Aerodactyl [QC 0/3]

[EonX]

A little iffy on the Roost + 3 Attacks set, but otherwise, this should be ready for QC checks.

 

[Sam]

Taunt should be somewhere in the main sets, not in OO. Probably slashed with defog on the first set

 

[watashi]

i think taunt should be slashed before defog. it's one of aero's biggest selling points as it allows it to harass defensive teams and beat things like mew and most hippowdon 1v1 which is rare for a rock type.

also the spread on the first set does not beat base 130s after mega evolving as advertised. it hits 370 spe which is a horrible number. 176 is better as it lets you beat noivern after mega evolving and meinshao before

 

[panamaxis]

I don't think Aerial Ace should get its own slot in roost + 3 attacks. I actually think it's Aero's most replaceable move. Stone Edge and Roost are obviously stand alone moves that don't need slashes. I personally use Stone Edge Crunch Aqua Tail roost a lot.

Aerial Ace hits:
Shaymin (Stone Edge does do a lot though)
Celebi (hates crunch)
Roserade (SE is probably close to an OHKO though, if not OHKOing)
Mienshao (Aqua tail does 80-90ish though)
Heracross (Stone edge does a lot)
Chesnaught
Scrafty (I'd imagine Aqua tail does pretty decent damage)
Machamp (I'd imagine Aqua tail does pretty decent damage)
Toxicroak (can also be EQed)
Amoonguss (bolded because it's harder to wear down than shaymin due to regen)

Of this list, Chesnaught is the only thing you're never going to break through. For the others, repeated Aqua tails or Stone Edges or EQs will do the job.

Crunch hits:
Slowbro
Mew
Metagross (can also be EQed)
Jirachi (can also be EQed)
Celebi (can also be Aerial Aced)
Mismagius (Stone edge does a lot)
Azelf (hates Stone Edge)
Starmie (hates Stone Edge)
Trevenant
Bronzong

Earthquake hits:
Mega Aggron (although it still kind of tanks it)
Metagross (can also be crunched)
Jirachi (can also be crunched)
Ampharos (doesn't like repeated Stone Edges)
Mega Manectric (too slow to outpace it anyway + Stone Edge 2HKOs easily)
Empoleon
Nidoking/queen (can also be aqua tailed)
Tentacruel (hates Stone Edge)

Aqua Tail hits:
Hippowdon
Gligar
Donphan
Krookodile

I may have missed some things. The things in bold are the things that you really need the move for - the things that without the move you're going to have a tough time breaking.

I think Stone Edge + Aqua Tail + Crunch gives you the best coverage. So this is how I would set it out:

Stone Edge
Aqua Tail / Aerial Ace
Crunch / Earthquake
Roost

I slashed Crunch with Earthquake because it hits similar targets (Jirachi / Bronzong / Metagross). In set comments you could note how Aerial Ace / Aqua Tail / Stone Edge / Roost is also fine. I didn't slash aerial ace in both the 2nd and 3rd slots because it looked messy to my eyes.

Basically, I don't think Aerial Ace is enough of a no brainer to warrant a moveslot of its own. Happy to hear opinions from other ppl about this though.

- Best way to utilize Mega-Aerodactyl

I don't like this statement. Defog and 3 attacks roost do different things. I don't think either is best.

 

[panamaxis]

Ok so offensive support. I'm only going to list hazard setters in the follwing lists

Stone Edge + Aerial Ace misses out on:

Jirachi
Bronzong
Mega Aggron (but even if you have EQ, it still kinda tanks)
Metagross
Hippowdon
Empoleon
Donphan (maybe repeated aerial aces is ok...)

Stone Edge + Aqua Tail misses out on:

Chesnaught
Mega Aggron (but even if you have EQ, it still kinda tanks)
Empoleon

Stone Edge + Crunch Misses out on:
Donphan (maybe repeated crunches is ok..)
Hippowdon
Mega Aggron

Also should be noted that although AAless mega aero is still going to beat roserade, it can't OHKO defensive rade with SE (I think) whereas AA would obv OHKO.

I think Stone Edge + Aqua Tail gives you the best 2 move coverage for dealing with hazard users. For the first set I would consider:

Defog
Roost
Stone Edge
Aqua Tail / Aerial Ace

and mentioned that Aerial Ace is really needed if have chesnaught issues, but otherwise, Aqua Tail hits more SRers, allowing areo to defog more easily.

