Aerodactyl Movesets & Competitive Sets

Dragon Dance allows Aerodactyl to function as a dangerous setup sweeper. One boost from Dragon Dance lets Aerodactyl OHKO threats like offensive Metagross while being faster than most Choice Scarf users, including Flygon and Heracross. Earthquake hits Steel-types like Steelix, Stakataka, and Metagross that resist both STAB moves. Life Orb is preferred, but Heavy-Duty Boots does grant Aerodactyl Stealth Rock immunity and lacks Life Orb's recoil, which makes setting up easier. An Adamant nature lets Aerodactyl hit harder, while a Jolly nature lets it outspeed Noivern and Raikou unboosted. Unnerve prevents threats like Metagross from using their Shuca Berry and eating up an Earthquake. Bulky Water-types like Milotic, Suicune, and Gastrodon eat up Aerodactyl's moves and check it, so teammates like Celebi, Roserade, and Toxtricity are appreciated. Celebi serves as a Scald switch-in that can set up on Water-types. Roserade provides Spikes support to wear down said Water-types as well as a super effective Grass attack. Bulky Pokemon that resists Aerodactyl's STABs like Rhyperior, Steelix, and Registeel can be problematic, as they can take a boosted Earthquake when healthy. Teammates like Milotic, Nidoqueen, and Heracross handle them with minimal fuss. A partner like Golisopod or Choice Specs Gardevoir can wear down Steel-types to put them in OHKO range of Aerodactyl's attacks. Teammates like Dhelmise and Registeel that appreciate Aerodactyl pressuring threats like Noivern, Chandelure, and Fighting-types work as partners. Dhelmise is notable because it provides Rapid Spin support for Aerodactyl using Life Orb. Other notable entry hazard control teammates include Starmie and Tsareena to check threats like Bronzong.

Aerodactyl's natural Speed and Attack stats also make it a decent choice for an anti-offense Pokemon, outspeeding common threats like Noivern and Raikou. Earthquake guarantees OHKOs on Electric-types like Xurkitree and Heliolisk while guaranteeing 2HKOs on Steel-types like Metagross and Stakataka. Roost gives Aerodactyl reliable recovery to make up for Life Orb recoil and potential Stealth Rock chip if it's not carrying Heavy-Duty Boots. Teammates like Crobat, Dhelmise, and Starmie can provide hazard removal while also checking threats like Choice Scarf Heracross and bulkier Steel-types, respectively. Celebi, Roserade, and Xurkitree can deal with bulky Water-types like Milotic, Suicune, and Gastrodon that give Aerodactyl a hard time. Additionally, Roserade provides Spikes support to further wear down Aerodactyl's checks. Teammates like U-turn Flygon and Heliolisk that can bring in Aerodactyl safely to threaten Togekiss and Roserade, respectively, are appreciated. Choice Scarf users like Xurkitree, Rotom-C, and the aforementioned Heracross OHKO Aerodactyl. Therefore, teammates like Assault Vest Reuniclus, Nidoqueen, and Crobat are useful to check these threats.

Taunt prevents other leads from getting their own entry hazards up or using Taunt themselves, and allows Aerodactyl to safely get Stealth Rock up. Rock Tomb provides Aerodactyl some form of speed control and simultaneously breaks other leads' Focus Sashes, particularly Excadrill and Froslass, which lose the ability to retaliate with Rock Tomb and Icy Wind, respectively. Alternatively, Tailwind provides a huge Speed boost before Aerodactyl goes down, allowing heavy hitters with average Speed stats to pose an immediate threat. Defog removes any entry hazards for teams that lack any other form of hazard control, especially against Mental Herb Shuckle after it ignores one Taunt and sets up Sticky Web. It should be noted that Defog makes Aerodactyl very passive in the face of Magic Bounce and Magic Coat users. Ditto switches in freely, removes Stealth Rock, and lays its own Stealth Rock if Tailwind was not set up beforehand. Unnerve stifles any leads that utilize a Berry to function such as Custap Berry Shuckle. Pressure works best against low-PP foes. For example, Sunsteel Strike + Earthquake Necrozma-DM has to burn half its Sunsteel Strike PP to KO Focus Sash Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl should be solely used on hyper offense teams that wish to have a quick and easy form of entry hazard set up against problematic leads. Teams that have a hard time dealing with Spike stacking appreciate Aerodactyl's ability to threaten and outspeed setters such as Froslass even after an Icy Wind, if Aerodactyl previously used Rock Tomb against it. Excadrill gives it some competition in this niche, but fears Calyrex-S predicting and spinblocking it, while Aerodactyl can use Defog freely before easily setting Stealth Rock again. If Aerodactyl does not run Defog, it can be paired with Regieleki or Grimmsnarl to provide dual screens support and pressure opposing Defoggers, such as Yveltal and Ho-Oh, by blocking their Defog with Taunt to keep Stealth Rock up. Regieleki, Zekrom, and Bulk Up / Rock Tomb Marshadow also threaten these common Defoggers and help keep Stealth Rock up. The latter two have the added benefit of hitting the rare Giratina and Giratina-O. Aerodactyl also pairs well with Sticky Web leads that require some counterplay against other Sticky Web leads. Slurpuff, for instance, appreciates Aerodactyl denying entry hazards with Taunt or Defog.

Aerodactyl is a very threatening wallbreaker with its high-powered STAB attacks in Head Smash and Brave Bird that come with no drawbacks thanks to Rock Head. Accelerock lets Aerodactyl revenge kill faster Pokemon like Zeraora, Choice Scarf users like Latios, Hydreigon, and Rotom-W, as well as faster setup sweepers like Salamence, Gyarados, and Dracozolt. It's also useful in beating other, slower priority users that may try to revenge kill Aerodactyl. Earthquake ensures an OHKO versus Heatran and good damage on Toxapex and Tyranitar. Fire Fang does the most damage versus Ferrothorn, and Toxic whittles down checks like Mudsdale and Seismitoad over time. Many offensive Pokemon, like Zeraora and Cinderace, appreciate the huge amounts of damage Aerodactyl can force onto walls like Ferrothorn and Mudsdale. Delayed moves like Future Sight and Doom Desire from Slowking and Heatran add an extra oomph to its attacks which net it OHKOs easier. Entry hazard support from Ferrothorn and Seismitoad also helps it secure more KOs. Aerodactyl's Stealth Rock weakness makes entry hazard removal like Clefable and Corviknight solid to use alongside it. Knock Off support to remove Rocky Helmet from checks like Mudsdale and Corviknight, as well as pivots that can bring Aerodactyl in safely, like Toxapex and Tornadus-T, can keep it healthy.

Mega Aerodactyl carves a niche for itself thanks to its blistering Speed tier and solid offensive typing. It can revenge kill threats like Tapu Koko, Weavile, Mega Lopunny, and Greninja. It also serves as a solid offensive check to the likes of Victini, Volcarona, Mega Charizard Y, and Heatran. While it performs decently well in these roles, it struggles against bulky Water- and Steel-types like Slowbro, Tapu Fini, and Mega Scizor. Taunt allows Mega Aerodactyl to beat Pokemon like Gliscor and Corviknight by denying their recovery, and Earthquake allows it to beat Fire-types like Heatran and Victini. Ferrothorn is a great partner for Mega Aerodactyl, as it checks Rotom-W and Tapu Koko and can pivot in on common revenge killers like Ash-Greninja, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, and Mega Scizor. Mega Aerodactyl checks Fire-types for Ferrothorn like Victini and Volcarona. Spikes from Ferrothorn is also useful in wearing down the opposition, letting Mega Aerodactyl clean in certain situations. Ferrothorn also can hit any opposing Choice Scarf users with Knock Off, such as Tapu Lele and Kartana, for Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed and revenge kill them. Weavile can remove threats to Mega Aerodactyl like Zapdos and Slowbro and can also Pursuit trap Mega Latias, which Mega Aerodactyl struggles to OHKO. In turn, Mega Aerodactyl revenge killing Mega Lopunny helps Weavile and other fast but frail threats. Tapu Koko can wear down Landorus-T and break through bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and the aforementioned Slowbro, as well as safely bringing in Mega Aerodactyl through U-turn or Volt Switch, as it is too frail to come in on it's own. Since Mega Aerodactyl struggles to beat Flying-types like Zapdos and Pelipper without Stone Edge, Heatran and Tapu Koko can be used alongside it to help in that regard. Melmetal is a good partner for Mega Aerodactyl, in that it appreciates Mega Aerodactyl soft checking Fire-types.

Mega Aerodactyl's high Attack stat, stellar Speed stat, and good offensive typing make it a solid offensive Pokemon for Flying-type teams. Its great Speed also lets it outspeed and handle fast threats like Tapu Koko, Zeraora, and Weavile. Its access to Dragon Dance lets Mega Aerodactyl increase its already good Attack stat to even greater levels and outspeed extremely fast Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Greninja, Regieleki, and Excadrill in the sand, making it considerably harder to revenge kill. Stealth Rock can also be used over Dragon Dance for role compression, especially when Mega Aerodactyl's teammates are not carrying it. Its high Speed stat lets it set Stealth Rock quickly against types like Flying, Dragon, and Fire and threaten their entry hazard removers. Stone Edge hits much of the metagame for good damage right off the bat, especially with Rock's good coverage. When boosted by Dragon Dance, it scores 2HKOs on Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mega Venusaur after minor chip damage. Earthquake in tandem with Stone Edge improves Mega Aerodactyl's coverage and lets it hit Pokemon such as Aegislash and Toxapex reliably. It also takes care of Electric-type Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Magnezone, and Zeraora without relying on Stone Edge to hit. Tough Claws-boosted Ice Fang lets Mega Aerodactyl take care of bulky Ground- and Dragon-type Pokemon like Gliscor, Landorus, and Garchomp. Stone Edge + Ice Fang synergizes well in the Dragon matchup, as it can hit every viable Dragon-type for super effective damage. Pursuit, which is also boosted by Tough Claws, can be used over Ice Fang to handle threats to Flying-type teams such as Choice Band Victini, Mega Latias, and Latios. Mega Aerodactyl is vulnerable to Electric-type Pokemon like Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain and Regieleki, so teammates like Gliscor and Landorus can cover that weakness. Gliscor can provide stallbreaking support to wear down walls and absorb status for Mega Aerodactyl, while Landorus is a formidable wallbreaker to beat physical walls like Toxapex, Porygon2, Galarian Corsola, and Hippowdon. Additionally, both can also utilize Stealth Rock so Mega Aerodactyl can use Dragon Dance to be more threatening. Ice- and Rock-type Pokemon like Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan, Weavile, Nihilego, and Terrakion also threaten Mega Aerodactyl, so teammates like Corviknight, Celesteela, and Skarmory can handle them; in return, Mega Aerodactyl can deal with problematic Fire-type Pokemon like Victini and Mega Charizard Y. Corviknight can act as a great wincon with its Bulk Up set after Mega Aerodactyl has weakened the team, while Skarmory can also take on physical threats like Mega Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Excadrill. They both also provide Defog support to help with Mega Aerodactyl's Stealth Rock weakness. Celesteela, on the other hand, can take care of Steel-type Pokemon with Flamethrower or wear down teams for Mega Aerodactyl with Toxic + Leech Seed support and check Mega Diancie. Special attackers such as Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T can take care of Water-type Pokemon such as Swampert, Toxapex, and Urshifu-R that are problematic for Mega Aerodactyl. Mantine and Mandibuzz are also decent teammates to take on Water- and Ghost-type threats like Kingdra and Aegislash; the former provides Mega Aerodactyl with an important Water-type immunity while the latter provides pivoting with U-turn and Knock Off support. A wallbreaker like Dragonite can weaken shared checks like Toxapex for Mega Aerodactyl and appreciates Stealth Rock support for a late-game sweep.

