For more guides, here is our in-depth look at Pokemon Go raids.  

What Is Metal Coat

Metal Coat is one of Pokémon’s many held items that was introduced in the 2nd Generation of Pokémon. It doesn’t have many uses, but its main use is for the evolution of certain Pokemon in the series. Outside of this, Pokemon that hold Metal Coat will have the power of their Steel-Type moves increase by 10%. This increased to 20% in the 4th Generation and beyond. The latter is sadly not possible in Pokémon Go, however.  

How Does Someone Get Metal Coat In Pokemon Go

Getting Metal Coat in Pokémon Go is both simple and complicated. More specifically, the method is simple, but the chance that you’ll get it is a bit on the complicated side. Why? Because you need to spin Pokéstops and gyms every time you see one. Every time you spin there’s a 1% chance to get an Evolution Item. Yes, you heard right, an evolution item. Currently, 7 Evolution Items can be obtained through this method including Metal Coat. The other items are King’s Rock, Sun Stone, Sinnoh Stone, Upgrade, Dragon Scale, and Unova Stone. In total, you have a 1 in 7 chance of obtaining a Metal Coat to evolve the Pokémon you wish to evolve. There’s a 7th-day streak bonus every time you spin a specific Pokéstop every day in a row. The bonus gives the player a boosted chance of getting an evolution item. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth a shot. Unfortunately, you also need to contend with the other 6 evolution items to get the Metal Coat as well. So good luck.  

What Are The Uses Of Metal Coat In Pokémon Go?

Metal Coat only has 1 use in Pokémon Go: To evolve 2 Pokémon in particular. You’ll need to obtain 50 of their candies to evolve them as well though, as well as 1 of the Metal Coat item. Other than that, Metal Coat has no use in Pokémon Go.  

Pokémon Affected By Metal Coat

As stated above, Metal Coat only affects 2 Pokémon in the franchise, and we’ll talk about them today. These 2 Pokémon are Onix and Scyther. Let’s talk more about them, shall we?  

Onix

Onix is a Rock/Ground type Pokémon that was introduced way back in the 1st Generation, AKA the Kanto region. Back in the day, it was an utter menace due to being one of Brock’s Pokémon in his gym leader battle. It’s widely considered to be one of the tallest rock-type Pokémon in all generations. On the mainline Pokémon games, Onix is widely considered to be a good competitive Pokémon to use. However, the evolution, Steelix, has a great Mega Evolution form that’s great to deal with major threats like Mega Altaria and Latias. It has a great mix of offense and defense due to its Steel/Ground typing This is also true in Pokémon Go, as Steelix is a terrifying competitor to go against. Its diverse moveset and great resistances make Steelix a force to be reckoned with during gyms or the Great/Ultra League.  

Scyther

Last but not least is Scyther, a Bug/Flying type Pokémon that was also released in Generation 1. It’s one of the rarer Pokémon in that generation, and one of the Pokémon that didn’t get an evolutionary type until Generation II, like Onix. Unlike its Rock/Ground counterpart, however, Scyther isn’t considered to be a great competitive Pokémon. Its evolution, Scizor, on the other hand, is., especially its Mega Evolution. The defensive typing of Bug/Steel makes it a great way to deal with various staples like Mamoswine or Tapu Bulu. It’s very vulnerable to any decent fire-type moves though, so you need to prepare yourself for that eventuality. Scizor is also like this on Pokémon Go, as he has great resistance and incredible defense. However, you’ll need to keep an eye on any fire-type worth their salt as they’ll turn Scizor into a crispy bug.  

Final Word

Overall, Metal Coat is a useful item that can be used to evolve Scyther and Onix into their evolutionary versions. However, other than this it’s near useless. You can’t use Metal Coat to increase the damage of Steel-Type moves in Pokemon Go, as you can’t give the item to a Pokémon to hold. Not something you want out of an item. Eventually, once you evolve enough Scythers and Onixes, you’ll move on to other Pokémon and other evolutions.