Volcanion [QC 0/3]

[readytolose]

[OVERVIEW]

• Volcanion can be a potent wallbreaker thanks to its high Special Attack and powerful STAB options.
• It has respectable bulk and a useful ability, which enables it to check threats like Greninja, Keldeo and Volcarona.
• Poor speed and a vulnerability to entry hazards limits Volcanion's effectiveness, especially against offensive teams.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Steam Eruption
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Electric
item: Choice Specs
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Steam Eruption is a powerful STAB option with a helpful burn chance.
  
• Fire Blast is a secondary STAB which rounds out Volcanion's coverage well.
  
• Flamethrower is a safer alternative to Fire Blast that is more accurate.
  
• Earth Power is needed to 2HKO specially defensive Toxapex.
• Sludge Bomb can be used instead, and does the most damage to Tapu Fini, 2HKOing all variants. It also allows Volcanion to check Belly Drum Azumarill more effectively
  
• Hidden Power Grass hits the Water-types that resist Volcanion's STAB super effectively, such as Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Manaphy.
  
• Hidden Power Electric functions similarly, but trades the ability to hit Rotom-W and Gastrodon for Gyarados, Pelipper, and Mantine.
  
• Hidden Power Ice does the most damage to Latios and Latias, which are notable switch-ins. It also hits Salamence and Dragonite hard, and Zygarde and Garchomp harder than Steam Eruption does.

Set Details
========

• Choice Specs ameliorates Volcanion's Special Attack in exchange for locking it into a move.
  
• Water Absorb is Volcanion's only ability, and it gives it a useful ability to Water moves, letting it check Keldeo or Ash-Greninja, especially when locked into Hydro Pump.
• A Modest nature amplifies Volcanion's power the most while still letting it outspeed what it needs to, such as defensive Landorus-T and Tapu Fini. A Timid nature puts it ahead of threats such as Adamant max Speed Tapu Bulu.
• The EV spread lets Volcanion hit as hard and as fast as possible.

Usage Tips
========

• Due to their power and general lack of immunities, Volcanion will be typically using its STAB moves the most.
• Using a coverage move on predicted switch-ins isn't always necessary, as Volcanion can wear down switch-ins like Latios and Tapu Fini with repeated powerful attacks. Against pivots that can heal off the damage, such as Toxapex, Rotom-W, and Assault Vest Tangrowth, it is more effective to predict them and hinder their recovery.
• Volcanion can switch in on Water-types like Keldeo and Greninja relatively easily, but be sure to remove entry hazards before switching in, if you can.

Team Options
========

• Volcanion absolutely requires hazard control, as it is vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards. Excadrill is a good user of Rapid Spin, and can check Tapu Koko well. Latios is a decent Defog user that can pressure some of Volcanion's few switch-ins, namely Rotom-W and Toxapex. Although Tapu Fini is somewhat defensively redundant with Volcanion, it is still one of the best choices for a consistent Defog user in the current metagame. Mega Scizor is a decent Defog user that appreciates Volcanion's ability to switch in on Fire moves, and can grab momentum with U-Turn, allowing Volcanion to enter battle.
• Momentum users let Volcanion enter the battle safely. Landorus-T and Rotom-W can use U-turn and Volt Switch to grab momentum and lure Pokemon like Landorus-T and Tangrowth, letting Volcanion come in and fire off a STAB move.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• A set using Solar Beam and Grassium Z can be used to unleash a powerful Bloom Doom capable of OHKOing Water-types like Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, Manaphy, and Gastrodon, but it's too situational, and Volcanion is better suited to using powerful Specs-boosted attacks.
  
• A set using Mystic Water can be used to bluff Choice Specs, but is often inferior since Volcanion can typically overwhelm its resists with Specs Steam Eruption anyways.
• Groundium Z can be used to deal great damage to Toxapex, but overall decreases Volcanion's usefulness.
• A non-choiced set can use Flame Charge to become more difficult to revenge kill, but Volcanion is still very slow after a boost anyways.
  
• Choice Scarf can be used to surprise opponents, but Volcanion is much too slow to be an effective revenge killer, and it loses out on a lot of power from not running Choice Specs.

