Community POTW #039

[Serebii]

Time for the next week and this week we have another commonly seen Pokémon

It's Aerodactyl and its Mega Evolution, Mega Aerodactyl

https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/142.shtml

Go nuts

 

[Mestorn]

Aerodactyl, my favorite of the Gen I fossils and a terrifying threat in battle, both in singles and doubles. Aerodactyl possesses the coveted base 130 speed, and valuable STABs in both Flying and Rock moves plus access to Earthquake giving it a wide range of coverage. However, it has fallen to the power creep of the generations: Base 105 ATK doesn't pay the bills anymore, unless you have a boosting move or ability (i.e. Tail Glow, Swords Dance, Huge Power, Pure Power, etc.). Its special move pool and attack stats are laughable and is only slightly more durable than your average bird.

Paleo Cleaner
Aerodactyl
Ability: Unnerve/Pressure
Item: Choice Band/Life Orb
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Iron Head/Fire/Ice Fang/Crunch
-Pursuit/Taunt/Tailwind
Nature: Adamant (+ATK, -SATK)
EVs: 252 ATK/252 SPD/4 HP

Standard cleaning Aerodactyl, this one is meant to come in late game and clean up, or soften up a target early game if need be. EdgeQuake is half STAB and provides amazing coverage. Your coverage move is up to you: Iron Head deals with the many MANY fairies in the metagame, while two of the elemental fangs hit valuable targets: (Fire gets Ferroseed, Durant and Forretress for significant damage/outright KO) (Ice gets Gligar, Flygon, and Gliscor), while Crunch reliably gets Bronzong, Air Balloon Doublade, and wrecks Hoopa stupidly fast. Final move is up to preference. If you think your opponent is going to run, hunt them down with Pursuit. On a Life Orb set, Tailwind can provide valuable support to a slower teammate if you can predict your Aerodactyl being KOd. Taunt is great for shutting down bulkier pokémon from setting up on Aerodactyl and will likely go off due to Aerodactyl's incredible speed.

Due to the number of pokémon using Sitrus/pinch berries, Unnerve is a situational, but good choice. Pressure is more reliable, but most moves that have > 5 Base PP probably won't be adversely affected.

Prehistoric Bomber
Aerodactyl
Ability: Unnerve/Pressure
Item: Life Orb/King's Rock
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake
-Taunt/Sky Drop/Iron Head/Fire Fang/Ice Fang
-Taunt/Sky Drop/Iron Head/Fire Fang/Ice Fang
Nature: Adamant (+ATK, -SATK)
EVs: 252 ATK/252 SPD/4 HP

If World War II was fought during the Stone Age, I know in the Pokémon world, they would've used Aerodactyls as bombers. Joking aside, Aerodactyl's job in doubles is to quickly provide spread damage to the opposing team. Rock Slide is preferred over Stone Edge here: hitting both targets and with a healthy 30% flinch chance (which considering Aerodactyl, is going to be occuring fairly often due to its high speed) in addition to the better accuracy make it the superior option. Earthquake is another source of spread damage and pairs well with Rock Slide coverage wise. Taunt is valuable in preventing setup. Stopping Trick Room, Tailwind, and weather from going up more than justifies its consideration. Iron Head is again a great choice, hitting Gardevoir, half of the Tapu's, Nihelgo, etc. for reliable and considerable damage, plus a Flinch chance. Sky Drop is unconventional, but takes Aerodactyl and one of your opponent's pokémon out of the battle for one turn (essentially turning it into a 1 v 1), giving your other pokémon time to setup, or KO a threat that might be able to take out Aerodactyl. Fire Fang hits Kartana very hard while Ice Fang gets Garchomp. Life Orb is preferred for damage, but Kings Rock is great in denying your opponents their turns.

