Steelix Weaknesses and Raid Counters in Pokemon GO

Steelix was one of the first Pokemon I heard about back when Generation II was revealed, and I knew I had to had one. Onix was one of the iconic Pokemon of the first generation, thanks to Brock, so an even bigger, tougher Onix automatically becomes cool. Steelix still retains the honor of being one of the progenitor Steel type Pokemon, and you better watch out if you’re on the receiving end of its diamond-tough jaws. Here are Steelix’s weaknesses and Raid counters in Pokemon GO.

Steelix Weaknesses

Steelix is a Steel/Ground type, an extremely hearty combination that gives it numerous, powerful resistances, which are as follows:

• Resistant to: Normal, Flying, Bug, Steel, Psychic, Dragon, Fairy
• Double-Resistant to: Rock, Electric
• Triple-Resistant to: Poison
• Weak against: Fighting, Ground, Fire, Water

While Steelix’s offensive capabilities and stamina are pretty average, with a base attack of 148 and a base stamina of 181, it’s in the defensive department that its chrome-plated body really shines. Steelix has an above-average base defense of 272, and coupled with its wide array of resistances, not to mention a max Raid CP of 1,379, 1,724 boosted, only the most specialized moves can hope to pierce its armor.

Steelix Moveset

These are the moves Steelix has in its kit:

Quick Moves

• Dragon Tail (Dragon)
• Iron Tail (Steel)
• Thunder Fang (Electric)

Main Moves

• Earthquake (Ground)
• Heavy Slam (Steel)
• Crunch (Dark)

Steelix Weaknesses and Raid Counters in Pokemon GO

To properly penetrate Steelix’s considerable defenses, you’re gonna need a DPS powerhouse Pokemon, preferably one that can safely take a punch while still dishing out considerable pain. You do have some good options for DPS among Steelix’s weaknesses, including Fire and Fighting types. However, while a Fire type like Galarian Zen Darmanitan or Chandelure do have plenty of DPS potential, Fire types are weak to Ground moves, and Earthquake is one of the strongest Ground moves, so that’s not exactly a safe pick.

List of Steelix Counters

• Reshiram – Fire Fang/Overheat
• Ho-Oh – Incinerate/Sacred Fire++
• Lucario – Counter/Aura Sphere
• Darmanitan – Fire Fang/Overheat
• Kyogre – Waterfall/Surf
• Conkeldurr – Counter/Dynamic Punch
• Kingler – Bubble/Crabhammer

A safer option would be a Fighting type, preferably a pure one like Conkeldurr, since they aren’t weak to anything in Steelix’s kit. Lucario is also an option, and it is the strongest Fighting type around, but its Steel typing also makes it weak to Earthquake, and it doesn’t have especially high defense, so again, this is a risky play. If you’d like another good DPS pick, Kingler is a good option, with its pure water typing giving it resistance to Steelix’s moves and its base attack more than matching Steelix’s defense.

If you’d like to use a Legendary Pokemon, the Fighting type might of Rapid Strike Urshifu can easily pierce Steelix’s hide. Reshiram is also an option, as while its Fire typing still leaves it weak to Earthquake, it’s a heartier Pokemon than most Fire types and can take a couple of hits.