LGPE OU Mega Aerodactyl [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2] [DONE]

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
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rawr




[OVERVIEW]

Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in LGPE OU due to a combination of a high Attack stat, a phenomenal Speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage. As Electrode and Mega Alakazam are the only two Pokemon that can even Speed tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock and priority moves like Aqua Jet and Ice Shard. Due to its mediocre bulk, it can also struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal and Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super effective STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage. Because its STAB attacks have relatively low Base Power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip damage has been spread across the opposing team. Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.


[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Wing Attack / Roost
Item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]


Set information
=========

Rock Slide allows Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos, Dragonite, and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, doing over 50% to the former and over 33% to the latter. Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (which either needs to win a Speed tie and land a critical hit, or survive a near-guaranteed OHKO and win a Speed tie on the next turn) and Starmie. Wing Attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the rare Modest Mega Alakazam. However, Adamant allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl;of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO it after Stealth Rock damage.


Usage Tips
========

Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring a teammate in on their attacks and expect it to do anything other than get KOed on the next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn')t have any Pokemon with super effective priority moves or an equal Speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl's mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. Thus, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in against a foe that threatens these status ailments and isn't in its KO range. Finally, this set requires a fair amount of chip damage on bulky foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into KO range of Mega Aerodactyl’'(no curly apostrophes)s coverage moves.

Team Options
========

Because of the limited number of Pokemon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip damage and Stealth Rock, it has a very diverse range of potential teammates. Starmie, Poliwrath, and Zapdos are excellent options, as they can easily answer and chip down Mega Aerodactyl's main threats. Pokemon with strong Fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock support because many foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl, like the common Zapdos, will be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. Nidoqueen is especially effective, (AC) as it can set up Stealth Rock against Zapdos and spread consistent chip damage with Super Fang. Dragonite's standard Agility set can support Mega Aerodactyl extremely effectively as well, as they both can lure in and damage Melmetal to help out the other.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt / Roost
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Aerodactyl can reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to its great Speed. Taunt allows Aerodactyl to block status-inducing moves, Stealth Rock, and setup moves from slower foes. The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence.

Usage Tips
========

While it is capable of being played as a suicide Stealth Rock lead, this is generally a poor play, as Aerodacty's speed tier and type coverage are generally able to be of use at several points in a match. Finding an opportunity to switch in Aerodactyl for free and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rock while maintaining Aerodactyl's health. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, and a healthy non-Body Slam Snorlax are all generally safe options to bring Aerodactyl in on.

Team Options
========

This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Mega Gyarados has a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily and allows Gyarados to preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill's U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As Gyarados and Aerodactyl share an Electric weakness, it's usually beneficial to have a Ground-type, such as Nidoqueen. The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. Reflect Zapdos also synergizes well with this flexible Aerodactyl set, as an incoming Melmetal provides an opportunity for Zapdos to set up Reflect for the rest of the team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============



Replacing Wing Attack or Crunch with Roost will give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated switches into Stealth Rock, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and other status moves, but Mega Aerodactyl risks being hit hard if your opponent did not select one of those moves. Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more damage in a single hit, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Melmetal**: Melmetal's tremendous HP, excellent Defense, and and good defensive typing allow it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl's STAB attacks and only leave it slightly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous Attack stat and signature move, Double Iron Bash, will allow it to OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned.

**Bulky Offensive Pokemon**: Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, Poliwrath, and Starmie can all take at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks.

**Bulky Status Users**: Mew, Clefable and Starmie can survive an attack from Mega or regular Aerodactyl and cripple it with paralysis or burn in Mew's case.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [Ezaphs,375272], [Ivy, 173336]]
- Grammar checked by: [[ The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [empress, 175616]]


Edit: Made it all bullets.
Edit: Changed some points based on feedback.
Very Important Edit: Moved the fwaps under the correct sprite.
 
Last edited:

Theorymon

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Gonna check this!

I think it's important that you fix the formatting. Usage Tips and Team Options go directly under the set they're related to, not grouped with other usage tips and team options. You can just copy + paste the format from other LGPE analyses if you want.

Anyways, my comments will be in red.



rawr

fwapfwapfwap



[OVERVIEW]

  • Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE metagame due to a combination of an extremely high attack stat, a phenomenal speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage.
  • As there are only two Pokémon (Electrode and Mega Alakazam) that can even tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock damage and priority like Aqua Jet or Ice Shard.
  • Due to its mediocre bulk, it can struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super-effective STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage.
  • Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.
I think you should also mention that Aerodactyl's STAB attacks have fairly low base power, which limits its sweeping potential.

