Aerodactyl
Rock
Best attacking moveset: Rock Throw and Rock Slide, worth 11.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Aerodactyl can learn 20 combinations. Rock Throw with Rock Slide does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bite | Dark | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Dragon Breath | Dragon | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Rock Throw | Rock | 13 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Steel Wing | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Power | Rock | 70 | 3.5s | -33 |
| Earth Power | Ground | 100 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Hyper Beam | Normal | 150 | 4.0s | -100 |
| Iron Head | Steel | 60 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Rock Slide | Rock | 75 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Aerodactyl has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, egg, research, photobomb.
Other forms
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,147 at level 50, 2,783 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,590 CP at level 20, or 1,988 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,515 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 221 attack · 159 defense · 190 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 75,000 Stardust and 75 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 5,000 Stardust and 5 Candy |
| Size | 1.8 m and 59 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Aerodactyl does not have one best moveset, it has 9. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Flying, Bug, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 17.9 | |
| Bug | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 17.9 |
| Fire | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 17.9 |
| Ice | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 17.9 |
| Rock | Steel Wing + Earth Power | 16.2 |
| Fairy | Steel Wing + Iron Head | 15.2 |
| Poison | Rock Throw + Earth Power | 14.3 |
| Electric | Rock Throw + Earth Power | 14.3 |
| Steel | Bite + Earth Power | 13.6 |
| Ghost | Bite + Rock Slide | 12.5 |
| Psychic | Bite + Rock Slide | 12.5 |
| Dragon | Dragon Breath + Rock Slide | 12.5 |
| Normal | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 11.8 |
| Water | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 11.8 |
| Grass | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 11.8 |
| Dark | Rock Throw + Rock Slide | 11.8 |
| Fighting | Dragon Breath + Hyper Beam | 10.8 |
| Ground | Bite + Hyper Beam | 10.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Aerodactyl is actually for.
Counters: what beats Aerodactyl
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 39.0 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 34.0 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 33.2 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 32.9 |
 Metagross | SteelPsychic | Bullet Punch + Meteor Mash Legacy | 31.0 |
 Inteleon | Water | Water Gun + Hydro Cannon Legacy | 30.6 |
 Kyogre | Water | Waterfall + Origin Pulse Legacy | 30.4 |
 Tinkaton | FairySteel | Fairy Wind + Gigaton Hammer Legacy | 30.1 |
 Glimmora | RockPoison | Rock Throw + Meteor Beam | 30.0 |
 Rampardos | Rock | Smack Down + Rock Slide | 29.8 |
Ranked by damage per second against Aerodactyl's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.