[OVERVIEW]
Aerodactyl's fantastic Speed stat, good Attack, and wide range of coverage moves make it a general annoyance for many teams, mainly those with Passimian and Steelix being used as Rock-resistant Pokemon, as well as teams lacking defensive Slowbro, one of its best checks. Adding onto the previous point, with its tremendous Speed in tandem with Rock-type STAB moves, Aerodactyl is able to check some of the tier's most prominent Pokemon, such as Incineroar, Sneasel, and Heliolisk. Its useful coverage moves assist it in taking down sturdier Pokemon, such as Earthquake to hit Steelix and Klinklang, Pursuit to trap non-Choice Scarf variants of Rotom, and Aqua Tail to nail Rhydon. Unfortunately, Aerodactyl's lackluster defensive stats leave it highly susceptible to Choice Scarf users, namely Passimian, Vanilluxe, and Rotom. Although its Attack stat may seem desirable in some cases, being Choice-locked into one move can leave it vulnerable to many different Pokemon dependent on what move it's locked into. A good of example of this would be Klinklang, which uses Aerodactyl as setup fodder if it's locked into a move other than Earthquake. However, if Aerodactyl opts to use Life Orb to avoid being Choice-locked, the power drop is significant and Aerodactyl is worn down more quickly thanks to recoil.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Aqua Tail / Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Unnerve
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 80 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's main STAB attack, having great damage output against most unresisted foes. Earthquake lets Aerodactyl dent Steel-types like Steelix, Klinklang, and Silvally-Steel and deal more damage to foes like Diancie and Medicham. Pursuit allows Aerodactyl to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types, namely Rotom thanks to Unnerve, as well as Assault Vest Slowbro, Slowking, Sigilyph, and non-Choice Scarf variants of Haunter. Aqua Tail can be used to nail Rhydon as well as deal good damage to Palossand; however Palossand's ability, Water Compaction, can prove troublesome for this to work effectively. Toxic can be used to catch defensive Slowbro by surprise and cripple it significantly, as well as Quagsire, but other than this, it doesn't have much purpose.
Set Details
========
Choice Band increases Aerodactyl's power greatly, making it much more difficult to switch into and giving it the chance to 2HKO Steelix with Earthquake. Unnerve allows Aerodactyl to bypass damage-reducing Berries, enabling it to trap Colbur Berry Rotom with much more ease. Maximum Attack investment allows Aerodactyl to hit has as hard as it can, while 176 Speed EVs alongside a Jolly nature ensure that it outspeeds positive-natured Sceptile. Finally, the remaining EVs are dumped into Defense to give Aerodactyl an easier time stomaching an Ice Shard from Sneasel, taking one from full and only having a 37% chance to be KOed after Stealth Rock damage.
Usage Tips
========
Aerodactyl is pretty frail and has difficulty switching into most Pokemon, so it's best to try and bring Aerodactyl into battle via VoltTurn or when a Pokemon has been KOed; don't switch Aerodactyl in recklessly due to its weakness to Stealth Rock and lack of defensive utility. However, it can switch into certain Pokemon. For example, if the opponent has a Pokemon like Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary or Swords Dance Incineroar, it's advised to switch Aerodactyl directly into Braviary, whereas it's best to sacrifice a Pokemon to get Aerodactyl in safely against Incineroar to KO it. Earthquake should be used over Stone Edge in situations where the foe is able to be KOed by Earthquake instead of risking missing with Stone Edge. A good example of this would include Fire-types like Incineroar, where Earthquake can easily pick them off. Pursuit should be used to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types like Decidueye, Sigilyph, Delphox, and non-Choice Scarf variants of Rotom. Pursuit can also be used against bulkier foes like Assault Vest Slowbro and Slowking if they have been chipped. Additionally, more offensive Pokemon that are pretty frail, such as Vanilluxe, Heliolisk, and Choice Scarf Braviary, can also be trapped by Pursuit if they are expected to switch out; however, Pursuit should be used with caution against these Pokemon because if they stay in and take the Pursuit, they can deal hefty damage to Aerodactyl.