[SET ONE]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Fly/Wing Attack

Item: Aerodactylite

nature: Jolly/Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]


Set information
=========
  • Rock Slide is Mega Aerodactyl’s strongest one-turn STAB, and allows it to KO threats like Zapdos, Regular Gyarados, and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip before Rock Slide will OHKO.
  • Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal – doing over half to the former and over a third to the latter (whereas Mega Aerodactyl would normally struggle to do more than 20% to these threats).
  • Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who needs to survive an 87.5% roll, then win a speed tie, or crit, to win the matchup) and Starmie.
  • Fly allows Aerodactyl to OHKO regular Venusaur and Machamp after Stealth Rock, and deals with Poliwrath and Mega Venusaur after a small amount of chip, or multiple Stealth Rock turns. Wing attack is another option for this set, as it allows Aerodactyl to threaten these mons earlier in these games without allowing your opponent a nearly-free swap into a flying resist like Melmetal or Rhydon.
  • The preferred nature is Jolly, as this allows Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed the random Modest Mega Alakazam, and gives it the potential to win the matchup vs a speed natured Mega Alakazam without taking damage. However, Adamant extends Mega Aerodactyl's KO range for many of its threats, while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by Mega Alakazam, Electrode, Mega Beedrill, and opposing Mega Aerodactyl - of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO after rocks damage.
Worth mentioning that Wing Attack 2HKOs Mega Venusaur after Stealth Rock, and always 2HKOs Poliwrath.

[SET TWO]
name: Stealth Rock Setter/Flexible Aerodactyl
move 1: Stealth Rock/Roost
move 2: Taunt/Roost
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

  • Taunt allows you to block status, rocks, or setup moves from anything slower than Aerodactyl.
  • Roost will provide some longevity for repeated rocks turns and allows Aerodactyl to be more flexible in how often it can come in.
  • SlideQuake hits most of the meta hard, and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter.
Usage Tips
========

Mega Attacker:
  • The Stealth Rock weakness and lack of roost means that this set struggles with coming in repeatedly with no real way of healing off the damage.
  • Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring something in on those attacks and expect them to do anything other than just die on the very next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game, unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn’t have anything with significant priority or equal speed tier.
  • Mega Aerodactyl’s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks means that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. As such, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something that threatens these statuses and isn’t in range of an OHKO from Mega Aerodactyl.
  • This build requires a fair amount of chip on bulky mons like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into range of Mega Aerodactyl’s coverage.
Flexible Aero:
  • This build is a flexible Aerodactyl, capable of setting rocks as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega.
  • While it is capable of being lead and suicided for Stealth Rock setup, this is generally a poor play. Finding an opportunity to get a free swap into Aerodactyl, then using taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rocks while maintaining a healthy Aerodactyl. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, a healthy Snorlax are all generally safe options to bring in Aerodactyl.
Team Options
========

Mega Attacker:
  • Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip and Stealth Rock damage, its teammates can be extremely varied.
  • Starmie and Zapdos are two excellent teammates, as they can easily answer and chip Mega Aerodactyl’s main threats.
  • Pokémon with strong fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal to the point of an Earthquake KO.
I know this is obvious info, but you should probably mention Stealth Rock setters for Mega Aerodactyl, it really needs that set up to function.

Flexible Aero:
  • This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Gyarados’ Mega form will introduce a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily while allowing Gyarados to stay in a form that resists Mega Beedrill’s U-Turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As both of these carry an electric weakness, it’s usually beneficial to have a ground-type on the team as well – potentially freeing up Aerodactyl to carry Roost and Taunt. Should probably get more specfic here, mention stuff like say, Nidoking/Nidoqueen or Sandslash.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mega Attacker:

  • Replacing wing attack or crunch with roost will serve to give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated Stealth Rock turns, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie.
  • Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and status, but opens the possibility of being read and losing a significant amount of health for no real gain.
Checks and Counters
===================

  • Melmetal: Melmetal’s tremendous health, defense and typing allows it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl’s STAB and only be minorly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous attack stat and signature move, Double Iron Bash, will OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned.
  • Bulky Mons: Rhydon, Mew, M-Gyarados, etc. can all live at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock, and threaten it with an OHKO or status. I'd divide these up a bit. I think Rhydon and Mega Gyarados can be grouped together, but Mew is a bit unique because it focuses on status.
  • Agility Mons: Dragonite and Kingler both outspeed Mega Aerodactyl at +2 and can OHKO after Stealth Rock damage. Not sure Kingler is common enough to mention.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]


Edit: Made it all bullets.
 

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
Gonna check this!

I think it's important that you fix the formatting. Usage Tips and Team Options go directly under the set they're related to, not grouped with other usage tips and team options. You can just copy + paste the format from other LGPE analyses if you want.

Anyways, my comments will be in red.

Made the requested changes!
 

Eve

taking a break
is a Site Content Manageris a Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
Community Leader
oh boi they flappin
feel free to question any of these suggestions btw
add remove comments


rawr

fwapfwapfwap



[OVERVIEW]

  • Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE metagame due to a combination of an extremely high attack stat, a phenomenal speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage.
  • As there are only two Pokémon (Electrode and Mega Alakazam) that can even tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock damage and priority like Aqua Jet or Ice Shard.
  • Due to its mediocre bulk, it can struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super-effective STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage.
  • Because its STAB attacks are relatively low base power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip has been spread.
  • Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.
[SET ONE]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Fly/Wing Attack/Roost Fly just isn't that good and is easily exploitable, I've moved it to OO- Roost is pretty good however and definitely deserves a slash

Item: Aerodactylite

nature: Jolly/Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]


