Volcarona (BW2 Revamp) (QC 0/3)

[superbadd]

[Overview]

<p>Soaring out of the molten earth's core, Volcarona returns to BW2 with the power of the sun enriching its wings. New move tutors in Giga Drain and Roost give Volcarona some much needed resiliency. With a lethal base 135 SpA and two phenomenal duel Fire-type and Bug-type stabs, Volcarona remains one of the most threatening Pokemon in the entire OU metagame. Sporting an acceptable base 100 speed stat, Volcarona is capable of outrunning the vast majority of the tier. The rein of terror does not end there, with an incredible boosting move in Quiver Dance, Volcarona proves itself to be one of the most threatening Pokemon after a boost. The empress of the sun does have flaws present. BW2 Wasn't all sunshine for the sun queen. First off, her nasty Stealth Rock weakness, stripping away 50% of her health, became more common with a brand new pool of Pokemon having access to it. To make matters worse, new powerful threats in Keldeo, Thunderus-T, and Tornadus-T do not make life any easier. While support is required for her to perform at her prime, don't let that discourage you from using one of the most calamitous Pokemon available.</p>


[SET]
name: Offensive Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fire Blast / Fiery Dance
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Volcarona's most powerful set. With the appropriate coverage move, Volcarona is capable of decimating everything in its path. Quiver Dance is the most important move of the set. With a single boost Volcarona receives +1 SpA. +1 SpD, and +1 Spe, out-speeding every Pokemon without a scarf. Fire blast is the preferred fire move of choice, backed up by Drought support, and A Life Orb it is capable of nailing through common counters such as Dragonite and Salamence. Fiery Dance is Volcarona's signature move. Fiery Dance id simultaneously capable of giving Volcarona a special attack boost 50% of time, while also doing damage to the the opponent. Bug buzz is Volcarona's secondary STAB and the most reliable in terms of accuracy and power. Hidden Power Ground rounds out Volcarona's coverage and lets it get past through Tentacruel and Heatran, who would otherwise wall this set with impunity. Giga Drain is the second coverage move, albeit a reliable one. With a Life Orb and hazard damage Volcarona will often be strapped for health, as such, Giga Drain lets Volcarona restore health and damage bulky water types such as Quagsire and Gastrodon a lot more powerful than bug buzz normally would. Life Orb is best works in conjunction with Giga Drain, allowing health restoration and a power boost. Were as Leftovers and Hidden Power Ground function the best together. Leftovers lets Volcarona add up boost and not be worn down too quickly.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p> Dugtrio goes well with Volcarona. Dugtrio disposes of common counters such as Heatran, Tyranitar, and Tentacruel with Arena Trap. Dugtrio can then proceed to set up Stealth Rock and use Memento to open the path for Volcarona to sweep. Donphan also works nicely with Volcarona, being able to spin away those irritating Hazards, check annoying Pokemon such as Terrakion and Garchomp, and set up its own, is greatly appreciated. Ninetails is really one of the prime supporters here. Ninetails can set up Drought, which takes Volcarona's Fire-type attacks to absurd levels. Gothitelle gets rid of Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and Politoad, all troublesome weather starters who can disrupt Volcarona's sweep. Deoxys-D sets up entry Hazards, such as Spikes and Stealth Rock, which can make Volcarona more threatening after a boost. Finally, Breloom makes the perfect offensive partner, as they can both get rid of each other's counters quite effectively.</p>

<p>An alternative Item available is Charcol. With Sun support, back up by Life Orb, Stealth Rock, and a single special attack boost, Volcarona can OHKO Gyarados, Dragonite, Salamence, and even Terrakion. The general utility that Life Orb provides, more often, makes it the superior item. With Status conditions such as paralysis and poison being so common, A Lum berry is great alternative as well, alleviating status condition and making sure Volcarona's sweep in not disrupted</p>


<p> Hidden Power Rock is an alternate option for the Fourth move slot. With it, Dragonite, Gyarados, and Salamence can all be hit for super effective damage, while Heatran can be hit for neutral damage. Hidden Power Rock is best used on a weather-less team were Volcarona does not have the luxury of double STAB fire attacks. While Psychic may seem strange, It's a surprisingly decent option that can hit Pokemon Like Keldeo, Tentacruel, and Terrakion incredibly hard with super effective damage. </p>


[SET]
name: Rain Sweeper
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Hurricane
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Have you ever tried a Fire-type in the rain? It seems counter-intuitive, but it's surprisingly effective. While this set comes across as unorthodox, it's one of Volcarona's best sets. Under the rain, Volcarona can use a 100% accurate Hurricane successfully. With Hurricane, Volcarona can tear through its usual counters. At a +1 boost Volcarona it is capable of 2HKOing Dragonite and Gyarados after Stealth Rock. It's general utility lies in aiding Rain teams defeat, otherwise troublesome threats. Particularly Jirachi, Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Lati@s. After a boost, Quiver Dance makes Volcarona capable of ripping through everything. Bug Buzz is the STAB move of choice. Reliable due to not being dependent on weather conditions, it's a powerful tool capable of destroying everything that doesn't resist it. Fire Blast, while is neutered due to rain, still packs a punch and makes sure Volcarona can get past steel types more reliably. While this set may be dependent on rain, if an apposing sun team comes in, they will not enjoy taking Volcarona's boosted fire attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The best partner here is Politoad. While the toad is normally a nemesis, the accuracy he brings to Hurricane is too valuable. Assisting their partnership is the infamous dugtrio, who can trap opposing weather starters such as Ninetails and Tyranitar while also being able to do away with Heatran, making it easier to sweep. Gothitelle gets rid of weather inducers Dugtrio can't, such as Abomasnow and Hippowdon. Due to the rain present, Volcarona has a whole new array of teammates it wouldn't normally have. Keldeo makes an excellent offensive partner, being able to plow away at Heatran and friends with a specs Hydro Pump. Starmie is a great rapid spin user on Drizzle teams, and also a wonderful offensive partner capable of getting rid of Hazard setters and spin blockers. Tentacruel is the more defensive rapid spin partner that pairs well with our moth friend and can check and counter troublesome threats like Keldeo and Tornadus-T. Toxicroak is wonderful offensive partner, doubles as a Terrakion counter and a Keldeo counter.</p>

