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QC Approvals: Iconic, PK Gaming and Bloo
GP Approvals: Athenodoros and NatGeo
[Overview]
<p>The latest addition to the normally hilariously weak pool of moth-based Pokemon, Volcarona boasts a unique Bug / Fire type combination and an interesting movepool highlighted by Quiver Dance. Although its typing gives Volcarona a quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock in addition to leaving it vulnerable to both forms of Spikes, it also grants resistances to common priority moves such as Bullet Punch, Mach Punch, and Vacuum Wave. Bug / Fire also gives Volcarona powerful STAB attacks, making it a huge offensive threat.</p>
<p>Accompanying its good offensive typing, Volcarona possesses base stats that seem almost tailor-made for its role as a boosting special sweeper, though it also performs well when taking advantage of its capability to be specially defensive. As Volcarona dances its way to the top of OU's threatlist, its unique combination of stats, moves, and typing attracts players like a moth to a flame.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Fiery Dance / Fire Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ground
nature: Timid
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volcarona's stat spread screams special sweeper and this is the most offensive approach to it. Quiver Dance is the boosting move of choice and for good reason. It not only boosts Volcarona's Special Attack and Speed making it a fearsome special sweeper but the Special Defense boost also makes it a lot harder to revenge kill. Bug Buzz is the Bug-type STAB move of choice and is a reliable and powerful attack that will cripple anything that doesn't resist it after some boosts. Fiery Dance is the best Fire-type STAB, even though it is weaker than some other options, because of its secondary effect, which raises its Special Attack, making it better in the long run. Despite these powerful attacks, there is a significant number of Pokemon in OU that resist this combination. Hidden Power Rock is the best option and lets it hit Gyarados, Dragonite, and Salamence for super effective damage, just to name a few.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Timid nature and this EV spread are typical for a special sweeper and they work well with this set, since they maximize Volcarona's Speed, allowing it to tie with other base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Ninetales, Mew, and Celebi and set up on them. The 252 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize Volcarona's damage output and the leftover EVs should go into Special Defense. Life Orb is the best item for this set since Volcarona is not supposed to be around for long and will want to maximize the destruction it causes.</p>
<p>Fire Blast is the second best option after Fiery Dance in the third slot because Fire Blast has tremendous power, but its accuracy is less than perfect and will let Volcarona down sometimes. Also, Fiery Dance's secondary effect may provide the moth with a damage output as great as Fire Blast after just one use, while still being much more reliable and enabling some important OHKOs at +1. On the last slot, as previously mentioned, Volcarona must carry a Hidden Power for coverage purposes. Hidden Power Ground stands out as the second best option for its ability to destroy Heatran.</p>
<p>The first thing one has to take into account when using Volcarona is the presence of entry hazards on the field. With entry hazards being everywhere, 4x weakness to Stealth Rock isn't the only problem and, with Life Orb as its item, it will want to switch in as healthy as possible. Therefore, a Rapid Spinner is always a good teammate: Excadrill attracts the Fighting-type attacks which Volcarona can set up on; Starmie attracts Bug- and Grass-types that are free switch-ins for the moth.</p>
<p>No matter what it does, with this set, Volcarona can't beat some dedicated special walls. Chansey / Blissey are the worst nightmares of most special sweepers and this something one needs to address when using the Offensive Quiver Dance. Pairing Volcarona with a strong physical attacker that can beat these two Pokemon is therefore a must: Conkeldurr can switch in on everythink the pink duo throws at it, even status moves, and proceed to beat them to a pulp; Scrafty is another example of a good teammate, with its ability keeping it safe from status, while its Fighting-type weakness provides opportunities for Volcarona to switch in and set up.</p>
[SET]
name: ChestoRest
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Rest
move 3: Fire Blast / Fiery Dance
move 4: Bug Buzz
nature: Modest
ability: Flame Body
item: Chesto Berry
