Overview
########
- Good base defense
- Steel typing grants it tons of resistances
- Head Smash does a lot of damage
- Metal Burst can be useful
- Slow
- Weak to several common types
- No built-in recovery as a wall
- Low base special defense
SET NAME
########
name: Sturdy
move 1: Head Smash / Rock Slide
move 2: Heavy Slam / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Metal Burst / Stealth Rock
ability: Sturdy
item: Berry Juice
evs: 196 Atk / 196 Def / 36 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
nature: Brave
Moves
========
- Head Smash does a lot of damage, and Berry Juice helps deal with Recoil
- Rock Slide can be used if the recoil is deemed too detrimental
- Heavy Slam is a secondary STAB option, having more accuracy and hitting light Pokemon hard
- Iron Head is more consistent and can flinch extremely slow Pokemon
- Superpower hits Steel types
- A combination of Metal Burst and Sturdy allows Aron to deal heavy damage to Pokemon looking to otherwise OHKO
- Stealth Rock can be used instead to support the team
Set Details
========
- EVs maximize Aron's damage output
- Given defensive EVs emphasize Aron's stronger defense
- No HP EVs are used so Aron is able to restore itself to full health with Berry Juice
- 0 Speed IVs and a Brave nature make Aron as slow as possible so Metal Burst is more likely to go last
Usage Tips
========
- Aron will usually be able to take at least two hits without going down thanks to Sturdy allowing Berry Juice to heal Aron back to full health after being hit by an otherwise fatal blow and then withstand another attack
- Knock Off ruins this by removing Berry Juice, allowing the next hit to take out Aron
- Mold Breaker Pokemon ignore Sturdy, and as such, also beat this strategy
- If a move brings Aron down to Sturdy from full health, Metal Burst will usually OHKO the assailant
- Head Smash does a lot of damage
Team Options
========
- A Rapid Spinner or Defogger will allow Aron to keep Sturdy intact upon switching in, letting Aron switch out of unfavourable match-ups more readily; otherwise, Stealth Rock and Spikes will break Sturdy
- A Pokemon to beat Knock Off using Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Timburr, such as Trubbish, is beneficial
- A Pokemon to beat Drilbur, such as Slowpoke, is also useful
SET NAME
########
name: Rock Head
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Heavy Slam / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Stealth Rock / Rock Polish
ability: Rock Head
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Head Smash does a lot of damage to Pokemon that don't resist it, and is Aron's main STAB move
- Heavy Slam is a secondary STAB option, having more accuracy and hitting light Pokemon hard
- Iron Head is more consistent and can flinch extremely slow Pokemon
- Superpower beats Steel types such as Pawniard and Magnemite
- Stealth Rock allows Aron to support the team
- If Stealth Rock isn't necessary, Rock Polish allows Aron to hit 20 speed and possibly attempt a sweep with Head Smash
Set Details
========
- Attack EVs and nature maximize Aron's offensive potential
- Defensive EVs hit eviolite numbers
- Speed EVs allow Aron to outspeed Spritzee
- Berry Juice gives Aron the chance to recover HP
- Eviolite is useful with Wish support to allow Aron to easily tank certain attacks throughout the match
Usage Tips
========
- Walls Murkrow without HP Ground
- Walls Fletchling
- Head Smash does a lot of damage, so use it
Team Options
========
- Pokemon that force switching often can take advantage of Stealth Rock
- Something to eliminate fighting types like Mienfoo and Meditite, such as Spritzee or Slowpoke, is appreciated
- A Pokemon to beat Drilbur, such as Slowpoke, is also useful
- A Pokemon that can defeat water types like Chinchou and Staryu, such as Foongus, is helpful
- If Eviolite is used, Wish support extends Aron's lifespan dramatically
Other Options
########
- A dedicated Rock Polish sweeping set is generally outclassed by Sturdysmashers such as Tirtouga
- Automize is generally inferior to Rock Polish because it weakens Heavy Slam
- Double-Edge with Rock Head is usually less effective than Iron Head or coverage moves
- Earthquake allows Aron to 2HKO Honedge, but Honedge is able to OHKO in return with Sacred Sword and really isn't all that threatening compared to Pawniard, which Earthquake needs to OHKO but fails to do as opposed to Superpower
- A super effective Shadow Claw is outdamaged by a neutral Head Smash
- A Curse set is unlikely to work due to Aron's low Special Defense and double weaknesses
- Iron Tail's low accuracy means despite its greater damage, Iron Head is usually the better option
- Magnet Rise does not compensate for Aron's double fighting weakness or lack of recovery, meaning an attacking or supporting move is more useful