 

[Royalty]

Offensive support really should be running jolly with 136 not adamant, I'll post more later.

 

[Calloflochie]

I feel as though Hone Claws should get more of a mention than just in oo, it's pretty much the only M-Aero I use and I feel that it works great. While Aero's bulk does improve somewhat upon Mega Evolving I feel that an Offensive spread has far less opportunities to Roost (and is better off just attacking) than that of the more Bulky spread (Max hp, some Atk and some Speed), however I find there to be plenty of times in which a Hone Claws boost can aid in what an Offensive Mega Aero spread should be doing (which is attacking) but idk. Also, I second 136 Jolly being the spread to use since it allows the outspeeding of base 115s before Mega Evolving and being able to outspeed everything up to Mega-Manectric after Mega-Evolving.

I also agree with Pana, with the removal of Magnezone from the tier, I see no reason to be running Earthquake anymore which frees up the option of Aqua Tail and Aerial Ace and as you can see by the amount of effort Panamaxis has put in, Stone Edge + Aqua Tail + Crunch hits the largest portion of the Metagame.

That is just my thoughts, i have used Mega-Aerodactyl very, very extensively so i'll be happy to expand on any points needed and add to this analysis where needed EonX- :]

 

[EonX]

Clearly I rushed this last night. Should kinda be a little upset with myself. Anyway, thanks for all the input guys (especially panamaxis, holy fuck) So, here's a breakdown of what I implemented and how:

[Offensive Support]

- Changed nature to Jolly and made description changes to reflect this
- Changed moveset to reflect that suggested by pana

[Hone Claws]
- Changed the set name to reflect Roost not being a slash anymore
- Again, made the moveset the one pana suggested
- Made mentions of Roost and EQ in Set Details. Wasn't sure if they should go in Moves or Set Details, so if I need to move this, just let me know. Still getting used to this new format for analysis.

[Other Options]

- Removed Hone Claws for obvious reasons

Hopefully that covers everything! Thanks again you guys. ~

 

[Inspirited]

I Know this is more of a VGC thing, but how about Tailwind for Other Options since it is fast enough to set it up as a last ditch effort before fainting. It's team mates then have 3 turns of doubled speed to play with and this can mean the end of the game depending on what takes advantage of Tailwind, especially since Aero is on offensive teams 9/10 times.

Edit:

aero cares about coverage wayyy more than it does setting up tailwind

sure, but that is why it would be in other options. A lot of pokemon that are strapped for move slots (like Aero) have moves like this in OO, even though they typically don't have room for them. Tailwind is a great support move and Aero is probably one of the best potential setters of it in UU. Once again, it should only be in OO.

 

[Sam]

I Know this is more of a VGC thing, but how about Tailwind for Other Options since it is fast enough to set it up as a last ditch effort before fainting. It's team mates then have 3 turns of doubled speed to play with and this can mean the end of the game depending on what takes advantage of Tailwind, especially since Aero is on offensive teams 9/10 times.

aero cares about coverage wayyy more than it does setting up tailwind

 

[Kushalos]

I think the HC set should have the same spread as the offensive support one, because outspeeding stuff like mega-houndoom and azelf before mega evolving and mega mane after mega evolving is too good to pass up. The added bulk also helps to live some hits from a few scarfers trying to revenge kill you. If anyone on QC disagrees though because it will be missing out on KOs or whatever if it's not running Adamant, show me the calcs to convince me. And my last point: WHERE IS TAUNT???

 

[CoolStoryBrobat]

Since Mega Manectric's gone...Max Speed Adamant 252 is the most practical spread overall nowadays, right? Doesn't seem Jolly's got much of its merits unless you A) still want a bit of bulk on Aerodactyl, or B) need to outspeed base 115s pre-Mega Evolution

 

[kokoloko]

i think my set needs to be on here

Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 124 Def / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Taunt
- Roost
- Stealth Rock

its very good at keeping rocks up versus defoggers because its faster than all but opposing mega aero that invest more speed (which means u should probably talk about how creeping is a good idea). its a pretty good set to use on spikes-stacking offense as a fire resist and a very solid krook / varous other mons check.

this thing is really fucking bulky btw, taking only half from krook's stone edge to give you an idea.