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Published on May 7th, 2015 | by WackaboomVGC

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Metal Detecting: A VGC ’15 Overview of Steel-type Pokémon

Powerful, bulky and born to fight! These powerhouses are Steel-type Pokemon, and today we’re going to be looking at Steel-types that dominate the VGC 2015 metagame, and even look at some more interesting Steel-types! One thing that’s interesting about Steel-types is that there are not that many pure Steel-type Pokemon. In fact, only five Pokemon have a pure Steel typing: Registeel, Klink, Klang, Klinklang and Mega Aggron. Due to this, notable weaknesses vary by pokemon, such as pure Steel-types being weak to Fire, Ground and Fighting, while a Steel/Psychic Pokemon like Metagross has weaknesses to Fire, Ground, Ghost and Dark. On the side, Steel-types can hit for super effective damage against Fairy, Ice and Rock-type Pokemon, with Fairy-types being very common in the VGC 2015 meta due to Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir’s popularity.

In terms of offense, Steel-types are excellent and very well balanced, with Mega-Mawile having the largest Attack stat after the Huge Power boost. Other notable Steel-type Pokemon that hit hard include Mega-Scizor, which has a base 150 Attack stat, an excellent ability in Technician, and access to Bullet Punch, which experiences a strong shift in base power from 40 to 90. Another Steel-type Pokemon that carries great offensive weight is Bisharp. Bisharp is arguably one of the most used Pokemon in the VGC format today, a title that it certainly deserves. Sporting a great movepool with Iron Head, Sucker Punch, and Knock Off to boot, Bisharp’s main weight comes from its base 125 Attack stat and its ability Defiant, which boosts Bisharp’s Attack by 2 stages when a stat is lowered. When considering a lot of Pokemon carry the ability Intimidate, such as Landorus-Therian and Salamence, this is an amazing ability to have.

In terms of defense, Steel types don’t slack around either. When in Shield Forme, Aegislash has a Defense stat and Special Defense stat equal to 150. Mega-Steelix and Mega-Aggron are both amazing in the physical defense department, sharing a Defense stat of 230. One main problem with Steel-types and their defensive viability is that their weaknesses are all common types, or at least common moves. Arguably the biggest threat is Mega Charizard Y, which can deal a lot of damage and usually KO many Steel-types with Heat Wave or Overheat. Landorus-Therian can also KO Steel-Types such as Heatran and Mawile with Earthquake, while Fighting-type Pokemon are very common in VGC since they can provide Fake Out or Intimidate support.

Since we have covered the basics, let’s get straight on ahead to some viable Steel-type Pokemon in today’s metagame!

Scizor

Type: Bug/Steel

Notable Items:
Life Orb 30.0%
Lum Berry 23.7%
Scizorite 18.0%
Choice Band 14.6%
Expert Belt 2.0%

Notable Moves:
Bullet Punch 98.9%
Bug Bite 72.1%
Protect 62.0%
Swords Dance 32.2%
Knock Off 30.2%
Superpower 24.3%
U-turn 17.3%

Ah, Scizor. It’s a shame that you got such a nerf since VGC 2014, but I still see some potential in you. Scizor is rather interesting. While it is a bulky physical attacker with only one weakness in Fire, it still burns up like a marshmallow you forgot to take out of the fire against a Charizard Y. It still is being used today, and for good reason. Technician means that you’ll usually be hitting Pokemon like Kangaskhan hard with a Bullet Punch at 90 base power. In addition, since these days most people don’t expect Scizor too much or don’t really know what to do against it, you can usually get off a free Swords Dance if the opponent lets you.

Scizors in VGC 2015 are usually always Adamant, and most other natures can just be overlooked for now. You don’t want to invest too much in Speed with Jolly because you want to hit hard, and you want to keep yourself bulky so you can take hits and whatnot. Bullet Punch is a must for Scizor, as it allows for priority and hits very hard with the Technician and STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) boosts. You also have Bug Bite, which gets a Technician boost and STAB, but also consumes the opponent’s berry, which is super helpful considering that a lot of Pokemon like Rotom-Wash have Sitrus Berries attached to them. Superpower,, in my opinion, is extremely helpful, as it takes care of Pokemon that otherwise wall it completely, like Heatran.