<p>Modest nature is preferred due to giving Volcarona the much needed fire power to plow through enemies of opposing teams. With a modest nature and a +1 SpA boost, no steel type(except for heatran) is safe from Volcarona's Fire Blast. While modest does in fact provide more power, a Timid nature can be used if the extra speed is more desirable. Leftovers are the prime option, insuring Volcarona to take a hit while boosting.</p>


[SET]
name: Bulky booster
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Fiery Dance
move 4: Roost / Rest
item: Leftovers / Chesto Berry
nature: Bold
evs: 144 HP / 252 Def / 112 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

• Different yet effective approach
• This set aims to gain as much boosts as possible
• 112 speed allows it outspeed all non scarfer users in the tier at +1 and at +2 it outspeeds scarf latios and terrakion
• Rest of evs dumped into defense to allow it to set up longer
• Roost allows it to stay healthy as it's boosting
• Chesto-Rest combo accomplishes the same thing but alleviates status

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Rapid spin is crucial for success, volcarona needs to be healthy
• dugtrio disposes of tentacruel, tranitar, and heatran
• Sleep talk can take the place of fiery dance
• Mono-attacking rest-talk set is possible after counters are cleared
• Ninetails strengthens volcarona further
  

[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Fiery Dance
move 4: Bug Buzz
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 spA / 252 spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set is a slightly different approach to using Volcarona. While its STAB attacks are heavily resisted, a substitute allows plenty of set up opportunity. Due to Volcarona's incredible offensive presence, it will often force switches which will allow it to set up a substitute. Substitute is the crux of this set, with it, Volcarona can dodge status conditions, avoid being revenge killed by Ditto, and dent a counter before it is forced out. After a few boosts, Volcarona's substitute will be near impossible to break by most most special attacks after a Quiver Dance boost. From then, it can proceed to sweep weakened teams with its mighty dual STAB combination. Bug Buzz and Fiery Dance make a deadly STAB combination, while even resisted, they can both damage an incoming counter quite well.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Magic bounce users such as Espeon and Xatu pair well with Volcarona, keeping Stealth Rock off the field. Espeon is particularly notable due to providing Dual screen support, which makes Volcarona's substitute nearly impossible to break after a Quiver Dance boost. Dugtrio is a much needed partner, because without it, Heatran walk all over this set. Dugtrio also opens the path for Volcarona to sweep by using Memento and setting up Stealth Rock. Ditto, one of Volcarona's prime checks, is no longer an issue thanks to substitute blocking the effects of Impostor. Bronzong also harmonizes well with Volcarona, both covering each other's weaknesses efficiently. Fiery Dance is the move of choice on this set, which allows Volcarona to accumulate boosts while under a sub. However, if power is what you're looking for, Fire Blast is a good option as well.</p>

<p>Maximizing Speed is the most optimal solution on the set. 252 EVs guarantees a speed tie with scarf Salamence and Jirachi. Due to Volcarona's Substitute, max speed isn't always necessary so a Modest nature is optimal if you'd like to maximize on power. Leftovers allow Volcarona to be able to set up multiple subs and gradually heal itself throughout the match. The lack of HP EVs keeps it at an odd number which will allow Volcarona to switch into Stealth rock 3 times if needed.<p>

[Other Options]


<p>Volcarona's movepool is rather barren, and as such, it lacks too many viable options. U-turn is a peculiar choice, it allows Volcarona to escape from Terrakion and Heatran so that Dugtrio can dispose of them, aiding Volcarona in sweeping. Hidden Power Ice can make quick work of Dragonite and Salamance, but there is generally no room on any of Volcarona's sets to make it work. Hidden Power Electric, is also a decent option which lets Volcarona dispose of Gyarados in one shot while also being able to hit Heatran and Dragonite neutrally. Flamethrower is the median between Fire Blast and Fiery Dance; consistent accuracy and acceptable power.</p>

<p>Volcarona is capable of two alternate sets not listed above. Of the two, a mono attacking Sunny day set consisting of Fiery Dance / Quiver Dance / Morning sun | Roost / Sunny day is possible but is generally too situational to justify its use. The other set is a specs set in the rain consisting of Overheat / Hurricane / Bug Buzz / U-turn which can be a decent aid to rain teams. When the weather conditions are right, Solar Beam and Morning Sun are both viable options, but due to the difficulty of keeping the weather in your favor, these moves are often more trouble than they're worth. On the Bulky sets, Toxic, Will-o-Wisp, and Whirlwind are all acceptable options, but Volcarona isn't the type of Pokemon suited to spread status. </p>



[Checks and Counters]


<p>While Volcarona's STABS are resisted by a large pool of Pokemon, with the right set, and under the right circumstances, Volcarona can defeat every Pokemon in the tier. The best way to get rid of Volcarona is Stealth Rock. Snatching 50% of its HP on the switch is not a pretty sight, and makes Volcarona much easier to take out. Tyranitar, Garchmop, and Terrakion can all threaten Volcarona and set up Stealth Rock. Tyranitar in particular sends in sandstorm, one of the least favorable weather conditions for Volcarona, and can stomach a Bug Buzz and KO back with Stone Edge.</p>

