[OVERVIEW]
Volcarona is one of the deadliest sweepers in the tier because of its access to Quiver Dance, high Special Attack stat, and decent Speed stat. Its large movepool, which is complemented by Z-Moves, allows Volcarona to pick its checks and counters. Volcarona also has a ton of setup opportunities in a tier infested with Steel-types and passive Pokemon such as Mew and Tangrowth. However, Volcarona is held back by its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, requiring Defog or Rapid Spin support. Volcarona will also lose to a common Pokemon depending on its set, meaning it can be inconsistent. Finally, Volcarona often cannot sweep in practice, since it will be forced out by Choice Scarf users above its Speed tier such as Latios, Garchomp, and Keldeo as well as strong priority users such as Mega Mawile and Mega Pinsir.
[SET]
name: Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Bug Buzz / Psychic
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Buginium Z / Psychium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Quiver Dance turns Volcarona into a terrifying sweeper, allowing its Fire Blast to OHKO Pokemon such as defensive Landorus-T and Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock. Bug Buzz is Volcarona's secondary STAB move, nailing Choice Scarf Latios on the switch and preventing Tyranitar from walling it. When combined with Buginium Z, it becomes Savage Spin-Out, which can be used to muscle past Pokemon such as Zygarde and Choice Scarf Garchomp on the switch. Psychic is an option with Psychium Z to break Toxapex and hit Choice Scarf Keldeo on the switch instead. However, this leaves Volcarona more vulnerable to Tyranitar and Mega Latias, which are not the easiest Pokemon to lure. Shattered Psyche hits Zygarde for solid damage, but it will have to be weakened to net a KO. Hidden Power Ground rounds off the set to let Volcarona break past Heatran, a Pokemon that many teams prefer not to let switch in freely. Giga Drain is an option over Bug Buzz or Psychic to hit Tapu Fini and recover health. This is best used with an alternative item such as Firium Z or Charti Berry.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment is used to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. A Timid nature is mandatory to outpace Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Landorus-T after a Quiver Dance boost. Flame Body is the preferred ability for its burn chance in clutch moments. Buginium Z should be used with Bug Buzz to access Savage Spin-Out, while Psychium Z is the item choice for sets running Psychic, granting access to Shattered Psyche. If Giga Drain is used, however, Firium Z should be the item of choice—Inferno Overdrive is capable of OHKOing Naive Diancie and Mega Charizard Y at +1 and has insane power in general, allowing Volcarona to surprise and OHKO Landorus-T, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B without a boost. Charti Berry is another option, capitalizing on teams that rely on Choice Scarf Stone Edge Keldeo to revenge kill Volcarona.
Usage Tips
========
If there are Choice Scarf users above 100 Speed on the opposing team, Volcarona should try to catch them on the switch, since the opponent will be forced to hard switch to them due to how threatening Volcarona is. For example, Choice Scarf Latios and Garchomp faint to Bug Buzz and Savage Spin-Out, while Choice Scarf Keldeo will fall to Shattered Psyche. When this is done, Volcarona can sweep later with Quiver Dance.
Volcarona should not set up until its counters are cleared. Volcarona's matchup does fluctuate, so there are moments where it can set up mid-game and go for a sweep right off the bat. A lot of Pokemon are setup bait to Volcarona, but those Pokemon can often annoy Volcarona back. Celesteela can use Leech Seed on it and switch around until Volcarona is in range of priority. Ferrothorn can do the same or cripple Volcarona with Thunder Wave. These are the types of situations where directly attacking is usually more safe and beneficial than using Quiver Dance.
Volcarona should only come in when entry hazards are off the field, since they greatly cripple it. Volcarona should keep as much of its health to be out of range of priority attacks and set up comfortably. Because of this, the best way to bring it in is through VoltTurn support, double switches, or after sacrificing a Pokemon. Similarly, do not make reckless plays in trying to take advantage of Flame Body. Potentially burning a Mega Scizor is not worth taking U-turn damage.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is mandatory. Mew, Latios, Mega Scizor, Mega Latias, Mantine, Zapdos, and Tapu Fini are solid options on more defensive teams, while Excadrill and Kartana are options on more hyper offensive teams. Mega Diancie can also discourage hazards from going up and can use Stealth Rock itself, meaning Volcarona can take advantage of Stealth Rock on the opponent's side of the field. Depending on Volcarona's set, it will be walled by certain Pokemon, so lures to such threats are nice. Buginium Z sets lose to Toxapex, so Thunder Punch Mega Mawile and Extrasensory Greninja can pressure it. Psychium Z Volcarona sets need a way to weaken Tyranitar, so Latios is a phenomenal teammate, since it can Defog and get huge damage on it with Draco Meteor. Tyranitar itself is an interesting teammate too, since it traps Latios and Mega Latias for Psychium Z Volcarona and can support a potential Rapid Spin Excadrill as another teammate. Pokemon that can switch into common attackers that force out Volcarona like Ash-Greninja and Mega Diancie are required. Tangrowth and Assault Vest Magearna can do this reliably.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set with Substitute, Quiver Dance, Fire Blast, and Bug Buzz with the ability Swarm allows Volcarona to invalidate Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks such as physically defensive Toxapex with Savage Spin-Out. Substitute allows Volcarona to ease prediction, defeat non-Taunt Heatran one-on-one, and avoid status moves from Pokemon such as Celesteela and Clefable. Coba Berry is an option to surprise Mega Pinsir, and a Passho Berry lets Volcarona surprise Greninja and KO it. Passho Berry is quite nice against rain teams too. Volcarona itself can be used on rain teams with Hurricane and Flyinium Z to do massive damage to many nuisances to the playstyle such as Toxapex and Mantine with Supersonic Skystrike. Volcarona's natural typing is nice to deal with Pokemon that annoy rain teams such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth.
