The Royal Pokemon Clan

Volcarona is one of my favorite Pokemon, its design, stats, typing, movepool has cemented it as one of my most used Pokemon and since its debut in Black and White, it has played a key role in many of my teams. I love moths, fire, and bugs, and Nintendo gave me the perfect combination of all three in Volcarona. Ever since its debut, it has always been an automatic addition to every one of my teams and it'll be that way for some time. Since its debut, it has quickly made its way to being my second all-time favorite Pokemon and my shiny one in Sun remains one of my most deadly Pokemon.




Volcarona has impressive stats for a Bug-type, having great Special Attack, nice Speed and HP, along with a respectable Special Defense. On the downside, its a bit squishy on the physical side, so be wary of going up against physical attackers, as even strong resisted physical attacks will do plenty of damage. The main selling point of Volcarona is Quiver Dance, this helps raise its already high Special Attack to dangerous levels while also boosting its special bulk and giving it the ability to outspeed many different Pokemon. After one or two uses of Quiver Dance, its ready to cut through any Pokemon not named Chansey, and after three uses, not even Chansey stands a chance. It has a nice movepool filled with all kinds of tools and weapons to help it against opposing Pokemon. In addition to nice STABs like Fiery Dance, Fire Blast, and Bug Buzz, Volcarona also has access to moves like Giga Drain, Hurricane, Hidden Power, U-Turn, and Roost. All of these can help Volcarona take on Pokemon that would otherwise have a chance, keep momentum going, or give it some longevity. However, using Volcarona will often require plenty of team support. Volcarona is weak to all forms of entry hazards, Stealth Rock especially. Stealth Rock strips away 50% of its health, meaning it won't be as easy to squeeze in a Quiver Dance and potentially sweep, so entry hazard removal is necessary. Pokemon that can take care of special sponges like Chansey, Porygon2, Blissey, and Snorlax will also be nice to have, as Volcarona will struggle against them, even with numerous Quiver Dance boots. If Volcarona lacks Giga Drain, Rock-, Water-, and Ground-types will also cause problems for the Pokemon. Lastly, Volcarona needs to be wary of strong priority users, as even resisted ones will do quite a bit of damage. The Sun Pokemon is a devastating threat that everyone needs to look out for, but overestimating it would be just as bad.




Ability: Flame Body
Item: Life Orb/Focus Sash/Leftovers/Firium Z
Nature: Modest/Timid
EV Spread: If running a modest nature; 252 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Def
If running a timid nature; 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Moves:
- Fiery Dance/Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz/Hurricane
- Quiver Dance
- Giga Drain/Hidden Power Ground/Roost

Flame Body will help discourage physical attackers from preying upon Volcarona's frailer physical side with the threat of being burned. Life Orb is the preferred item with a timid nature which helps Volcarona deal even more damage at the cost of a little bit of HP; if using the Life Orb, Giga Drain would be the best coverage option as it allows the Pokemon to recover a bit of HP while dealing plenty of damage, allowing Volcarona to dish out even more attacks. The Focus Sash can play a similar role, helping Volcarona avoid a OHKO, but this is a risky option, especially if Stealth Rock is involved, as it'll be rendered useless if any entry hazards are in play. This is best to be used as a suicide lead, otherwise don't bother with it. Leftovers is the superior option with a modest nature, and if combined with Giga Drain or Roost, it'll give Volcarona far better longevity. The spread is used to give Volcarona a small cushion on the physical side. Firium Z can be used on either nature, giving Volcarona a one time, heavily damaging Fire-type attack, this is best used with Fire Blast to maximize damage output. Grassium Z can be used over it to give Volcarona a surprise attack on Pokemon that would otherwise be able to tank an Inferno Overdrive.

The moves are used for a variety of reasons; Fiery Dance is a weaker, but more accurate alternative to Fire Blast with the added bonus of potentially raising Sp. Attack. But, in comparison to Fire Blast, it can often miss some important KOs that the latter would net. Fire Blast is stronger, but if the low accuracy is a concern, go for Fiery Dance. Bug Buzz is a strong STAB attack that nails Dark- and Psychic- for a lot of damage, but Hurricane can be used over it against certain Pokemon like Ludicolo, Cradily along with the added bonus of potentially confusing the opponent, it also gives Volcarona a bit of a cushion when it's raining thanks to Hurricane's perfect accuracy in rain, however outside of rain, its poor accuracy can be a problem at times. Quiver Dance is an obvious addition to Volcarona, raising its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to scarily high levels, and often a few boosts, it'll cut through the opponents like butter. However, if it fails to do its thing the first time around, it won't likely get another set. Giga Drain is a useful option against Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types that can nail them for super effective damage while also restoring plenty of HP. Hidden Power Ground is mostly used to hit Pokemon that are resistant to either of Volcarona's STABs like Heatran while also providing nice coverage against opposing Fire-types or Rock-types, though it often falls short of several important KOs. Roost can be used to restore HP, increasing Volcarona's longevity, however it isn't always the best option, as it takes up a move slot that could be used for much needed coverage.





Rock-types: If Volcarona is lacking Giga Drain or Hidden Power Ground, it'll struggle to do much against Rock-types and will likely be KO'd rather quickly. However, if Volcarona's accumulated enough boosts, it can likely KO them with a STAB move.

Stealth Rock: This is perhaps the easiest way to deal with Volcarona. Stealth Rock strips 50% of HP away from the Pokemon, making it ripe for KOing.

Ground-types: If Volcarona's lacking Giga Drain, many Ground-types like Garchomp can prey on its weaker physical side with a powerful Earthquake, set up Stealth Rock, or raise their own stats. However, they need to be wary of a boosted Fire Blast or Inferno Overdrive, as this can burn them or outright KO them.

Water-types: If Volcarona's lacking Giga Drain, many Water-types can easily take advantage of it. Tentacruel, Mantine, Swampert, and Jellicent being great examples of this thanks to their high special bulk, resistances to both STABs, and their super effective moves. However, they must be wary of Hurricane or a boosted Inferno Overdrive.

Specially defensive Pokemon: Pokemon like Chansey and Mantine can easily take nearly anything Volcarona could throw at them and proceed to set up thanks to their massive special bulk. Chansey is especially troublesome with her massive HP stat and Eviolite. They need to be wary once Volcarona has boosted numerous times, as they run the risk of being 2HKO'd

Entry Hazards: Thanks to its typing, Volcarona is weak to all forms of entry hazards. Sticky Web drops its speed, putting at risk of fainting. Toxic Spikes put a timer on its sweeping, even if it has Roost or Giga Drain, while regular Spikes can strip away as much 25% of its health. Stealth Rock strips 50% of its health, likely ruining a chance for a sweep.

Fast physical attackers: Pokemon that can outspeed it, like Garchomp and Mega Metagross, can prey upon its weaker physical side and easily KO it with one of their moves. However, if they fail to net the KO, they'll likely take heavy damage and they run the risk of being burned. Mega Metagross is especially vulnerable to a Fire-type move.