Steel-type Male Grunt Counters
Gruntsteel“You're no match for my iron will!”
Team GO Rocket Grunt. Grunts never shield. One Pokemon is picked at random from each slot; tap one for its own counters and movesets. ★ = can be caught afterwards (Alolan Sandshrew, Aron, Beldum).
Best against the whole line-up
Each slot's leaders re-fought against all three slots on the moveset that won their slot; power is the mean over the slots. Level 40, 15/15/15, no Megas.
| # | Pokemon | Moves | Power | Wins | Time | By slot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cobalion | fightingDouble Kick fightingClose CombatfightingSacred Sword | 7.428 | 100% | 5.9 s 1.2 charged | Slot 1 9.3Slot 2 5.2Slot 3 7.8 |
| 2 |  Melmetal | electricThunder Shock fightingSuperpowersteelDouble Iron Bash | 6.550 | 100% | 6.3 s 1.4 charged | Slot 1 9.5Slot 2 4.2Slot 3 5.9 |
| 3 |  Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 6.174 | 100% | 7.4 s 1.0 charged | Slot 1 7.6Slot 2 6.3Slot 3 4.6 |
| 4 |  Kingambit | fightingLow Kick fightingFocus BlastdarkFoul Play | 5.886 | 100% | 6.9 s 1.2 charged | Slot 1 8.3Slot 2 5.6Slot 3 3.7 |
| 5 | Shadow Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 5.709 | 100% | 6.8 s 0.8 charged | Slot 1 7.7Slot 2 5.1Slot 3 4.3 |
| 6 |  Zygarde (Complete) | darkBite groundEarthquakegroundBulldoze | 5.322 | 100% | 8.6 s 1.5 charged | Slot 1 5.8Slot 2 4.8Slot 3 5.3 |
| 7 |  Volcanion | fireIncinerate fireOverheatgroundEarth Power | 5.265 | 97% | 7.3 s 0.9 charged | Slot 1 6.9Slot 2 5.2Slot 3 3.7 |
| 8 |  Empoleon | steelMetal Sound waterHydro CannonwaterHydro Pump | 5.243 | 100% | 8.3 s 1.4 charged | Slot 1 7.9Slot 2 5.0Slot 3 2.9 |
| 9 |  Raikou | electricThunder Shock electricWild ChargefightingAura Sphere | 5.211 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.1 charged | Slot 1 5.3Slot 2 5.6Slot 3 4.7 |
| 10 |  Jirachi | psychicConfusion fightingAura SpheresteelDoom Desire | 5.207 | 100% | 8.1 s 1.6 charged | Slot 1 7.1Slot 2 3.8Slot 3 4.8 |
| 11 |  Necrozma (Dusk Mane) | psychicPsycho Cut darkDark PulsesteelIron Head | 5.173 | 100% | 8.3 s 1.9 charged | Slot 1 8.0Slot 2 5.1Slot 3 2.4 |
| 12 | Shadow Empoleon | steelMetal Sound waterHydro CannonwaterHydro Pump | 5.139 | 100% | 6.7 s 1.2 charged | Slot 1 7.0Slot 2 5.2Slot 3 3.2 |
| 13 |  Victini | normalQuick Attack fireV-createfireOverheat | 5.088 | 92% | 6.9 s 1.3 charged | Slot 1 6.4Slot 2 5.9Slot 3 3.0 |
| 14 |  Excadrill | groundMud Shot groundEarthquakegroundDrill Run | 4.980 | 100% | 6.4 s 1.2 charged | Slot 1 5.7Slot 2 4.1Slot 3 5.2 |
| 15 |  Metagross | ghostShadow Claw steelMeteor MashsteelFlash Cannon | 4.975 | 100% | 7.7 s 1.3 charged | Slot 1 6.3Slot 2 5.1Slot 3 3.6 |
Slot 1 counters
You 1 shield, Rocket 0. Averaged over every Pokemon this slot can hold and every moveset it can roll.
