[OVERVIEW]
Volcanion is one of the most potent wallbreakers available, making use of its strong STAB moves and diverse coverage options to rip through bulkier team structures. While it does struggle with longevity and Speed, the pure strength in wallbreaking power that it can provide a team makes up for these issues, with proper teambuilding further patching up these holes. Threatening defensive tier staples like Hippowdon, Jirachi, and Amoonguss, as well as nuking more fragile options with ease, Volcanion's offensive capabilities cannot be understated. Additionally, while mainly used in an offensive manner, Volcanion can also provide an out against rain teams thanks to Water Absorb, which also allows it to be a decent switch-in to Scald users like Slowbro and Suicune. Volcanion most often runs Heavy-Duty Boots, which provides it much-needed tenure in the face of Stealth Rock and entry-hazard stacking playstyles. Although Volcanion is powerful, there is reliable counterplay against it, with options like Knock Off from Cyclizar being able to remove Heavy-Duty Boots. In addition to this, Dragon-types, most notably Salamence and Hisuian Goodra, and bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Empoleon leverage their utility and advantaged typing against it.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flamethrower
move 2: Steam Eruption
move 3: Body Press / Taunt
move 4: Earth Power / Taunt / Sludge Bomb
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
ivs: 0 Atk
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fairy / Dark
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Through options like Body Press, Earth Power, and Sludge Bomb, Volcanion is able to more readily deal with foes that resist its primary STAB moves in Steam Eruption and Flamethrower. Body Press and Earth Power cover very common checks to Volcanion, with Body Press dealing with the omnipresent Cyclizar and Earth Power providing a way to hit opposing Volcanion for super effective damage. While Sludge Bomb is not as noticeably potent against its checks, the value of being able to fish for poison against near stonewall counters like Salamence cannot be understated. Taunt can be slotted in over one of Volcanion's offensive options to break through more defensive foes, denying the option of recovery, including, but not limited to, Slowbro's Slack Off and Empoleon's Roost; these foes are able to absorb Volcanion's attacks naturally with their bulk. Heavy-Duty Boots increases Volcanion's overall longevity in the face of a tier ruled by entry hazards. Water Absorb allows for legitimate utility that isn't usually seen with other wallbreakers, providing a valuable matchup against rain teams, denying pivoting or strong boosted Water-type STAB moves from the likes of Barraskewda, Kingdra, and Basculegion-F. Maximizing Special Attack investment and a Modest nature allows Volcanion to deal huge damage even to Pokemon that resist its attacks, and it runs enough Speed investment to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt. The rest of the available EVs are allotted towards HP to improve Volcanion's overall bulk. Tera types are flexible on Volcanion, but generally, Ghost and Fairy are the most applicable, as they provide very sound matchups against tier staples like Okidogi and Krookodile while also providing a neutrality to Stealth Rock. Tera Ghost denies Rapid Spin from Cyclizar, one of Volcanion's primary checks, as well as gaining an immunity to the wide array of Fighting-type moves in the tier. Fairy is a great type defensively and can deny options like Draco Meteor from Cyclizar and Salamence, forcing them to rely on more inaccurate or weaker moves in order to deal meaningful damage to Volcanion. Tera Dark can allow it to stonewall one of the best progress makers in the tier, Slowbro, by not only blocking Scald due to Water Absorb but also any of Slowbro's Psychic-type STAB options like Psyshock and Psychic Noise. Being able to also blank many of the strong Psychic-types in the tier, like Gardevoir and Armarouge, with Tera Dark is always an invaluable trait to have.
