[OVERVIEW]
Volcarona is an incredible sweeper that is capable of dismantling teams easily thanks to its access to the coveted Quiver Dance, cementing itself as one of the most threatening Pokemon in the tier. Its sweeping capabilities are only augmented further with its fantastic Special Attack and decent Speed tier, as well as Z-Moves providing it with either extra firepower or versatility, letting it pick and choose what counters it. However, Volcarona is marred with a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock as well as a vulnerability to all other entry hazards, mandating the use of Rapid Spin or Defog support. Its typing still has its advantages though, such as checking the likes of Mega Scizor and Celesteela. Volcarona often finds itself walled by certain Pokemon depending on the coverage it uses, which causes its effectiveness to fluctuate based on matchup. The ubiquity of Choice Scarf users that sit past its Speed tier, notably Garchomp, Keldeo, and Nihilego, push this issue further, making it difficult to sweep in practice.
[SET]
name: Quiver Dance Sweeper
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Giga Drain / Psychic
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Psychic
item: Firium Z / Psychium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Quiver Dance is what allows Volcarona to sweep. Fire Blast is a good STAB move that is incredibly powerful after a boost. Combined with Firium Z, Fire Blast becomes an extremely strong Inferno Overdrive, capable of feats such as OHKOing Landorus-T without any boosts, doing upwards of 87% to Garchomp, and having a favorable chance of knocking out Gyarados after Stealth Rock. Giga Drain provides Volcarona with coverage for Pokemon such as Keldeo, Tapu Fini, and Greninja. Hidden Power Ground rounds out Volcarona's coverage, hitting Pokemon that would otherwise wall it such as Heatran, Nihilego, and Alolan Marowak. Psychic combined with Psychium Z becomes a 175 Base Power Shattered Psyche, primarily for letting Volcarona break past Toxapex, which otherwise takes a +1 Hidden Power Ground and beats Volcarona 1v1 with Haze and Recover. It also does a significant chunk to Zygarde as well. This move can used over either coverage option, but note that without Hidden Power Ground, Volcarona is walled by Heatran, so it will need more support. Hidden Power Ice is also an option for the likes of Zygarde, Garchomp, and Dragonite.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Timid nature ensures that Volcarona makes the most out of its good Speed tier, tying with other base 100 Speed Pokemon, while also maximizing its damage output so it can sweep effectively. Firium Z or Psychium Z should be chosen based off team structure. The former has more general utility as a strong nuke, while the latter specifically nails certain threats that would otherwise wall Volcarona. Flame Body is the preferred ability, as it can be useful for punishing Pokemon that pivot around with U-turn like Mega Scizor.
Usage Tips
========
In the early stages of the game, it is best to throw out attacks before attempting to set up in order to weaken checks the opponent may have. The best way to bring in Volcarona, though, is typically after a sacrifice or with teammates that can pivot around, ideally those with either U-turn or Volt Switch. Once the opportunity presents itself and Volcarona's checks have been weakened, set up with Quiver Dance and proceed to sweep the opponent's team. Just be wary when setting up on certain Pokemon that aren't normally a threat; Ferrothorn or Clefable, for example, can carry Thunder Wave, punishing Volcarona greatly for using them as setup fodder. While Stealth Rock is on your side of the field, generally avoid switching in Volcarona. However, if Volcarona finds itself in a situation where it cannot sweep the enemy team, then don't be afraid to bring it in with Stealth Rock active to take advantage of its powerful moves. Volcarona to a physical attacker is always an option as a last-ditch effort to activate Flame Body, potentially crippling the Pokemon it has sacrificed itself to.
Team Options
========
Due to Volcarona's crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, hazard control is crucial, so Defog users such as Tapu Fini, Zapdos, and Mega Scizor all pair decently, with Tapu Fini being particularly effective for providing Misty Terrain, letting Volcarona set up without fear of being paralyzed or poisoned. If not running Hidden Power Ground, Heatran becomes a major nuisance, so pairing Volcarona with Dugtrio is a good idea to dispatch it reliably. Dugtrio also helps versus Tyranitar, Chansey, and Toxapex. Alternatively, methods to pressure or overload Heatran such as pairing it with Surf Latios or Choice Specs Tapu Lele also work, but are less reliable then outright trapping it. Pokemon that keep pressure on the hazard setters also work well alongside Volcarona. Such examples include Keldeo and Greninja, both of which threaten Landorus-T, Heatran, and Garchomp, some of the more common Stealth Rock users in the tier, the latter two also checking Volcarona itself.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A bulky Quiver Dance set consisting of Quiver Dance, Fiery Dance, Giga Drain, and Roost with an EV spread of 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 Spe is something to consider, thanks to its typing letting it soft check the likes Mega Mawile and non-Zen Headbutt Metagross. The added bulk plus Roost also gives it more opportunities to set up, at the cost of being much easier to revenge kill and pressure offensively. Likewise, a bulky Volcarona set with Will-O-Wisp and the same EV spread can also be used to check the likes of Mega Mawile and Mega Metagross more reliably. Lastly, Bug Buzz lets Volcarona hit Tyranitar and has neutral coverage against the likes of Garchomp and Zygarde, but this generally leads to a more significant loss in coverage. Passho Berry has niche use in preventing Choice Scarf Keldeo lacking Stone Edge and Ash-Greninja from revenge killing Volcarona when it's put at a certain range. It also should be used if another teammate is using a Z-move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Chansey**: Chansey can take whatever boosted move Volcarona has and beat it one-on-one with Seismic Toss, Toxic, and Soft-Boiled.
**Bulky Fire-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Zygarde, Gyarados, and Tyranitar can take on Volcarona's more conventional movesets and all threaten to OHKO or even trap it with Pursuit in Tyranitar's case.
**Offensive Pressure**: Deterring Volcarona from setting up by keeping up offensive pressure makes it much less likely to get a chance to sweep. Naturally faster Pokemon such as Keldeo, Garchomp, and Greninja are good examples of this.
**Revenge Killers**: Once Volcarona is at +1, typically the best means of dispatching it is to revenge kill it. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp, Nihilego, Terrakion, and Stone Edge Keldeo are some notable examples of Pokemon that can revenge kill it reliably, with each of them being able to pivot into Volcarona if necessary.
**Toxapex**: Toxapex walls any set without Shattered Psyche and eliminates Quiver Dance boosts with Haze, preventing Volcarona from setting up at all, and has multiple recovery options to withstand any attack Volcarona throws out.
**Heatran**: Heatran hard walls any Volcarona set lacking Hidden Power Ground.
**Entry Hazards**: Due to its typing giving it a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock and a vulnerability to every other entry hazard, keeping entry hazards up makes it significantly more difficult if not impossible for Volcarona to set up without getting KOed.
Last edited:
