literally the edgiest thing ever
qc: Trinitrotoluene / AM
[OVERVIEW]
- Blisteringly fast, outspeeding common speed demons such as Alakazam, Weavile, and Mega Manectric, and as a result functions as an amazing revenge killer and late-game cleaner, especially with a decently powerful STAB-boosted Stone Edge.
- Due to its Speed, decent bulk, and a nice Flying / Rock typing, Mega Aerodactyl is capable of checking and revenge killing a variety of threats, such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Sceptile, Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard X, Hoopa-U, Keldeo, Alakazam, and Volcarona.
- Quite a wide movepool with decent coverage and utility options, such as Aqua Tail, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Taunt, Roost, Earthquake, and Pursuit.
- Tough Claws further boosts Aerial Ace, as well as Fire Fang, Aqua Tail, and Ice Fang, if Mega Aerodactyl chooses to run these.
- Mega Aerodactyl's strongest STAB move, Stone Edge, is not bolstered by Tough Claws, thus making Mega Aerodactyl not strong enough to power past the likes of Clefable, Slowbro, and Rotom-W.
- Weakness to Stealth Rock limits the switch-in opportunities Mega Aerodactyl gets, and a weakness to common priority moves such as Aqua Jet, Bullet Punch, and Ice Shard is not helping either.
- Struggles against more defensive- or balance-oriented playstyles having a solid counterplay for Mega Aerodactyl such as Skarmory + Garchomp or Slowbro + Clefable.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Aerial Ace
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: Fire Fang / Taunt
item: Aerodactylite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest STAB move, and allows it to beat Flying-types such as Talonflame, Tornadus-T, and Mega Pinsir easily, while also hitting a variety of Pokemon for neutral damage, such as Hoopa-U, Mega Altaria, and Manaphy, thus allowing Mega Aerodactyl to function as a revenge killer against the above.
- Aerial Ace is a secondary STAB move, which is boosted by Tough Claws, and hits a lot of Pokemon for super effective damage, such as Keldeo, Serperior, and Mega Venusaur.
- Aqua Tail covers bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, as well as other miscellaneous Pokemon such as Heatran, Mega Diancie, and Terrakion.
- Fire Fang roasts Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Magnezone, and Scizor, as well as dealing decent damage to Mega Metagross, Jirachi, and Skarmory.
- Taunt is option to prevent defensive Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Heatran from setting up entry hazards and, more importantly, healing, which turns passive checks such as Chansey, Unaware Clefable, and Alomomola into complete bait. It also cripples stallbreakers such as Gliscor and Mew as it stops Taunt and the use of setup moves.
- Ice Fang is an option to hit Gliscor, Landorus-T, and more importantly, Garchomp, harder than Aqua Tail does.
- Earthquake hits Mega Metagross, Bisharp, Magnezone, and Jirachi harder than Fire Fang, while also 2HKOing Mega Manectric and Empoleon. It also hits Rock-types such as Tyranitar, Mega Diancie, and Terrakion.
Set Details
========
- 252 EVs in Attack in tandem with a Jolly nature preserve Mega Aerodactyl's amazing Speed tier, allowing it to outpace and KO the likes of Mega Lopunny, Talonflame, and Weavile.
- Unnerve is chosen as the pre-Mega ability to stop the use of various berries, such as Custap Berry lead Skarmory and Forretress and Sitrus Berry Hawlucha.
- However Pressure has use for lead situations for scouting items, for example against a Landorus-T, you can find out whether the Landorus-T is equipped with Choice Scarf or Leftovers as Pressure has identical priority with Intimidate.
Usage Tips
========
- Should be used as a revenge killer and late-game sweeper. You can bring it in early to wear down its more passive checks such as Rotom-W and Hippowdon with the correct moves and prediction. Mega Aerodactyl can also use Taunt against a lot of these passive checks such as Clefable, Rotom-W, and Hippowdon, so it can function as a situational stallbreaker if you choose to forgo Fire Fang for Taunt.
- Only attempt a sweep against teams during the late-game when everything is in KO range of Mega Aerodactyl. Don't overestimate Mega Aerodactyl's power as it isn't particularly powerful, especially considering Stone Edge is not boosted by Tough Claws.
- Mega Aerodactyl can also revenge kill the likes of Keldeo, Mega Lopunny, and Serperior, after a teammate has fainted, via Volt Switch or U-turn support, or on a double switch.
- Mega Aerodactyl also has the ability to switch into certain Fire- and Flying-types such as Talonflame, Tornadus-T, and Volcarona, albeit only twice at maximum as this set lacks Roost.
Team Options
========
- Magnezone is a good teammate as it traps and eliminates Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, Jirachi, and Bisharp troubling Mega Aerodactyl, as well as bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W, Suicune, and Slowbro, thus clearing a spot for Taunt in Mega Aerodactyl's moveset.