Moves Stone Edge is a powerful Rock-type STAB move, nailing Noivern, Arcanine, and Mantine for super effective damage. It has rather lackluster accuracy, however. Earthquake has excellent synergy with Stone Edge, dealing super effective damage to Steel- and Rock-types like Metagross, Registeel, and Gigalith as they switch into Aerodactyl. Pursuit is very useful for trapping and weakening offensive threats usually forced out by Aerodactyl such as Swellow, Salazzle, and Noivern. Roost extends Aerodactyl's longevity throughout a battle, and lets it directly switch into some of the threats it's supposed to trap, like Noivern and Salazzle. Its lackluster bulk can make finding opportunities to Roost safely somewhat hard, however. Taunt can be used in order to shut down bulky walls that bother Aerodactyl such as Registeel and Cresselia. Ice Fang is an option that ensures Aerodactyl can revenge kill Zygarde-10% from full, while also nailing Flygon and Virizion. However, Ice Fang is quite weak against anything else, and Zygarde-10% in particular takes considerable damage from Earthquake. Lastly, Crunch is useful for hitting Bronzong, one of the most reliable counters to Aerodactyl, for super effective damage, while hitting Psychic-types such as Uxie, Slowbro, and Cresselia for slightly more damage. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed investment allows Aerodactyl to hit as hard and as fast as possible. A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Pokemon such as Swellow and Salazzle. Unnerve is the ability of choice in order to bypass Berries from the likes of Shuca Berry Metagross, Colbur Berry Mismagius, Sitrus Berry Slurpuff, and Colbur Berry Uxie. Life Orb is the selected item, boosting Aerodactyl's damage output while still allowing it to switch up moves and take advantage of its impressive coverage. Usage Tips Aerodactyl sports very low defenses, so avoid directly switching it into attacks, as even powerful resisted attacks will do significant damage. Keeping Aerodactyl healthy until the later stages of a game is often optimal, as it serves as an excellent late-game cleaner once its checks and counters have been appropriately weakened or removed entirely. Make use of Volt Switch or U-turn and well-timed double switches to get Aerodactyl in as often as possible to pressure the opposing team. Aerodactyl makes for a decent offensive check to Pokemon such as Swellow, Salazzle, and Yanmega, so these Pokemon will often switch out when facing Aerodactyl. In this case, using Pursuit to weaken or potentially KO these Pokemon is often advisable. Team Options Aerodactyl greatly appreciates entry hazard support from the likes of Forretress and Roserade, as these hazards chip away at bulkier walls for Aerodactyl to eventually clean up late-game. Similarly, Aerodactyl does not appreciate coming into the field repeatedly with Stealth Rock up, so hazard removal support from Pokemon such as Mantine, Dhelmise, and Donphan works well with Aerodactyl. Powerful wallbreakers like Choice Specs Swellow and Choice Band Escavalier are excellent partners for Aerodactyl, as they can break through bulkier walls for Aerodactyl to sweep late-game. Bulky Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon such as Rhyperior and Metagross are bothersome for Aerodactyl, so Pokemon that can combat them such as Virizion and Milotic make for solid teammates. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Raikou and Flygon pair well with Aerodactyl, as they can provide it with free switches in as well as chip away at bulkier Pokemon with their VoltTurn attacks. Shaymin also works very well with Aerodactyl, as it greatly appreciates Aerodactyl's prowess in trapping Pokemon such as Swellow and Salazzle, and also can switch into Scald with impunity.

Moves Stone Edge is Mega Aerodactyl's best STAB attack, allowing it to hit unresisted foes like Scizor and Primarina hard and Flying-types like Togekiss and Moltres for a significant amount of damage. Earthquake has great neutral coverage with Stone Edge and is Mega Aerodactyl's strongest way of hitting Steel-types that resist Stone Edge, such as Cobalion, Empoleon, and Bisharp. It's also useful for accurately hitting Poison-, Rock-, and Fire-types like Tentacruel, Terrakion, and Volcanion. Roost provides longevity by preventing Mega Aerodactyl from being easily worn down by Stealth Rock and can be used over any move bar Stone Edge if the team has the tools necessary to deal with the likes of Empoleon. Pursuit is great to allow Mega Aerodactyl to trap threats that it forces out naturally, such as Gengar, Celebi, and Latias. Ice Fang allows Mega Aerodactyl to hit Gligar hard and deal slightly more damage than Stone Edge to Dragon-types like Latias and Hydreigon. Aqua Tail is an option to hit Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Krookodile super effectively. Stealth Rock is a decent option if the team is in need of a setter due to the many switches Mega Aerodactyl forces; however, Mega Aerodactyl is strapped for moveslots as is. Fire Fang allows Mega Aerodactyl to OHKO Scizor, but keep in mind that it has far less overall coverage than Mega Aerodactyl's other coverage moves. Set Details Maximum Speed investment alongside a Jolly nature allows Mega Aerodactyl to be as fast as possible, outspeeding all of the unboosted metagame and slower Choice Scarf users like Chandelure and Togekiss. Maximum Attack investment maximizes Mega Aerodactyl's offensive capabilities and lets it perform its role as efficiently as possible. Unnerve is the pre-Mega ability of choice, as it prevents foes from consuming Berries. Mega Aerodactyl obtains Tough Claws upon Mega Evolving, which increases its contact-based moves' power, such as Ice Fang and Pursuit, by 30%. Usage Tips Use Mega Aerodactyl's typing to bring it in against resisted hits from the likes of Moltres and Togekiss when Stealth Rock is not present or if it is running Roost. Mega Aerodactyl's high base Speed and good coverage also allow it to be brought in to revenge kill Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Lucario, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill. Due to its wide arsenal of moves, Mega Aerodactyl is very good against offense. Weaken opposing teams as much as possible to give Mega Aerodactyl a chance to sweep late-game. Avoid bringing Mega Aerodactyl into Stealth Rock, as this limits the number of times it can come in throughout the match; this is especially important if Mega Aerodactyl is lacking Roost. However, do note that Mega Aerodactyl can pivot into some Stealth Rock users like Gligar to threaten them with its super effective coverage moves and avoid Stealth Rock damage. If the opposing Pokemon is in range of one of Mega Aerodactyl's coverage moves, use the coverage move instead of Stone Edge to beat it, as Stone Edge has less accuracy. Weakening opposing bulky Water- and Ground-types such as Slowbro, Swampert, and Hippowdon is vital, as they can stop Mega Aerodactyl's sweep with ease. Latias can be Pursuit trapped if it is locked into Draco Meteor after a stat drop. If a Hippowdon has recently been on the field and sandstorm is up, Mega Aerodactyl can pivot into and trap foes like Gengar and Latias more easily due to its increased Special Defense. Team Options Teammates that can threaten bulky Ground- and Water-types are necessary, as Mega Aerodactyl cannot break past them by itself. As such, Grass-types like Rotom-C and Celebi make for fantastic offensive teammates. Due to its Stealth Rock weakness, Mega Aerodactyl appreciates hazard control from the likes of Tentacruel, Empoleon, Starmie, Hydreigon, and Volcanion. All of these partners are also capable of checking Water-types such as Primarina and Crawdaunt that Mega Aerodactyl struggles to deal with. It is imperative to have an answer to priority users such as Scizor, as Bullet Punch can easily OHKO Mega Aerodactyl, so partners like Doublade, Infernape, and the aforementioned Volcanion are greatly appreciated. Steel-types such as Scizor and Doublade make good partners, as they help alleviate Mega Aerodactyl's need to check threats such as Celebi and Latias that it can struggle to pivot into, and in return, Mega Aerodactyl can check Fire-types such as Moltres and Infernape. Swampert and Hippowdon can both set up Stealth Rock in order to free up the moveslot from Mega Aerodactyl. Hippowdon also provides sand support, which allows Mega Aerodactyl to switch in more easily versus Latias, Gengar, and Moltres so it can trap and remove the former two with Pursuit and OHKO the latter with Stone Edge. Pivots like Scizor and Hydreigon are fantastic teammates, as they can wear down bulky Water-types and also bring in Mega Aerodactyl safely via U-turn. Fighting-types such as Cobalion, Infernape, and Bewear greatly appreciate Mega Aerodactyl's ability to Pursuit trap Pokemon that generally force them out, such as Latias and Gengar. Mega Aerodactyl can also switch into and check Flying-types like Togekiss and Moltres. In return, Infernape can check Scizor and maintain offensive pressure against the rest of the team. Special wallbreakers, such as Primarina, Latias, and Hydreigon, can weaken opposing bulky teams and give Mega Aerodactyl a better chance at sweeping late-game.

Moves Stone Edge and Earthquake provide Mega Aerodactyl with great neutral coverage to threaten out common entry hazard removers like Tentacruel, Rotom-H, and Moltres, allowing it to keep its Stealth Rock up more easily. The combined coverage allows it to reliably revenge kill key threats such as Infernape and Togekiss with super effective damage. Ice Fang allows Aerodactyl to 2HKO Gligar and does more than Stone Edge to the likes of Celebi, Mega Altaria, Latias, and Hydreigon. Set Details With full Speed investment, Mega Aerodactyl can take advantage of naturally being the fastest Pokemon in the tier to revenge kill other fast threats like Mega Manectric, Mega Beedrill, Choice Scarf Togekiss, and boosted Dragon Dance Mega Altaria. Usage Tips Mega Aerodactyl sets up Stealth Rock most easily when threatening out frailer offensive Pokemon such as Nihilego, Mega Beedrill, and Infernape. It should be played rather aggressively to take advantage of its ability to beat common entry hazard removers, like Tentacruel, Gligar, and Rotom-H. Mega Aerodactyl has decent natural bulk and can be used to pivot into some attacks, such as Moltres's STAB moves. However, it should still try to remain as healthy as possible, as to not succumb to Stealth Rock itself, by not always hard switching in to so it can still check Pokemon like Moltres throughout the game. Team Options Mega Aerodactyl fits best on offensive builds that would not otherwise be able to fit a Stealth Rock user. Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Starmie and Rotom-C is helpful due to the set lacking longevity with Roost. These Pokemon are also able to threaten the bulky Water- and Ground-types that Mega Aerodactyl struggles against like Slowbro, Rhyperior, and Hippowdon. Without Pursuit, Mega Aerodactyl appreciates support from Steel-types such as Scizor, Doublade, and Klefki to deal with Pokemon that it could normally trap like Latias. Klefki stands out as a partner, as it can also set up Spikes to form a hazard-stacking core with Mega Aerodactyl to wear down Pokemon like Primarina. Setup sweepers like Nasty Plot Infernape and Celebi can capitalize on chip damage from Mega Aerodactyl's Stealth Rock, now muscling past Primarina and Scizor, respectively. Scizor itself, Terrakion, and Crawdaunt are all sweepers that function with Mega Aerodactyl as well. Choice Band Swampert appreciates Mega Aerodactyl running Stealth Rock for it. In return, Swampert can break past Mega Aggron and bulky Ground-types like Rhyperior and Palossand. Offensive Rotom-H can get past Mega Steelix and Mega Aggron, in addition to checking Mamoswine and Scizor. Both Rotom-H and Rotom-C can pivot on Hydreigon and Latias for Mega Aerodactyl while threatening Primarina.

