Table of Contents
Difficulty:
| HP | 15,000 | ATK | 230.76 | DEF | 165.96 |
|---|
| CP Range | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lvl 20 | 2260 - 2353 | Lvl 25 | 2826 - 2941 |
Notable Weather
| Boosts Boss's Moves | Boosts Counters' Moves |
|---|---|
| Snow, Sunny / Clear, Fog, Partly Cloudy | Snow, Rain, Partly Cloudy |
Fast Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Bite | Intermediate |
| Steel Wing | Intermediate |
| Rock Throw | Intermediate |
Charge Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Ancient Power | Intermediate |
| Hyper Beam | Easy |
| Iron Head | Challenging |
| Rock Slide | Intermediate |
| Earth Power | Challenging |
Overview
Mega Aerodatyl can be a straight-up pain in the neck. It hits hard, has enough Defense to be fairly bulky as a raid boss, and has solid coverage that can leave even the top counters in an awkward position at times. To offset this, it also has a plethora of weaknesses to exploit, meaning it's easy to adapt to for players who have a large raid-base of Pokemon to draw from. Overall, this raid shouldn't be terribly difficult for teams of experienced players or a raid group that's just prepared to keep throwing bodies at everyone's favorite flying rock until it drops.
Note that a Duo is definitely doable here, but will have far more stringent requirements. This guide will focus on the far easier to achieve trio.
Approach
Team Composition
- Front-load your glass cannons and high-DPS options for maximum efficiency
- Talk with your raid group and try to figure out the best Mega Evolutions for your team. Also, try to stagger Mega Evolutions if possible to maximize team benefits from their boosts
- Pay attention to the recommended Pokemon to get an idea for what attacks it may be packing.
- Bite is a threat to Metagross in particular, though not super-threatening to anything else.
- Rock Throw and Rock Slide are dangerous for any Ice Types that you may be using
- Ancient Power is similar to Rock Slide with two exceptions: it's easier to dodge, but will be used more frequently
- Iron Head is dangerous to Ice and Rock Type counters
- Hyper Beam is the least dangerous move, as it comes out infrequently and is easy to dodge. Just note that if you fail to dodge and it manages to hit a non-resistant counter, it will deal brutal damage!
- Tank counters can be helpful for staying in the game, but they're generally not recommended for Mega Raids, as the Mega Energy rewards from the raid boss will lessen as time goes on
- Be prepared to either heal up quickly if your team faints out, or have a second team ready.
Battling Strategy
- Dodging is generally good idea, especially if Aerodactyl has a Super Effective Charged Move.
- Always try to dodge Hyper Beam, though taking the hit for faster energy generation can be a viable strategy for Pokemon that resist it and have near full health at the time of its use.
- Know when to let a Pokemon faint! If you're using a Pokemon with a single-bar move that will faint if it takes the next charged hit, consider if it's likely to get to its charged move before it naturally faints to Fast Moves. If it's on death's door, then simply continue attacking and let it faint to keep up maximum DPS.
- Mega Evolutions may be exempt from this concept if they are providing STAB boosts to multiple other raiders
Statistical Information
- General per-Pokemon DPS Requirements:
- Duo: 25 DPS
- Trio: 16.67 DPS
For general specifics on Pokemon performance for this raid, please consider taking a look at the Comprehensive DPS/TDO spreadsheet for more information.
Best Raid Boss Counters
Mega Evolution Counters
Mega Manectric
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Fang | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Highest DPS Mega Evolution option
- Resists Iron Head
- Boosts Electric Type damage while on the field
Cons:
- Weak to Earth Power
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
Mega Blastoise
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
Pros:
- Highest DPS Water Type Mega Evolution option
- Resists Iron Head
- Boosts Water Type damage while on the field
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
Mega Aerodactyl
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Rock Throw | Rock Slide | Best |
Pros:
- Fighting fire with fire; the highest DPS (and currently only) Rock Type Mega Evolution in the game
- Resists Earth Power and Hyper Beam
- Boosts Rock Type damage while on the field
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- The same reasons to use it are the reasons to not use it: weak to Iron Head and Rock Type movesets.