Shadow Alolan SandshrewCP 2,765 · Atk 238 · Def 147 · HP 916 movesets
Shadow AronCP 2,805 · Atk 232 · Def 159 · HP 919 movesets
Shadow BeldumCP 2,088 · Atk 189 · Def 150 · HP 811 movesets
| # | Pokemon | Moves | Power | Wins | Time | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melmetal | electricThunder Shock fightingSuperpowersteelDouble Iron Bash | 9.479 | 100% | 4.8 s 1.0 charged | |
| 2 | Cobalion | fightingDouble Kick fightingClose CombatfightingSacred Sword | 9.264 | 100% | 5.0 s 1.0 charged | |
| 3 |  Doublade | bugFury Cutter fightingSacred SwordsteelIron Head | 8.777 | 100% | 5.2 s 1.0 charged | |
| 4 | Kingambit | fightingLow Kick fightingFocus BlastdarkFoul Play | 8.263 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.1 charged | |
| 5 |  Aegislash (Shield) | psychicPsycho Cut ghostShadow BallsteelFlash Cannon | 7.954 | 100% | 6.5 s 1.2 charged | |
| 6 | Empoleon | steelMetal Sound waterHydro CannonwaterHydro Pump | 7.877 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.1 charged | |
| 7 | Shadow Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 7.726 | 100% | 5.3 s 0.5 charged | |
| 8 | Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 7.631 | 100% | 6.3 s 0.5 charged | |
| 9 |  Gholdengo | ghostHex fightingFocus BlastghostShadow Ball | 7.596 | 100% | 6.5 s 1.2 charged | |
| 10 |  Giratina (Altered) | dragonDragon Breath ghostShadow ForceghostShadow Sneak | 7.453 | 100% | 7.1 s 1.2 charged | |
| 11 |  Annihilape | fightingCounter fightingClose CombatfightingLow Sweep | 7.388 | 100% | 5.2 s 0.3 charged | |
| 12 |  Marshadow | fightingCounter fightingClose CombatfireFire Punch | 7.321 | 100% | 5.0 s 0.0 charged |
Best for each Pokemon this slot can roll
vs Shadow Alolan Sandshrew- 1
Shadow Entei Fire Fang / Overheat, Fire Blast10.00100% - 2Shadow Heatran Fire Spin / Fire Blast, Flamethrower10.00100%
- 3Heatran Fire Spin / Fire Blast, Flamethrower10.00100%
vs Shadow Aron- 1Cobalion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword9.94100%
- 2Melmetal Thunder Shock / Superpower, Double Iron Bash9.72100%
- 3Doublade Fury Cutter / Sacred Sword, Iron Head8.83100%
vs Shadow Beldum- 1Gholdengo Astonish / Shadow Ball, Focus Blast10.00100%
- 2
Lunala Shadow Claw / Shadow Ball, Moonblast10.00100% - 3Doublade Shadow Claw / Sacred Sword, Iron Head10.00100%
Power = share of the Rocket Pokemon's HP you remove per share of your own HP lost (2 = you win with half your HP left; under 1 = you faint first; capped at 10), to three decimals so near-ties show. Wins = share of fights won over every Pokemon and moveset counted. Time = fast-attack time (turns x 0.5 s) and the charged attacks thrown by both sides. Each charged attack also pauses the battle for its minigame, so a counter that needs three charged attacks takes longer in real time than one that wins on fast attacks alone, even when its seconds look similar.
Slot 2 counters
You 1 shield, Rocket 0. Averaged over every Pokemon this slot can hold and every moveset it can roll.
Shadow LaironCP 4,416 · Atk 295 · Def 218 · HP 10212 movesets
Shadow SkarmoryCP 4,546 · Atk 279 · Def 247 · HP 1078 movesets
Shadow MetangCP 3,699 · Atk 261 · Def 195 · HP 1029 movesets
| # | Pokemon | Moves | Power | Wins | Time | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 6.314 | 100% | 8.1 s 1.3 charged | |
| 2 | Victini | normalQuick Attack fireV-createfireOverheat | 5.910 | 100% | 6.2 s 1.2 charged | |
| 3 | Kingambit | fightingLow Kick fightingFocus BlastdarkFoul Play | 5.646 | 100% | 7.2 s 1.2 charged | |
| 4 | Raikou | electricThunder Shock electricWild ChargefightingAura Sphere | 5.631 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged | |
| 5 | Melmetal | electricThunder Shock fightingDynamic PunchelectricThunderbolt | 5.427 | 100% | 7.7 s 1.3 charged | |
| 6 | Cobalion | fightingDouble Kick fightingClose CombatfightingSacred Sword | 5.235 | 100% | 7.8 s 1.7 charged | |
| 7 | Volcanion | fireIncinerate fireOverheatgroundEarth Power | 5.234 | 100% | 8.1 s 1.3 charged | |
| 8 | Shadow Empoleon | steelMetal Sound waterHydro CannonwaterHydro Pump | 5.214 | 100% | 7.2 s 1.2 charged | |
| 9 | Shadow Heatran | fireFire Spin fireFire BlastgroundEarth Power | 5.105 | 100% | 7.9 s 1.0 charged | |
| 10 | Zygarde (Complete) | darkBite groundBulldozedarkCrunch | 5.097 | 100% | 9.5 s 1.9 charged | |
| 11 | Necrozma (Dusk Mane) | psychicPsycho Cut darkDark PulsesteelIron Head | 5.087 | 100% | 7.9 s 1.7 charged | |
| 12 | Metagross | ghostShadow Claw steelMeteor MashsteelFlash Cannon | 5.054 | 100% | 8.0 s 1.3 charged |
Best for each Pokemon this slot can roll
vs Shadow Lairon- 1Empoleon Metal Sound / Hydro Cannon, Hydro Pump8.18100%
- 2Cobalion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword8.09100%
- 3Heatran Fire Spin / Earth Power, Fire Blast7.39100%
vs Shadow Skarmory- 1Heatran Fire Spin / Fire Blast, Magma Storm6.15100%
- 2Raikou Thunder Shock / Wild Charge, Thunder5.74100%
- 3
Magnezone Volt Switch / Wild Charge, Zap Cannon5.51100%
vs Shadow Metang- 1Kingambit Low Kick / Dark Pulse, Foul Play7.42100%
- 2Zygarde (Complete) Bite / Earthquake, Crunch6.99100%
- 3Necrozma (Dusk Mane) Psycho Cut / Dark Pulse, Sunsteel Strike6.98100%
Power = share of the Rocket Pokemon's HP you remove per share of your own HP lost (2 = you win with half your HP left; under 1 = you faint first; capped at 10), to three decimals so near-ties show. Wins = share of fights won over every Pokemon and moveset counted. Time = fast-attack time (turns x 0.5 s) and the charged attacks thrown by both sides. Each charged attack also pauses the battle for its minigame, so a counter that needs three charged attacks takes longer in real time than one that wins on fast attacks alone, even when its seconds look similar.
