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Description
INTRODUCTION

The Steel-type is a devastating type favored for its incredible defensive abilities and equally feared among most fighters for the sheer walls that many Steel-types can prove to be in even bad situations. The Steel-type is only occasionally favored for its offensive advantages and is somewhat difficult to use in such regards, but considering that relatively few types are actually resistant against it, it can still prove to be a decent tool of destruction if needed. The Steel-type is one that many trainers will learn to love at an early age, but it will often take grim determination and a lot of training before a trainer is ready to truly utilize the type to the point of being tournament-worthy. It is unlikely that most trainers will be able to formulate decent strategies to handle the otherwise insurmountable defenses that Steel-type naturally possess, but for those able to break its defenses, the Steel-type is both a fun, challenging type to deal with and a definite boon to any defensive team in battle.

POWERS AND ATTRIBUTES

The Steel-type is one of only two types (the other being the Rock-type) that is completely defined by the presence of some form of armor. Pokémon in possession of metallic armor usually create it by absorbing massive amounts of metallic elements either by ingesting raw ore or otherwise using electrostatic charges to attract metallic particles in the air and the surrounding earth; iron is the most popular element used, but some species specialize in much rarer and sturdier metallic elements. In most cases, this metallic armor holds back Pokémon and makes them fairly slow-moving, so their capacity to act as a quick knockout-fighter is fairly low (though exceptions such as Skarmory do exist). However, this metallic armor grants these creatures incredible physical and occasionally special defenses and grants the Steel-type the best overall physical defenses out of all known types. In fact, many Steel-types are generally used in battle as defensive walls and rarely are fitted with powerful offensive moves, which works fine as many Steel-types lack the true power needed to severely damage most other types in battle. Steel-types generally attack with moves that are similar to basic attacks such as Scratch or Headbutt but are otherwise much more powerful because the addition of metal allows such attacks to penetrate farther through both soft flesh and armor than they normally would; the Steel-type counterparts to the two afore-mentioned attacks, Metal Claw and Iron Head, prove this attribute quite effectively. In other cases, their attacks consist of moves that utilize pure light energy to deal damage, which can be decently potent in the right circumstances provided their target does not possess a type that has light-reflecting attributes. Unfortunately, most Steel-type attacks do not have a significant amount of power behind them, and the few that do are either highly inaccurate or limited to a small number of species. This is rarely of much concern, though, as many Steel-type attacks have decent secondary effects that make up for this issue and make battling with the type fun for the casual trainer. For professionals, though, the most appealing thing about the Steel-type is its defensive attributes, which makes sense considering it is resistant against 10 of the 18 known types and is generally difficult to overcome with most offenses; only armor-breaking types and extreme heat are capable of felling the Steel-type easily, and although such types are a common sight among many different creatures, the fact that only those moves will have a major advantage can make things difficult for trainers hoping to somehow weasel their way past a Steel-type without directly dealing with it head-on.

CATEGORIES OF IDENTIFICATION
There are currently 77 recognized species of Steel-types, 11 of them being pure-types (not counting Mega Aggron) and 66 being dual-types. Additionally, 28 of the dual-types are primary Steel-types while the remaining 38 are secondary Steel-types.

MAMMALS/MAMMAL-LIKE: Aron, Lairon, Aggron (also Mega Aggron), Mawile (also Mega Mawile), Cobalion, Lucario (also Mega Lucario), Excadrill, Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Diglett, Alolan Dugtrio, Togedemaru, Galarian Meowth, Perrserker, Cufant, Copperajah, Zacian (Crowned Sword Form) and Zamazenta (Crowned Shield Form)