Psychic and Bug Buzz can be used on the same set with dedicated Heatran lures such as Earthquake Latios and Focus Punch Mega Mawile. Another option is Hidden Power Ice because it nails Zygarde without the use of Buginium Z and it can surprise Landorus-T without the use of Firium Z. Finally, a bulky Quiver Dance set can be used with Mega Sableye, but its defensive niche has taken a hit with bans of Pokemon it could check.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock must be removed before Volcarona is sent in or otherwise it is much less threatening. Offensive entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T and Z-Move Heatran can set Stealth Rock well.
**Fast Choice Scarf Users**: Keldeo, Garchomp, Latios, and Greninja can revenge kill Volcarona, but they can be removed if they come in on the wrong move.
**Strong Priority**: Strong priority can pick off Volcarona. Mega Pinsir, Mega Mawile, Choice Band Zygarde, and Bisharp can revenge kill it with little prior damage. Mimikyu has Disguise to defeat Volcarona with the combination of Never-Ending Nightmare and Shadow Sneak. Rarer threats such as Azumarill and Crawdaunt can remove it with ease.
**Selective Defensive Pokemon**: Toxapex is a solid answer to non-Psychium Z or Swarm sets. Tyranitar and Mega Latias wall any set without Bug Buzz. Tapu Fini can get massive damage on Volcarona without Giga Drain through the combination of Nature's Madness and Moonblast. Mantine is a solid all-around answer, but it can lose if it comes in on Stealth Rock to a Shattered Psyche variant.
**Chansey**: Chansey completely walls Volcarona and puts it on a timer with Toxic. The rare Firium Z set can surprise a weakened Chansey, however.
Volcarona is one of the deadliest sweepers in the tier because of its access to Quiver Dance, high Special Attack stat, and decent Speed stat. Its large movepool, which is complemented by Z-Moves, allows Volcarona to pick its checks and counters. Volcarona also has a ton of setup opportunities in a tier infested with Steel-types and passive Pokemon such as Mew and Tangrowth. However, Volcarona is held back by its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, requiring Defog or Rapid Spin support. Volcarona will also lose to a common Pokemon depending on its set, meaning it can be inconsistent. Finally, Volcarona often cannot sweep in practice, since it will be forced out by Choice Scarf users above its Speed tier such as Latios, Garchomp, and Keldeo as well as strong priority users such as Mega Mawile and Mega Pinsir.
[SET]
name: Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Bug Buzz / Psychic
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Buginium Z / Psychium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Quiver Dance turns Volcarona into a terrifying sweeper, allowing its Fire Blast to OHKO Pokemon such as defensive Landorus-T and Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock. Bug Buzz is Volcarona's secondary STAB move, nailing Choice Scarf Latios on the switch and preventing Tyranitar from walling it. When combined with Buginium Z, it becomes Savage Spin-Out, which can be used to muscle past Pokemon such as Zygarde and Choice Scarf Garchomp on the switch. Psychic is an option with Psychium Z to break Toxapex and hit Choice Scarf Keldeo on the switch instead. However, this leaves Volcarona more vulnerable to Tyranitar and Mega Latias, which are not the easiest Pokemon to lure. Shattered Psyche hits Zygarde for solid damage, but it will have to be weakened to net a KO. Hidden Power Ground rounds off the set to let Volcarona break past Heatran, a Pokemon that many teams prefer not to let switch in freely. Giga Drain is an option over Bug Buzz or Psychic to hit Tapu Fini and recover health. This is best used with an alternative item such as Firium Z or Charti Berry.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment is used to hit as hard and be as fast as possible. A Timid nature is mandatory to outpace Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Landorus-T after a Quiver Dance boost. Flame Body is the preferred ability for its burn chance in clutch moments. Buginium Z should be used with Bug Buzz to access Savage Spin-Out, while Psychium Z is the item choice for sets running Psychic, granting access to Shattered Psyche. If Giga Drain is used, however, Firium Z should be the item of choice—Inferno Overdrive is capable of OHKOing Naive Diancie and Mega Charizard Y at +1 and has insane power in general, allowing Volcarona to surprise and OHKO Landorus-T, Tapu Lele, and Kyurem-B without a boost. Charti Berry is another option, capitalizing on teams that rely on Choice Scarf Stone Edge Keldeo to revenge kill Volcarona.
