Mega Monday: Aggron
/Aggron is reacting to the held Aggronite! That must mean it’s Mega Monday (on Wednesday)!
Hello again readers! It’s Monday again but don’t get the blues! Instead, get ready for the second edition of Mega Monday.
Today’s Pokémon first appeared in Generation III and has been one of my favorites since because of its bulkiness and a familiar look that has led me to consider it as the spiritual successor of the “first” Pokémon Rhydon. Please welcome Aggron and Mega Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
“While many Pokémon swap types once they Mega Evolve, Mega Aggron sheds Rock to become mono-Steel.”
While many Pokémon swap types once they Mega Evolve, Mega Aggron sheds Rock to become mono-Steel. Thanks to the addition of Filter, all super effective moves against Mega Aggron have their damage reduced by ¼. Factoring in that Mega Aggron only takes super effective damage from Fighting, Fire and Ground you have a really good combination with its monstrous defensive stat. This means that Fighting (predominantly physical attacks) and Ground (let’s be honest here, it’s mostly Earthquake you’ll run into which is physical) hit against Mega Aggron’s bulky 230 Defense stat and get their damage cut. Adding in Steel’s natural immunity to poison and ½ damage from both Fairy and Dragon (as well as 8 others!) leads to quite the sturdy Pokémon. Perfect for swapping into a physical attack and taking the hit while Mega Evolving and preparing to lay down the Iron.
Mega Stats
{C}· Ability: Sturdy, Rock Head, or Heavy Metal <becomes> Filter
{C}· HP – 70
{C}· Attack – 110 <becomes> 140
{C}· Defense – 180 <becomes> 230
{C}· Special Attack – 60
{C}· Special Defense – 60 <becomes> 80
{C}· Speed – 50
As if Aggron’s 180 Defense stat wasn’t impressive enough, it gains an additional 50 points which ties it with Shuckle (I know right?) for the highest Defense stat in the game! Its 110 Attack stat was no joke either but it gains another 30 points there to make this not just a Wall with no bite (not the move as it doesn’t actually learn Bite) but instead this becomes a tank in the offensive and defensive sense. Its Special Defense stat leaves a bit of room for improvement but as the meta-game is more physically oriented for the time being it works out.
“The fact that it decreases the damage from the remaining three types means that Mega Aggron is likely to take a licking and keep on ticking.”
The loss of Rock Head as an ability changes up the ideal move set a little but Filter is an amazing ability. Mega Aggron is already immune to Poison, takes normal damage from 4 types and takes 1/2 damage from 10 types already just because of its Steel typing. The fact that it decreases the damage from the remaining three types means that Mega Aggron is likely to take a licking and keep on ticking.
Mega Aggron could use more options in the offensive side of its move pool but it still has plenty of options that it can use to its advantage with its best STAB options being Iron Head (80 Power, 100% Accuracy and a 30% chance to make the target flinch), Iron Tail (100 Power, 75% Accuracy and a 30% chance to lower the target’s Defense) or Heavy Slam which does damage based on how much heavier Aggron is than its opponent. Sometimes that can be useful and provide a maximum of 120 Power if Aggron is 5 times heavier than the opponent. However, the power can be as low as 40 if used against a target that Aggron is up to double as heavy as. Each of those moves are learned naturally through level up and therefore do not require egg move breeding to pass on.
Mega Aggron is one of the bulkiest Pokémon though and as such it has the some powerful defensive options available to it:
· Harden (Raises Defense by 1 stage)
· Protect (Negates any attacks this turn)
· Iron Defense (Raises Defense by 2 stages)
· Curse (Lowers Speed but Increases Attack and Defense by 1 stage)
Curse is worth noting as Mega Aggron’s speed is already likely something you’re not utilizing and boosting both Attack and Defense at once can definitely be worth utilizing. However, Mega Aggron does have a decent selection of Attacks at its disposal including (moves with STAB are in bold):
{C}· Iron Head (80 Power, 100% accuracy and a 30% chance to make the target flinch)
{C}· Iron Tail (100 Power, 75% accuracy and a 30% chance to lower the target’s Defense)
{C}· Heavy Slam (40-120 Power, 100% Accuracy with damage based on weight difference)
{C}· Earthquake (100 Power, 100% Accuracy)
{C}· Power-Up Punch (40 Power, 100% Accuracy and raises Attack by 1 stage)
{C}· Superpower (120 Power, 100% Accuracy and lower’s the user’s Attack and Defense by 1 stage)
{C}· Stone Edge (100 Power, 80% Accuracy and an increased chance for critical)
{C}· Dragon Claw (80 Power, 100% Accuracy)
{C}· Brick Break (75 Power, 100% Accuracy)
{C}· Payback (50 Power, 100% Accuracy with 2x damage if attacking second)
{C}· Return (Up to 102 Power, 100% Accuracy with damage based on happiness)
Additionally, Mega Aggron has a few utility moves that are worth mentioning based on his capabilities as a wall.
