Niantic has shifted around some Raids in Pokémon Go. So let’s revisit one that a lot of people are curious about Aerodactyl in Pokémon Go offers a nice challenge with a new chance to snag a nice shiny Aerodactyl. This raid boss won’t be too easy to take down, but luckily it’s very easy to find. You can randomly find an Aerodactyl raid in any of the available Gyms in the game, and it can spawn from any Three-Star Raid egg.
The Aerodactyle you catch at the end will have a CP of 1,515 to 1,590, or 1,894 to 1,988 if weather boosted. You will want to keep this mind as the CP advantage of your roster against the boss can help boost your damage.
Aerodactyl Weaknesses
Aerodactyl is a Flying and Rock-type Pokémon, making it weak to Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Water-type attacks. It is resistant to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ground, Normal, and Poison-type attacks, which will make this battle harder if you use them. Each damage weakness adds 25% extra damage, so it is a very good idea to use these types.
Pokémon to Counter Aerodactyl in Pokémon Go
The best Pokémon you want to use against the Aerodactyl in the raid include Metagross, Swampert, and Rhyperior.
These type mixes offer solid counters for Aerodactyl, with things like Steel and Psychic that have a solid set of moves. Metagross is probably the best choice here with a potential CP max of 3,791 that has a good mixture of Steel-type moves. There are also things like Bullet Punch and Flash Cannon that can help take down this raid and should be a part of your move roster. Charge moves other than these may be too slow to use against Aerodactyl, so be careful. Although the Steel-type will give Metagross a DPS advantage against most moves.
Another choice could be Swampert, the Ground and Water-type Pokémon. A lower max CP of 2,974, an attack of 208, a defense of 175 gives it lower stats, but it is definitely a solid backup. Ground and Water-types give it some damage resistance, and any powerful Rock-type moves are a good choice. Water moves like Surf and Hydro Cannon are also good.
Rhyperior is another option, with a slightly higher max CP of 3,733, and being a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, there are some interesting choices for moves here. Rock Wrecker or Stone Edge are good move choices. It’s a more challenging pick to use effectively though, and should not be your first choice. Its Rock-type makes it weak to two different moves from the boss, so it may have a CP advantage, but it will take more damage.
There are of course many other options to use against Aerodactyl. Anything that has a mix of types that the raid boss is weak to is a solid choice. Being a Rock/Flying Type, Aerodactyl is vulnerable against Electric, Rock, Steel, Ice and Water Type Moves. So that means you have an array of options. Kingler, Luxray, Galarian Darmanitan, and Tyranitar are all solid choices for roster positions. You will want to pack your roster with a couple of options that have different Types, making it easier to swap to a backup that can also handle the boss.
For when you’re fighting Aerodactyl in Pokémon Go, you need to be aware of its own STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) and Weaknesses. The move roster for Aerodactyl in Pokémon Go is Bite, Steel Wing, Ancient Power, Hyper Beam and Iron Head. Here’s a breakdown of each move and what it’s strong against:
- Bite – Ghost and Psychic
- Steel Wing – Fairy, Ice, Rock
- Ancient Power – Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice
- Hyper Beam – Not Super Effective against any Types
- Iron Head – Fairy, Ice, Rock