evs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>ChestoRest may seem weird at first, but there are some reasons it works. Taking advantage of Volcarona's natural special bulk, this set attempts to set up as many Quiver Dances as possible as your opponent keeps attacking and then use Rest to heal off any damage and status the moth might have taken. From that point on, it's sweeping time!</p>
<p>Quiver Dance is obviously the boosting move of choice and will allow Volcarona to set up easier, which helps as it will be taking damage while dancing. Rest is the crux of this set and it's wonderful when used alongside Quiver Dance because it turns Volcarona into a really fast hard-hitter at full health, while also having the bulk to take hits from the special side of the spectrum. Fire Blast is the superior option as this set will often get at least 2 or 3 boosts, making it a devastating move. Bug Buzz is the Bug-type attack of choice and it really helps to have a reliable and powerful move when Volcarona's faced with a Pokemon that is gambling on a Fire Blast miss to destroy it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Modest nature with max Special Attack EVs let Volcarona hit as hard as it possibly can, thus allowing the moth to overcome its opponents with STAB boosted Bug Buzz and Fire Blast. 96 Speed EVs are just enough to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion at +2, possibly saving the moth from a OHKO from Stone Edge. The rest of the EVs are dumped on HP to provide some much needed bulk, and therefore more setup turns. On this set, Volcarona can't really afford not to carry the aforementioned moves. Every move on this set is crucial and the only change one should consider is Fiery Dance over Fire Blast. They both have their merits, but Fire Blast provides more initial power, letting the moth start destroying its opponents off the bat. Fiery Dance does offer a more reliable alternative but the power difference will be very noticeable, especially when the physical bulk can be easily exploitable.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is obviously a huge problem for Volcarona as taking 50% of health just to switch in has the potential to ruin its setup chances, but there's something worse for this set: phazing. And not only because of the residual damage phazing racks on Volcarona, but also because this set aims to get as many boosts as possible and then Rest, taking advantage of Chesto Berry to heal. However, since there aren't Leftovers to provide more durability or Life Orb to give more power, if the moth is phazed after having consumed its Berry, you'll end up with a item-less, not-so-fast Pokemon, which will have a really hard time setting up.</p>
<p> For the aforementioned reason, Pokemon such as Vaporeon and Heatran with Roar are Pokemon you need to severely cripple, to say the least, for Volcarona to sweep. Virizion is therefore a good partner as it can easily dispose of both threats with its STAB attacks and has overall good synergy with the moth. Shaymin is also a good choice because it can use Earth Power to KO Heatran, as well as STAB boosted Seed Flare to obliterate Vaporeon.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fiery Dance
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Morning Sun
nature: Bold
ability: Flame Body
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set exchanges raw power for bulk and lets Volcarona set up multiple Quiver Dances, but should be used mainly on Sun teams. It capitalizes on Volcarona's great special bulk (for a sweeper) and, when played well, it can easily sweep. Quiver Dance is the boosting move of choice and it raises Volcarona's best stats, making it tremendously bulky after a few boosts. Fiery Dance is the Fire STAB move of choice and it is exactly what this set needs: a strong and reliable attack that may achieve further boosts and thus lets Volcarona sweep better. Bug Buzz is the secondary STAB, hitting the Water-types that pack a Fire-type resistance like Vaporeon and Suicune. Morning Sun may seem awkward on a metagame plagued with Sandstorm teams and it's the main reason why Volcarona performs the bulky sweeper job much better on Sun teams, where Morning Sun recovers most of the moth's health, transforming it into a very tough Pokemon to break.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this set's goal is to focus on bulk, Bold is the preferred nature and almost all the EVs are invested in its Defense and HP to maximize its weaker defensive stat. This, combined with the ability Flame Body allows for a much better chance to set up on physical attacks. To achieve more boosts, Leftovers is the preferred item for the greater durability it provides. This sets' four moves are all staples and therefore there aren't any alternatives as good as the ones already on the set.</p>
