Rate my steel team?

[RawrRawrDebz]

Hey :) I'm going to go into a tournament with friends where we have to use a single type, so I chose steel, I like their resistances and defenses. Being immune to poison is always a big help too.
Rules are:
No legendaries (pseudos are allowed), no mega evolution, single battle format.

My Team:

Metagross
252 Att, 252 HP, 4 SpDef
Meteor Mash
Hammer Arm
Zen Headbutt
Earthquake

Klefki
252HP, 128 Def, 128Sp Def
Swagger
Foul Play
Spikes
Toxic

Aegislash
252Att, 128 Sp Def, 128 Def
Swords Dance
Kings Shield
Iron Head
Shadow Sneak (for the quick kills)

Magnezone
252Sp Att, 252HP, 4Def
Magnet Rise (bye bye ground weakness)
Thunderbolt
Flash Cannon
Discharge/Explosion/ Thunder Wave???

Empoleon
252Sp Att, 252HP, 4Sp Def
Surf
Ice Beam
Flash Cannon
Maybe Drill peck for fighting weakness??

I haven't got a sixth member yet, not really sure what road to go down... I know I'm seriously lacking in terms of speed hence my attempt to make Empoleon somewhat fast, but I guess that's one of the drawbacks of steel types. Something that isn't weak to ground might be useful too seeing as magnezone is the only one with that immunity and it takes a move to make it immune.
I usually have Aggron on my team but find its two 4X weaknesses to be a major drawback especially if by some horrible trick of fate, my opponent has a ground team, or fighting for that matter.
But aside from that,
Lucario?
Mawile?
Bisharp?
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks in advance :D

 

[PlatinumDude]

There's no reason to use Metagross if you're not using its Mega Evolution, to be quite frank. Bronzong is an alternative, though:
-Stealth Rock
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Hidden Power (Ice)/Toxic/Protect
Nature: Sassy
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate

Swagplay on Klefki seems tempting, but it's unreliable, IMO:
-Spikes
-Thunder Wave
-Magnet Rise/Toxic
-Play Rough/Foul Play/Dazzling Gleam
Nature: Careful/Calm
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Prankster

The Swords Dance + King's Shield combo is bad on Aegislash because it's easily walled and set up on:
-Shadow Ball
-Shadow Sneak/Iron Head
-Sacred Sword/Iron Head/Pursuit
-King's Shield
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 244 HP/12 Def/252 SAtk
Item: Leftovers

or
-Substitute
-Toxic
-King's Shield
-Shadow Ball
Nature: Modest
EVs: 244 HP/12 Def/252 SAtk
Item: Leftovers

or
-Shadow Ball
-Shadow Sneak
-Flash Cannon
-Sacred Sword/Pursuit
Nature: Hasty/Naive
EVs: 4 Atk/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb

or
-Swords Dance
-Shadow Sneak
-Iron Head/Shadow Claw
-Sacred Sword/Head Smash
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb

Here's a better take on Magnet Rise Magnezone:
-Magnet Rise
-Thunderbolt
-Flash Cannon
-Hidden Power (Fire)
Nature: Modest
EVs: 128 HP/252 SAtk/128 Spe
Item: Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull

If you want a fast Empoleon, here are better ways to do it, even though it may not seem ideal this gen. Drill Peck isn't worth it because it comes off of Empoleon's weaker offensive stat:
-Agility
-Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam
-Grass Knot
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SAtk/4 SDef/252 Spe
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Torrent

or
-Substitute
-Agility
-Hydro Pump/Surf
-Ice Beam/Grass Knot
Nature: Modest
EVs: 12 HP/4 Def/252 SAtk/240 Spe
Item: Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent

Bisharp is your best bet out of your list because even though it has a nasty 4x weakness, it has priority to help make up for the lack of Speed:
-Sucker Punch
-Iron Head
-Knock Off
-Pursuit/Swords Dance
Nature: Adamant/Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Item: Black Glasses/Dread Plate/Life Orb
Ability: Defiant

or
-Sucker Punch
-Iron Head
-Knock Off
-Pursuit
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 172 HP/252 Atk/84 Spe
Item: Assault Vest
Ability: Defiant