Example Sets

Randy Kwa’s Scizor set (16th Place at US 2014 Nationals)

Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 12 HP / 236 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
– Bullet Punch
– Feint
– U-turn
– Protect

Aaron Grubbs’s Scizor set (Top 8 at Kansas Regionals 2014)

Scizor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Technician
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 SDef
Adamant Nature
– Bullet Punch
– X-Scissor
– Swords Dance
– Protect

Mawile

Type: Steel/Fairy

Notable Items:
Mawilite 99.9%

Notable Moves:
Play Rough 94.2%
Sucker Punch 90.4%
Protect 80.7%
Iron Head 72.5%
Rock Slide 33.1%
Fire Fang 10.6%
Knock Off 10.2%

Now we get to a very powerful Pokemon in Mega-Mawile, not normal Mawile. It goes without saying that if you’re using Mawile instead of Mega-Mawile, you’re doing something wrong. With amazing utility in Trick Room and rain teams, Mega-Mawile finds its spot in many teams with its enormous Attack stat. Who knew that such a small Pokemon like Mawile could hit so hard? Seen in National Champion teams and World Champion teams alike in 2014, how does Mega-Mawile fare in the VGC 2015 format? Short answer: it still works, but today, we’re putting on our science pants and taking a look at what makes Mega-Mawile work. First, we’re going to be taking a look at Mega-Mawile’s stats: 50 HP / 105 Atk / 125 Def / 55 SpAtk / 95 SpDef / 50 Spe. As you can see, its saving grace is its Defense. Without it, Mega-Mawile would be the equivalent of Cacturne or Golurk, powerful hitters but lacking in everything else. That big of a Defense stat actually allows Mega-Mawile to survive more than what you may give it credit for.

Just like Scizor, Mega-Mawile is usually Adamant nature. If you ask me, the EV spread of Mega-Mawile should usually be a simple 252/4/252. You don’t have to use this spread, but the extra HP really helps Mawile survive a lot of attacks. As you can see up in the Notable Moves list, Mawile actually has a lot of good moves for VGC, like Iron Head, Play Rough, Sucker Punch and even Rock Slide. One of my favorite parts about Mawile is its usage in Trick Room. Mawile’s biggest weakness is its Speed, and Trick Room erases that weakness completely while making Mawile a huge threat. Another usage for Mawile is on rain teams, which can weaken Fire-type attacks directed at Mawile while Politoed covers Fire-types and Ground-types.

Example Sets

Paul Chua’s Mawile set (Top 8 at Philadelphia Regionals)

Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
– Iron Head
– Play Rough
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

Collin Heier’s Mawile set (3rd Place at 2014 Worlds in the Masters Division)

Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 4 Def / 116 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Play Rough
– Iron Head
– Sucker Punch
– Protect

Metagross

Type: Steel/Psychic 

Notable Items
Metagrossite 89.2%
Assault Vest 8%
Choice Band 5.1%

Notable Moves
Zen Headbutt  96.1%
Protect 89.2%
Iron Head 52.9%
Ice Punch 52%
Bullet Punch 47.1%
Meteor Mash 27.5%
Hammer Arm 10.8%

Metagross is a Pokemon that is growing in popularity these days, and why shouldn’t it? With base 110 Speed, 145 Attack plus Tough Claws boost, and decent bulk, the only thing keeping Metagross from being amazing is the defensive nerf that was given to Steel-types, leaving it with weaknesses to Ghost and Dark. In terms of movepool, Metagross isn’t the best, but in a weird mix, it isn’t bad either. (Most Steel types seem to have this issue as well.) Zen Headbutt, Iron Head and even Meteor Mash are all fairly decent, and it also gets moves like Ice Punch for coverage. Also, and this applies to most of the Pokemon that I’ve mentioned, be extremely careful for Will-O-Wisp. Pokemon like Gengar, Rotom-Wash, Rotom-Heat, and defensive Arcanine are, in my opinion, the best switch-ins to Mega Metagross with either Intimidate, Will-O-Wisp, or the Fire typing.

I prefer Jolly Nature on Mega Metagross. Metagross is already powerful enough with 145 Base Attack plus the Tough Claws boost, so Adamant isn’t too necessary. Metagross is another Pokemon that can have a simple EV spread. However, it’s usually helpful to make a couple complex EV spreads. For example, if you’re going to run Substitute Mega Metagross, you’re going to want to invest in some bulk. Metagross should always be Clear Body, which blocks Intimidate, while Light Metal isn’t helpful in the slightest. Quick note: on the first turn, I recommend you Protect since you are going to be pretty slow with only 70 Base Speed. However, if the situation is such that it isn’t necessary to Protect on the first turn, then you don’t really have to. A Pokemon you should worry about is Heatran. Except for say, Zen Headbutt, you can’t really do much to Heatran.