These creatures are all mammals or are otherwise fairly mammal-like in terms of anatomy for lack of a better classification. All of these species tend to live fairly disparate lives and are best recognized in the wild and in battle not for their Steel-type assignment but for the features that come from their other partial type; the only exception to this rule is Mawile, as they are primarily defined by the thin but sturdy metallic armor that covers their skin with their Fairy-type powers only being of secondary importance. The members of the Aron family are only classified under this category because they are warm-blooded and possess many mammalian characteristics that are otherwise not found in reptiles or similar creatures, such as having their nostrils at the end of an actual nose instead of merely having them at the end of their skull. It is duly noted that four of these creatures are considered only as Steel-types due to being Alolan variants, with the type assignment of Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Diglett and Alolan Dugtrio being due to the ingestion of large concentrations of metals from the local soil and other food resources and the formation of some form of armored protection on their bodies.

BIRDS: Skarmory, Empoleon and Corviknight

These creatures are unique among birds for their thick metallic armor, but both live radically separate lives in regards to each other. Empoleon are completely flightless and sacrificed their natural Flying-type powers in exchange for advanced swimming abilities and access to powerful Water-type attacks. Skarmory and Corviknight, on the other hand, still retain the capacity to fly and can move at extraordinary speeds in comparison to other birds, making them among the most vicious and difficult birds for any trainer to even attempt to defeat in battle.

PLANTS: Ferroseed and Ferrothorn

The members of the Ferroseed family are unique among plants in that they possess the ability to absorb nutrients straight from rocks and use the metallic ions they absorb to construct a sturdy outer shell for defense. This shell makes them highly vulnerable to extreme heat, but it nonetheless makes them extremely difficult to damage with conventional attacks and allows them to utilize their bodies in ways unseen among other Grass-types, even to the point of being able to learn bizarre attacks like Power Whip and Rock Climb when fully-evolved.

AUTOMATON/ARTIFICIAL: Magnemite, Magneton, Magnezone, Klink, Klang, Klinklang, Registeel, Bronzor, Bronzong and Magearna

All of these creatures are either known to be artificial in construction or at least are believed to have been crafted by human hands in ancient times. These creatures generally have a difficult time learning a diverse array of moves even through TMs and HMs but are more than supported by impressive defenses and access to decent special and physical attacks. These creatures are well-known for their long life-spans and are very difficult to destroy with conventional attacks, so the chances of single member of a species lasting through the lives of more than one trainer are noticeably high, giving them the chance to learn many battle tactics that most Pokémon don't get to learn before their time is up.

ARTHROPODS: Forretress, Scizor (also Mega Scizor), Wormadam (Trash Cloak), Escavalier, Durant, Pawniard, Bisharp and Kingambit

These creatures are all considered to be insects or are otherwise classified in general as arthropods. These creatures all tend to display typical insect behavior in the wild, but they are generally among the more intelligent of insects and are able to fight back with surprising strength in battle, even if they are not among the quickest of fighters. The members of the Pawniard family are the only creatures that are not true insects but are classified as an entirely separate class of arthropod; at the moment, it is difficult to place them within any specific class aside from this one, as their basis of life on revenge makes them more vindictive and strategy-oriented than any of their contemporaries.

POSSESSED BLADE: Honedge, Doublade and Aegislash

These creatures are not Steel-types by nature but are the result of an old sword being possessed by a wandering spirit, slowly corrupting the blade and changing it to fit their own needs. They do not have much in the way of personality nor are their intentions in battle ever clear, but these strange beings are nonetheless noted for their regal functions in Kalos legends as symbols of power and royalty and are among the most powerful of Steel-types known, being able to wield their own bodies as if not more masterfully than even the best human swordsmen in history.

ANIMATED STONE: Steelix (also Mega Steelix) and Probopass

These creatures are defined by a significant lack of living tissue in their bodies and are usually considered to be non-living. Both of these Pokémon are noted for their exceptional physical defenses and capacity to learn many powerful attacks naturally, though they tend to be a bit limited in the variety of attack types they can utilize. The only other real advantages these creatures have over others is their amazing capacity to act as a defensive wall while still having some strength to deal a little bit of damage, especially if taught status-inflicting moves like Toxic via TM or otherwise mixed in with an otherwise limited array of types.