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Moves Rock Slide has STAB, flinch chance, and covers the whole of the opponent's field, making it very useful to spread damage quickly. Sky Drop can remove a foe temporarily from the field, giving space for teammates to take care of another foe. Tailwind doubles the Speed of the team for four turns, aiding slower teammates. Protect ensures that Aerodactyl stays protected when a teammate switches in, takes down a threat, or gets free damage while punishing a double target. Taunt can be used to stop Trick Room setters like Porygon2 and Mimikyu and make sure Aerodactyl's Tailwind doesn't get countered easily. It can also interfere with setup sweepers like Snorlax, ruining their strategy. Wide Guard is mainly to cover the team from spreading moves like Rock Slide, Earthquake, Muddy Water, and Surf. Set Details Focus Sash prevents OHKOs on Aerodactyl, as it is very prone to being OHKOed with its low Defense. Unnerve counters Berry users, which are very common in VGC17. Examples include Arcanine, Snorlax, Gastrodon, and Alolan Muk. It shines as the only viable Unnerve user in the metagame. Jolly nature maximizes Speed to benefit from Tailwind the most. 252 Speed EVs make Aerodactyl as fast as possible. 252 Attack EVs let Aerodactyl hit hard as possible with remaining EVs invested in HP. Usage Tips Aerodactyl should most often be used as a lead, setting up Tailwind and spreading damage with Rock Slide until switching out. Preserving Aerodactyl's Focus Sash is important, as it gives Aerodactyl a lifeline to hang on to in case of an emergency. Be sure to remember some of Sky Drop's additional effects including nullifying moves like Follow Me and Rage Powder as well as the inability to hit Pokemon weighing more than 200kg like Celesteela, Mudsdale, and Snorlax. Playing aggressively with Aerodactyl works, as it can take advantage of Tailwind and spam Rock Slides. This can get it knocked out and a sweeper can switch in and take advantage of Tailwind quicker. Team Options Pokemon that can make use of Tailwind are appreciated. Good choices are mainly Pokemon with middling Speed stats like Xurkitree, Tapu Lele, and Buzzwole. Ground-type Pokemon like Garchomp and Krookodile cover Aerodacty's weaknesses of Steel-, Rock-, and Electric-type Pokemon as well as being able to spam Earthquake with no care in the world. Gastrodon also redirects Water-type attacks, giving extra support. Steel-types like Kartana, Metagross, and Celesteela also resist most of Aerodactyl's weaknesses. If Aerodactyl isn't using Taunt then a Taunt user is appreciated to counter Trick Room. Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Whimsicott, and Tapu Lele are great Taunt users.

Set Information Rock Slide allows Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos, Dragonite, and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, doing over 50% to the former and over 33% to the latter. Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mew and Starmie. Wing Attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur, Alolan Exeggutor, and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Adamant, as it allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by Jolly Mega Beedrill, opposing Mega Aerodactyl, and the rare Electrode—of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO it after Stealth Rock damage. However, Jolly is still a strong choice for teams that are particularly weak to the aforementioned Pokemon. Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the rare Modest Mega Alakazam. Usage Tips Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring a teammate in on their attacks and expect it to do anything other than get KOed on the next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn't have any Pokemon with super effective priority moves or an equal Speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl's mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. Thus, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in against a foe that threatens these status ailments and isn't in its KO range. Finally, this set requires a fair amount of chip damage on bulky foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Blastoise. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into KO range of Mega Aerodactyl's coverage moves. Team Options Because of the limited number of Pokemon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip damage and Stealth Rock, it has a very diverse range of potential teammates. Starmie, Vaporeon, and Zapdos are excellent options, as they can easily answer and chip down Mega Aerodactyl's main threats. Strong Ground-type attackers such as Alolan Dugtrio and Rhydon are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock support because many foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl, like the common Zapdos, will be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. Clefable is especially effective, as it can set up Stealth Rock against a large portion of the metagame with ease, and it frees up Mew to run a Nasty Plot set that effortlessly wallbreaks for Mega Aerodactyl. Venusaur is another strong partner, as it acts as one of the best Mega Blastoise and Vaporeon answers in the metagame and can often force Melmetal to take a Sleep Powder. It can also Mega Evolve instead of Aerodactyl if the matchup is unfavorable.

Set Information Aerodactyl can reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to its great Speed. Taunt allows Aerodactyl to block status-inducing moves, Stealth Rock, and setup moves from slower foes. The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence. Usage Tips While it is capable of being played as a suicide Stealth Rock lead, this is generally a poor play, as Aerodacty's speed tier and type coverage are generally able to be of use at several points in a match. Finding an opportunity to switch in Aerodactyl for free and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rock while maintaining Aerodactyl's health. Alolan Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, and a healthy non-Body Slam Snorlax are all generally safe options to bring Aerodactyl in on. Team Options This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Mega Gyarados has a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily and allows Gyarados to preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill's U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As Gyarados and Aerodactyl share an Electric weakness, it's usually beneficial to have a Ground-type, such as Nidoqueen. The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. Reflect Zapdos also synergizes well with this flexible Aerodactyl set, as an incoming Melmetal provides an opportunity for Zapdos to set up Reflect for the rest of the team.

Moves Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest STAB attack, allowing it to take on threats such as Mantine, Zapdos, and Volcarona. Earthquake is a very nice coverage move that pairs well with Stone Edge and allows Mega Aerodactyl to take on Steel-types such as Magnezone that resist Stone Edge. Pursuit allows Mega Aerodactyl to trap Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon such as Victini, Latios, and Blacephalon that can otherwise threaten the team. Stealth Rock is a very essential move that chips the opposing team as they switch in, allowing Mega Aerodactyl and other sweepers and wallbreakers to clean through the other team more easily. Ice Fang is an option over Pursuit that allows Mega Aerodactyl to pressure Dragon teams, as Stone Edge and Ice Fang can at worst 2HKO every viable Dragon-type. If a teammate can cover the need for Stealth Rock, Mega Aerodactyl can run both Pursuit and Ice Fang, which allows Mega Aerodactyl to beat both Psychic and Dragon teams at once. Set Details Maximum Attack investment allows Mega Aerodactyl to OHKO threats such as Tapu Koko with Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed threats such as Weavile and Tapu Koko, allowing it to easily set up Stealth Rock. Aerodactylite allows Aerodactyl to Mega Evolve and gives it access to Tough Claws. Tough Claws directly boosts the power of Pursuit, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to more easily OHKO or severely weaken Pokemon as they switch out. Usage Tips Mega Aerodactyl naturally pressures most Defog users due to its access to a powerful Rock-type STAB attack in Stone Edge, leaving many Defoggers such as Zapdos, Mandibuzz, and Crobat unable to clear entry hazards very easily. It should take advantage of this by predicting Defog users threatened by it to switch in. However, Mega Aerodactyl should be careful when switching in on some Defoggers such as Zapdos and Mantine, as they threaten Mega Aerodactyl with their STAB attacks. Aerodactyl can also use its ability to pressure Defoggers with Stone Edge in order to keep Stealth Rock up constantly through the match. Due to Mega Aerodactyl's high Speed and Attack stats, it forces many switches; capitalize on this opportunity to set Stealth Rock or punish switches with Pursuit. Whenever Mega Aerodactyl switches in, Stealth Rock should ideally be removed from its side of the field so it does not have to worry about getting worn down. Mega Aerodactyl should also be used to Pursuit trap Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon such as Latios, Victini, and Blacephalon to prevent them from damaging the team. It can also weaken Pokemon such as Zapdos with Pursuit as they switch out, as they'll try to avoid being OHKO'ed by Stone Edge; however, Mega Aerodactyl should be careful using Pursuit when it can be threatened by the Pokemon it is trying to Pursuit trap. Mega Aerodactyl should be preserved to take care of threats such as Tapu Koko and Kyurem-B rather than attempting to set Stealth Rock at any cost. Mega Aerodactyl is fairly useless in certain matchups and should be used as a sacrifice against Ground- and Steel-type teams due to the fact that it can barely touch Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Ferrothorn. Team Options Stealth Rock helps support all of the offensive threats Flying teams have access to by dealing chip damage to their checks and switch-ins. Dragonite forms an excellent wallbreaking core with Mega Aerodactyl, appreciating the Stealth Rock that Mega Aerodactyl sets to help it OHKO Pokemon such as Mantine with Choice Band-boosted Outrage. Dragonite can also help Mega Aerodactyl against Steel-type Pokemon with its great coverage in Fire Punch and Superpower allowing it to take care of bulky Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Mega Aerodactyl can then take care of Ice-type Pokemon such as Alolan Ninetales and Life Orb Kyurem-B for Dragonite. Defog users such as Mantine, Gliscor, and Zapdos can clear entry hazards for Mega Aerodactyl. In return Mega Aerodactyl can take on Ice- and Electric-type Pokemon for them with Stone Edge and Earthquake. Both Zapdos and Mantine can also switch into special attackers for Mega Aerodactyl; Pokemon like Choice Scarf Greninja in Mantine's case, and Electric-types such as Alolan Raichu in Zapdos's case. Skarmory and Celesteela are defensive walls that can switch into Rock- and Ice-type attacks such as Choice Scarf Terrakion's Stone Edge and Mamoswine's Icicle Crash for Mega Aerodactyl. Both Skarmory and Celesteela appreciate Mega Aerodactyl's ability to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Victini. Skarmory and Celesteela also can take on Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Tapu Bulu with their Steel-type STAB attacks for Mega Aerodactyl. Ground-types such as Gliscor and Landorus-T check Electric-types for Mega Aerodactyl. Stallbreaker Gliscor can take on Pokemon such as Chansey and Porygon2 that can give Mega Aerodactyl a fair bit of trouble due to their natural bulk. Mega Aerodactyl can then take care of Pokemon such as Victini for Gliscor by Pursuit trapping them. Gliscor also can act as a status absorber for Mega Aerodactyl. Landorus-T acts a nice Choice Scarf user that is faster than Mega Aerodactyl and can clean through weakened Electric-type teams with Earthquake. Special attackers such as Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus-T can help Mega Aerodactyl break through physical walls such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Tyranitar, and Swampert. In return, Mega Aerodactyl can handle Volcarona and special walls such as Alolan Muk. Gliscor, Landorus, and Landorus-T are all also capable of carrying Stealth Rock, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to run additional coverage instead. Flying