<p>This set doesn't fear Stealth Rock as much but it requires Rapid Spin support for a slightly different reason: Toxic Spikes. Since Volcarona isn't hitting as hard off the bat, it needs to be around for a while to be dangerous and poison completely ruins it. As previously mentioned, Ninetales is a very important teammate because it provides the moth with a reliable healing move. Volcarona also has troubles with strong physical attackers that aren't hit by its STAB attacks for super effective damage: Terrakion and Landorus are excellent examples. Therefore, Forretress is one of the best teammates as it can spin Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, and fares well against the three previously mentioned Pokemon. Starmie is another good option for the good synergy between it and the moth, and for the ability to spin while still being a threat to the aforementioned Pokemon. If one's using Volcarona on a sun team, Venusaur is a great partner to absorb Toxic Spikes, enjoying the free switch-ins Volcarona can provide by attracting the opponent's Water- and Rock-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Volcarona has a number of moves it could use on the more offensive sets, such as: Flamethrower, Silver Wind, Psychic, Hurricane, and Solarbeam. Flamethrower is a reliable and powerful STAB attack that can be used instead of Fiery Dance or Fire Blast since it's more powerful than the former and more reliable than the latter. However, they both offer either a better secondary effect or just more power, leaving Flamethrower outclassed. Silver Wind is an alternative for Bug Buzz and does have a wonderful secondary effect, but it's so rare that the drop in power isn't justified. On a metagame with a myriad of Fighting-types, one can't overlook Psychic as a good option to hit them for super effective damage. What makes it a not-so-good option is the fact that Volcarona would rather set up on those Pokemon than promptly eliminate them. Hurricane has poor accuracy when used outside of Rain. The final move, Solarbeam, is a good option if one's using the moth on a Sun team, as its downside is nullified. However, should the opponent switch a Tyranitar in on a Solarbeam, Volcarona is in danger of being OHKOed.</p>
<p>In the defensive / support department, Volcarona also has many viable options, such as Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, Light Screen, and Whirlwind, but it is usually better setting up Quiver Dances to attempt a sweep than supporting the team because its Defense stat won't let it perform as a status inducer / phazer as well as other much bulkier Pokemon.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The main obstacle for Volcarona is obviously Stealth Rock. It takes away 50% of Volcarona's health each time it switches in and thus, Pokemon that can set it up are indirectly a problem for the moth: Heatran, Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, and Tyranitar are some examples of such Pokemon for their ability to set Stealth Rock up so reliably.</p>
<p>Even though Volcarona has great Special Attack and great STAB moves, there are some Pokemon in OU that resist both of them and that can KO the moth in return. Gyarados, Dragonite, Salamence, Heatran, and Terrakion are the most important ones, and they can all give troubles to Volcarona in return. Gyarados has Waterfall, Dragonite and Salamence have either Dragon Tail or very strong physical Dragon STAB moves, Heatran can use Roar, and Terrakion destroys it with STAB Stone Edge. The first three however must first be sure that Volcarona isn't running an offensive set with Hidden Power Rock and the latter two have to be careful about Hidden Power Ground.</p>
<p>Lastly, Volcarona relies mostly on its Fire-type attack to inflict damage on its opponents. Therefore, Rain teams reduce the moth's ability to perform and, besides that, those type of teams usually include some really dangerous Pokemon for Volcarona. Politoed with its Drizzle ability can unleash very strong rain-boosted Hydro Pumps to end the moth's stay on the field. In the sweepers department, rain abusing Dragonite and Tornadus have very powerful STAB Hurricanes that can OHKO Volcarona.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Volcarona's Dream World ability is Swarm. Taking into account its Special Defense is much better than its Defense, it will be more targeted by physical attackers and so, Flame Body has the potential of giving it more setup turns, while crippling the opponent's Pokemon. Therefore, it is always the superior option.</p>