Set information
=========
  • Rock Slide is Mega Aerodactyl’s strongest one-turn STAB attack, and allows it able to KO threats like Zapdos, Regular Gyarados, regular Gyarados isn't really relevant and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and otherwise having respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip before Rock Slide will reliably 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock OHKO.
  • Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal – doing over half to the former and over a third to the latter (whereas Mega Aerodactyl would normally struggle to do more than 20% to these threats).
  • Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who needs to survive an 87.5% roll, then win a speed tie, or crit, to win the matchup) and Starmie.
  • Fly allows Aerodactyl to OHKO regular Venusaur and Machamp after Stealth Rock, and deals with Poliwrath and Mega Venusaur after a small amount of chip, or multiple Stealth Rock turns. Wing attack is another option for this set, as it allows Aerodactyl to threaten Pokémon that may otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as these mons earlier in these games without allowing your opponent a nearly-free swap into a flying resist like Melmetal or Rhydon. Wing Attack consistently 2HKOs Mega Venusaur and poliwrath, as well., while Roost allows Aerodactyl to heal if necessary and tank moves that normally hit it super-effectively.
  • The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill and Electrode while also allowing as this allows Mega Aerodactyl to outspeed the random Modest Mega Alakazam, and gives it the potential to win the matchup vs a speed natured Mega Alakazam without taking damage. However, Adamant extends Mega Aerodactyl's KO range for many of its threats, while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by Mega Alakazam, Electrode, Mega Beedrill, the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl - of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO after rocks damage.
Usage Tips
========
  • The Stealth Rock weakness and lack of roost means that this set struggles with coming in repeatedly with no real way of healing off the damage. Roost is now a slash
  • Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring something in on those attacks and expect them to do anything other than just die on the very next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game, unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn’t have anything with significant priority or equal speed tier.
  • Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it.
  • Mega Aerodactyl’s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks means that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. As such, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something that threatens these statuses and isn’t in range of an OHKO from Mega Aerodactyl.
  • This build requires a fair amount of chip on bulky mons like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into range of Mega Aerodactyl’s coverage.
Team Options
========
  • Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip and Stealth Rock damage, its teammates can be extremely varied.
  • Starmie and Zapdos are two excellent teammates, as they can easily answer and chip Mega Aerodactyl’s main threats.
  • Pokémon with strong fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal to the point of an Earthquake KO.
  • Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates stealth rock chip. Many things that would otherwise check Aerodactyl (like zapdos) will die upon taking a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. As such, it's highly recommended to carry a consistent stealth rock setter. like Nidoqueen is especially effective as it can easily set rocks up on the common Zapdos and spread consistent damage with Super Fang.
[SET TWO]
name: Stealth Rock Setter/Flexible Aerodactyl
move 1: Stealth Rock/Roost I can't imagine anyone ever running a set like this other than for reliable Rocks, at that point just run set one
move 2: Taunt/Roost
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

  • Stealth Rock provides the main purpose of this set, being reliably set up thanks to Aerodactyl's great Speed.
  • Taunt allows you to block status, rocks, or setup moves from anything slower than Aerodactyl., while Roost provides some longevity that allows for repeated switchins.
  • Roost will provide some longevity for repeated rocks turns and allows Aerodactyl to be more flexible in how often it can come in.
  • SlideQuake hits most of the meta hard, and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter.
Usage Tips
========
  • This build is a flexible Aerodactyl, capable of setting rocks as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega.
  • While it is capable of being lead and suicided for Stealth Rock setup, this is generally a poor play. Finding an opportunity to get a free swap into Aerodactyl, then using taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rocks while maintaining a healthy Aerodactyl. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, a healthy Snorlax are all generally safe options to bring in Aerodactyl.
Team Options
========
  • This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Gyarados’ Mega form will introduce a huge has a significant weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily while allowing Gyarados to stay in a form that resists Mega Beedrill’s U-Turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As both of these carry an electric weakness, it’s usually beneficial to have a ground-type - Nidoqueen and Sandslash are both immune to thunderbolt and threaten out most users every relevant Ground-type does this. This has the added benefit of allowing Aerodactyl to drop rocks in favor of roost, taunt or a coverage move. The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl handling Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mega Attacker:

  • Replacing wing attack or crunch with roost will serve to give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated Stealth Rock turns, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. Roost is slashed
  • Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more instant damage, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.
  • Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and status, but opens the possibility of being read and losing a significant amount of health for no real gain.
Checks and Counters
===================

  • Melmetal: Melmetal’s tremendous health, defense and typing allows it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl’s STAB and only be minorly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous attack stat and signature move, Double Iron Bash, will OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned.
  • Bulky Attackers: Rhydon, M-Gyarados, Poliwrath, Starmie, etc., can all live at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks.
  • Bulky Status users: Mew, Clefable and Starmie, especially, can live an attack and cripple Mega Aerodactyl or regular Aerodactyl with paralysis (or burn, from Mew).
  • Dragonite: Dragonite outspeeds Mega Aerodactyl at +2 and can OHKO with Outrage after Stealth Rock damage. Dragonite is definitely not a check or counter, seeing as it can't safely 1v1 in any scenario including Rocks unless it's already set up- a setup sweeper beating something after being set up doesn't make it a significant check to that thing if it loses otherwise
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]


Edit: Made it all bullets.
with that, QC 2/3!
 

