Giyu
Tomioka
[SET]
name: Defog (Water)
move 1: Steam Eruption
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Defog
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Volcanion is a blessing on rainless Water teams, as it is an offensive buffer against Grass-types and provides excellent role compression with Defog. Steam Eruption grants Volcanion a very powerful STAB move, can burn physical attackers such as Dragonite and Azumarill, and threatens residual burn damage on specially defensive walls like Aegislash and Galarian Slowking. Flamethrower has near-perfect coverage with Steam Eruption, checking threats such as Ferrothorn, Zarude, and Amoonguss. Sludge Bomb targets troublesome Fairy-types such as Azumarill, Tapu Fini, and Clefable, which either resist or have recovery to shrug off Steam Eruption and Flamethower. Defog lets Volcanion be an offensive entry hazard remover, forcing out hazard setters such as Ferrothorn and Heatran. 176 Speed EVs allow Volcanion to outpace Choice Specs Aegislash, while the HP EVs let it combat Tapu Bulu and Zarude better.
Volcanion provides excellent entry hazard removal for teammates that lack recovery or are prone to hazard-stacking teams, such as Urshifu-R, Toxapex, and Cloyster. Swampert is essential, as it switches into Electric-type attacks from Tapu Koko, Zeraora, and Zapdos, provides utility in Stealth Rock and Roar, and brings Volcanion into Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Tapu Bulu with Flip Turn. Slowking is a specially defensive wall that can switch into attacks from Nidoking and support Volcanion's wallbreaking with Future Sight and Teleport. Toxapex checks Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Dragapult with Poison Jab and Toxic, removes held items such as Eviolite from Porygon2 and Galarian Corsola with Knock Off to ease Volcanion's wallbreaking, and helps wear down Grass-types with the aforementioned Poison Jab and Toxic. Choice Scarf Urshifu-R breaks past threats such as Kyurem and is fast enough to eliminate threats that outpace Volcanion, such as Choice Scarf Krookodile and Terrakion. Rotom-W appreciates Volcanion's Defog freeing up a moveslot for Pain Split, and in return it can switch into troublesome Ground-type attacks from the likes of Sand Rush Excadrill, Mamoswine, and Landorus-T. Golisopod provides Spikes and removes threatening Grass-types like Zarude and Rillaboom with First Impression. Additionally, Golisopod supports Volcanion with its Ground resistance and deals with walls such as Slowbro and Galarian Slowking. Tapu Fini can make up for Volcanion's middling Speed with a Choice Scarf set, letting it remove threats like Hydreigon and Garchomp. Cloyster appreciates Volcanion's hazard removal preserving its Focus Sash, and in return it breaks past Dragon-types like Latias, Dragapult, and Kommo-o. Choice Scarf Cloyster outpaces and deals with threats like Zarude, Tapu Bulu, and Nidoking while also setting Spikes for Volcanion's wallbreaking.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Water
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Volcanion can use a simpler EV spread such as 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD or 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe to be a bulkier or faster wallbreaker. With maximum Speed, Volcanion can outpace Adamant Mamoswine, Adamant Diggersby, and Modest Heatran. Earth Power is a viable option to hit Pokemon like Toxapex, Dragalge, and opposing Volcanion, but Sludge Bomb is usually more beneficial, as Tapu Fini and Mantine force it out otherwise. Toxic cripples common switch-ins such as Slowking, Gastrodon, and Mantine, although it's hard to fit. Dropping Defog forces a teammate like Tapu Fini, Mantine, or Rotom-W to use it instead.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[GiyuForPresident, 574288]]
- Water analysis by: [[GiyuForPresident, 574288]]
- Quality checked by: [[Neko, 542526], [sasha, 510532]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Adeleine, 517429]]
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