Resource ORAS OU Viability Rankings

[mixnite]

it's been a few months since my last post (sorry!), but I'd still like to wrap up and finish writing my thoughts on the Physically Defensive Pokemon in OU continuing on with the Ground-types in the tier. my original views have changed quite a bit especially after the recent ladder tournament, my two ORASPL games and now my work on the Checks and Counters thread but the crux remains the same.
​

A-
29. Landorus-Therian​

I think Landorus-T is rated wayyy too low on the viability rankings. Landorus-T should be rated at least A tier alongside Rotom-W and Chansey. it is such an incredible pivot in how it slows down otherwise massively dangerous threats such as the almighty Mega Metagross. it's also easily a top 3 Stealth Rock user rivaling Garchomp and Mew (stop using Stealth Rock Excadrill).


Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe OR 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Imprison / Rock Tomb

my personal favourite set is the fast Imprison set since it lets Landorus-T get up hazards while preventing opposing Stealth Rock vs. literally everything barring Mew and Jolly Garchomp.
​

while I personally prefer Imprison Landorus-T, I have to admit that it's no contest; nothing gets up Stealth Rock quite like Mew.​

as you all know I am a sucker for offense/ hyper offense builds so having consistent Stealth Rock users like Landorus-T and Mew is absolutely massive. however this isn't all that Landorus-T can do...

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe OR 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge / Toxic

God forbid you face this with Mega Lopunny or Excadrill without Toxic or any contact attacker really. this Landorus-T set rivals Garchomp in its ability to get up the hazards and additionally, keep them up. none of the removal options in the tier really want to switch in to any of Landorus-T's moves. Excadrill gets smashed by Earthquake, Defog Zapdos takes an uncomfortably large chunk from Stone Edge while the Lati twins hate having to take a U-Turn into a potential Pursuit user.

all in all, Landorus-T is a great Physically Defensive piece with immense utility from Stealth Rock, Intimidate and U-Turn in addition to its powerful EdgeQuake combo letting it keep the hazards and thus pressure on the opposing team.
​

42. Hippowdon​

if you peruse through the Checks and Counters thread you will notice that Hippowdon is listed as a check to a great many physical attackers. the only real physical attackers that truly threaten the hippo are Weavile with its super-effective Icicle Crash and Mega Gyarados with its super-effective Waterfall. that's it. everything else gets answered by the beast.

​

Hippowdon @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD OR 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind / Toxic / Rock Slide
- Slack Off

Landorus-T with recovery. one of the biggest benefits of running Hippowdon is how it not only deals with the physical attackers in the tier, but also special attacking threats like Volcarona. there really isn't much more to say about this guy. get up Stealth Rock and click the other three moves accordingly.
​

B
57. Seismitoad​

this is one of those weirdo Pokemon that actually has a real niche thanks to one or two incredible interactions that make up for its otherwise mediocre showing. in this case, it's that Seismitoad completely absolutely ruins Rotom-W. there is absolutely nothing Rotom-W can do to make progress against a team that has a healthy Seismitoad. and that makes for a pretty good niche for an otherwise RU Pokemon.


Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake / Toxic
- Refresh / Knock Off / Toxic

a third Stealth Rock user. the main draw here is the combination of Water Absorb and Refresh. Water Absorb makes Seismitoad completely immune and actually heal from Rotom-W's Hydro Pump while Refresh allows it to block potential progress from Will-O-Wisp. however this isn't all there is to Seismitoad's game. Knock Off makes for really good utility and progress making preventing Seismitoad from being a completely passive blob.
​

---
​

while this is a little late, I do think that both Landorus-T and Hippowdon should be moved up just a bit. I believe Hippowdon should be ranked alongside Tyranitar since they're both staple pieces of arguably the strongest style in the tier. I also think Landorus should be ranked alongside Rotom-W as opposed to being lower than never used never seen Ferrothorn...​

 

[Kokona Aoba]

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe OR 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge / Toxic

None of the removal options in the tier really want to switch in to any of Landorus-T's moves.​

Cats still don't rate Defog m-sciz...

 

[Ithi]

it's been a few months since my last post (sorry!), but I'd still like to wrap up and finish writing my thoughts on the Physically Defensive Pokemon in OU continuing on with the Ground-types in the tier. my original views have changed quite a bit especially after the recent ladder tournament, my two ORASPL games and now my work on the Checks and Counters thread but the crux remains the same.