Ferrothorn happens to be neutral to Ground, which helps with that weakness. Skarmory is also immune to Ground naturally:

Ferrothorn:
-Stealth Rock/Spikes
-Leech Seed
-Gyro Ball/Thunder Wave
-Power Whip/Protect
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/168 SDef
Item: Leftovers/Shed Shell
Ability: Iron Barbs

Skarmory (this is the most cartridge-friendly variant, as Defog Skarmory is Gen IV-exclusive and needs Poke Transfer to get to Gen V and Poke Bank to Gen VI):
-Spikes/Stealth Rock
-Whirlwind
-Roost
-Brave Bird/Taunt
Nature: Impish/Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Item: Leftovers/Shed Shell/Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy

 

[Nah]

If you're gonna use regular Metagross, swapping Earthquake or Hammer Arm with Bullet Punch is the way to go, to give your team a little priority and make up for its low Speed. Skarmory is a good option for the team since it's immune to Ground and isn't Fighting weak. You can also run a Choice Scarf Magnezone as an alternative to a Magnet Rise Magezone, to give you something with a little Speed in addition to Agility Empoleon:

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull/Sturdy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Fire
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt

 

[PlatinumDude]

Swagplay is unreliable? I'm pretty sure it got banned from competitive play...

Metagross
252 Att, 252 HP, 4 SpDef
Meteor Mash
Hammer Arm
Zen Headbutt
Earthquake

This set is fairly good coverage wise for Metagross, however I'd swap Hammer Arm for Bullet Punch, as priority is kinda key for Metagross. Also if you can make it Mega, as the bulk boost is insane. Otherwise stick a lefties or life orb on and have the following:

Metagross @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
252 Att / 252 HP / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Earthquake

----------------------------​

Klefki
252HP, 128 Def, 128Sp Def
Swagger
Foul Play
Spikes
Toxic

As you're not playing Super Smogon Competitive, definitely use a SwagPlay set. It was banned from OverUsed for a reason and that's because it broke the tier. I however recommend Screens + Light Clay + SwagPlay to set up screens so your other mons can tank even harder. I recommend:

Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
252HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD [Or 252HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def --> See below]
Careful Nature
- Swagger
- Foul Play
- Light Screen
- Reflect

----------------------------​

Aegislash
252Att, 128 Sp Def, 128 Def
Swords Dance
Kings Shield
Iron Head
Shadow Sneak (for the quick kills)

Again, fairly standard Aegi set however if anything burns you you're gone. I recommend a mixed set to avoid being crippled by burns alone:

Aegislash
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 156 SpA
Brave Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Ball

----------------------------​

Magnezone
252Sp Att, 252HP, 4Def
Magnet Rise (bye bye ground weakness)
Thunderbolt
Flash Cannon
Discharge/Explosion/ Thunder Wave???

There is no point to really running Magnet Rise on Magnezone; the turn used to use that move could instead be used on either a switch or doing damage. I recommend a Scarfed Magnezone as it can hit pretty hard and with Volt Switch it makes a great pivot:

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
4HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice]

----------------------------​

Empoleon
252Sp Att, 252HP, 4Sp Def
Surf
Ice Beam
Flash Cannon
Hidden Power

We already have a good physical attacker and a good special attacker, currently Empoleon has a useless role in your team. I would suggest ditching the penguin and instead using something to set up hazards and soak up some damage as the typical Steel Mono walls you are missing. Therefore I recommend Heatran. Heatran is a huge Special tank, as well as being able to burn (Lava Plume), Phaze (Roar) AND set up hazards (Stealth Rock), as well as removing the ever-present Fire weakness thanks to Flash Fire. IF that is something hard to obtain then instead use Skarmory and switch the Klefki to a Specially Defensive set. Skarmory can do the same as Heatran (Minus the Fire-Type immunity) but on a defensive spectrum. Here are two sets I'd recommend:

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Defog/Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Whirlwind/Defog
- Brave Bird

----------------------------​

As for the final 6th member, you have a fair few options. I will throw out a few options and let you decide from there. You could use both of the Skarmory and Heatran sets above or add one of the following:

Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Avalanche
- Curse

Mega-Aggron is an absolute monster of a physical tank and with Filter as an ability it can also soak up a few special hits if needed. I use this set to set up on a physical sweeper and get some free Curses before they switch or die. Sometimes I will swap the Attack and SpDef EVs around too.

Scizor @ Leftovers
Ability: Technician
EVs: 56 HP / 200 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Aerial Ace/Bug Bite
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off

Specially Defensive Scizor is again something that can set up and eat whole teams up; the 4 x Fire weakness is covered by Heatran and after one SD a lot of mons will be beat. Aerial Ace is to cover your fighting weakness if you're worried and Bug Bite for STAB.

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave

TWave to cripple, Leech Seed to sustain, mad defences to tank, Gyro Ball for faster mons and Power Whip for STAB + Damage.

Excadrill @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Poison Jab

Fast, hard-hitting Excadrill to help with a few faster issues in the tier.

You're missing the point of Magnet Rise + Air Balloon Magnezone; it's supposed to check Excadrill. It switches in to a predicted Excadrill's Earhtquake, then as Excadrill breaks the Balloon, Magnezone uses Magnet Rise to maintain its Ground immunity until it switches out. While HP Ice has its uses on Magnezone, HP Fire is still preferred so that Magnezone can eliminate Ferrothorn and Scizor more reliably.

Aerial Ace doesn't let Scizor accomplish much. Breloom is still hit hard by Bullet Punch anyways.

Thunder Wave and Gyro Ball shouldn't be used together on Ferrothorn. The latter move works better the slower Ferrothorn is compared to the opponent, while Thunder Wave slows down the opponent up to the point that it's around as slow as Ferrothorn itself. Use an entry hazard over either Gyro Ball or Thunder Wave.

There's no reason to use Poison Jab on Excadrill either, as Iron Head still chunks Grass and Fairy Pokemon hard. The slot is mainly spent on Rapid Spin to clear away opposing hazards in a pinch.

What does your suggested spread on Aegislash accomplish, really? Aegislash mainly uses special moves, so Quiet > Brave. The EV spread is 244 HP/12 Def/252 SAtk; this lets Shield forme Aegislash avoid the OHKO from Therian Landorus' Earthquake.

The OP specifically requested no Mega Evolutions as part of the help, so count Aggron out. Even if she allowed Mega Evolutions, Aggron has better things to do than set up Curse.

 

[PlatinumDude]

So I appear to have misread the post slightly. In that case we can of course discount Aggron-Mega (Which btw is a very good mon for Steel Monos.)

Poison Jab on Exca is for types which resists Iron Head and/or EQ, however Rapid Spin is also a viable choice if you're looking to remove Defog from Skarm so it can utilise Spikes (more hazards); Landorus-T kills Aegislash-Blade no matter what the EVs and my set can still avoid an EQ OHKO from Landorus-T whilst in Shield Forme - 252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 252-296 (77.7 - 91.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery - however I'm looking to change the EVs up a little, mostly to outspeed other Aegislash sets (IE YOUR set that was posted) to 240 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SAtk / 12 Spe; this firstly allows you to still survive Landy EQs and outspeed Aegislashes to OHKO, as well as replacing Iron Head for King's Shield (Scout out moves/choiced mons; allows us to switch to Shield Forme, etc).

Also HOW CAN YOU NOT MENTION HEATRAN, THE MAIN STAPLE OF STEEL MONOS?! :'(

Heatran has fantastic synergy with Ferrothorn, essentially removing the Fire weakness for it as well as most other mons in a Steel Mono...and Skarmory synergises with it due to being your physical wall and being IMMUNE to Ground types...and Ferro tanks the Electric moves going for Skarm! Much Synergy! This is why I recommended Heatran for the team.

One of the best sets for Aggron-Mega is the Curse set, or a RestTalk set, otherwise regular Aggron won't be needed for the team.

The OP also requested no legendaries, even though I'm against that concept too.

Curse sets need support to work, like eliminating Fire, Ground and Fighting Pokemon; this team lacks that kind of support. Even if the OP wanted Mega Evolutions, like I said, Mega Aggron has better things to do than Curse.

Excadrill has good coverage in Earthquake, Iron Head and Rock Slide, so Poison Jab is totally unnecessary. For one, Rock Slide allows Excadrill to hit Pokemon that resist both Ground and Steel, like regular Gyarados, Dragonite, Talonflame and Charizard (Y).