Other Options
-Flynium Z + Fly OR Rocknium Z + Stone Edge/Rock Slide -Aerodactyl makes good use of Z moves with its high speed and great STABs. Flynium Z is popular due to the many drawbacks strong flying attacks have (why doesn't Aerodactyl get Brave Bird T.T) and works well on Aerodactyl. Rock is a powerful type offensively and Rocknium Z has reliable accuracy, making up for the shoddy accuracy of Stone Edge and Rock Slide. Both moves can be used to punch through a bulky threat.
-Expert Belt/Hard Stone/Soft Sand -If you don't like the recoil of Life Orb, but want to keep the versatility, Expert Belt is a good option. Otherwise Hard Stone and Soft Sand powers up Aerodactyl's two main moves.
-Stealth Rock [Time machine ONLY!] -Because Gen IV gave this to everyone, a Aerodactyl was good at setting it up.
-Sky Attack [Time machine ONLY!] -Power Herb + Sky Attack or a Flynium Z Sky Attack are both dangerous 1 time nukes that will hit most of the metagame hard.
-Hone Claws [Time machine ONLY!] -Aerodactyls only viable boosting move. Pairs well with its Rock STAB and Aqua Tail [Time machine ONLY!]

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Aerodactyl performed well in the most recent Weakness Cup, ranking 4th most used pokémon, and it's not hard to see why. Excellent speed combined with some good supporting moves make Aerodactyl pretty useful. Sky Drop takes an enemy out for a turn, which is especially useful to prevent Trick Room from going up. I prefer it to Taunt as a lot of Trick Room setters not named Porygon2 often run Mental Herb. Tailwind is a good supporting move to your team, and Aerodactyl is among the fastest users of the move. Unnerve, while difficult to get in Sun/Moon, was also a good ability in Weakness Cup where everything ran berries. Regardless, it's still good to hinder stuff like Snorlax and Alolan Muk with it outside Weakness Cup.

Aerodactyl @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unnerve
Jolly nature
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
-Rock Slide
-Sky Drop
-Tailwind
-Wide Guard

Rock Slide causes flinches on the enemy team, Sky Drop takes an enemy out if it's not too heavy, Tailwind is support, and Wide Guard blocks enemy Rock Slides, Surfs, Blizzards, and so on.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Destruction Dactyl
Aerodactyl@Aerodactylite
Jolly nature
Pressure
252 Attack/252 Speed/4 HP
~Stone Edge
~Wing Attack
~Fire Fang
~Aqua Tail

Aerodactyl is just as awesome now as it was in the distant past. Well, more awesome, really, considering that in the real distant past, Mega Evolution wasn't a thing and Rock moves on it were unheard of outside of Lance being a cheater- bu- you get what I mean! Stone Edge and Wing Attack are for STAB, the latter benefiting from Mega Aerodactyl's Tough Claws. Fire Fang and Aqua Tail are coverage, likewise benefiting from Tough Claws.

Item enables Mega Aerodactyl. Ability is irrelevant, considering the idea is to Mega Evolve ASAP anyway.

Z-Dactyl
Aerodactyl@Flyinium Z
Jolly nature
Unnerve
252 Attack/252 Speed/4 HP
~Fly
~Stone Edge
~Earthquake
~Aqua Tail

Aerodactyl doesn't necessarily need to Mega Evolve in order to kick some ***. Turn Fly into Supersonic Skystrike for a one-use single-turn nuke of a Flying move. Very decent STAB option. Unfortunately, Aerodactyl lacks much better in the way of Flying STAB, something they really ought to work on for the future, IMO. But yes- Stone Edge is still there for STAB. Earthquake and Aqua Tail are coverage, this is really very straightforward.

Item makes Supersonic Skystrike possible. Ability... ehhh... it's the least irrelevant of the options it gets?


Other options:
*Aerodactyl gets a nice assortment of physical moves, such as Iron Head, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Crunch, and Dragon Claw, so feel free to mix and match its moves however you see fit. Also bear in mind that these five moves all make physical contact, so Mega Aerodactyl in particular wouldn't mind running any of these.
*Pursuit's also a thing to consider. You Mega Evolve Aerodactyl on something that's looking to switch the hell out, go for the Tough Claws Pursuit on the switch... that's not nothng.
*Stealth Rock is an option if you're leading with Aerodactyl. I personally prefer using it for all-out attacking, but hey, it's fast, it can set them up quick before potentially going down, it's a definite option.

