*Insert quote related to Aerodactyl here*
[Overview]
<p>Aerodactyl is extremely fast, outspeeding every Pokemon commonly seen in UU except Crobat, with which it Speed ties. This is the main draw of Aerodactyl, outspeeding threats, such as Tornadus, +1 Scrafty, and non-Ice Shard Weavile, among others, and inflicting damage before they can move. Aerodactyl can either set up Stealth Rock almost guaranteed or hit its opponents hard depending on the set. However, the UU metagame is cruel to Aerodactyl, being filled with bulky Water-types and priority moves, both of which Aerodactyl struggles with, and its mediocre bulk makes it unable to take many hits. Despite these crippling flaws, Aerodactyl is still a very useful Pokemon to have in UU.</p>
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Taunt / Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>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, Modest Choice Scarf Chandelure, 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Rock Head
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. It has the bonus of OHKOing Pokemon who are weak to it, such as Raikou. 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.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>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, anyway. 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.</p>
<p>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 Chandelure, can destroy Steel-types with their STAB, which allows Stone Edge to be used more freely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aerodactyl has a decent movepool, but many of its other moves are not worth using due to its inferior defenses. One offensive move to consider is Fire Fang to hit Escavalier and Bronzong hard, though it is too weak to put much of a dent in anything else. Another is Rock Slide for better accuracy than Stone Edge, but it is significantly weaker and Aerodactyl needs all the power it can get. Hone Claws is the only way Aerodactyl can boost its Attack and fixes Stone Edge's unreliable accuracy, but a +1 boost isn't enough for Aerodactyl to sweep, especially considering it is hard for Aerodactyl to get a free turn because of its frailty. Aerodactyl can cripple walls, such as Swampert, with Toxic, but a large amount of prediction is needed for Aerodactyl to not end up fainting in the process, and most Pokemon that wall Aerodactyl are Steel-types that are immune to Toxic. Tailwind can be used, but Aerodactyl is so fast that it really doesn't need a boost and is too frail to set up repeatedly for its team. Finally, there is the combination of a Power Herb and Sky Attack, which unleashes the only decently powerful Flying-type move in Aerodactyl's moveset, being over twice as powerful as Aerial Ace. However, this is generally too gimmicky to make use of.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As far as preventing Stealth Rock, there is really no point in trying because Aerodactyl is so fast unless you have Sableye, as its Prankster is beyond this. Bronzong is hands-down the best counter, resisting almost everything Aerodactyl can throw at it and is able to OHKO with Gyro Ball. Swampert is similar because it can also OHKO Aerodactyl and resists Stone Edge, but other attacks, when boosted by a Choice Band, do hurt quite a bit. Other bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Slowbro, are annoyed by Taunt, but Scald does a ton of damage to Aerodactyl, and if it burns Aerodactyl it is pretty much down for the count. Azumarill has the bulk to take a hit and can OHKO Aerodactyl with Aqua Jet before it can retaliate. Cofagrigus has excellent physical bulk and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp or use Trick Room to turn Aerodactyl's Speed into a liability. Registeel can take an Earthquake pretty well, paralyze it, and hit it hard with Iron Head. Finally, many Pokemon that wield a Choice Scarf are capable of revenge killing it. These Pokemon include Heracross and Victini, both of which can OHKO Aerodactyl with their respective STAB moves.</p>