Team Options
========
Due to Aerodactyl's poor defensive stats, Pokemon that have access to U-turn and Volt Switch work well with it, helping it getting into battle more easily. Rotom is a good teammate for it, pivoting out against the likes of Incineroar and Heliolisk so Aerodactyl can come in and KO them. Aerodactyl also appreciates Rotom's ability to check Steel-types like Steelix and Klinklang. U-turn Decidueye is also a nice partner, pivoting out against Fire- and Flying-types such as Incineroar, Braviary, Golbat, and Houndoom to let Aerodactyl come in against them. Decidueye can also effectively deal with problematic Water- and Ground-types to take pressure off of Aerodactyl. More defensive pivots also make for good teammates, namely Slowbro and Iapapa Berry Incineroar. Slowbro is able to check Steel- and Ground-types like Steelix and Rhydon, which Aerodactyl appreciates, and it can also soft check opposing Water-types by either putting them on a timer with Toxic or threatening them with moves like Grass Knot in the case of Assault Vest variants. Defensive pivot Incineroar can come in against annoyances such as Choice Scarf Rotom and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe and remove the items from Pokemon like Passimian with Knock Off, which removes their ability to check Aerodactyl reliably. Pokemon that can remove entry hazards to let Aerodactyl pivot in more often are greatly appreciated; Defog Decidueye, Defog Rotom, Rapid Spin Dhelmise, Defog Silvally-Steel, and Rapid Spin Blastoise all work nicely as partners. Steel-type countermeasures are essential when using Aerodactyl; answers to Klinklang are especially important, as Klinklang can otherwise set up against Aerodactyl if it's locked into any move other than Earthquake. Ground-types like Steelix and Palossand check Klinklang well, and so do the aforementioned Rotom and defensive Slowbro. Dark-types like Incineroar, Sneasel, and Guzzlord are all capable of dealing with Rotom effectively as well as severely denting Slowbro to allow Aerodactyl to wallbreak more easily. These Dark-types can also deal with annoyances like Steelix and Palossand with their STAB attacks or coverage moves. Scrafty and Malamar can set up against the aforementioned Pokemon and deal massive damage with their STAB attacks. Grass-types like Decidueye, Whimsicott, and Dhelmise as well as Vileplume, which can check Choice Scarf Passimian and opposing Grass-types like Sceptile and Torterra, dent bulky Water- and Ground-types significantly with their super effective STAB attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Aerial Ace is an option to hit Grass-types hard without risking the potential to miss Stone Edge, notably hitting Torterra, which would otherwise wall Aerodactyl. A Life Orb set consisting of Roost, Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Pursuit can be used to let Aerodactyl switch up moves in battle; however, the power drop as a result of opting for Life Orb is noticeable, as Aerodactyl fails to KO Decidueye and Whimsicott with Stone Edge as well as KO Klinklang with Earthquake, and it also cannot 2HKO Steelix. Rock Slide can be used as the 4th move on the Choice Band set to have a second, more accurate STAB attack; however, coverage is typically more valued. A set of Substitute, Toxic, Roost, and Rock Slide with Pressure as the ability is usable on more defensive teams to PP stall foes more effectively, with an EV spread of 248 HP / 84 Atk / 176 Spe being used in combination with a Jolly nature to maximize Aerodactyl's bulk while allowing it to outspeed Sceptile and KO Vanilluxe after Stealth Rock. A Hone Claws set with Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Sky Attack, Aerial Ace, or Aqua Tail can be used, with Flyinium Z as the item if opting for Sky Attack. If Aerodactyl opts to run Aerial Ace or Aqua Tail, it can use Darkinium Z with Hone Claws to gain a +2 boost in Attack, a Life Orb, or another Z-Crystal of your choice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Although Aerodactyl has Earthquake to try and hammer Steel-types, they can wall Aerodactyl if it's locked into any other move. Steelix can easily OHKO Aerodactyl with Heavy Slam and needs a layer of Spikes or another form of chip damage to be 2HKOed by Choice Band Earthquake. Klinklang uses Aerodactyl as setup fodder if it's locked into any attack that's not Earthquake, wreaking havoc against the team. Choice Scarf Togedemaru can outspeed and KO it after Stealth Rock damage with its STAB moves, whereas Ferroseed can KO it after Stealth Rock damage as well with Gyro Ball.
**Ground-types**: Likewise with Steel-types, Aerodactyl has the option to run Aqua Tail, but it doesn't always do so, making Ground-types like Rhydon, Palossand, Piloswine, and Quagsire major nuisances. All of the aforementioned Pokemon are capable of severely denting Aerodactyl, if not OHKOing it. Torterra can also wall Aerodactyl if it lacks a Flying-type move, heal off the damage with Synthesis, and deal great damage with Wood Hammer.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Aerodactyl's poor defensive stats leave it vulnerable to many Choice Scarf users in the tier, namely Passimian, Vanilluxe, and Rotom.
**Water-types**: Defensive variants of Slowbro are only 3HKOed by Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge and are able to deal massive damage in return with Scald. Vaporeon and Blastoise take slightly more damage from Stone Edge, doing around half, but they take insignificant damage from any other attack and also deal heavy damage with Scald. Samurott is capable of OHKOing Aerodactyl with a +2 Aqua Jet, and although it takes a lot of damage from Stone Edge, it's still able to set up against Aerodactyl.
