Gary
Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
[OVERVIEW]
Volcanion's great offensive typing and high Special Attack stat make it a solid balance breaker. Water Absorb allows it to take full advantage of Toxapex, a staple on many balance teams, as well as pressure offensive Water-types such as Greninja and Keldeo. Volcanion also has access to a unique and powerful move in Steam Eruption, which is very hard to reliably switch into due to its high Base Power and 30% burn chance. Unfortunately, Volcanion's mediocre Speed stat puts it below most offensive Pokemon, such as Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, and even Mega Tyranitar, and its vulnerability to entry hazards is also a huge problem because it heavily limits the number of times it can come in safely. Lastly, Volcanion faces a lot of competition from many other balance breakers, such as Kyurem-B, Kartana, Heatran, and Hoopa-U.
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Steam Eruption
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers / Waterium Z
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Substitute allows Volcanion to take advantage of many passive, defensive Pokemon found on balance teams, such as Ferrothorn, Mew, Clefable, and Toxapex. It also eases prediction and protects Volcanion from status and revenge killers. Steam Eruption is very spammable due to its high Base Power and accuracy as well as its burn chance. It can be very useful for burning Pokemon such as Mew and Mega Venusaur that may try to stall out Volcanion. Flamethrower hits most of the Grass-types that resist Steam Eruption, such as Tangrowth, Ferrothorn, and Tapu Bulu. Fire Blast is a stronger alternative, but due to its low accuracy and PP, Flamethrower is preferred. Earth Power is an imperative coverage move for Toxapex, which walls Volcanion otherwise.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment allows Volcanion to hit as hard as possible, while maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature are important to outspeed Timid Magearna and Adamant Tapu Bulu. Leftovers is the optimal item choice because it lets Volcanion use Substitute more frequently and can also help offset entry hazard damage a bit. Waterium Z is also a fine option because it lets Volcanion break balance better by blasting through Clefable and Mew, as well as just hitting very hard in general. Groundium Z can be used to break through specially defensive Toxapex a lot faster without having to rely so much on Special Defense drops. Shuca Berry is a nice surprise for offensive Landorus-T as well as Heatran.
Usage Tips
========
Bring Volcanion directly into passive Pokemon that can't really threaten it, such as Toxapex, Mew, Clefable, and Ferrothorn. If choosing to hard switch into Toxapex, make sure Toxic Spikes aren't present on your side of the field, as otherwise Volcanion can be stalled out by Toxapex. Use Substitute as much as possible against balanced teams if Volcanion can afford to, because these teams usually struggle to deal with it behind a Substitute. Against offensive teams, it's usually best to just spam Steam Eruption on whatever comes in and only get Volcanion in on free switches via momentum. Try not to hard switch Volcanion into a predicted Hydro Pump or Scald from Greninja or Keldeo, because if you are incorrect, Volcanion is going to take a lot of unnecessary damage. If attempting to burn something with Steam Eruption, be wary of its low PP because Pokemon like Mew can potentially stall out Volcanion with Soft-Boiled otherwise.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is imperative, because otherwise Volcanion is going to take a lot of damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes, and Toxic Spikes render it useless. Latios is a great option that can also switch into offensive Landorus-T somewhat reliably, as well as help with Mega Venusaur, which walls Volcanion. Mew and Kartana are also great options that can fit on a wide variety of teams. Tapu Koko provides momentum with Volt Switch and also baits in Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth, which Volcanion can usually force out and set up a Substitute on. Pokemon that can clean up after Volcanion busts through balance cores are useful, such as Shift Gear Magearna and Ash-Greninja, which also baits in Toxapex. Pursuit trappers such as Mega Tyranitar and Choice Band Tyranitar are very nice, because Roost Latios completely walls Volcanion while balance teams with Mega Latias give Volcanion a lot of issues. Pokemon that can help make up for Volcanion's subpar matchup against offensive teams are very nice, including Choice Scarf Tapu Lele or Kartana, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Choice Specs set can be used to take advantage of Volcanion's excellent offensive typing and STAB attacks, but it requires a decent amount of prediction and can't effectively break teams because of this. Grassium Z with Solar Beam can be used to KO the bulky Water-types that Volcanion lures in such as Gastrodon, Suicune, and Alomomola. Toxic is another alternative to cripple bulky Water-types, but it doesn't fit anywhere on the set. Hidden Power Electric can 2HKO Mantine and Pelipper.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chansey**: Chansey completely walls Volcanion because of its insanely high Special Defense and can use Seismic Toss on Volcanion until it is KOed.
**Bulky Water-types**: Gastrodon is quite possibly the best switch-in to Volcanion in the tier because it's immune to Steam Eruption, takes little damage from its other moves, and can threaten it out with Earthquake. Tapu Fini can use Taunt on Volcanion and prevent it from using Substitute, while Nature's Madness chips it considerably. Suicune can't touch Volcanion but can easily stall out its moves with its Pressure ability, and Mantine also stalls out Volcanion and is immune to Steam Eruption. Mega Slowbro resists both of Volcanion's STAB moves and sets up Calm Mind on it. Alomomola is hard to take down too due to Wish and Regenerator.
**Dragon-types**: Latios resists both of Volcanion's STAB moves and can simply use Roost to heal off the damage or threaten it with Draco Meteor. Mega Latias can use Volcanion as setup fodder. Dragonite has to be wary of being burned by Steam Eruption but otherwise can use Volcanion as setup fodder as well.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Volcanion is pretty slow, so a large portion of offensive Pokemon such as Mega Diancie, Tapu Koko, Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Tapu Lele can threaten it out.