Example Sets

KellsterCartier’s Metagross set (2015 VGC European Regional Runner Up)

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Bullet Punch
– Zen Headbutt
– Ice Punch
– Protect

Rapha’s Metagross set (2015 VGC Oregon Regionals 9th Place)

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Atk / 4 Def / 36 SpD / 180 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Iron Head
– Zen Headbutt
– Substitute
– Protect

Heatran

Type: Fire/Steel

Notable Items
Leftovers 41.6%
Air Balloon 13.7%
Chople Berry 8.2%
Choice Specs 7.3%

Notable Moves
Heat Wave 86.6%
Earth Power 83.0%
Protect 81.2%
Flash Cannon 47.7%
Substitute 38.3%
Ancient Power 20.4%
Overheat 13.7%

Heatran is currently the 8th most used Pokemon on Battle Spot, and for good reason. With base 130 Special Attack and amazing bulk to cover it, Heatran is one of the best Steel-types you can imagine. Heatran is special compared most Steel-types due to its ability Flash Fire, which allows it to be completely immune to Fire-type attacks. With this ability, Heatran can wall huge threats such as Charizard Y, Gengar and other Steel-types. Unlike most of the other Pokemon that I’ve mentioned in this article, Heatran hasn’t changed too much since 2013. It’s just as good as it was in 2013, so accomplishments from those years are still legitimate. One big problem that Heatran has always suffered is its 4x weakness to Ground-type attacks, making items like Shuca Berry a great item for Heatran.

As stated earlier, Heatran’s biggest weakness is Ground-type attacks. Considering Pokemon like Garchomp and Landorus-Therian are very common, this could lead to a whole bundle of problems. Because of this, players seem forced to run Shuca Berry on Heatran. However, the best set for Heatran is usually the Leftovers Substitute set, as you can set up a substitute that allows you to take at least one Earthquake. This is actually the reason Heatran is so popular on Trick Room teams, as it can outspeed both Landorus-Therian and Garchomp in Trick Room. Bisharp could also be a problem, especially the Focus Sash variant, since it can survive one Heat Wave or Earth Power and then Knock Off for about 50% damage onto a normal Heatran set. Heatran is just as solid if not better than it was during 2013, since now it can put in a lot of pressure on Fairy types that dominate the meta, such as Sylveon.

Example Sets

Hayden McTavish’s set (Seniors 2013 World Champion)

Heatran @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 44 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 204 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Heat Wave
– Protect
– Earth Power
– Substitute

Arash Ommati’s set (Masters 2013 World Champion)

Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 212 HP / 4 Def / 36 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
– Substitute
– Heat Wave
– Protect
– Earth Power

Bisharp

Type: Dark/Steel

Notable Items:
Life Orb 59.5%
Focus Sash 35.0%
Lum Berry 1.9%

Notable Moves:
Sucker Punch 99.5%
Iron Head 99.4%
Protect 96.2%
Knock Off 95.5%

Bisharp is the most used Steel-type Pokemon on Battle Spot, and just like Heatran, for very good reason. Now before we begin talking about how great Bisharp is, let’s talk about its biggest flaw in my opinion. It’s amazingly easy to counter Bisharp. The reason why I say this is that, well, most Bisharps are usually the same. They usually have Life Orb or Focus Sash, and they usually have the same four moves: Sucker Punch, Iron Head, Protect and Knock Off. You don’t want to replace any of those moves, as they are almost essential for Bisharp to perform well, which means you won’t be running into any Slash Bisharps any time soon. Because of this, you can usually play around Bisharp since you know what it’s going to do…that is if it lets you. Bisharp may just be the most offensive Pokemon in today’s metagame. Is that an exaggeration? Maybe. But at the same time, if you play Bisharp correctly, it WILL take something down with it. Some people are usually turned off to using Bisharp because of its big weakness to Fighting-type Pokemon, and why shouldn’t they? With Pokemon like Conkeldurr, Terrakion and even Hariyama and Hitmontop walking around, it is going to set off some alarms. But like how we explored what makes Heatran a great Pokemon, types don’t mean everything.