AMORPHOUS VEHICLES: Varoom and Revavroom

The members of the Varoom family are unique among Steel-typed because their true bodies are unknown, having been created from an unknown Poison-type Pokémon commandeering and integrating old automobile parts into their forms in order to become these high-octane monsters in the first place. As a result, there is little concrete known about their true nature, but they are able to make good use of their metal bodies ad wheeled forms to run over many other types of Pokémon. This especially is the case for those armed by the members of Team Star, who were able to combine them with larger vehicles to make unique and powerful rides that rise above the power levels of most others of their kind.

FISH: Galarian Stunfisk

This strange creature has adopts its Steel-type characteristics from the metal-rich mud that it lives in within the Galar region, and rarely ever has to travel into the water to hydrate itself. It lies in wait for prey to come towards it before lashing out with its barbed body, latching on like a bear trap to skewer unsuspecting prey which it can then feast upon. This comes in as part of their Snap Trap attack, and while not the best type to match with them, it does giver them a unique foothold that can make them an annoyance to encounter in the wild.

GASTROPODS: Hisuian Sliggoo and Hisuian Goodra

These creatures are normally pure Dragon-type Pokémon, but the metal-rich waters of the Hisui region has transformed them and allowed them to develop into entirely new forms with access to a number of new powers as a result. These creatures use the abundant metal content in the waters they call home to build a massive metallic shell that gives them a much more snail-like form than their normal counterparts; they primarily use this shell for defense, utilizing their signature Shelter technique to climb inside of them and hide from danger, while offensively it can also be used as a bludgeoning tool for an Iron Head attack. Though these variants may no longer dwell in the modern day Sinnoh region, their ancient presence in the same land nonetheless makes them worth understanding and admiring, especially with how much the shell works to improve their already bulky forms defensively-speaking.

WORM: Orthoworm

These creatures are quite noteworthy in that they are the only worms that are not totally soft, as parts of their bodies are covered in thick iron jacket that helps to keep their most vital organs protected against attack. This aids them greatly in terms of physical defenses and can make them very hard nuts to crack, and moreover helps to keep them guarded against the many Rock and Steel-types that tend to live in their native habits. Their Earth Eater Ability further covers their possible weakness to native Ground-types, rendering these beasts sturdy invertebrates to encounter without special attacks on one's side.

DRAGON: Duraludon and Archaludon

These powerful dragons are made out of a lightweight alloy that grants them considerable mobility despite their otherwise bulky-looking frames, a trait that helps to make them dangerous creatures to come into contact with. Though limited mainly to physical attacks, these creatures shine with their special offenses and are able to use the attacks at their disposal to fend off the likes of even Tyranitar, with whom they constantly butt territorial heads with. The fact that they can take on such brutish creatures with little issue testifies to their impressive strength, and shows them to be among the most dangerous of Dragon-types a trainer can possibly come into contact with.

FAIRIES: Klefki, Tinkatink, Tinkatuff and Tinkaton

Klefki, alongside Pokémon like Carbink, are the only Fairy-types that have chosen to take a natural form that reflects neither animal nor plant but a materialistic construct. It is still unknown why exactly this is the case, but it seems that it may have something to do with humans, as these creatures have picked the keychain as the form to go to out in the wild. This abnormal choice of body form might make them look like little more than troublesome key collectors, but they are decently strong despite their appearances and possess a couple of tricks up their sleeves (like the Fairy Lock and Crafty Shield techniques) that few if any other Pokémon are even remotely capable of executing. The members of the Tinkatink family, on the other hand, are classified as Steel-types primarily because of their metal-coated skeletons and the massive metal hammers that they wield as weapons, making them fairly formidable among Fairy-types as a whole.