Checks and Counters
=================
**Bulky Water-types**: Water-types naturally resist Volcanion's STAB combination and are the best switch-ins to it. Toxapex is very bulky and can heal off the damage from all of Volcanion's attacks save for Earth Power, and can PP stall Volcanion. Tapu Fini can switch in on Bolcanion and doesn't care about potential burns due to Misty Terrain, but struggles to do much back and can be worn down easily. Rotom-W can take Volcanion's moves well and threaten back with Volt Switch, although it's threatened by Hidden Power Grass and doesn't take Steam Eruption well if physically defensive. Some less common Water-types like Gastrodon and Mantine are immune to Water thanks to their abilities but are threatened by Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Electric respectively.

**Chansey**: Chansey is bulky enough to act as a full stop to Volcanion and can heal off potential burns with Natural Cure, while wearing Volcanion down with Seismic Toss or Toxic.

**Revenge killers**: In spite of Volcanion's solid bulk, it can be easily revenge killed due to its weaknesses and it's tendency to be worn down by entry hazards. Attackers that can hit it super effectively with STAB such as Landorus-T, Zygarde, Tapu Koko, Nihilego, and Terrakion are among the best offensive answers to Volcanion. Strong wallbreakers like Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Mega Medicham outspeed Volcanion and can break through it with their obscenely powerful attacks.

 

[readytolose]

QC ready. This mon is in a sad place due to the current state of hazard control. Would like to hear QC's opinion on slashes. I think being able to pressure Toxapex with Earth Power is really important as Tapu Fini can be worn down easily anyways.

 

[lydian]

Really nitpicky, but I'd mention Overheat in moves or at least OO. The extra power is really helpful (it is also more accurate than FBlast) and the SpA drop isn't such a big deal, cuz' Volcanion tends to switch out after attacking most of the time anyways.

Also, Hiden Power [Electric] is most of the time better than HP Grass, since the only notable thing that Grass hits that Electric doesn't is Rotom-W (Gastrodon and Swampert aren't relevant imo).

 

[readytolose]

I was pretty on the fence about Grass vs Electric. The reason I mentioned HP Grass is so it can guarantee the 2HKO on Rotom-W especially since not running Sludge Wave, but either way Rotom gets pretty bootyblasted by Steam Eruption. The main thing is Mantine, but I was encountering a lot more Rotom-W in general. I'll let QC have their say on this and Overheat

E: Added HP Electric to slashes

 

[PK Gaming]

Overview

Probably worth mentioning Steam Eruption by name, since it's one the best reasons to use Volcanion.
You should mention its many weaknesses to common types somewhere.
I'd also go into more detail about it's slow Speed on a separate line, like the previous Overview.

Choice Specs

Why did you deslash Flamethrower?

Earth Power is needed to 2HKO specially defensive Toxapex.

By your own admission, Earth Power is important for pressuring Toxapex. I think this should be stated in the actual analysis, since you will never get to actually 2HKO Toxapex in practice.

Usage Tips

You should specifically mention Steam Eruption. Most of the time, that's the move you'll be spamming due to its burn chance. You should also mention to be wary of its low PP, however.

Team Options

A pokemon that can deal with stall should be mentioned here. Volcanion is pretty limited against Chansey.

 

[Martin]

If you were to use Sludge Bomb over anything it'd be over HP Grass/Elec, whereas atm the analysis seems to imply that you'd use it over Earth Power (which you wouldn't 'cause pressuring Toxa SIs is way too important to pass up); the reason for this even if you take Toxa out of the equation for the moment is because Sludge Bomb actually achieves a lot of the purpose of Hidden Power on its own, hitting all of its targets barring Gastro neutrally to trade 40 BP vs. 2x Hidden Power targets for a nasty poison rate which achieves the goal of pressuring them adequately. Whether it's slashed or in moves, just make sure to move it down in the list a bit so that it isn't implied to be over the incorrect move.

 

[Colonel M]

Finchinator is picking this mon up as readytolose has not responded to my VM within the 24 hours for Nihilego.