Abilities:
*Rock Head: Aerodactyl takes no recoil damage from its attacks, aside from Struggle. A great Ability in general, and there's some seriously good recoil moves for both Rock and Flying, in Head Smash and Brave Bird respectively... too bad Aerodactyl doesn't actually learn either move. Yeah, the reality is, Aerodactyl's only recoil moves are... Take Down and Double-Edge. And even then, the latter's only available from a FR/LG move tutor. Well, OK, and Gen I VC, but you can't get Rock Head from that. Yeah... I wouldn't really bother with Rock Head.
*Pressure: Any attack used against Aerodactyl costs 2 PP instead of just 1. Not likely to be especially relevant, considering Aerodactyl has less defensive capabilities than the average Phione.
*Unnerve: Aerodactyl's Hidden Ability. When Aerodactyl is in battle, opponents cannot consume held berries. This is, in fact, Aerodactyl's best Ability. Type-resist berries? Nope! Sitrus or Figy to recover from that powerful attack? Not today! Situational? You bet your ***. Still Aerodactyl's best option outside of Mega Evolution? Sadly, yes. Let's pray it gets more recoil moves in the future, make Rock Head relevant, something like that.
*Tough Claws: Mega Aerodactyl's Ability. Mega Aerodactyl's contact moves do 30% more damage. Now THIS is more like it! Sadly, the only Rock move that makes contact is Accelerock, but aside from Rock moves and Earthquake, any move Aerodactyl's gonna want to run is affected by this Ability, so overall, it's a good, solid Ability that you'll get great mileage out of.

Partners:
If you're not packing Stealth Rock on Aerodactyl, pack it on something else. All it takes is one survived turn thanks to Focus Sash or Sturdy, and one good, solid counterattack to take out Aerodactyl. Don't give them that opportunity. You also might consider something like Tsareena or Bruxish, something to threaten as a switch-in, something to make opponents think twice before going for a priority move.

Counters:
Priority moves, particularly those of the super effective variety, are something to look out for. If your opponent can get a Midday Lycanroc in there, you do not want to stick around for that Accelerock. Also, as nonthreatening as Electrode generally is, it will outspeed Aerodactyl, and even speed ties with Mega Aerodactyl, and that Thunderbolt is gonna hurt. And remember what I said about Accelerock? Same goes for Aqua Jet, so look out for stuff that gets it.

Opinion:
Aerodactyl. Cool concept. Great design. Epic Mega Evolution. Meh Abilities. Movepool could use work. Overall, I like it.

Prediction for next week:
Nihilego

 

[Gardellade]

Interestingly enough, nobody's posted the Hone Claws Mega-Aero set. So here we go.

Honed In
Aerodactyl~Aerodactylite
Unnerve(base), Tough Claws (Mega)
Jolly 252 Attack/252 Speed/4 Special Defense
~Hone Claws
~Stone Edge
~Wing Attack/Earthquake
~Aqua Tail/Earthquake

Hone Claws is one of Mega Aero's only boosting moves, but it's an excellent choice. It boosts attack and accuracy by one stage each, giving M-Aero a Stone Edge that hits almost 100% of the time after just one boost. Wing Attack is used as secondary STAB, and it gets a nice boost from Tough Claws. The last slot is dedicated to a coverage move, depending on what you want to hit. Aqua Tail gets a tough claws boost and hits bulky ground types hard, while Earthquake helps break through steel types. You could potentially run both attacks and drop wing attack if you want that extra coverage, but STAB is always appreciated. Because this set has no form of recovery, it should generally be used as a late game cleaner, as M-Aero is naturally one of the fastest pokemon in the game with solid coverage.

