Steelix
SteelGround
Best attacking moveset: Iron Tail and Earthquake, worth 8.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Steelix can learn 15 combinations. Iron Tail with Earthquake does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Tail | Dragon | 14 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Iron Tail | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +6 |
| Thunder Fang | Electric | 10 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Swipe | Dragon | 45 | 1.0s | -33 |
| Crunch | Dark | 65 | 3.0s | -33 |
| Earthquake | Ground | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Heavy Slam | Steel | 70 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Psychic Fangs | Psychic | 25 | 1.0s | -33 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Steelix has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Other forms
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,729 at level 50, 2,414 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,379 CP at level 20, or 1,724 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,308 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 148 attack · 272 defense · 181 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 75,000 Stardust and 75 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 5,000 Stardust and 5 Candy |
| Size | 9.19 m and 400 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Steelix does not have one best moveset, it has 7. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Rock, Ice, Fairy.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 13.1 |
| Ice | Iron Tail + Heavy Slam | 12.8 |
| Fairy | Iron Tail + Heavy Slam | 12.8 |
| Dragon | Dragon Tail + Breaking Swipe | 12.3 |
| Poison | Thunder Fang + Earthquake | 11.4 |
| Steel | Thunder Fang + Earthquake | 11.4 |
| Fire | Thunder Fang + Earthquake | 11.4 |
| Electric | Dragon Tail + Earthquake | 10.8 |
| Water | Thunder Fang + Earthquake | 9.6 |
| Thunder Fang + Heavy Slam | 9.2 | |
| Ghost | Iron Tail + Crunch | 9.0 |
| Psychic | Iron Tail + Crunch | 9.0 |
| Normal | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 8.8 |
| Fighting | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 8.8 |
| Ground | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 8.8 |
| Dark | Iron Tail + Earthquake | 8.8 |
| Bug | Iron Tail + Heavy Slam | 8.6 |
| Grass | Iron Tail + Heavy Slam | 8.6 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Steelix is actually for.
Counters: what beats Steelix
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 25.4 |
 Lucario | FightingSteel | Force Palm + Aura Sphere Legacy | 21.5 |
 Reshiram | DragonFire | Fire Fang + Fusion Flare Legacy | 21.0 |
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Low Kick + Focus Blast | 19.7 |
 Terrakion | RockFighting | Double Kick + Sacred Sword Legacy | 19.6 |
 Blaziken | FireFighting | Counter + Aura Sphere | 19.4 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 19.3 |
 Cinderace | Fire | Fire Spin + Pyroball | 19.0 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 18.8 |
 Darmanitan | Fire | Fire Fang + Overheat | 18.7 |
Ranked by damage per second against Steelix's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.