Stallbreaker Aerodactyl
Aerodactyl @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure / Unnerve
EVs: 248 HP / 124 SpD / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Roost
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
Yeah, we're not even focusing on offense out here. Aerodactyl is a pretty strong cleaner, but most people will just save a bulky mon for Aero to hold it back long enough for the rest of the team to beat it or revenge kill it. However, this set attempts to turn the tables on those bulky Pokemon and prevent them from doing many things. Taunt + Roost allows Aerodactyl to beat plenty of defensive Pokemon in the tier, or at the very least, make them easier for its team to switch into. For example, catching an Amoonguss with Taunt so it can use Spore is an easy way to get your Fire-type in safely while an Alomomola that can't use Toxic is just asking for a CM user like Meloetta or Slowking to switch into it. Roost keeps Aerodactyl healthy for when it needs to come in for a revenge kill thanks to its great Speed tier. Rock Slide and Earthquake have the best overall 2-move coverage in Aerodactyl's arsenal. Rock Slide is used over Stone Edge for higher PP, better accuracy, and the handy flinch chance it can come with. The EVs let Aerodactyl outspeed everything up to and including Sneasal. HP is maximized while rounding SR damage down with the rest thrown in Special Defense due to Aerodactyl's typing being more conducive to handling such attacks. The first three moves are pretty much mandatory, but Aerodactyl has flexibility with the 4th move depending on the needs of its team. Aerial Ace / Wing Attack is notable so Aerodactyl can easily revenge kill Virizion. Tailwind has the possibility of setting up a teammate for a late-game sweep when used at the right time. Roar and Whirlwind are phazing options Aerodactyl has which can be very beneficial with Spikes support considering this set can force out defensive Pokemon rather reliably. Fire Blast and Ice Fang have niches for revenge killing Durant and Flygon, respectively. Generally, you'll want to stick to Earthquake as the final option due to it having the best overall coverage with Rock Slide, but Aerodactyl's Speed tier can allow for you to use a more niche offensive option if your team desires it. Keep that in mind. Pressure is the preferred ability to waste the PP of the likes of stray Fire Blasts Aerodactyl switches into and Stone Edges that opponents may be trying to use to bring it down. Unnerve has some niche use to keep berry users, like Endure Hitmonlee and SubSalac Delphox from gaining the upper hand, but Taunt should handle this issue well enough for the most part.