- Defoggers and spinners such as Latios, Latias, Excadrill, and Starmie patch up Mega Aerodactyl's middling weakness to Stealth Rock. Latios also decimates bulky Water- and Ground-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Garchomp for Mega Aerodactyl.
- Grass-types in general are great because they handle bulky Water- and Ground-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Gliscor. Serperior is a great example, as with Contrary, it can decimate bulkier teams which Mega Aerodactyl struggle against, not to mention beating the likes of Rotom-W, Hippowdon, Mega Swampert, and Garchomp with ease, and weakening Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory with Hidden Power Fire. In return, Mega Aerodactyl checks Fire- and Flying-types such as Volcarona, Talonflame, and Tornadus-T, as well as faster offensive teams consisting of the likes of Alakazam and Weavile that are capable of beating Serperior.
- Pokemon that appreciate having Fire- and Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, Talonflame, and Volcarona gone are good teammates. Fighting-types such as Breloom, Conkeldurr, and Toxicroak are therefore good partners.
- Entry hazard setters, such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Dragalge, greatly aid Mega Aerodactyl as the entry hazards set wear down the foes, meaning Mega Aerodactyl can clean up easier late-game. Dragalge also provides wallbreaking support on top of setting Toxic Spikes and deals with Water-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Azumarill, as well as Clefable.
- Wallbreakers in general such as Choice Band Azumarill, Kyurem-B, Choice Specs Keldeo, and Tail Glow Manaphy are good partners capable of breaking past bulky walls such as Slowbro, Clefable, and Hippowdon. Running Hidden Power Fire on Manaphy or Kyurem-B is a decent lure for Ferrothorn, freeing up the slot of Fire Fang for Taunt.
[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Aerial Ace / Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Tail / Fire Fang
move 4: Roost
item: Aerodactylite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Jolly
evs: 168 HP / 124 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Pursuit allows Mega Aerodactyl to trap a variety of Pokemon that normally want to switch out of Mega Aerodactyl, such as Starmie, Latios, Tornadus-T, Talonflame, and Gengar.
- Aerial Ace and Aqua Tail have good coverage together and threaten a significant part of the metagame.
- Stone Edge and Fire Fang can be used if Talonflame is particularly threatening to your team, and hits bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Suicune harder than Aerial Ace. Lacking Stone Edge will mean Tornadus-T won't switch out of Mega Aerodactyl, meaning Mega Aerodactyl can't Pursuit trap it. Another draw of using the combination of Stone Edge and Fire Fang is that Mega Aerodactyl hits Ferrothorn and Scizor, which can switch-in and can set up entry hazards in the former's instance. However, Aerial Ace and Aqua tail generally is more threatening towards offensive teams, thus making it usually the better option.
- Roost is used because Mega Aerodactyl gets lots of oppurtunities to heal, especially considering its typing and bulk.
Set Details
========
- 216 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature is used to outpace everything up to Mega Beedrill and Mega Sceptile. 252 Speed EVs can be used to tie with Mega Alakazam and opposing Mega Aerodactyl, but usually Mega Alakazam will switch because it knows it won't KO Mega Aerodactyl with Psychic, as Psychic only does around 60%, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to trap it with Pursuit.
- 128 Attack EVs allows Mega Aerodactyl to OHKO Serperior with Aerial Ace after Stealth Rock. The leftover investment is placed into hp to give Mega Aerodactyl good bulk in tandem with its typing.
- A more offensive spread of 128 HP / 244 Atk / 136 Speed and a Jolly nature is viable as well. 136 Speed EVs reaches a jump point in Speed while simultaneously outpacing Mega Lopunny and Mega Manectric. The EVs for HP and Attack can be inverted in this instance to get a bulkier spread.
- Mega Aerodactyl is a very good Pursuit trapper, on top of being a revenge killer, due to its great Speed in combination with its typing. Offensive Pokemon such as Gengar, Starmie, Latios, Latias, Victini, Celebi, and Alakazam will think it is safe to switch, thinking Mega Aerodactyl is played as a revenge killer, but then find themselves removed by Pursuit.
- Mega Aerodactyl also has a huge niche in being able to switch-in and Pursuit trap various other Pokemon that will want to switch out of Mega Aerodactyl normally. This includes Tornadus-T when its health has been reduced to upward 40%, offensive Talonflame when at around half health, Volcarona, which takes upward 54% from Pursuit, Mega Charizard Y, which takes upward 46% from Pursuit, and Thundurus lacking Thunder Wave, which takes upward 53% from Pursuit.
Usage Tips
========
- Use Mega Aerodactyl has a Pursuit trapper.