Most of the time, Volcanion fits on balanced team compositions where it can take advantage of more defensive play in order to keep itself healthy throughout a match. Volcanion struggles with not having any form of reliable recovery, so it benefits from teammates that can pivot it into foes it matches up well against. Additionally, Wish passing is incredibly powerful support for Volcanion, fixing its main weakness of longevity. Jirachi is able to provide pivoting and Wish passing for Volcanion, making it a great teammate for Volcanion; it can also spread paralysis through Body Slam or Thunder Wave, providing a remedy for Volcanion's lackluster Speed. For a more offensive pivot, Galarian Zapdos serves as an option to support Volcanion's offensive presence, creating powerful synergy that can take advantage of each other's weaknesses. Galarian Zapdos is able to pivot out on its checks, primarily those that have extreme physical bulk but are vulnerable to Volcanion's strong special offense, like Hippowdon and Galarian Weezing. Inversely, Galarian Zapdos is immune to Ground-type STAB moves from threats like Krookodile, and it can also take advantage of one of Volcanion's better checks in Salamence by gaining a Defiant boost. Entry hazard stacking teams can also benefit from Volcanion, with the passive chip damage from both Stealth Rock and Spikes creating larger openings for Volcanion's wallbreaking capabilities; as such, pairing it up with Klefki, Chesnaught, or Palossand is beneficial.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Volcanion can run more diverse options for its moves and items, though they can either lack power or the longevity that Heavy-Duty Boots provide. Fire Spin can be slotted over Flamethrower to trap specially defensive walls like Chansey and Milotic alongside running Taunt over an offensive option to deny their recovery. Both Choice Specs and Choice Scarf are options to turn Volcanion into a nuke or fix its below-average Speed, respectively. Its Tera types can fluctuate from the norm, slotting Tera Water for more power from Steam Eruption or Tera Ground to boost the power of Earth Power, provide an immunity to Electric, and create a more impactful synergy with Water Absorb. Tera Blast can give Volcanion an additional offensive option that can help it break through previous checks or counters, with examples like Tera Blast Fairy allowing Volcanion to break through Cyclizar and Salamence or Tera Blast Dark to deal with Slowbro and other Psychic-types.
Checks and Counters
====
**Knock Off**: Volcanion doesn't appreciate the loss of Heavy-Duty Boots, which puts it in jeopardy against Stealth Rock and entry hazard stacking playstyles. Cyclizar in particular can switch in on Volcanion that lack Body Press and freely remove its Heavy-Duty Boots.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types resist all of Volcanion's STAB options and can easily threaten it with powerful STAB moves of their own or take advantage of its inability to threaten substantial damage and set up on it. In particular, Cyclizar, Salamence, and Hisuian Goodra only need to dodge the potential threat of a burn if they use physical moves in order to threaten Volcanion back for serious damage.
**Mirror Matchups and Water-types**: Without Earth Power, Volcanion gets checked well by opposing Volcanion. In a broader view, Water-types as a whole check Volcanion's STAB options well, only fearing a potential burn from Steam Eruption or Flamethrower that might hinder their future longevity. Taunt can assist with this issue, beating walls like Milotic and Empoleon in the long term by denying their recovery options, and it can provide more opportunities for Volcanion to spread burns with Steam Eruption.
[CREDITS]
Written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hoopsspooh.633048/
Quality checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sneakyplanner.598717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Volcanion is one of the most potent wallbreakers available, making use of its strong STAB moves and diverse coverage options to rip through bulkier team structures. While it does struggle with longevity and Speed, the pure strength in wallbreaking power that it can provide a team makes up for these issues, with proper teambuilding further patching up these holes. Threatening defensive tier staples like Hippowdon, Jirachi, and Amoonguss, as well as nuking more fragile options with ease, Volcanion's offensive capabilities cannot be understated. Additionally, while mainly used in an offensive manner, Volcanion can also provide an out against rain teams thanks to Water Absorb, which also allows it to be a decent switch-in to Scald users like Slowbro and Suicune. Volcanion most often runs Heavy-Duty Boots, which provides it much-needed tenure in the face of Stealth Rock and entry-hazard stacking playstyles. Although Volcanion is powerful, there is reliable counterplay against it, with options like Knock Off from Cyclizar being able to remove Heavy-Duty Boots. In addition to this, Dragon-types, most notably Salamence and Hisuian Goodra, and bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Empoleon leverage their utility and advantaged typing against it.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Flamethrower
move 2: Steam Eruption
move 3: Body Press / Taunt
move 4: Earth Power / Taunt / Sludge Bomb
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
ivs: 0 Atk
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fairy / Dark
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Through options like Body Press, Earth Power, and Sludge Bomb, Volcanion is able to more readily deal with foes that resist its primary STAB moves in Steam Eruption and Flamethrower. Body Press and Earth Power cover very common checks to Volcanion, with Body Press dealing with the omnipresent Cyclizar and Earth Power providing a way to hit opposing Volcanion for super effective damage. While Sludge Bomb is not as noticeably potent against its checks, the value of being able to fish for poison against near stonewall counters like Salamence cannot be understated. Taunt can be slotted in over one of Volcanion's offensive options to break through more defensive foes, denying the option of recovery, including, but not limited to, Slowbro's Slack Off and Empoleon's Roost; these foes are able to absorb Volcanion's attacks naturally with their bulk. Heavy-Duty Boots increases Volcanion's overall longevity in the face of a tier ruled by entry hazards. Water Absorb allows for legitimate utility that isn't usually seen with other wallbreakers, providing a valuable matchup against rain teams, denying pivoting or strong boosted Water-type STAB moves from the likes of Barraskewda, Kingdra, and Basculegion-F. Maximizing Special Attack investment and a Modest nature allows Volcanion to deal huge damage even to Pokemon that resist its attacks, and it runs enough Speed investment to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt. The rest of the available EVs are allotted towards HP to improve Volcanion's overall bulk. Tera types are flexible on Volcanion, but generally, Ghost and Fairy are the most applicable, as they provide very sound matchups against tier staples like Okidogi and Krookodile while also providing a neutrality to Stealth Rock. Tera Ghost denies Rapid Spin from Cyclizar, one of Volcanion's primary checks, as well as gaining an immunity to the wide array of Fighting-type moves in the tier. Fairy is a great type defensively and can deny options like Draco Meteor from Cyclizar and Salamence, forcing them to rely on more inaccurate or weaker moves in order to deal meaningful damage to Volcanion. Tera Dark can allow it to stonewall one of the best progress makers in the tier, Slowbro, by not only blocking Scald due to Water Absorb but also any of Slowbro's Psychic-type STAB options like Psyshock and Psychic Noise. Being able to also blank many of the strong Psychic-types in the tier, like Gardevoir and Armarouge, with Tera Dark is always an invaluable trait to have.
