Metal-Type Pokémon Cards: Popular Cards, Weakness and How They Play

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Metal at a Glance How Metal Plays Things to Know Popular Metal Cards in Standard Most Valuable Metal Cards Classic Cards FAQ

Metal at a Glance

Standard figures count every Pokémon legal in Standard on October 15, 2026, each card once however often it was reprinted. Printing figures count every English printing.

Metal

Video game typesSteel types.

Pokémon in Standard118

Weak to (share of its Standard cards)Fire (94%), Lightning (6%)

ResistsGrass (94%), Fighting (6%)

Standard Pokémon weak to MetalPsychic (69), Water (56)

Basic Energy cardBasic Metal Energy

First expansionNeo Genesis (2000)

Pokémon cards printed in English986

Most printed PokémonDialga (33), Scizor (33), Skarmory (32)

Basic Metal Energy

Mega Evolution Energies #8

Basic Energy: no copy limit in a deck.

All 11 types and the full Weakness chart →

How Metal Plays

Metal decks win by surviving. Archaludon ex's Metal Defender does 220 and leaves it with no Weakness during your opponent's next turn, and nearly every Metal Pokémon resists Grass, taking 30 less from Grass attacks.

Energy recursion keeps Metal attackers going. Archaludon ex attaches up to 2 Basic Metal Energy from your discard pile when it evolves, and Steven's Metagross ex's X-Boot searches out a Basic Psychic and a Basic Metal Energy every turn for your Psychic and Metal Pokémon.

Things to Know About Metal Pokémon Cards

Metal Pokémon are weak to Fire and nearly all resist Grass.
Metal hits Ice-type Water Pokémon and Fairy-origin Psychic Pokémon for Weakness, because those cards are printed weak to Metal.
Of the eight types with a Basic Energy in Standard, Metal has the fewest Pokémon in Standard and the fewest cards ever printed.
The first Metal cards were in Neo Genesis (2000), including Steelix and Skarmory; the original sets had no Steel Pokémon.

Popular Metal Pokémon in Standard

Metal Pokémon legal in Standard that show what the type does. Not a ranking: each is here for what its text does.

Archaludon ex

Surging Sparks #130

Steven's Metagross ex

Destined Rivals #145

Hop's Zacian ex

Journey Together #111

Mega Mawile ex

Mega Evolution #94

Archaludon ex: Assemble Alloy attaches up to 2 Basic Metal Energy from your discard pile when it evolves; Metal Defender does 220 and removes its Weakness for a turn.
Steven's Metagross ex: X-Boot searches your deck for a Basic Psychic Energy, a Basic Metal Energy or one of each once a turn and attaches them to your Psychic and Metal Pokémon.
Hop's Zacian ex: Insta-Strike does 30 to the Active and 30 to a Benched Pokémon for one Energy; Brave Slash does 240.
Mega Mawile ex: Gobble Down does 80 for each Prize card you have taken; Huge Bite does 260 to an undamaged Active Pokémon.

Pokémon decks players have built on TurnZero HQ → How to build a Pokémon deck →

Most Valuable Metal Cards

The highest-priced Metal Pokémon of the Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution series, one printing per card name, by TCGplayer market price on November 2, 2026. Prices change daily; each card's page has today's.

Steven's Metagross ex

Ascended Heroes #289

$55.91

Gholdengo ex

Prismatic Evolutions #164

$41.54

Genesect ex

Black Bolt #169

$39.61

Jirachi ex

30th Celebration #155

$38.32

Steelix

Paradox Rift #208

$33.53

Klinklang

Black Bolt #141

$33.20

Classic Metal Cards Collectors Know

Older cards that collectors know the type by. No prices here: vintage cards sell too rarely, in too many conditions, for one number to mean much. How to check what your Pokémon cards are worth →

Dark Scizor

Neo Destiny #9

Shining Steelix

Neo Destiny #112

Dialga-EX

Phantom Forces #122

Dark Scizor: Neo Destiny (2002), from the Dark Pokémon subset.
Shining Steelix: Neo Destiny (2002), one of the original shiny cards.
Dialga-EX: The gold Secret Rare from Phantom Forces (2014).

The Other Types

Grass Plants and Bugs. Grass decks heal, move Energy around and power up off Grass Energy in play, and almost every Grass Pokémon is weak to Fire. Fire Big damage that costs Energy. Fire attacks often discard Energy to hit hard, Charizard is the type's face, and Fire is weak to Water. Water The biggest type by printings. Water covers Water and Ice Pokémon, mixes raw damage with damage counters, and is weak to Lightning or, for Ice types, Metal. Lightning Pikachu's type. Lightning decks attach Energy fast and hit hard for it, Lightning is weak to Fighting, and it hits Water and Flying Pokémon for Weakness. Psychic Mewtwo, Mew and Gardevoir. Psychic decks scale damage off Energy and bend the rules, and Psychic is weak to Darkness or, for Fairy-origin Pokémon, Metal. Fighting Lucario, Machamp and the Rock and Ground Pokémon. Fighting decks hit hard and cheaply, and Fighting is the type the most Standard Pokémon are weak to. Darkness Umbreon, Darkrai and the Poison Pokémon. Darkness decks disrupt, poison and punish, and Darkness hits Psychic Pokémon for Weakness. Fairy The retired type. Fairy cards were printed from XY to Sun & Moon, were weak to Metal and resisted Darkness, and today's Fairy Pokémon are Psychic. Dragon No Basic Energy and no Weakness. Dragon Pokémon pay with two other types, hit hard, and in Standard nothing is weak to them and they are weak to nothing. Colorless Fits in any deck. Colorless costs can be paid with any Energy, so Colorless Pokémon such as Snorlax, Eevee and Bloodmoon Ursaluna slot into every type.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Metal type weak to in the Pokémon TCG?

Fire. 111 of 118 Metal Pokémon legal in Standard as of October 15, 2026 are weak to Fire; the rest are Flying Pokémon weak to Lightning.

Is Steel a type in the Pokémon TCG?

Not by that name. Steel-type Pokémon from the video games are Metal cards, paid for with Basic Metal Energy.

What is the most valuable Metal-type Pokémon card?

Of the Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution series, Steven's Metagross ex from Ascended Heroes at $55.91 on TCGplayer as of November 2, 2026. Older cards, such as the vintage Shining and Gold Star cards, can sell for more, but they trade too rarely for one price to mean much.

Which Pokémon has the most Metal-type cards?

Dialga, with 33 English Metal cards counting every printing, then Scizor (33) and Skarmory (32).

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Pokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. ©Pokémon. ©Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., or GAME FREAK inc. Card data comes from the open PokemonTCG dataset, and prices from TCGplayer.