Volcanion adds a whole new wrinkle to the OU metagame, not unlike its mystical siblings Diancie and Hoopa. It packs impressive bulk, a killer base Special Attack, a respectable base Attack, unique offensive typing, a solid movepool, and a handy dandy ability in Water Absorb. Now that Volcanion's been out for a while, and I've had time to grind this team on the ladder, I want to show you what I've been cooking for a little over a week for my first RMT (whew): Volcanion Fresh Out the Box
Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
We can start with the 'Mon of the Hour: Specs Volcanion. This set seeks to take advantage of Volcanion's massive Special Attack and stellar bulk, hence the HP and SpAtk investment (with the 4 Speed IVs to thump other uninvested Volcanion). Steam Eruption, its signature move, is a must-have. The chance to burn on top of the base power is just too good to pass up, especially with Specs. Biggest downsides are accuracy and relatively low amount of PP, but when Steam Eruption connects, any Pokémon outside of opposing Volcanion or Special Walls is gonna get dropped on their necks. Up next is Flamethrower. What it lacks in base power it makes up for in all around reliability. It's a solid spammable Specs STAB that can deliver good damage on a good number of non-resists and even some resists. For the non-Klefki Fairy type, we have Sludge Wave. Switch in on the Azumarill and let it rip. Pretty straightforward, just maybe don't switch in on a Fairy type that's not Azu. The last slot is honestly just personal preference. For me, Earth Power is the go-to by virtue of being a way to handle Zard X or opposing Volcanion. You could also try Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Ice if you're looking to take on Keldeos or Dragons not named Mega Charizard X.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect
Up next on the roster is your token Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie is your resident revenge killer against opposing Dragons and Flying types. Protect is mandatory, as it ensures a safe mega evolution and allows you to scout for Bullet Punch. Moonblast and Diamond Storm are your friendly neighborhood STABs to bring the ruckus. Earth Power allows you to cover opposing slower Steel types, although that's not recommended unless the situation REALLY requires it. It's also good damage vs opposing Zard X, which is always nice.
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit
Volcanion is threatened by Pokémon like Latios, Latias, Garchomp, and Landorus-T, which requires a strong physical attacker that can neutralize those threats. Enter Life Orb Weavile. The plan with this set is simple: Trap the Psychic types, KO the Ground types, get rid of Eviolites. Weavile will TEAR APART any team not prepared for it, but even then checks are threatened by Knock Off and Icicle Crash. Weavile can also do a nice job revenge killing with Ice Shard. On top of that, you can use Pursuit if you REALLY wanna mess with your opponent's head and catch em on the switch. Upon further review, Volcanion actually complements Weavile quite nicely. Volcanion can come in on Fire, Fairy, Steel, or physical Fighting types that threaten Weavile, and in turn Weavile dunks on Flying, Ground, and Dragon types that threaten Volcanion.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
- Defog
Latias does the deed of keeping the offensive threats healthy. That means it's gotta be ready to get rid of hazards with Defog and sacrifice itself with Healing Wish. Psyshock and Draco Meteor are your standard STABs to dig into Pokémon like Garchomp and SpDef invested Walls and make sure Latias isn't totally helpless out on the field. The spread is fairly straightforward, as it gives Latias some bite to go with its bulk. Pro tip: Switch in on ground type attacks that don't come from Choice Scarf Mold Breaker Excadrill.
Landorus-Therian @ Earth Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Everyone's favorite Ground-resist fits in pretty darn well with Volcanion. Landorus-T makes a great pivot to move you into a more favorable position, thanks to U-Turn. Stealth Rock is useful for applying pressure in the early/mid-game, which could be used to draw out Spinners or Defoggers. Plus, it's free damage and a broken sash on the switch-in, and you can't go wrong with that. Stone Edge is the mandatory coverage move to combat Talonflame or Thundurus (another Pokémon that Volcorona doesn't care much for at all), as Talonflame, for all intents and purposes, walls Landorus without Edge and forces out Volcanion. Earthquake is your go-to spammable STAB, once the resists are out of the way. The Adamant nature + the Earth Plate boost makes Earthquake freakishly strong, putting the hurt on almost any Pokémon. The spread allows it to outspeed Defensive Landorus-T, while piling on enough bulk to uncomfortably eat an Ice Shard from Weavile (granted Intimidate has kicked in and you haven't taken Rocks).
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Meet the other half of your VoltTurn core. Calm Mind Raikou is a fierce threat to be reckoned with, as one boost can turn it into a powerful sweeper. Leftovers increases Raikou's longevity on the field, but you're encouraged to keep this thing healthy. Thunderbolt and Volt Switch are your bread-and-butter with this set. TBolt brings the pain, even if it's not a super effective hit. Volt Switch allows you to safely exit the battlefield if you're fearing the stray Earthquake from Latios or the Ground type coverage move on a faster Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice neutralizes Landorus-T if its Scarf is knocked off or if it's defensive. Same goes for stray Gliscors or opposing Thundurus.
