-With one of the most powerful boosting moves in the game, an excellent stat spread, and unique offensive typing, Volcarona makes for a threatening sweeper in National Dex OU, capable of ripping through many hyper offense and bulky offense and even some balance teams with its STABs alone
-Volcarona can even provide teams with defensive utility, as it's typing, reliable recovery, and lack of concern for entry hazards thanks to heavy-duty boots allows it to serve as an answer for some the most threatening offensive Pokemon in the tier such Mega Metagross, Kartana, Genesect, and Mega Scizor with it's bulkier sets and potentially even ruining them with a burn thanks to it's flame body ability
-This combination of defensive and offensive utility allows volcarona to fit on a wide variety of teams, from hyper offense to even stall variants
-However, it's sweeping potential is held back immensely by the presence of several prominent defensive answers such as Chansey, Toxapex, Taunt Tapu Fini, and Heatran for sets that lack hidden power ground
-It also sits at the ever-so crowded base 100 speed tier, ensuring it can potentially be revenge killed by certain choice scarf users
-Worse still, status such as Toxic and Paralysis can utterly ruin Volcarona's chances of sweeping
-These unique blend of strengths and weaknesses make Volcarona's game-to-game performance somewhat matchup reliant, and often being outright deadweight against stall teams that employ several of its defensive answers at once
-This being said, intelligent play and solid teambuilding can ensure that Volcarona can more than pull it's weight in most matchups
[SET]
Name: Bulkarona
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Flamethrower
- Roost
[SET COMMENTS]
-This set provides a valuable mix of offensive prowess and defensive utility
-Though the lack of special attack investment may often require multiple boosts to be threatening, this set can usually find ample opportunity throughout the match to enter and set up, especially against offensive teams
-Flamethrower is used over fire blast due to greater reliability and longevity, and bug buzz is useful secondary STAB to hit much of the rest of the metagame that resists flamethrower at least neutrally
-Roost gives volcarona crucial longevity not only as a sweeper but as a defensive pivot against the likes of mega metagross, genesect, magearna, etc.
-This volcarona can serve as a more mid-game sweeper unlike the more offensive variant which is best saved for late game; try to wear down volcarona's softer checks common on offensive teams such as mega/assault vest tyranitar, choice band zygarde, and non-scarf garchomp throughout the match to ensure that Volcarona can sweep without significant danger to itself
-Hazard support in appreciated as can be expected of any sweeper, but toxic spikes from the likes of toxapex and greninja in particular can be quite helpful as Volcarona will typically take multiple turns of setup between quiver dance and roosting off damage, all the while poison can wear down opposing pokemon trying to stop it
-Aromatherapy/Heal Bell support from the likes of clefable and chansey are quite valuable, as volcarona despises toxic and paralysis
-Fairy types, be they offensive or defensive, love volcarona's ability to check the many terrifying steel type sweepers in the metagame
-Tapu Fini in particular stands out in it's ability to provide volcarona immunity to status through misty terrain, can deal with heatran, and can even form a very study (not to mention far from passive) fire/water/grass core with a defensive grass type such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth
-Strong wallbreakers such as mega mawile, mega medicham, and either calm mind or choice specs tapu lele can destroy the walls that volcarona cannot break through reliably such as toxapex, chansey, unaware clefable, and heatran
[SET]
Name: Offensive
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Ground]
[SET COMMENTS]
-This set trades bulk and defensive utility for greater breaking power, often relying on a single boost to sweep opposing teams
-Fire Blast and Bug Buzz are strong STAB options that Volcarona can use to blow past most pokemon neutral or weak to them
-Fire Blast is used over flamethrower for it's greater power and the fact that this set should be played in a way that high amounts of PP should not be a concern
-Hidden Power ground is used solely for Heatran, who is common enough on many team archtypes to actually warrant running
-While this Volcarona can potentially come in multiple times in the match provided it's item is not knocked off, this Volcarona is best left to the mid to late game to sweep, after it's checks have been weakened
-Ideal partners for this set include wallbreakers such as mega mawile, mega medicham, and choice band tyranitar who can tear down defensive cores and allow Volcarona to sweep more easily
-Tapu lele, specifically choice specs or calm mind sets with focus blast, is a particularly good partner for Volcarona, as it is capable of crushing defensive archtypes that volcarona can struggle with and in turn appreciates Volcarona handling matchups against offense, and psychic terrain can be enormously useful for Volcarona to avoid being picked off by priority
-Spikes support from the likes of ferrothorn and greninja can help ease volcarona's sweep
[OTHER OPTIONS]
-Bulky Volcarona can potentially run an alternate EV spread of 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 Spe is possible to give volarona greater physical bulk whilst still allowing it to outspeed jolly +1 excadrill and standard choice scarf landorus-therian after a quiver dance, or even 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe for max speed scarf landorus-therian, but the loss in speed is typically not worth it as it ensures volcarona will not be able to speed tie +1 base 100s
-If your team has a considerable amount of hazard control, Bugium Z is a potential option for offensive Volcarona over heavy-duty boots to allow it to muscle past certain pokemon it wouldn't normally be able to such as garchomp and zygarde at +1, but this often puts much more pressure to remove hazards on its teammates
-Likewise, you can even choose to run psychic over hidden power ground with psychium z to blow past toxapex, and even help against tapu-fini, kommo-o, and the occasional keldeo, but the inability to damage heatran can be a detriment and bugium may offer greater general power
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
-Taunt Tapu Fini can prevent Volcarona from setting up or recovering while KOing it with several scalds, though fini may be considerably chipped in the process
-Chansey can Toxic volcarona and seismic toss it to death while recovering what little damage it takes from even boosted hits
-Toxapex only fears the rare psychium z or terrain-boosted psychic, and otherwise hazes, recovers, and spams scald on volcarona all day
-Heatran walls bulkarona or any offensive volcarona that lacks hidden power ground
-Volcarona can even provide teams with defensive utility, as it's typing, reliable recovery, and lack of concern for entry hazards thanks to heavy-duty boots allows it to serve as an answer for some the most threatening offensive Pokemon in the tier such Mega Metagross, Kartana, Genesect, and Mega Scizor with it's bulkier sets and potentially even ruining them with a burn thanks to it's flame body ability
-This combination of defensive and offensive utility allows volcarona to fit on a wide variety of teams, from hyper offense to even stall variants
-However, it's sweeping potential is held back immensely by the presence of several prominent defensive answers such as Chansey, Toxapex, Taunt Tapu Fini, and Heatran for sets that lack hidden power ground
-It also sits at the ever-so crowded base 100 speed tier, ensuring it can potentially be revenge killed by certain choice scarf users
-Worse still, status such as Toxic and Paralysis can utterly ruin Volcarona's chances of sweeping
-These unique blend of strengths and weaknesses make Volcarona's game-to-game performance somewhat matchup reliant, and often being outright deadweight against stall teams that employ several of its defensive answers at once
-This being said, intelligent play and solid teambuilding can ensure that Volcarona can more than pull it's weight in most matchups
[SET]
Name: Bulkarona
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Flamethrower
- Roost
[SET COMMENTS]
-This set provides a valuable mix of offensive prowess and defensive utility
-Though the lack of special attack investment may often require multiple boosts to be threatening, this set can usually find ample opportunity throughout the match to enter and set up, especially against offensive teams
-Flamethrower is used over fire blast due to greater reliability and longevity, and bug buzz is useful secondary STAB to hit much of the rest of the metagame that resists flamethrower at least neutrally
-Roost gives volcarona crucial longevity not only as a sweeper but as a defensive pivot against the likes of mega metagross, genesect, magearna, etc.
-This volcarona can serve as a more mid-game sweeper unlike the more offensive variant which is best saved for late game; try to wear down volcarona's softer checks common on offensive teams such as mega/assault vest tyranitar, choice band zygarde, and non-scarf garchomp throughout the match to ensure that Volcarona can sweep without significant danger to itself
-Hazard support in appreciated as can be expected of any sweeper, but toxic spikes from the likes of toxapex and greninja in particular can be quite helpful as Volcarona will typically take multiple turns of setup between quiver dance and roosting off damage, all the while poison can wear down opposing pokemon trying to stop it
-Aromatherapy/Heal Bell support from the likes of clefable and chansey are quite valuable, as volcarona despises toxic and paralysis
-Fairy types, be they offensive or defensive, love volcarona's ability to check the many terrifying steel type sweepers in the metagame
-Tapu Fini in particular stands out in it's ability to provide volcarona immunity to status through misty terrain, can deal with heatran, and can even form a very study (not to mention far from passive) fire/water/grass core with a defensive grass type such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth
-Strong wallbreakers such as mega mawile, mega medicham, and either calm mind or choice specs tapu lele can destroy the walls that volcarona cannot break through reliably such as toxapex, chansey, unaware clefable, and heatran
[SET]
Name: Offensive
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Ground]
[SET COMMENTS]
-This set trades bulk and defensive utility for greater breaking power, often relying on a single boost to sweep opposing teams
-Fire Blast and Bug Buzz are strong STAB options that Volcarona can use to blow past most pokemon neutral or weak to them
-Fire Blast is used over flamethrower for it's greater power and the fact that this set should be played in a way that high amounts of PP should not be a concern
-Hidden Power ground is used solely for Heatran, who is common enough on many team archtypes to actually warrant running
-While this Volcarona can potentially come in multiple times in the match provided it's item is not knocked off, this Volcarona is best left to the mid to late game to sweep, after it's checks have been weakened
-Ideal partners for this set include wallbreakers such as mega mawile, mega medicham, and choice band tyranitar who can tear down defensive cores and allow Volcarona to sweep more easily
-Tapu lele, specifically choice specs or calm mind sets with focus blast, is a particularly good partner for Volcarona, as it is capable of crushing defensive archtypes that volcarona can struggle with and in turn appreciates Volcarona handling matchups against offense, and psychic terrain can be enormously useful for Volcarona to avoid being picked off by priority
-Spikes support from the likes of ferrothorn and greninja can help ease volcarona's sweep
[OTHER OPTIONS]
-Bulky Volcarona can potentially run an alternate EV spread of 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 Spe is possible to give volarona greater physical bulk whilst still allowing it to outspeed jolly +1 excadrill and standard choice scarf landorus-therian after a quiver dance, or even 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe for max speed scarf landorus-therian, but the loss in speed is typically not worth it as it ensures volcarona will not be able to speed tie +1 base 100s
-If your team has a considerable amount of hazard control, Bugium Z is a potential option for offensive Volcarona over heavy-duty boots to allow it to muscle past certain pokemon it wouldn't normally be able to such as garchomp and zygarde at +1, but this often puts much more pressure to remove hazards on its teammates
-Likewise, you can even choose to run psychic over hidden power ground with psychium z to blow past toxapex, and even help against tapu-fini, kommo-o, and the occasional keldeo, but the inability to damage heatran can be a detriment and bugium may offer greater general power
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
-Taunt Tapu Fini can prevent Volcarona from setting up or recovering while KOing it with several scalds, though fini may be considerably chipped in the process
-Chansey can Toxic volcarona and seismic toss it to death while recovering what little damage it takes from even boosted hits
-Toxapex only fears the rare psychium z or terrain-boosted psychic, and otherwise hazes, recovers, and spams scald on volcarona all day
-Heatran walls bulkarona or any offensive volcarona that lacks hidden power ground
