[OVERVIEW]
Fire
========
* Volcarona has earned the fame of being one of the most fearsome setup sweepers in the Monotype metagame through its access to Quiver Dance.
* Alongside Quiver Dance, Volcarona boasts incredibly high Special Attack and decent Speed, which allow it to sweep through most teams after boosting.
* To complement this, Volcarona has access to strong STAB and coverage moves in Fire Blast, Bug Buzz, and Giga Drain along with reliable recovery in Roost.
* Volcarona's decent HP and Special Defense stats with the help of Roost allow it to set up against a number of special attackers.
* However, Volcarona's 4x weakness to Stealth Rock limits its opportunities to set up.
* Furthermore, Volcarona has a terrible Defense stat, which makes it vulnerable to priority moves.
[SET]
name: Quiver Dance Sweeper (Fire)
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Bug Buzz
item: Firium Z
ability: Flame Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Quiver Dance increases Volcarona's offensive stats and turns it into a deadly setup sweeper.
* Fire Blast is Volcarona's main STAB move and does incredible damage after one boost. However, be wary of its low PP and accuracy.
* Inferno Overdrive becomes a 100% accurate 185-Base Power STAB move when used with Fire Blast. This can be used as a one-time nuke and OHKOes Pokemon like Landorus-T that would normally survive a Fire Blast at +1.
* Giga Drain allows Volcarona to hit Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types like Keldeo, Gastrodon, and Diancie super effectively and gain back HP in the process.
* Bug Buzz is Volcarona's secondary STAB move, which helps it beat Psychic- and Dark-types like Mew and Tyranitar.
* Roost can be used to increase Volcarona's longevity and help it set up more easily.
* Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Heatran, which otherwise walls Volcarona.
Set Details
========
* 252 EVs in Speed with a Timid nature allow Volcarona to outspeed Pokemon like Excadrill, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon and Speed tie with other base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* 252 EVs in Special Attack are used to let Volcarona hit as hard as possible without a boosting nature.
* Flame Body is used to have a chance at burning physical attackers if they come in contact with Volcarona.
* Firium Z allows Volcarona to use Inferno Overdrive.
Usage Tips
========
* Always clear Stealth Rock before sending in Volcarona, as it will lose 50% of its health otherwise.
* Don't use Fire Blast recklessly, as it has low accuracy and PP.
* Be wary of Pokemon like Chansey that have a status-inflicting move. Status conditions like paralysis and poison can be very threatening for Volcarona.
* Make sure that Pokemon like Heatran and Chansey that can check Volcarona are removed before setting up.
* Bring in Volcarona through either a slow Volt Switch or U-turn from Rotom-H and Victini or when a teammate faints to avoid taking damage.
* Try to set up against defensive Pokemon and weak special attackers like Porygon2 and Rotom-W.
* Most of the time just one Quiver Dance is enough. Don't get too carried away and boost unnecessarily.
* Preserve the use of Inferno Overdrive if there is a Pokemon in the opponent's team that can survive all of Volcarona's attacks. However, don't be afraid to use Inferno Overdrive as a more accurate Fire-type move if it is not needed anymore.
* If Volcarona is low on HP and the foe is in KO range of Giga Drain, always use it to gain back a bit of HP.
Team Options
========
* Torkoal is an exceptionally helpful teammate for Volcarona, as it can clear away Stealth Rock and set up sun through Drought. Furthermore, Torkoal can even set up its own Stealth Rock and cripple opposing Pokemon. This sun support from Torkoal is incredible for Volcarona, as in sun, it can OHKO Pokemon like Gyarados that resist Fire-type moves through Inferno Overdrive after one boost and Stealth Rock.
* Mega Charizard Y is another Pokemon that provides sun support and a Ground immunity for Volcarona. Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y work together as an exceptional offensive core. Mega Charizard Y can weaken most Pokemon, and Volcarona can later clean up.
* Mega Charizard X forms a sweeper core with Volcarona. Mega Charizard X can beat specially defensive walls for Volcarona while Volcarona can beat physically defensive walls for Mega Charizard X. Mega Charizard X also helps deal with Dragon-types like Dragonite and Garchomp, which wall Volcarona.
* Heatran provides Stealth Rock support and a much-needed neutrality to Rock-type moves. Heatran can run Earth Power to beat opposing Heatran, which would otherwise wall Volcarona, and Toxic to wear down walls. On the other hand, Volcarona can beat Water- and Ground-types like Seismitoad with Giga Drain.
* Rotom-H is a fantastic support Pokemon for Volcarona. Rotom-H functions as a Ground immunity and can run dual screens to help Volcarona set up easier. Rotom-H can also bring in Volcarona through a slow Volt Switch.
* Infernape can run a number of roles to suit Volcarona. It can run an offensive set to beat walls like Chansey, Heatran, and Tyranitar, which give Volcarona a hard time. Infernape can also run a support anti-lead set with Stealth Rock.
* Volcanion brings a Water immunity for Volcarona. Volcanion is also a great check to Azumarill, which is a major threat to Volcarona, and can also ease pressure against Ground- and Rock-types for Volcarona.
* Victini is a great wallbreaker due to its access to V-create. It can also bring in Volcarona with U-turn to gain momentum.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire
--------
* Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Pokemon like Garchomp and Landorus-T after one boost. However, Volcarona requires its current moves more than Hidden Power Ice.
* Hidden Power Electric can be used to beat Mantine and Gyarados, but it has no relative use other than this.
* A bulky set with Quiver Dance can be used. However, this means that Volcarona misses out on outspeeding Pokemon like Excadrill and Kyurem-B.
Checks and Counters
===================
Fire
--------
**Heatran**: Heatran completely walls Volcarona if it is not running Hidden Power Ground. It can use Toxic on it, set up Stealth Rock against it, or even just KO it with Stone Edge or Earth Power in conjunction with Toxic.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock limits Volcarona's chances of getting into a battle and setting up, as Volcarona loses 50% of its health because of it.
**Chansey**: Chansey easily takes all of Volcarona's attacks even after a couple boosts and can poison it or set up Stealth Rock against it.
**Status**: Status conditions like paralysis and poison can ruin Volcarona's influence in a battle by halving its Speed or putting it on a timer, respectively.
**Rock-types**: Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Tyranitar can all either tank a Giga Drain or Bug Buzz after one boost or outspeed Volcarona with a Choice Scarf and then OHKO it with their respective Rock-type move.
**Water-types**: Water-types like Toxapex, Gyarados, and Mantine take neutral damage from Giga Drain and resist Bug Buzz. This lets Toxapex remove Volcarona's stat boosts with Haze and Mantine outstall Volcarona with Toxic, while Gyarados can use Waterfall against it and deal significant damage. However, they need to be wary of Inferno Overdrive in sun after a boost.
**Revenge Killers**: Pokemon like Latios, Keldeo, Nihilego, and Choice Scarf Victini all outspeed Volcarona and can either OHKO or deal significant damage with their STAB moves.
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