Mega Aerodactyl has been a top-tier threat in UU since its introduction in XY thanks to its stellar Speed, huge movepool, good Attack stat, and good ability in Tough Claws, which multiplies the power of its contact moves, such as Aqua Tail, Crunch, and Wing Attack, by 1.3. With all these qualities combined with a good offensive typing, Mega Aerodactyl gains the edge against most offensive teams while also wreaking havoc against balance teams with its Hone Claws set. Mega Aerodactyl also has access to Pursuit, which gives its teammates the opportunity to shine if threats like Latias and Mega Beedrill are trapped. Mega Aerodactyl's typing allows it to pressure many Pokemon, such as Mega Pidgeot, Chandelure, Krookodile, and Gliscor, thanks to a useful Flying resistance and invaluable Ground immunity, but it also gives Mega Aerodactyl some unfortunate flaws, such as its weakness to Stealth Rock and vulnerability to common priority moves in Bullet Punch and Ice Shard.
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Wing Attack
- Aqua Tail / Pursuit / Roost
- Earthquake / Crunch / Pursuit
All-out attacker Mega Aerodactyl is present in many teams, as it outspeeds the entire unboosted tier and has diverse coverage options, making it unpredictable and really customizable, giving Mega Aerodactyl the chance of picking its own counters and helping its teammates with whatever they need. Stone Edge and Wing Attack are mandatory STAB moves that allow Mega Aerodactyl to hit Grass-, Fighting-, and Flying-types super effectively. Aqua Tail hits Krookodile, Hippowdon, Terrakion, and Gliscor for super effective damage. Roost gives Mega Aerodactyl a reliable form of recovery and is appreciated on balance or semi-stall teams that use Mega Aerodactyl, as it can take more hits while Pursuit trapping threats such as Mega Beedrill and Latias. Earthquake hits Steel- and Poison-types super effectively, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to hit Empoleon, Cobalion, Metagross, and Tentacruel on the switch. Crunch is a more underrated coverage option, but it works well if Mega Aerodactyl's team is lacking solid methods to OHKO Latias, since Crunch has a high chance to OHKO it after Stealth Rock, and Crunch also hits Slowbro, Slowking, and Metagross super effectively. Pursuit can be used in either of the last slots, as it really depends on what the team needs; if Pursuit is being used in the third slot, Mega Aerodactyl should be used on a more offensive team, as it usually traps weakened Latias, Mega Beedrill, and Celebi. If Mega Aerodactyl's team is balance or semi-stall, Pursuit should be used in the fourth slot alongside Roost, as this gives Mega Aerodactyl longevity and the needed tools to Pursuit trap threats to these archetypes, such as Calm Mind Latias and Mega Beedrill. Mega Aerodactyl's movepool is quite extensive, so it has various other options such as Ice Fang to hit Gliscor and Latias, Fire Fang to hit Scizor, and Taunt to prevent walls such as Hippowdon from setting up entry hazards, using status moves, or healing.
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Wing Attack
- Aqua Tail / Wing Attack
Hone Claws Mega Aerodactyl is a potent sweeper in the SM UU metagame thanks to its high Speed and good coverage moves. This set can sweep weakened offensive teams during the mid- or late-game, especially when it finds setup opportunities against Choice-locked attackers such as Krookodile and Hydreigon. Stone Edge is Mega Aerodactyl's strongest STAB move, hitting Flying- and Fire-types for super effective damage, and it can't miss after one Hone Claws boost. Wing Attack and Aqua Tail are interchangeable because they have their specific uses depending on Mega Aerodactyl's team. Wing Attack must be used if the team is weak to Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, but if Krookodile and Hippowdon are bigger issues, Aqua Tail can be used instead. Earthquake hits Steel-types such as Empoleon, Cobalion, and Metagross and is also good to hit Poison-types, such as Tentacruel and Nidoqueen. Wing Attack can be used alongside Aqua Tail if Mega Aerodactyl's team already covers Steel- and Poison-types well, but this is rare since Mega Aerodactyl can't effectively sweep teams with these commonly seen Pokemon. This set is best used on offensive archetypes, as it greatly appreciates wallbreaking support from teammates such as Calm Mind Latias to sweep. Finding setup opportunities is also not hard; this set can take advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Krookodile locked into Earthquake, Choice Scarf Hydreigon locked into Fire Blast, and even Choice Specs Raikou locked into Shadow Ball to set up Hone Claws. Mega Aerodactyl can also set up on Amoonguss (if it has already put another Pokemon to sleep) and Hippowdon with Toxic.