<p>Scarf users such as Terrakion and Keldeo who can hit Volcarona for super effective damage and resist its dual STABS, make great counters. Infernape is also another acceptable scarf user that can revenge Volcarona with Flare Blitz or Stone Edge. However, all three lose if Volcarona carries Giga Drain or Psychic. If Volcarona lacks a substitute, Ditto can come in and copy off the boosts with Impostor and prepare to sweep your team. When lacking Hidden Power Ground, both Tentacruel and Heatran are solid counters to Volcarona, provided that Volcarona hasn't gained a sufficient amount of boosts or carries an alternate Hidden Power.</p>

<p>With their titanic special defense stats, Blissey and Chansey can wall Volcarona all day long and wear it out with seismic toss, however, both will take some serious damage from a boosted Fire Blast under the sun. While uncommon as they are, both Snorlax and Milotic make exceptional counters to Volcarona, thanks to their gigantic special defense stats, they can both either phase out Volcarona or repeatedly attack it. Jellicent and Dragonite resist both of Volcarona's STABs and can pressure Volcarona with either repeated Scald attacks or simply phase it out with Dragon Tail. Defensive Gyarados is also an excellent counter that can either phase Volcarona out with Dragon Tail or hit it with a powerful Waterfall. </p>




[Unreleased]

<p>Volcarona receives Swarm as its hidden ability. In most situations, Flame Body is invaluable, giving a 30% chance for volcarona to cripple physical attackers on contact. In turn, this allows Volcarona to set up more easily. However, on the offensive set, swarm can be used in substitution for Flame Body giving Volcarona double STAB on bug buzz once it's at 1/3 of its max HP, making it incredibly threatening and simultaneously vulnerable to priority. Swarm is a rather situational ability, that more often than not, will be inferior to Flame Body.</p>

 

[Pocket]

Offensive QD needs Leftovers slashed imo; LO pairs well with Giga Drain, but otherwise Volcarona would appreciate Lefties recovery to set up multiple QDs.

Also AC mention Charcoal, since that 20% boost in its Fire STAB is usually all it needs to mow down teams under the Sun after a QD.

SubQD deserves its own set.

OO mention U-turn - it's nice to switch out of Terrakion / Tyranitar / Heatran and trap them with Dugtrio (lol @ anyone who thought GeneTrio was the new thing)

OO mention Morning Sun or AC mention under Bulky booster since it's the superior healing move if used in a victorious sun team.

 

[AccidentalGreed]

Oh god why am I even awake at this hour.

Anyways, before I die and my thoughts go away with me, just do the following:

-Put slashes between the EVs to make it neater and to follow format rules
-Bump the EVs on the bulky booster to 108 so Choice Scarf Latios doesn't try anything cute like KO with Psyshock or potentially lock Volcarona into a single move with TrickScarf at +2. Volcarona won't really mind the sacrifice in 14 EVs here.
-No cute names either (meaning you gotta take "Offensive Quiver Dance" or leave it)
-Offensive Quiver Dance probably wants a slash of Leftovers to recover health over time, and a mention of Lum Berry to recover from random statuses

That's it for now.

 

[superbadd]

Made all the above changes. I'd like some more clarification on the set order, or is it fine?

 

[Pocket]

The order seems fine to me.

For Charcoal emphasize Sun and SR Support. Sun + SR + QD boost + Charcoal allow Timid Volcarona to OHKO Gyarados, Dragonite, Salamence, Keldeo, and Terrakion with Fire Blast.

Maybe OO mention Will-O-Wisp, since Volcarona lures in Tyranitar, Terrakion, Dragonite, and Gyarados, all crippled by burn. Bulky Water-types also would not enjoy burn damage either.

 

[Joel]

Here's something I used for Volc to a decent ammount of sucess....It's a different take on the Bulky QD set on-site from B/W1...Moveset change only.

name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fiery Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: HP Rock
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe

This is a mere copy/paste of the B/W1 analysis, aside from the moveset. My set utilizes a combination of bulky QD, and boosting sweeper, all in one. With Volcarona getting acces to Giga Drain in B/W2, you no longer need to completely fear Rain teams,and have an option still for a somewhat reliable recovery move.

Unfortunatelty, my set only allows room for one STAB move in Fiery Dance, therefore, you loose one of the staple moves from the former B/W1 set. Fiery Dance is required to go heads up versus Steel types. HP Rock is necessity, so you can fend off fire types, most dragons.

I like Lum Berry over Leftovers though, so you less worries of your potential sweep being stopped by paralysis, but Leftovers is still a worthwhile mention to assist with recovery.

 

[shrang]

I was wondering when we would get someone doing a Volcarona revamp. Excellent. So far it looks pretty good, just a few things:

Offensive QD:
- I'd slash Modest on there (Timid's probably still the best), since Genesect is gone now, and not as many Scarfers between 85-100 run max Speed. Salamence is probably the only really notable one that Volcarona would REALLY need to speed-tie with. With a Modest nature, you now have a guaranteed OHKO on Specs Politoed with Giga Drain after Stealth Rock and a decent chance of OHKOing with Bug Buzz, while in the sun, you're looking at a much more comfortable 2HKO on 252/252 Calm Chansey (not standard, but still exists) with +1 LO Fire Blast, which means it can't Toxic / Softboiled stall you. Otherwise, you get to nuke harder. Nature order should probably still be Timid / Modest though.
- I don't really like HP Rock at all. It's weak as hell. In the sun, Fire Blast does pretty much just the same amount to resists (135 vs 140), while it's still doing jack to Heatran. AC mention at best, IMO.
- I reckon HP Ground should be the first move on the last slot, simply because Heatran is a bastard, especially when you're using sun. Giga Drain is good, but isn't always needed if it's sunny. +1 LO Fire Blast butchers even resists, while Bug Buzz gets a shot at OHKOing Politoed and destroying bulky Waters anyway. HP Ground also hits Tentacruel pretty damn hard.
- Psychic in AC here instead of OO, IMO. The coverage it gives is surprisingly good: it KOs Terrakion, Keldeo and Tentacruel, which are all pretty common checks to Volcarona.