- Aron has too many weaknesses and too low of a base Special Defense to properly utilize a Resttalk set
- Heavy Metal to boost the power of Heavy Slam is generally inferior to Rock Head Head Smash due to the limited coverage Steel offers
- Level 1 Endeavor is horribly ineffective in LC because a full health Endeavor will usually only bring an opposing Pokemon to around half health, and regardless of how much damage Endeavor deals, Shell Bell won't restore nearly enough to bring Aron back to Sturdy range
Checks & Counters
########
**Mold Breaker**:
-Drilbur and Pancham can bypass Sturdy and pummel Aron with STAB Ground- or Fighting-type attacks while resisting Head Smash, but must be wary of Heavy Slam
-Axew and Cranidos are unable to take more than one Head Smash, but are also able to ignore Sturdy and KO with a 4x super-effective coverage move
**Fighting-types**:
-Aron without Sturdy is instantly decimated by STAB Fighting-type attacks, but spamming Fighting-type moves against a full health Aron is not recommended unless Rock Head has been confirmed due to Aron's access to Metal Burst, and lighter fighting types will not enjoy switching into Heavy Slam repeatedly
-Sturdyjuice variants lose to Fighting-types with Knock Off because Sturdy is broken and Berry Juice is removed in one move
-Mienfoo, Croagunk, and Timburr are the best Fighting-type switch-ins to Aron because they are able to avoid the 2HKO from Heavy Slam most of the time
**Dedicated physical walls**:
-Slowpoke is usually able to avoid the 2HKO from Head Smash, allowing it to paralyze Aron before spamming Slack Off until a miss or full paralysis, then breaking Sturdy with Psychic if necessary and beating Aron with Scald
-Phanpy is able to avoid the 2HKO from all of Aron's moves and beat it with Ice Shard + Earthquake
-Lickitung with at least 16 Attack is able to avoid the 2HKO from Head Smash the majority of the time, allowing it to PP stall Head Smash out with Wish and Protect and slowly whittle Aron down with an attacking move
**Burn**:
-A Burn status severely decreases Aron's offensive potential while breaking Sturdy
**Fighting-, Ground- or moderately powerful Water-type coverage moves**:
-If Sturdy is not intact, Aron is susceptible to common coverage moves taking advantage of its weaknesses
I'm not sure whether to relegate EQ to OO because it hits Honedge and Croagunk
########
- Good base defense
- Steel typing grants it tons of resistances
- Head Smash does a lot of damage
- Metal Burst can be useful
- Slow
- Weak to several common types
- No built-in recovery as a wall
- Low base special defense
SET NAME
########
name: Sturdy
move 1: Head Smash / Rock Slide
move 2: Heavy Slam / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Metal Burst / Stealth Rock
ability: Sturdy
item: Berry Juice
evs: 196 Atk / 196 Def / 36 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
nature: Brave
Moves
========
- Head Smash does a lot of damage, and Berry Juice helps deal with Recoil
- Rock Slide can be used if the recoil is deemed too detrimental
- Heavy Slam is a secondary STAB option, having more accuracy and hitting light Pokemon hard
- Iron Head is more consistent and can flinch extremely slow Pokemon
- Superpower hits Steel types
- A combination of Metal Burst and Sturdy allows Aron to deal heavy damage to Pokemon looking to otherwise OHKO
- Stealth Rock can be used instead to support the team
Set Details
========
- EVs maximize Aron's damage output
- Given defensive EVs emphasize Aron's stronger defense
- No HP EVs are used so Aron is able to restore itself to full health with Berry Juice
- 0 Speed IVs and a Brave nature make Aron as slow as possible so Metal Burst is more likely to go last
Usage Tips
========
- Aron will usually be able to take at least two hits without going down thanks to Sturdy allowing Berry Juice to heal Aron back to full health after being hit by an otherwise fatal blow and then withstand another attack
- Knock Off ruins this by removing Berry Juice, allowing the next hit to take out Aron
- Mold Breaker Pokemon ignore Sturdy, and as such, also beat this strategy
- If a move brings Aron down to Sturdy from full health, Metal Burst will usually OHKO the assailant
- Head Smash does a lot of damage
Team Options
========
- A Rapid Spinner or Defogger will allow Aron to keep Sturdy intact upon switching in, letting Aron switch out of unfavourable match-ups more readily; otherwise, Stealth Rock and Spikes will break Sturdy
- A Pokemon to beat Knock Off using Fighting-types like Mienfoo and Timburr, such as Trubbish, is beneficial
- A Pokemon to beat Drilbur, such as Slowpoke, is also useful
SET NAME
########
name: Rock Head
move 1: Head Smash
move 2: Heavy Slam / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Stealth Rock / Rock Polish
