Overview
########
- Great SpA and decent Speed make it a good booster with Quiver Dance.
- Good special bulk + handy resistances to Fighting, Fairy, and Ice let it support the team with Rage Powder.
- Flame Body can punish physical attackers and priority users.
- It has mediocre physical defense.
- Weak to common attacking types such as Water, Flying, and Rock. A 4x weakness to Rock leaves it quite vulnerable to Rock Slide.
Quiver Dance
########
name: Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Protect
ability: Flame Body
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest
Moves
========
- Quiver Dance boosts Volcarona's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, allowing it to punch holes in teams.
- Heat Wave provides Volcarona with a spread move, and deals heavy damage after a Quiver Dance boost.
- Bug Buzz has good coverage alongside Heat Wave and provides Volcarona with secondary STAB.
- Protect allows Volcarona to avoid harmful attacks and scout the opponent.
Set Details
========
- Timid nature coupled with max Speed and Special Attack let it hit hard and fast, even without a boost.
- Modest nature can be sued to increase Volcarona's offensive potential after a Quiver Dance boost, but its slower and misses out on threats in its speed tier.
- Flame Body is the chosen ability, as it can burn users of contact moves and priority such as Sucker Punch.
- Lum Berry is the preferred item, as this prevents Volcarona from being crippled by sleep or paralyzation.
- Life Orb can be used to power up Volcarona's attacks, but leaves it quite prone to status moves.
- Focus Sash can be used to tank one strong hit, increasing Volcarona's survivability versus threats that could otherwise one-shot it.
Usage Tips
========
- Volcarona should ideally come out late game when its checks and counters have been weakened, allowing the best chance at a sweep.
- Volcarona's partners are extremely important, as they need to protect it from common spread moves that are harmful to it in order for it to set up.
Team Options
========
- Wide Guard users such as Aegislash and Hitmontop can protect Volcarona from dangerous spread attacks such as Rock Slide.
- Fake Out users can buy Volcarona some time to set up Quiver Dance.
- Pokemon that can take out opposing Fire-types, such as Terrakion and Garchomp, make good partners.
Rage Powder
########
name: Rage Powder
move 1: Rage Powder
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Protect
ability: Flame Body
item: Sitrus Berry / Lum Berry
evs: 224 HP / 76 Def / 100 SpA / 108 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
========
- Rage Powder allows Volcarona to redirect the foe's moves to itself, supporting its teammate.
- Overheat is a powerful Fire-type move, OHKOing standard Amoonguss 100% of the time.
- Bug Buzz has good coverage alongside Overheat and provides Volcarona with secondary STAB.
- Protect allows Volcarona to avoid harmful attacks and scout the opponent.
Set Details
========
- The EV Spread allows Volcarona to outspeed Breloom, OHKO standard Amoonguss 100% of the time with Overheat, with the rest put in bulk.
- Flame Body lets Volcarona potentially burn the physical attackers it redirects towards itself.
- Sitrus Berry is preferred to let Volcarona tank more attacks since it will being drawing them in with Rage Powder.
- However, Lum Berry can be used to let Volcarona draw in status moves without worry.
========
- Take advantage of Volcarona's many resistances with Rage Powder, redirecting attacks from a partner that is weak to Fairy, Ice, Fighting, etc.
- If using Lum Berry, Volcarona can also be used to redirect status.
- Utilize heavy hitting teammates alongside Volcarona that appreciate Rage Powder support.
Team Options
========
- As a Rage Powder user, Volcarona pairs well with Pokemon who are weak to types Volcarona resists. For example Volcarona can redirect Fighting-type attacks directed at Kangaskhan, Bisharp, etc towards itself, and potentially burn contact users with Flame Body.
- Due to its 4x Rock weakness and therefore its susceptibility to Rock Slide, a Wide Guard user can be used to shield Volcarona from the move. An Intimidate user could also weaken physical Rock-type onslaughts.
- Ground-types, such as Landorus-T and Garchomp, make good partners since they can KO Heatran.
Other Options
########
- Tailwind is another option for Volcarona to support the team. However, it is somewhat outclassed by Talonflame in this role.
- Giga Drain hits Gastrodon and other Water-types hard.
- Fire Blast with a Quiver Dance boost can be used, as it always OHKOes 44 HP Choice Scarf Landorus-T.
- Flamethrower is a more accurate single-target option, but it's generally too weak.
- Fiery Dance is a little weaker than Flamethrower, but has a good chance to boost Volcarona's Special Attack.
- Hurricane is an usable option if Volcarona is paired with Politoed.
- Hidden Power Ground could be used to hurt Heatran, which could otherwise wall Volcarona with ease.
- Hidden Power Rock can be used to hit Fire-types such as Talonflame and other Volcarona.
- Charti Berry lets Volcarona potentially tank a Rock-type attack such as Rock Slide.
- Passho Berry lets Volcarona potentially tank a Water-type move.
Checks & Counters
########
**Defensive Typing Advantage**: Volcarona's STAB combination leaves it easily walled by Fire-types. Heatran and Chandelure are both immune to Fire-type moves thanks to Flash Fire and are 4x resistant to Bug Buzz, allowing them to easily wall Volcarona. Talonflame also doesn't mind any of Volcarona's common moves.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Faster physical attackers that carry Rock Slide pose a large threat to Volcarona, such as Garchomp, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Volcarona also has trouble tanking hits from common Water-types such as Keldeo and Politoed, as well as common Swift Swim users.
**Utility Moves**: Volcarona is susceptible to Taunt users such as Thundurus, as they can prevent Volcarona from setting up Quiver Dance or using Rage Powder.
**Speed Control**: This is more applicable to Quiver Dance Volcarona, but Trick Room users neuter Volcarona's boosts in Speed and turn them against it.
Last edited:
