairy, Soul-Heart sweeper)
Klefki (Steel/Fairy, Prankster support)

Steel/Fairy resists:

Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dark, Fairy

Steel/Fairy is immune to:

Dragon, Poison

This typing walls almost everything. The only common weaknesses are Fire and Ground, which can be covered by teammates.

Conclusion

Steel is the ultimate defensive type in Pokemon because:

11 resistances — more than any other type
Poison immunity — no Toxic stall
Excellent dual-type combos — Steel/Fairy, Steel/Flying, Steel/Dragon
Access to Stealth Rock — most important move in competitive play

If you're building a defensive core, include a Steel type. It's the most reliable defensive typing in competitive Pokemon.

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