[SET]
Offensive (Voltorb) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 HP / 30 Def
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Explosion
- Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Voltorb is a good revenge killer, wallbreaker, and potential cleaner thanks to its high damage output with moves like Explosion and its ability to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame. Hidden Power Ice hits Grass- and Ground-types, notably Gloom and Cubone. Explosion is a great burst damage option that lets Voltorb break through special walls and get in an ally for free. The combination of Substitute and Petaya Berry lets Voltorb become even scarier, letting it nearly always OHKO uninvested Tropius with Hidden Power Ice and Corsola with +1 Thunderbolt. Substitute also lets Voltorb scout for potential switches and status moves. A Naive nature lets Voltorb avoid an OHKO from Tropius's Earthquake without lowering its power and Speed.
Offensive Voltorb finds itself on hyper offense and offense teams. Thanks to its wallbreaking capabilities, Voltorb is able to create holes in the opposing team for sweepers like Beedrill and Anorith to clean up. However, Voltorb has poor matchups against Ground-, Grass-, and Electric-types such as Onix, Gloom, and Chinchou. Partners such as Seaking, Ponyta, and Onix can help chip down or remove them, respectively, creating openings for Voltorb to clean up late-game. Chlorophyll and Swift Swim users like Tropius and Seaking can outspeed Voltorb under their respective weather conditions and can easily OHKO Voltorb because of its frailty. Seaking can stop Tropius by setting up with Rain Dance and using Ice Beam, while opposing Seaking get easily stopped by ally Gloom, which threatens Hidden Power Grass, or Mightyena, which can tank hits from both Tropius and Seaking. Special walls and bulky Grass-types like Porygon and Gloom can easily tank Voltorb's Thunderbolt and can use Protect against Explosion if needed. Partners like Ponyta can heavily chip special walls and bulky Grass-types with Double-Edge and Fire Blast, respectively, letting Voltorb come in later and clean up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Moves such as Light Screen, Toxic, and Thunder Wave can lend Voltorb a more supportive option, but it means that it must drop either a great offensive tool or an otherwise better utility tool in Substitute. Voltorb can also drop some Speed for more Attack to beef up Explosion, but this will mean that it will always lose in the mirror matchup.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Grass-types**: With their high bulk, Pokemon like Gloom and Lileep can easily switch in on an Electric-type attack or Hidden Power Ice, meaning Voltorb must use Explosion to break through them. Lileep in particular threatens Voltorb, as it resists Explosion.
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Porygon and Delcatty force Voltorb to use Explosion to break through them. However, Delcatty in particular can use Protect to fully avoid Explosion.
**Ground-types**: Without Hidden Power Water or Ice, Ground-types like Rhyhorn, Onix, and Cubone become very difficult for Voltorb to deal with. Ground-types still can comfortably trade with Voltorb if it is running Hidden Power Ice, as they don't get OHKOed by it and remove Voltorb from the game in retaliation.
**Electric-types**: Due to Chinchou's ability Volt Absorb and other Electric-types' resistance to Thunderbolt, Voltorb has virtually no way of hitting them outside of Explosion. Magnemite leads to even more trouble, since it resists Explosion.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pengu.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Offensive (Voltorb) @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 30 HP / 30 Def
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Explosion
- Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Voltorb is a good revenge killer, wallbreaker, and potential cleaner thanks to its high damage output with moves like Explosion and its ability to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame. Hidden Power Ice hits Grass- and Ground-types, notably Gloom and Cubone. Explosion is a great burst damage option that lets Voltorb break through special walls and get in an ally for free. The combination of Substitute and Petaya Berry lets Voltorb become even scarier, letting it nearly always OHKO uninvested Tropius with Hidden Power Ice and Corsola with +1 Thunderbolt. Substitute also lets Voltorb scout for potential switches and status moves. A Naive nature lets Voltorb avoid an OHKO from Tropius's Earthquake without lowering its power and Speed.
Offensive Voltorb finds itself on hyper offense and offense teams. Thanks to its wallbreaking capabilities, Voltorb is able to create holes in the opposing team for sweepers like Beedrill and Anorith to clean up. However, Voltorb has poor matchups against Ground-, Grass-, and Electric-types such as Onix, Gloom, and Chinchou. Partners such as Seaking, Ponyta, and Onix can help chip down or remove them, respectively, creating openings for Voltorb to clean up late-game. Chlorophyll and Swift Swim users like Tropius and Seaking can outspeed Voltorb under their respective weather conditions and can easily OHKO Voltorb because of its frailty. Seaking can stop Tropius by setting up with Rain Dance and using Ice Beam, while opposing Seaking get easily stopped by ally Gloom, which threatens Hidden Power Grass, or Mightyena, which can tank hits from both Tropius and Seaking. Special walls and bulky Grass-types like Porygon and Gloom can easily tank Voltorb's Thunderbolt and can use Protect against Explosion if needed. Partners like Ponyta can heavily chip special walls and bulky Grass-types with Double-Edge and Fire Blast, respectively, letting Voltorb come in later and clean up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Moves such as Light Screen, Toxic, and Thunder Wave can lend Voltorb a more supportive option, but it means that it must drop either a great offensive tool or an otherwise better utility tool in Substitute. Voltorb can also drop some Speed for more Attack to beef up Explosion, but this will mean that it will always lose in the mirror matchup.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Grass-types**: With their high bulk, Pokemon like Gloom and Lileep can easily switch in on an Electric-type attack or Hidden Power Ice, meaning Voltorb must use Explosion to break through them. Lileep in particular threatens Voltorb, as it resists Explosion.
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Porygon and Delcatty force Voltorb to use Explosion to break through them. However, Delcatty in particular can use Protect to fully avoid Explosion.
**Ground-types**: Without Hidden Power Water or Ice, Ground-types like Rhyhorn, Onix, and Cubone become very difficult for Voltorb to deal with. Ground-types still can comfortably trade with Voltorb if it is running Hidden Power Ice, as they don't get OHKOed by it and remove Voltorb from the game in retaliation.
**Electric-types**: Due to Chinchou's ability Volt Absorb and other Electric-types' resistance to Thunderbolt, Voltorb has virtually no way of hitting them outside of Explosion. Magnemite leads to even more trouble, since it resists Explosion.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pengu.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited by a moderator: