Volcarona @ Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA/4 Def/252 Spe, OR 248 HP/8 Def/252 SpA
Modest Nature
Tera Type: Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Psychic
- Morning Sun/Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
Even with 2 new copycats after its throne, Volcarona is still going strong in the SV metagame, ironically seeing more play than the both of them. And it owes it all to Heavy-Duty Boots, which stop it from outright getting
murdered by Rocks on the switch-in, and the fact that Iron Moth doesn't get Quiver Dance for some reason. (If not for
that weird decision, I'm sure Moth would've taken over by a landslide.) However, those two copycats aren't the only Pokemon that Volc has to worry about. It also has a new perfect switch-in in Skeledirge, which not only resists both STABs (one of them being a 4x resist), but it also shuts down all the hard work the poor bug put into Quiver Dancing with its Unaware ability.
...
Psychic is the second-strongest move that Dirge can be hit with, and also comes with the chance of a Special Defense drop (it can't ignore
those now, can it? :]). Of course, Volc has always had the option to run Psychic for Toxapex switch-ins since the latter's inception. But it hasn't mained it since Z-Moves stopped being a thing, and you'd expect Tera-Psychic on a non-Psychic mon as much as you'd expect the Spanish Inquisition. The Life Orb is the final cherry on top, pushing it just over the threshold in which it actually secures the 2HKO on Dirge.
252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Psychic Volcarona Psychic vs. 248 HP / 240 SpD Skeledirge: 208-246 (50.6 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Flamethrower covers for the Tera-Dark play, and is a must have over Fiery Dance because even if you predict Dirge to Terastallize after the Tera-Psychic hit but it doesn't for whatever reason, you can still pick up the KO with another Flamethrower the following turn (unless it Slacked Off). Unless you high-roll with it twice in a row, which is unlikely, you can't do the same with Fiery Dance.
252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Psychic Volcarona Flamethrower vs. 248 HP / 240 SpD Skeledirge: 104-122 (25.3 - 29.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Psychic Volcarona Fiery Dance vs. 248 HP / 240 SpD Skeledirge: 92-109 (22.3 - 26.5%) -- 15.4% chance to 4HKO
Morning Sun provides recovery, which is important on Life Orb sets in particular since it lets them attack more often overall. It's especially important on Volc since it lets it immediately recover from the first switch into Rocks, and Terastallizing it
before you switch it out means it won't take nearly as much on future switch-ins. You might still want a Defogger or a Spinner in the back just in case, though; it's always a good idea when you have 4x Rock weak mon on your team, especially if that mon is also grounded.
Bug Buzz is an option to dissuade Dark- and opposing Psychic-types from switching in, especially those that also resist Fire like Hydreigon. It also has the added bonus of OHKO'ing Dirge from full if it Tera-Dark Slacked Off as you used Psychic.
252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Psychic Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 240 SpD Tera Dark Skeledirge: 416-491 (101.2 - 119.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Max speed investment stops Scarf Gholdengo & Rotom-W from outspeeding Volc even with the +1 Quiver Dance. However, you can invest in bulk instead if you want to take the hit from Dirge's Hex better, since Tera-Psychic
does make you weak to it all of a sudden.
0 SpA Tera Dark Skeledirge Hex (130 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tera Psychic Volcarona: 290-344 (93.2 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Tera Dark Skeledirge Hex (130 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Tera Psychic Volcarona: 290-344 (77.7 - 92.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after poison damage
Unless you're switching Volc into T-Spikes, though, I wouldn't worry about either of those two calcs so much; Dirge is unlikely to have the time to both Wisp
and Hex you, and even if it tries, Volc will 2HKO first.
...
Before you ask, yes Hurricane was the first attack I looked at. There were a couple of glaring issues I took with it:
A.) You can't realistically rely on getting
any number of hits in a row that is neither one nor zero, because its natural accuracy is garbage. That would be fine if there was any way to OHKO Dirge with it, but there isn't... so it isn't. While it's true that rain fixes that shaky accuracy, Rain Dance takes up a moveslot that can be put to better use, and if anyone sees Volcarona and Pelipper on the same team, they'll
know something's up.
B.) In all honesty, you won't wanna take a mon like Volc, which is 4x weak to Rock, and Terastallize it into a brand new typing that's also weak to Rock. That kind of defeats the purpose imo, as Rocks are a bitch to take damage from in that instance. Unfortunately, without Tera-Flying, not even Modest Specs can properly secure the 2HKO with Hurricane. And we don't take kindly to rolls around here; that defeats the purpose of a lure as a whole.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tera Psychic Volcarona Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 240 SpD Tera Dark Skeledirge: 194-229 (47.2 - 55.7%) -- 78.5% chance to 2HKO
Speaking of Specs, Timid Specs was the original plan that I had with this Volc set. Being locked into Psychic would've been fine had Dirge not have any incentive to run Tera-Dark, but with all those Esparthas running around, I can see why Tera-Dark would be a reliable option for it. Thankfully, I was able to notice that Life Orb also secures the 2HKO, but only just, and only if I swapped it to Modest.
Tera-Fire Overheat crossed my mind too, but I wanted something a little more independent, and Overheat really needs Sun to break through Dirge's resistance to it. On top of that, the only reason Overheat was even worth considering is because Unaware also ignores the opposing mon's stat
drops, which return to full effect the second Dirge dies. In the end, I decided that Flamethrower would be enough on this Volc set. It's stronger than Fiery Dance, doesn't get Pressure stalled out as easily as Fire Blast (not to mention that Flamethrower has full accuracy unlike Fire Blast) and doesn't undermine its Quiver Dance boosts like Overheat does.
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Heavy-Duty Boots