I think Landorus-T is rated wayyy too low on the viability rankings. Landorus-T should be rated at least A tier alongside Rotom-W and Chansey. it is such an incredible pivot in how it slows down otherwise massively dangerous threats such as the almighty Mega Metagross. it's also easily a top 3 Stealth Rock user rivaling Garchomp and Mew (stop using Stealth Rock Excadrill).


Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe OR 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Imprison / Rock Tomb

my personal favourite set is the fast Imprison set since it lets Landorus-T get up hazards while preventing opposing Stealth Rock vs. literally everything barring Mew and Jolly Garchomp.



as you all know I am a sucker for offense/ hyper offense builds so having consistent Stealth Rock users like Landorus-T and Mew is absolutely massive. however this isn't all that Landorus-T can do...

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe OR 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge / Toxic

God forbid you face this with Mega Lopunny or Excadrill without Toxic or any contact attacker really. this Landorus-T set rivals Garchomp in its ability to get up the hazards and additionally, keep them up. none of the removal options in the tier really want to switch in to any of Landorus-T's moves. Excadrill gets smashed by Earthquake, Defog Zapdos takes an uncomfortably large chunk from Stone Edge while the Lati twins hate having to take a U-Turn into a potential Pursuit user.

all in all, Landorus-T is a great Physically Defensive piece with immense utility from Stealth Rock, Intimidate and U-Turn in addition to its powerful EdgeQuake combo letting it keep the hazards and thus pressure on the opposing team.


if you peruse through the Checks and Counters thread you will notice that Hippowdon is listed as a check to a great many physical attackers. the only real physical attackers that truly threaten the hippo are Weavile with its super-effective Icicle Crash and Mega Gyarados with its super-effective Waterfall. that's it. everything else gets answered by the beast.

​

Hippowdon @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD OR 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind / Toxic / Rock Slide
- Slack Off

Landorus-T with recovery. one of the biggest benefits of running Hippowdon is how it not only deals with the physical attackers in the tier, but also special attacking threats like Volcarona. there really isn't much more to say about this guy. get up Stealth Rock and click the other three moves accordingly.
​

this is one of those weirdo Pokemon that actually has a real niche thanks to one or two incredible interactions that make up for its otherwise mediocre showing. in this case, it's that Seismitoad completely absolutely ruins Rotom-W. there is absolutely nothing Rotom-W can do to make progress against a team that has a healthy Seismitoad. and that makes for a pretty good niche for an otherwise RU Pokemon.


Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earthquake / Toxic
- Refresh / Knock Off / Toxic

a third Stealth Rock user. the main draw here is the combination of Water Absorb and Refresh. Water Absorb makes Seismitoad completely immune and actually heal from Rotom-W's Hydro Pump while Refresh allows it to block potential progress from Will-O-Wisp. however this isn't all there is to Seismitoad's game. Knock Off makes for really good utility and progress making preventing Seismitoad from being a completely passive blob.
​

---
​

while this is a little late, I do think that both Landorus-T and Hippowdon should be moved up just a bit. I believe Hippowdon should be ranked alongside Tyranitar since they're both staple pieces of arguably the strongest style in the tier. I also think Landorus should be ranked alongside Rotom-W as opposed to being lower than never used never seen Ferrothorn...​

I must respectfully disagree with this hippowdon assessment, I believe its ranking is fine. The problem with hippowdon has moreso to do with its passivity which is funny because it has a very good physical attack stat. The problem lies in the fact hippowdon is a grounded mon, whereas lando-t can just float above hazards. On paper, hippowdon makes you wonder why more people aren't using this team on all sorts of teams as a catch-all glue. While you make excellent points on it only truly fearing the likes of weavile, hippowdon can find itself struggling in the hazard war.

IMHO, hippo's rank reflects its niche as this fat sturdy mon balance structures and certain sand sixes appreciate, its lack of consistent splashability holds it back, and its through no fault of its own.

Everything else you said is cooking, type shi.

I'd also like to vouch for my boy dnite to move up on the rankings, cb nite is a hell of a drug and we need to stop pretending it isn't an immediate threat in most if not all games you see it in.

 

[im_m0rtal.]

I must respectfully disagree with this hippowdon assessment, I believe its ranking is fine. The problem with hippowdon has moreso to do with its passivity which is funny because it has a very good physical attack stat. The problem lies in the fact hippowdon is a grounded mon, whereas lando-t can just float above hazards. On paper, hippowdon makes you wonder why more people aren't using this team on all sorts of teams as a catch-all glue. While you make excellent points on it only truly fearing the likes of weavile, hippowdon can find itself struggling in the hazard war.