Rain Volc:
- I personally think Fire Blast should be ONLY move on the last slot. Without it, you get walled by a stack of things which Volcarona should never be losing to. Skarmory walls you, Ferrothorn can set up at least one layer against you, bulkier Scizor variants could potentially squeeze in an SD and then Bullet Punch you for a truckload of damage (maybe KO if you've switched into SR), while Jirachi generally has an easier time.
- Leftovers > Life Orb, IMO. Remember that Rain Volc's purpose on a rain team is a supporting sweeper, not a central one, which means it can really appreciate the longevity that Leftovers brings.
- Modest > Timid on this set, IMO. Volcarona really needs all the power it can get this time. You have a better chance of OHKOing like, everything with a Modest nature, while with Timid, you generally need at least 5-10% prior damage first.
- AC mention Giga Drain > Bug Buzz. When I played with Rain Volc in BW2, they both had their perks. Bug Buzz destroys Tyranitar, Lati@s and Reuniclus and is just a strong STAB move in general, but Giga Drain really lets you feed (pun intended) on the many Water-types that are on rain teams.

OO:
- If you're mentioning U-turn, I reckon you may as well mention Specs Volcarona. It's pretty meh, but if you're going to be spamming U-turn, you may as well hit as hard as you can with your other moves since you're going to be switching anyway.
- Something that was played around in the Ubers Research Week which was pretty cool but was highly situational. Basically, Volcarona using Sunny Day / Morning Sun | Roost / Fiery Dance / Quiver Dance was pretty cool when Heatran went down. Politoed fails to put a damper on you since you can just set up Sunny Day and set up in its face (although Perish Song and Toxic will still stop you I guess). It's a pretty specific and situational set, but I reckon it deserves an OO mention.

Counters:
- Needs a mention of Snorlax - probably the BEST counter to Volcarona to exist, even though it sucks now.

 

[superbadd]

Changes made. I'm kinda doubting snorlax, though. I mean its OU analysis was completely rejected so I'm not sure if it's even worth mentioning. And +1 modest Life orb volcarona in the sun OHKO's with fire blast 68% of the time after SR, so I wouldn't call it the best counter. About specs, I tried this out in the rain: Overheat / Bug buzz / Hurricane / U-turn and it hits really hard and kinda works(it ohko's max spd jirach in the rain with overheat...), so that's the set I'm adding to oo.
I'm going to expand on this later in the day and have it ready for qc approval by that time. Btw, on the first set I mentioned the perks of using either giga drain or hp ground. With giga drain volcarona can shut down volt-turn and not be tyranitar bait(unlike celebi) while also sustaining longevity, but with hp ground and sunlight, it's virtually unstoppable.

 

[Seth Vilo]

Volcarona my love!

I'm providing a lil' input here I've collected from my use of Mothra, so take it or leave it. First off, I've found that burn support is extremely helpful for Volcarona to set up, from Defensive Starmie's Scald to Sableye's haphazard Wisps. It amplifies the physical bulk of this moth as it cranks up its SpD. Defensive Starmie I found was the best spinner partner for Volcarona mainly as a check to non-Scarf Terrakion with Psyshock, and taking most Heatran with ease. Outside of the shared Flying weakness, Keldeo makes a fantastic partner with great type synergy, as well as the ability of the pair to counter Rain and Sun extremely well on non-weather teams. Nidoking, while extremely niche, worked well with my Volcarona because it slows the most commonly used counter in Terrakion, absorbs the (rare) Toxic Spikes that completely halt non-Chesto Volcarona, and softens up Special walls with powerful moves and great coverage for Volc to clean up. Finally, anything weak to Breloom and Scizor's priority moves, like Salamence, Hydreigon, Weavile (Weavile, Keldeo, and Volcarona make a rather nice offense core btw), Terrakion, and other sweepers make great partners since Volcarona loves to walk in on those two to set up Dances (Fiery or Quiver).

On the Bulky Dancer set, I'd also recommend taking 4 EV's from Defense and plopping them into Speed for the sole purpose of outrunning Jolteon and friends at +1. If you're that close (righto now you Speed tie at +1), might as well kill it before it randomly TWaves you.

EDIT: @below: Excellent! Glad I could help somehow. Just adding input! ^-^

 

[superbadd]

The only merit I found in that post was outspeeding jolteon which was added. Nidoking is not a good partner, since it doesn't soften up special walls due to being weaker than volcarona. Plus it's barley viable in ou to begin with. Tentacruel, forretress, and even donphan are both better partners imo, all three are better answers to volca's counters. tentacruel, can even check tornadus-t if it needs to. Second, please read the analysis, most of what you said in regards to partners is already listed.

 

[Frog]

Giga drain is a good option over bug buzz allowing volcarona to hit bulky
waters much easier than it normally would

no. bug buzz hits 90% as hard.

 

[Pocket]

Keep Snorlax - it has Thick Fat and can wall Volcarona with impunity.

Emphasize that HP Rock is useful when using Volcarona in a weatherless team; the lack of Sun boost means it would require that super-effective coverage to get past Dragonite and Gyarados, as well as the Thundurus and Tornadus in the Rain. HP Rock lets Volcarona beat offensive Heatran, too, so that's another plus. It also helps against opposing Sun teams, when you don't want to miss with Fire Blast when trying to kill that Ninetales or Volcarona.