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
oh boi they flappin
feel free to question any of these suggestions btw
add remove comments

with that, QC 2/3!
Most of this is pretty fair. I kinda dislike roost on Mega Aero because it *really* needs its coverage and really shouldn't be taking hits. That's why I initially put it in OO. I've used that set a *lot*, but I can count the times roost has been truly effective on a single hand.

Also, I run the taunt/roost regular aero on cart pretty often. I haven't used it as much on showdown, so removing it from the write-up is okay. It's mostly to annoy mews/Venusaurs while still proving some offensive presence and a backup mega for m-bee (cart team is mega gyar).

I'll likely implement them all sometime today. Posting from a phone currently.
 
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Ivy

resident enigma
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What's the line about "struggling to do over 20%" trying to convey? Seems unnecessary imo.
Also, in the SR set, "to bring in Aerodactyl"—you mean to bring Aerodactyl in on these, right? Maybe rephrase that, and also, Body Slam from Snorlax has the risk of paralysis, so that may be unwise to list among those.

Just those two little nitpicks from me for this 3/3 QC. Great work!
 

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
What's the line about "struggling to do over 20%" trying to convey? Seems unnecessary imo.
Also, in the SR set, "to bring in Aerodactyl"—you mean to bring Aerodactyl in on these, right? Maybe rephrase that, and also, Body Slam from Snorlax has the risk of paralysis, so that may be unwise to list among those.

Just those two little nitpicks from me for this 3/3 QC. Great work!

Changed these sentences a bit. I did leave lax, but made sure to note that you should scout for their normal STAB attack. A healthy Facade lax is usually a good opportunity for aero to come in. Let me know if you're still good.
 
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Lumari

empty spaces
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
pls implement via the method show in https://spo.ink/gpvideo
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE metagame due to a combination of a high Attack stat, a phenomenal Speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage. As there are only two Pokémon (Electrode and Mega Alakazam) are the only two Pokemon that can even Speed tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock damage and priority moves like Aqua Jet or Ice Shard. Due to its mediocre bulk, it can also struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super effective (RH) STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage. Because its STAB attacks are have relatively low Base Power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip damage has been spread across the opposing team. Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.

[SET ONE]
[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Wing Attack / Roost (spacing)
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly / Adamant (spacing)

[SET COMMENTS]
Set information
=========

Rock Slide is Mega Aerodactyl’s strongest STAB, and allows it Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos (RC) and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and having has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. (add Dragonite into the list in the previous sentence if possible) Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, (comma) doing over half to the former and over a third to the latter (whereas Mega Aerodactyl's other attack options deal insignificant damage to these major threats). (redundant) Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who needs to survive an 87.5% roll, then win a speed tie, or crit, to win the matchup) ("defeating it unless it avoid a near-guaranteed OHKO or wins the Speed tie"? can't make sense of this bit properly) and Starmie. Wing attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten mons foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to heal restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, (AC) and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the random rare Modest Mega Alakazam. However, Adamant extends Mega Aerodactyl's KO range for many of its threats (what does this mean? "allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily"?) (RC) while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl, (comma) of which (RC) only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO after rocks Stealth Rock damage.


Usage Tips
========

Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring something a teammate in on those their attacks and expect them it to do anything other than just die get KOed on the very next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game (RC) unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn’t have anything with significant (what does this mean in this context) priority or equal speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl’s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks means mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. As such, it’s Thus, it's generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something that threatens these statuses status ailments and isn’t in its KO range of an OHKO from Mega Aerodactyl. Finally, this build set (?) requires a fair amount of chip on bulky mons foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into range of Mega Aerodactyl’s coverage.

Team Options
========

Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip and Stealth Rock damage, its teammates can be extremely varied. ("it has a very diverse range of potential teammates", though I feel there should be a less intrusive option) Starmie, Poliwrath, and Zapdos are excellent teammates option, as they can easily answer and chip down Mega Aerodactyl’s main threats. Pokémon with strong Fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip down Melmetal to the point of an into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock chip support, (AC) as many things foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl it like Zapdos (remove parentheses) will die upon taking be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. As such, it's highly recommended to carry a consistent stealth rock setter. Nidoqueen is especially effective, (AC) as it can set up rocks Stealth Rock against the common Zapdos and spread consistent chip damage with Super Fang. Dragonite's The standard Agility set Dragonite can be support Mega Aerodactyl extremely effectively in supporting Mega Aerodactyl as well, as they both can lure out and damage Melmetal to help out the other.

[SET TWO]
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt / Roost (spacing)
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Aerodactyl can Stealth Rock provides the main purpose of this set, being reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to Aerodactyl's its great Speed. Taunt allows you Aerodactyl to block status, rocks, Stealth Rock, or setup moves from anything slower than Aerodactyl. SlideQuake The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard (RC) and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter.

