Is Steelix worth using in Pokemon GO?

Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokemon, has been in Pokemon GO for a long time now and is known in the main series games for its huge defensive prowess and menacing appearance. It's also known for being one of the first Steel type Pokemon in the entire franchise.

Before players go out of their way to grind Pokemon GO for Onix candies and a metal coat, it may be helpful to know how well the steel behemoth performs in battle.

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Pokemon GO: Is Steelix good in battle?

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

The short answer is that it depends on the context. In terms of offensive Steel types, many other Pokemon fill the role much better like Scizor or Bisharp. On the defensive side however, Steelix performs much better with its mosterous defensive stat of 272. Unfortunately, in Pokemon GO, there is not as much of a need for outlasting your opponent. In the main series of games, Steelix would be good for setting the battlefield with various lingering damage effects like sandstorm and poison, and simply outlasting the opponent with its towering defensive stats.

In Pokemon GO, status moves don't have much of a place. Even if they did, Steelix does not have access to any status moves.

Another thing about Steelix that some players may find desirable is Steelix's Mega Evolution. Mega Steelix fixes the subpar offensive stat of 148 that regular Steelix has. Mega Evolving takes this stat up to a more viable 212. However, using Mega Steelix means that trainers would miss out on more useful Mega Evolutions like Mega Charizard Y or Mega Salamence. In short, using Steelix or its Mega Evolution for any sort of offensive capabilities would be a huge waste of resources.

Defensively, Steelix is quite impressive. The Steel typing has a lot of resistances. Steel type Pokemon take less damage from common attacking types in Pokemon GO like Normal type, Fairy type and Psychic types. For trainers looking to use Steelix for its defense, its best to play battles slow and steady and to keep in mind that Steelix can take quite a few hits without needing to waste a shield.

The best move set to be used for Steelix is Iron Tail for a fast attack, and a choice of either Crunch or Heavy Slam for attack. Steelix, being a Steel type, deals a lot more damage by using Steel type attacks so if maximizing damage output is your priority, use Heavy Slam. However, Crunch does provide a good spread of coverage and is slightly faster to use than Heavy Slam.

In summary, Steelix is a rather mediocre pick when it comes to defensive Steel types in Pokemon GO as it lacks the tools to take advantage of the time it will buy players with its incredible defense. Offensively, Steelix is even worse and other Steel types like Bisharp, Scizor or even Aggron are much better choices in Pokemon GO.