Steel-types in SS UU

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After the Isle of Armor DLC released, UU received two incredible Steel-types in Jirachi and Skarmory. Jirachi had incomparable versatility and offensive potential, being able to fulfill many roles such as a Wish passer, mixed wallbreaker, Choice Scarf user, and offensive Stealth Rock setter; this, in conjunction with its ability to check a lot of dangerous threats like Kyurem, Hatterene, and Celebi, made it present on nearly all high-level teams. Skarmory, on the other hand, was an incredible blessing as a physically defensive Steel-type with instant recovery, being capable of single-handedly checking many dangerous Pokémon like Obstagoon, Lycanroc-D, and Mimikyu.

Unfortunately, Jirachi was banned in a suspect test at the end of August; its raw versatility left it with very few reliable answers besides uncommon Pokémon like Inner Focus Umbreon while making guessing the wrong set incredibly punishing early- to mid-game. Jirachi was massively constricting towards teambuilding, as it mandated multiple checks on most teams; for instance, Pokémon like Incineroar that could check physical and mixed sets lost to Calm Mind or Substitute + Toxic sets, and teams without a Jirachi were considered unviable by many, evidenced by their consistently low win rates in UUWC compared to those with a Jirachi. If this wasn't enough, Jirachi also had the ability to just punch its way through checks to its physical sets like Magneton and Toxtricity thanks to Serene Grace flinches, which many considered to be uncompetitive.

Due to OLT occurring during August, UU also lost multiple other influential Pokémon like Tyranitar, Kyurem, Hatterene, Toxtricity, and most importantly for this article, Skarmory. The loss of Skarmory greatly benefited the various physical wallbreakers and cleaners that were being held back by it, like Lycanroc-D, Obstagoon, and Mimikyu, which can much more easily deal with other Steel-types like Cobalion due to their lack of recovery and vulnerability to coverage moves. More recently, Lycanroc-D was also banned due to the overwhelming constricting nature it had on teambuilding, but other Pokémon like Terrakion still benefited from the loss of Jirachi and Skarmory.

In the wake of the Jirachi ban, various Pokémon that were fairly held back by it like Celebi, Roserade, and Sylveon have spiked in usage. The lack of competition from Jirachi and Skarmory has also caused a resurgence in other Steel-types like Copperajah and Escavalier, which saw very little usage previously, to handle some of these threats. Continue reading this article to explore how the various Steel-types in the tier have reacted to these meta shifts, what roles they accomplish in the tier, and when and why you should consider using them.

Highly Influential Steel-Types

Cobalion

While Cobalion is not considered a true Steel-type by many, due to lacking the trademark resistances to Psychic, Flying, and Fairy, its strong mix of offensive utility, team support, and ability to offensively check many major threats in the tier like Sylveon, Zarude, Roserade, Obstagoon, and Mimikyu makes it an incredibly valuable pick for offensive and balanced teams. As a Stealth Rock setter, it provides key defensive and offensive utility and can support its teammates greatly through either bringing them in on Pokémon like Slowbro with Volt Switch or crippling Noivern with Thunder Wave. Through its choice of item, it can also either provide a one-time safe switch-in to Pokémon like Mamoswine and Krookodile or the opportunity to freely set up on them with Shuca Berry, wear down U-turn users like Zarude with Rocky Helmet, and provide a safer switch-in to Zarude's Close Combat with Chople Berry. Occa Berry can also be used on Thunder Wave or Swords Dance + Stone Edge variants to either safely cripple Noivern or remove it, making this a very versatile item slot.

Cobalion can also serve as a potent wallbreaker with Swords Dance, capable of providing the aforementioned defensive utility and taking advantage of such Pokémon for plenty of setup opportunities while being able to pressure Pokémon like Slowbro and Noivern for teammates, depending on its fourth move.

Notable Teammates

Offensive teammates that can appreciate Cobalion bringing them in on Pokémon like Slowbro and Doublade with Volt Switch make for fantastic partners. Zarude can also form a VoltTurn core with Cobalion and bring it in on Galarian Weezing.

Cobalion fits extremely well in VoltTurn cores with Pokémon like these. Heliolisk can pressure bulky Water-types like Slowbro for Cobalion, Noivern can check Pokémon like Doublade and Starmie and bring it in on Sylveon, and Rotom-W can support Cobalion with a more reliable Krookodile and Mamoswine check, opening up the use of items other than Air Balloon on Cobalion.

