I mean come on, there’s nothing shinier than a well-polished hunk of metal! And I’m happy to say that there are a bunch of great shiny Steel Pokémon out there to pick from. Honestly, it was a lot harder trying to find bad shiny Steel Pokémon (I’m looking at you, Bastiodon). But of the 71 Steel-types (as of this writing) which ones shine above the rest? Let’s find out!
15. Stakataka
Now THIS is what I’m talking about! If you have a bunch of Pokémon that are made of metal, why not just make them all look like the most valuable metal of all? Gold. And if the Pokémon is based off of a building, why not just make it a giant golden temple? Normally, Stakataka is supposed to seem like an impenetrable fortress of black bricks. But in its shiny form, those black bricks are changed to gold. This immediately makes me think of an Indiana Jones-style temple that once you figure out how to get inside, it’ll just be filled with booby traps. Which, honestly, would make interesting for a Pokémon. Stakataka is a massive creature – but it’s shiny form makes it seem even more towering.
14. Solgaleo
Solgaleo looks as if Liger Zero from the anime Zoids was brought into the world of Pokémon. And I love that about it! However, this does make it look a bit more ridiculous compared to other Pokémon. So why not make it more ridiculous? Shiny Solgaleo has its main color, white, changed to a bright red. While this may be trying to lean into the sun design of Solgaleo, it just makes it look insane. Wouldn’t an orange or yellow have worked better in this situation? But I gotta admit, I love the big swing the designers took. And for that reason, Solgaleo makes it on this list.
13. Steelix
Steelix’s shiny is very similar to Stakataka’s in that they were changed entirely to gold. However, this one seems a lot less gaudy. Instead of being bright gold, Steelix is more of a rose gold. This lighter color gives Steelix a more realistic look. Like, I can actually see this Pokémon existing in the wild. Plus, this massively improves its Mega Evolution. The gold coloring makes the floating rocks and diamonds on Mega Steelix stand out even more! Honestly, I would be happy if every Steel-type Pokémon was just changed to gold. Seriously think of a Steel-type that wouldn’t be improved by changing it entirely to gold.
12. Alolan Sandshrew
Alolan Sandshrew is one of my favorite regional forms in all of Pokémon. In fact, it may be my favorite Ice-type of all time! And that’s because the idea of turning a Pokémon that creates its own shell into an igloo is pretty freaking creative. And the shiny form emphasizes this design choice even more. Alolan Sandshrew may have had its scales changed to ice blocks for the Ice-typing, but it kept its tan belly. And in the shiny form, this belly is changed to a dark blue, making Sandshrew seem even colder than before. I love this choice – and it makes its black and blue eyes blend in perfectly with the whole design. Plus, this is way better than regular Sandshrew’s shiny. Nice improvement overall.
11. Aron
I have recently gotten into horror movies, especially slashers. And one of my favorite characters has been Jason from Friday the 13th. While I thought that Aron’s face has always looked like the iconic hockey mask, its shiny form does it even better. There isn’t a big change. But it does make Aron look a lot scarier. Specifically, its blue eyes are changed to a blood red. This makes a wide-eyed and innocent looking Pokémon look downright terrifying. It’s almost as if the designers knew exactly what Aron looked like… and I have to commend them for leaning into it.
10. Scizor
Scizor has always been a cool Pokémon, which makes sense, since it evolves from a cool Pokémon: Scyther. So it only makes sense that Scizor’s shiny form pays homage to its pre-evolution. Scizor’s shiny changes all of its red to green. Not only that, but its black details are changed to a more emerald green. This works pretty well, but it works especially great with its red wings. It really makes them stand out! Normally I wouldn’t like this color combo, as I’m not the biggest fan of green… but it works because I know what it’s referencing. And I’m always happy when a Pokémon references itself.
9. Aegislash
Aegislash is easily one of my favorite Steel-type Pokémon. The purple and black coloring make it seem equally spooky and regal. However, its shiny form makes it look downright sinister. Instead of purple, gold, and silver, shiny Aegislash is yellow, black, and red. This is especially effective in making Aegislash look less spooky, but more evil. The yellow eye seems to be glaring straight at you with murderous intent, while the red blade confirms it. Aegislash is just a great Pokémon overall – and its shiny form is just another reason why it’s so great.
