Shadow Steelix
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Steelix is a defensive juggernaut, and Shadow Steelix trades a fairly large portion of that huge Defense stat for a teeny tiny bit of Attack. And while it's true that Attack is definitely the most important stat when it comes to raids, that boost is nowhere near enough to make Shadow Steelix worthwhile.
Offense
- Iron Tail usually beats Dragon Tail and Thunder Fang on offense due to STAB.
- Heavy Slam shares typing with Iron Tail and outdamages Earthquake, Shadow Steelix’s other STAB charge move.
- Shadow Steelix’ offense is bad, and Crunch will only make it worse.
- Breaking Swipe is great, but not on Shadow Steelix.
- Psychic Fangs is only meant for PvP.
Defense
- Dragon Tail is less likely to be resisted by Shadow Steelix’s usual counters.
- Thunder Fang can hit Water-type attackers for Super Effective damage.
- Crunch can be used frequently as a 3-bar move and is hard to dodge, but is resisted by common Fighting-type attackers.
- Psychic Fangs and Breaking Swipe have pitiful damage on defense, making them worse than if Crunch would be resisted.
- Heavy Slam is slightly slower as a 2-bar move, but deals more damage with STAB.
- Earthquake is a joke on defense.
Thunder Fang is typically the preferred option on Steelix, providing high damage, decent energy gains, and coverage against Water-type opponents. Dragon Tail is a great option as well, but it doesn't have as many super effective targets and can cause Steelix to have issues against Fairy-type opponents.
Psychic Fangs is often the preferred Charged Attack, providing Steelix with consistent debuffs and some coverage against Fighting-type Pokemon. Breaking Swipe's Attack debuffs synergize extremely well with Steelix's gargantuan bulk, but it is rather inconsistent. Crunch costs a moderate amount of energy and generally provides good neutral damage. Earthquake is very valuable for its wide coverage, and also gets STAB. Heavy Slam gets STAB but Steel-typing isn't very valuable offensively.
Steelix is a very bulky Pokemon with 10 resistances, and is considered as one of the Steel Tanks in the meta. Through sheer bulk and resistances, Steelix acts as a wall to many Pokemon, countering Pokemon such as Altaria and Charjabug. Weaknesses to common Water and Fighting-types are major issues for Steelix, which requires it to be complimented with Pokemon that can cover its vulnerabilities. As more Pokemon are introduced into the game and moves are rebalanced over time, Steelix fell out of favor compared to other Steel-type Pokemon, though its unique movepool keeps it somewhat relevant. Its reliable damage and spammy debuffs sets Steelix apart from other competitors such as Registeel and Alolan Sandslash.
This Pokemon was the reason why Breaking Swipe was nerfed. The combination of Steelix's high bulk and consistent Attack debuffs made it close to immortal - even letting it go toe to toe in matchups that should be negative for it. While post-nerf Steelix is no longer oppressive, it still maintains strong qualities that lets it see play in various Great League cups where Registeel or Alolan Sandslash aren't present.
