When Stee -types were introduced back in Generation II, they were a little too overpowered, resisting a total of 11 types.
From Gen VI onwards, they lost their resistance to Ghost and Dark but gained a resistance to the new type Fairy, which is overall a solid nerf to the type.
And even with that, Steel is arguably the best mono-typing in the game, simply due to its phenomenal defensive presence, along with its respectable offensive prowess.
That being said, not all Steel-type Pokémon are created equal, which is why we are talking about the 10 best Steel types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, based on their design, lore, and competitive viability.
The 10 best Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
10) Orthworm
Steel types are known to be defensive beasts, with the most resistances of any type in the game, along with just three weaknesses. Not only does Orthworm eliminate one of those weaknesses in Ground, but it also heals its health when hit by Ground attacks.
That’s about it for Orthworm though. Apart from its Defense, its stats are poor, and it doesn’t possess any good coverage either. Your best bet is to run an Iron Defense-Body Press set and hope that its great typing and ability save it from a clean knockout.
9) Iron Treads
Honestly, design-wise, this is probably one of the most disappointing Paradox Pokémon. We’re just not a fan of the silly-looking digital face, what can we say?
However, with its respectable Attack stat, decent bulk, amazing defensive typing, and wide coverage, Iron Treads makes for a fantastic pick in competitive Pokémon.
This Pokémon is pretty mysterious though, as mentioned in the paranormal magazine from the games—Occulture—Iron Treads is supposed to be a scientific weapon sent to Earth by aliens. If there’s an Iron Treads reading this, we didn’t actually mean what we said about your face, we promise!
8) Revavroom
Finally, we’ve got our first Steel/Poison dual-type, and Revavroom, unlike other Pokémon with new type combinations, is actually a pretty solid design—we’re looking at you, Scovillain.
We all remember our first fight with Revavroom that was attached to Team Star’s Starmobile and what a tough boss fight that was. To think that this little toxic engine powered up that truck to those heights. What a trooper.
Revavroom also gets access to its signature move Spin Out, which is a strong physical Steel move that harshly lowers the user’s Speed stat, letting Revavroom be a cheeky little sweeper under Trick Room.
7) Bronzong
This jarring Pokémon has seen a lot of play throughout the years in competitive VGC, and like many other sleeper picks, Bronzong is also seeming to be a great fit for the Gen IX metagame.
With two phenomenal abilities in Levitate and Heatproof, you can choose which one of your weaknesses you’d rather eliminate, letting it be a better Trick Room setter to support your slow team.
It also can go on the offensive through an Iron Defense-Body Press set while also bulking it out in the process. The best of both worlds.
6) Cufant
When there is a baby elephant Pokémon eligible to make it on this list, you can be very sure it is most definitely making an appearance here.
It was about time that Game Freak decided to give us an actual representation of a baby elephant as a Pokémon in Gen VIII, and Cufant is just as adorable as we imagined. Cufant are said to be made of Copper, which is where the ‘Cu’ in its name comes from, being the element symbol for Copper.
Even though they are tiny and are barely four feet in height, Cufant are said to be immensely strong and can carry over five tons of weight without breaking a sweat. They are also known to be incredibly docile creatures, and won’t pick a fight if they don’t need to. What absolute cuties.
5) Corviknight
Corviknight are actually huge birds. They’re upwards of seven-feet tall. That in combination with its dark all-metal look and gleaming red eyes makes this avian Pokémon very frightening.
It is also in a prime position to make waves in the competitive scene of Scarlet and Violet. Its Steel and Flying dual typing make for one of the best defensive type combinations, and with setup moves such as Bulk Up and Iron Defense, it can make great use of Body Press and its Physical Flying-type moves.
Terrastalize this bird defensively to stay on the field longer or offensive for more damage, and you’ve got a serious threat on your hands.
4) Scizor
You can’t really get more iconic than Scizor. This ‘mon has been a powerhouse back when it was released in Gen II and continues to be a threat in Scarlet and Violet.
With the ability Technician, Scizor is able to fire off boosted, priority Bullet Punches which can be further enhanced with setup through Swords Dance. Coupled with Bug-moves like U-Turn to pivot out of unfavorable matchups and Pounce to make use of Technician and lower the opponent’s Speed at the same time, Scizor exudes a dominating force on any battlefield.
Even the Fire-type moves that once threatened it now fall prey to a defensive Terastallization by Scizor, so you better have a game plan when you see this thing in team preview.
3) TInkaton
Concept-wise, Tinkaton hits a home run, being based on gnomes and dwarves, the latter of which are commonly known to use iron weapons or tools, while also being described as fairies.
This Fairy/Steel dual-type is constantly bullied by Steel-type Pokémon as its baby form Tinkatink, which has led Tinkaton to now form long-standing grudges against them. Tinkaton fight other Steel-type Pokémon to steal their metal and use it to construct and perfect their hammers. With the final products, Tinkaton will use their hammers, taking swings to pelt rocks into the sky and kaiming at the Corviknight that fly above them, which is pretty hilarious and impressive at the same time.
Apart from having well-balanced stats all around, Tinkaton gets access to Fake Out, which gives it all the more utility in competitive VGC. It may have a low Attack stat, but that is quickly fixed when you take into consideration its signature move Gigaton Hammer, which is a Steel move that boasts a gargantuan 160 base power, the highest so far for a physical Steel move.
With the objective best dual-typing in the game in Fairy/Steel, Tinkaton rounds itself off as a solid pick in competitive VGC.
2) Gholdengo
Getting a Gholdengo in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can be a real drag, which makes finally acquiring this Pokémon all the more rewarding, not only for the difficulty of acquiring it but because of what a beast it is in competitive VGC.
With the Steel and Ghost dual-typing, Gholdengo sees itself in a very comfortable defensive position, being immune and resistant to a plethora of common and threatening types in the metagame, while also being invulnerable to Fake Out, which is one of the best utility moves in any doubles metagame.
Give it a signature ability in Good as Gold, which makes it immune to every single status move in the game, and you’ve got a real monster on your hands.
Gholdengo is also based on the surfer dude archetype, which makes him, like, super chill.
1) Kingambit
Did anyone really expect Bisharp of all things to get an evolution? We were taken by surprise upon learning of Kingambit’s existence, but we’re certainly not complaining.
This Dark/Steel dual-type has some serious potential in the competitive side of Pokémon. With the dawn of Terrastalization, Kingambit can easily get rid of its horrendous weakness in Fighting, along with other threatening ones like Fire and Ground by just switching up its type and letting it continue to wreak mayhem on the battlefield.
This Pokémon further possesses incredible stats with a phenomenal Attack stat and highly increased bulk compared to its pre-evolution. Kingambit’s Speed is quite low, but this lets it run smoothly on Trick Room teams.
Aside from all the technical nonsense, can we just appreciate just how cool Kingambit is? This dude has two black blades in place of a mustache, which is fitting for the samurai theme that this evolution is based on, along with a long blade jutting upwards from the top of its head.
And here’s the best part; you see how Kingambit is always seen sitting? Well, what is it that it’s sitting on? It is said that Kingambit’s long hair is so sturdy that it often uses its own hair to sit on. Kingambit literally uses its hair as a throne. How much more badass can you get?
Being a combination of powerful and uber cool, Kingambit cleanly slices its competition to sit (on its hair throne) at the No. 1 spot on our list.