Because of its mediocre special bulk and lack of recovery, Cobalion benefits from teammates that can help it in checking Pokémon like Sylveon. Galarian Slowbro provides Cobalion with a defensive check to Sylveon and Roserade, Doublade offers a second offensive check to Sylveon and a check to Terrakion, and Galarian Weezing can provide a more consistent check to Pokémon like Krookodile, Obstagoon, and Mamoswine while supporting Swords Dance sets with Toxic Spikes.

Doublade

• Doublade @ Eviolite
• Ability: No Guard
• EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
• Adamant Nature
• - Swords Dance
• - Shadow Sneak
• - Iron Head / Gyro Ball / Shadow Claw
• - Close Combat / Shadow Claw

Doublade's unique typing and incredible physical bulk give it the ability to serve as one of the best checks to Pokémon like Cobalion and Terrakion while offensively checking some special attackers like Roserade, Celebi, Chandelure, and Starmie and being a powerful late-game wincon with Swords Dance. This combined with its ability to revenge kill dangerous wallbreakers like Swords Dance Mimikyu, Polteageist, and Nasty Plot Celebi makes it a great fit on offensive and defensive teams alike, which can either provide plenty of wallbreaking support to weaken teams for Doublade to clean late-game or provide it with Wish and Heal Bell support to let it more reliably check Pokémon like Terrakion and break through its checks like Rotom-W.

Notable Teammates

Offensive Grass-types are great partners for Doublade, helping break through its checks like Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Krookodile. Virizion can also help soften up Galarian Weezing and Noivern, while Roserade can provide Spikes support to wear down Doublade's switch-ins, cripple Noivern with Sleep Powder, and help check Sylveon.

Due to Doublade's poor Special Defense, it appreciates teammates that can help it deal with Pokémon like Roserade and Sylveon. Galarian Slowbro can also provide a second wincon with Calm Mind sets and help pressure their shared checks like Krookodile and Obstagoon, while Talonflame can provide Defog support and cripple shared checks like Rotom-W with Will-O-Wisp or Toxic or wear them down with a Swords Dance set.

Doublade loves Wish support, which lets it check Pokémon like Cobalion and Terrakion more consistently. Sylveon and Umbreon can also check some of its revenge killers like Noivern and offer Heal Bell support to remove burns Doublade might receive from Rotom-W or Galarian Weezing; Sylveon also can check Keldeo or forgo Wish to run a Choice Specs set to help wallbreak for Doublade, while Umbreon can check Pokémon like Krookodile and Mamoswine for it.

Common Steel-Types

Bisharp

• Bisharp @ Black Glasses / Life Orb
• Ability: Defiant
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Adamant Nature
• - Swords Dance
• - Knock Off
• - Iron Head
• - Sucker Punch

Bisharp provides little to no defensive utility to a team due to its relative frailty and lack of Fairy resistance courtesy of its Dark typing; therefore, it only fits on offensive teams. What it does provide, however, is a powerful revenge killer to Pokémon like Polteageist, Starmie, and Doublade and a dangerous wallbreaker that can easily clean with Swords Dance + Sucker Punch once its checks like Terrakion, Keldeo, and Cobalion have been sufficiently weakened. It also offers another powerful tool to entry hazards- or dual screens-based offensive teams with its ability Defiant discouraging Pokémon like Noivern and Galarian Weezing from freely using Defog. However, every common Defogger has ways to punish Bisharp if it tries this, but just the presence of this threat immediately discouraging the use of Defog can be powerful alone.

Notable Teammates

As mentioned before, Bisharp is a great addition to offensive teams using entry hazards or dual screens. Bisharp especially appreciates Sticky Web support from Araquanid, allowing it to naturally outspeed checks like Terrakion, Krookodile, and Obstagoon. Spikes setters like Roserade and Klefki can also help check such Pokémon and put them into range of a boosted Sucker Punch. Dual screens support from Grimmsnarl can give Bisharp more setup opportunities.

Offensive teammates like Mamoswine, Zarude, and Mimikyu tend to share similar checks with Bisharp like Keldeo and Cobalion. This makes them rather potent when paired together, as they can pave the way for Bisharp to clean late-game by putting such checks into range of Sucker Punch. All three of these Pokémon also appreciate Bisharp pressuring Galarian Weezing for them, with Zarude being able to bring Bisharp directly in on it with U-turn.

