Physical
Sweeper
CTier
130Speed · Extreme

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Attack carry the offense, Sp. Atk doesn't even come close. A Fossil Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 2 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats
High
HP80
C
Attack105
B
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk60
C
Sp. Def75
C
Speed130
A
Total515
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.8 m
5'11"Average
Weight59.0 kg
130.1 lbsStandard
Base XP180
High Yield
Abilities
Rock HeadPopular
Protects against recoil damage.
PressureNiche
Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
UnnerveHA
Prevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entries

This is a ferocious Pokémon from ancient times. Apparently even modern technology is incapable of producing a perfectly restored specimen.

Aerodactyl Weakness

Type-wise, Aerodactyl takes extra damage from Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, and Steel. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses.

Aerodactyl Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel
0.5x (Resist)Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying, Bug
0x (Immune)Ground
Type ChartAvg
5Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-2
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterElectricIceRockSteel
½xResist
NormalFirePoisonFlyingBug
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Ground
STAB (6)
FireIceFlyingBugGrassFighting
How to Beat Aerodactyl in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Weavile's Ice Shard hits Aerodactyl for 59-70%. Zeraora deals 35-41% with Drain Punch.

Heatran
Heatran
FireSteel
S
Recommended Build
AbilityFlashfire
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • Earth Power
  • Magma Storm
  • Stealth Rock
  • TauntUtility
View Heatran builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Aerodactyl is what you get. No evolutions, but it breeds through one egg group with a decent partner pool. Hatching is slow to hatch. It's got 6 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Aerodactyl
#142AerodactylDoes not evolve

Breeding

Challenging

Breed Aerodactyl (with patience) with 42 breeding partners from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Curse, Dragon Breath, Roost and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Flying
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
35 cycles·8,995 steps
Slow~9 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
togekisstogetichawluchanoivernsirfetchdaltariacramorantpelipperswoobatfarfetchdwoobatswablu
12 of 42·

Sword & Shield Aerodactyl Best Moveset

The game plan is straightforward: click Dragon Dance, then sweep. Heavy-Duty Boots and Rockhead support the setup turn. EVs go into max Attack and Speed so Aerodactyl hits hard once it's boosted.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Rock Head
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Aerodactyl
Jolly+SPE

Aerodactyl best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • Stone EdgeSTAB
  • Dual WingbeatSTAB
  • Dragon Dance

Recommended Teammates

Kabutops
KabutopsDecent
Cradily
CradilyDecent

Moves

Breeding's the move. Curse and Dragon Breath give Aerodactyl options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 9 types already covers a decent range on top of Meteor Beam and Hurricane. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ancient Power
D601005Rock
Lv 1
Bite
C6010025Dark
Lv 5
Supersonic
D—5520Normal
Lv 10
Wing Attack
—6010035Flying
Lv 15
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Lv 20
Rock Slide
S759010Rock
Lv 25
Roar-6
C——20Normal
Lv 30
Crunch
A8010015Dark
Lv 35
Iron Head
C8010015Steel
Lv 40
Take Down
C908520Normal
Lv 45
Stone Edge
S100805Rock
Lv 50
Agility
C——30Psychic
Lv 55
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
Lv 60
Giga Impact
B150905Normal

TM Moves

TM
TR12
Agility
C——30Psychic
TM58
Assurance
—6010010Dark
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM97
Brutal Swing
C6010020Dark
TM81
Bulldoze
C6010020Ground
TR32
Crunch
A8010015Dark
TR47
Dragon Claw
C8010015Dragon
TR51
Dragon Dance
S——20Dragon
TR62
Dragon Pulse
D8510010Dragon
TR67
Earth Power
D9010010Ground
TR10
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
C7010020Normal
TR15
Fire Blast
D110855Fire
TM68
Fire Fang
C659515Fire
TR02
Flamethrower
D9010015Fire
TM06
Fly
B909515Flying
TM09
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TR36
Heat Wave
D959010Fire
TR89
Hurricane
C1107010Flying
TM08
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM67
Ice Fang
C659515Ice
TR74
Iron Head
C8010015Steel
TR31
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM57
Payback
D5010010Dark
TM25
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TR97
Psychic Fangs
C8510010Psychic
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM54
Rock Blast
D259010Rock
TM22
Rock Slide
S759010Rock
TM48
Rock Tomb
C609515Rock
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM32
Sandstorm
D——10Rock
TM26
Scary Face
——10010Normal
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR76
Stealth Rock
A——20Rock
TM30
Steel Wing
C709025Steel
TR75
Stone Edge
S100805Rock
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM40
Swift
D60—20Normal
TR37
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM23
Thief
C6010025Dark
TM66
Thunder Fang
C659515Electric

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Curse
C——10Ghost
Egg
Dragon Breath
—6010020Dragon
Egg
Roost
B——10Flying
Egg
Tailwind
C——15Flying
Egg
Whirlwind-6
D——20Normal
Egg
Wide Guard+3
C——10Rock

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Dual Wingbeat
S409010Flying
Tutor
Meteor Beam
C1209010Rock

How to Get Aerodactyl in Sword & Shield

Aerodactyl doesn't appear in Sword & Shield. Transfer it from Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

Aerodactyl is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

RedYellowGoldCrystalFireRedDiamond

Aerodactyl Guide

  • For Sword & Shield, we rate Aerodactyl C-Tier: a niche pick in Sword & Shield's meta. At 515 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Earthquake with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.

  • Mega Evolution isn't available in Sword & Shield, but Aerodactyl does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Aerodactyl hits 615 BST.

  • In Sword & Shield, Aerodactyl's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Raikou (Electric), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Rock and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Rock Head is the go-to ability for Aerodactyl. It protects against recoil damage. Its hidden ability Unnerve can work in specific setups. Pressure is the other option. Pick based on what your team needs.

  • Base 130 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Aerodactyl is a physical attacker with base 105 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Aerodactyl has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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