First analysis, it's about time I got my hands dirty! Be brutal. :>
Firefly
Skeleton
[Overview]
<p>Volbeat's most common role is to set up weather, which he achieves relatively easily thanks to his access to Prankster. He can also provide safe switch-ins for his teammates with Encore and U-turn. Additionally, he is notable for being the only Pokemon in the game, aside from Smeargle, that is able to Baton Pass Tail Glow boosts, which is his main claim to fame. Prankster gives these strategies priority, meaning that Volbeat will usually succeed in his goal. However, his mediocre bulk and Stealth Rock weakness limit Volbeat's chances to support the team multiple times. The fact that Volbeat cannot actually use his own Tail Glow boosts very well means that a player would have to cater their team around him, so make sure your team can use every bit of support this cute bug provides.</p>
[SET]
name: Weather Supporter
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Encore
move 4: Thunder Wave
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold / Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat's role with this set is to support his teammates with weather moves. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are given priority due to Prankster and are almost guaranteed to be set up if Volbeat can safely enter the field. U-turn is usually the best move to use after setting up your selected weather in order to provide a safe switch-in for your sweepers while wasting as few turns of weather as possible. Volbeat doesn't invest in Speed, so he will usually move last, letting him safely bring in a teammate by taking the opponent's attack. Encore is used to create openings for Volbeat to either set up or safely switch in a teammate. Thunder Wave is not quite as useful, but it is excellent for hindering Pokemon holding a Choice item who don't care about Encore; it's also effective against Pokemon who have a high base Speed and don't set up. Encore and Thunder Wave are generally the most effective when they are used before Volbeat sets up weather in order to prevent the loss of too many weather turns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat has useful resistances to Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, which are usually physically based. The EVs and nature take full advantage of that by maximizing his physical bulk. On a side note, you can reduce Volbeat's Speed IVs to 11 and use a Relaxed nature to get a slow U-turn on as many Pokemon as possible and still outspeed uninvested base 65 Speed Pokemon such as Alomomola, to avoid its Toxic. Volbeat has a few other move selections that he can use on this set. One of these is Roost, but since Volbeat is still pretty frail and will usually take over 50% damage from powerful neutral attacks, he is generally better off focusing on supporting his team rather than healing himself. Baton Pass is an option over U-turn because of its priority, but Volbeat generally prefers being able to give his teammates a safe switch-in opportunity. Substitute and Tail Glow can also be used over Encore and Thunder Wave. While the power boost to your sweepers is amazing if this is successful, Volbeat generally won't be lasting long enough to accomplish all of this, so these options are best used on their own set.</p>
<p>Weather sweepers are necessary teammates for Volbeat in order to actually make use of the weather he provides. With Rain Dance, Swift Swim sweepers, such as Ludicolo, Floatzel, Gorebyss, and Seismitoad, are excellent teammates. With Sunny Day, Chlorophyll sweepers, such as Exeggutor, Victreebel, Shiftry, and Sawsbuck, are all good options. Other Pokemon to utilize the weather are also useful, with Dry Skin Jynx, Hurricane Swanna, and Electric-types carrying Thunder all being good options for rain teams and Solar Power Charizard and other Fire-types, specifically Rapidash, being excellent options for sun teams. A Rapid Spin user to remove entry hazards is appreciated, as Toxic Spikes reduces rain team's lifespan while Stealth Rock does the same to sun teams. It is notable that sun teams tend to carry at least one Pokemon with a Grass / Poison typing, namely Victreebel, so they are less likely to be affected by Toxic Spikes. Swift Swim Armaldo is a good Rapid Spin user for rain teams as it receives a useful Speed boost in the rain; likewise, Shell Smash Torkoal is a good Rapid Spin user for sun teams, as its Fire-type moves are enhanced in the sun. If using a spinner feels like it is limiting your offensive pressure, having a Poison-type Pokemon, such as Scolipede, can help to remove Toxic Spikes for rain teams, while Mold Breaker Sawk can stop most Stealth Rock users before they can set up. Other bulky Pokemon that can help set up weather and ease pressure off Volbeat are helpful teammates. Rotom-S and Electrode are good rain inducers, and Regirock and Gardevoir are good sun inducers.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Encore / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat is the only Pokemon in NU that is able to Baton Pass Tail Glow, and this set is the best way he can accomplish this. Tail Glow provides an amazing +3 boost to Special Attack, which Baton Pass then gives to a teammate. Substitute is another option to use alongside Baton Pass, providing its recipient with a shield against attacks as well as status conditions. Encore is the best move for the last slot, locking the opposing Pokemon into an ineffective move to guarantee at least a single turn to safely set up. However, Thunder Wave is a viable option in order to cripple opposing sweepers, and it still provides a small chance of providing free setup turns thanks to paralysis.