Moves Taunt allows Aerodactyl to stop opposing Stealth Rock users like Garchomp, Alolan Golem, Ferrothorn and Heatran from setting entry hazards and stop common Defog users like Mandibuzz, Zapdos and Mantine from clearing its own Stealth Rock. Additionally, it can stop setup sweepers and defensive Pokemon like Dragonite, Volcarona, Chansey, and Celesteela. Stealth Rock allows Aerodactyl to support its teammates by wearing down opposing teams, making it easier for offensive teammates to score KOs. Double-Edge allows Aerodactyl to KO itself due to the recoil once it is knocked down to its Focus Sash or weakened, stopping Rapid Spin users like Armaldo and Forretress from clearing Stealth Rock. Tailwind lets Aerodactyl support its offensive teammates by doubling their Speed for a few turns and is a big momentum swing for the team. It works well with Double-Edge, since Aerodactyl can KO itself once Tailwind is set up, allowing a teammate to come in freely. Set Details Maximum Speed investment along with a Jolly nature allows Aerodactyl to outspeed Pokemon such as Weavile, Greninja, and Tornadus-T and Speed tie with other Pokemon with base 130 Speed like Tapu Koko and Crobat. Maximum Attack investment allows Aerodactyl to hit hard with Double-Edge so that it can faint to its recoil damage once it is down to its Focus Sash or extremely weakened. Focus Sash is used to ensure that Aerodactyl can stop opposing lead entry hazard setters with Taunt and set up Stealth Rock or Tailwind before fainting. Its ability Unnerve, though situational, helps against Berry users like Azumarill and Alolan Muk. Usage Tips Aerodactyl should be used as a lead most of the time due to its higher Speed than most other entry hazard setters. Leading with it most of the time also ensures that it gets most out of its Focus Sash, which allows it to stop opposing entry hazard and Defog users with Taunt or set up Tailwind to secure momentum for the team depending upon the situation. However, against teams with Magic Bounce users like Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie, it is not advisable to lead with Aerodactyl, as it fails to do anything meaningful against such Pokemon. Instead, teammates like Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Landorus-T should be used to threaten and force out the aforementioned Magic Bounce users. Similarly, Aerodactyl should not be used as a lead against faster entry hazard setters like Deoxys-S and Mega Aerodactyl, as they are too fast to afflict with Taunt, so it should instead wait until such Pokemon are taken care of by a teammate. Against types like Poison, Normal, and Water, Aerodactyl should prioritize setting up Stealth Rock, as it gives its teammates an easier time scoring KOs. Against types like Steel and Ground, Aerodactyl should focus more on setting up Tailwind, as this gives teammates like Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus-T a good chance to break through the opposing team. Team Options The combination of Aerodactyl's Speed and access to Taunt allows it to deny Stealth Rock for its teammates like Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus-T, Dragonite, and Togekiss. This makes its teammates harder to wear down and revenge kill for the opposing team. Offensive powerhouses like Mega Charizard Y and Dragonite are great partners for Aerodactyl to break through opposing teams more easily. Tailwind support also allows them to put a lot of pressure against Steel, Electric, and Psychic teams. Setup sweepers like Hawlucha also pair well with Aerodactyl, as it can set up and clean weakened teams and does great against Steel, Dark, and Normal teams. Defensive Celesteela is a premier utility Pokemon for Flying teams and does a wonderful job at breaking down defensive cores with Toxic + Leech Seed while also acting as a switch-in to Ice-type moves for the team from the likes of Mamoswine and Greninja. Landorus-T can utilize a Double Dance set to wallbreak and clean or use a Choice Scarf set to better deal with threats like Tapu Koko and Mega Diancie for the team. Similarly, Choice Scarf Togekiss can be used to deal with Dragon-type threats like Kyurem-B and Kommo-o. Landorus-T and Togekiss can act as emergency Defog user for the team, too. Thundurus-T pairs amazingly well with Aerodactyl, as it can pick up KOs easily with its Double Dance or Agility + 3 Attacks set against Water and Flying teams. Furthermore, it provides the team with an additional immunity to Electric-type attacks.

Moves Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest STAB move, which is especially good at hitting Fire- and Ice-types like Houndoom and Abomasnow. Earthquake gives Aerodactyl a way to hit Steel- and Rock-types like Registeel and Diancie while also providing a more accurate attack against Fire-types. Pursuit lets it trap Psychic-types like Sigilyph and Hoopa as well as Fletchinder, which don't want to stay in on Aerodactyl. Aerial Ace lets Aerodactyl OHKO Virizion and Hitmonlee as well as deal a large amount of damage to other bulkier Pokemon that are weak to the move, such as Gurdurr. Roost gives Aerodactyl a way to recover HP after it has lost some from weaker hits, Stealth Rock, and Life Orb recoil. Set Details Maximum Speed and a Jolly nature let Aerodactyl outpace the majority of the metagame, including prominent threats such as Virizion, Sneasel, Choice Scarf Hoopa, and Choice Scarf Emboar as well as be able to Speed tie with Jolteon. Maximum Attack and Life Orb increase Aerodactyl's damage output. Unnerve lets Aerodactyl ignore damage-reduction Berries like Colbur Berry for Pursuit and Charti Berry for Stone Edge, the former being very common for escaping Aerodactyl's Pursuits. Usage Tips Aerodactyl is very frail and thus doesn't like coming in on attacks. Try to bring it in after a teammate has fainted or through a slow Volt Switch or U-turn. Aerodactyl can also try to come in on a Ground-type attack like Earthquake, but this should only be done if Aerodactyl can KO the Pokemon back. Be wary of priority users, as Aerodactyl can get chipped down pretty easily, and its opportunities to use Roost are very rare. Aerodactyl should be using Roost on a predicted switch, usually when Aerodactyl is threatening a Pokemon with a move that will OHKO it. Team Options Aerodactyl appreciates hazard control because it doesn't want to come in on Stealth Rock repeatedly, so partners like Blastoise and Flygon can work well with it. Aerodactyl helps out against Fire- and Fighting-types, and Steel-types like Registeel and Mawile appreciate having those removed so they can come in safely. Magneton helps to remove Registeel and Bronzong, two Pokemon that don't mind taking Aerodactyl's STAB moves. It helps against bulky Water-types as well, which are also capable of taking Aerodactyl's moves. Aerodactyl has a hard time against bulky Ground-types, so Grass-types like Venusaur, which can deal with Seismitoad and Rhyperior, couple well with it. While Aerodactyl can get repeated chip damage on Steel-types via Earthquake, it makes it a lot easier to just have partners to deal with the likes of Steelix and Bronzong, such as Fire-types like Houndoom and Delphox. Fighting-types such as Sawk and Medicham help to remove some of Aerodactyl's checks like Rhyperior and Registeel. Aerodactyl in return provides an offensive check to Fletchinder, which threatens common Fighting-types.

Moves Hone Claws not only boosts Mega Aerodactyl's already sky-high Attack but also prevents its moves from missing. Stone Edge is Mega Aerodactyl's main STAB move and not only hits hard but also benefits from the accuracy boost given from Hone Claws. Wing Attack gets the Tough Claws boost, making it very strong against Fighting- and Grass-types that can tank Stone Edge, such as Shaymin and Chesnaught. Aqua Tail also benefits from Tough Claws, giving Aerodactyl a way around Ground-types that can tank Wing Attack such as Mamoswine, Krookodile, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen. Earthquake can be used to hit Steel-types such as Cobalion and Doublade. Roost gives Aerodactyl a reliable recovery move to continue boosting; however, by running it, Mega Aerodactyl loses out on important coverage. Fire Fang is an option to OHKO Forretress specifically, while Crunch gives Aerodactyl an option to hit Doublade harder than Earthquake thanks to the Tough Claws boost as well as Psychic-types such as Reuniclus. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed EVs allow Mega Aerodactyl to hit as hard and as fast as possible. A Jolly nature allows Aerodactyl to outspeed Jolly Mega Beedrill and Timid Mega Sceptile after Mega Evolving as well as certain Choice Scarf users such as Chandelure. Adamant is also viable, as it maximizes Mega Aerodactyl's wallbreaking potential. Aerodactylite allows Aerodactyl to Mega Evolve in the first place. A good alternative EV spread is 232 Atk / 40 Def / 236 Spe with an Adamant nature, which allows Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed maximum Speed Crobat and lets it survive Jolly Mamoswine's Ice Shard after Stealth Rock damage. Usage Tips It is best to save Mega Aerodactyl for the mid- or late-game, as this set aims to set up and sweep rather than fire off powerful attacks. Be wary of switching this particular set in, as the more damage Mega Aerodactyl accrues, the more easily it will be revenge killed when it aims to sweep. Based on coverage, make sure certain threats are gone, such as Ground-types such as Mamoswine if Mega Aerodactyl lacks Aqua Tail and Steel-types if Mega Aerodactyl lacks Earthquake. Team Options Wallbreakers such as Choice Band Heracross and Hoopa can wear down physical walls or get rid of them outright, giving Mega Aerodactyl an easier time sweeping. Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Forretress, Heliolisk, and Whimsicott, can wear down the opposing team, allowing Aerodactyl to set up safely and sweep a weakened team. Whimsicott and Heliolisk also both beat bulky Water-types, which give Aerodactyl a hard time. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Forretress and Swampert can help Aerodactyl secure some 2HKOs and OHKOs. Entry hazard removal from Forretress and Empoleon is key, as more often than not, Aerodactyl will be forgoing Roost to run coverage, meaning it can be worn down if Stealth Rock is up. A Pokemon like Toxicroak or Heliolisk that weakens bulky Water-types allows Aerodactyl to not be forced out once it sets up. Healing Wish or Lunar Dance users such as Shaymin and Cresselia can give Mega Aerodactyl a second chance at sweeping. Shaymin can also beat bulky Water-types for Aerodactyl, while Cresselia can provide Thunder Wave support.

Moves Stealth Rock gives Aerodactyl a way to break Sturdy and Focus Sashes while also providing the team with entry hazard support. The fastest Taunt in the tier allows Aerodactyl to prevent the other lead's entry hazards from being laid down. Double-Edge is the main attacking option to allow Aerodactyl to KO itself before the foe can use Defog or Rapid Spin. Fire Blast lets Aerodactyl to get around Forretress, which may try to spin away its Stealth Rock. If that isn't needed, Stone Edge is a really good STAB move, though it is a bit unreliable. Tailwind can also provide the team with the upper hand, allowing Aerodactyl to help support its team even further. Set Details Focus Sash ensures that Aerodactyl can survive any hit and be able to set up Stealth Rock. 72 Special Attack EVs allow Aerodactyl to OHKO Forretress with Fire Blast, while maximum Speed EVs make Aerodactyl as fast as possible. The rest are placed into Attack to make Double-Edge hit as hard as possible. A Hasty nature is essential to not weaken Fire Blast's power; however, a Jolly nature can be used if Fire Blast is not being used. If so, the Special Attack EVs can be moved into Attack. Usage Tips Aerodactyl should always lead, as it wins against most other leads such as Forretress thanks to its access to Taunt. Watch out for Froslass or Sableye leads, as Froslass has a super effective STAB move to hit Aerodactyl with, while Sableye has priority Taunt to prevent Aerodactyl from using Taunt itself or laying down Stealth Rock. Aerodactyl should only be used on hyper offensive teams because it is a suicide lead, meaning the team wants to apply as much offensive pressure as possible. Team Options Ghost-types such as Hoopa and Sableye not only appreciate Aerodactyl's entry hazard support, but also keep Stealth Rock up by blocking Rapid Spin. Sableye also has access to Prankster Taunt, meaning it can reliably make sure no Defogger can get rid of Stealth Rock as well. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Heliolisk and Mega Beedrill appreciate being able to wear down the opposing team with Stealth Rock coupled with their powerful attacks. They can also wear down the opponent's Defogger or spinner, allowing Stealth Rock to stay on the field. The team should be offensively oriented to keep up the offensive pressure, so Pokemon like Hydreigon, Infernape, and Mienshao are good options, as they all provide power and appreciate the Stealth Rock support this set provides.