8. Excadrill
I have to say, Excadrill has one of my favorite designs in all of Pokémon. The blade on its head, those angry eyes, and the red claw marks on its dark brown fur all combine to make a truly badass creature. Yet somehow, its shiny form is even cooler. That brown fur is changed to the same red as the scars in its original form. So that probably means the claw marks are now a dark brown or black, right? No – they’re turquoise instead. Weird choice, but it somehow works. It really makes them stand out and raises a ton of questions. What left those scars? Does Excadrill have blue blood? Who knows! But you can’t deny that it looks awesome.
7. Lucario
Lucario takes after Steelix and Stakataka by changing its main color to gold. However, this gives an entirely different effect than those previous Pokémon on this list. Lucario has always seemed like a stoic warrior, with its piercing gaze and dark coloring. But changing that blue to gold gives it a paladin-esque energy, especially when it gets into its Mega Evolution. Lucario is a serious Pokémon that’s all about using the auras around you. Shiny Lucario looks like a champion of Arceus itself.
6. Corviknight
Corviknight is one of the best Pokémon introduced in Sword and Shield. I mean, it’s a giant metal crow. What’s not to love? But here’s the thing: I definitely get the corvine part of the name, meaning of or relating to crows. I don’t really get the knight part from the design. Enter the shiny form! Instead of having black metal feathers, they’re changed to silver. This actually makes Corviknight look like a knight! Plus I never realized that Corviknight actually had a beard. Crazy, right?
5. Bisharp
One of the simplest things that can happen with a shiny is a specific color change: red being changed to blue, or vice versa. It may be pretty basic, but it looks so good. And it absolutely works for Bisharp. This is because there’s another subtle change here too: Bisharp’s white arms, legs, and ribs (?) are changed to a slight gold. This makes the blue pop even more than the red did – and I am all for that!
4. Perrserker
I’m not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed by Perrserker. It was just black and gray, and looked pretty boring to me. I mean, come on! It’s supposed to be based on a Viking, make it look like it! And that’s exactly what the shiny form does. The beard is changed from gray to a light brown, while the dark gray paws are changed to yellow. This actually resembles a Viking since they’re mainly Scandinavian. But this also looks more similar to Meowth and Persian too. Really, this is what Perrserker’s design should have been the whole time.
3. Magneton
Magneton is one of the first Pokémon I ever saw. I love its simple design and robotic appearance. And this goes double for its shiny. Shiny Magneton has its silver body made a dull gold color, and its red and blue magnets are changed entirely to black. This makes Magneton seem even more mechanical, while also making its eyes really pop. Now the magnet Pokémon looks even more lifeless than before – and that’s saying something. This may not be the flashiest shiny ever. But it’s definitely effective. And I definitely love it.
2. Metagross
Metagross is arguably the greatest Steel-type Pokémon of all time. It looks incredible, and is unbelievably powerful. And unlike its fellow pseudo-legendary Tyranitar, it has a great shiny form! Normally, Metagross has a blue body with a silver “X” on its face. For the shiny, Metagross’ body is now silver, and the X is gold. That’s right, gold is back, baby! But gold is not the main star of the show here. By making the whole body silver, the eyes are now immediately drawn to the face. This is great because it also brings out Metagross’ awesome red eyes, making this beast look even more intimidating. Metagross is easily one of the pinnacles of all Steel-types, both in terms of strength and appearance. But there’s one more Steel-type whose shiny I like even more.
1. Honedge
Normally, I try to avoid having multiple Pokémon from a single evolution line on a list. But if they’re different enough, I think it’s ok. And this is definitely the case with Honedge. Honedge is just a sword – but it’s a nice sword with a blue decorative ribbon. And the shiny version makes it look unbelievably cool! Both the blade and the ribbon are changed to a really nice crimson red that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on another Pokémon. And the sky blue detail on the ribbon is changed to purple in the shiny form as well. This is a color combination that I didn’t know I wanted. And it looks soooooooo good! This is easily my all-time favorite shiny Steel-type Pokémon. If you can, you owe it to yourself to track down a shiny Honedge.
