|
-
Illuminate
- Increases wild encounter rate (no effect in battles).
-
Swarm
- Boosts power of Bug moves 50% when at 1/3 HP or less.
|
Statistics
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
271 |
334 |
- |
| Atk |
73
|
163 |
182 |
245 |
269 |
| Def |
55
|
131 |
146 |
209 |
229 |
| SpA |
47
|
117 |
130 |
193 |
212 |
| SpD |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| Spe |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
Volbeat makes a decent Tail Glow passer in the UU/NU environment, so feel free to try this out. Bug Buzz and Hidden Power Rock is also a decent attack combination, which can work off 386 Special Attack in a pinch. Thunderbolt is a good alternative as it hits Mantine and other Flying types harder than Hidden Power Rock in most cases, although you lose coverage on Altaria, Fire types and a few of your fellow Bugs. Substitute can also work if you want something else to pass on, plus it provides some protection to boost from behind. You can try a Salac Berry if you're using Substitute, as passing on +2 Special Attack and +1 Speed can open up a sweep for another team member.
U-turn can do some decent damage, while the other attacks offer some type coverage. Zen Headbutt is good for Poison and Fighting types, while the Fighting attack maims Rock/Steel types. Choice Band/Trick is an effective combination as usual, or you can go with Aerial Ace to hit your fellow Bug types.
Other Options
Roost, Thunder Wave and Confuse Ray are on offer as support, but they are of no real use to Volbeat. Stick with the options listed above.
EVs
Go with Timid, max Speed and Special Attack for the Tail Glow Passer. If you're using Sub and Salac Berry, make sure your HP stat is divisible by four, so the berry will activate after three Subs, rather than four. For Choice Band sets, simply max out Attack and Speed. Adamant is the better option as Volbeat is not blessed with a good Attack stat, but you can go with Jolly if you prefer the extra Speed.
Opinion
DP was not as kind to Volbeat as it was to Illumise. While Illumise has a respectable movepool for her stat distribution, not to mention Tinted Lens, Volbeat's physical attack goes wasted. As for the Tail Glow Passer, you might prefer Minun, who attacks better, is faster, and isn't weak to Stealth Rock. As far as actual attacking goes, it's pretty average, even with a Choice Band. Overall, Volbeat is a rather mediocre Pokémon.
Counters
Almost anything faster can go out and shut the Tail Glow Passer down—worst case scenario, it predicts and uses a super effective attack; with 193 Special Attack, chances are most UU level Pokémon will survive. The Choice Bander is shut down by the usual assortment of physical walls and Bug resists. Most Flying types will shrug off physical hits from Volbeat, just don't switch the likes of Fearow into Focus Punch.