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature take full advantage of Volbeat's useful Fighting- and Ground-type resistances by maximizing his physical bulk. Speed is not necessary because all of his moves have priority thanks to Prankster. Leftovers is the best item for this set because it guarantees that Volbeat can create five Substitutes if he hasn't taken any prior damage. Bug Buzz is a viable option over Substitute in order to enable Volbeat to take advantage of his own Tail Glow boosts and to not be entirely crippled by Taunt. However, even after a boost, his power is unimpressive with an uninvested base 47 Special Attack stat. He is also extremely slow without any Speed investment and will not likely be able to hit the opponent before being taken out first. Roost can also be used to enhance Volbeat's longevity, but it uses up a valuable turn which could be spent setting up or passing boosts.</p>
<p>The best teammates for this set would be ones that can take advantage of the Tail Glow boost Volbeat provides. Water-type recipients, such as Samurott and Swanna, are notable because they can take Fire-type attacks that are aimed at Volbeat and retaliate back with powered-up Water-type attacks. Electric-types such as Eelektross and Electabuzz are also good recipients because they can take the Flying-type attacks that would destroy Volbeat. Otherwise, fast special attackers in general, such as Kadabra, Serperior, and Swoobat, are good recipients, especially if Volbeat isn't carrying Thunder Wave, as they can all sweep teams with a single boost. Note that Swoobat's Simple ability doesn't activate with boosts that are Baton Passed. Because entry hazards, notably Stealth Rock, limit how often Volbeat can set up, teammates such as Mold Breaker Sawk and defensive Torkoal are effective teammates to hinder their setup. Many players will assume that Volbeat can only support special attacking teammates, but many physical attackers, such as Golurk and Scolipede, appreciate Substitutes being sent their way.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Volbeat doesn't have many effective options other than the ones listed, with an offensive Baton Pass set utilizing Tail Glow, Baton Pass, Bug Buzz, and Thunderbolt being the most notable one. However, such a set relies on Volbeat's average Speed while lacking enough bulk to take even resisted attacks well. Swagger and Confuse Ray are options alongside Thunder Wave and gain priority thanks to Prankster, but they are very luck reliant without Foul Play to take advantage of the confused opponents. Moonlight can be used with Sunny Day to recover a larger amount of HP, but Volbeat still prefers spending his turns supporting his teammates rather than trying to extend his own longevity. Light Screen can patch up Volbeat's low Special Defense, but without Reflect, he cannot fully support his teammates in this way. A priority Trick is usable with Choice Band or Iron Ball to hinder the opposing team and enhance U-turn (by boosting U-turn's power or increasing the chance that Volbeat will go last), but Encore and Thunder Wave are reusable and far more reliable. Psych Up can steal boosts from an opposing Pokemon for Volbeat to Baton Pass, but it is generally unreliable to depend on your opponent to have a certain moveset. Mental Herb can be a useful item to ignore Taunt once, but that is generally not worth sacrificing a weather rock or Leftovers.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Volbeat isn't difficult to counter as he isn't very threatening on his own. Murkrow is Volbeat's best counter, as it has higher base Speed, Prankster Taunt, and a super effective Brave Bird to take Volbeat out. Liepard is also a great counter if Volbeat lacks Bug Buzz, as it can hit him with a status move that cripples his ability to set up. Rock Blast users, such as Golem and Gigalith, can take Volbeat out pretty easily, as they can break through his Substitutes. Taunt users, such as Samurott and Misdreavus, can make Volbeat useless if he lacks Bug Buzz, and even with that move, he isn't that threatening offensively. Encore users can lock Volbeat into a move as he will generally go first thanks to Prankster. Roar and Whirlwind users can phaze away his boosts, as well as phazing his recipients on the switch. Haze can make Volbeat's Baton Pass sets useless as well by removing Tail Glow boosts. Preying on Volbeat's defensive typing and low bulk is an effective way to prevent him from setting up more than once. Pokemon such as Swellow, Zangoose, Raichu, and Seismitoad aren't affected by Thunder Wave thanks to their abilities or typing and aren't that hindered by Encore as well; the former two need to have their status orb already activated in this situation. Choice Band Golurk is a notable Pokemon that Volbeat cannot touch at all, as it is immune to Thunder Wave and is already locked into a move. Stealth Rock and other entry hazards are a reliable way to limit how often Volbeat can switch in, usually restricting him to setting up only once. It is important to note that it is often better not to directly counter Volbeat, but to target at his incoming teammates who benefit from his support, as he isn't that threatening on his own.</p>

Firefly
Skeleton
[Overview]
<p>Volbeat's most common role is to set up weather, which he achieves relatively easily thanks to his access to Prankster. He can also provide safe switch-ins for his teammates with Encore and U-turn. Additionally, he is notable for being the only Pokemon in the game, aside from Smeargle, that is able to Baton Pass Tail Glow boosts, which is his main claim to fame. Prankster gives these strategies priority, meaning that Volbeat will usually succeed in his goal. However, his mediocre bulk and Stealth Rock weakness limit Volbeat's chances to support the team multiple times. The fact that Volbeat cannot actually use his own Tail Glow boosts very well means that a player would have to cater their team around him, so make sure your team can use every bit of support this cute bug provides.</p>
[SET]
name: Weather Supporter
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Encore
move 4: Thunder Wave
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold / Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat's role with this set is to support his teammates with weather moves. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are given priority due to Prankster and are almost guaranteed to be set up if Volbeat can safely enter the field. U-turn is usually the best move to use after setting up your selected weather in order to provide a safe switch-in for your sweepers while wasting as few turns of weather as possible. Volbeat doesn't invest in Speed, so he will usually move last, letting him safely bring in a teammate by taking the opponent's attack. Encore is used to create openings for Volbeat to either set up or safely switch in a teammate. Thunder Wave is not quite as useful, but it is excellent for hindering Pokemon holding a Choice item who don't care about Encore; it's also effective against Pokemon who have a high base Speed and don't set up. Encore and Thunder Wave are generally the most effective when they are used before Volbeat sets up weather in order to prevent the loss of too many weather turns.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat has useful resistances to Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, which are usually physically based. The EVs and nature take full advantage of that by maximizing his physical bulk. On a side note, you can reduce Volbeat's Speed IVs to 11 and use a Relaxed nature to get a slow U-turn on as many Pokemon as possible and still outspeed uninvested base 65 Speed Pokemon such as Alomomola, to avoid its Toxic. Volbeat has a few other move selections that he can use on this set. One of these is Roost, but since Volbeat is still pretty frail and will usually take over 50% damage from powerful neutral attacks, he is generally better off focusing on supporting his team rather than healing himself. Baton Pass is an option over U-turn because of its priority, but Volbeat generally prefers being able to give his teammates a safe switch-in opportunity. Substitute and Tail Glow can also be used over Encore and Thunder Wave. While the power boost to your sweepers is amazing if this is successful, Volbeat generally won't be lasting long enough to accomplish all of this, so these options are best used on their own set.</p>
<p>Weather sweepers are necessary teammates for Volbeat in order to actually make use of the weather he provides. With Rain Dance, Swift Swim sweepers, such as Ludicolo, Floatzel, Gorebyss, and Seismitoad, are excellent teammates. With Sunny Day, Chlorophyll sweepers, such as Exeggutor, Victreebel, Shiftry, and Sawsbuck, are all good options. Other Pokemon to utilize the weather are also useful, with Dry Skin Jynx, Hurricane Swanna, and Electric-types carrying Thunder all being good options for rain teams and Solar Power Charizard and other Fire-types, specifically Rapidash, being excellent options for sun teams. A Rapid Spin user to remove entry hazards is appreciated, as Toxic Spikes reduces rain team's lifespan while Stealth Rock does the same to sun teams. It is notable that sun teams tend to carry at least one Pokemon with a Grass / Poison typing, namely Victreebel, so they are less likely to be affected by Toxic Spikes. Swift Swim Armaldo is a good Rapid Spin user for rain teams as it receives a useful Speed boost in the rain; likewise, Shell Smash Torkoal is a good Rapid Spin user for sun teams, as its Fire-type moves are enhanced in the sun. If using a spinner feels like it is limiting your offensive pressure, having a Poison-type Pokemon, such as Scolipede, can help to remove Toxic Spikes for rain teams, while Mold Breaker Sawk can stop most Stealth Rock users before they can set up. Other bulky Pokemon that can help set up weather and ease pressure off Volbeat are helpful teammates. Rotom-S and Electrode are good rain inducers, and Regirock and Gardevoir are good sun inducers.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Encore / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat is the only Pokemon in NU that is able to Baton Pass Tail Glow, and this set is the best way he can accomplish this. Tail Glow provides an amazing +3 boost to Special Attack, which Baton Pass then gives to a teammate. Substitute is another option to use alongside Baton Pass, providing its recipient with a shield against attacks as well as status conditions. Encore is the best move for the last slot, locking the opposing Pokemon into an ineffective move to guarantee at least a single turn to safely set up. However, Thunder Wave is a viable option in order to cripple opposing sweepers, and it still provides a small chance of providing free setup turns thanks to paralysis.