IMHO, hippo's rank reflects its niche as this fat sturdy mon balance structures and certain sand sixes appreciate, its lack of consistent splashability holds it back, and its through no fault of its own.

Everything else you said is cooking, type shi.

I'd also like to vouch for my boy dnite to move up on the rankings, cb nite is a hell of a drug and we need to stop pretending it isn't an immediate threat in most if not all games you see it in.

I agree with the CBNite assessment, however I am surprised its Ithi pointing it out and not mixnite.
The LANDORUS and Seismitoad points mentioned by mixnite are valid, and i fully agree with his hippowdon take. Hippo is commonly used alongside excadrill so hazards shouldn't be that bad?
Also, another thing with hippowdon is guessing its moves. Sometimes, the difference between whirlwind/toxic/rock slide can make all the difference.
An issue i find with hippowdon however is the fact that tyranitar is just simply very good, even on its own as a breaker / mega.

 

[Ruffles]

New Changes

Rises (rises usually to the bottom of the next tier)
A- (#30) -> A (#25)
B+ (#42) -> A- (#35)
B (#48) -> B+ (#47)
C- (#74) -> top of B- (#62)

Drops (drops usually to the top of the next tier)
A- (#33) -> B+ (#34)
B- (#64) -> bottom of B- (#72)

The VR has been updated to reflect the above

With SPL starting up again, wanted to revive this thread. mixnite maybe also drops a yt video too

---------------------

For the next discussion topic, feel free to talk about anything really I'll keep it open since its been months. Feel free to talk about the new changes or changes you want to see / current metagame

For me, quick / interesting things:
- Probably would put Mega metagross at S instead of S+
- Maybe drop Bisharp from A as Weavile has gotten so good that i feel like you usually just go Weavile
- Maybe put Ferrothorn A from A-
- Maybe drop cloyster a rank, it doesn't feel nearly as good with so much keldeo around
- Maybe drop Mega Gardevoir as it feels lackluster
- Would consider raising Gengar & Mola
- Probably drop Aero a rank its so useless compared to Mew as a lead

 

[im_m0rtal.]

These changes are great.
Mega Metagross to S is a good change. The meta is at a fine state right now and metagross isn't a threat worthy of S+ for now. Currently, there have been a lot of different megas used instead of metagross, which doesn't help its case.
Dropping cloyster makes sense. There has been an influx of water type pokemon which hasn't been great for cloyster. Also, the ban of king's rock makes it worse too.
The other pokemon are fine I feel, if anything I'd say that aero being dropped a rank might make sense the most out of all of them.

 

[Crystal Canyon]

I like these changes a lot, I don't think Mega Metagross deserves S+ anymore, I think the value it brings isn't a whole tier above anything else. Mega diversity is very high. I also think Gengar deserves to rise, I think the set options and the ability to blast through teams make it deserve higher than 73 (though I dont know how much higher), also think that with how common Keldeo is, Id support cloyster dropping. I don't think Bisharp dropping makes a ton of sense though, just because it not being so hazard weak is a great advantage over Weavile.

 

[JackRG]

- Maybe drop Mega Gardevoir as it feels lackluster

I disagree I think its quite an underrated threat rn. I've been experimenting with it, here is a cool set you guys should try

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 100 HP / 168 Def / 56 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Will-O-Wisp

Basically still kills everything it needs to and still outruns lando while no longer being deathly afraid of physical attacks, as one go to example:

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash (85 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gardevoir-Mega: 280-330 (101 - 119.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash (85 BP) vs. 100 HP / 168 Def Gardevoir-Mega: 223-264 (73.8 - 87.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[BluBirD]