Mega Gyarados
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Waterfall | Hydro Pump | Best |
Pros:
- Highest TDO Mega Evolution option
- Resists Iron Head and Bite
- Boosts Water Type damage while on the field
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
Mega Ampharos
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Volt Switch | Zap Cannon | Best |
Pros:
- Highest TDO Electric-Type Mega Evolution, great for keeping the boost active for a prolonged period.
- Resists Iron Head
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- Lowest average DPS among Super Effective Mega Evolution Counters
- Weak to Earth Power
Mega Abomasnow
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
Pros:
- Highest DPS (and currently only) Ice Type Mega Evolution option
- Resists Earth Power
- Boosts Ice Type damage while on the field
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- Weak to Rock Type movesets and Iron Head
- Ice Types tend to be less pervasive in this raid, making Mega Abomasnow less valuable by comparison.
Supreme Counters
Shadow Metagross
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Bullet Punch | Meteor Mash | Best |
Pros:
- Highest average performance among all counters. An outstanding mix of DPS and TDO.
- Resists Hyper Beam and Rock Type movesets
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Bite and Earth Power
- Best moveset is Elite
Shadow Electivire
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Top Electric-Type DPS, great for getting ahead of the clock or if paired with an Electric Type Mega Evoution
- Resists Iron Head
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Earth Power
- Somewhat frail, appreciates dodging
Shadow Mamoswine
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Powder Snow | Avalanche | Best |
Pros:
- Top Ice-Type DPS, great for getting ahead of the clock or if paired with an Ice Type Mega Evoution.
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Iron Head
- Somewhat frail, appreciates dodging
Shadow Raikou
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Great Electric Type option, trading a bit of DPS for a bit of TDO when compared to Shadow Electivire.
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Earth Power
Good Counters
Shadow Magnezone
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Spark | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Hyper Beam and Rock Type movesets, double-resists Iron Head
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Double-weak to Earth Power
Metagross
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Bullet Punch | Meteor Mash | Best |
Pros:
- Top non-Shadow/non-Mega counter
Cons:
- Weak to Bite and Earth Power
- Best moveset is Elite
Shadow Mewtwo
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Psycho Cut | Ice Beam | Best |
| Psycho Cut | Thunderbolt | Best |
Pros:
- High performer that's able to effectively slot into this raid as a generalist, has utility in many raids.
- Can switch between Thunderbolt and Ice Beam if set to be paired with an appropriate Mega Evolution.
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Bite
Zekrom
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Charge Beam | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Top non-Shadow/non-Mega Electric Type counter
- Resists Iron Head
Cons:
- Weak to Earth Power
Shadow Tyranitar
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Smack Down | Stone Edge | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Bite
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Iron Head and Earth Power
Shadow Gyarados
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Waterfall | Hydro Pump | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Iron Head, double-resists Earth Power
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Rock Type movesets
Kyogre
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Waterfall | Hydro Pump | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Iron Head
- Very good all-around pick with no real cons
Raikou
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Iron Head
Cons:
- Weak to Earth Power
Rhyperior
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Smack Down | Rock Wrecker | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Hyper Beam and Rock Type movesets
Cons:
- Weak to Iron Head
- Best moveset is Elite
Glass Counters
Shadow Zapdos
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Thunderbolt | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Earth Power and Iron Head
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Rock Type movesets
Rampardos
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Smack Down | Rock Slide | Best |
Pros:
- Highest non-Mega/non-Shadow Rock Type DPS option
- Resists Hyper Beam
Cons:
- Weak to Iron Head and Earth Power
Shadow Weavile
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and can be difficult to find a high-IV individual
- Weak to Iron Head and Rock Type movesets
- Very frail, dodging is generally required to obtain satisfactory results
Thundurus (Therian Forme)
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Volt Switch | Thunderbolt | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Earth Power and Iron Head
Cons:
- Weak to Rock Type movesets
Tank Counters
Dialga
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Metal Claw | Iron Head | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Hyper Beam and Rock Type movesets
Cons:
- Weak to Earth Power