Most of the time, Volcanion fits on balanced team compositions where it can take advantage of more defensive play in order to keep itself healthy throughout a match. Volcanion struggles with not having any form of reliable recovery, so it benefits from teammates that can pivot it into foes it matches up well against. Additionally, Wish passing is incredibly powerful support for Volcanion, fixing its main weakness of longevity. Jirachi is able to provide pivoting and Wish passing for Volcanion, making it a great teammate for Volcanion; it can also spread paralysis through Body Slam or Thunder Wave, providing a remedy for Volcanion's lackluster Speed. For a more offensive pivot, Galarian Zapdos serves as an option to support Volcanion's offensive presence, creating powerful synergy that can take advantage of each other's weaknesses. Galarian Zapdos is able to pivot out on its checks, primarily those that have extreme physical bulk but are vulnerable to Volcanion's strong special offense, like Hippowdon and Galarian Weezing. Inversely, Galarian Zapdos is immune to Ground-type STAB moves from threats like Krookodile, and it can also take advantage of one of Volcanion's better checks in Salamence by gaining a Defiant boost. Entry hazard stacking teams can also benefit from Volcanion, with the passive chip damage from both Stealth Rock and Spikes creating larger openings for Volcanion's wallbreaking capabilities; as such, pairing it up with Klefki, Chesnaught, or Palossand is beneficial.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Volcanion can run more diverse options for its moves and items, though they can either lack power or the longevity that Heavy-Duty Boots provide. Fire Spin can be slotted over Flamethrower to trap specially defensive walls like Chansey and Milotic alongside running Taunt over an offensive option to deny their recovery. Both Choice Specs and Choice Scarf are options to turn Volcanion into a nuke or fix its below-average Speed, respectively. Its Tera types can fluctuate from the norm, slotting Tera Water for more power from Steam Eruption or Tera Ground to boost the power of Earth Power, provide an immunity to Electric, and create a more impactful synergy with Water Absorb. Tera Blast can give Volcanion an additional offensive option that can help it break through previous checks or counters, with examples like Tera Blast Fairy allowing Volcanion to break through Cyclizar and Salamence or Tera Blast Dark to deal with Slowbro and other Psychic-types.
Checks and Counters
====
**Knock Off**: Volcanion doesn't appreciate the loss of Heavy-Duty Boots, which puts it in jeopardy against Stealth Rock and entry hazard stacking playstyles. Cyclizar in particular can switch in on Volcanion that lack Body Press and freely remove its Heavy-Duty Boots.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types resist all of Volcanion's STAB options and can easily threaten it with powerful STAB moves of their own or take advantage of its inability to threaten substantial damage and set up on it. In particular, Cyclizar, Salamence, and Hisuian Goodra only need to dodge the potential threat of a burn if they use physical moves in order to threaten Volcanion back for serious damage.
**Mirror Matchups and Water-types**: Without Earth Power, Volcanion gets checked well by opposing Volcanion. In a broader view, Water-types as a whole check Volcanion's STAB options well, only fearing a potential burn from Steam Eruption or Flamethrower that might hinder their future longevity. Taunt can assist with this issue, beating walls like Milotic and Empoleon in the long term by denying their recovery options, and it can provide more opportunities for Volcanion to spread burns with Steam Eruption.
[CREDITS]
Written by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hoopsspooh.633048/
Quality checked by: https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sneakyplanner.598717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
