[OVERVIEW]
Volcanion makes for an interesting pick in the UU metagame with its unique typing, movepool, and stat distribution enabling a variety of viable sets and approaches. Given its high Special Attack, plethora of coverage options, and signature move Steam Eruption, Volcanion is most commonly used as a wallbreaker with Choice Specs. Additionally, its solid defensive typing, overall bulk, and useful ability in Water Absorb allow it to serve as a respectable offensive check to Pokemon like Scizor, Mega Altaria, and Primarina and even let it run bulkier sets featuring Toxic. However, Volcanion has difficulty in dealing with the tier's omnipresent Dragon-types in Latias and Hydreigon. Its middling Speed tier and weaknesses to common attacking types in Rock, Ground, and Electric also open up opportunities for some of the tier's most potent wallbreakers in Terrakion and Nidoking to do big damage and for Pokemon like Mega Manectric and Rotom-C to gain momentum with Volt Switch. Lastly, Volcanion is vulnerable to all entry hazards, most importantly Stealth Rock, hurting its overall longevity and defensive utility if they are not cleared accordingly.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Steam Eruption
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Choice Specs
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Steam Eruption serves as Volcanion's Water-type STAB move, possessing high Base Power, solid accuracy, and a decent chance to cripple foes with burns. Fire Blast is generally Volcanion's preferred Fire-type STAB move, featuring great damage output at the cost of fairly unreliable accuracy. Flamethrower is safer, more reliable option with more PP and perfect accuracy, but it is hard to justify over Fire Blast's raw power. Earth Power offers nice coverage alongside Volcanion's STAB moves, notably netting the OHKO on opposing Volcanion while threatening Tentacruel and Empoleon more than other options. Alternatively, Hidden Power Electric punishes other Water-types like Mantine, Mega Slowbro, and Alomomola, though due to its low damage output, it can be poor to lock into. Sludge Bomb hits Fairy-types like Mega Altaria and Primarina super effectively and possesses a decent chance to cripple common switch-ins such Latias and Hydreigon with poison. Sludge Wave is a slightly more powerful option, providing a better chance to OHKO Primarina, but the extra poison chance usually makes Sludge Bomb the superior move.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack EVs in combination with Choice Specs let Volcanion hit as hard as possible at the cost of locking into a move. Maximum Speed investment allows Volcanion to outrun most of the tier's bulky Pokemon as well as threats like Scizor and Crawdaunt. A Modest nature offers even more damage output and gets better rolls on Pokemon like Primarina, while a Jolly nature lets Volcanion at least Speed tie with other base 70 Speed Pokemon, most notably opposing Volcanion and neutral Speed-natured Mamoswine. Water Absorb is the only available ability, giving Volcanion an immunity to Water-type attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Volcanion is best used as a wallbreaker early on, throwing out powerful attacks to break down the opposing team. Steam Eruption is Volcanion's most spammable move given its high Base Power coupled with the ability to cripple its switch-ins with burns. Ideally, Volcanion is brought in safely through the use of double switches or U-turn and Volt Switch, though it is bulky enough to stomach hits if need be. However, switching directly into attacks in tandem with its vulnerability to all entry hazards tends to wear down Volcanion quickly, so be wary if it is needed to offensively check threats like Primarina and Scizor later on in the match. Clear entry hazards, most specifically Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, with teammates when given the opportunity, since they can severely hinder Volcanion's longevity and opportunities to come in and effectively perform its role. Only lock into coverage moves when completely necessary, as they can often be taken advantage of by foes.
Team Options
========
Choice Specs Volcanion fits best on bulky offense and balance teams that make use of its wallbreaking prowess and solid defensive utility. With its most common answer being Latias, Pursuit is a valuable tool alongside Volcanion, making Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Alolan Muk, and Choice Scarf Krookodile effective partners. Volt Switch and U-turn users like Rotom-C, Scizor, and Mega Pidgeot provide solid avenues of getting Volcanion into favorable positions safely. Scizor can also offer Pursuit support with its Choice Band set while Rotom-C can remove entry hazards and threaten bulky Water-types. Volcanion is easily taken advantage of by Dragon-types like Latias and Hydreigon, meaning switch-ins like Silvally-Steel, Sylveon, and Mega Altaria make for valuable teammates. Similarly to Rotom-C, Silvally-Steel and Mega Altaria are also able to remove entry hazards for Volcanion with Defog. Sylveon can keep Volcanion healthy with its Wish support. Fighting-types and other powerful physical attackers such as Terrakion, Cobalion, and the aforementioned Scizor are necessary to break through Volcanion's most sturdy answer in Blissey. Dragon-types like Latias and Hydreigon cover Volcanion's weaknesses to Ground- and Electric-type attacks, while appreciating its ability to punish opposing Steel- and Fairy-types. Stealth Rock setters such as Mega Aggron, Celebi, and Nihilego aid Volcanion in its wallbreaking efforts, further pressuring the switches it forces.
[SET]
name: Toxic
move 1: Steam Eruption
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 44 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Steam Eruption is Volcanion's best Water-type STAB move, featuring high Base Power and a chance to burn foes. Flamethrower is the preferred option on a bulkier set like this given its perfect accuracy, respectable damage output, and high PP. Toxic cripples common switch-ins to Volcanion like Latias, Hydreigon, and Slowbro, making them easier to deal with as the match progresses. Protect racks up damage on badly poisoned foes, also scouting the move common Choice item users such as Hydreigon and Krookodile lock into. Substitute serves a similar purpose to Protect, chipping foes in tandem with Toxic, while also taking advantage of Empoleon and Toxic targets like Mantine and Slowbro.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment improves Volcanion's overall bulk, letting it serve as a better check to Scizor and preventing Slowbro's unboosted Psyshock from breaking its Substitute. 216 Speed EVs allow Volcanion to outpace maximum Speed Adamant Scizor and singe it with Flamethrower before it can get off an attack. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack with a Modest nature in order to maximize Volcanion's offensive presence. Leftovers provides Volcanion with passive recovery, pairing nicely with Protect and Substitute. Water Absorb is the only usable ability, presenting Volcanion with an appreciated immunity to Water-type attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Use Volcanion early-game to spread Toxic poison and cripple its long-term answers like Latias, Hydreigon, and Seismitoad. This can be an especially easy task given that many opponents will usually assume Volcanion to be running Choice Specs if it has yet to reveal Leftovers, meaning the aforementioned Pokemon are likely to switch in initially. When facing common Choice item users like Hydreigon and Krookodile, utilize Protect to scout their move and react accordingly. If running Substitute, use it in the face of Pokemon like Scizor, Doublade, and Mega Aggron that are commonly threatened out by Volcanion, or simply against foes such as Empoleon and Mantine that are unable to break it. While weak to all entry hazards, this Volcanion set is especially weak to Toxic Spikes, making their removal a top priority if Volcanion is to function as intended. Keep Volcanion healthy if it is needed to handle a threatening foe like Scizor, Wish passing to it if need be. Poison essentially neuters Volcanion's effectiveness by ruining its longevity, meaning it is best to avoid switching into potential Toxic users like Empoleon or making it necessary for a teammate to use Heal Bell if it is to occur.
Team Options
========
Toxic Volcanion is a strong pick for balance teams as a means of spreading status and checking Scizor. Fairy-types like Sylveon, Togekiss, and Mega Altaria are great partners, checking Dragon-types, providing Heal Bell support, and Wish passing in the case of Sylveon. Hydreigon and Latias cover some of Volcanion's main weaknesses and take advantage of its ability to threaten Steel-types and cripple bulky Water-types with Toxic. Rotom-C and all the aforementioned Dragon-types can remove entry hazards with Defog, making Volcanion much more efficient in accomplishing its role on a team. Choice Scarf Krookodile shares nice type synergy with Volcanion and can pick off opposing Latias weakened by Volcanion with Pursuit. Similarly, grounded Poison-types like Nihilego, Amoonguss, and Nidoking remove the Toxic Spikes that Volcanion hates upon their entry. Nihilego appreciates Volcanion checking Scizor, while Nidoking can help wear down Volcanion hardest counter in Blissey with either Taunt or Superpower.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Scarf is a decent option, as it helps to mitigate Volcanion's low Speed stat, but its damage output is unimpressive and it remains outsped by fast foes such as Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric. Grassium Z alongside Solar Beam allows Volcanion to surprise Water-types like Seismitoad and Slowbro, but it is often much less useful than other, more consistent sets, and Toxic wears down Bloom Doom's main targets anyway. A mixed set featuring Fightinium Z and Superpower lets Volcanion punish some of its hardest answers in Blissey, Snorlax, and Hydreigon, but it is hard to justify over other options given its uselessness in matchups lacking these targets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dragon-types**: Latias and Hydreigon are Volcanion's two most prominent answers, resisting its STAB moves and possessing reliable recovery, while fearing little outside of Toxic. While it does not resist Fire, Kyurem tanks Steam Eruption comfortably and threatens Volcanion with Draco Meteor and Earth Power.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Suicune, Slowbro, and Seismitoad can pivot into any of Volcanion's attacking moves and proceed to perform their roles in front of it. However, Slowbro must watch out for Toxic and Choice Specs Hidden Power Electric, and Suicune must PP stall Volcanion to beat it one-on-one.
**Blissey**: Blissey shrugs off any of Volcanion's attacking moves and can freely take advantage of it. Additionally, Blissey's Natural Cure ability makes it the best answer to Volcanion's Toxic set.
**Electric-types**: While they cannot come in safely on Volcanion, Pokemon such Mega Manectric, Rotom-C, and Raikou threaten it with their STAB moves and can gain momentum with Volt Switch.
**Entry Hazards**: Volcanion is prone to being worn down by all entry hazards, most notably Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, if they are not cleared in a timely manner.
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