Summary
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetmanaged to shake up the meta quite a lot with many powerful monsters being added to the series as well as long-requested type combos, such as Iron Hands' Electric/Fighting and Iron Valiant’s Fairy/Fighting.Pokemongames after Gen 9 will most likely break the mold even more, to the point that they might end up finally bringing into the mix one of the most powerful type combinations in the series. A Normal and Steel-type mon would have its fair share of problems, but it would also be capable of overpowering its way to the top of the meta inPokemonGen 10and beyond.
Normal/Steel is one of the currentlyunused type combos inPokemongames, and while it may be dismissed as something marginally impactful at first glance, it would be one of the hardest pocket monsters to knock out depending on its kit.Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Orthworm is a good example of how Steel-types can become all the more interesting with unique Abilities, such as the worm Pokemon’s own Earth Eater, allowing it to not only be immune to Ground moves, but also heal when hit by one. A Normal/Steel-type could be equally threatening given its unprecedented amount of resistances and immunities.
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Why Pokemon’s Unused Normal/Steel Type Combo Would be OP
Although not every Pokemon is built to be a defensive powerhouse capable of taking hits from opposing critters for multiple turns in a row, the game’s type chart can help with this concept. Among thebestPokemontype combinationsis Normal/Ghost, introduced withPokemon Legends: Arceus' Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark, as it only has one weakness, two resistances, and three immunities. Similarly, a Normal/Steel Pokemon could shine immensely on the defensive side thanks to a whopping total of 10 resistances and two immunities, with only three weaknesses putting it in a rough spot.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Terastallizationwould have been the perfect gimmick for Game Freak to introduce a Normal/Steel Pokemon, since it would have a 4x weakness to Fighting alongside a 2x weakness to Fire and Ground, allowing the critter to turn into a Ghost-type to become immune to Fighting and take only x1 damage from Fire and Ground. Still, even with these weaknesses, a Normal/Steel Pokemon would resist Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy, and it would also be immune to any damage from both Poison and Ghost-type attacks.
This incredible defensive prowess could allow such a pocket monster to thrive in any game, as it would essentially be a wall against most opposing Pokemon, especially if paired with good defensive stats, Abilities, and moves.Bloodmoon Ursaluna in The Teal Mask DLCfor Gen 9 games was initially rumored to be the first-ever Normal/Steel Pokemon in the series, but instead, the bear-like mon turned out to share the same type as Hisuian Ursaluna, Normal/Ground. Yet, a Normal/Steel Pokemon with Bloodmoon Ursaluna’s Mind’s Eye Ability would have been incredibly powerful, allowing its Normal and Fighting moves to hit Ghost critters.
In fact, the major downside of a Normal/Steel Pokemon would be its offensive capabilities, depending on its movepool and overall kit. Normal is not supereffective against any type inPokemongames, with Ghost being immune to it, whereas Steel deals double damage only to Rock, Ice, and Fairy, with other Steel-types resisting it. However, moves like Body Press for highly defensive mons would change this dramatically, making a Normal/Steel bulky Pokemon a menace. WithPokemongames' regional forms being a recurring gimmick, future games could give this unique type combination to creatures like Stoutland or Snorlax, and it would make perfect sense.