Copperajah

Copperajah's pure Steel typing and pretty decent bulk when invested allow it to serve as a really nice defensive check to Sylveon compared to other Steel-types. Its solid coverage and great Attack stat allow it to exert great offensive pressure to make up for its poor Speed, wearing down checks like Incineroar and Krookodile with ease. Copperajah is a decent Stealth Rock setter thanks to its nice matchup versus most entry hazard removers like Galarian Weezing, Noivern, and Rotom-W, but Assault Vest sets are often preferable, since they don't need to drop a coverage move and are able to even serve as a pretty solid check to Noivern.

All of this makes Copperajah a great fit for bulky offense and balanced teams that need an offensive Steel-type with a lot more defensive utility. Compared to Escavalier, it has a much better matchup versus Sylveon and can check Noivern, but it struggles to deal with Celebi sets running Earth Power or Aura Sphere.

Notable Teammates

Fighting-types like Mienshao and Terrakion can often force Copperajah out for free wallbreaking opportunities, albeit struggling to safely switch in; good checks to them are therefore completely necessary. Sylveon can also offer Wish support to make up for Copperajah's lack of recovery and provide a more reliable answer to Noivern. Galarian Weezing also checks Krookodile for Copperajah.

Teammates like these three can help provide more insurance versus Celebi while giving Copperajah opportunities to wallbreak against Pokémon like Sylveon, Noivern, and offensive Galarian Weezing. They can also make up for Copperajah's lack of Speed and check Pokémon like Terrakion and Keldeo that take advantage of it.

Escavalier

• Escavalier @ Leftovers
• Ability: Overcoat
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 168 SpD / 84 Spe
• Careful Nature
• - Megahorn
• - Iron Head
• - Knock Off
• - Close Combat

Escavalier's typing and ability make it the perfect counter to Roserade, as, unlike every other defensive check to it in the tier, it isn't vulnerable to Sleep Powder. Its typing and solid bulk also allow it to check a range of threats like Celebi, Zarude, and Starmie, but its 4x weakness to Fire and low Speed make it a very poor answer to Sylveon sets running Mystical Fire.

Escavalier makes for a great fit on bulky offense and balanced teams that need a strong counter to Roserade and Celebi and appreciate its wallbreaking capabilities whenever it comes in, being excellent at wearing down Pokémon like Noivern and Incineroar for its teammates. It should, however, always be paired with other answers to Sylveon.

Notable Teammates

As mentioned before, Escavalier should always be paired with other answers to Sylveon. Chandelure provides a nice offensive teammate that can dissuade Sylveon from using Mystical Fire and wear down its shared checks with Escavalier like Krookodile and Incineroar. Assault Vest variants of the other two provide consistent switch-ins to Sylveon, as well as being able to check Noivern and Galarian Weezing and provide Escavalier with Future Sight support.

Escavalier's ability to invite in and use Knock Off against common Heavy-Duty Boots users like Noivern and Incineroar, as well as being able to often force a Knock Off on Slowbro on the turn it uses Teleport to bring an offensive check in, makes it pair especially well with hazard setters that can take advantage of this and simultaneously help Escavalier break through Pokémon like Noivern later. These setters can also help Escavalier pressure Sylveon; Roserade can also pressure checks like Rotom-W and Gastrodon and cripple Noivern with Sleep Powder.

Less Common Steel-Types

Bronzong

• Bronzong @ Leftovers
• Ability: Levitate
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
• Calm Nature
• - Stealth Rock
• - Toxic
• - Heavy Slam
• - Earthquake / Protect / Psychic

Bronzong's fantastic mixed bulk, ability, and typing make it one of the best defensive answers to Sylveon, Gardevoir, and Celebi in the tier. Thanks to its typing and Levitate, it's extremely difficult to wear down with entry hazards, and it can also check Pokémon like Mamoswine, Noivern, and Galarian Weezing to a degree, although they can all break through it with their coverage moves due to Bronzong's lack of reliable recovery. Bronzong tends to fit best on more balanced teams that need a solid counter to Pokémon like Sylveon and Roserade and can provide it with Wish support, as its lack of recovery and general passivity can make it hard to fit on more offensive teams compared to Pokémon like Copperajah.

Notable Teammates

Wish passers are vital to making Bronzong function in the long run, as it can easily be worn down by the Pokémon it checks like Sylveon and Noivern otherwise. Umbreon is a fantastic option that checks Pokémon like Chandelure, Doublade, and Copperajah. Sylveon, however, tends to be a better fit on less bulky teams and can help check some threats like Krookodile and Sharpedo.