Usage Tips (remove bullets)
========
This build set is a flexible Aerodactyl variant, capable of setting rocks Stealth Rock as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega Evolution. While it is capable of being lead and suicided for played as a suicide Stealth Rock setup lead, this is generally a poor play. Finding an opportunity to get a free swap into switch Aerodactyl in for free, then and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rocks Rock while maintaining a healthy Aerodactyl's health. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, a healthy Snorlax (once the normal STAB of choice has been revealed) (don't get this, "once it's been confirmed not to run Body Slam"?) are all generally safe options to bring in Aerodactyl in on.

Team Options
========
This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Using Mega Gyarados’ Mega form will introduce leave a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily while and allowing allows Gyarados to stay in a form that resists preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill’s U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As both of these Gyarados and Aerodactyl carry an Electric weakness, it’s usually beneficial to have a Ground-type. (such as?) The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl handling providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. (this feels short, idk if i can build a proper team off this; if you have to repeat mons from the previous set then by all means do, if those actually don't work then absolutely expand a little bit bc that's where i'd naturally turn to as it stands)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mega Attacker:

Replacing Wing Attack or Crunch with Roost will serve to give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated switches into Stealth Rock turns, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. (it's a slashed option on that set though) Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and status, but it opens the possibility of being read (not sure what this means) and losing a significant amount of health for no real gain. Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more instant damage in a single hit, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.

Checks and Counters
===================
(reformat this as a threatlist, e.g. "**Melmetal**: <words>", see other analyses to see how it's done)

Melmetal’s tremendous health HP, excellent Defense, (AC) and good defensive typing allows allow it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl’s STAB attacks and only be minorly leave it slightly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous Attack stat and signature move (RC) Double Iron Bash (RC) will also allow it to OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned. Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, Poliwrath, and Starmie, etc., can all livetake at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks. Mew, Clefable and Starmie can live survive an attack and cripple from Mega Aerodactyl or regular Aerodactyl and cripple it with paralysis or burn, from Mew). in Mew's case.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [Ezaphs,375272], [Ivy, 173336]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
pls implement via the method show in https://spo.ink/gpvideo
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE metagame due to a combination of a high Attack stat, a phenomenal Speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage. As there are only two Pokémon (Electrode and Mega Alakazam) are the only two Pokemon that can even Speed tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock damage and priority moves like Aqua Jet or Ice Shard. Due to its mediocre bulk, it can also struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super effective (RH) STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage. Because its STAB attacks are have relatively low Base Power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip damage has been spread across the opposing team. Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.

[SET ONE]
[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Wing Attack / Roost (spacing)
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly / Adamant (spacing)

[SET COMMENTS]
Set information
=========

Rock Slide is Mega Aerodactyl’s strongest STAB, and allows it Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos (RC) and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and having has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. (add Dragonite into the list in the previous sentence if possible) Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, (comma) doing over half to the former and over a third to the latter (whereas Mega Aerodactyl's other attack options deal insignificant damage to these major threats). (redundant) Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who needs to survive an 87.5% roll, then win a speed tie, or crit, to win the matchup) ("defeating it unless it avoid a near-guaranteed OHKO or wins the Speed tie"? can't make sense of this bit properly) and Starmie. Wing attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten mons foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to heal restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, (AC) and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the random rare Modest Mega Alakazam. However, Adamant extends Mega Aerodactyl's KO range for many of its threats (what does this mean? "allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily"?) (RC) while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl, (comma) of which (RC) only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO after rocks Stealth Rock damage.


Usage Tips
========

Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring something a teammate in on those their attacks and expect them it to do anything other than just die get KOed on the very next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game (RC) unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn’t have anything with significant (what does this mean in this context) priority or equal speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl’s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks means mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. As such, it’s Thus, it's generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something that threatens these statuses status ailments and isn’t in its KO range of an OHKO from Mega Aerodactyl. Finally, this build set (?) requires a fair amount of chip on bulky mons foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into range of Mega Aerodactyl’s coverage.

Team Options
========

Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip and Stealth Rock damage, its teammates can be extremely varied. ("it has a very diverse range of potential teammates", though I feel there should be a less intrusive option) Starmie, Poliwrath, and Zapdos are excellent teammates option, as they can easily answer and chip down Mega Aerodactyl’s main threats. Pokémon with strong Fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip down Melmetal to the point of an into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock chip support, (AC) as many things foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl it like Zapdos (remove parentheses) will die upon taking be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. As such, it's highly recommended to carry a consistent stealth rock setter. Nidoqueen is especially effective, (AC) as it can set up rocks Stealth Rock against the common Zapdos and spread consistent chip damage with Super Fang. Dragonite's The standard Agility set Dragonite can be support Mega Aerodactyl extremely effectively in supporting Mega Aerodactyl as well, as they both can lure out and damage Melmetal to help out the other.

[SET TWO]
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt / Roost (spacing)
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Aerodactyl can Stealth Rock provides the main purpose of this set, being reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to Aerodactyl's its great Speed. Taunt allows you Aerodactyl to block status, rocks, Stealth Rock, or setup moves from anything slower than Aerodactyl. SlideQuake The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard (RC) and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter.