Bisharp’s biggest strength is its base Attack stat of 125 and its great (albeit less varied) movepool. With it, it can switch in to Pokemon like Charizard Y and use Sucker Punch, or it can use Knock Off on Pokemon like Heatran for about 55% damage. Most Bisharps run a simple 252/252 spread and are almost always Adamant. Big Pokemon to look out for include Terrakion, Charizard, Heatran and Landorus-Therian. On the other hand, Bisharp can easily counter Pokemon like Sylveon and Cresselia. Focus Sash is still probably the best item to have on Bisharp since it can survive a Heat Wave from, say, Heatran and use Knock Off. Bisharp can also survive an Earthquake from Landorus-Therian with the Focus Sash, then knock it out with Knock Off and Sucker Punch. Life Orb is another option, and can deal much more damage than Focus Sash Bisharp.

Example Sets

Alec Rubin’s Bisharp Set (2015 Virginia Regionals 3rd Place)

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Adamant Nature
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
– Protect
– Sucker Punch
– Iron Head
– Assurance

Pietro Chiri’s Bisharp Set (2014 Italy Nationals Top Cut)

Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Adamant Nature
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
– Protect
– Sucker Punch
– Iron Head
– Brick Break

Aegislash

Type: Steel/Ghost

Notable Items:
Weakness Policy 45.3%
Leftovers 28.6%
Life Orb 11.6%
Safety Goggles 6.0%

Notable Moves:
King’s Shield 96.9%
Shadow Ball 94.6%
Flash Cannon 83.3%
Wide Guard 64.3%
Substitute 18.8%
Shadow Sneak 18.3%
Sacred Sword 8.7%

Currently 10th on the Battle Spot Doubles Statistics, Aegislash is extremely versatile. It can be a Trick Room Sweeper, a Bulky Wall with offensive power, or even both. Aegislash can run a multitude of sets, depending on what you really want in terms of a Pokemon. Aegislash, like most of the Pokemon on this article, is extremely vulnerable to Spread Moves like Heat Wave and Earthquake. However, it gets a move that does cover this weakness, and that move is Wide Guard. Sure there are moves like Overheat that knock it out through Wide Guard, but that’s why you have King’s Shield. In Shield Forme, Aegislash has a base 15o stat in both defenses. While in Blade Forme its stats switch to 150 in both attacks, further proving the point that Aegislash is extremely versatile.

Aegislash is usually Quiet nature, or sometimes Modest. Quiet is most common because with Quiet nature it can perform extremely well under Trick Room. As for EV spreads, a good example would be Alex Ogloza’s Aegislash EV spread, which I find very useful. The EV spread is as follows: 236 HP / 252 SpA / 20 Spe. With this set, it can stall Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Mawile with Leftovers. Attacks that can do major damage to Aegislash are Talonflame’s Flare Blitz, Bisharp’s Knock Off (which can remove Aegislash’s Leftovers) and Rotom-Heat’s and Charizard-Y’s Overheat. With Substitute, Aegislash can stay on the battlefield for a long time when played right. Because of this and King’s Shield, Aegislash is a big threat.

Example Sets

Alex Ogloza’s Aegislash set (US National Champion in the Masters Division)

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 236 HP / 252 SAtk / 20 Spd
Nature: Modest
– Shadow Ball
– King’s Shield
– Flash Cannon
– Substitute

Conan Thompson’s Aegislash set (US Oregon 1st Place in Masters)

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
– Shadow Ball
– Wide Guard
– Flash Cannon
– King’s Shield

Honorable Mentions

Steelix is a Pokemon that I personally believe is underrated, but of course, I do see why trainers don’t use Mega Steelix. In my eyes, Mega Steelix is probably one of the best Pokemon to have on a SandRoom (Sand and Trick Room) team, since it gets the ability Sand Force, which boosts its already pretty high Attack stat. With its low Speed, it becomes a powerhouse once you set up Trick Room. However, due to it being weak to a lot of popular Pokemon like Terrakion and Charizard Y, Steelix only gets an Honorable Mention.

Lucario is interesting. It can run Follow Me for a support option, or it can be one of the best Kangaskhan counters if it holds the Lucarionite. However, all the pros of Lucario are outweighed heavily by the cons. The biggest problem Lucario faces is its frailty, as it loses to a lot of common Pokemon like Charizard Y, Terrakion, Landorus-Therian and Heatran. Because of this, Lucario only gets an Honorable Mention.

An Iron-Willed Conclusion!

Terrible conclusion name aside, thank you for reading all the way through! I hope I could teach you a bit more about a fan favorite Pokemon type and some of the strongest Pokemon in the VGC 2015 metagame. That’s all for me, see ya!

About the Author

WackaboomVGC Churros for Breakfast, Churros for Lunch, Churros for Dinner. Anyway My Name is Jonathan Melendez, I'm a Senior, I guess, I Top Cut Athens, so does that make me cool?

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