{C}· Roar (Forces opponent to switch Pokémon)
{C}· Dragon Tail (60 Power, 90% Accuracy and forces opponent to switch Pokémon)
{C}· Rest (Sleeps for 2 turns and completely heals)
{C}· Substitute (Sacrifices ¼ HP to place a doll with that amount of HP that blocks any attacks against the Pokémon until destroyed)
{C}· Rock Polish (Raises Speed by 2 stages)
{C}· Toxic (Badly poisons the target)
{C}· Stealth Rock (Causes damage as opposing Pokémon switch in)
{C}· Thunder Wave (Inflicts Paralysis)
STRATEGY AND MOVESETS
Mega Aggron has a lot of other attacks available to it that are hindered either by base power or accuracy (under 80% accuracy or even 90% can be quite risky and a turn with a miss is a wasted turn). However, it should be apparent that while its stats aren’t balanced, its move pool is.
Build 1 - Tank: (252 Atk, 252 Def, 4 HP; Rock Head>Filter; Adamant/Impish)
{C}· Earthquake
{C}· Iron Head
{C}· Thunder Wave/Toxic
{C}· Dragon Tail/Stealth Rock
For this build, Mega Aggron has Earthquake to cover those pesky fire types, Iron Head for STAB, Thunder Wave to cut the opponent’s speed and possibly hinder them for a turn (or more if you’re really lucky) and either a forced switch or damage after a switch for a little more control on the situation. Alternatively, you can use both Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail here with Earthquake and Iron Head for coverage and extra damage.
Build 2 - Annoyance: (252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 Def; Rock Head>Filter; Adamant/Jolly)
{C}· Dragon Tail
{C}· Stealth Rock
{C}· Iron Head
{C}· Curse/Thunder Wave
This move set is designed to take advantage of Mega Aggron’s massive Defense and Attack by using Dragon Tail to choose your opponents. Switch into an attack that you know will be physical and possibly something that the 10 resistances or poison immunity can help mitigate. Afterwards, you have the option to set up with Curse to prepare for a sweep or Stealth Rock to prepare for your bread and butter of Dragon Tail. Anytime an opponent attempts to setup, you make them switch. Anytime an opponent tries to bring in something you can’t handle with Mega Aggron, Dragon Tail. When you’re finally ready, Iron Head with STAB may even allow you to sweep. Stat wise, build around speed in an attempt to out-speed the opponent which is hard with such a low base stat. Alternatively, Thunder Wave can be used to help out-speed the opponent. Too bad it can’t hold Quick Claw right?
Build 3 - Classic Rest-Talk: (252 Atk, 252 SpD, 4 HP; Rock Head>Filter; Adamant/Impish)
{C}· Rest
{C}· Sleep Talk
{C}· Iron Head
{C}· Dragon Tail
In this classic Rest and Sleep Talk build, you attempt to shore up Mega Aggron’s Special Defense while using Rest to recover HP and Sleep Talk to continue pummeling the opponent. With the right support, this Mega Aggron can last a very long time on the battlefield.
Other Potential Strategies
Mega Aggron has enough Attack/Defense/Utility that you can swap in Protect on any of these move sets or experiment with Heavy Slam or expect to go last and use Payback to make them pay for it. While it is more likely to see action as a powerhouse tank such as the first build or as a classic wall with Rest and Sleep Talk such as in the third build, there are plenty of alternatives and no definitive set for Mega Aggron. What would you use? Feel free to put it in the comments below.
DESIGN
Aggron was already a beautiful Pokémon that looked like it was the spiritual successor for the first Pokémon ever designed (Rhydon). Its appearance was intimidating enough before Mega Evolution but only becomes even scarier with the activation of Aggronite. For its shiny version, Mega Aggron swaps this white steel armor for a light blue armor just as Aggron does. While Mega Evolution has garnered attention for giving a Pokémon a new type, it actually removes Rock and thus the 4x weakness to Ground moves. This obviously works in Mega Aggron’s favor as Steel only has 3 weaknesses on its own.
Unlike the Rhyhorn family, Mega Aggron does not ruin the awesome look of the entire family with an ugly final evolution (sorry Rhyperior).
Worth noting, Aggronite is only available in Pokémon Y and interestingly, Lairon, Aggron’s pre-evolution, can only be found in Pokémon X on Route 18 or in the Terminus Cave. Aron, Lairon’s pre-evolution, appears in hordes in the Terminus Cave on Pokémon X and as such give 5 total Defense EVs per horde. This is an interesting decision that leaves Aggron out of some people’s hands.
“Aggronite is only available in Pokémon Y and interestingly, Lairon, Aggron’s pre-evolution, can only be found in Pokémon X”
TCG USAGE
Mega Aggron does not currently appear in the TCG but will likely make an appearance soon with a likely weakness to Fire and potentially a resistance to Fairy.
ANIME
Mega Aggron has yet to appear in the anime but there’s a chance it could show up in Cocoon of Destruction as Mega Evolution will likely be focused and Mega Absol and Mega Scizor are already shown in the trailer. Otherwise, perhaps it can make it into an episode or two.
CLOSING REMARKS
While Mega Aggron may not have been as rejuvenated and make as big an impact on competitive Pokémon as Mega Kangaskhan or Mega Gengar, it still has a place on the battlefield. With the highest Defense stat and a very respectable Attack stat, Mega Aggron is designed to take hits and give them right back out. Not to mention, Aggron and Mega Aggron just plain look awesome! I’m not saying Aggron is the best thing to come out of Hoenn. But you’d be right if you said so! What do you think? How would you wield the panzer that is Mega Aggron? Let us know below.