Aron ► Lairon ► Aggron
| Ball | Pokémon | Types | Region | Location | Games | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Steel/Rock | Hoenn | Granite Cave | Emerald, Alpha Sapphire | 2005 |
| Fast Attacks | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Tail | Dragon | Physical | 60 | 90% | 10 |
| Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75% | 15 |
| Smack Down | Rock | Physical | 50 | 100% | 15 |
| Main Attacks | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Edge | Rock | Physical | 100 | 80% | 5 |
| Rock Tomb | Rock | Physical | 60 | 95% | 15 |
| Thunder | Electric | Special | 110 | 70% | 10 |
| Heavy Slam | Steel | Physical | — | 100% | 10 |
| Meteor Beam | Rock | Special | 120 | 90% | 10 |
| Return/Frustration | Normal | Physical | — | 100% | 20 |
When it comes to the Hoenn games, I always make sure to catch an Aron, running around in the dark until I can find one with the Rock Head ability. This is important because it removes the recoil damage from the move Double-Edge, a powerful Normal type attack. And thanks to it’s unique typing, it can fit on pretty much every team without the risk of overlap with another Pokémon.
I think it’s also pretty satisfying to use because even though you can catch one super early, it takes a while until it can evolve, and even longer to fully evolve, meaning it’ll feel like you’re raising it for pretty much the entire game. It’s a slow burn, but it’s a slow burn that feels rewarding.
I’ve always been of the opinion that Pokémon doesn’t fully hit their stride with the designs until Generation 3 comes out, and a small part of that is because there’s more of an opportunity to add more Steel and Dark types to the game.
And this line takes full advantage of that, starting as this cute little beetle dude, eventually evolving into a shell-backed reptile, and then finally a full-on armour-plated dinosaur. You could argue it’s one of those reoccurring design ideas like you would see in Generation 1, but out of all of them, I like this one the best. It just feels the most unique and all that layering of plate does a great job of making it look armoured and badass.
The big meme surrounding this Pokémon is the Level 1 Aron, taking advantage of the Sturdy ability combined with the Shell Bell item, and the move Endeavour, which brings the opponent down to the exact HP amount.
This wouldn’t come into affect until Black and White though, seeing as the original purpose of Sturdy was to negate one-hit knockout moves like Fissure and Horn Drill. They would eventually change it to make it so you cannot be knocked out with one hit, likely because knockout moves would never get used.