[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 it makes up for its relatively weak coverage options with its ability Tough Claws. Given its Speed stat, Mega Aerodactyl rarely requires too much EV investment to outspeed its foes; this allows it to invest deeply in its usable bulk and become 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 mean it needs a lot of support.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer / Cleaner**: Outspeeding most unboosted Pokemon and having coverage to hit whatever it needs to, Mega Aerodactyl is a fantastic revenge killer, and it can also trap Pokemon with Pursuit. Furthermore, it 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 makes often used inaccurate moves such as Stone Edge more reliable and can allow Mega Aerodactyl to either sweep or break past physical walls better.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Hone Claws, Rock Polish
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Pursuit, 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 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 teammate's Speed.
Draft Strategy
========
Mega Aerodactyl is a great cleaner and revenge killer, meaning it needs a well-rounded draft that has an balanced mix of wallbreakers and defensive pivots that can get it in safely. The entry hazard game is also especially important for it, as it likes to have 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 both physical and special walls are useful in forming an offensive core with Mega Aerodactyl.
**Defensive Pivots**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates being able to switch to Pokemon that can tank hits generally well such as Tapu Fini and Uxie. Defensive teammates that can also threaten Choice Scarf holders with paralysis or Knock Off, such as Rotom-W and Clefable, are especially useful in enabling Mega Aerodactyl.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates having hazards weaken its foes, but Stealth Rock also limits its longevity. Pokemon that can both provide and control hazards like Mew, Empoleon, and Klefki are especially useful for Mega Aerodactyl, as they can fit a dual purpose depending on what is more important.
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 threaten to easily revenge kill Mega Aerodactyl with their powerful priority options. Similarly, Pokemon like Kartana, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B threaten to outspeed it with a Choice Scarf and make it difficult to stay on the field.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Pokemon like Skarmory, Celesteela, and Uxie can shrug off Mega Aerodactyl's coverage options and force it out in varied ways, making it much harder to function as a sweeper.
**Status**: Any status debilitates Mega Aerodactyl greatly, but burn and paralysis especially make it near useless.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
**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 it makes up for its relatively weak coverage options with its ability Tough Claws. Given its Speed stat, Mega Aerodactyl rarely requires too much EV investment to outspeed its foes; this allows it to invest deeply in its usable bulk and become 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 mean it needs a lot of support.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer / Cleaner**: Outspeeding most unboosted Pokemon and having coverage to hit whatever it needs to, Mega Aerodactyl is a fantastic revenge killer, and it can also trap Pokemon with Pursuit. Furthermore, it 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 makes often used inaccurate moves such as Stone Edge more reliable and can allow Mega Aerodactyl to either sweep or break past physical walls better.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Hone Claws, Rock Polish
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Pursuit, 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 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 teammate's Speed.
Draft Strategy
========
Mega Aerodactyl is a great cleaner and revenge killer, meaning it needs a well-rounded draft that has an balanced mix of wallbreakers and defensive pivots that can get it in safely. The entry hazard game is also especially important for it, as it likes to have 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 both physical and special walls are useful in forming an offensive core with Mega Aerodactyl.
**Defensive Pivots**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates being able to switch to Pokemon that can tank hits generally well such as Tapu Fini and Uxie. Defensive teammates that can also threaten Choice Scarf holders with paralysis or Knock Off, such as Rotom-W and Clefable, are especially useful in enabling Mega Aerodactyl.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Mega Aerodactyl appreciates having hazards weaken its foes, but Stealth Rock also limits its longevity. Pokemon that can both provide and control hazards like Mew, Empoleon, and Klefki are especially useful for Mega Aerodactyl, as they can fit a dual purpose depending on what is more important.
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 threaten to easily revenge kill Mega Aerodactyl with their powerful priority options. Similarly, Pokemon like Kartana, Garchomp, and Kyurem-B threaten to outspeed it with a Choice Scarf and make it difficult to stay on the field.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Pokemon like Skarmory, Celesteela, and Uxie can shrug off Mega Aerodactyl's coverage options and force it out in varied ways, making it much harder to function as a sweeper.
**Status**: Any status debilitates Mega Aerodactyl greatly, but burn and paralysis especially make it near useless.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
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