Moves Stone Edge is a STAB move that allows Aerodactyl to hit opposing Flying-types as well as Ice-, Fire-, and Bug-types such as Kyurem, Entei, Darmanitan, and Mega Beedrill. Wing Attack, while seemingly weak, gets the Tough Claws boost, making it very potent against Fighting-types, as well as Grass-types that can tank Stone Edge such as Shaymin and Chesnaught. Earthquake is used for its ability to hit Steel-types such as Cobalion, Lucario, and Doublade, which resist both of Aerodactyl's STAB types. Aqua Tail not only benefits from Tough Claws but also gives Aerodactyl a way around Ground-types such as Mamoswine, Krookodile, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen (although the latter two are covered by Earthquake). Roost allows Mega Aerodactyl to keep its health high, letting it keep threatening the opposing team, while Stealth Rock gives Mega Aerodactyl a way to support the team if the move can't be fit onto the team somewhere else. Pursuit is an option to trap physically frail Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill and Chandelure. Taunt could work in tandem with Roost, allowing Aerodactyl to avoid status moves and block recovery while continually wearing down the opposing team with its high-powered STAB moves. It also stops Defog, which works well for entry hazard-stacking teams. Defog is an option to allow Aerodactyl to get rid of entry hazards; however, it is incompatible with Unnerve. Fire Fang is an option to OHKO Forretress, which would otherwise tank Aerodactyl's moves and OHKO it with Gyro Ball. Crunch gives Aerodactyl an option to hit Doublade harder than Earthquake thanks to the Tough Claws boost, as well as Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Reuniclus. Set Details Aerodactylite allows Aerodactyl to Mega Evolve. A Jolly nature is used to outpace Timid Mega Sceptile and Jolly Mega Beedrill as well as +1 Gyarados, +1 Feraligatr, and certain Choice Scarf users such as Gardevoir and Chandelure; however, an Adamant nature can be used, as it still makes Mega Aerodactyl faster than all neutral-natured Pokemon such as Adamant Mega Beedrill and Modest Mega Sceptile. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs allow Aerodactyl to hit as hard and as fast as possible. However, Aerodactyl can invest into its bulk by hitting certain benchmarks in Speed. Running 104 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allows Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed Tornadus before Mega Evolving and Crobat after. Aerodactyl can also run 216 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature to outspeed Mega Sceptile and Mega Beedrill as well as Choice Scarf Chandelure and Gardevoir. Usage Tips Mega Aerodactyl is meant to be used as a fast support Pokemon that can also reliably wear down the opponent's team via its STAB moves. Make sure to bring Mega Aerodactyl in safely on a resisted hit so that it can force the foe to take a hit. Use the switches that Mega Aerodactyl forces to set up Stealth Rock or Roost off damage. If it is healthy, try to fire off an attack, as most threats that tend to switch into Mega Aerodactyl get worn down fast such as Swampert and Forretress. Mega Aerodactyl's moves can be somewhat unpredictable at times, so it can lure certain foes very effectively; for instance, it can surprise Slowking with Crunch. Mega Aerodactyl also tends to run three attacks and Roost, so having four attacks can be really nice for luring too. Team Options Pokemon like Toxicroak, Shaymin, or Heliolisk that take care of bulky Water-types can prevent them from forcing Mega Aerodactyl to switch out and take Stealth Rock damage and help Aerodactyl continue to apply pressure to the opposing team. Entry hazard removal support from the likes of Empoleon and Forretress helps clear away Stealth Rock, allowing Aerodactyl to have more opportunities to switch in without relying on staying healthy via Roost. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Forretress and Swampert can help wear down Pokemon that switch into Aerodactyl, as most of Aerodactyl's checks and counters lack reliable recovery. Special wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Porygon-Z and Life Orb Hydreigon can destroy physical walls, allowing Aerodactyl to use its attacks more freely. Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Lucario appreciate the support that Mega Aerodactyl can provide with its coverage, especially Pursuit, which can trap and KO Ghost-types that threaten these setup sweepers. Swords Dance Doublade is also a good teammate, as it can soften up a lot of foes for Mega Aerodactyl to spam its attacks.

Moves Mega Aerodactyl is a terrific Stealth Rock setter, as it possesses the Speed and defensive typing to reliably set up the entry hazard. It can keep up Stealth Rock, as well as any other entry hazard on your opponent's side of the field, by using Taunt against Defog users; Taunt can also be used to stop an opposing sweeper from setting up. Stone Edge is Mega Aerodactyl's most powerful viable STAB move and 2HKOes offensively inclined Pokemon such as Darkrai, Mega Mewtwo Y, Dragon Dance Mega Salamence, and Latios. It also allows Mega Aerodactyl to check Ho-Oh effectively. Rock Slide is an alternative option if you want to check Ho-Oh more reliably, but the power drop is significant and the extra PP afforded by Rock Slide is rarely beneficial. Earthquake provides excellent neutral coverage alongside Stone Edge and smacks Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Klefki, Aegislash, and Jirachi for good damage. Set Details The given EV spread lets Mega Aerodactyl outrun Darkrai before Mega Evolving, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to Taunt it before it can use Dark Void. Mega Aerodactyl can also outrun neutral-natured base 90 Speed Choice Scarf users after Mega Evolving, allowing it to reliably revenge kill weakened Pokemon such as Zekrom. Although Jolly Mega Aerodactyl does not hit that hard, even with maximum Attack investment, the Speed is invaluable for hyper offensive teams that struggle with lead Darkrai without the Speed investment. The leftovers EVs are placed into HP to increase Mega Aerodactyl's overall bulk a little. Usage Tips Although Mega Aerodactyl is an adequate lead, it is often a good idea to save it for the early- or mid-game to check Ho-Oh, revenge kill weakened Pokemon, and set up Stealth Rock when the opportunity arises. If your opponent has Lugia, however, set up Stealth Rock as soon as possible, as offensive teams will have a hard time breaking it without Stealth Rock up. Once Mega Aerodactyl sets up Stealth Rock, feel free to use Taunt on both walls and setup sweepers alike in order to give whatever teammate comes in after Mega Aerodactyl faints an advantageous situation. Although Earthquake is useful for hitting certain Steel-types and dealing some damage against Primal Groudon, Mega Aerodactyl often won't have time to use it. Bear in mind that Mega Aerodactyl can clean up severely weakened teams late-game, but it isn't strong enough to sweep reliably. Stone Edge's accuracy can also be detrimental, especially if Mega Aerodactyl needs to hit with it several times in a row in order to sweep. Therefore, it is almost always okay to sacrifice Mega Aerodactyl after it has done its job, especially if it uses Taunt the turn it faints. Team Options Custap Berry Forretress can set up entry hazards for Mega Aerodactyl to keep up with Taunt while spinning away Stealth Rock. Cloyster is another good entry hazard setter that can keep Stealth Rock off the field, which Mega Aerodactyl is weak to. Although Cloyster has more offensive presence and has an easier time beating spinblockers than Forretress does, it does not have access to Sturdy, which forces it to run Focus Sash over Custap Berry. Because of this, Forretress has an easier time setting up two entry hazards against offensive teams than Cloyster does. Deoxys-A is another option to set up a layer or two of Spikes. A spinblocker is a good idea in conjunction with Mega Aerodactyl, but Giratina-O and Giratina are not recommended because they don't pressure common Defog users enough. Therefore, Swords Dance and Calm Mind Arceus-Ghost are quality options to block Rapid Spin while severely pressuring Defog users. If you opt for the Calm Mind set, maximize Special Attack to deal as much damage as possible. Arceus-Ghost and Mega Aerodactyl also provide two solid checks to Extreme Killer Arceus, which many hyper offensive teams are weak to. Mega Aerodactyl also needs threatening teammates to take advantage of its ability to keep up entry hazards. Geomancy Xerneas, Rock Polish Primal Groudon, and Dragon Dance Rayquaza all appreciate entry hazard support while punishing any attempt to remove entry hazards with offensive pressure. Other Taunt users, such as Darkrai and Mewtwo, are also a good idea to stop Defog and potentially give a teammate such as Xerneas an opportunity to set up.

Moves Rock Slide and Sky Drop are probably Aerodactyl's two best options for a support set. Aerodactyl's extremely high Speed stat means that Rock Slide will usually go before your opponents two Pokemon, making full use of Rock Slide's nasty flinch chance. Rock Slide also allows Aerodactyl to check Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and other weakened Pokemon that have a weakness to it. Sky Drop is an extremely irritating STAB move that gives Aerodactyl's partner a free one on one match up for a turn. Tailwind is one of the best speed control moves in the game. Aerodactyl is a very reliable user of the move thanks to its already ridiculous Speed stat and its Focus Sash. The Speed increase Aerodactyl receives from Tailwind also makes Rock Slide flinch fishing more potent. Protect is to block the annoying Fake Out that is used often in VGC 2014 so that Aerodactyl's Focus Sash is not broken before it can even move. The ability to Protect Aerodactyl for a turn is also very useful in many situations. Wide Guard is a supportive move that keeps Aerodactyl and its teammate safe from spread moves like Rock Slide, Surf, Earthquake and Discharge. Taunt makes Pokemon like Smeargle and Amoonguss next to useless and stops Trick Room setters from ruining Aerodactyl's potential Tailwind. Ice Fang is a neat coverage move to punish Salamence and Garchomp leads while also bringing Noivern down to its Focus Sash. Note that Aerodactyl's Focus Sash will likely be broken if it hits a Garchomp with Ice Fang. Set Details The EVs are very straightforward in that they allow Aerodactyl to Speed tie with other Aerodactyl and Mega Gengar while also outspeeding everything below base 130 Speed, besides Choice Scarf users. The Attack investment is to make sure Aerodactyl will be hitting as hard as possible without a positive nature. Unnerve is a useful supporting ability that stops the consumption of common berries such as Sitrus and Lum Berry. However, Unnerve always goes first when announcing itself, so if you would rather scout for a Choice Scarf on Salamence or Gardevoir, then Pressure is preferred. A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe can be used if you wish to use your Focus Sash elsewhere on your team, but the Focus Sash variant is generally preferred. Usage Tips When against Fake Out users, the safest play on the first turn is to Protect Aerodactyl and its partner if either of them are carrying it. This ensures your Focus Sash will remain intact for the turn you use Tailwind, Sky Drop, or Rock Slide. Note that Aerodactyl is hardly ever dead weight due to its ability to flinch opponents with Rock Slide and the support Sky Drop provides. Knowing this, don't play Aerodactyl recklessly if you don't need to. Use Sky Drop to give Aerodactyl's partner a free turn with an opponent that cannot do too much to it. This is extremely useful for set up sweepers since it removes the threat of a double target for a turn. It should be noted that Aerodactyl cannot use Sky Drop on Pokemon weighing over 200 kg. Gyarados and Rhyperior are Pokemon that come to mind in this weight bracket, although Aerodactyl should not stay in on Rhyperior and use Rock Slide on Gyarados. Sky Drop can also end Aerodactyl since it cannot Protect itself when dropping the opponent, so use the move wisely. Tailwind should be used only when needed since it only lasts three turns after it is set up. With that said, Aerodactyl should be saved until it is needed to set up Tailwind as the move allows many slower attackers to easily get the upper hand on their otherwise faster checks. If Aerodactyl is up against Trick Room without Taunt, it is generally in your best interest to leave Aerodactyl behind for the match due to Aerodactyl's naturally high Speed and Trick Room making Tailwind a monstrous backfire if used. If you do have Taunt though, feel free to Taunt any Trick Room setter that isn't an Aromatisse, as long as there are no Fake Out users along side the Trick Room user. Team Options Any slow attacker is a good partner for Aerodactyl due to its ability to use Tailwind, put an opponent out of play for a turn, and occasionally allow its partner to live another turn with a Rock Slide flinch. Bisharp and Kangaskhan are two perfect examples of beneficiaries from Aerodactyl's support abilities. Bisharp not only benefits greatly from the Tailwind Aerodactyl provides, but Assurance also turns into a 120 Base Power STAB move when an opponent is hit by Aerodactyl's Rock Slide first. Mega Kangaskhan isn't exactly slow, but it still greatly benefits from Tailwind, while it also enjoys the turn to Power-Up Punch while not fearing a double target due to Sky Drop. Sky Drop can give Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Gyarados, Mega Gyarados, Dragon Dance Scrafty, and Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar a much needed opportunity to set up. If EVed correctly, these Pokemon can KO their respective checks after setting up the same turn as Aerodactyl drops said check. Beneficiaries from Wide Guard include Mega Charizard Y and Aegislash as both of them are commonly targeted by spread moves. Both of them greatly appreciate Tailwind support.