FOSSIL POKÉMON: Shieldon, Bastiodon and Genesect

The members of the Shieldon family are different from other fossil Pokémon in that they already seemed to possess sturdy frames and armored head shields that effectively served as an organic equivalent to natural metallic armor before they were revived. The act of cloning and restoring the species seems to have heavily enhanced this attribute, turning the otherwise thin and easily destroyed head shields of their genetic relatives into a solid shield of metal and stone, making them among the best defensive walls against both physical and special attacks in existence. Genesect, on the other hand, were originally soft-bodied, resurrected insectoids that were made Steel-types when they were converted into cyborgs, and in turn made into powerful weapons of war that very few survive an encounter against.

BIOMECHANIZED: Beldum, Metang and Metagross (also Mega Metagross)

The members of the Beldum family are unique among Steel-types and Psychic-types alike in that they are effectively the closest thing to a true living machine than any creature in the history of life has managed to reach. The members of the Beldum family are all fueled by magnetism to the point where their brains and muscle motions are completely operated through electromagnetic energy, which flows throughout their bodies like blood and controls how they think, act and even evolve in the wild. These creatures stride the line between artificial and natural life and are likely the most extreme example of biomechanization that any creature could ever possibly hope to obtain (although the members of the Staryu family come in at a close second), a trait that helps place them among the most powerful offensive and defensive fighters known.

SUPER-THERMOPHILE: Heatran

As a result of the extreme body temperatures they possess, Heatran do not have the same substantial defenses that other Steel-types have on account of their armor being partially melted by their body heat. Even so, Heatran have learned to easily coexist with such extreme temperatures and are able to use Fire-type attacks more effectively than most other Fire-types, a fact more than demonstrated by their signature attack, Magma Storm.

WISHMAKER: Jirachi

While Jirachi do possess armor-like skin, their true powers lie with their unique psychokinetic capacity to grant wishes, a power that is still an utter mystery to this day and which defines them among both Psychic and Steel-type Pokémon alike. Even so, Jirachi are able to use some Steel-type attacks such as Iron Head and their signature attack, Doom Desire, and are overall fairly powerful despite their small size and seemingly frail bodies.

LIQUID METAL: Meltan and Melmetal

The members of the Meltan family are unique among Steel-type Pokémon in that their bodies are primarily made up of two different types of metal, one of which is present in a liquid or plastic state at standard surface pressure and temperature conditions. This allows them to shape and mold their bodies into varying different forms and grants them a degree of flexibility not seen in other Steel-type Pokémon, with this metal’s density being something else that they have the power to change as they go from Meltan to Melmetal in evolution. These creatures are further unique for being able to generate metal seemingly out of thin air by absorbing it from their surroundings, and are able to use this metal to conduct an electric current that powers them, making them completely self-sufficient for the most part and thus easy to take care of, though their overwhelming physical power when fully-evolved can nonetheless make them a nightmare to have to deal with in combat.

GOLDEN SOUL: Gholdengo

Gholdengo are created as the result of a Gimmighoul managing to collect 999 Gimmighoul Coins and then using their tiny body a the finial coin to allow them all to fuse together to form the body of this creature as an evolution of not just their body but their spirits as well. Gimmighoul have fractured souls as part of the curse that created them, but by joining a thousand of these soul splinters together, they can form a whole, new soul that then inhabits the body made from their fused coins to give life to these creatures. This might not add a whole lot more to their type assignment as a result of this, but it does give them the power to make money at will, so their powers are truly magical to say the least.

SUPER-TEMPORAL: Dialga

Dialga possesses thick metallic armor all over its body and is effectively impervious to normal attacks on any day, a trait made even more dangerous in combination with the fact that it is essentially the source of time itself. Interestingly enough, though, this thick armor does not seem to slow Dialga down much at all and in fact is counterintuitive to time, as time is thought to be fluid in nature and effectively relative while space is seen as the true concrete force in the universe since matter and energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It is possible, however, that this trait reflects the fact that Dialga is still subject to the rules of space in normal conditions and is thus incomplete without it to the point of taking on a form whose physical features are completely defined by its opposing but intertwined partner, Palkia.

