[OVERVIEW]
Flying
========
Focus Sash Aerodactyl is a staple on hyper offense Flying teams because of its great base 130 Speed and access to utility moves like Taunt and Stealth Rock. Its Speed lets it outspeed a good portion of the metagame, making it the fastest lead entry hazard user after Deoxys-S. Additionally, its ability to stop common Stealth Rock users like Garchomp and Jirachi with Taunt is helpful, as Flying-type teams dislike Stealth Rock, and it can also stop common Defog users like Zapdos and Rotom-W from clearing its own Stealth Rock. Access to Tailwind makes it a perfect choice for offensive Flying teams, where it can provide fast offensive support to powerful wallbreakers like Mega Charizard Y and Dragonite to beat threats like Mega Diancie, Tapu Koko, and Mega Gallade. However, in its regular forme it is one-dimensional and extremely predictable to the point where Choice Scarf users like Krookodile and Nihilego can easily set Stealth Rock against Aerodactyl, as it cannot block Stealth Rock with Taunt against a Choice Scarf user. Aerodactyl also faces trouble against teams with Magic Bounce users like Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, as it will struggle to perform its role against them.
[SET]
name: Suicide Lead (Flying)
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Double Edge
move 4: Tailwind
item: Focus Sash
ability: Unnerve
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Taunt allows Aerodactyl to stop opposing Stealth Rock users like Garchomp, Alolan Golem, Ferrothorn and Heatran from setting entry hazards and stop common Defog users like Mandibuzz, Zapdos and Mantine from clearing its own Stealth Rock. Additionally, it can stop setup sweepers and defensive Pokemon like Dragonite, Volcarona, Chansey, and Celesteela. Stealth Rock allows Aerodactyl to support its teammates by wearing down opposing teams, making it easier for offensive teammates to score KOs. Double-Edge allows Aerodactyl to KO itself due to the recoil once it is knocked down to its Focus Sash or weakened, stopping Rapid Spin users like Armaldo and Forretress from clearing Stealth Rock. Tailwind lets Aerodactyl support its offensive teammates by doubling their Speed for a few turns and is a big momentum swing for the team. It works well with Double-Edge, since Aerodactyl can KO itself once Tailwind is set up, allowing a teammate to come in freely.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment along with a Jolly nature allows Aerodactyl to outspeed Pokemon such as Weavile, Greninja, and Tornadus-T and Speed tie with other Pokemon with base 130 Speed like Tapu Koko and Crobat. Maximum Attack investment allows Aerodactyl to hit hard with Double-Edge so that it can faint to its recoil damage once it is down to its Focus Sash or extremely weakened. Focus Sash is used to ensure that Aerodactyl can stop opposing lead entry hazard setters with Taunt and set up Stealth Rock or Tailwind before fainting. Its ability Unnerve, though situational, helps against Berry users like Azumarill and Alolan Muk.
Usage Tips
========
Aerodactyl should be used as a lead most of the time due to its higher Speed than most other entry hazard setters. Leading with it most of the time also ensures that it gets most out of its Focus Sash, which allows it to stop opposing entry hazard and Defog users with Taunt or set up Tailwind to secure momentum for the team depending upon the situation. However, against teams with Magic Bounce users like Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie, it is not advisable to lead with Aerodactyl, as it fails to do anything meaningful against such Pokemon. Instead, teammates like Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Landorus-T should be used to threaten and force out the aforementioned Magic Bounce users. Similarly, Aerodactyl should not be used as a lead against faster entry hazard setters like Deoxys-S and Mega Aerodactyl, as they are too fast to afflict with Taunt, so it should instead wait until such Pokemon are taken care of by a teammate. Against types like Poison, Normal, and Water, Aerodactyl should prioritize setting up Stealth Rock, as it gives its teammates an easier time scoring KOs. Against types like Steel and Ground, Aerodactyl should focus more on setting up Tailwind, as this gives teammates like Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus-T a good chance to break through the opposing team.
Team Options
========
The combination of Aerodactyl's Speed and access to Taunt allows it to deny Stealth Rock for its teammates like Mega Charizard Y, Thundurus-T, Dragonite, and Togekiss. This makes its teammates harder to wear down and revenge kill for the opposing team. Offensive powerhouses like Mega Charizard Y and Dragonite are great partners for Aerodactyl to break through opposing teams more easily. Tailwind support also allows them to put a lot of pressure against Steel, Electric, and Psychic teams. Setup sweepers like Hawlucha also pair well with Aerodactyl, as it can set up and clean weakened teams and does great against Steel, Dark, and Normal teams. Defensive Celesteela is a premier utility Pokemon for Flying teams and does a wonderful job at breaking down defensive cores with Toxic + Leech Seed while also acting as a switch-in to Ice-type moves for the team from the likes of Mamoswine and Greninja. Landorus-T can utilize a Double Dance set to wallbreak and clean or use a Choice Scarf set to better deal with threats like Tapu Koko and Mega Diancie for the team. Similarly, Choice Scarf Togekiss can be used to deal with Dragon-type threats like Kyurem-B and Kommo-o. Landorus-T and Togekiss can act as emergency Defog user for the team, too. Thundurus-T pairs amazingly well with Aerodactyl, as it can pick up KOs easily with its Double Dance or Agility + 3 Attacks set against Water and Flying teams. Furthermore, it provides the team with an additional immunity to Electric-type attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flying
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Aerodactyl can take a more offensive approach by utilizing attacking moves like Rock Slide and Earthquake over Tailwind and Double-Edge to take out Pokemon like Mega Diancie, Tapu Koko, and Nihilego, which it normally struggles against; additionally, it can also threaten Pokemon like Zapdos, Victini, and Mandibuzz. Rock Tomb can also be used over Tailwind to slow down opposing Pokemon and help slower teammates take advantage of them, but this comes at the cost of not providing potentially a huge momentum swing for the team through Tailwind support.
Checks and Counters
===================
Flying
--------
**Magic Bounce Users**: Pokemon like Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie completely shut down Aerodactyl and can reflect Stealth Rock, giving Flying teams a hard time.
**Rapid Spin Users**: Rapid Spin users like Armaldo and Forretress can clear Stealth Rock away simply, as Aerodactyl cannot use Taunt to stop them and has to rely on Double-Edge to prevent them from spinning.
**Priority Users**: Priority users like Scizor and Mamoswine limit the use of Aerodactyl to only one turn before it gets KOed. Mega Lopunny also beats Aerodactyl with the combination of Fake Out and High Jump Kick. Prankster Taunt users like Thundurus can also easily stop Aerodactyl from fulfilling its role.
**Deoxys-S**: Deoxys-S is a faster lead setter than Aerodactyl, allowing it to shut it down with Taunt and set Stealth Rock against it. Offensive Deoxys-S also beats Aerodactyl and is a greater threat to the team due to its high Speed and BoltBeam coverage.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Harpp, 320110]]
- Flying analysis by: [[Harpp, 320110]]
- Quality checked by: [[Decem, 362454], [Maroon, 305839], [Havens, 391540]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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