 

[RaikouLover]

Volcarona is godly!!! Okay I have a few suggestions. I've been screwing with this beast lately.

For starters, Bulky Quiver Dance is the best set by far and should probably be at the top. Yeah offensive this that whatever. Bulky QD is better because of Roost, which allows the threat of a Volcarona sweep to be prolonged until the end of the battle. It also can WALL Scizor, Breloom, and Conkeldurr in a pinch, which can be pretty significant. Why not capitalize on that? Pokemon that can function both offensively and defensively are easier to fit on teams. With the offensive sets, you usually only get one chance to sweep.

Also, make sure you don't harp too much on support. Volcarona actually doesn't need that much support to be a monster.. really only Rapid Spin. You do not need Sun to use it... just saying.

Sets:

[SET]
name: Bulky booster
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz (Hurricane, AC)
move 3: Fiery Dance / Fire Blast
move 4: Roost (Rest, AC)
item: Leftovers (Chesto, AC)
nature: Bold / Modest
evs: 232 HP / 164 Def / 112 Spe

Few suggestions...

You want the HP closer to max to take advantage of Quiver Dance. This puts it at 369 HP, which means you can switch into SR twice and have optimal leftovers recovery. Put the rest in physical defense. Make sure you mention that 264 Speed is awesome, because you outspeed Jolly Breloom by a point before Quiver, you outspeed Jolteon at +1 (benchmark for OU), and Scarf Latios at +2.

Fire Blast is good enough to get a slash. It always is. Make it so, number one.

Okay, Chesto Rest is just worse than Roost because Quiver Makes you faster. Yeah, it is a one-time status heal, but it is just a lot worse than Roost. I would mention it but it's not good enough for slash (comparatively speaking) because Roost is so baller.

I would also mention Hurricane and I will explain in the next set why. Hurricane works in tandem with Fire Blast or Bug Buzz on a rain team. Hurricane / Fire Blast combo is preferable though. Volcarona is a good fit to counter Breloom and Ferrothorn on Rain teams. Bold is the best nature, but Modest is best if you do go the Rain route because they generally have less trouble with things like Scizor and Conk and can use the extra 10% damage on Ferro. Even uninvested in the rain, Fire Blast does ~80% to Ferro, which effectively puts him out of commission. Plus, using that combo on a Rain team and you can buy an easy 6-0 sun sweep since 90% of sun teams lose to other Volcarona.


[SET]
name: Offensive Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Fire Blast / Fiery Dance
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Hurricane (Giga Drain, HP Rock, AC)
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Okay, Rain Volcarona as it's own set needs to go and here is why. It does NOT play any differently than a standard Volcarona. Sure, you set up on Fire types now instead of Water types, but I don't see how that is "different" as a playstyle. The only difference in the two is now Hurricane becomes usable to take care of your Bug Buzz resists. Fire Blast will still Roast steels no matter what. Giga Drain isn't terrible, but is only AC worthy because the only thing it hits noticeably better than your other moves is Jellicent. Also mention HP Rock.

You really can clean up the analysis by simply adding a sentence about how Hurricane can work if you use it in the Rain and the great synergy Volc provides blah blah blah. Rain pumps up Starmie, incentive to use both, etc. If every Dragon on site now uses Fire Move / Water Move slashes, why can't Volcarona?!

Bug Buzz should be the first attack, because it is the one consistent thing about Volcarona. You don't NEED Sun to run it.. you should definitely reiterate it. I've used Volcarona successfully on no weather and rain and it makes no damn difference because it is just so good.


[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Fiery Dance
move 4: Bug Buzz
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 spA / 252 spe

This set is so.. meh. I guess it works but like I said, you probably only get one chance to sweep with this.

 

[The Great Gastly]

Volcarona is godly!!! Okay I have a few suggestions. I've been screwing with this beast lately.

For starters, Bulky Quiver Dance is the best set by far and should probably be at the top. Yeah offensive this that whatever. Bulky QD is better because of Roost, which allows the threat of a Volcarona sweep to be prolonged until the end of the battle. It also can WALL Scizor, Breloom, and Conkeldurr in a pinch, which can be pretty significant. Why not capitalize on that? Pokemon that can function both offensively and defensively are easier to fit on teams. With the offensive sets, you usually only get one chance to sweep.

Also, make sure you don't harp too much on support. Volcarona actually doesn't need that much support to be a monster.. really only Rapid Spin. You do not need Sun to use it... just saying.

Sets:

[SET]
name: Bulky booster
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz (Hurricane, AC)
move 3: Fiery Dance / Fire Blast
move 4: Roost (Rest, AC)
item: Leftovers (Chesto, AC)
nature: Bold / Modest
evs: 232 HP / 164 Def / 112 Spe

Few suggestions...

You want the HP closer to max to take advantage of Quiver Dance. This puts it at 369 HP, which means you can switch into SR twice and have optimal leftovers recovery. Put the rest in physical defense. Make sure you mention that 264 Speed is awesome, because you outspeed Jolly Breloom by a point before Quiver, you outspeed Jolteon at +1 (benchmark for OU), and Scarf Latios at +2.

Fire Blast is good enough to get a slash. It always is. Make it so, number one.

Okay, Chesto Rest is just worse than Roost because Quiver Makes you faster. Yeah, it is a one-time status heal, but it is just a lot worse than Roost. I would mention it but it's not good enough for slash (comparatively speaking) because Roost is so baller.