EMISSARY OF THE SUNNE: Solgaleo

Solgaleo is a legendary Ultra Beast that was once hailed as a hero and creature of worship by the ancient people of the Alola region. In times long past, the Alola region was attacked by invaders from an unknown world, creatures that we now call the Ultra Beasts. The natives of the island had no protection against attack from these creatures and were left defenseless, and although the four Land Spirit guardians of the region’s four islands were able to hold back the Ultra Beasts for a time, they were not strong enough on their own to defeat therm. In desperation, the people of the region looked to the heavens for help, and were greeted with the sight of two legendary creatures, one of which was Solgaleo. Battling back the monsters in the light of day, the legendary beast was able to drive the Ultra Beasts back from whence they came, sparing the people of the region. In time, the people of the Alola region crafted the Sun Flute, an item that, when used with its counterpart, the Moon Flute, could summon forth the same power the beasts used to drive back the Ultra Beasts when used together, though the artifacts were lost to time before being rediscovered just in time to help end the Aether Crisis. Seen as the emissary of the sun, Solgaleo’s power is likewise derived from the light of the rising sun, and its signature attack, the Sunsteel Strike, is a perfect representation of the power pure light can have against those who oppose its will. It is considered in legend to be a male organism even though its gender is completely undefinable by modern science, and its capacity to use Ultra Wormhole energy to aid it in battle and even open doorways to parallel universes is unprecedented, even for a legendary Pokémon.

ULTRA BEASTS: Celesteela, Kartana and Stakataka

These Ultra Beasts are defined as Steel-type Pokémon not necessarily because of their biology but more by the material that is used to construct their bodies. In the case of Celesteela, while its internal anatomy may be closer to that of a plant than anything else scientifically known, its entire body is covered in sturdy, metallic armor that grants it the offensive and defensive attributes of the type more so than any Grass-type powers it possesses. As for Kartana, its Steel-type assignment is derived from its ability to cut through anything and everything that it touches for the most part as a result of an unidentified glossy compound that covers its body and forms indescribably-sharp edges at every border of its body, though strong metals do offer up some minor resistance if they are thick enough, hinting further towards its attributes being approximately consistent with those exhibited by other Steel-type Pokémon. Stakataka is the only one where its Steel-type assignment is directly connected to the high amounts of metal that comprise its body and armor the outer sides of its individual living units, and it grants it imposing physical defenses that can make it almost impossible to penetrate with conventional attacks.

RECOVERING SUPER-ENTITY OF LIGHT: Necrozma (Dusk Mane Form)

While it is classified as a pure Psychic-type in its base form, Necrozma has the capacity to change its type in response to the restoration of part of its original power. Attracted to sources of great light and energy, this creature has the ability to merge and control other entities gifted with a light similar to the light that once poured forth from its body, and in the case of this form, the addition of a Steel-type assignment occurs when it merges with and takes control of a Solgaleo, entering its Dusk Mane form. In this state, it becomes a Psychic/Steel-type Pokémon and gains access to both the creature’s Sunsteel Strike attack (as well as the capacity to utilize its signature Z-Move, Searing Sunraze Smash) and to improved stats that correspond similarly to those of the beast it merged with. The host Solgaleo is unable to remove itself from this merged control unless Necrozma is severely damaged or is otherwise ejected via an N-Solarizer device.