Hello oras community, time for yet another quick metagame analysis.
First thing i'm gonna touch on quickly is how funny the progress in this tier is, some years ago we had a very modern looking tier with techs popping around from every corner(and understandably so) starting with something like the impact of mons like volcanion going from the original set of just modest specs 2hko'ing rotom-wash etc to it being shifted to a more defensive role on the cofagrigus teams that were the teams to beat at the time due to its niche defensive profile and surprisingly decent longevity for a mon with no recovery other than protect and leftovers while also being weak to all hazards known to mankind and then people realized that scarf is actually an incredibly good glue mon for a lot of teams and now there seems to be a slight decline to that to make way for assault vests incredible utility vs offense and bulkier teams alike which makes me think that volcanion is once again used to do upfront damage and trade 1v1 with mons much like specs did! At the same time a lot of people were also trying to use more garchomp and clef as their rockers, leaving poor Landorus-T feeling lonely on the side, but now lando genuinely feels like the most splashable and versatile rocker on the offensive metagame taking roles similar to its "peak" days in the tier with rh and just max/max on its HP and defense but the script can now change because(credit to ruffles here) landorus is also an incredible spdef pivot if you don't really need the contact punish of rocky helmet.
Rotoms went faster and faster and now people are terrified to run anything less than 200 defense with max hp given how easy it is for weavile to spam the funny ice move, latios is once again becoming better and better and clefable is running it back to its twave days despite excadrill being everywhere.
Make no mistake tho, this is NOT a rant but a mere appreciation note.
I've been a "hater" of old looking teams seeing use in big tournaments because i used to think that it was a sign of lazy building(which in some if not most cases at the time was in fact true) but i find myself happy again to see that the tier can still go back to its roots and feel fresh and innovative at the same time(credit to our builders of course)

This whole segment feels like a nice pass to the first mon i really wanted to talk about for this current meta which is keldeo, a mon that has notoriously dominated the tier to unfathomable levels in current gen oras ou with its specs set, it really feels like it's gunning back to that same idea which is oversimplified to "click strong moves, KO strong mons". Specs imo is currently by far its best set adding some extra sauce with the potential of focus blast becoming more and more "needed" and people(myself included) pushing it over the edge with modest > timid to achieve absurd feats like ko'ing serperior, metagross, rotom etc with just 1 click which feels especially strong vs the sand teams that are everywhere because they're so easy to use and build.

And then we have my current personal favorite mon to use right now which is zapdos to any shape, size or form.
Everyone knows how zapdos functions as a physdef pivot/wall at times with punishing coverage and 2 great abilities that punish teams in different ways but i really wanna touch quickly on how lethal spdef zapdos is right now, practically shutting down serperior and draining the leaf storms is often good enough to even lose your zapdos over for a lot of teams, taking on stuff like rotom/heatran/zam and even volcanion and keldeo if the proper conditions are met is just brilliant especially on pressure sets, i'm gonna leave a blank statement saying that it's a mon that still has a lot of room to experiment with its sets which i hope can be shown this season in spl, lastly one big shout to offensive zap which feels like it can be unstoppable vs BO and leaves no room for mistakes if you're willing to give up some bulk for the ability to 2hko most pivots not named chansey, calm clefable, hippowdon or mega-venusaur.

Closing with saying that i have a LOT of cool sets and ideas in my mind that i can't wait to talk about but all in due time.

Good luck to all players in spl and all oras tours that are on the way now and just a genuine reminder for everyone reading this that it costs nothing to not be a dick and we can all make a good step forward into helping people that are in need of help even tho there might not be a very visible reward to it.

I love oras ou and i put my heart out to it every chance that i get and i hope more people will keep following along, stay safe everyone!

 

[MANNAT]

Hello oras community, time for yet another quick metagame analysis.
First thing i'm gonna touch on quickly is how funny the progress in this tier is, some years ago we had a very modern looking tier with techs popping around from every corner(and understandably so) starting with something like the impact of mons like volcanion going from the original set of just modest specs 2hko'ing rotom-wash etc to it being shifted to a more defensive role on the cofagrigus teams that were the teams to beat at the time due to its niche defensive profile and surprisingly decent longevity for a mon with no recovery other than protect and leftovers while also being weak to all hazards known to mankind and then people realized that scarf is actually an incredibly good glue mon for a lot of teams and now there seems to be a slight decline to that to make way for assault vests incredible utility vs offense and bulkier teams alike which makes me think that volcanion is once again used to do upfront damage and trade 1v1 with mons much like specs did! At the same time a lot of people were also trying to use more garchomp and clef as their rockers, leaving poor Landorus-T feeling lonely on the side, but now lando genuinely feels like the most splashable and versatile rocker on the offensive metagame taking roles similar to its "peak" days in the tier with rh and just max/max on its HP and defense but the script can now change because(credit to ruffles here) landorus is also an incredible spdef pivot if you don't really need the contact punish of rocky helmet.
Rotoms went faster and faster and now people are terrified to run anything less than 200 defense with max hp given how easy it is for weavile to spam the funny ice move, latios is once again becoming better and better and clefable is running it back to its twave days despite excadrill being everywhere.
Make no mistake tho, this is NOT a rant but a mere appreciation note.
I've been a "hater" of old looking teams seeing use in big tournaments because i used to think that it was a sign of lazy building(which in some if not most cases at the time was in fact true) but i find myself happy again to see that the tier can still go back to its roots and feel fresh and innovative at the same time(credit to our builders of course)