Usage Tips (remove bullets)
========
This build set is a flexible Aerodactyl variant, capable of setting rocks Stealth Rock as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega Evolution. While it is capable of being lead and suicided for played as a suicide Stealth Rock setup lead, this is generally a poor play. Finding an opportunity to get a free swap into switch Aerodactyl in for free, then and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rocks Rock while maintaining a healthy Aerodactyl's health. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, a healthy Snorlax (once the normal STAB of choice has been revealed) (don't get this, "once it's been confirmed not to run Body Slam"?) are all generally safe options to bring in Aerodactyl in on.

Team Options
========
This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Using Mega Gyarados’ Mega form will introduce leave a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily while and allowing allows Gyarados to stay in a form that resists preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill’s U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As both of these Gyarados and Aerodactyl carry an Electric weakness, it’s usually beneficial to have a Ground-type. (such as?) The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl handling providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. (this feels short, idk if i can build a proper team off this; if you have to repeat mons from the previous set then by all means do, if those actually don't work then absolutely expand a little bit bc that's where i'd naturally turn to as it stands)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mega Attacker:

Replacing Wing Attack or Crunch with Roost will serve to give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated switches into Stealth Rock turns, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. (it's a slashed option on that set though) Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and status, but it opens the possibility of being read (not sure what this means) and losing a significant amount of health for no real gain. Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more instant damage in a single hit, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.

Checks and Counters
===================
(reformat this as a threatlist, e.g. "**Melmetal**: <words>", see other analyses to see how it's done)

Melmetal’s tremendous health HP, excellent Defense, (AC) and good defensive typing allows allow it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl’s STAB attacks and only be minorly leave it slightly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous Attack stat and signature move (RC) Double Iron Bash (RC) will also allow it to OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned. Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, Poliwrath, and Starmie, etc., can all livetake at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks. Mew, Clefable and Starmie can live survive an attack and cripple from Mega Aerodactyl or regular Aerodactyl and cripple it with paralysis or burn, from Mew). in Mew's case.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [Ezaphs,375272], [Ivy, 173336]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Will do - will likely be this weekend, currently on vacation.

bump - p squared
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Empress

33% coffee, 33% alcohol, 34% estrogen
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
add remove comment

fwapfwapfwap

rawr




[OVERVIEW]

Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE OU metagame due to a combination of a high Attack stat, a phenomenal Speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage. As Electrode and Mega Alakazam are the only two Pokemon that can even Speed tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock and priority moves like Aqua Jet or and Ice Shard. Due to its mediocre bulk, it can also struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or and Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super effective STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage. Because its STAB attacks have relatively low Base Power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip damage has been spread across the opposing team. Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.


[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Wing Attack / Roost
Item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]


Set information
=========

Rock Slide allows Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos, Dragonite, and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, doing over half 50% to the former and over a third 33% (Changing the fractions to percentages is a subjective change; you don't have to do this if you don't want to) to the latter. Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who which either needs to win a speed Speed tie and land a critical hit, or survive a near-guaranteed OHKO then and win a speed Speed tie on the next turn) and Starmie. Wing attack Attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the rare Modest Mega Alakazam. However, Adamant allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl-(RH)&mdash;of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO it after Stealth Rock damage.


Usage Tips
========

Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring a teammate in on their attacks and expect it to do anything other than get KOed on the next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn'(no curly apostrophes)t have anything Pokemon with super effective priority moves or an equal speed Speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. Thus, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something against a foe that threatens these status ailments and isn'(no curly apostrophes)t in its KO range. Finally, this set requires a fair amount of chip damage on bulky foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into KO range of Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s coverage moves.

Team Options
========

Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon number of Pokemon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip damage and Stealth Rock damage, its it has a very diverse range of potential teammates. Starmie, Poliwrath, and Zapdos are excellent options, as they can easily answer and chip dowb down Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s main threats. Pokémon Pokemon with strong Fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock support. Many support because many (subjective change; this sentence looked a little short) foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl, like the common (Makes sense to have this point earlier) Zapdos, will be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. Nidoqueen is especially effective, (AC) as it can set up Stealth Rock against the common Zapdos and spread consistent chip damage with Super Fang. Dragonite's standard Agility set can support Mega Aerodactyl extremely effectively as well, as they both can lure out in and damage Melmetal to help out the other.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt / Roost
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Aerodactyl can reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to its great Speed. Taunt allows Aerodactyl to block status-inducing moves, Stealth Rock, or and setup moves from anything slower foes. The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter. (This doesn't seem totally necessary unless it's rare for Stealth Rock setters to also be used offensively in LGPE OU. If that is the case, you can keep it)

Usage Tips
========

This set is a flexible Aerodactyl variant, capable of setting Stealth Rock as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega. (I have no idea what you were trying to say here; please let me know what you meant, and we can work on this sentence together.) While it is capable of being played as a suicide Stealth Rock lead, this is generally a poor play. (Why?) Finding an opportunity to switch in Aerodactyl for free, (RC) and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rock while maintaining Aerodactyl's health. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, and a healthy non-Body Slam Snorlax (once it has been confirmed not to run Body Slam) are all generally safe options to bring Aerodactyl in on.