Aerodactyl's fantastic Speed stat, good Attack, and wide range of coverage moves make it a general annoyance for many teams, mainly those with Passimian and Steelix being used as Rock-resistant Pokemon, as well as teams lacking defensive Slowbro, one of its best checks. Adding onto the previous point, with its tremendous Speed in tandem with Rock-type STAB moves, Aerodactyl is able to check some of the tier's most prominent Pokemon, such as Incineroar, Sneasel, and Heliolisk. Its useful coverage moves assist it in taking down sturdier Pokemon, such as Earthquake to hit Steelix and Klinklang, Pursuit to trap non-Choice Scarf variants of Rotom, and Aqua Tail to nail Rhydon. Unfortunately, Aerodactyl's lackluster defensive stats leave it highly susceptible to Choice Scarf users, namely Passimian, Vanilluxe, and Rotom. Although its Attack stat may seem desirable in some cases, being Choice-locked into one move can leave it vulnerable to many different Pokemon dependent on what move it's locked into. A good of example of this would be Klinklang, which uses Aerodactyl as setup fodder if it's locked into a move other than Earthquake. However, if Aerodactyl opts to use Life Orb to avoid being Choice-locked, the power drop is significant and Aerodactyl is worn down more quickly thanks to recoil.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Aqua Tail / Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Unnerve
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 80 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's main STAB attack, having great damage output against most unresisted foes. Earthquake lets Aerodactyl dent Steel-types like Steelix, Klinklang, and Silvally-Steel and deal more damage to foes like Diancie and Medicham. Pursuit allows Aerodactyl to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types, namely Rotom thanks to Unnerve, as well as Assault Vest Slowbro, Slowking, Sigilyph, and non-Choice Scarf variants of Haunter. Aqua Tail can be used to nail Rhydon as well as deal good damage to Palossand; however Palossand's ability, Water Compaction, can prove troublesome for this to work effectively. Toxic can be used to catch defensive Slowbro by surprise and cripple it significantly, as well as Quagsire, but other than this, it doesn't have much purpose.
Set Details
========
Choice Band increases Aerodactyl's power greatly, making it much more difficult to switch into and giving it the chance to 2HKO Steelix with Earthquake. Unnerve allows Aerodactyl to bypass damage-reducing Berries, enabling it to trap Colbur Berry Rotom with much more ease. Maximum Attack investment allows Aerodactyl to hit has as hard as it can, while 176 Speed EVs alongside a Jolly nature ensure that it outspeeds positive-natured Sceptile. Finally, the remaining EVs are dumped into Defense to give Aerodactyl an easier time stomaching an Ice Shard from Sneasel, taking one from full and only having a 37% chance to be KOed after Stealth Rock damage.
Usage Tips
========
Aerodactyl is pretty frail and has difficulty switching into most Pokemon, so it's best to try and bring Aerodactyl into battle via VoltTurn or when a Pokemon has been KOed; don't switch Aerodactyl in recklessly due to its weakness to Stealth Rock and lack of defensive utility. However, it can switch into certain Pokemon. For example, if the opponent has a Pokemon like Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary or Swords Dance Incineroar, it's advised to switch Aerodactyl directly into Braviary, whereas it's best to sacrifice a Pokemon to get Aerodactyl in safely against Incineroar to KO it. Earthquake should be used over Stone Edge in situations where the foe is able to be KOed by Earthquake instead of risking missing with Stone Edge. A good example of this would include Fire-types like Incineroar, where Earthquake can easily pick them off. Pursuit should be used to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types like Decidueye, Sigilyph, Delphox, and non-Choice Scarf variants of Rotom. Pursuit can also be used against bulkier foes like Assault Vest Slowbro and Slowking if they have been chipped. Additionally, more offensive Pokemon that are pretty frail, such as Vanilluxe, Heliolisk, and Choice Scarf Braviary, can also be trapped by Pursuit if they are expected to switch out; however, Pursuit should be used with caution against these Pokemon because if they stay in and take the Pursuit, they can deal hefty damage to Aerodactyl.