PARADOX POKÉMON: Iron Treads and Iron Crown

Paradox Pokémon as a whole consist of Pokémon that appear to exist outside of the normal boundaries of time as seen in the present day; in other words, in the case of these specimens, they are creatures from the future that has been brought to the present and whose biological functions are still a mystery. At the very least, it seems that Iron Treads is a machine of some sort and has taken on the form of a roboticized Donphan, though one of of obviously different elemental traits, as the creature has the addition of the Steel-type to its form and powers, able to roll into a wheel shape to roll over nearly any sort of terrain and flatten all those that dare to get in its way. This adds to their offensive capabilities with some potent Steel and Electric-type attacks among others, and thus grants them a different degree of versatility than that exhibited by the supposed ancestors that exist in the present day. On the other hand, Iron Crown are a futuristic, robotic form of Cobalion that have taken a far more aggressive role in the way that they interact with their environment, having a more rigid stance in their form with a more calculated, mechanical sense of mind with how they approach others compared to their present-day relatives; as such, these monsters are extremely ruthless and will strike down all that dare to confront them. What really stands out about them, however, is the fact that these creatures possess several open energy ports on the front of their horns that can be energized to project a pair of powerful energy blades that they can then use to slice apart others like buzzsaws, the blades of light energy proving to be an effective weapon against non-Dark-types and others that do not otherwise resist the damaging power of light energy.

TYPE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES (OFFENSIVELY)

Advantage against Ice: Metallic armor in general is recognized for being a good conductor of both heat and cold but is only actually effective against the latter since it does not involve the metal actually melting. This same principle applies in regard to Ice-types, as Steel-type attacks are able to utilize metal to easily cleave through thick ice and fat (a trait often found among many mammalian Ice-types) and thus deal extensive damage in the process.

Advantage against Rock: Although rocky armor is sturdy enough to resist damage from most conventional attacks, Steel-type attacks are capable of breaking through such armor with sheer blunt force, most likely because rocky armor is much more brittle and easily cracked by force than tempered metal.

Advantage against Fairy: The Steel-type rarely has much use in battle as it usually is only effective against Rock and Ice-type Pokémon, but as it turns out, it has a reprieve in the Fairy-type. Though the cause is still uncertain, it seems that contact with base metals of any mixture dispels internal Fairy Force energy sources and in turn prevents these creatures from functioning properly internally. This not only completely leaves Fairy-type Pokémon without an energy buffer against special attacks but weakens them physically, in turn enabling Steel-type attacks to deal massive damage against them even if they are otherwise at full strength. It is duly noted that metallic armor seems to be capable of deflecting external Fairy Force energy to some degree as a defensive shield which may potentially add to its damaging power against the Fairy-type, but the exact extent of this impact is uncertain.

Disadvantage against Fire: Unlike rocky armor, metallic armor is extremely vulnerable against extreme heat, something that most Steel-types are naturally aware of. This in turn makes it psychologically difficult for many Steel-types to even get near Fire-type and damage them effectively due to a fear of getting anywhere near the opposition's flames.

Disadvantage against Electric: The capacity to utilize electricity as a weapon makes Electric-types a bit difficult for Steel-types to damage as a result of the conductive nature of their armor. When a Steel-type uses a physical Steel-type attack to damage an Electric-type, their bodies automatically end up absorbing and conducting an electric current that flows through their armor and into the muscles, severely weakening the power of their physical strike. The same applies to projectile attacks, though the cause in this case is due to conflicting energy types in the ensuing blow.

Disadvantage against Water: The connection between the Water and Steel-types has been a bit of a mystery and still partially is in many cases, but as it turns out, Water-types are naturally resistant against Steel-type attacks because the water in their bodies can be used in the form of an internal concussive shield that absorbs the strikes and energy used in Steel-type attacks and reflect part of it, thus weakening the effects of the attack in the process. More research, however, will be needed to refine this vague and relatively puzzling type disadvantage.

Disadvantage against Steel: As one might imagine, the sturdy frames of many Steel-types are strong enough to resist damage from other Steel-type attacks, a trait that Rock-types do not share due to having less-stable armor.

