[SET]
Bulky Setup Sweeper (Volcarona) @ Covert Cloak / Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy / Grass / Dragon
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe or 252 HP / 68 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Heat Wave
- Tera Blast / Giga Drain
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Volcarona utilizes the bulk, power, and Speed granted by Quiver Dance; its useful coverage; and Terastallization, which lets it work its way around its checks, to become difficult to take down and take over games as a result.
- Tera Blast Fairy lets Volcarona defeat Dragon-types that can stand up to Heat Wave; Giga Drain hits Water- and Rock-types while providing additional recovery to let Volcarona stay on the field longer. Tera Blast is used only on Tera Fairy sets, whereas Giga Drain sees play on Tera Grass and Tera Dragon sets.
- Covert Cloak lets Volcarona ignore Fake Out to set up or throw out its attacks more freely, and it prevents Snarl, Icy Wind, and Dire Claw from impeding its sweep. Leftovers gives Volcarona passive recovery, augmenting the recovery that Giga Drain provides to be at higher HP to survive more attacks.
- Tera Fairy lets Volcarona bypass Dragon-type attacks like Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Dragonite's Scale Shot and maintain a resistance to Fighting-type attacks like Sneasler's Close Combat. Tera Grass gives Volcarona a resistance to Water- and Electric-type attacks like Basculegion's Wave Crash and Archaludon's Electro Shot, makes it immune to Amoonguss's Spore, and powers up Giga Drain, turning +1 Giga Drain from a 2HKO into an OHKO on Basculegion and doing the same with +2 Giga Drain for Primarina. This additionally lets it restore more HP in the process, making it more likely to sweep games. Tera Dragon gives Volcarona similar defensive benefits and doesn't make it weak to Pelipper's Hurricane, Sneasler's Dire Claw, and Fire-type attacks like Armarouge's Armor Cannon and Incineroar's Flare Blitz, though it becomes weak to Dragon-type attacks like Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Dondozo's Order Up.
- 180 Speed EVs and a Timid nature ensure that Volcarona will outspeed Annihilape, as well as other mid-speed Pokemon like Gholdengo and Archaludon. With 164 Special Attack EVs, Tera Blast Fairy will OHKO offensive Dragapult, as well as maximum HP Annihilape after a Quiver Dance. The bulk investment ensures that Volcarona survives a Tera Normal Blood Moon from Life Orb Ursaluna-B after a Quiver Dance and, after Terastallizing, two Rock Slides from Tyranitar if Leftovers or Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain are in play to neutralize sandstorm damage.
- Alternatively, Volcarona can lean into its bulk with maximum HP investment, which can benefit from the recovery offered by Giga Drain. After the aforementioned Speed investment to outspeed Annihilape, the rest of the EVs are put into Defense, letting Volcarona survive physical priority moves like Black Glasses Kingambit's Tera Dark Sucker Punch and Choice Band Dragonite's Tera Normal Extreme Speed. Even with minimal Special Defense investment, Volcarona has enough special bulk to survive Pelipper's Hurricane; after a Quiver Dance, it will take a Blood Moon from Tera Normal Life Orb Ursaluna-B or a Choice Scarf Tera Fire Overheat from Hisuian Typhlosion in sun, assuming it hasn't Terastallized Grass.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Setup Volcarona fits well on balance teams, as it requires utility and defensive support to enable it to sweep.
- Rillaboom is an excellent teammate, as it uses Fake Out to give Volcarona room to set up and sets up Grassy Terrain that augments Volcarona's passive recovery and powers up Giga Drain. Redirectors like Clefable draw attacks away from Volcarona, letting it set up more easily. Intimidate users like Incineroar supplement Volcarona's ability to enhance its special bulk by reducing the damage of physical attackers.
- Kingambit is a common teammate on the balance teams that Volcarona fits on. Assault Vest variants threaten foes like Incineroar, Tyranitar, and Dragapult that Volcarona struggles against. Another common choice on balance teams is Sneasler, which can threaten Rock-types and Incineroar that stuff Volcarona, and it can use Fake Out to give Volcarona room to set up or Coaching to bolster Volcarona's physical bulk.
- If Volcarona has not Terastallized Fairy, it struggles with Dragon-types like Dragonite, so Fairy- and Dragon-types like Clefable and Dragapult can help them with that. Volcarona, before Terastallizing Grass or Dragon, hates Water- and Rock-types like Basculegion-M and Tyranitar, so Grass-types like Rillaboom give it leeway against them. Additionally, Volcarona's coverage does not extend to Fire-types like Incineroar; Water-types like Primarina threaten them. Primarina also checks Dragon-types, making it a uniquely good teammate.
