[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Mega Aerodactyl is an incredibly fast and powerful Pokemon that has powerful coverage options in moves such as Earthquake and Aqua Tail, and makes up for its relatively weak coverage options with its ability Tough Claws. Its usable bulk coupled with its Speed stat that rarely requires too much investment to outspeed its foes, allowing it to invest deeply in its bulk, can also make it a setup sweeper thanks to Hone Claws. With all of this in mind, its weakness to Stealth Rock and weakness to being revenge killed by Choice Scarf users and priority users means it needs a lot of support.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: Outspeeding most unboosted Pokemon and having coverage to hit whatever it needs to, Mega Aerodactyl is a fantastic revenge killer, additionally being able to trap Pokemon with Pursuit.
**Cleaner**: Reaching a near unreachable speed, Mega Aerodactyl can take advantage of damage racked up over the course of the game to pick everything else off without having to worry about getting KOed itself.
**Setup Sweeper**: Hone Claws is doubly useful for Mega Aerodactyl, as it often relies on inaccurate moves such as Stone Edge, and it can use it to either sweep or better break past opposing physical walls.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Hone Claws, Rock Polish
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Pursuit, Reflect, Roar, Roost, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Toxic
**Coverage**: Aqua Tail, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Iron Head, Thunder Fang
Niche Moves
========
**Fire Blast**: Physically defensive foes such as Skarmory and Steelix will commonly hold a Rocky Helmet and invest in physical defense to punish the contact moves Mega Aerodactyl wants to use against them, however it can catch them off guard with Fire Blast.
**Tailwind**: If Mega Aerodactyl is primed to faint, it can use a fast Tailwind to boost its incoming teammates speed.
Draft Strategy
========
Mega Aerodactyl is a great cleaner, meaning it needs a well-rounded draft that has an balanced mix of wallbreakers and defensive pivots that can get it in safely. The hazard game is also especially important for it, having hazards up to soften the opposing team up and reliable removal to keep Stealth Rock off the field on its side.
**Wallbreakers**: Pokemon like Kyurem-B, Infernape, and Latios that can deal with walls on both the physical and special side are useful in forming an offensive core with Mega Aerodactyl.
**Defensive Pivots**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates being able to pivot into Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Uxie that can tank hits generally well.
**Hazard Control**: Pokemon like Mew, Empoleon, and Klefki that can provide both hazards and hazard control are especially useful for Mega Aerodactyl as they can fit a dual purpose depending on what is more important.
**Speed Control**: While Mega Aerodactyl is fantastic speed control itself, a common way to deal with it is to revenge kill it with a Choice Scarf user, so Pokemon like Clefable, Serperior, and Rotom-W that can threaten to paralyze them are useful.
Checks and Counters
========
**Chip Damage**: Mega Aerodactyl is typically tanky enough to take a non-super effective hit or two, however chip damage from the likes of Stealth Rock and Rocky Helmet can make it much more difficult to do so.
**Priority / Faster Choice Scarf Users**: Pokemon like Mega Scizor, Metagross, and Azumarill that threaten Mega Aerodactyl with their powerful priority options threaten to revenge kill it with ease. Similarly, Pokemon like Kartana, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B that threaten to outspeed it with a Choice Scarf make it difficult to stay on the field.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Pokemon like Skarmory, Celesteela, and Uxie that can shrug off Mega Aerodactyl's coverage options for them and force it out in varied ways make it much harder to function as a sweeper.
**Status**: Any status debilitates Mega Aerodactyl greatly, however burn and paralysis make it near useless.
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Mega Aerodactyl is an incredibly fast and powerful Pokemon that has powerful coverage options in moves such as Earthquake and Aqua Tail, and makes up for its relatively weak coverage options with its ability Tough Claws. Its usable bulk coupled with its Speed stat that rarely requires too much investment to outspeed its foes, allowing it to invest deeply in its bulk, can also make it a setup sweeper thanks to Hone Claws. With all of this in mind, its weakness to Stealth Rock and weakness to being revenge killed by Choice Scarf users and priority users means it needs a lot of support.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: Outspeeding most unboosted Pokemon and having coverage to hit whatever it needs to, Mega Aerodactyl is a fantastic revenge killer, additionally being able to trap Pokemon with Pursuit.
**Cleaner**: Reaching a near unreachable speed, Mega Aerodactyl can take advantage of damage racked up over the course of the game to pick everything else off without having to worry about getting KOed itself.
**Setup Sweeper**: Hone Claws is doubly useful for Mega Aerodactyl, as it often relies on inaccurate moves such as Stone Edge, and it can use it to either sweep or better break past opposing physical walls.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Hone Claws, Rock Polish
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Pursuit, Reflect, Roar, Roost, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Toxic
**Coverage**: Aqua Tail, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Iron Head, Thunder Fang
Niche Moves
========
**Fire Blast**: Physically defensive foes such as Skarmory and Steelix will commonly hold a Rocky Helmet and invest in physical defense to punish the contact moves Mega Aerodactyl wants to use against them, however it can catch them off guard with Fire Blast.
**Tailwind**: If Mega Aerodactyl is primed to faint, it can use a fast Tailwind to boost its incoming teammates speed.
Draft Strategy
========
Mega Aerodactyl is a great cleaner, meaning it needs a well-rounded draft that has an balanced mix of wallbreakers and defensive pivots that can get it in safely. The hazard game is also especially important for it, having hazards up to soften the opposing team up and reliable removal to keep Stealth Rock off the field on its side.
**Wallbreakers**: Pokemon like Kyurem-B, Infernape, and Latios that can deal with walls on both the physical and special side are useful in forming an offensive core with Mega Aerodactyl.
**Defensive Pivots**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates being able to pivot into Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Uxie that can tank hits generally well.
**Hazard Control**: Pokemon like Mew, Empoleon, and Klefki that can provide both hazards and hazard control are especially useful for Mega Aerodactyl as they can fit a dual purpose depending on what is more important.
**Speed Control**: While Mega Aerodactyl is fantastic speed control itself, a common way to deal with it is to revenge kill it with a Choice Scarf user, so Pokemon like Clefable, Serperior, and Rotom-W that can threaten to paralyze them are useful.
Checks and Counters
========
**Chip Damage**: Mega Aerodactyl is typically tanky enough to take a non-super effective hit or two, however chip damage from the likes of Stealth Rock and Rocky Helmet can make it much more difficult to do so.
**Priority / Faster Choice Scarf Users**: Pokemon like Mega Scizor, Metagross, and Azumarill that threaten Mega Aerodactyl with their powerful priority options threaten to revenge kill it with ease. Similarly, Pokemon like Kartana, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B that threaten to outspeed it with a Choice Scarf make it difficult to stay on the field.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Pokemon like Skarmory, Celesteela, and Uxie that can shrug off Mega Aerodactyl's coverage options for them and force it out in varied ways make it much harder to function as a sweeper.
**Status**: Any status debilitates Mega Aerodactyl greatly, however burn and paralysis make it near useless.
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