- Mega Aerodactyl has good bulk on top of its decent typing, so it can switch in on things such as Alakazam, Heatran, Tornadus-T, and Mega Charizard Y, and choose whether to heal with Roost or trap the foe with Pursuit via a forced switch.
- You can also use Mega Aerodactyl to revenge kill foes such as Keldeo, Serperior, and Mega Lopunny. Mega Aerodactyl can use these oppurtunities to use Roost as well.
- Mega Aerodactyl still poses a threat to offensive teams, but not nearly as much due to the loss of coverage and Stone Edge, if forgoing it Aerial Ace and Aqua Tail.
Team Options
========
- Lures to Steel-types such as Watmel Berry Azumarill and Hidden Power Manaphy are greatly appreciated.
- Magnezone can be used to trap its checks and counters, such as Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skamory. Together they form a dual-trapping core with Mega Aerodactyl utilizing Pursuit.
- Entry hazard removal is needed as it keeps Mega Aerodactyl effective and lets it switch-in to Pokemon more easily. Latios and Latias are cool especially considering they can switch into bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W. Starmie is also a good spinner, especially given its ability to lure in the likes of Rotom-W and Slowbro and KO them with Psychic and Thunderbolt, respectively. It also beats Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp.
- Rotom-W is a great teammate considering it can switch into Water-types and Garchomp while gaining momentum via Volt Switch.
- Celebi can gain momentum with Baton Pass, counter Rotom-W, and pass Swords Dance boosts.
- Pokemon that appreciate Pursuit support from Mega Aero include Serperior, Keldeo, Kyurem-B, Manaphy, Alakazam, Volcarona, and Celebi, so that faster threats are weakened or KOed so they can wreak havoc. In turn, these Pokemon can power through bulky Pokemon such as Garchomp, Hippowdon, and Slowbro that Mega Aerodactyl struggle with.
- Speaking of bulky Grass-types in Celebi, Amoonguss shares great defensive synergy alongside Mega Aerodactyl, being able to threaten Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types, as well as put foes to sleep via Spore.
- Tyranitar and Hippowdon both set up sand to boost Mega Aerodactyl Special Defense, making it both a defensive and offensive threat, but be careful of compounding weaknesses. Defensive Tyranitar should be used alongside Mega Aerodactyl, as Choice Band or Choice Scarf sets overlap roles with Mega Aerodactyl in Pursuit trapping. Defensive variants also have Ice Beam to KO Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T, and set up Stealth Rock.
- Heatran takes on Latios and Latias, and can lure in bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Azumarill and KO them with Power Herb Solar Beam.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Hone Claws
- Tailwind
- Non-Mega lead utilizing Focus Sash, Stealth Rock, and Double-Edge to commit suicide so that the foe cannot Rapid Spin or Defog away the Stealth Rock.
- Iron Head
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, Mega Swampert, Quagsire, Seismitoad, Alomomola, Suicune, and Azumarill take Aerial Ace and Stone Edge with ease and can retaliate with Scald, or in Azumarill's case, revenge kill with Aqua Jet. Slowbro is a particularly good hard counter due to its immense physical bulk, reliable recovery in Slack Off, and ability to set up all over Mega Aerodactyl with Calm Mind.
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Garchomp, and Landorus-T are good answers to Mega Aerodactyl, especially the latter two, with Garchomp being neutral to Aqua Tail and Landorus-T having Intimidate. Physically defensive variants of Hippowdon are capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Aqua Tail as well. Defensive Garchomp is a good counter as Rocky Helmet chips away at Mega Aerodactyl, meaning even if it packs Ice Fang, Mega Aerodactyl's health will have been depleted somewhat anyway. In turn, these Ground-types can cripple Mega Aerodactyl with Toxic, phaze it out with Dragon Tail, in Garchomp's case, or KO with Stone Edge.
**Priority Users**: Users of Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Ice Shard can easily pick off weakened Mega Aerodactyl. These include Scizor, Azumarill, and Mamoswine. Prankster Thundurus, Sableye, and Klefki can also cripple Mega Aerodactyl with Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. However, none of these Pokemon can directly switch in for fear of Fire Fang, Stone Edge, and Aqua Tail.
**Steel-types**: Sturdy Steel-types such as Mega Metagross, Klefki, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, Empoleon, and Skarmory can switch into Mega Aerodactyl and KO back with their respective Steel-type STAB moves, or in Klefki's and Empoleon's case, Thunder Wave and Scald. Mega Aerodactyl with Fire Fang fails to 2HKO Empoleon, Mega Metagross, and physically defensive Skarmory, while Earthquake variants fail to 2HKO Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn and affect Skarmory. It also loses to Magnet Rise Klefki.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp, Keldeo, Landorus-T, and Latios all outspeed and KO Mega Aerodactyl with their respective coverage moves.
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