Physical
Sweeper
515High
130Very Fast
ATier

Aerodactyl outspeeds most of the metagame without even trying. And the offense backs it up — it's fast AND it hits hard. Ground moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Fossil Pokemon.

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
515High
HP80
C
Attack105
B
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk60
C
Sp. Def75
C
Speed130
A
Total515
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Aerodactyl yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch45ChallengingSlow1.25M XP1.8m / 5'11"59kg / 130.1 lbs180Base XP
Pokedex Entries

AERODACTYL is a POKéMON from the age of dinosaurs. It was regenerated from DNA extracted from amber. It is imagined to have been the king of the skies.

Emerald

Aerodactyl Weakness

Avg

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.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
5Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei-2
Stealth Rock25% on switch
Abilities
Rock HeadProtects against recoil damage.
PressureIncreases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
UnnerveHAPrevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.

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.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Aerodactyl
#142Aerodactyl
Does not evolve
Breeding
Challenging

Breed Aerodactyl (with patience) with 25 breeding partners from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Curse, Dragon Breath, Foresight 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)
togeticaltariapelipperfarfetchdswabluwingullcrobatpidgeotdodrioxatufearowgolbat

Prediction matters here. Choice Band means Aerodactyl can't change moves after clicking, but the payoff is raw power at the cost of move flexibility. Max Attack and Speed EVs with Rockhead back that up. Ground coverage prevents free switches.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Rockhead
Item
Choice BandPOWER
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Aerodactyl Moveset

  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • Rock SlideSTAB
  • Double Edge
  • Hidden Power FlyingSTAB

Breeding's the move. Curse and Dragon Breath give Aerodactyl options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Fly and Rock Slide. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Wing Attack
6010035Flying
Lv 8
Agility
30Psychic
Lv 15
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 22
Supersonic
5520Normal
Lv 29
Ancient Power
601005Rock
Lv 36
Scary Face
9010Normal
Lv 43
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 50
Hyper Beam
150905Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM02
Dragon Claw
8010015Dragon
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
HM02
Fly
709515Flying
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
20Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM37
Sandstorm
10Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM47
Steel Wing
709025Steel
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Curse
10Ghost
Egg
Dragon Breath
6010020Dragon
Egg
Foresight
10040Normal
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Steel Wing
709025Steel
Egg
Whirlwind-6
20Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Endure+4
10Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Rock Slide
759010Rock
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Swagger
9015Normal
Tutor
Swift
6020Normal

No wild encounters for Aerodactyl in Emerald. It's available in Red, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

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

Receive as a gift in:

Then trade to Emerald.

Also found in:

  • We rate Aerodactyl A-Tier — a strong competitive pick. At 515 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Base 130 Speed stands out.

  • 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.

  • Aerodactyl doesn't evolve and has no evolutionary line. It's a Rock/Flying-type Pokemon with strong stats at 515 BST — no evolution needed.

  • 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.

  • Aerodactyl appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Aerodactyl has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.