Mega Aerodactyl might be one of the most common Pokemon in the tier, but it has serious flaws that should be highlighted here. The first of them is its obvious Stealth Rock weakness, which puts it in the range of defensive Scizor's Bullet Punch and Life Orb Latias's Draco Meteor. Its bulk is also not great and its typing brings many weaknesses to common attacking types such as to Steel, Water, Rock, and Electric. Lastly, physical walls such as Hippowdon and Empoleon can threaten Mega Aerodactyl if it doesn't have the coverage moves to hit them super effectively.
Go ahead and give this prehistoric bird a try! I promise you won't regret it!
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Wing Attack
- Aqua Tail / Pursuit / Roost
- Earthquake / Crunch / Pursuit
All-out attacker Mega Aerodactyl is present in many teams, as it outspeeds the entire unboosted tier and has diverse coverage options, making it unpredictable and really customizable, giving Mega Aerodactyl the chance of picking its own counters and helping its teammates with whatever they need. Stone Edge and Wing Attack are mandatory STAB moves that allow Mega Aerodactyl to hit Grass-, Fighting-, and Flying-types super effectively. Aqua Tail hits Krookodile, Hippowdon, Terrakion, and Gliscor for super effective damage. Roost gives Mega Aerodactyl a reliable form of recovery and is appreciated on balance or semi-stall teams that use Mega Aerodactyl, as it can take more hits while Pursuit trapping threats such as Mega Beedrill and Latias. Earthquake hits Steel- and Poison-types super effectively, allowing Mega Aerodactyl to hit Empoleon, Cobalion, Metagross, and Tentacruel on the switch. Crunch is a more underrated coverage option, but it works well if Mega Aerodactyl's team is lacking solid methods to OHKO Latias, since Crunch has a high chance to OHKO it after Stealth Rock, and Crunch also hits Slowbro, Slowking, and Metagross super effectively. Pursuit can be used in either of the last slots, as it really depends on what the team needs; if Pursuit is being used in the third slot, Mega Aerodactyl should be used on a more offensive team, as it usually traps weakened Latias, Mega Beedrill, and Celebi. If Mega Aerodactyl's team is balance or semi-stall, Pursuit should be used in the fourth slot alongside Roost, as this gives Mega Aerodactyl longevity and the needed tools to Pursuit trap threats to these archetypes, such as Calm Mind Latias and Mega Beedrill. Mega Aerodactyl's movepool is quite extensive, so it has various other options such as Ice Fang to hit Gliscor and Latias, Fire Fang to hit Scizor, and Taunt to prevent walls such as Hippowdon from setting up entry hazards, using status moves, or healing.
Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Wing Attack
- Aqua Tail / Wing Attack
Hone Claws Mega Aerodactyl is a potent sweeper in the SM UU metagame thanks to its high Speed and good coverage moves. This set can sweep weakened offensive teams during the mid- or late-game, especially when it finds setup opportunities against Choice-locked attackers such as Krookodile and Hydreigon. Stone Edge is Mega Aerodactyl's strongest STAB move, hitting Flying- and Fire-types for super effective damage, and it can't miss after one Hone Claws boost. Wing Attack and Aqua Tail are interchangeable because they have their specific uses depending on Mega Aerodactyl's team. Wing Attack must be used if the team is weak to Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, but if Krookodile and Hippowdon are bigger issues, Aqua Tail can be used instead. Earthquake hits Steel-types such as Empoleon, Cobalion, and Metagross and is also good to hit Poison-types, such as Tentacruel and Nidoqueen. Wing Attack can be used alongside Aqua Tail if Mega Aerodactyl's team already covers Steel- and Poison-types well, but this is rare since Mega Aerodactyl can't effectively sweep teams with these commonly seen Pokemon. This set is best used on offensive archetypes, as it greatly appreciates wallbreaking support from teammates such as Calm Mind Latias to sweep. Finding setup opportunities is also not hard; this set can take advantage of Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Krookodile locked into Earthquake, Choice Scarf Hydreigon locked into Fire Blast, and even Choice Specs Raikou locked into Shadow Ball to set up Hone Claws. Mega Aerodactyl can also set up on Amoonguss (if it has already put another Pokemon to sleep) and Hippowdon with Toxic.
Mega Aerodactyl might be one of the most common Pokemon in the tier, but it has serious flaws that should be highlighted here. The first of them is its obvious Stealth Rock weakness, which puts it in the range of defensive Scizor's Bullet Punch and Life Orb Latias's Draco Meteor. Its bulk is also not great and its typing brings many weaknesses to common attacking types such as to Steel, Water, Rock, and Electric. Lastly, physical walls such as Hippowdon and Empoleon can threaten Mega Aerodactyl if it doesn't have the coverage moves to hit them super effectively.
Go ahead and give this prehistoric bird a try! I promise you won't regret it!
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