I would also mention Hurricane and I will explain in the next set why. Hurricane works in tandem with Fire Blast or Bug Buzz on a rain team. Hurricane / Fire Blast combo is preferable though. Volcarona is a good fit to counter Breloom and Ferrothorn on Rain teams. Bold is the best nature, but Modest is best if you do go the Rain route because they generally have less trouble with things like Scizor and Conk and can use the extra 10% damage on Ferro. Even uninvested in the rain, Fire Blast does ~80% to Ferro, which effectively puts him out of commission. Plus, using that combo on a Rain team and you can buy an easy 6-0 sun sweep since 90% of sun teams lose to other Volcarona.

For the Bulky Booster set, I'd just like to point out that an EV spread of Timid nature w/ 232HP, 252Def, 8Sp.Atk, and 16Spe gets you the same stats as your spread but with 2 extra stat points in special attack and defense.

It's minor, but every point counts!

 

[sora13]

TB I would mention lum berry as an primary option on the offensive and rain sets just because it allows volcarona to set-up on a ton more threats, like ferrothorn(t-wave), jirachi(body slam), and all sorts of bulky waters that like to toxic you(which is why I usually run giga drain with lum).

 

[Jukain]

imo Bulky booster's name should be changed to Bulky Quiver Dance.

On that set, I don't 100% see why you merged ChestoRest and bulky. They're pretty different. The idea with ChestoRest is to accrue as many boosts as possible and THEN heal. Roost you use as you go along. I guess they're fine merged, but imo you should switch the order up, Chesto > Leftovers and Rest > Roost. You might as well go all or nothing. tbh I don't see the appeal of bulky that's not ChestoRest, but that's just me.

For the offensive set, I think you should give Air Balloon a mention in AC. Princess Bri iirc suggested that I use it and it's pretty cool. If you can keep it intact it cockblocks Garchomp (it might get burnt) at +1. It prevents Mamoswine from killing you as you set up. Also, it lets you avoid Spikes and Toxic Spikes as you come in, which is really cool for a super hazard weak mon like Volcarona.

Regarding spin support: you need it when using Volcarona. Volcarona without a spinner is not getting much of anywhere. Mention that spin support is a necessity. You might want to throw Forretress and Xatu mentions in there while you're at it.

Oh, and weather. VOLCARONA NEEDS WEATHER. Sun is obviously preferable for all sets except rain. Bulky QD can survive in sand and hail. Seriously though, weather is like a necessity. I mean I guess you can use QD on weatherless but it's not as good. Volcarona is only used on sun teams (and for rain rain teams obv). You have to stress that.

I wouldn't slash Leftovers on offensive QD. Seriously, the power from LO really helps. You do silly shit like OHKO and 2HKO the world at +1. The recovery from Leftovers is really negligible. You use bulky QD if you want Volcarona to live forever.

Limited Coverage between stabs, hidden power, and giga drain, makes volcarona rather easy to wall

Really, you can't wall it that easily in sun. It OHKOes all the relevant Dragons with Fire Blast and does a fuck ton to Heatran with HP Ground. Giga Drain is easier to wall, however, so mention that I guess.

Rather predictable due to every set containing quiver dance, you pretty much always know what's it's going to do

Volcarona isn't really that predictable, considering you've got offensive which has HP Ground and Giga Drain variants (walled by completely different things), bulky that can't just be worn down to death, Substitute that can't be beat by Toxic and paralysis, ChestoRest that can basically die and then come back, and rain that has Hurricane. Immediate power differs between sets. Volcarona's really not all that predictable.

Mention its dependency on weather being somewhat of a drawback.

The toss up between giga drain and hidden power ground depends on your team. If you need a full stop to volt-turn than giga drain is the
superior option, however, if you want near flawless coverage than hidden power ground is the main option

Giga Drain doesn't really fix anything with VoltTurn. Your worry I imagine is Rotom-W. It's not really an issue. Calcs:

• +1 252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 207-243 (68.31 - 80.19%)
• +2 252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 274-325 (90.42 - 107.26%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

That's Timid. Let's take a look at Modest:

• +1 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W in sun: 226-267 (74.58 - 88.11%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
• +2 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 302-356 (99.66 - 117.49%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

That's on specially defensive Rotom-W. Just imagine bulky attacker and Choice. Yeah, you don't really need Giga Drain for Rotom-W at all. You can kill it so easily with a little prior damage at +1 and with just SR at +2. Keep Giga Drain slashed though, it's nice to hit stuff like Jellicent before it Taunts and Gastrodon before it Toxic's. You just need more support then.

Likes dugtrio, gets rid of heatran, politoad, and tyranitar

Volcarona destroys Politoed and Tyranitar. Plus, Dugtrio can't even OHKO Tyranitar nvm Reversal or do much of anything to bulky Politoed. Mention that it's useful to get rid of Heatran for Giga Drain variants and I guess Tyranitar because sand is slightly annoying. Dugtrio can't remove Politoed. Might want to mention Gothitelle because it can remove Politoed.

Limited Coverage between stabs, hidden power, and giga drain, makes volcarona rather easy to wall

Really, you can't wall it that easily in sun. It OHKOes all the relevant Dragons with Fire Blast and does a fuck ton to Heatran with HP Ground. Giga Drain is easier to wall, however, so mention that I guess.

Rather predictable due to every set containing quiver dance, you pretty much always know what's it's going to do

Volcarona isn't really that predictable, considering you've got offensive which has HP Ground and Giga Drain variants (walled by completely different things), bulky that can't just be worn down to death, Substitute that can't be beat by Toxic and paralysis, ChestoRest that can basically die and then come back, and rain that has Hurricane. Immediate power differs between sets. Volcarona's really not all that predictable.

Mention its dependency on weather being somewhat of a drawback.