Team Options
========
Due to Aerodactyl's poor defensive stats, Pokemon that have access to U-turn and Volt Switch work well with it, helping it getting into battle more easily. Rotom is a good teammate for it, pivoting out against the likes of Incineroar and Heliolisk so Aerodactyl can come in and KO them. Aerodactyl also appreciates Rotom's ability to check Steel-types like Steelix and Klinklang. U-turn Decidueye is also a nice partner, pivoting out against Fire- and Flying-types such as Incineroar, Braviary, Golbat, and Houndoom to let Aerodactyl come in against them. Decidueye can also effectively deal with problematic Water- and Ground-types to take pressure off of Aerodactyl. More defensive pivots also make for good teammates, namely Slowbro and Iapapa Berry Incineroar. Slowbro is able to check Steel- and Ground-types like Steelix and Rhydon, which Aerodactyl appreciates, and it can also soft check opposing Water-types by either putting them on a timer with Toxic or threatening them with moves like Grass Knot in the case of Assault Vest variants. Defensive pivot Incineroar can come in against annoyances such as Choice Scarf Rotom and Choice Scarf Vanilluxe and remove the items from Pokemon like Passimian with Knock Off, which removes their ability to check Aerodactyl reliably. Pokemon that can remove entry hazards to let Aerodactyl pivot in more often are greatly appreciated; Defog Decidueye, Defog Rotom, Rapid Spin Dhelmise, Defog Silvally-Steel, and Rapid Spin Blastoise all work nicely as partners. Steel-type countermeasures are essential when using Aerodactyl; answers to Klinklang are especially important, as Klinklang can otherwise set up against Aerodactyl if it's locked into any move other than Earthquake. Ground-types like Steelix and Palossand check Klinklang well, and so do the aforementioned Rotom and defensive Slowbro. Dark-types like Incineroar, Sneasel, and Guzzlord are all capable of dealing with Rotom effectively as well as severely denting Slowbro to allow Aerodactyl to wallbreak more easily. These Dark-types can also deal with annoyances like Steelix and Palossand with their STAB attacks or coverage moves. Scrafty and Malamar can set up against the aforementioned Pokemon and deal massive damage with their STAB attacks. Grass-types like Decidueye, Whimsicott, and Dhelmise as well as Vileplume, which can check Choice Scarf Passimian and opposing Grass-types like Sceptile and Torterra, dent bulky Water- and Ground-types significantly with their super effective STAB attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Aerial Ace is an option to hit Grass-types hard without risking the potential to miss Stone Edge, notably hitting Torterra, which would otherwise wall Aerodactyl. A Life Orb set consisting of Roost, Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Pursuit can be used to let Aerodactyl switch up moves in battle; however, the power drop as a result of opting for Life Orb is noticeable, as Aerodactyl fails to KO Decidueye and Whimsicott with Stone Edge as well as KO Klinklang with Earthquake, and it also cannot 2HKO Steelix. Rock Slide can be used as the 4th move on the Choice Band set to have a second, more accurate STAB attack; however, coverage is typically more valued. A set of Substitute, Toxic, Roost, and Rock Slide with Pressure as the ability is usable on more defensive teams to PP stall foes more effectively, with an EV spread of 248 HP / 84 Atk / 176 Spe being used in combination with a Jolly nature to maximize Aerodactyl's bulk while allowing it to outspeed Sceptile and KO Vanilluxe after Stealth Rock. A Hone Claws set with Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Sky Attack, Aerial Ace, or Aqua Tail can be used, with Flyinium Z as the item if opting for Sky Attack. If Aerodactyl opts to run Aerial Ace or Aqua Tail, it can use Darkinium Z with Hone Claws to gain a +2 boost in Attack, a Life Orb, or another Z-Crystal of your choice.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Although Aerodactyl has Earthquake to try and hammer Steel-types, they can wall Aerodactyl if it's locked into any other move. Steelix can easily OHKO Aerodactyl with Heavy Slam and needs a layer of Spikes or another form of chip damage to be 2HKOed by Choice Band Earthquake. Klinklang uses Aerodactyl as setup fodder if it's locked into any attack that's not Earthquake, wreaking havoc against the team. Choice Scarf Togedemaru can outspeed and KO it after Stealth Rock damage with its STAB moves, whereas Ferroseed can KO it after Stealth Rock damage as well with Gyro Ball.
**Ground-types**: Likewise with Steel-types, Aerodactyl has the option to run Aqua Tail, but it doesn't always do so, making Ground-types like Rhydon, Palossand, Piloswine, and Quagsire major nuisances. All of the aforementioned Pokemon are capable of severely denting Aerodactyl, if not OHKOing it. Torterra can also wall Aerodactyl if it lacks a Flying-type move, heal off the damage with Synthesis, and deal great damage with Wood Hammer.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Aerodactyl's poor defensive stats leave it vulnerable to many Choice Scarf users in the tier, namely Passimian, Vanilluxe, and Rotom.
**Water-types**: Defensive variants of Slowbro are only 3HKOed by Choice Band-boosted Stone Edge and are able to deal massive damage in return with Scald. Vaporeon and Blastoise take slightly more damage from Stone Edge, doing around half, but they take insignificant damage from any other attack and also deal heavy damage with Scald. Samurott is capable of OHKOing Aerodactyl with a +2 Aqua Jet, and although it takes a lot of damage from Stone Edge, it's still able to set up against Aerodactyl.
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