This whole segment feels like a nice pass to the first mon i really wanted to talk about for this current meta which is keldeo, a mon that has notoriously dominated the tier to unfathomable levels in current gen oras ou with its specs set, it really feels like it's gunning back to that same idea which is oversimplified to "click strong moves, KO strong mons". Specs imo is currently by far its best set adding some extra sauce with the potential of focus blast becoming more and more "needed" and people(myself included) pushing it over the edge with modest > timid to achieve absurd feats like ko'ing serperior, metagross, rotom etc with just 1 click which feels especially strong vs the sand teams that are everywhere because they're so easy to use and build.

And then we have my current personal favorite mon to use right now which is zapdos to any shape, size or form.
Everyone knows how zapdos functions as a physdef pivot/wall at times with punishing coverage and 2 great abilities that punish teams in different ways but i really wanna touch quickly on how lethal spdef zapdos is right now, practically shutting down serperior and draining the leaf storms is often good enough to even lose your zapdos over for a lot of teams, taking on stuff like rotom/heatran/zam and even volcanion and keldeo if the proper conditions are met is just brilliant especially on pressure sets, i'm gonna leave a blank statement saying that it's a mon that still has a lot of room to experiment with its sets which i hope can be shown this season in spl, lastly one big shout to offensive zap which feels like it can be unstoppable vs BO and leaves no room for mistakes if you're willing to give up some bulk for the ability to 2hko most pivots not named chansey, calm clefable, hippowdon or mega-venusaur.

Closing with saying that i have a LOT of cool sets and ideas in my mind that i can't wait to talk about but all in due time.

Good luck to all players in spl and all oras tours that are on the way now and just a genuine reminder for everyone reading this that it costs nothing to not be a dick and we can all make a good step forward into helping people that are in need of help even tho there might not be a very visible reward to it.

I love oras ou and i put my heart out to it every chance that i get and i hope more people will keep following along, stay safe everyone!

Looking for punctuation in this post gave me a concussion

 

[BluBirD]

Looking for punctuation in this post gave me a concussion

Finally some good things happening in 2026

 

[lighthouses]

I really dont see a point in having a S+ ranking for metagross anymore, the meta already has its fair share of restricting centralizing threats you need to account for in every team like weavile, volcarona, manaphy, clef and i dont even think metagross ends up being harder to account for than any of those. I also think the opportunity cost of not having mega metagross on your team vs having it is not that dominant in favor of the former right now. Zam and Lopunny are everywhere for good reason, venusaur has seen great success and scizor finds itself fitting into teams more and more lately. I just cant see metagross as the undisputed if you dont have it on your team then your team is worse kinda mon that would warrant a S+ rating.

I also feel like keldeo better fits as the number 1 pokemon in A+, possibly behind thundurus but maybe even above. Keldeos ability to win games and make progress even against ridiculous counterplay because of scald is super clear right now, you load that thing into amoongus clefable mega latias tornadus structures and its still useful, even the wincon at times. It also just by being there gives you a weavile/bisharp check + a mon that outspeeds manaphy which is just so extremely valuable teambuilding wise. One thing that would put a dent in this would be jellicent, making it keldeos that only run stab arent quite so free to spam, however, jelli is basically non existant right now and i think for good reason.

 

[JackRG]

I also feel like keldeo better fits as the number 1 pokemon in A+, possibly behind thundurus but maybe even above. Keldeos ability to win games and make progress even against ridiculous counterplay because of scald is super clear right now, you load that thing into amoongus clefable mega latias tornadus structures and its still useful, even the wincon at times. It also just by being there gives you a weavile/bisharp check + a mon that outspeeds manaphy which is just so extremely valuable teambuilding wise. One thing that would put a dent in this would be jellicent, making it keldeos that only run stab arent quite so free to spam, however, jelli is basically non existant right now and i think for good reason.

I absolutely second this, keldeo feels like him rn. The fact it can brute force its way past all of its checks while being super useful defensively makes him so easy to slap onto teams. That kind of consistent value in every matchup is representative of high A+ or even S-, imo. Especially compared to some things like volcarona that have more shaky MUs.

 

[UltraSword]

All this talk made me want to update my VR so I did. Time to explain some of the stuff because yippee.

