Beldum

95.2 kg for a creature barely 0.6 m tall: Beldum is a compact metallic mass that floats thanks to the magnetism generated by its own body. Each cell acts as a magnet and, instead of blood, a magnetic force capable of repelling gravity flows through its veins. It also uses those impulses to communicate. When several gather, they move in unison, as if they shared the same signal.

Its appearance is reminiscent of a robot reduced to a single part: a blue body, a red eye and rear hooks that it uses to anchor itself to cliffs while it sleeps. Pokédex entries also describe more aggressive behaviour: it attracts rivals with magnetism and attacks them with the claws on its rear.

The design is based on a dumbbell, an idea reflected in the Japanese name ダンバル and in the English name Beldum, both related to “dumbbell”. It is the first link in its evolutionary line: at level 20 it becomes Metang, and later reaches its final form, Metagross, at level 45.

Beldum has a fairly clear defensive spread: 40 HP, 55 Attack, 80 Defense, 35 Special Attack, 60 Special Defense and 30 Speed. Its Defense is the only notable stat, while its HP and Speed severely limit its performance. The total of 300 is noticeable against evolved opponents.

Clear Body is the Ability that defines its use. It prevents its stats from being lowered, so it does not lose Attack or Defense to moves or Abilities that reduce stats. Light Metal is relegated to very specific situations: it halves the species’ weight, but Beldum has no tools to take advantage of it.

Steel and Psychic give it two useful STAB attacks: Iron Head and Zen Headbutt cover different targets and make use of its physical Attack. Iron Defense reinforces its defensive side even further. Steel Beam offers a very powerful special option, but its 35 Special Attack and the HP cost mean that it rarely pays off.

In standard battles, it is not a competitive choice. It is slow, has no recovery and a narrow offensive movepool, leaving the opponent too many free turns. Its types let it switch into Poison attacks and resist several threats, but its weaknesses to Fire, Ground, Ghost and Dark are easy to exploit. In lower-power formats, it can work as a bulky physical attacker, especially with paralysis or entry hazard support, provided the opponent does not have a Pokémon that resists both of its main moves.

Beldum belongs to the Mineral Egg Group and has no gender: it is listed as gender unknown. It hatches in 40 cycles, equivalent to approximately 10,455 steps using the usual formula. Its growth rate is Slow, so levelling it requires more experience than species with Medium or Fast growth rates.

It does not receive Egg Moves, but its TM movepool allows it to expand a very short repertoire. Iron Defense improves its Defense, while Iron Head and Zen Headbutt provide its two STAB attacks. Take Down is a physical Normal-type alternative, and Tera Blast can change the attack’s type when the strategy revolves around Terastallization.

The evolution is exact: Beldum becomes Metang at level 20, and Metang evolves into Metagross at level 45. It is found in rugged terrain. Its catch rate is 3, a very low figure that makes it difficult to catch even after it has been weakened; it is worth saving suitable Poké Balls and taking advantage of any status condition.