Usage Tips
========
If there are Choice Scarf users above 100 Speed on the opposing team, Volcarona should try to catch them on the switch, since the opponent will be forced to hard switch to them due to how threatening Volcarona is. For example, Choice Scarf Latios and Garchomp faint to Bug Buzz and Savage Spin-Out, while Choice Scarf Keldeo will fall to Shattered Psyche. When this is done, Volcarona can sweep later with Quiver Dance.
Volcarona should not set up until its counters are cleared. Volcarona's matchup does fluctuate, so there are moments where it can set up mid-game and go for a sweep right off the bat. A lot of Pokemon are setup bait to Volcarona, but those Pokemon can often annoy Volcarona back. Celesteela can use Leech Seed on it and switch around until Volcarona is in range of priority. Ferrothorn can do the same or cripple Volcarona with Thunder Wave. These are the types of situations where directly attacking is usually more safe and beneficial than using Quiver Dance.
Volcarona should only come in when entry hazards are off the field, since they greatly cripple it. Volcarona should keep as much of its health to be out of range of priority attacks and set up comfortably. Because of this, the best way to bring it in is through VoltTurn support, double switches, or after sacrificing a Pokemon. Similarly, do not make reckless plays in trying to take advantage of Flame Body. Potentially burning a Mega Scizor is not worth taking U-turn damage.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is mandatory. Mew, Latios, Mega Scizor, Mega Latias, Mantine, Zapdos, and Tapu Fini are solid options on more defensive teams, while Excadrill and Kartana are options on more hyper offensive teams. Mega Diancie can also discourage hazards from going up and can use Stealth Rock itself, meaning Volcarona can take advantage of Stealth Rock on the opponent's side of the field. Depending on Volcarona's set, it will be walled by certain Pokemon, so lures to such threats are nice. Buginium Z sets lose to Toxapex, so Thunder Punch Mega Mawile and Extrasensory Greninja can pressure it. Psychium Z Volcarona sets need a way to weaken Tyranitar, so Latios is a phenomenal teammate, since it can Defog and get huge damage on it with Draco Meteor. Tyranitar itself is an interesting teammate too, since it traps Latios and Mega Latias for Psychium Z Volcarona and can support a potential Rapid Spin Excadrill as another teammate. Pokemon that can switch into common attackers that force out Volcarona like Ash-Greninja and Mega Diancie are required. Tangrowth and Assault Vest Magearna can do this reliably.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set with Substitute, Quiver Dance, Fire Blast, and Bug Buzz with the ability Swarm allows Volcarona to invalidate Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks such as physically defensive Toxapex with Savage Spin-Out. Substitute allows Volcarona to ease prediction, defeat non-Taunt Heatran one-on-one, and avoid status moves from Pokemon such as Celesteela and Clefable. Coba Berry is an option to surprise Mega Pinsir, and a Passho Berry lets Volcarona surprise Greninja and KO it. Passho Berry is quite nice against rain teams too. Volcarona itself can be used on rain teams with Hurricane and Flyinium Z to do massive damage to many nuisances to the playstyle such as Toxapex and Mantine with Supersonic Skystrike. Volcarona's natural typing is nice to deal with Pokemon that annoy rain teams such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth.
Psychic and Bug Buzz can be used on the same set with dedicated Heatran lures such as Earthquake Latios and Focus Punch Mega Mawile. Another option is Hidden Power Ice because it nails Zygarde without the use of Buginium Z and it can surprise Landorus-T without the use of Firium Z. Finally, a bulky Quiver Dance set can be used with Mega Sableye, but its defensive niche has taken a hit with bans of Pokemon it could check.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock must be removed before Volcarona is sent in or otherwise it is much less threatening. Offensive entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T and Z-Move Heatran can set Stealth Rock well.
**Fast Choice Scarf Users**: Keldeo, Garchomp, Latios, and Greninja can revenge kill Volcarona, but they can be removed if they come in on the wrong move.
**Strong Priority**: Strong priority can pick off Volcarona. Mega Pinsir, Mega Mawile, Choice Band Zygarde, and Bisharp can revenge kill it with little prior damage. Mimikyu has Disguise to defeat Volcarona with the combination of Never-Ending Nightmare and Shadow Sneak. Rarer threats such as Azumarill and Crawdaunt can remove it with ease.
**Selective Defensive Pokemon**: Toxapex is a solid answer to non-Psychium Z or Swarm sets. Tyranitar and Mega Latias wall any set without Bug Buzz. Tapu Fini can get massive damage on Volcarona without Giga Drain through the combination of Nature's Madness and Moonblast. Mantine is a solid all-around answer, but it can lose if it comes in on Stealth Rock to a Shattered Psyche variant.
**Chansey**: Chansey completely walls Volcarona and puts it on a timer with Toxic. The rare Firium Z set can surprise a weakened Chansey, however.
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