Moves Mega Aerodactyl is the fastest unboosted user of Rock Slide in VGC 2014, which means just about anything your opponent can have will risk getting flinched if Mega Aerodactyl uses Rock Slide. Because Rock Slide also receives a boost from STAB and Mega Aerodactyl's base 135 Attack stat, the damage output is not bad at all, even with minimal Attack investment. STAB Rock Slide also makes Mega Aerodactyl Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y's biggest threat as it resists Gale Wings Brave Bird from Talonflame, outpaces both of them, and OHKOes both of them with a single hit, not to mention their partner will likely flinch. Mega Aerodactyl's Speed and Tough Claws-boosted Sky Drop make it a terror to face when paired with a set up sweeper or a powerful Pokemon that needs an opponent put out of play for a turn. Also, it eases prediction when targeting the Pokemon that Mega Aerodactyl has picked up since it cannot Protect on the turn it falls. Similarly, Mega Aerodactyl cannot use Protect when using Sky Drop on the opponent either and, unlike its support set, does not have a Focus Sash to save it from a potential KO on its way down. So, use Sky Drop conservatively. Roost is used to increase Mega Aerodactyl's longevity so it can keep flinch fishing with Rock Slide or supporting its teammates with Sky Drop. Roost makes Mega Aerodactyl a much larger pain to face in general. Protect is to give Mega Aerodactyl's partner a turn to KO or cripple Mega Aerodactyl's check or counter as well as being usefun in many situations. Taunt can be used to help Mega Aerodactyl against Smeargle and Amoonguss, and make them useless. Tailwind is a fantastic speed control move that a good amount of teams are based around. Wide Guard can save many of Mega Aerodactyl's teammates from the multitude of spread moves that are used. Set Details The EVs are rather specific in that they allow Mega Aerodactyl to sponge a Choice Specs Thunderbolt from Rotom-A formes while in Sandstorm. It is also able to survive a critical hit Stone Edge from a Salamence with a hindering Attack nature. The Speed investment is used to outrun Talonflame before Mega Evolving and to outrun base 80 Speed Pokemon with a Choice Scarf, namely Rotom-A and Gardevoir, after. Unnerve has elevated priority when announcing itself, so Pressure is used instead to scout for Choice Scarf Gardevoir and Salamence before Aerodactyl Mega Evolves. Unnerve is also useless since it will become Tough Claws after Aerodactyl Mega Evolves anyways. Usage Tips Mega Aerodactyl has potential staying power, so make use of this staying power by using Roost and Protect at the correct times. Make sure that Mega Aerodactyl is in a Sandstorm when it is out as the Special Defense boost from Sandstorm is extremely noticeable and can save Mega Aerodactyl a lot of the time. When using Sky Drop, be sure to have planned out how you are going to keep Mega Aerodactyl safe when it drops the opponent since it predictably cannot use Protect this turn. Similarly, use the turn that an opponent is dropped to your advantage since the opponent cannot use Protect that turn either, leaving them open to a potential KO. This can also save Mega Aerodactyl if the opponent in question had the ability to KO it. Burns take a good chunk out of Mega Aerodactyl's survivability, especially when using Sky Drop, while also weakening it its two attacking moves. Keeping burns away from Mega Aerodactyl is pretty important, especially in a format full of Will-O-Wisp users. When Mega Aerodactyl has done its job and is left with nothing to do, it can always fish for Rock Slide flinches. Team Options Sand Stream is always needed when using Mega Aerodactyl in order to ensure that it gets the most out of its bulk investment. This makes Hippowdon and Tyranitar very good partners despite the weaknesses they share with Mega Aerodactyl. However, Amoonguss and Ferrothorn can help cover these weaknesses while also dealing with Mega Aerodactyl's most common counter: Rotom-W. Pokemon that require set up and powerful attackers enjoy Mega Aerodactyl's consistent Sky Drop support and the occasional flinch from Rock Slide. Hydreigon, Aegislash, Gyarados, Scrafty, Bisharp and many more fall under this category.

Moves Due to Aerodactyl's extremely high Speed stat and possible Focus Sash, it is nearly guaranteed to set up Stealth Rock. Head Smash's excellent 150 Base Power makes up for Aerodactyl's average Attack stat. STABmons gives Aerodactyl access to a good Flying-type STAB attack in Brave Bird as well. Because Rock Head makes Aerodactyl immune to recoil damage, Brave Bird becomes a perfectly accurate, 120 Base Power STAB move with no drawbacks. There are a few options for the fourth moveslot. Taunt is very useful for anti-leading other entry hazard setters, as it prevents them from getting their hazards up. Earthquake gives Aerodactyl perfect neutral coverage and allows it to hit a lot of its would-be counters, such as Heatran hard, possibly OHKOing them. Aerodactyl can hit nearly all of its checks or counters hard with the right move, which is another one of its good characteristics. Set Details The given EVs maximize Aerodactyl's power and speed. Aerodactyl has terrible bulk, so investing in it would waste EVs. Running a Jolly nature instead of an Adamant one is important to let Aerodactyl outspeed and OHKO Jolly Talonflame without getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, as well as outspeed any Pokemon with base 115 Speed. Focus Sash nearly guarantees that Aerodactyl will set Stealth Rock up and allows it to survive a hit if it Taunts a foe that turns out to be attacking, such as Ferrothorn using Gyro Ball. Besides, Aerodactyl will get OHKOed by almost any powerful neutral hit, so Focus Sash allows it to survive the attack and get another move off. Life Orb is useful as well because Aerodactyl's base 105 Attack is not impressive, so it really appreciates the power boost. Usage Tips Aerodactyl is usually a good choice for a lead, especially if it has Focus Sash, as it can toss Stealth Rock out early. If you do choose to lead with Aerodactyl, going for Stealth Rock or Taunt first is generally the smartest choice. Aerodactyl usually has terrible matchups against Magic Bounce users because they bounce back both Stealth Rock and Taunt and can either OHKO Aerodactyl in Mega Diancie's case or burn it with Will-O-Wisp in Mega Sableye's case; therefore, you should switch Aerodactyl out of them. However, if Aerodactyl is holding Life Orb, it does OHKO on Mega Diancie with Earthquake. Aerodactyl usually has trouble switching in because of its terrible bulk, but it can switch into Ground-type attacks during certain situations. You'll also want to avoid switching Aerodactyl in too often with Stealth Rock up because it loses a quarter of its health upon switching into it. The threat of STAB Head Smash or Brave Bird will cause a lot of switches, giving Aerodactyl another opportunity to set Stealth Rock if it was unable to earlier in the match. Team Options Aerodactyl works excellently with entry hazard control because it is weak to Stealth Rock. Latios and Latias are great options, as they resist Electric- and Water-type attacks, which Aerodactyl is weak to. Spinners are particularly good teammates, as they allow Aerodactyl's entry hazards to remain on the field. Starmie and Mega Blastoise work very well, as they can also deal with some of Aerodactyl's biggest checks, such as bulky Ground-types, particularly Landorus-T. Excadrill is also a potential spinner. Grass-, Water-, and Ground-types such as Serperior, Quagsire, and Landorus-T make for good teammates too, as they cover Aerodactyl's weaknesses to Water, Electric, and Rock and can help defeat its checks and counters. Prankster users such as Thundurus and Whimsicott are decent teammates because they beat a lot of threats to Aerodactyl, such as Sableye, Skarmory, and Quagsire. Defiant and Competitive users function perfectly with Aerodactyl, as they can deter Defog, snagging a free +2 boost to their Attack or Special Attack upon the foe's attempt to remove entry hazards. Powerful Fire-types such as Heatran and Talonflame have great synergy on the offensive side with Aerodactyl; they deal with most of Aerodactyl's biggest checks, such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn.

Moves Rock Slide is Aerodactyl's best STAB move and is really useful with Aerodactyl's high Speed, which allows Aerodactyl to outspeed most of the unboosted metagame and potentially net crucial flinches. Sky Drop is a very disruptive support move that turns the battle into a 1v1 situation for a turn; it can also subdue a threat to Aerodactyl's partner for one turn. Keep in mind that Sky Drop will not work on any Pokemon weighing above 200 kg (440.9 lbs), such as Virizion and Terrakion. Wide Guard protects Aerodactyl and its partner from common spread moves, such as Rock Slide, while Taunt can be used to shut down status inducers or opposing speed control setters. Tailwind boosts the Speeds of Aerodactyl and its partner for three turns. Protect allows Aerodactyl to scout for opposing Fake Out users and acts as general protection against hits that can break Aerodactyl's Focus Sash. Set Details Aerodactyl has really low bulk, so there isn't a need to invest into it. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows Aerodactyl to take advantage of its high Speed so that it can set up Tailwind. Maximum Attack investment allows Aerodactyl to hit as hard as possible. Focus Sash allows Aerodactyl to survive at least one hit. Unnerve stops the foe's Berry from being eaten, which is very useful against Pokemon that generally carry Sitrus Berry such as Rotom-H and Thundurus. Usage Tips Aerodactyl works great as a lead because a first-turn Tailwind can put massive pressure on your opponent. Be wary of Fake Out users, however. Don't sacrifice Aerodactyl after it has used Tailwind, as it can always be useful by disrupting the foe with Sky Drop or flinches from Rock Slide. Again, keep in mind that Sky Drop will not be able to pick up Pokemon that weigh 200 kg (440.9 lbs) or over, such as Virizion and Terrakion. Team Options Pokemon with middling Speed tiers that benefit greatly from Tailwind, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Gardevoir, are great partners with Aerodactyl. Notably, Mega Kangaskhan offers Fake Out support, which gives Aerodactyl an easier time to set up Tailwind. Aerodactyl, in turn, can allow Kangaskhan to set up with Power-Up Punch more easily by potentially immobilizing a threat for a turn with Sky Drop. Aerodactyl's Unnerve can also allow Mega Kangaskhan to beat Pokemon that are EVed to survive its attacks with a Sitrus Berry activating in between. Mega Charizard Y is protected by Aerodactyl's Wide Guard, while Aerodactyl can also remove bulky Fire-types, such as Rotom-H, that give Mega Charizard Y trouble. Mega Charizard Y, in turn, is able to check common Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash, that wall Aerodactyl's attacks. Heatran is another Pokemon with a middling Speed tier that greatly appreciates Tailwind, as well as Wide Guard to block Earthquake. Aerodactyl can also use Sky Drop to check Fighting-types and cripple a threat to Heatran so that it can set up a Substitute. Setup sweepers are also good partners for Aerodactyl due to its access to Sky Drop, which can give those sweepers an easier time setting up by crippling a threat. Gyarados is a great Aerodactyl partner, as Aerodactyl gives it an easier time setting up by using Sky Drop on a Pokemon that threatens Gyarados or offering Wide Guard support against Rock Slide. Although it doesn't benefit from Tailwind, Ferrothorn has great type synergy with Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl is able to protect Ferrothorn from Heat Wave with Wide Guard and can also threaten opposing Fire- and Fighting-types. Ferrothorn, in turn, can switch into Water-, Rock-, and Electric-type attacks aimed at Aerodactyl while also being able to force out opposing Ice-types. Other Steel-types, such as Aegislash, are great partners, as they can switch into Ice- and Rock-type attacks aimed at Aerodactyl. Aegislash also greatly benefits from Wide Guard, protecting it from common spread moves, such as Earthquake and Heat Wave.