Team Options
========

This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Using Mega Gyarados will leave has a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, (I'd hope that Mega Gyarados's teammates would be able to patch that weakness!) but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily and allows Gyarados to preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill'(no curly apostrophes)s U-Turn U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As Gyarados and Aerodactyl carry share an Electric weakness, it'(no curly apostrophes) s usually beneficial to have a Ground-type, such as Nidoqueen. The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. Reflect Zapdos with reflect also synergizes well with this flexible Aerodactyl set, as an incoming Melmetal provides an opportunity for Zapdos to set up a reflect Reflect for the rest of the team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============



Replacing Wing Attack or Crunch with Roost will (remove extra space)give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated switches into Stealth Rock, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and other status moves, (It does not block moves like Body Slam) but Mega Aerodactyl risks being hit hard if your opponent did not select one of those moves. Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more damage in a single hit, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.

Checks and Counters
===================
(add stars ** around each one)
**Melmetal**: Melmetal'(no curly apostrophes)s tremendous HP, excellent defense Defense, and and good defensive typing allow it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s STAB attacks and only leave it slightly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous Attack stat and signature move, Double Iron Bash, will allow it to OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned.

**Bulky Offensive Pokemon**: Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, Poliwrath, and Starmie can all take at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks.

**Bulky Status Users**: Mew, Clefable and Starmie can survive an attack from Mega or regular Aerodactyl and cripple it with paralysis or burn in Mew's case.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [Ezaphs,375272], [Ivy, 173336]]
- Grammar checked by: [[ The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]


Edit: Made it all bullets.
Edit: Changed some points based on feedback.
Very Important Edit: Moved the fwaps under the correct sprite.
GP 2/2
 
Last edited:

McCoolDude

Just a fat shark
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
add remove comment

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rawr




[OVERVIEW]

Mega Aerodactyl is an offensive powerhouse in the LGPE OU metagame due to a combination of a high Attack stat, a phenomenal Speed stat, and enough coverage to hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage. As Electrode and Mega Alakazam are the only two Pokemon that can even Speed tie with it, Mega Aerodactyl can often sweep a softened team without taking any hits. However, its typing makes it vulnerable to Stealth Rock and priority moves like Aqua Jet or and Ice Shard. Due to its mediocre bulk, it can also struggle with breaking past bulkier Pokemon like Melmetal or and Mega Gyarados, as it generally will not survive a super effective STAB attack after Stealth Rock damage. Because its STAB attacks have relatively low Base Power, Mega Aerodactyl generally struggles to sweep before chip damage has been spread across the opposing team. Mega Aerodactyl generally does its best work in a late-game cleanup, when its threats are properly softened.


[SET]
name: Mega Attacker
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Wing Attack / Roost
Item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly / Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]


Set information
=========

Rock Slide allows Mega Aerodactyl to KO threats like Zapdos, Dragonite, and opposing Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock damage and has respectable neutral coverage over the tier. Threats like Dragonite only require a small amount of chip damage before Rock Slide will reliably OHKO them. Earthquake gives Mega Aerodactyl a method of responding to threats like Rhydon and Melmetal, doing over half 50% to the former and over a third 33% (Changing the fractions to percentages is a subjective change; you don't have to do this if you don't want to) to the latter. Crunch allows Mega Aerodactyl to have a favorable matchup with Mega Alakazam (who which either needs to win a speed Speed tie and land a critical hit, or survive a near-guaranteed OHKO then and win a speed Speed tie on the next turn) and Starmie. Wing attack Attack allows Aerodactyl to threaten foes that otherwise give it trouble due to their bulk or typing, such as Mega Venusaur and Poliwrath. Roost is an option that allows Mega Aerodactyl to restore its HP if necessary and tank moves that would normally hit it super effectively. The preferred nature is Jolly, as it improves Aerodactyl's odds versus standard Mega Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, and Electrode while also allowing it to outspeed the rare Modest Mega Alakazam. However, Adamant allows Mega Aerodactyl to secure many KOs more easily while only opening it up to being consistently outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and opposing Mega Aerodactyl-(RH)&mdash;of which, only opposing Mega Aerodactyl can OHKO it after Stealth Rock damage.


Usage Tips
========

Pokemon that check Mega Aerodactyl will usually be extremely heavy hitters, so it can be difficult to bring a teammate in on their attacks and expect it to do anything other than get KOed on the next turn. This means that this set is generally reserved for late-game unless your opponent has failed to set up Stealth Rock or doesn'(no curly apostrophes)t have anything Pokemon with super effective priority moves or an equal speed Speed tier. Mega Aerodactyl can also act as an effective revenge killer due to its perfect neutral coverage and amazing Speed, so don't be afraid to use it earlier on if a situation calls for it. Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s mediocre bulk and focus on speedy physical attacks mean that burn and paralysis will largely render it useless. Thus, it’s generally not safe to bring it in on or leave it in on something against a foe that threatens these status ailments and isn'(no curly apostrophes)t in its KO range. Finally, this set requires a fair amount of chip damage on bulky foes like Rhydon, Melmetal, Clefable, and Mega Gyarados. Keep this in mind when selecting teammates, as often, a teammate merely needs to get a single attack off on one of these threats to bring it into KO range of Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s coverage moves.

