|
-
Sturdy
- If the wielder is at full HP, it will survive any attack. OHKO moves will fail.
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Rock Head
- Recoil moves deal no recoil damage.
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Heavy Metal
- The wielder's weight is doubled.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
70
|
- |
281 |
344 |
- |
| Atk |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
| Def |
180
|
356 |
396 |
459 |
504 |
| SpA |
60
|
140 |
156 |
219 |
240 |
| SpD |
60
|
140 |
156 |
219 |
240 |
| Spe |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
Overview
Aggron is the very definition of scary; wearing a skull helmet topped with razor-sharp horns, carrying bullet-proof steel armor, and wielding lethal claws, there are few opponents that can even think about standing up to the metal beast. However, Aggron isn't all bark and no bite, as its Rock Head ability allows it to pummel opponents with the powerful Head Smash without any recoil. Defensively, Aggron is also a monster to deal with, as its whopping base 180 Defense and plethora of resistances courtesy its Steel typing enables it to comfortably take on most physical threats. Unfortunately, its typing also comes with the drawback of 4x weaknesses to the common Fighting- and Ground-type attacks thrown around in the tier. Aggron's lackluster Special Defense also lets it down when it comes to taking special hits; as it easily falls to moves such as Scald. Although Aggron is a rather unbalanced Pokemon in terms of stats and typing, use it correctly and you will find that it is a diamond in the rough.
With a Choice Band wrapped around its head, Aggron becomes a truly terrifying foe to face, as only the bulkiest of threats will be able to take its blows and retaliate. Its Choice Band-boosted Head Smash is something that every RU team must prepare for, lest they be shredded by its power. Adding insult to injury, Aggron takes no damage from this risky attack thanks to Rock Head. Unfortunately for Aggron, there are a few Pokemon that can switch into Head Smash and retaliate; for these, Aggron can use its alternative STAB move, Heavy Slam. As Aggron is very heavy, Heavy Slam will more often than not be hitting at full power. Earthquake gives Aggron outstanding coverage alongside Head Smash. With it, Aggron can smite Steelix and opposing Aggron, both of which would otherwise be able to bring it down. Fire Punch is the recommended choice in the last slot to hit unsuspecting Ferroseed, but Aqua Tail can be used instead to hit Pokemon such as Rhydon harder than the other moves. Choice Band Aggron is primarily a wallbreaker and should be used as such; it can easily switch in on Pokemon such as Munchlax and Mandibuzz and either devastate them with Head Smash or hit the predicted switch-in with one of its other high-powered moves.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The listed EV spread lets Aggron outspeed uninvested Lanturn and OHKO it with Head Smash or Earthquake before it can hit back. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature fully unleashes Aggron's power; the leftover EVs are placed in HP to act as a buffer to weak and resisted hits. Iron Head is an alternative Steel-type STAB move that Aggron can use over Heavy Slam for its greater reliability and chance to flinch slower foes. However, it generally has lower power than Heavy Slam due to Aggron's weight. Low Kick can be used over Earthquake or Fire Punch to give Aggron a chance of 2HKOing Steelix, which can otherwise take any move on the set and annihilate Aggron with Earthquake.
Aggron can function very well on a Trick Room team, as it can take advantage of its low Speed and destroy the opponent with Head Smash. If you want to use Aggron in a Trick Room team, then you should change its nature to Brave, lower its Speed IV to 0, and place all its Speed EVs in HP to make as Aggron as "fast" as possible under Trick Room. Good partners for Aggron include those that can switch into its glaring weaknesses and fast sweepers that can take advantage of the walls that Aggron breaks. Uxie and Moltres can comfortably take Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, while Klinklang can plow through most teams after physical walls have been weakened or removed.
Aggron's powerful move, Head Smash, is known and feared. It can use that fear to set up a Substitute as the opponent switches out to a Pokemon resistant to Rock-type moves. Steelix and Ferroseed are common switch-ins that get blown away by the impending Focus Punch. Substitute also protects Aggron from status such as burn and sets up a shield against weak, resisted moves such as U-turn. Head Smash achieves incredible power despite the lack of a boosting item and is Aggron's strongest move. Focus Punch decimates common Aggron switch-ins such as Steelix and Ferroseed and has great neutral coverage alongside Head Smash. Magnet Rise is the main move in the last slot to thwart Sandslash's and Steelix's attempts to break Aggron's Substitute with Earthquake. With a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves, Aggron can render many Pokemon incapable of harming it as it sets up a Substitute in their faces. Toxic is an alternative to surprise walls such as Quagsire and Tangrowth and limit their walling capabilities.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
There are a few other options Aggron can use in the last moveslot depending on your team. Stealth Rock is an essential move for any team and can be used on Aggron if none of its teammates can learn it. Aggron will have no trouble setting up Stealth Rock as it can force numerous switches. 140 Speed EVs allow Aggron to outspeed uninvested Lanturn and Sandslash; it can hit the former with Head Smash or Toxic and set up Magnet Rise on the latter. Maximum Attack grants Aggron as much power as possible, while the remaining EVs go into HP. As Aggron will be losing a large amount of health to make Substitutes, Leftovers is the preferred item so that Aggron can restore its health.
