Why Aeroblast Makes Lugia a Sneaky Little Menace (Even When It’s Pretending to Be a Wall)

Lugia has this reputation as the responsible adult of legendary Pokémon. You know: bulky, calm, takes hits, probably drinks herbal tea.

And then Aeroblast shows up like, “Actually, I’d like to choose violence.”

Because Aeroblast isn’t just a pretty Flying move with a dramatic name. It crits more than normal moves, and over a long fight that turns Lugia from “annoying to KO” into “wait… why am I suddenly losing?”

Let me walk you through why this move is Lugia’s secret sauce depending on which game you’re playing.

Aeroblast: the quick-and-dirty stats that matter

In the mainline games, Aeroblast is:

• Flying type, Special
• 100 base power
• 95% accuracy (aka “misses at the worst possible time,” but not constantly)
• 5 PP (8 with PP Ups still not exactly a move you spam like you’re mad at your controller)
• Non contact (so you’re not bonking into Rocky Helmet, Flame Body, Static, etc.)

That “Special” part is important because Lugia’s Special Attack is better than its Attack. Aeroblast playing nice with Lugia’s stats is… honestly, a gift.

Tiny history lesson (because it actually matters)

In Gen II and III, Aeroblast was physical (used Attack), which is like giving a sports car bicycle tires. Starting in Gen IV, it became special, and suddenly it clicked.

The real reason Aeroblast is scary: crits, baby

Most moves crit at about 4.2%. Aeroblast has a high crit rate, meaning it starts at crit stage 1, which works out to roughly 12.5% in modern mainline games.

That’s about triple the usual crit rate.

And in a long, grindy Lugia battle (which is basically Lugia’s love language), those extra crits add up. It’s not flashy damage every turn it’s more like a slow leak that eventually floods the basement.

“Can I make it crit even more?” (you chaos gremlin)

Yes.

• Scope Lens bumps you up a stage (Aeroblast + Scope Lens lands around 25% crit)
• Focus Energy bumps you up two stages
• Focus Energy + Scope Lens gets you into “is this move allergic to NOT critting?” territory

Two quick reality checks:

1. Some abilities (like Battle Armor/Shell Armor) straight up block crits.
2. Crits don’t matter if you’re blasting into something that resists Flying and laughs.

STAB + matchups: where Aeroblast feels amazing… and where it faceplants

Because Lugia has a Psychic Flying type mix, Aeroblast gets STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). In plain English: the game hands you a damage tip for staying on theme.

So Aeroblast often hits like a 150 power move into neutral targets (100 power × 1.5). That’s why it feels so “chunky” even though Lugia isn’t some glass cannon nuke machine.

Targets Aeroblast loves to bully

• Fighting
• Bug
• Grass

Targets that ruin Aeroblast’s vibe

• Rock
• Steel
• Electric

If you’ve ever Aeroblasted a Corviknight or Ferrothorn and felt your soul leave your body a little, yes. That’s normal.

My personal take: if you’re bringing Lugia seriously, don’t rely on Aeroblast alone. Pack coverage.

• Psychic and/or Ice Beam are common friends to invite to the party so Steel/Electric types don’t turn you into a decorative pillow.

“Okay, but how do I actually build Lugia around this?”

Lugia’s whole deal is: absurd bulk + patience + just enough offense to matter.

It’s sitting there with massive HP and Special Defense, taking hits, healing, boosting, and then surprise landing crits often enough that your opponent can’t just comfortably “outlast” you.

A classic, annoying in the best way plan looks like:

• Calm Mind (slowly becomes unkillable and harder hitting)
• Roost (because Lugia refuses to die like it’s paying rent)
• Aeroblast (your main Flying damage + crit pressure)
• Coverage/utility (Psychic, Ice Beam, maybe something team specific)

Items I actually like:

• Leftovers or Heavy Duty Boots if you want Lugia to stick around forever
• Scope Lens if you want to lean into the crit nonsense (and feel a little villainous)

Also: Aeroblast only has 5 PP, so don’t play like it’s Water Gun. This is more “fine china” than “paper plates.”

Big-format power boosts (aka the “one huge hit” button)

Depending on the generation you’re in:

• Flyinium Z turns Aeroblast into Supersonic Skystrike (180 BP) for one big “delete this thing” moment.
• Dynamax makes it Max Airstream, which is sometimes better than raw damage because the Speed boost can snowball hard.
• Terastallizing into Flying is… fine, but not life changing compared to other Tera options. (It’s like repainting a room that already looks good you’ll see a difference, but it won’t solve your whole life.)

Pokémon GO: Aeroblast is not the same beast

Pokémon GO does its own thing (as usual), and Aeroblast’s value depends hugely on whether you mean raids or GO Battle League.

Raids/Gyms (aka “why is my Lugia feeling mid?”)

Aeroblast hits hard, sure, but Lugia has two problems:

• Attack stat isn’t amazing (Lugia’s more of a tank than a striker)
• No Flying fast move, so it can’t build into Aeroblast as smoothly as dedicated Flying attackers

So yeah Lugia ends up around the mid 20s among Flying raid attackers, and that’s not where you want to spend precious resources if your goal is pure raid damage.

Translation: don’t Elite TM Aeroblast for raids. Save that pain for something worthy.

GO Battle League (where Aeroblast gets spicy)

In PvP, Aeroblast is much more interesting because it has a 12.5% chance to raise your Attack by two stages when it hits.

That’s the kind of boost that turns a long, sweaty match into a sudden landslide. Not every time but often enough to make opponents nervous, which is honestly half the battle.

And if you like numbers, here’s the vibe:

• Raids/Gyms: 180 damage / 100 energy (DPE 1.8)
• GBL: 170 damage / 75 energy (DPE 2.27)

Where it shows up: Master League style formats, where Lugia can actually use its bulk to play the long game.

“How do I get Aeroblast in GO?”

It’s event limited, so if you missed the windows, you’re looking at an Elite Charged TM.

My opinion:

• If you’re a Master League person and Lugia is a real part of your team, Aeroblast is a legit investment.
• If you’re raids only, hard pass use something built to bonk.

How to get Aeroblast in the mainline games

In current mainline titles, Lugia learns Aeroblast at level 54.

Also: there are special versions like Apex Shadow Lugia in GO tied to Ho Oh Lugia relationship that can have Aeroblast variants (Aeroblast+ / Aeroblast++). They’re basically the “limited edition” version cool, slightly stronger, and annoying to obtain (like the perfect vintage mirror you saw once and still think about).

My takeaways (so you can stop overthinking it)

• In the mainline games, Aeroblast is good because:
  • it’s Special, works with Lugia’s stats,
  • it’s non contact, and
  • it crits around 12.5%, which matters a ton in long fights.
• Aeroblast alone won’t fix Lugia’s bad matchups into Steel/Rock/Electric, so bring coverage.
• In Pokémon GO, Aeroblast is:
  • meh for raids (Lugia isn’t a top tier Flying attacker),
  • excellent for PvP, especially because of that Attack boost chance.
• If you’re spending an Elite Charged TM, do it for GO Battle League value, not raid bragging rights.

If your playstyle is “I will outlast you and then quietly ruin your day,” Aeroblast Lugia is absolutely your bird.