Team Options
========

Because of the limited amount of LGPE Pokémon number of Pokemon that can survive an attack from Mega Aerodactyl after a small amount of chip damage and Stealth Rock damage, its it has a very diverse range of potential teammates. Starmie, Poliwrath, and Zapdos are excellent options, as they can easily answer and chip dowb down Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s main threats. Pokémon Pokemon with strong Fire-type attacks are always appreciated by Mega Aerodactyl, as they can chip Melmetal into Earthquake's KO range. Mega Aerodactyl truly appreciates Stealth Rock support. Many support because many (subjective change; this sentence looked a little short) foes that would otherwise check Aerodactyl, like the common (Makes sense to have this point earlier) Zapdos, will be taken out by a single Rock Slide after Stealth Rock damage. Nidoqueen is especially effective, (AC) as it can set up Stealth Rock against the common Zapdos and spread consistent chip damage with Super Fang. Dragonite's standard Agility set can support Mega Aerodactyl extremely effectively as well, as they both can lure out in and damage Melmetal to help out the other.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Taunt / Roost
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake
item: Aerodactylite
nature: Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Aerodactyl can reliably set up Stealth Rock thanks to its great Speed. Taunt allows Aerodactyl to block status-inducing moves, Stealth Rock, or and setup moves from anything slower foes. The combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake hits most of the metagame hard and allows Aerodactyl to have some offensive presence, even as a Stealth Rock setter. (This doesn't seem totally necessary unless it's rare for Stealth Rock setters to also be used offensively in LGPE OU. If that is the case, you can keep it)

Usage Tips
========

This set is a flexible Aerodactyl variant, capable of setting Stealth Rock as well as maintaining the threat of Mega Aerodactyl against teams that would better be answered by it than by an alternate Mega. (I have no idea what you were trying to say here; please let me know what you meant, and we can work on this sentence together.) While it is capable of being played as a suicide Stealth Rock lead, this is generally a poor play. (Why?) Finding an opportunity to switch in Aerodactyl for free, (RC) and using Taunt to block a predicted status move will usually provide the opportunity to set Stealth Rock while maintaining Aerodactyl's health. Dugtrio, Alolan Muk, and a healthy non-Body Slam Snorlax (once it has been confirmed not to run Body Slam) are all generally safe options to bring Aerodactyl in on.

Team Options
========

This is an ideal partner for a team focused on Mega Gyarados. Using Mega Gyarados will leave has a huge weakness to Mega Beedrill, (I'd hope that Mega Gyarados's teammates would be able to patch that weakness!) but Mega Aerodactyl answers it easily and allows Gyarados to preserve its resistance to Mega Beedrill'(no curly apostrophes)s U-Turn U-turn. In addition, Mega Gyarados plugs the weak spots Aerodactyl has to Starmie and Rhydon. As Gyarados and Aerodactyl carry share an Electric weakness, it'(no curly apostrophes) s usually beneficial to have a Ground-type, such as Nidoqueen. The chosen Ground-type also appreciates Aerodactyl providing Stealth Rock, as it gives it room to increase its coverage. Reflect Zapdos with reflect also synergizes well with this flexible Aerodactyl set, as an incoming Melmetal provides an opportunity for Zapdos to set up a reflect Reflect for the rest of the team.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============



Replacing Wing Attack or Crunch with Roost will (remove extra space)give Mega Aerodactyl some longevity and offset repeated switches into Stealth Rock, but it sacrifices the ability to deal with common late-game threats like Mega Alakazam, Poliwrath, Mega Venusaur, Mew, and Starmie. Taunt can allow Mega Aerodactyl to temporarily stop Stealth Rock and other status moves, (It does not block moves like Body Slam) but Mega Aerodactyl risks being hit hard if your opponent did not select one of those moves. Wing Attack could be replaced with Fly in order to deal more damage in a single hit, but Wing Attack has a higher overall damage output and can't be exploited as easily.

Checks and Counters
===================
(add stars ** around each one)
**Melmetal**: Melmetal'(no curly apostrophes)s tremendous HP, excellent defense Defense, and and good defensive typing allow it to shrug off all of Mega Aerodactyl'(no curly apostrophes)s STAB attacks and only leave it slightly vulnerable to Earthquake. Its monstrous Attack stat and signature move, Double Iron Bash, will allow it to OHKO Mega Aerodactyl after Stealth Rock even while burned.

**Bulky Offensive Pokemon**: Rhydon, Mega Gyarados, Poliwrath, and Starmie can all take at least one attack from Mega Aerodactyl even after Stealth Rock damage and threaten it with an OHKO from their STAB attacks.

**Bulky Status Users**: Mew, Clefable and Starmie can survive an attack from Mega or regular Aerodactyl and cripple it with paralysis or burn in Mew's case.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Theorymon,29010], [Ezaphs,375272], [Ivy, 173336]]
- Grammar checked by: [[ The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]


Edit: Made it all bullets.
Edit: Changed some points based on feedback.
Very Important Edit: Moved the fwaps under the correct sprite.
GP 2/2

Implemented. I liked the change to percentages a little better than fractions, and the sentence about alternate megas was talked about later anyway, so I stripped it in that part.
 

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