SubPunch Aggron forces a lot of switches, so entry hazards are great to punish opponents as they switch. Spikes and Stealth Rock are also great for wearing down Aggron's counters into KO range. For example, Steelix is guaranteed to be 2HKOed by Focus Punch after it suffers two layers of Spikes damage. Qwilfish and Scolipede are great partners for Aggron, as both can set up Spikes while also taking Fighting-type attacks for it. Qwilfish can also soften up opponents with Intimidate. Uxie is also a great teammate as it can set Stealth Rock and take Fighting- and Ground-type attacks for Aggron, while Aggron takes the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks directed at Uxie.
Aggron's Speed is the only thing holding it back from a sweep, so Rock Polish is an amazing move for it. With Rock Polish, Aggron can outspeed most of the metagame and potentially sweep weakened or unprepared teams. This is aided by the fact that Aggron can easily force switches, giving it time to set up Rock Polish and go on a Speed-boosted rampage. Head Smash is Aggron's most powerful move and is what makes it so threatening; frailer Pokemon such as Rotom are easily OHKOed, while even bulky walls such as Tangrowth can be 2HKOed by it. Earthquake gives Aggron nearly unresisted coverage alongside Head Smash and has a respectable amount of power in its own right; in addition, it gives Aggron a move to hit opposing Aggron and Steelix, both of which would otherwise wall it. Heavy Slam is the best move in the last slot as it lets Aggron take down Rhydon and Sandslash, two Pokemon that can easily sponge Earthquake and retaliate with an Earthquake of their own, it also provides Aggron with a powerful and consistent secondary STAB attack to use when Aggron cant risk relying on Head Smash's shaky accuracy. Although Aggron still boasts incredible power when holding a Life Orb, it is best if physical walls are weakened or removed before Aggron attempts to sweep. Choice Scarf holders such as Rotom-C and Manectric can outspeed Aggron even after an Rock Polish, so they too should be taken care of before Aggron sweeps.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum Speed EVs let Aggron outspeed the majority of the metagame after an Rock Polish boost, while an Adamant nature and 252 Attack EVs let it hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature is also viable as it lets Aggron outspeed Accelgor, but the loss of power is significant. For example, Aggron has little chance to OHKO Lanturn and offensive Slowking with Head Smash if it chooses to run a Jolly nature.
Even though Aggron can outspeed most of its opponents after an Rock Polish, there are still some threats that can stop its sweep. For example, Choice Scarf Rotom-C can outspeed even +2 Aggron and KO it with a powerful Thunderbolt after some Life Orb recoil. Pokemon with Mach Punch, particularly Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, are also dangerous, as they can attack before Aggron and hit it for 4x super effective damage. Therefore, Uxie and Misdreavus are great partners for Aggron, as they can take both Fighting- and Ground-type attacks targeted at Aggron, and they also lure in Pokemon such as Spiritomb and Escavalier, both of which Aggron can set up on with ease bar Will-O-Wisp from the former.
Other Options
Although Aggron is normally seen as an offensive Pokemon, it can also run a decent support set thanks to its rather overlooked base 180 Defense. Like most Rock-types, Aggron has the almost mandatory Stealth Rock as well as niche moves such as Metal Burst and Taunt. Metal Burst is particularly effective when used in conjunction with Taunt, as the opponent will be forced to attack Aggron. Taunt can prevent Poliwrath from healing itself with Rest and Tangrowth from using status moves or Leech Seed. Hone Claws and Curse are two boosting moves that Aggron can use with decent results; Hone Claws boosts the accuracy of Head Smash, Iron Tail, and Aqua Tail while also boosting Aggron's great Attack stat. Unfortunately, it doesn't boost Aggron's Speed or Special Defense, which means Aggron can be easily revenge killed. Curse suffers from the same problem, and although it also increases Aggron's already excellent Defense, most Ground- and Fighting-type attacks will still OHKO. Dragon Tail is an interesting move for Aggron as the latter forces numerous switches and can rack up entry hazard damage; after its counters have been sufficiently weakened by entry hazards, Aggron can potentially sweep. Lastly, Aggron can try to rectify its poor Speed with a Choice Scarf. While this lets Aggron outspeed many Pokemon that it wouldn't normally, Aggron's Speed is just too low to make it as effective as other Choice Scarf users.
Checks and Counters
Quagsire, Poliwrath, and Torterra are some of Aggron's best counters as they can switch into almost all of Aggron's commonly used moves, fearing only Toxic, and Fire Punch in Torterra's case. They can all decimate Aggron with super effective STAB Earthquake or Circle Throw. Tangrowth is also a great check to Aggron as it only fears Choice Band-boosted Head Smash, which can 2HKO; otherwise, it can tank Aggron's hits and either put it to sleep or hit its weaker Special Defense with Giga Drain or Leaf Storm. Steelix and Ferroseed are commonly-seen switch-ins to Aggron, as they are among the few Pokemon in the tier that can shrug off Head Smash; however, they are both 2HKOed by Focus Punch after a layer of Spikes. Sandslash can also sponge Aggron's Head Smash and retaliate with Earthquake; it only has to fear Aqua Tail, and even then it can survive one. If you don't have one of the few Pokemon that can switch into Aggron, then you will have to resort to revenge killing it. Sets that run Choice Band are quite easy to revenge kill as they cannot boost their Speed. Rock Polish sets are harder to deal with but can still be outsped by fast Choice Scarf users. For instance, Choice Scarf Rotom-C and Manectric can both outspeed +2 Aggron and revenge kill it. Priority moves from the likes of Hitmonchan are also a great way to check Aggron; however, not even a Choice Band, Iron Fist-boosted Mach Punch can OHKO Aggron at full health, so it should only be used when Aggron has been weakened.
