Tough Claws boosts the holder’s contact moves by 1.3×. Almost every physical move involves contact — Stone Edge, Rock SlideRock SlidemoveA Rock-type spread move with 75 base power and a 30% flinch chance on each target it hits.Click to read more → (single-target portion), Iron Head, Crunch, Earthquake (no contact), and so on. The exceptions are projectile moves like Earth Power, Aura Sphere, and Hyper Voice.
Why Mega Aerodactyl wants it
Mega AerodactylMega AerodactylmegaTough Claws boosts contact moves by 1.3× on top of Aerodactyl's already blistering 150 base Speed — the fastest Mega in the format.Click to read more → is the fastest Mega in Reg M-A (150 base Speed) and runs primarily contact moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Iron Head. Each one gets a 1.3× buff, turning Aerodactyl into a glass-cannon revenge killer that outspeeds and one-shots most attackers.
Stacking with STAB
If the contact move is also STABSTABmechanicSame-Type Attack Bonus: a move deals ×1.5 damage when its type matches one of the user's types.Click to read more →, the multipliers compound: 1.3 × 1.5 = 1.95× raw power. A Tough Claws Stone Edge from Mega Aerodactyl is among the hardest single hits in the format.
Counterplay
- Steel-types resist Rock and Bug (Aerodactyl’s most common STABs after Mega).
- Wide Guard stops spread Rock moves like Rock Slide.
- Speed control — TailwindTailwindmoveDoubles the Speed of every Pokémon on your side for 4 turns. Often paired with Prankster for instant priority setup.Click to read more → on the opponent’s side, or Trick RoomTrick RoomstrategyFor 5 turns, slower Pokémon move first. Reverses the entire speed game — a strategy that builds teams around very slow attackers.Click to read more →, can flip Aerodactyl’s speed advantage and let slow attackers KO it before it moves.