So, that's Volcanion Fresh out the Box! It was fun to build and test, and I hope it gives you guys some ideas of your own if you wanna build your own Volcanion team. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, let me know and I'll try to get to as many as I can. Thanks for reading!
Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
We can start with the 'Mon of the Hour: Specs Volcanion. This set seeks to take advantage of Volcanion's massive Special Attack and stellar bulk, hence the HP and SpAtk investment (with the 4 Speed IVs to thump other uninvested Volcanion). Steam Eruption, its signature move, is a must-have. The chance to burn on top of the base power is just too good to pass up, especially with Specs. Biggest downsides are accuracy and relatively low amount of PP, but when Steam Eruption connects, any Pokémon outside of opposing Volcanion or Special Walls is gonna get dropped on their necks. Up next is Flamethrower. What it lacks in base power it makes up for in all around reliability. It's a solid spammable Specs STAB that can deliver good damage on a good number of non-resists and even some resists. For the non-Klefki Fairy type, we have Sludge Wave. Switch in on the Azumarill and let it rip. Pretty straightforward, just maybe don't switch in on a Fairy type that's not Azu. The last slot is honestly just personal preference. For me, Earth Power is the go-to by virtue of being a way to handle Zard X or opposing Volcanion. You could also try Hidden Power Grass or Hidden Power Ice if you're looking to take on Keldeos or Dragons not named Mega Charizard X.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect
Up next on the roster is your token Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie is your resident revenge killer against opposing Dragons and Flying types. Protect is mandatory, as it ensures a safe mega evolution and allows you to scout for Bullet Punch. Moonblast and Diamond Storm are your friendly neighborhood STABs to bring the ruckus. Earth Power allows you to cover opposing slower Steel types, although that's not recommended unless the situation REALLY requires it. It's also good damage vs opposing Zard X, which is always nice.
Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit
Volcanion is threatened by Pokémon like Latios, Latias, Garchomp, and Landorus-T, which requires a strong physical attacker that can neutralize those threats. Enter Life Orb Weavile. The plan with this set is simple: Trap the Psychic types, KO the Ground types, get rid of Eviolites. Weavile will TEAR APART any team not prepared for it, but even then checks are threatened by Knock Off and Icicle Crash. Weavile can also do a nice job revenge killing with Ice Shard. On top of that, you can use Pursuit if you REALLY wanna mess with your opponent's head and catch em on the switch. Upon further review, Volcanion actually complements Weavile quite nicely. Volcanion can come in on Fire, Fairy, Steel, or physical Fighting types that threaten Weavile, and in turn Weavile dunks on Flying, Ground, and Dragon types that threaten Volcanion.
Latias @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 72 HP / 184 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Healing Wish
- Defog
Latias does the deed of keeping the offensive threats healthy. That means it's gotta be ready to get rid of hazards with Defog and sacrifice itself with Healing Wish. Psyshock and Draco Meteor are your standard STABs to dig into Pokémon like Garchomp and SpDef invested Walls and make sure Latias isn't totally helpless out on the field. The spread is fairly straightforward, as it gives Latias some bite to go with its bulk. Pro tip: Switch in on ground type attacks that don't come from Choice Scarf Mold Breaker Excadrill.
Landorus-Therian @ Earth Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Everyone's favorite Ground-resist fits in pretty darn well with Volcanion. Landorus-T makes a great pivot to move you into a more favorable position, thanks to U-Turn. Stealth Rock is useful for applying pressure in the early/mid-game, which could be used to draw out Spinners or Defoggers. Plus, it's free damage and a broken sash on the switch-in, and you can't go wrong with that. Stone Edge is the mandatory coverage move to combat Talonflame or Thundurus (another Pokémon that Volcorona doesn't care much for at all), as Talonflame, for all intents and purposes, walls Landorus without Edge and forces out Volcanion. Earthquake is your go-to spammable STAB, once the resists are out of the way. The Adamant nature + the Earth Plate boost makes Earthquake freakishly strong, putting the hurt on almost any Pokémon. The spread allows it to outspeed Defensive Landorus-T, while piling on enough bulk to uncomfortably eat an Ice Shard from Weavile (granted Intimidate has kicked in and you haven't taken Rocks).
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Meet the other half of your VoltTurn core. Calm Mind Raikou is a fierce threat to be reckoned with, as one boost can turn it into a powerful sweeper. Leftovers increases Raikou's longevity on the field, but you're encouraged to keep this thing healthy. Thunderbolt and Volt Switch are your bread-and-butter with this set. TBolt brings the pain, even if it's not a super effective hit. Volt Switch allows you to safely exit the battlefield if you're fearing the stray Earthquake from Latios or the Ground type coverage move on a faster Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice neutralizes Landorus-T if its Scarf is knocked off or if it's defensive. Same goes for stray Gliscors or opposing Thundurus.
So, that's Volcanion Fresh out the Box! It was fun to build and test, and I hope it gives you guys some ideas of your own if you wanna build your own Volcanion team. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, let me know and I'll try to get to as many as I can. Thanks for reading!