I am going to keep it simple I never really thought Mega Metagross was above the big 3 in S because it is mostly an offensive pokemon whereas you can fit the S tier pokemon on almost any archetype. It is still really good of course and it is definitely the best mega imo, but it is not S tier let alone the best pokemon.
I think once you get through the top 4 the next best pokemon is between these 2. Mega Alakazam is of course really fast, extremely powerful, etc. but Weavile is just more consistent and slightly more useful overall imo thanks to knock off.
This is the one I was focused on when I updated this as originally I had it a bit lower in A+ and wanted to fix that. Keldeo is of course a really good pokemon with great STABs and being hard to switch in against. I even thought about making it S- but I don't think it is quite that impactful.
Technically this pokemon didn't rise but that is because I was moving a lot of pokemon below it for different reasons. I have come to appreciate it quite a lot for its great power, pursuit, and sometimes its utility.
I have used this pokemon a few times recently and I have really liked it as a nasty plot user. It is definitely niche and it is pretty bad into Weavile but I think it is pretty solid overall.

 

[Eviolite Bisharp]

In my relative ignorance of the tier, i have to ask why is so low on the viability rankings? I cant imagine how something as fast and strong and even decently bulky as mega aerodactyl is in C rank chilling with Jellicent and Empoleon

 

[Karxrida]

In my relative ignorance of the tier, i have to ask why is so low on the viability rankings? I cant imagine how something as fast and strong and even decently bulky as mega aerodactyl is in C rank chilling with Jellicent and Empoleon

Mega Aero has to rely either on moves that are low BP (its best Flying STAB is Aerial Ace) or ones that just aren't boosted by Tough Claws like Stone Edge. Base 135 Attack with no item and lackluster options hits way less hard than you think. Its bulk is also only adequate without a defensive typing to back it up, being weak to multiple forms of priority.

 

[ImperialH]

In my relative ignorance of the tier, i have to ask why is so low on the viability rankings? I cant imagine how something as fast and strong and even decently bulky as mega aerodactyl is in C rank chilling with Jellicent and Empoleon

I wanted to give my thoughts on Mega Aerodactyl. As mentioned in the ORAS discord server, it does have a niche given its unique (and somewhat unfortunate) typing which allows it to check Volcarona to some extent. Asides from that, there are hardly any other merit worthy attributes, its rather poor typing also makes it susceptible a ton of regularly used OU mons. For instance, slower mons such as Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Weavile, Thundurus-I, Serperior etc all have hard hitting priorities where most of them have a good chance to drop M-Aero after Stealth Rocks or status moves that cripples M-Aero whether it's Prankster T-wave/Glare, the latter two being mons that M-Aero should in theory beat. Faster mons like Scarf Kyurem Black, Scarf Excadrill, Scarf Landorus-T, Scarf Keldeo all have moves that nukes M-Aero. Then there's Mega Alakazam who speed ties M-Aero but you have to connect Stone Edge to have a good chance/OHKO M-Zam, depending on what nature you're running. Other problems with M-Aero is that you're using M-Aero... it isn't an amazing mon and it struggles with 4 moveslot syndrome because you want to run various coverage moves and even boosting moves such as Hone Claws to give you extra power and accuracy which is rather crucial for a mon relying on STAB Stone Edge. Not to mention, you have to pick between Adamant and Jolly, while it is true speed is king, you also have to realise that there IS a difference in damage which I'll list below. Admittedly some calcs that I've chosen are quite picky but the way that I see it is, if you don't KO them first, they'll KO you instead but of course in an actual game, they can be chipped without much difficulty which allows M-Aero to end game clean. Lastly, you are 'wasting' a mega slot on M-Aero instead of using it elsewhere on another mon.

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant Nature
- Roost
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Aqua Tail/Earthquake/Hone Claws/Fire Fang/Ice Fang/Pursuit

In my opinion, Roost 3 attacks is the best way to use M-Aero because it really needs all the coverage it can get whilst keeping itself healthy with Roost, being the rocks weak mon it is.