You misread my post on Aegislash's EVs. Some Therian Landorus run Adamant, so:

252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 244 HP / 12 Def Aegislash-Shield: 270-320 (83.8 - 99.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

But then again, the tournament the OP is going to is has the no legendaries rule, so the EV spread I suggested does help Aegislash tank physical hits better:

252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 272-324 (83.9 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

What KOs does your Aegislash spread accomplish?

Sometimes it's nice to go outside the box once in a while, but I think you need justification on why you have to do that.

 

[Detox]

Hey there, and nice team. It looks pretty solid, though there are a few changes I could see you making to make the team more effective. Since this isn't Smogon Standard (or if it is, then let me know), you have a bit more leeway when it comes to picking your Pokémon's movesets.

First off, I've noticed that you don't have a Stealth Rock user on your squad. While you do have entry hazards in Spikes, Stealth Rock has become a staple on competitive teams across generations and pretty much every team should run it. That's why I suggest that you run it on Metagross here. Let's face it, Metagross is nothing without its Mega Evolution, but it can still be a decent user of Stealth Rock.

I honestly would advise you to ditch Klefki here. While it does have a niche in Prankster Spikes, its subpar defenses and inability to do much damage to anything outside of Toxic and Foul Play can be worrisome in some scenarios. You've also stated that you'd like a ground immunity if possible, so I'll suggest that you run Skarmory > Klefki. The set you run on Skarmory is ultimately up to you, but if this is just a casual for funsies tournament, then I'd run the physically defensive set as you might not need the services of the pure Spikes setter Skarmory. If the tournament has a more serious tone, then you can just @ me and we can discuss movesets, but for now I'll list the set I think fits best.

Let's move and move on to Aegislash. The set that you're currently running is unfavorable for a number of reasons, mainly due to its lack of coverage and shaky EV distribution. Now, there are a plethora of ways to utilize Aegislash, but since you seem to have opted for a more tankish approach, that is what I'll suggest you use here. It still has a nice offensive presence, and you can play a few mind games with your opponents a la King's Shield.

I'm a bit torn on the usefulness Magnezone in a monotype tournament, but I'll ask you this: If you have Skarmory, is having Magnezone have a ground immunity such a big deal? If the answer is no, you could possibly give Magnezone a Choice Scarf to help alleviate some of our speed woes. There are other viable Scarfers too, one of which is Heatran. Heatran would give you a nice check to fire types while also serving the purpose of a decent revenge killer or what have you in the process. There is also Scarf Jirachi, but it will not hit nearly as hard as either of these two.

I want to just flat out say don't use Empoleon, but I suppose that it could have its uses, mainly due to its resistances. There is no reason to run Drill Peck on Empoleon, as it's physical attack is abysmal and even boosted I doubt that it would scare off a Tyrogue. You can play around fighting types with Aegislash, so long as you conserve it. You could also force them to scout for the Zen Headbutt on Metagross, if that's still a thing. Since I've already suggested a Stealth Rock user, there's no real need to use a defensive spread on Empoleon. The most you can do with this thing is run a Choice Specs set, which actually hits pretty hard, and can blow holes in teams if played correctly.

As far as your last slot goes, I'd dedicate it to working on the speed issue a bit. There are many things you can do here, such as run a CB Scizor or a Bisharp variant to give yourself some form of powerful priority. You also have Lucario, who boasts a decent(ish) base 110 attack and the ability to bolster it even more with Swords Dance. Lucario also gets both Bullet Punch and Extreme Speed, and can even run a Nasty Plot set if you're into that sort of thing. Swords Dance Cobalion is a thing, and while not as strong as Lucario right off the bat, it gets superior bulk and access to Sacred Sword. Other than that, you have Shift Gear Klinklang and Choice Scarved Excadrill, neither of which I would feel good about recommending to you.

Well anyways, that's about all I can think of for now. If I see anything else that could be adjusted, I'll make another post. Movesets are in the spoiler below. Hope it helped!

Spoiler:

Metagross @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Brave Bird / Defog

Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Pursuit / Sacred Sword

Empoleon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Flash Cannon
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power Fire