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature take full advantage of Volbeat's useful Fighting- and Ground-type resistances by maximizing his physical bulk. Speed is not necessary because all of his moves have priority thanks to Prankster. Leftovers is the best item for this set because it guarantees that Volbeat can create five Substitutes if he hasn't taken any prior damage. Bug Buzz is a viable option over Substitute in order to enable Volbeat to take advantage of his own Tail Glow boosts and to not be entirely crippled by Taunt. However, even after a boost, his power is unimpressive with an uninvested base 47 Special Attack stat. He is also extremely slow without any Speed investment and will not likely be able to hit the opponent before being taken out first. Roost can also be used to enhance Volbeat's longevity, but it uses up a valuable turn which could be spent setting up or passing boosts.</p>
<p>The best teammates for this set would be ones that can take advantage of the Tail Glow boost Volbeat provides. Water-type recipients, such as Samurott and Swanna, are notable because they can take Fire-type attacks that are aimed at Volbeat and retaliate back with powered-up Water-type attacks. Electric-types such as Eelektross and Electabuzz are also good recipients because they can take the Flying-type attacks that would destroy Volbeat. Otherwise, fast special attackers in general, such as Kadabra, Serperior, and Swoobat, are good recipients, especially if Volbeat isn't carrying Thunder Wave, as they can all sweep teams with a single boost. Note that Swoobat's Simple ability doesn't activate with boosts that are Baton Passed. Because entry hazards, notably Stealth Rock, limit how often Volbeat can set up, teammates such as Mold Breaker Sawk and defensive Torkoal are effective teammates to hinder their setup. Many players will assume that Volbeat can only support special attacking teammates, but many physical attackers, such as Golurk and Scolipede, appreciate Substitutes being sent their way.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Volbeat doesn't have many effective options other than the ones listed, with an offensive Baton Pass set utilizing Tail Glow, Baton Pass, Bug Buzz, and Thunderbolt being the most notable one. However, such a set relies on Volbeat's average Speed while lacking enough bulk to take even resisted attacks well. Swagger and Confuse Ray are options alongside Thunder Wave and gain priority thanks to Prankster, but they are very luck reliant without Foul Play to take advantage of the confused opponents. Moonlight can be used with Sunny Day to recover a larger amount of HP, but Volbeat still prefers spending his turns supporting his teammates rather than trying to extend his own longevity. Light Screen can patch up Volbeat's low Special Defense, but without Reflect, he cannot fully support his teammates in this way. A priority Trick is usable with Choice Band or Iron Ball to hinder the opposing team and enhance U-turn (by boosting U-turn's power or increasing the chance that Volbeat will go last), but Encore and Thunder Wave are reusable and far more reliable. Psych Up can steal boosts from an opposing Pokemon for Volbeat to Baton Pass, but it is generally unreliable to depend on your opponent to have a certain moveset. Mental Herb can be a useful item to ignore Taunt once, but that is generally not worth sacrificing a weather rock or Leftovers.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Volbeat isn't difficult to counter as he isn't very threatening on his own. Murkrow is Volbeat's best counter, as it has higher base Speed, Prankster Taunt, and a super effective Brave Bird to take Volbeat out. Liepard is also a great counter if Volbeat lacks Bug Buzz, as it can hit him with a status move that cripples his ability to set up. Rock Blast users, such as Golem and Gigalith, can take Volbeat out pretty easily, as they can break through his Substitutes. Taunt users, such as Samurott and Misdreavus, can make Volbeat useless if he lacks Bug Buzz, and even with that move, he isn't that threatening offensively. Encore users can lock Volbeat into a move as he will generally go first thanks to Prankster. Roar and Whirlwind users can phaze away his boosts, as well as phazing his recipients on the switch. Haze can make Volbeat's Baton Pass sets useless as well by removing Tail Glow boosts. Preying on Volbeat's defensive typing and low bulk is an effective way to prevent him from setting up more than once. Pokemon such as Swellow, Zangoose, Raichu, and Seismitoad aren't affected by Thunder Wave thanks to their abilities or typing and aren't that hindered by Encore as well; the former two need to have their status orb already activated in this situation. Choice Band Golurk is a notable Pokemon that Volbeat cannot touch at all, as it is immune to Thunder Wave and is already locked into a move. Stealth Rock and other entry hazards are a reliable way to limit how often Volbeat can switch in, usually restricting him to setting up only once. It is important to note that it is often better not to directly counter Volbeat, but to target at his incoming teammates who benefit from his support, as he isn't that threatening on his own.</p>