The toss up between giga drain and hidden power ground depends on your team. If you need a full stop to volt-turn than giga drain is the
superior option, however, if you want near flawless coverage than hidden power ground is the main option

Giga Drain doesn't really fix anything with VoltTurn. Your worry I imagine is Rotom-W. It's not really an issue. Calcs:

• +1 252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 207-243 (68.31 - 80.19%)
• +2 252 SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 274-325 (90.42 - 107.26%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

That's Timid. Let's take a look at Modest:

• +1 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W in sun: 226-267 (74.58 - 88.11%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
• +2 252+ SpA Life Orb Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 232+ SpD Rotom-W: 302-356 (99.66 - 117.49%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

That's on specially defensive Rotom-W. Just imagine bulky attacker and Choice. Yeah, you don't really need Giga Drain for Rotom-W at all. You can kill it so easily with a little prior damage at +1 and with just SR at +2. Keep Giga Drain slashed though, it's nice to hit stuff like Jellicent before it Taunts and Gastrodon before it Toxic's. You just need more support then.

Likes dugtrio, gets rid of heatran, politoad, and tyranitar

Volcarona destroys Politoed and Tyranitar. Plus, Dugtrio can't even OHKO Tyranitar or do much of anything to bulky Politoed. Mention that it's useful to get rid of Heatran for Giga Drain variants and I guess Tyranitar because sand is slightly annoying. Dugtrio can't remove Politoed. Might want to mention Gothitelle because it can remove Politoed.

I'm going to call slashing Modest into question. Like, you do get some power, but does that really matter at +1 and with SR in play? The Speed you get from Timid is really nice I'm inclined to say don't slash it, but you decide.

Allows it to defeat its normal counters under rain

and

Defeats threats that trouble rain teams

You definitely should be more specific here; what of its normal counters does it beat? What threats to rain teams does it beat?

Dugtrio to get rid of heatran

Mention Tyranitar in there as well, it messes up Hurricane. Also, you should mention Gothitelle to get rid of Hippowdon, seriously, that thing is a big pain in the ass for Volcarona without sun.

Dugtrio to get rid of heatran

Mention Tyranitar in there as well, it messes up Hurricane. Also, you should mention Gothitelle to get rid of Hippowdon, seriously, that thing is a big pain in the ass for Volcarona without sun.

Giga drain is a good option over bug buzz allowing volcarona to hit bulky
waters much easier than it normally would

Umm... you're considering not using Bug Buzz? It's kind of Volcarona's main STAB move in rain with Fire Blast weakened and all.

Oh and generally you should probably talk a bit more about how you play the sets, like when do they come in, what is their role, and how do they set up. Why is each set worth using?

That's all I've got for now; it'd be much easier to look at the other stuff if you had bullets, but from what I saw the last parts are okay.

 

[superbadd]

This is just rough a build, for now, I'm trying to just get things put out. I'll look over the comments more closely in a bit and see which ones have good suggestions. As for the written part not being in bullets, I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone to get it qc and gp ready, so yeah.

Also I need more people from QC to weigh in on the set order, thanks.

 

[dice]

order is good, maybe mention bronzong as a partner as it can take on what volca usually struggles with and vice versa. think reuniclus, dragons, conk.

 

[Jukain]

Oh yeah I forgot something:
Make sure to mention why you use Modest on Rain Volc (to make Hurricane actually powerful before a boost / doesn't need as many boosts to hit really hard / do more to Steels with Fire Blast).

I know I'm not on QC but I personally think:
Offensive Quiver Dance > Rain Sweeper > Substitute > Bulky Quiver Dance (if you split it then ChestoRest > Bulky Quiver Dance)

 

[superbadd]

Ooookay... So I'm looking at the comments and here's what I'm doing.

Rain set: This will not be removed. The rain set functions differently enough to justify its own set. In terms of partners(politoad who would otherwise be an enemy, rain abusers, ect), counters(the bulkiest versions of dragonite and gyarados or 2HKO'd by a boosted hurricane after rocks, mind you). If I merged it with the offensive set, it would be a giant essay, that's no fun to read.

Set order: Bunch of people said it's fine already, so that's that.

Offensive quiver dance: In terms of giga drain I was thinking of specially defensive gastrodon, who's OHKO'd by giga drain after rocks as to only being 3HKO'd by bug buzz. Giga drain is staying, though. The ability to restore health and stay alive a bit longer for sweeping is really handy. Giga drain also gives some nice KO's on bulky waters like vaporeon after SR+spikes and a boost. Something bug buzz can't do as efficiently. Even though it's not common, it helps with unaware quagsire who would otherwise wall you if you lack a life orb.

Bulky booster: The reason why it's only third is because Volcarona has some nasty weaknesses. Water, rock, and flying are all very common attacking types, not good for a bulky set up sweeper. Also, volcarona is more built as a offensive, pokemon not a defensive one, which is why the offensive sets are listed first.

Substitute: Personally, I don't really like this set. I kinda want to remove it and make it AC. But I was told to add it so, yehh.

Ev suggestions: They look interesting, I'll run some calcs and see how they fair to the original.

As for the remaining suggestions, I'll add these on right now.

I do hold my ground on volcarona being somewhat predictable, considering you can look at the team archetype, and make a pretty solid guess on the set. Rain team-rain volc. Sun team-offensive, weatherless-defensive/offensive, ect..

Edit: @below I like that too, I'll add it.

 

[Arcticblast]

Hidden Power Electric might warrant a mention in OO; it hammers Gyarados and hits other bulky waters (albeit not as hard as Giga Drain) and Keldeo while still getting neutral coverage on Dragonite and Heatran. It also hits Torn-T in Rain - situational, but it's still good.

 

[RaikouLover]

Ooookay... So I'm looking at the comments and here's what I'm doing.