Leader of Prehistoric Times
Aerodactyl~Focus Sash
Pressure
Jolly 252 Attack/252 Speed/4 SpDef
~Stealth Rock
~Taunt
~Double Edge
~Stone Edge/Fire Blast

While not as explosive as other suicide leads, Aerodactyl has the niche of being the fastest relevant suicide lead in the game. Maxed out base 130 speed gives it an incredibly fast taunt to shut down other leads, guaranteeing it gets up rocks for your team. While it seems strange to be running Double Edge without Rock Head, it is used so that if sash is activated, you have a way to kill yourself while dishing out as much damage as possible, which prevents opponents from removing hazards with rapid spin and defog since they don't actually hit anything on your side of the field. Stone edge is used on the last slot as STAB, but if you want a soft check to physically defensive forretress and offensive scizor, an alternate spread of Hasty with 176 Attack/80 SpAtk/252 Speed can be used guarantee the OHKO on both with fire blast.

 

[Lord Fighting]

Wouldnt aerial ace be better over wing attack on any set? Sure, it doesnt have a decent flying STAB but aerial ace is guarenteed to hit and it boasts the same base bp. You're still hurt by rough skin either way so I dont see the merit in wing attack.

 

[Luthor]

*Tough Claws: Mega Aerodactyl's Ability. Mega Aerodactyl's contact moves do 30% more damage. Now THIS is more like it! Sadly, the only Rock move that makes contact is Accelerock, but aside from Rock moves and Earthquake, any move Aerodactyl's gonna want to run is affected by this Ability, so overall, it's a good, solid Ability that you'll get great mileage out of.

Technically speaking Rollout and Head smash do make contact as well. But you make a valid point that should definitely be in it's downsides for it's mega form given it doesn't get any of these moves.

eg * Does not get any Rock type moves that work with it's ability. Even it's flying type move options that work with it are very limited.

 

[Archstaraptor]

Wouldnt aerial ace be better over wing attack on any set?

Well, not any set, but in the long run they're the same attack.

Accuracy lowering moves are rarely used, so both attacks always hit in the vast majority of cases. Here's the list from Serebii.

Perhaps the most relevant accuracy moves are muddy water and night daze because they deal damage as well.
MegaAero will faint to muddy water, and is at best 2HKO'd by a Night Daze from a Zoroark (but there's usually a better switch-in to make, and you outspeed and deal 70+% anyway with wingattack, so taking a 30% accuracy drop from a Night Daze is a very unlikely situation).
An Evasion boost ban is also commonplace in singles outside of Battle Spot, so the utility of a move that's guaranteed to never miss is even less useful depending on what rules you play by, considering the number of moves with 100% accuracy to start with.

So why use wing attack?
Wing attack has a lot more PP when maxed; you get to attack more than 32 times (Total: 56), so on paper it's better for opponents who attempt to stall you out of PP with recovery moves or Pressure. Useful against more passive teams,possibly, if Mega Aero runs Roost as well.

But for most matches, the moves perform just as well as each other - I'd argue both situations are unusual enough to not be too concerned about which you don't use.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I'd always go with Aerial Ace, I feel like I run into Minimize spam much more than into running out of PP on a 32PP move on an offensive frail pokémon. I can honestly say I've never encountered the latter aside from grinding, and Leppa Berries or a Pokémon Centre can fix that just fine. Especially that Baton Passing Drifblim with Minimize and Stockpile can be annoying.

 

[dementeddurian]

I have thought of using Aerodactyl in a Sun Team.

Point A: Has access to Sunny Day and one of the fastest users of the move regardless of form.

Point B: Fire Fang gets a boost. Goes well in conjunction with Tough Claws.

Point C: Doesn't have to worry about Water-type moves and Thunder being boosted in the rain.

Those are the reasons I considered (and still do) putting Aerodactyl on a Sun Team. Does anyone agree?

 

[Alita54]

I have thought of using Aerodactyl in a Sun Team.

Point A: Has access to Sunny Day and one of the fastest users of the move regardless of form.

Point B: Fire Fang gets a boost. Goes well in conjunction with Tough Claws.

Point C: Doesn't have to worry about Water-type moves and Thunder being boosted in the rain.

Those are the reasons I considered (and still do) putting Aerodactyl on a Sun Team. Does anyone agree?

I agree. It's actually something I hadn't though of till you mentioned it. But I think it would be better to team (mega) Aerodactyl with a drought user in a double battle that's holding a heat rock rather than wasting a move slot for sunny day.