Strategy Comments
============
- As a setup sweeper, Volcarona wants Fake Out support and redirection to give it breathing room to set up. The earlier in the game Volcarona can get set up, the more difficult it will be to remove it from the field, as a boosted Volcarona will be able to take multiple special attacks. Intimidate cycling assists in this, as it reinforces Volcarona's physical bulk to complement Quiver Dance, which boosts its special bulk.
- Volcarona is actually one of the greatest adversaries of rain teams, as with redirection support from Electabuzz and Terastallization, it can boost to a level where it takes the special attacks of the rain attackers with ease. From there, its boosted attacks will rip apart these rain attackers and completely deny them the ability to revenge kill it. In these matchups, it's better to avoid using too many attacks on Archaludon, as its Stamina-boosted Body Press will eventually become too strong for Volcarona to handle. Early in the game, Pelipper threatens Volcarona with both of its STAB moves, so redirection will prevent Volcarona from being KOed by Pelipper before it can get set up. Additionally, Swift Swim Basculegion-M is a threat before Volcarona has set up, easily outspeeding and overwhelming it with rain-boosted Water-type attacks.
- Volcarona lacks coverage to threaten Dragon-types unless it has Terastallized Fairy, so the likes of Dragapult and Dragonite can take it on effectively. This extends to Tera Dragon Pokemon like Gholdengo, which gain the ability to resist its Fire-type STAB moves. Fairy- and fast Dragon-types like Clefable and Scale Shot Dragonite threaten these Dragon-types. Similarly, Fire-types like Incineroar and Tera Fire users like Rillaboom can deal with both of its attacks, and they are also immune to burns from Heat Wave and Flame Body; Water-types like Primarina can deal with these Pokemon. If Volcarona is not Tera Grass Giga Drain, then Water- and Rock-types like Primarina and Garganacl give it issues; Grass-types like Rillaboom can assist Volcarona in this vein. Trick Room teams invalidate Volcarona's Speed boost, though the Special Defense boost enables it to take attacks from the special attackers on these teams. Another useful tactic is to use physical attackers, as it has worse Defense and cannot improve it with Quiver Dance, though Volcarona can mitigate this issue with Intimidate support.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/soulboyvgc.558405/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ipetbigfoot.645750/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flarefox_7.657713/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Bulky Setup Sweeper (Volcarona) @ Covert Cloak / Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy / Grass / Dragon
EVs: 140 HP / 20 Def / 164 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe or 252 HP / 68 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Heat Wave
- Tera Blast / Giga Drain
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
- Volcarona utilizes the bulk, power, and Speed granted by Quiver Dance; its useful coverage; and Terastallization, which lets it work its way around its checks, to become difficult to take down and take over games as a result.
- Tera Blast Fairy lets Volcarona defeat Dragon-types that can stand up to Heat Wave; Giga Drain hits Water- and Rock-types while providing additional recovery to let Volcarona stay on the field longer. Tera Blast is used only on Tera Fairy sets, whereas Giga Drain sees play on Tera Grass and Tera Dragon sets.
- Covert Cloak lets Volcarona ignore Fake Out to set up or throw out its attacks more freely, and it prevents Snarl, Icy Wind, and Dire Claw from impeding its sweep. Leftovers gives Volcarona passive recovery, augmenting the recovery that Giga Drain provides to be at higher HP to survive more attacks.
- Tera Fairy lets Volcarona bypass Dragon-type attacks like Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Dragonite's Scale Shot and maintain a resistance to Fighting-type attacks like Sneasler's Close Combat. Tera Grass gives Volcarona a resistance to Water- and Electric-type attacks like Basculegion's Wave Crash and Archaludon's Electro Shot, makes it immune to Amoonguss's Spore, and powers up Giga Drain, turning +1 Giga Drain from a 2HKO into an OHKO on Basculegion and doing the same with +2 Giga Drain for Primarina. This additionally lets it restore more HP in the process, making it more likely to sweep games. Tera Dragon gives Volcarona similar defensive benefits and doesn't make it weak to Pelipper's Hurricane, Sneasler's Dire Claw, and Fire-type attacks like Armarouge's Armor Cannon and Incineroar's Flare Blitz, though it becomes weak to Dragon-type attacks like Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Dondozo's Order Up.
- 180 Speed EVs and a Timid nature ensure that Volcarona will outspeed Annihilape, as well as other mid-speed Pokemon like Gholdengo and Archaludon. With 164 Special Attack EVs, Tera Blast Fairy will OHKO offensive Dragapult, as well as maximum HP Annihilape after a Quiver Dance. The bulk investment ensures that Volcarona survives a Tera Normal Blood Moon from Life Orb Ursaluna-B after a Quiver Dance and, after Terastallizing, two Rock Slides from Tyranitar if Leftovers or Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain are in play to neutralize sandstorm damage.