Slot 3 counters
You 1 shield, Rocket 0. Averaged over every Pokemon this slot can hold and every moveset it can roll.
Shadow AggronCP 6,459 · Atk 364 · Def 279 · HP 11324 movesets
Shadow Alolan SandslashCP 5,226 · Atk 328 · Def 215 · HP 11812 movesets
Shadow ProbopassCP 4,473 · Atk 256 · Def 297 · HP 1028 movesets
| # | Pokemon | Moves | Power | Wins | Time | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cobalion | fightingDouble Kick fightingClose CombatfightingSacred Sword | 7.785 | 100% | 5.0 s 1.0 charged | |
| 2 | Melmetal | electricThunder Shock fightingSuperpowerfightingDynamic Punch | 6.076 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged | |
| 3 |  Virizion | fightingDouble Kick fightingClose CombatfightingSacred Sword | 5.515 | 100% | 5.0 s 1.0 charged | |
| 4 | Zygarde (Complete) | darkBite groundEarthquakegroundBulldoze | 5.334 | 100% | 7.8 s 1.3 charged | |
| 5 | Excadrill | groundMud Shot groundEarthquakegroundDrill Run | 5.227 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged | |
| 6 | Jirachi | psychicConfusion fightingAura SpheresteelDoom Desire | 4.754 | 100% | 6.5 s 1.1 charged | |
| 7 | Raikou | electricThunder Shock fightingAura SphereelectricWild Charge | 4.707 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged | |
| 8 | Heatran | fireFire Spin groundEarth PowerfireFire Blast | 4.577 | 100% | 7.9 s 1.0 charged | |
| 9 | Kingambit | fightingLow Kick darkDark PulsesteelIron Head | 4.566 | 100% | 6.8 s 1.2 charged | |
| 10 |  Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) | steelMetal Claw fightingClose CombatsteelBehemoth Bash | 4.534 | 100% | 7.5 s 1.3 charged | |
| 11 |  Keldeo | fightingLow Kick fightingSecret SwordfightingSacred Sword | 4.452 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged | |
| 12 |  Chesnaught | fightingLow Kick fightingSuperpowergrassFrenzy Plant | 4.419 | 100% | 5.5 s 1.0 charged |
Best for each Pokemon this slot can roll
vs Shadow Aggron- 1Cobalion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword6.56100%
- 2Melmetal Thunder Shock / Superpower, Dynamic Punch5.93100%
- 3Zamazenta (Crowned Shield) Metal Claw / Close Combat, Behemoth Bash4.53100%
vs Shadow Alolan Sandslash- 1Cobalion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword8.11100%
- 2Heatran Fire Spin / Fire Blast, Magma Storm7.48100%
- 3Shadow Heatran Fire Spin / Fire Blast, Flamethrower6.79100%
vs Shadow Probopass- 1Cobalion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword8.69100%
- 2Zygarde (Complete) Bite / Earthquake, Bulldoze8.26100%
- 3Virizion Double Kick / Close Combat, Sacred Sword8.16100%
Power = share of the Rocket Pokemon's HP you remove per share of your own HP lost (2 = you win with half your HP left; under 1 = you faint first; capped at 10), to three decimals so near-ties show. Wins = share of fights won over every Pokemon and moveset counted. Time = fast-attack time (turns x 0.5 s) and the charged attacks thrown by both sides. Each charged attack also pauses the battle for its minigame, so a counter that needs three charged attacks takes longer in real time than one that wins on fast attacks alone, even when its seconds look similar.