National Dex Volcanion Bulky Offense

[Shadowblaster-x]

Hello, Ever since gen 6 Volcanion has been my favorite pokemon ,so I tried making a team around Volcanion and played with it for quite some time in the current meta game,I really don't get the laddering stuff but I reached #1300 with this team.But now I am stuck ,as this team kinda lack the fire power to get through the current neta and require help.Thank you.



FIRE HYDRANT (Volcanion) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Steam Eruption
- Sludge Bomb


The main cornerstone of the team Volcanion ,is a special attacker that hits hard and hardly anything walls a Stab steam eruption ,from a specs volcanion.However volcanion is very vulnerable to electric attacks ,even if it can take an attack at full Hp it's usefulness reduces dramatically.Therefore my next member.



THUG (Krookodile) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Close Combat


Scarfed Krookodile has done wonders for the tean ,it often comes as a surprise for the opponent and packs a massive punch.However recently it is being outsped by more and more,even though with moxie it gets me the kills I need ,but it can can be handled easily by Faster pokemon .However with a little prediction it has not been that bad,but it can use changes.



ECO FRIENDLY (Scizor-Mega) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower


ECO FRIENDLY (Scizor-Mega) (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower


Next up I thought of a fairy check since fairies rampage around in the tier,I chose Mega scizor as my ,mega and fairy check.It is a little situational pokemon but gets the job done.However the main problem is it's set,I am realky not good at making sets and woul really appreciate a set with more firepower.



ZAPPPYY (Zapdos) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Discharge
- U-turn


Next I needed a defoger ,so I went for Zapdos and it has done a great job at it so far,so I really do not have many complains about it ,but if there is some change necessary I would love to implement that.



Clefable (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Soft-Boiled


Next I needed A fairy type and a dragon check for myself ,so I chose clefable and it has been a wobderful special attacker and also a decent special walls,once again I do not have many complaints but ,it can always use improvements so feel free to suggest changes.



WHY ARE YOU ... (Kommo-o) (M) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clanging Scales
- Clangorous Soul
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock


Kommo-O is my current Sealth rock setter,and it works ,yes ,but I could use a better sr setter that complements the team and provides more momentum.

If you take the time to read this and suggest changes ,thank you in advance.

 

[theotherguytm]

Ok yeah, to give a fuller rate than the above... Volcanion is unfortunately terrible. The only reason it gets OU usage on ladder is because of the absurd amount of Dracovish usage on ladder (and it's a pretty terrible Vish check since it loses to Psychic Fangs unless it runs Hidden Power Dragon or gets lucky with burns). Volcanion struggles with every common bulky Water in the metagame without heavy prediction (eg: stonewalled by Toxapex unless you lock yourself into Earth Power, same by Tapu Fini unless you pick Sludge Bomb/Wave, both of which have many Pokemon immune to them and are hence risky to lock into). Stealth Rock weakness and Spikes vulnerability also makes Volcanion want to run a bulkier Heavy-Duty Boots set, but it has no access to recovery at all besides Rest, and is abusable by many common Pokemon. While Volcanion learns Defog, is has a terrible matchup against every Stealth Rock setter, most of whom come with Ground STAB/coverage.

So yeah, overall Volcanion just has too many issues to make it OU viable. If you want a bulky Fire-type breaker then Z-move Heatran just outclasses it with ease. If you want a Pokemon that uses high-power Water-type moves, Ash-Greninja is a good bet and it can set Spikes too. If you want a more bulky approach to spamming high-powered Water moves, a full Rain team might even be up your alley.

A few notes on the rest of your team:
Krookodile is entirely outclassed as a scarfer by Lando-T due to its access to U-turn and Explosion, a decently strong Hidden Power Ice and emergency Defog access, while basically the same speed and a much, much stronger Earthquake. It should be also noted that many teams forgo a Choice Scarfer entirely in the current metagame, with the very nature of Dragon Dance Dragapult making Choice Scarfers rather unreliable against it. Most teams use unboosted speed control and priority access like the above Dragapult, Mega Lop and Rillaboom to keep offensive threats in order.

Mega Scizor usually runs a Physically Defensive spread to check threats like physical Dragapult, Mega Mawile, Kartana and Rillaboom. Speed EVs are pretty wasted on a mon with STAB Technician Bullet Punch and Swords Dance. Though you should probably drop a move for Roost so you can stay healthy throughout a match. Swords Dance is optional but turns Mega Scizor into a game-winning threat. You probably don't need Superpower.

Zapdos should always have at least 72 Speed so it is faster than all Heatran that aren't Timid, although some extra Speed might be handy for other mons that are doing the same. It is usually also Physically Defensive to ward off Kartana, although with Mega Scizor on your team that is mostly redundant. Some other Defoggers that have better defensive synergy with Mega Scizor like Tapu Fini or Lando-T are worth a look, or possibly even the option of running Defog on Mega Scizor itself (though this almost always involves something vital being missing from its toolkit.)

Clefable doesn't need Max SpA or Life Orb to be an effective Calm Mind user. While its utility sets are unmatched, they are somewhat unfitting with bulky offense. I would either suggest replacing it with Magearna to get a more offensive user of Calm Mind, or running Flamethrower>Thunderbolt to hit the many Steels that otherwise wall you, together with more bulk and Leftovers to be a better defensive tool.

Kommo-o is decent, but if you want a Stealth Rocker, you don't want it to kill itself, and if you want a sweeper, you don't want to waste a coverage slot on Stealth Rock. So your set is pretty counterproductive, ending up with the worst of both worlds. Either switching it to a Body Press/Rocks/EQ/Taunt set with plenty of bulk and a little speed or replacing it with Swords Dance Rockium Z Garchomp, which can set rocks and tear teams apart or possibly a Heatran of some kind (because Heatran is godly).

Hope this lets you understand where you're going wrong!