Steel. Strong and durable. This incredible metal alloy has been produced for centuries. Forged in crucibles and furnaces, steel is born under extreme heat. The final mix of iron and carbon is hardened and built to last. A material that has shaped modern civilization and earned a deserving spot as one of Pokémon’s elemental types.
The Steel-type Pokémon of Gen II are just as tough as the metal itself. Steelix, Skarmory, Scizor and Forretress can handle whatever may stand in their way. Resistant and resilient, these metal Pocket Monsters made an instant impact and are still popular 25 years later.
My favorite of the four is Scizor. When I was a boy, my grandpa and I played games together. Hearts and dominoes were his favorites. He would also come up with his own games to entertain me. I fondly remember playing hide-and-seek with a little pink haired troll. Perhaps a bit ahead of his time, my grandfather also played computer games. He taught me the 1993 spaceship platformer SkyRoads and introduced me to Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. In time, our favorite game to play together was Pokémon Stadium 2’s Clear Cut Challenge. It was a simple reflex mini game where you got to select Scyther, Pinsir or Scizor to cut a falling log to earn points. He called it “choppin’ wood”. I would load up Silver version in my N64 transfer pack and play with my very own Scizor. My grandfather was always skeptical of that “red metal bug”. So we would take turns switching controllers so each of us would have an opportunity to play with Scizor. My grandfather has since passed, but anytime we pull out the N64 for Pokémon Stadium mini games I’m sure to pick Scizor as my cutting partner.
Adding the OG’s to remember where we started back in Gen I. These two magnets have had some incredible artwork throughout the years.