- Alternatively, Volcarona can lean into its bulk with maximum HP investment, which can benefit from the recovery offered by Giga Drain. After the aforementioned Speed investment to outspeed Annihilape, the rest of the EVs are put into Defense, letting Volcarona survive physical priority moves like Black Glasses Kingambit's Tera Dark Sucker Punch and Choice Band Dragonite's Tera Normal Extreme Speed. Even with minimal Special Defense investment, Volcarona has enough special bulk to survive Pelipper's Hurricane; after a Quiver Dance, it will take a Blood Moon from Tera Normal Life Orb Ursaluna-B or a Choice Scarf Tera Fire Overheat from Hisuian Typhlosion in sun, assuming it hasn't Terastallized Grass.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Teambuilding
============
- Setup Volcarona fits well on balance teams, as it requires utility and defensive support to enable it to sweep.
- Rillaboom is an excellent teammate, as it uses Fake Out to give Volcarona room to set up and sets up Grassy Terrain that augments Volcarona's passive recovery and powers up Giga Drain. Redirectors like Clefable draw attacks away from Volcarona, letting it set up more easily. Intimidate users like Incineroar supplement Volcarona's ability to enhance its special bulk by reducing the damage of physical attackers.
- Kingambit is a common teammate on the balance teams that Volcarona fits on. Assault Vest variants threaten foes like Incineroar, Tyranitar, and Dragapult that Volcarona struggles against. Another common choice on balance teams is Sneasler, which can threaten Rock-types and Incineroar that stuff Volcarona, and it can use Fake Out to give Volcarona room to set up or Coaching to bolster Volcarona's physical bulk.
- If Volcarona has not Terastallized Fairy, it struggles with Dragon-types like Dragonite, so Fairy- and Dragon-types like Clefable and Dragapult can help them with that. Volcarona, before Terastallizing Grass or Dragon, hates Water- and Rock-types like Basculegion-M and Tyranitar, so Grass-types like Rillaboom give it leeway against them. Additionally, Volcarona's coverage does not extend to Fire-types like Incineroar; Water-types like Primarina threaten them. Primarina also checks Dragon-types, making it a uniquely good teammate.
Strategy Comments
============
- As a setup sweeper, Volcarona wants Fake Out support and redirection to give it breathing room to set up. The earlier in the game Volcarona can get set up, the more difficult it will be to remove it from the field, as a boosted Volcarona will be able to take multiple special attacks. Intimidate cycling assists in this, as it reinforces Volcarona's physical bulk to complement Quiver Dance, which boosts its special bulk.
- Volcarona is actually one of the greatest adversaries of rain teams, as with redirection support from Electabuzz and Terastallization, it can boost to a level where it takes the special attacks of the rain attackers with ease. From there, its boosted attacks will rip apart these rain attackers and completely deny them the ability to revenge kill it. In these matchups, it's better to avoid using too many attacks on Archaludon, as its Stamina-boosted Body Press will eventually become too strong for Volcarona to handle. Early in the game, Pelipper threatens Volcarona with both of its STAB moves, so redirection will prevent Volcarona from being KOed by Pelipper before it can get set up. Additionally, Swift Swim Basculegion-M is a threat before Volcarona has set up, easily outspeeding and overwhelming it with rain-boosted Water-type attacks.
- Volcarona lacks coverage to threaten Dragon-types unless it has Terastallized Fairy, so the likes of Dragapult and Dragonite can take it on effectively. This extends to Tera Dragon Pokemon like Gholdengo, which gain the ability to resist its Fire-type STAB moves. Fairy- and fast Dragon-types like Clefable and Scale Shot Dragonite threaten these Dragon-types. Similarly, Fire-types like Incineroar and Tera Fire users like Rillaboom can deal with both of its attacks, and they are also immune to burns from Heat Wave and Flame Body; Water-types like Primarina can deal with these Pokemon. If Volcarona is not Tera Grass Giga Drain, then Water- and Rock-types like Primarina and Garganacl give it issues; Grass-types like Rillaboom can assist Volcarona in this vein. Trick Room teams invalidate Volcarona's Speed boost, though the Special Defense boost enables it to take attacks from the special attackers on these teams. Another useful tactic is to use physical attackers, as it has worse Defense and cannot improve it with Quiver Dance, though Volcarona can mitigate this issue with Intimidate support.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/soulboyvgc.558405/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ipetbigfoot.645750/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flarefox_7.657713/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Last edited:
