10 best Steel-type Pokemon, ranked

Steel-types are often considered some of the best Pokemon across the franchise. This is thanks to the element's many resistances, its ability to counter many hard-hitting offensive elements, and the category being home to some of the most memorable designs the franchise has seen.

Throughout the years, the Steel catalog has expanded into a mass of very powerful monsters to the point where picking a definitive few for the best can be tricky. Here are ten of the best Steel-types in the franchise and some background information on each species.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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Pokemon's ten best Steel-type creatures

10) Melmetal

Melmetal as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Melmetal is a Steel-type Mythical that can only be obtained through special events or evolving a Meltan in the Pokemon GO mobile game. It learns a variety of Steel, Electric, Normal, and Fighting-type moves, only improved by its massive 143 Attack stat with Defense to match.

However, it is incredibly slow, and obtaining one is quite a headache.

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9) Mega Steelix

Mega Steelix as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Being a Mega Evolution, it may not be available in the main series for quite some time, but it is still present and obtainable in the mobile spin-off. It sports the highest Defense stat of all the Steel-types at a massive 230.

With an improved Attack stat of 125, it can also start doing some severe damage with Earthquake and Gyro Ball.

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8) Mega Lucario

Mega Lucario as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Mega Lucario is among the few creatures banned from competitive play during its debut generation. Pairing its buffed attacking stats, the new Power-up Punch attack at the time, and its new Adaptability ability made for a devastating combo in practice, leading to its swift ban in each generation it appears in.

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7) Mega Aggron

Mega Aggron as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Mega Aggron is considered worse than Mega Lucario, it can at least be used in competitive play. Having the same massive Defense stat as Mega Steelix, Mega Aggron serves a similar purpose but is much more restricted in its offensive prowess with its pure Steel typing. However, this does make it much more consistent defensively.

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6) Dusk Mane Necrozma

Dusk Mane Necrozma as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Being an alternate form for Necrozma, it serves as more of an upgrade rather than necessarily a better form for Solgaleo. While it does have slightly higher attacking stats than Solgaleo, whom Necrozma consumes to achieve this form, it has significantly lower HP and a poorer Speed stat, leaving it open to early burst damage.

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5) Solgaleo

Solgaleo, as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Legendary for the Sun and Ultra Sun games, Solgaleo is typically a more consistent choice over its consumed state. Thanks to its higher Speed stat and HP, it can stay on the field much longer than Necrozma, allowing it to deal more damage in more situations.

Nevertheless, the decision ultimately comes down to preference.

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4) Origin Dialga

Origin Dialga as seen in Legends: Arceus (Image via Game Freak)

While the differences between Origin and base Dialga may not be apparent outside of its appearance upon first inspection, the difference lies in the stats.

Origin Dialga optimizes the species' stat spread, taking stats from its unused physical attack stat and putting them into Special Defense, allowing it to be tanky while not sacrificing its damage output.

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3) Mega Metagross

Mega Metagross as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Mega Metagross possesses potent attacking power with an Attack stat of 145 and an even higher Defense of 150. On its own, Metagross was already a fantastic creature.

Still, like many overpowered Mega Evolutions, what makes Metagross scarier is the free passive damage it gets from its new ability, in this case, Tough Claws.

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2) Zamazenta

Zamazenta as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Zamazenta's Crowned form and that of its sister, Zacian, were originally two of the most controversial Legendaries in the franchise due to their abilities. In the case of Zamazenta, it gets a free Defense boost upon entering combat.

However, its Fighting and Steel typing is somewhat weak defensively, meaning it falls just as short as Zacian.

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1) Zacian

Zacian, as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The best Steel-type in the franchise is Zacian. No matter how it appears, Zacian always manages to dominate the metagame. Its type combination of Steel and Fairy is the perfect elemental combo for offense and defense while also having a free Attack boost upon entering battle thanks to its ability.

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