Jolly calcs

252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 288-338 (89.1 - 104.6%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 208 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Serperior: 276-326 (80.4 - 95%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 0+ Def Hippowdon: 208-246 (49.5 - 58.5%) -- 69.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Bisharp: 224-264 (82.6 - 97.4%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcanion: 288-342 (95.6 - 113.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-Black: 338-398 (86.4 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

Adamant calcs

252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 314-372 (97.2 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 208 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Serperior: 302-356 (88 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 0+ Def Hippowdon: 228-270 (54.2 - 64.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Bisharp: 246-290 (90.7 - 107%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcanion: 318-374 (105.6 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-Black: 372-438 (95.1 - 112%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO

That said, I do think that M-Aero is a fun mega to experiment and play around with, especially on offensive structures or sand. The SpDef boost from sandstorm can give M-Aero some pretty interesting calcs which I'll display below, it follows a similar concept to Terrakion in sand, fast offensive threats with added SpDef bulk. Although, it is important to keep in mind that using M-Aero on sand means that half your team is weak to water, ice, grass and fighting moves assuming you're using something like M-Aero, Tyranitar/Hippowdon and Excadrill. On offense, it could be a neat end game cleaner as it is faster than the majority of the tier and faster than a few scarfers like Volcanion, Magnezone and Tyranitar.

Sand boosted calcs

252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 129-153 (42.8 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Volcanion Steam Eruption vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 252-296 (83.7 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
48 SpA Contrary Serperior Leaf Storm over 2 turns vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 245-290 (81.3 - 96.3%) -- not a KO
252 SpA Keldeo Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 182-216 (60.4 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Surf vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 188-224 (62.4 - 74.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Manectric-Mega Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 212-252 (70.4 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Kyurem-Black Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 276-328 (91.6 - 108.9%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 125-148 (41.5 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Regarding Jellicent and Empoleon (do not disrespect Empoleon in my presence), they have a niche and being a more defensively orientated mon, they both see themselves acquire some usage on very specific teams who are trying to compress a few roles all into one mon. For example, Jellicent serves as a check to a few of the top mons i.e. Excadrill, Keldeo, Volcanion (depending on their set as Toxic cripples Jelli quickly) whilst also functioning as a spin block hence why you often see Jelli on bulkier spikestack builds. Empoleon on the other hand can run either an offensive/defensive set depending on the team, paired with a Shuca berry, it can lure in mons such as Excadrill, Lando-T, Garchomp, Mega Diancie etc and hit back with Scald/Ice beam. Being a steel type also has many benefits as it allows Empoleon to check the likes of Clefable, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Zam to some degree. Both of these water types have a vast amount of utility features, the former having access to Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Recover and Toxic whilst the latter has access to Defog, Stealth Rocks, Roar and Toxic. With that, I should conclude my general thoughts on this matter.

 

[Eviolite Bisharp]

I wanted to give my thoughts on Mega Aerodactyl. As mentioned in the ORAS discord server, it does have a niche given its unique (and somewhat unfortunate) typing which allows it to check Volcarona to some extent. Asides from that, there are hardly any other merit worthy attributes, its rather poor typing also makes it susceptible a ton of regularly used OU mons. For instance, slower mons such as Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Weavile, Thundurus-I, Serperior etc all have hard hitting priorities where most of them have a good chance to drop M-Aero after Stealth Rocks or status moves that cripples M-Aero whether it's Prankster T-wave/Glare, the latter two being mons that M-Aero should in theory beat. Faster mons like Scarf Kyurem Black, Scarf Excadrill, Scarf Landorus-T, Scarf Keldeo all have moves that nukes M-Aero. Then there's Mega Alakazam who speed ties M-Aero but you have to connect Stone Edge to have a good chance/OHKO M-Zam, depending on what nature you're running. Other problems with M-Aero is that you're using M-Aero... it isn't an amazing mon and it struggles with 4 moveslot syndrome because you want to run various coverage moves and even boosting moves such as Hone Claws to give you extra power and accuracy which is rather crucial for a mon relying on STAB Stone Edge. Not to mention, you have to pick between Adamant and Jolly, while it is true speed is king, you also have to realise that there IS a difference in damage which I'll list below. Admittedly some calcs that I've chosen are quite picky but the way that I see it is, if you don't KO them first, they'll KO you instead but of course in an actual game, they can be chipped without much difficulty which allows M-Aero to end game clean. Lastly, you are 'wasting' a mega slot on M-Aero instead of using it elsewhere on another mon.

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant Nature
- Roost
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Aqua Tail/Earthquake/Hone Claws/Fire Fang/Ice Fang/Pursuit

In my opinion, Roost 3 attacks is the best way to use M-Aero because it really needs all the coverage it can get whilst keeping itself healthy with Roost, being the rocks weak mon it is.