This set combines all of Aerodactyl's positive traits to maximize its potential. With its high Speed, Aerodactyl can act as a backup revenge killer for offensive teams that cannot afford to have an additional Choice Scarf user. Slower, defensive teams enjoy Aerodactyl because it's a non-Choice item revenge killer, and can break down stall that lacks its counters. Aerodactyl's Speed is so great that it can even outspeed some Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Emboar and Braviary. Thanks to its typing, Aerodactyl can switch into them directly, although it must be careful of coverage attacks. Aerodactyl's function on an offensive team is to wallbreak and act as a pivot that can switch into Fire-types like Moltres and Entei and outspeed them while threatening to hit them with Stone Edge. This variant of Aerodactyl is self-sufficient, barring its Stealth Rock weakness, because it can take down its own counters with Fire Blast. Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest Rock-type STAB, but it has shaky accuracy. Earthquake is a strong attack with great coverage to hit grounded Fire- or Poison-type Pokemon such as Entei or Drapion without relying on Stone Edge's accuracy. Fire Blast is used to take down the Pokemon that could otherwise withstand Aerodactyl's attacks, particularly Ferroseed, Tangrowth, and Steelix. Fire Blast 2HKOes the mentioned counters, and with the given EVs always OHKOes Escavalier and Durant. Double-Edge is a great alternative neutral attack that takes advantage of Rock Head and offers a perfectly accurate attack for Aerodactyl. Roost finalizes the set by granting Aerodactyl reliable recovery to mitigate damage upon switching in and Life Orb recoil. The suggested EVs maximize Aerodactyl's Speed and allow it to outspeed opposing Swellow, Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Emboar and Braviary. The 36 Special Attack EVs are to guarantee the OHKO on Escavalier with Fire Blast. A Hasty nature is needed with Fire Blast, whereas Jolly is better with Double-Edge. If Double-Edge is used, then the 36 Special Attack EVs should be allocated to Attack. If outspeeding Swellow and the mentioned Choice Scarf users is not a concern, then the Speed EVs can be reduced to 176, which still allows it to outspeed Sceptile, and the rest can go into HP to garner a minimal increase in bulk. If a Stealth Rock user is needed, then Aerodactyl can fulfill that role thanks to its high Speed; however, with Stealth Rock Aerodactyl will either not be able to take down its counters, or its longevity will be severely shortened. Taunt is another great choice for its ability to shut down defensive Pokemon or Pokemon looking to set up on Aerodactyl. Rock Slide is a potential replacement for Stone Edge thanks to its greater accuracy and flinch rate, but is a weaker alternative and is only considered because of Aerodactyl's speed. Aqua Tail is an option if Rhydon, Crustle, and Sandslash are problems for your team, but it has no use outside hitting these Pokemon. Aerial Ace allows Aerodactyl to 2HKO Poliwrath, who would otherwise counter it, with entry hazard support, and also allows it to revenge kill Gallade. If Aerodactyl is purely going to be used as a lead, then Focus Sash is an option alongside Stealth Rock and Taunt, but this choice wastes Aerodactyl's talents. Aerodactyl is meant to be on an offensively-oriented team, so its optimal partners are those that can take advantage of Aerodactyl's ability to take down its own counters, and have good type and offensive synergy. Partners that can utilize Aerodactyl's removal of Grass-types via Fire Blast are great. Kabutops has a hard time taking down Ferroseed and Tangrowth, and it will have a much easier time with them gone. Kabutops can also spin for Aerodactyl, so Stealth Rock will not be a problem. Similarly, Feraligatr likes Ferroseed and Tangrowth gone, so that it can sweep with Dragon Dance or Swords Dance. Cinccino is a partner that likes having Steelix removed and can bring Aerodactyl in with U-turn. Offensive Grass-type Pokemon don't mind switching into bulky Water-types like Slowking and Poliwrath and can threaten them out. Lilligant, Rotom-C, and offensive Tangrowth are a few partners that don't mind switching into a Thunder Wave or Scald. In return, Aerodactyl can take Fire-type attacks or common priority attacks, such as Extreme Speed, aimed at them. As alluded to earlier, Stealth Rock reduces Aerodactyl's ability to switch in repeatedly, so a Rapid Spin user is a great partner. Kabutops is a great partner that likes the removal of Grass-types, and it can take down Choice Scarf Pokemon with Aqua Jet that are looking to take out Aerodactyl, although Kabutops and Aerodactyl have no notable type synergy apart from Aerodactyl's immunity to Ground. Cryogonal is another option for its ability to switch into specially oriented threats like Amoonguss, and it can Toxic bulky Water-types. Because all the Pokemon that can handle Aerodactyl are grounded, Aerodactyl really appreciates entry hazard support. Smeargle and Scolipede are good Spikes users that can quickly set them up for heavy offensive teams. Qwilfish and Crustle are also good choices for Pokemon that can fulfill more roles than purely setting up Spikes, and they benefit more on balanced offensive teams. Traditionally, it's hard to counter Aerodactyl because some of its counters are taken out with Fire Blast, and with its high Speed it's very difficult to stop Stealth Rock from going up. Additionally, Taunt cannot be countered outside of Magic Bounce. To beat this variant of Aerodactyl, it is necessary to KO it before it becomes a problem. Choice Scarf Pokemon like Rotom-C or Manectric can switch into Aerodactyl, although Manectric needs to be more careful when it switches in, and put Aerodactyl in a difficult position where they can severely damage it with their Electric-type STAB or use Volt Switch to maintain momentum. Bulky Water-types can minimize the damage that Aerodactyl causes. Poliwrath is a great Pokemon, if Aerodactyl doesn't have Aerial Ace, and can phaze Aerodactyl with Circle Throw or burn it with Scald. Qwilfish can switch in with Intimidate, but needs to tread lightly to avoid Earthquake. Physically defensive Slowking can use Thunder Wave, Scald, or Trick Room to take down Aerodactyl.

This set is more singular in focus, and can attack while switching in with minimal damage taken. In addition, team support is crucial to this set's success, due to Aerodactyl's Stealth Rock weakness and frail defenses. The hit-and-run attitude of this set emphasizes smart prediction and switching; it is best to switch Aerodactyl into Ground-type, weak neutral, or resisted attacks. This set works differently than other Choice Band users thanks to Aerodactyl's high Speed, which lets it almost always attack first, and its useful resistances. Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest Rock-type STAB. Earthquake is a great neutral attack to hit threats like Entei, Qwilfish, and Aggron, although you must exercise caution, as Levitate or Flying-type Pokemon can capitalize on Earthquake. Aqua Tail rounds out Aerodactyl's coverage by hitting Ground-types such as Rhydon, which would otherwise be major annoyances. Double-Edge provides great neutral coverage and is a great fall-back for Aerodactyl due to its perfect accuracy, and it also takes advantage of Rock Head. The suggested EVs maximize Aerodactyl's damage output, and a Jolly nature takes advantage of Aerodactyl's high Speed. Maximizing Aerodactyl's Speed is important because it can outspeed Swellow and certain Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Emboar and Braviary. If outspeeding the mentioned Pokemon is of no concern, then dropping the Speed EVs to 176 still outspeeds Sceptile, and the rest can go into HP for a little additional bulk. Rock Head is the preferred ability thanks to its ability to neutralize Double-Edge's recoil. This set works best on offensively-geared teams due to its frailness and dangerous playstyle. Also, courtesy of its Speed, Aerodactyl can act as a secondary revenge killer for offensive teams, revenge killing threats like Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Choice Scarf Medicham. Caution needs to be taken when using this set due to Aerodactyl's frailty and Stealth Rock weakness. The power given by Choice Band allows Aerodactyl to achieve KOs that it wouldn't otherwise get, such as the 2HKO on defensive Amoonguss and the OHKO on Lilligant after Stealth Rock. This set needs a partner with good offensive synergy that can take down Aerodactyl's counters. Mixed Druddigon fits the bill perfectly thanks to its ability to lure out Ferroseed and Tangrowth with its physical Dragon-type STAB and hit them with a Flamethrower, and Outrage will severely hurt any bulky Water-types. Another good partner is Bouffalant for its ability to switch into Grass-type attacks with Sap Sipper and set up a Substitute and Swords Dance, or form a one-two combo by also utilizing Choice Band. Rotom-C is another great partner to have because it can take down bulky Water-types with either its Grass- or Electric-type STAB, and can help weaken the opposing team with Volt Switch and keep momentum on your side. Rotom-C can also utilize Will-O-Wisp, so Aerodactyl can have an easier time switching into physical attackers. Rotom-C has trouble with Grass-type Pokemon and so does Aerodactyl, but Rotom-C can take out problematic Pokemon like Ferroseed with Hidden Power Fire. Due to the constant switching of a Choice Band set and Aerodactyl's Stealth Rock weakness, a Rapid Spin user is imperative to the success of this set. Kabutops is a good spinner and applies offensive pressure. Cryogonal is another good spinner, and it can switch into special threats like Slowking and use Toxic. This set is a bit more difficult to directly counter due to the higher damage output from Choice Band, but Pokemon that can easily survive Aerodactyl's attacks are Tangrowth, Ferroseed, and Torterra; however, they all need to keep an eye out for Fire Blast or a partner that is specially designed to take out Grass-type Pokemon. Bulky Water-types can also minimize the damage caused by Aerodactyl. Qwilfish with Intimidate is a great buffer to hold back Aerodactyl as long as it avoids Earthquake. Poliwrath can take Aerodactyl's attacks all day and burn it with Scald or phaze it out with Circle Throw. Physically defensive Slowking can take some assaults and has a multitude of options to retaliate with; it can attack with Scald, paralyze with Thunder Wave, or use Trick Room and flip everything on its head. Quagsire is another great switch-in and has reliable recovery, and in return can burn Aerodactyl with Scald. The best way to contain this set is to predict its attacks beforehand and capitalize on them, because constant switching will eventually take its toll on Aerodactyl with its subpar defenses and Stealth Rock weakness.

When equipped with a Choice Band, Aerodactyl reaches a high Attack stat of 463, which allows it to power through most of the UU tier. This, along with its blistering speed stat, allows Aerodactyl to do some serious damage. Despite this, Aerodactyl must be played with caution; with a Stealth Rock weakness, there is little room for error, so you must predict well in order for this set to be effective. Stone Edge is the powerful STAB move of choice; it is notable for OHKOing some of the biggest threats in UU, such as Crobat, Weavile, Tornadus, and Azelf, all of which Aerodactyl outspeeds. Earthquake has excellent coverage with Stone Edge, allowing Aerodactyl to hit most of the tier for neutral damage or better. Aqua Tail is Aerodactyl's best option against Ground-type Pokemon, such as Rhyperior and Krookodile, which can otherwise cause problems for Aerodactyl. Finally, Double-Edge is chosen for the last slot to hit Swampert and Flygon hard, as well as OHKO Mienshao. Thanks to Rock Head, Aerodactyl also suffers no recoil damage from the move. As tempting as it may be to run an Adamant nature, Jolly is needed to outspeed Weavile, Raikou, and Azelf, all of which Aerodactyl can OHKO with Jolly regardless. Aerial Ace is normally weak with only 60 Base Power, but thanks to STAB, it gets boosted to acceptable levels and can OHKO Heracross, Virizion, and Shaymin after Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil, as well as uninvested Scrafty after a layer of Spikes. Ice Fang is also usable to OHKO Flygon and 2HKO Gligar which are otherwise difficult to deal with. However, these are mainly situational moves, and Aerodactyl's standard moves will generally be more useful. Aerodactyl needs Rapid Spin support to function at its best, as it will be switching out a lot and has a Stealth Rock weakness. The best option is Hitmontop, as it resists Rock-type moves that are often aimed at Aerodactyl. Bulky Water-types are troublesome for Aerodactyl, especially those that resist Rock-type moves, such as Empoleon and Swampert, meaning that Grass-types, such as Shaymin and Tangrowth, are good partners, as they can take them down easily. In addition, Steel-types resist Stone Edge, and one of the most prominent—Bronzong—is immune to Earthquake. Fire-type Pokemon, such as Darmanitan and Victini, can destroy Steel-types with their STAB, which allows Stone Edge to be used more freely.