Checks to Dark-types like Zarude, Krookodile, and Obstagoon are especially necessary with Bronzong, as its passivity tends to give them plenty of opportunities to come into play, especially Zarude and Obstagoon, which are unaffected by Toxic due to Flame Orb or may run Jungle Healing. Galarian Weezing also provides a great check to other threats like Mimikyu and Doublade, while Keldeo and Swords Dance Cobalion are great offensive options that can pressure these checks and appreciate Bronzong checking Noivern.

Klefki

• Klefki @ Leftovers
• Ability: Prankster
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
• Calm Nature
• - Spikes
• - Dazzling Gleam
• - Thunder Wave
• - Toxic / Foul Play / Magnet Rise

Klefki possesses one of the best typings in the game, along with a fantastic support movepool and Prankster as an ability. While it doesn't have the same offensive presence as Roserade as a Spiker, it makes up for this by providing heaps of defensive utility to offensive teams, as it can check Pokémon like Noivern, Zarude, and Obstagoon and cripple fast Pokémon with Thunder Wave for its teammates. This is especially useful because Zarude and Noivern can be fairly annoying to Spikes-based offense teams due to their Heavy-Duty Boots and Noivern's ability to easily Defog against Roserade, Klefki's main competition as a Spikes user. Klefki can also run more physically defensive sets to better check Zarude and Obstagoon at the cost of being 2HKOed by Noivern's Flamethrower.

Notable Teammates

Late-game cleaners love Klefki's Spikes support helping wear down their checks like Sylveon, Cobalion, and Krookodile as well as its ability to pressure Noivern. Doublade also appreciates Klefki wearing down Rotom-W with Toxic, while Mimikyu provides a lot of leeway against offensive threats thanks to Disguise, especially in conjunction with Klefki's Prankster Thunder Wave.

Wallbreakers also love Klefki's Spikes wearing down their switch-ins like Escavalier, Chansey, and Slowbro early- to mid-game; Mamoswine also is excellent at removing the Heavy-Duty Boots from Slowbro with Knock Off, while Celebi can take advantage of Defog Rotom-W, which Klefki dislikes, and Starmie can provide Rapid Spin support and pressure Tentacruel for Klefki.

Lucario

Lucario has been a rather niche and uncommon Pokémon in UU in more recent times; it provides absolutely no defensive utility and its Speed tier can be a bit awkward to work with, as both all-out attacking and Swords Dance sets are still slower than a lot of common revenge killers like Terrakion, Cobalion, and Zarude, with the former two being even resistant to Extreme Speed. However, Lucario does possess an incredibly dangerous dual typing that lets it threaten out Pokémon like Sylveon, Galarian Weezing, and Roserade, though the latter only when it has already put something to sleep. Its mixed sets have little to no defensive counterplay, having the ability to break through checks like Doublade and Palossand easily and even lure in Noivern and take it out with Ice Punch. Its Swords Dance sets instead have dangerous late-game cleaning potential because of Extreme Speed.

All in all, Lucario is the perfect definition of a glass cannon and can be an incredibly dangerous wallbreaker. Its ability to directly threaten Fairy-types like Sylveon and Galarian Weezing gives it a unique niche over more common wallbreakers like Terrakion. However, due to its lack of defensive utility, it should only be used on very offensive teams.

Notable Teammates

Lucario tends to fit best on hyper offensive teams due to its lack of defensive utility. Such teams can offer it a lot of support, with dual screens giving it easier setup opportunities and Sticky Webs making up for its average Speed stat so that it can beat traditional counters like Terrakion and Cobalion. Araquanid and Ribombee are especially handy partners for their ability to deal with Noivern, either by luring it in and taking it out with Ice Beam or by offensively checking it.

Teammates that can force damage on Doublade and Slowbro are handy, especially for Swords Dance sets. These Pokémon also act as fierce early-game wallbreakers that can give Lucario an easier time cleaning late-game. Terrakion appreciates mixed sets being able to weaken Palossand for it too, Mamoswine can offensively check Noivern, while Obstagoon can easily weaken Cobalion into range of a boosted Extreme Speed.

As demonstrated in this article, Steel-types form one of the most important parts of teambuilding in UU. There is a Steel-type for every single team and every single situation, and in the current metagame many teams have more then one to cover each other's weaknesses. Get out there and try them out for yourself and see which one is your favorite!

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