ability: Rock Head
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Head Smash does a lot of damage to Pokemon that don't resist it, and is Aron's main STAB move
- Heavy Slam is a secondary STAB option, having more accuracy and hitting light Pokemon hard
- Iron Head is more consistent and can flinch extremely slow Pokemon
- Superpower beats Steel types such as Pawniard and Magnemite
- Stealth Rock allows Aron to support the team
- If Stealth Rock isn't necessary, Rock Polish allows Aron to hit 20 speed and possibly attempt a sweep with Head Smash
Set Details
========
- Attack EVs and nature maximize Aron's offensive potential
- Defensive EVs hit eviolite numbers
- Speed EVs allow Aron to outspeed Spritzee
- Berry Juice gives Aron the chance to recover HP
- Eviolite is useful with Wish support to allow Aron to easily tank certain attacks throughout the match
Usage Tips
========
- Walls Murkrow without HP Ground
- Walls Fletchling
- Head Smash does a lot of damage, so use it
Team Options
========
- Pokemon that force switching often can take advantage of Stealth Rock
- Something to eliminate fighting types like Mienfoo and Meditite, such as Spritzee or Slowpoke, is appreciated
- A Pokemon to beat Drilbur, such as Slowpoke, is also useful
- A Pokemon that can defeat water types like Chinchou and Staryu, such as Foongus, is helpful
- If Eviolite is used, Wish support extends Aron's lifespan dramatically
Other Options
########
- A dedicated Rock Polish sweeping set is generally outclassed by Sturdysmashers such as Tirtouga
- Automize is generally inferior to Rock Polish because it weakens Heavy Slam
- Double-Edge with Rock Head is usually less effective than Iron Head or coverage moves
- Earthquake allows Aron to 2HKO Honedge, but Honedge is able to OHKO in return with Sacred Sword and really isn't all that threatening compared to Pawniard, which Earthquake needs to OHKO but fails to do as opposed to Superpower
- A super effective Shadow Claw is outdamaged by a neutral Head Smash
- A Curse set is unlikely to work due to Aron's low Special Defense and double weaknesses
- Iron Tail's low accuracy means despite its greater damage, Iron Head is usually the better option
- Magnet Rise does not compensate for Aron's double fighting weakness or lack of recovery, meaning an attacking or supporting move is more useful
- Aron has too many weaknesses and too low of a base Special Defense to properly utilize a Resttalk set
- Heavy Metal to boost the power of Heavy Slam is generally inferior to Rock Head Head Smash due to the limited coverage Steel offers
- Level 1 Endeavor is horribly ineffective in LC because a full health Endeavor will usually only bring an opposing Pokemon to around half health, and regardless of how much damage Endeavor deals, Shell Bell won't restore nearly enough to bring Aron back to Sturdy range
Checks & Counters
########
**Mold Breaker**:
-Drilbur and Pancham can bypass Sturdy and pummel Aron with STAB Ground- or Fighting-type attacks while resisting Head Smash, but must be wary of Heavy Slam
-Axew and Cranidos are unable to take more than one Head Smash, but are also able to ignore Sturdy and KO with a 4x super-effective coverage move
**Fighting-types**:
-Aron without Sturdy is instantly decimated by STAB Fighting-type attacks, but spamming Fighting-type moves against a full health Aron is not recommended unless Rock Head has been confirmed due to Aron's access to Metal Burst, and lighter fighting types will not enjoy switching into Heavy Slam repeatedly
-Sturdyjuice variants lose to Fighting-types with Knock Off because Sturdy is broken and Berry Juice is removed in one move
-Mienfoo, Croagunk, and Timburr are the best Fighting-type switch-ins to Aron because they are able to avoid the 2HKO from Heavy Slam most of the time
**Dedicated physical walls**:
-Slowpoke is usually able to avoid the 2HKO from Head Smash, allowing it to paralyze Aron before spamming Slack Off until a miss or full paralysis, then breaking Sturdy with Psychic if necessary and beating Aron with Scald
-Phanpy is able to avoid the 2HKO from all of Aron's moves and beat it with Ice Shard + Earthquake
-Lickitung with at least 16 Attack is able to avoid the 2HKO from Head Smash the majority of the time, allowing it to PP stall Head Smash out with Wish and Protect and slowly whittle Aron down with an attacking move
**Burn**:
-A Burn status severely decreases Aron's offensive potential while breaking Sturdy
**Fighting-, Ground- or moderately powerful Water-type coverage moves**:
-If Sturdy is not intact, Aron is susceptible to common coverage moves taking advantage of its weaknesses
I'm not sure whether to relegate EQ to OO because it hits Honedge and Croagunk
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