TYPE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES (DEFENSIVELY)

Strong against Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon and Fairy: Aside from being sturdy enough to resist damage from most types of attacks, metallic armor is capable of actually reflecting the energy-based attacks and attributes of many energy-based elemental types, in turn making it very difficult for conventional fighters to deal significant damage or even penetrate through said armor, with the exception of Ghost and Dark-type attacks. For individual types, this rule pervades fairly uniformly and does not deter in effectiveness for any of the listed types.

Strong against Normal, Steel, Rock, Bug and Flying: The sturdiness possessed by most if not all forms of metallic armor is enough to make the Steel-type extremely resistant against most types of physical attacks, even if the attack's true damage is energy-based in nature. As a result, the Steel-type is highly resistant to damage from types that generally rely on physical strikes to deal damage in most cases.

Weak against Fire: One of the biggest if not the biggest flaw that Steel-types have is that while metallic armor can be chilled without becoming extraordinarily brittle, if heated up, the internal frame of the armor will become increasingly compromised as it begins to reach a melting point. As such, Steel-types are inherently weak against Fire-type attacks and are unable to resist damage without some other physical attribute or partial type to counteract its effects.

Weak against Fighting: Although it is generally much sturdier than rocky armor, metallic armor is still susceptible to the armor-breaking attributes of Fighting-type attacks and can easily be cracked or even shattered if a large enough impulse is exerted from an attack or if it is otherwise damaged and bypassed with moves such as Aura Sphere.

Weak against Ground: Much as with Fighting-type attacks, the inflexibility of metallic armor makes it vulnerable to damage when struck be an erosive blast of mud and sand or otherwise is vibrated to the point of internal failure by the effects of seismic waves.

Immune to Poison: Unlike rocky armor, which is generated and excreted through pore spaces through which some toxins can flow, metallic armor is generated through solid-state diffusion and thus possesses no such pore spaces. In short, this means that any poison used in an attack will never make it past the outermost layer of armor and the armor itself will absorb the physical blow used if any, in turn completely nullifying the effects of any and all Poison-type attacks.

DIFFICULTY OF USE/REQUIRED TRAINING SPECIALTIES

The Steel-type is generally a difficult type for even experienced trainers to use offensively, but defensively, its resistances are so easy to take advantage of that even beginning trainers can make use of them. The Steel-type's only true weaknesses might be fairly common among most species and are easy to take advantage of in most cases due to a generally low Special Defense stat, but even then, most Steel-types can still act as a temporary wall that the opposition will have to waste considerable stamina to break through, leaving them vulnerable to the assault of another Pokémon afterwards. Most Steel-types are hard for beginning trainers to find and are rarely among the most commonly used of types, so it is unlikely that many will be within the parties of beginning trainers; advanced trainers, on the other hand, will almost always have at least one Steel-type on their team when playing a defensive position. Because the Steel-type is rarely ever present in a pure-form among Pokémon, most trainers will be able to nullify most of the type's weaknesses through specialty combinations like those seen in Forretress or Scizor, making it difficult to battle against them efficiently unless one has access to the few types capable of breaching the wall. Steel-types in general can be somewhat friendly at a young age, but more experienced Steel-types will be fairly brutal and will gladly attack trainers just as fiercely as they would an attacking Pokémon. In some cases, such as Skarmory and Bisharp, these temperaments are beyond difficult to deal with and can make even a brief encounter fatal in many cases. Thankfully, these creatures are intelligent enough to be easily trained and controlled and can often prove to be extremely loyal creatures to stand by in battle. Trainers looking to build a defensive team will often have to take extra time to perfect the defenses of Steel-types, but the reward is more than compensation for the act. The only real concern that comes with training Steel-types is keeping them away from heat as much as possible, as most Steel-types are extremely vulnerable to it regardless of their type. Overall, the Steel-type is not always the type you would bring to an offensive battle, but if you're looking for a pure defensive advantage in any battle and are prepared to allow a battle drag on for a long time, then the Steel-type is probably the best type that a trainer could go with.

Professor Wormwood