Pokemon GO Guide: How to Get Metal Coat
By Dalton Cooper 17 February 2017
The latest update for Pokemon GO adds evolution stones to the game like the Metal Coat. Here is how to find the Metal Coat and which Pokemon can evolve with it.
With the latest update for Pokemon GO, Niantic has bucked its trend of releasing small, incremental updates for the game since its launch last summer. The latest update for Pokemon GO not only adds over 80 new Pokemon to the game, but it also features a number of new items for players to collect as well, including evolution stones like the Metal Coat.
For those that aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of Pokemon lore, evolution stones are used to evolve certain Pokemon to their next form. While there are still Pokemon that can evolve with the tried-and-true method of sending Pokemon to the professor in exchange for candy, specific Pokemon can only evolve with evolution stones.
How to Get the Metal Coat
Unlike the first generation Pokemon in Pokemon GO, which used tricks like naming Eevee certain things in lieu of evolution stones, the second generation actually incorporates evolution stones into the gameplay. While Pokemon purists will be happy that Niantic is adding more gameplay features from the main series to Pokemon GO, they may be disappointed to learn that obtaining evolution stones like the Metal Coat boils down to luck of the draw.
Basically, players need to go to a PokeStop, spin the wheel, and keep their fingers crossed that it gives them the Metal Coat. If it bestows them with potions or Pokemon eggs instead, players will need to wait for the PokeStop to reset to spin it again, or try their luck elsewhere, by traveling to a different one. Of course, players hoping to farm for evolution stones like the Metal Coat may want to visit areas that have many PokeStops in a close vicinity, like shopping malls or other popular public areas.
Who Can Evolve with the Metal Coat
In Pokemon GO, there are two different Pokemon that can evolve using the Metal Coat item in the game. Players can use the Metal Coat on Onix to evolve it into Steelix, or they can use the Metal Coat on Scyther to involve it into Scizor. However, before they use the Metal Coat on either Pokemon, players should note that all the Pokemon involved in this process are rare, as is the Metal Coat itself.
Players that have tirelessly collected all the Pokemon in Pokemon GO may want to make sure that they have an extra Scyther and Onix handy before they evolve them into their next form. Onix and Scyther have always been rare Pokemon in the game, and now that there are second generation Pokemon out in the wild as well, they may be even more difficult to find than usual.
Unless one lives in a PokeStop-heavy area, it will likely take a while to collect the two Metal Coats necessary to obtain Steelix and Scizor. On the bright side, players will have plenty of time to collect a backup Scyther and Onix while grinding for Metal Coats, so that when they do evolve them, they won’t lose any Pokemon in their collection.
Even after obtaining enough Metal Coats to evolve both Onix and Scyther, players will still have plenty of other second generation Pokemon to collect in Pokemon GO, including rare ones like Unown, Heracross, and more. As they continue their quest to catch them all, Pokemon GO fans will want to hit as many PokeStops as possible to collect the rest of the evolution stones.
Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.