Volcanion's great offensive typing and high Special Attack stat make it a solid balance breaker. Water Absorb allows it to take full advantage of Toxapex, a staple on many balance teams, as well as pressure offensive Water-types such as Greninja and Keldeo. Volcanion also has access to a unique and powerful move in Steam Eruption, which is very hard to reliably switch into due to its high Base Power and 30% burn chance. Unfortunately, Volcanion's mediocre Speed stat puts it below most offensive Pokemon, such as Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, and even Mega Tyranitar, and its vulnerability to entry hazards is also a huge problem because it heavily limits the number of times it can come in safely. Lastly, Volcanion faces a lot of competition from many other balance breakers, such as Kyurem-B, Kartana, Heatran, and Hoopa-U.
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Steam Eruption
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers / Waterium Z
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Substitute allows Volcanion to take advantage of many passive, defensive Pokemon found on balance teams, such as Ferrothorn, Mew, Clefable, and Toxapex. It also eases prediction and protects Volcanion from status and revenge killers. Steam Eruption is very spammable due to its high Base Power and accuracy as well as its burn chance. It can be very useful for burning Pokemon such as Mew and Mega Venusaur that may try to stall out Volcanion. Flamethrower hits most of the Grass-types that resist Steam Eruption, such as Tangrowth, Ferrothorn, and Tapu Bulu. Fire Blast is a stronger alternative, but due to its low accuracy and PP, Flamethrower is preferred. Earth Power is an imperative coverage move for Toxapex, which walls Volcanion otherwise.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment allows Volcanion to hit as hard as possible, while maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature are important to outspeed Timid Magearna and Adamant Tapu Bulu. Leftovers is the optimal item choice because it lets Volcanion use Substitute more frequently and can also help offset entry hazard damage a bit. Waterium Z is also a fine option because it lets Volcanion break balance better by blasting through Clefable and Mew, as well as just hitting very hard in general. Groundium Z can be used to break through specially defensive Toxapex a lot faster without having to rely so much on Special Defense drops. Shuca Berry is a nice surprise for offensive Landorus-T as well as Heatran.
Usage Tips
========
Bring Volcanion directly into passive Pokemon that can't really threaten it, such as Toxapex, Mew, Clefable, and Ferrothorn. If choosing to hard switch into Toxapex, make sure Toxic Spikes aren't present on your side of the field, as otherwise Volcanion can be stalled out by Toxapex. Use Substitute as much as possible against balanced teams if Volcanion can afford to, because these teams usually struggle to deal with it behind a Substitute. Against offensive teams, it's usually best to just spam Steam Eruption on whatever comes in and only get Volcanion in on free switches via momentum. Try not to hard switch Volcanion into a predicted Hydro Pump or Scald from Greninja or Keldeo, because if you are incorrect, Volcanion is going to take a lot of unnecessary damage. If attempting to burn something with Steam Eruption, be wary of its low PP because Pokemon like Mew can potentially stall out Volcanion with Soft-Boiled otherwise.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is imperative, because otherwise Volcanion is going to take a lot of damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes, and Toxic Spikes render it useless. Latios is a great option that can also switch into offensive Landorus-T somewhat reliably, as well as help with Mega Venusaur, which walls Volcanion. Mew and Kartana are also great options that can fit on a wide variety of teams. Tapu Koko provides momentum with Volt Switch and also baits in Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth, which Volcanion can usually force out and set up a Substitute on. Pokemon that can clean up after Volcanion busts through balance cores are useful, such as Shift Gear Magearna and Ash-Greninja, which also baits in Toxapex. Pursuit trappers such as Mega Tyranitar and Choice Band Tyranitar are very nice, because Roost Latios completely walls Volcanion while balance teams with Mega Latias give Volcanion a lot of issues. Pokemon that can help make up for Volcanion's subpar matchup against offensive teams are very nice, including Choice Scarf Tapu Lele or Kartana, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Choice Specs set can be used to take advantage of Volcanion's excellent offensive typing and STAB attacks, but it requires a decent amount of prediction and can't effectively break teams because of this. Grassium Z with Solar Beam can be used to KO the bulky Water-types that Volcanion lures in such as Gastrodon, Suicune, and Alomomola. Toxic is another alternative to cripple bulky Water-types, but it doesn't fit anywhere on the set. Hidden Power Electric can 2HKO Mantine and Pelipper.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chansey**: Chansey completely walls Volcanion because of its insanely high Special Defense and can use Seismic Toss on Volcanion until it is KOed.
**Bulky Water-types**: Gastrodon is quite possibly the best switch-in to Volcanion in the tier because it's immune to Steam Eruption, takes little damage from its other moves, and can threaten it out with Earthquake. Tapu Fini can use Taunt on Volcanion and prevent it from using Substitute, while Nature's Madness chips it considerably. Suicune can't touch Volcanion but can easily stall out its moves with its Pressure ability, and Mantine also stalls out Volcanion and is immune to Steam Eruption. Mega Slowbro resists both of Volcanion's STAB moves and sets up Calm Mind on it. Alomomola is hard to take down too due to Wish and Regenerator.
**Dragon-types**: Latios resists both of Volcanion's STAB moves and can simply use Roost to heal off the damage or threaten it with Draco Meteor. Mega Latias can use Volcanion as setup fodder. Dragonite has to be wary of being burned by Steam Eruption but otherwise can use Volcanion as setup fodder as well.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Volcanion is pretty slow, so a large portion of offensive Pokemon such as Mega Diancie, Tapu Koko, Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Tapu Lele can threaten it out.
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