This set takes perfect advantage of Aerodactyl's high Speed, great coverage, and access to Stealth Rock. Aerodactyl is the fastest Pokemon in UU that has access to Stealth Rock, which almost guarantees the valuable hazard will be set up every battle. This makes it very useful on offensive teams that need to get Stealth Rock up immediately so the team has the residual damage needed to secure many OHKOs and 2HKOs. Aerodactyl's great coverage comes in the form of EdgeQuake, which has almost perfect neutral coverage in UU. Stone Edge, the first move of the combo, receives a STAB boost, which makes it very powerful if it doesn't miss. Because of the excellent coverage achieved with just two moves, Aerodactyl has room to run another non-attacking move. Because Aerodactyl is very fast, it can reliably prevent other Pokemon from setting up their own entry hazards with Taunt, as well as prevent Pokemon like Roserade from hitting Aerodactyl with a crippling status move. If Taunt isn't needed, then Roost is a suitable replacement because it can heal off Life Orb damage so that Aerodactyl can continue to attack without killing itself. The given EV spread maximizes Aerodactyl's offensive capabilities. Another viable EV spread is 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe with a Jolly Nature, which outspeeds unboosted Raikou and Azelf while giving Aerodactyl some bulk. However, losing out on outspeeding Weavile, Crobat, and opposing Aerodactyl might not be worth the increase in bulk. If something else on your team is running Stealth Rock, then Taunt and Roost can be used together, but at that point Crobat is usually a better option to use due to its superior bulk and defensive typing, which grants it extra resistances, notably a 4x one to Fighting-type moves. While the BW metagame doesn't have many dedicated leads, Aerodactyl can still function in that position and set up Stealth Rock on the first turn easily. If Aerodactyl is being used exclusively in this position, Focus Sash is a viable option to guarantee that Aerodactyl will get Stealth Rock up and be able to use Taunt to ensure that Pokemon, such as Roserade, will be unable to set their entry hazards up simultaneously. If Stealth Rock is absolutely critical for your team to function, Ghost-types, such as Sableye and Cofagrigus, are useful to prevent it from being spun away. Aerodactyl struggles with bulky Water-types, so Roserade and Shaymin are the best options to combat them, as they shrug off Scalds and have Natural Cure in case they are burned. In addition, when using Aerodactyl, take time during Team Preview to look for priority users, especially those whose moves deal super effective damage, such as Weavile and Azumarill; if you see one such Pokemon, it might be a good idea to keep Aerodactyl out of the lead position, as these Pokemon can OHKO Aerodactyl before it can even move if it doesn't have a Focus Sash.

Rock Slide is the obvious STAB move that provides a strong hit on both opponents. Aerodactyl is faster than Tornadus and Thundurus and can OHKO both with a Rock Gem-boosted Rock Slide, and they can't use Charti Berry to do anything about it either. Aerial Ace provides more coverage; it's most useful against Fighting-types that resist Rock Slide. It is incredibly weak at 60 BP, but it can still do heavy damage with STAB, especially when it is super effective. Tailwind provides incredibly helpful support for the team, and Aerodactyl is also fairly good at setting it up due to its high Speed. It isn't as much of a sure thing as Prankster Tailwind, but it is pretty much as close as you can get. If you are worried about your opponents setting up, you can run Taunt instead, but with priority setup and Mental Herb, Taunt is not as reliable as it used to be. Protect is as useful as always to scout your opponents' move, stall out set-up moves, such as Trick Room, and shield Aerodactyl from a threat while its partner finishes off that particular foe. Protect is even more useful on Aerodactyl when considering the fact that it will assure another turn in which your partner will be able to hit through berries. Again, Taunt can be run over Protect if you really want both it and Tailwind, but Protect is usually the better option. Focus Sash is the first choice of item to keep Aerodactyl alive for longer, and with Aerodactyl's frailty and many common weaknesses, you will find it will activate often. The longer Aerodactyl is alive, the longer you will be able to hit through your opponents' berries, and so, even if Aerodactyl doesn't do much with its extra bit of life, its partner can. Rock Gem is another option if Focus Sash is being used by one of your other Pokemon, as it allows Aerodactyl to do more reasonable damage itself, instead of relying on its partner to do the damage. Without Rock Gem, Aerodactyl can't OHKO Tornadus, Thundurus, Chandelure, or much else. Still, Focus Sash is most useful if you can possibly afford to put it on Aerodactyl. Speed is maxed because it is Aerodactyl's greatest asset other than Unnerve, and putting EVs anywhere else really isn't worth it. The remaining EVs are invested in Attack, allowing Aerodactyl to at least deal a significant amount of damage to its opponents. Aerodactyl's best teammates are the things it supports best, which are Pokemon that tear into threats deprived of the effect of their resistance berries. Mamoswine is one of the most effective partners for Aerodactyl. It will greatly appreciate not having to worry about Yache Berries when trying to Ice Shard threats weak to it, such as Garchomp, and fewer Pokemon will be able to dodge a KO from Earthquake without Shuca Berry. Aerodactyl is also immune to Earthquake, meaning Mamoswine can spam it freely. Mamoswine will also appreciate Tailwind support because of its only average Speed. Any of the rest of the multitude of Pokemon that are often limited by resistance berries will also appreciate Aerodactyl's support, but it is important to consider whether Persian or Aerodactyl is a better fit to provide Unnerve support. Smeargle and Amoonguss also get special mentions because Unnerve allows them to use Spore with impunity, not having to worry about Lum Berries.

Set Description Aerodactyl is best used as a revenge killer and cleaner, utilizing Rock Head Double-Edge as its best move against neutral targets and its good coverage options to break weakened teams. It can threaten offensive foes like Latios, Rayquaza, and Ho-Oh, as well as defensive Pokemon like Blissey and Lugia to give its team momentum or a foe a strong hit from itself. Earthquake forms the EdgeQuake combination with its STAB Rock Slide to pressure a large majority of the tier, but Earthquake is punishable by the many Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate in the tier. Hidden Power Ghost deals more damage to Latios, Latias, Dusclops, and Gengar but doesn't have the STAB boost and lack of immunities that Hidden Power Flying has. A Jolly nature can be used to outrun neutral nature Mewtwo and Speed tie with maximum Speed Mewtwo, but Aerodactyl misses out on crucial 2HKOs such as Double-Edge against Snorlax with one layer of Spikes. Team Options Magneton is a strong team option, giving Aerodactyl an easier time cleaning teams by trapping Skarmory and Forretress. Groudon similarly threatens Steel-types and also appreciates that Aerodactyl pressures Lugia and helps overwhelm walls like Skarmory. Forretress or Skarmory provide Spikes, which is incredible for Aerodactyl, as most of its checks like Groudon and Metagross are worn down easily by them, giving it a much easier time breaking through teams. Deoxys-A appreciates Aerodactyl being able to switch into Extreme Speed. Aerodactyl can pivot into Rayquaza, and Deoxys-A in return pressures almost every Pokemon in the metagame very hard, especially Steel-types like Metagross and Forretress, which Aerodactyl needs worn down.

Aerodactyl is the fastest viable Pokemon in ADV Doubles and boasts the coveted Ground and Rock offensive combination. However, it is reliant on a Choice Band to do any serious damage, and it still comes up shy of OHKOing Pokemon like Metagross and Tyranitar that threaten to OHKO it back. Earthquake is Aerodactyl's best attack, as it OHKOes Raikou and 2HKOes Tyranitar, Metagross, and Steelix. Common Ground-immune Pokemon, such as Gengar, are 2HKOed by Hidden Power Rock, while Zapdos is OHKOed. Double-Edge is a strong and spammable move for Aerodactyl to use freely and not worry about recoil thanks to Rock Head. Notably, it is Aerodactyl's strongest attack against bulky waters like Suicune and Swampert. Aerial Ace OHKOes Sceptile, but most other Pokemon in the tier are hit harder by a different attack. Rock Slide has a pitiful damage output, but it is a spread move that can hit Flying-types and Levitate users while also having the ability to flinch. Hyper Beam is a last-ditch, high damage option that can be used in desperate situations to get a powerful attack off before it faints. The given EV Spread allows Aerodactyl to survive a Thunderbolt from Gengar while outspeeding Sceptile and Alakazam, making it the fastest viable Pokemon in the tier. Aerodactyl is best saved for late-game, where it can act as a cleaner or as a revenge killer on weakened fast Pokemon like Raikou and Gengar. Locking into the wrong move can be costly, especially if locking into Earthquake, as it can be easily punished by Ground-immune foes switching in. It is important to note that Aerodactyl really isn't that strong and comes up short if its foes haven't taken any chip damage. Aerodactyl needs to be paired with multiple Ground-immune Pokemon, such as Gengar, Gyarados, and Zapdos, in order to freely spam Earthquake. Swampert and Snorlax make good partners with Aerodactyl for their ability to check Electric-types as well as Tyranitar, while Aerodactyl provides a Ground-immune partner for them to use Earthquake with.

Set Description The combination of Rest + Reflect lets Aerodactyl comfortably switch into most Mew and Snorlax sets as well as Tauros lacking Blizzard. Aerodactyl can take up to 5 Body Slam hits from a +6 Mew and 11 Body Slams from Snorlax once it sets up Reflect, so it can use Rest very safely. This lets Aerodactyl stall these foes out of attacking PP, as it can switch in repeatedly to shut them down offensively; special attackers like Mewtwo and Slowbro will usually switch in, so Aerodactyl needs to be partnered with teammates that can switch into them consistently, such as Chansey, Slowbro, and Soft-Boiled Mew. Reflect is imperative on Aerodactyl, as without it, it can be broken through with ease by Mew carrying Body Slam. Snorlax and Tauros lacking Blizzard can also give Aerodactyl issues if it lacks Reflect. With paralysis from Body Slam and Tauros's 21.48% critical hit rate, Tail Whip Tauros can also break a chipped Aerodactyl quite easily if it lacks Reflect. Aerodactyl's main attacking move is Double-Edge, as it does serviceable damage to less bulky foes. However, Double-Edge deals poor damage to bulkier foes such as Mewtwo and Slowbro, which threaten it back with strong special attacks and paralysis. Fire Blast has a 30% chance to burn the foe, incapacitating physical attackers such as Mew, Snorlax, and Tauros. However, Aerodactyl has to be wary of burning foes such as Mewtwo and Starmie, as the burn damage is negligible to them and lets them switch in and block other status later on.