Jolly calcs

252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 288-338 (89.1 - 104.6%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 208 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Serperior: 276-326 (80.4 - 95%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 0+ Def Hippowdon: 208-246 (49.5 - 58.5%) -- 69.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Bisharp: 224-264 (82.6 - 97.4%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcanion: 288-342 (95.6 - 113.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-Black: 338-398 (86.4 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

Adamant calcs

252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 314-372 (97.2 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aerial Ace vs. 208 HP / 0 Def 30 IVs Serperior: 302-356 (88 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 0+ Def Hippowdon: 228-270 (54.2 - 64.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Bisharp: 246-290 (90.7 - 107%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcanion: 318-374 (105.6 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Aerodactyl-Mega Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-Black: 372-438 (95.1 - 112%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO

That said, I do think that M-Aero is a fun mega to experiment and play around with, especially on offensive structures or sand. The SpDef boost from sandstorm can give M-Aero some pretty interesting calcs which I'll display below, it follows a similar concept to Terrakion in sand, fast offensive threats with added SpDef bulk. Although, it is important to keep in mind that using M-Aero on sand means that half your team is weak to water, ice, grass and fighting moves assuming you're using something like M-Aero, Tyranitar/Hippowdon and Excadrill. On offense, it could be a neat end game cleaner as it is faster than the majority of the tier and faster than a few scarfers like Volcanion, Magnezone and Tyranitar.

Sand boosted calcs

252 SpA Alakazam-Mega Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 129-153 (42.8 - 50.8%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Volcanion Steam Eruption vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 252-296 (83.7 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
48 SpA Contrary Serperior Leaf Storm over 2 turns vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 245-290 (81.3 - 96.3%) -- not a KO
252 SpA Keldeo Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 182-216 (60.4 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Manaphy Surf vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 188-224 (62.4 - 74.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Manectric-Mega Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 212-252 (70.4 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Kyurem-Black Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 276-328 (91.6 - 108.9%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl-Mega in Sand: 125-148 (41.5 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Regarding Jellicent and Empoleon (do not disrespect Empoleon in my presence), they have a niche and being a more defensively orientated mon, they both see themselves acquire some usage on very specific teams who are trying to compress a few roles all into one mon. For example, Jellicent serves as a check to a few of the top mons i.e. Excadrill, Keldeo, Volcanion (depending on their set as Toxic cripples Jelli quickly) whilst also functioning as a spin block hence why you often see Jelli on bulkier spikestack builds. Empoleon on the other hand can run either an offensive/defensive set depending on the team, paired with a Shuca berry, it can lure in mons such as Excadrill, Lando-T, Garchomp, Mega Diancie etc and hit back with Scald/Ice beam. Being a steel type also has many benefits as it allows Empoleon to check the likes of Clefable, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Zam to some degree. Both of these water types have a vast amount of utility features, the former having access to Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Recover and Toxic whilst the latter has access to Defog, Stealth Rocks, Roar and Toxic. With that, I should conclude my general thoughts on this matter.

Thanks for the answer! It was very interesting to read! I forgot the priority factor which is a big deal lol. I'm personally intrigued about the option of Pursuit because of the speed tie with Mega Zam, maybe some team could value that very specific role, but who knows

Game Freak give Aerodactyl Brave Bird you cowards

 

[ImperialH]

Thanks for the answer! It was very interesting to read! I forgot the priority factor which is a big deal lol. I'm personally intrigued about the option of Pursuit because of the speed tie with Mega Zam, maybe some team could value that very specific role, but who knows

Game Freak give Aerodactyl Brave Bird you cowards

Until you realise that it's so unfathomably weak that you don't even OHKO non Colbur Latias and how rarely you'll actually click it.

252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega switching boosted Pursuit (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Latias: 280-330 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I agree with the Brave Bird bit though, that'd make things more interesting. Waffleztastegood great minds think alike.

 

[Karxrida]

Until you realise that it's so unfathomably weak that you don't even OHKO non Colbur Latias and how rarely you'll actually click it.

252+ Atk Tough Claws Aerodactyl-Mega switching boosted Pursuit (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Latias: 280-330 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I agree with the Brave Bird bit though, that'd make things more interesting. Waffleztastegood great minds think alike.

View attachment 808282

It at least gets Dual Wingbeat and Dragon Dance in Gen 8. Pray those carry over into Champions or whatever.

But yeah, Mega Aero isn't a great Pursuit trapper. The other trappers either have priority or bulk on top of strong Dark STAB to threaten their targets into actually wanting to switch out. "It Speed ties Mega Zam" isn't even a compelling argument when Zam can't be OHKO'd by anything besides Stone Edge so it might just stay in. Zam is statistically winning that exchange if Aero has any chip, even.