Rain set: This will not be removed. The rain set functions differently enough to justify its own set. In terms of partners(politoad who would otherwise be an enemy, rain abusers, ect), counters(the bulkiest versions of dragonite and gyarados or 2HKO'd by a boosted hurricane after rocks, mind you). If I merged it with the offensive set, it would be a giant essay, that's no fun to read. .

Please enlighten me on how it functions any differently from Offensive Volcarona. You press Quiver Dance and sweep. The only difference is that Hurricane gives you complete neutral coverage and is a lot better than Hidden Power. It's literally as simple as "Politoed can be a partner, which opens up Hurricane. Hurricane with a Life Orb turns would be counters Dragonite, Gyarados, Terrakion into OHKOs." There is no different playstyle needed.

Using Volcarona is not rocket science. This thing doesn't need nearly as much support as people think and it does NOT need weather to be effective. Volcarona is so ballin' he doesn't really care. Run a spinner, slap him on your team and be done with it.

Offensive quiver dance: In terms of giga drain I was thinking of specially defensive gastrodon, who's OHKO'd by giga drain after rocks as to only being 3HKO'd by bug buzz. Giga drain is staying, though. The ability to restore health and stay alive a bit longer for sweeping is really handy. Giga drain also gives some nice KO's on bulky waters like vaporeon after SR+spikes and a boost. Something bug buzz can't do as efficiently. Even though it's not common, it helps with unaware quagsire who would otherwise wall you if you lack a life orb.

Giga Drain is only marginally more powerful than Bug Buzz (150 BP vs. 135 BP). It is good for an other options but it really isn't worth using over Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Rock since you can't beat Gyarados, Dragonite, Tentacruel, and Terrakion.

Bulky booster: The reason why it's only third is because Volcarona has some nasty weaknesses. Water, rock, and flying are all very common attacking types, not good for a bulky set up sweeper. Also, volcarona is more built as a offensive, pokemon not a defensive one, which is why the offensive sets are listed first.

You do realize how Quiver Dance works right? You Quiver on the switch, you are faster than the switch in and Quiver again. Kiss those 2X weaknesses goodbye. Bulky booster needs even LESS support than offensive because it can stick around until the late game. What the hell does a pokemon perceived as "offensive" have to do with an analysis?!? Volcarona with the Bulky spread packs reliable recover, 369 HP / over 220 Def, 246 Special Defense and can boost 3 stats at a click of a button. It SCREAMS bulky. Bulky Volcarona is almost as Bulky as fucking wall Tentacruel!

Hidden Power Electric might warrant a mention in OO; it hammers Gyarados and hits other bulky waters (albeit not as hard as Giga Drain) and Keldeo while still getting neutral coverage on Dragonite and Heatran. It also hits Torn-T in Rain - situational, but it's still good.

Why? Hidden Power Electric is 140 BP on Waters and Bug Buzz is 135 BP. Why waste the slot?

order is good, maybe mention bronzong as a partner as it can take on what volca usually struggles with and vice versa. think reuniclus, dragons, conk.

LOL.

 

[superbadd]

Please enlighten me on how it functions any differently from Offensive Volcarona. You press Quiver Dance and sweep. The only difference is that Hurricane gives you complete neutral coverage and is a lot better than Hidden Power. It's literally as simple as "Politoed can be a partner, which opens up Hurricane. Hurricane with a Life Orb turns would be counters Dragonite, Gyarados, Terrakion into OHKOs." There is no different playstyle needed.

That's the reason why it's so different. How it functions with the entire team changes. It goes from a sweeper to invaluable offensive pivot. No other fire type can work this well on a rain team. It's staying. I'm writing the analysis and have used the set enough to vouch for it.

Giga Drain is only marginally more powerful than Bug Buzz (150 BP vs. 135 BP). It is good for an other options but it really isn't worth using over Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Rock since you can't beat Gyarados, Dragonite, Tentacruel, and Terrakion.

What? +1 Life orb Giga drain OHKO's terrakion. Hell, with a modest nature and rocks it has a chance to OHKO without a boost. The general durability definitely helps, allowing it to stay in longer and be less dependent on a spinner is good enough reasoning. If it comes in on a life orb with SR its got 6 hits and it's dead. Were as giga drain gives it a chance to last longer.

You do realize how Quiver Dance works right? You Quiver on the switch, you are faster than the switch in and Quiver again. Kiss those 2X weaknesses goodbye. Bulky booster needs even LESS support than offensive because it can stick around until the late game. What the hell does a pokemon perceived as "offensive" have to do with an analysis?!? Volcarona with the Bulky spread packs reliable recover, 369 HP / over 220 Def, 246 Special Defense and can boost 3 stats at a click of a button. It SCREAMS bulky. Bulky Volcarona is almost as Bulky as fucking wall Tentacruel!

The difference is the typing. Unless someone from QC says otherwise, none of these changes are convincing. I've used Volcarona a lot and all of its sets, I know how well each one works and their distinctions.

 

[RaikouLover]

The difference is the typing. Unless someone from QC says otherwise, none of these changes are convincing. I've used Volcarona a lot and all of its sets, I know how well each one works and their distinctions.

You aren't the only one to use Volcarona, and you certainly aren't the only one to use it on a Rain team. Like I said, it is not rocket science. There is a reason why the Bulky set is #1 on the analysis as it is. I used Offensive exclusively until I tried the bulky set and realized which one is better. It's not one-stop shop at all with Bulky Volc, baby. Your opponent has to worry about this asshole all match and he isn't automatically neutered if SR gets dropped.

 

[Arcticblast]

Gyarados, Jellicent and Keldeo all resist Bug Buzz.

As for BulkyVolc, base 100 Speed is actually a letdown since faster Scarfers are so common - whenever Volcarona shows its face, the opponent is going to send in Scarf Terrakion and hit it with Stone Edge.