SM OU Bulky Volcarona Team

[Silent Pixels]

Oh boy here we go, the team

Volcarona @ Buginium Z
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Magnum Opus pokemon. Volcarona is using a bulky spread to ease set up against more physically oriented mons that might prove a little problematic before, and after setup it eases revenge kill attempts from the likes of mega pinsir and mega mawile, after setting up the main goal is the same as all volcarona, destroy everything in sight. This might be harder to do with the lack of EVs in spatk or speed, but the defensive EVs make it harder to stop.

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Defog

Can be a nice lead against certain teams and can destroy a lot of volcarona's worst matchups like tran and tpex. Provides defog support and can revenge kill most pokemon after they take out volcarona or it finishes its sweep. Good late game mon and can help gain momentum or clear mons off of the field, it also provides intimidate which I suppose can soften up blows from mons for tangrowth or celesteela.

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower

A good physical stall mon on this team, it can help against a lot of the physically oriented mons that might give volcarona or other mons some trouble, such as pinsir or hawlucha. It has a weakness to heatran but that's nothing that gren or lando can't handle, and it forms a nice little core with tangrowth, which celesteela handles a lot of the psychics and fairies and tang handles tapu koko and greninja.

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Power-Up Punch
- Thunder Punch

The main physical wallbreaker of this set, this thing can break chanseys and ttars alike, both of which are pains in volcarona's ass. Thunder punch for toxapex and other stupid bulky waters, but this thing's main goal is to get rid of the volc counters, which it can get rid of all but toxapex. Can be a nice emergency answer to tapu koko I guess since it outspeeds it, and celesteela handles the matchup against mega alakazam.

Greninja-Ash (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes

Greninja is a good late game pokemon that can clean up weakened teams once volc is done running through them. Spikes help out against a ton of volc answers and softens them up so volc can tear them apart easier. Can help against tran and other fires if landorus isn't alive and it can also act as a good lead.

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake

Literally the backbone to my team, it handles so many damn mons that trouble others, tapu koko and greninja are merced, tapu fini is also eaten alive and garchomp can't touch this thing all that much, it's also pretty much the only thing stopping most zygarde from steamrolling my team, forms a good core with celesteela with one being the physical wall and one being the special wall. Regenerator lets it come in multiple times in order to wall out the mons it is made to wall out and also pivot around mons too.

 

[jfarias84]

Nice team. Fire attacks be carteful

 

[Ace Trainer Conan]

One thing about your team however is the complete lack of stealth rock. Passive damage on threats to your team like volcarona and Zard X helps Gren and Lopunny to break down, so I would change the lando set to accomodate stealth rock.

 

[Fayari]

Hi there! This is a pretty interesting team! If you're finding success with your team, then awesome!

Just a couple of things I noticed:

1. Your Volcarona set is completely walled by Toxapex, and not just in the way that Toxapex normally does. With no SpA investment, Toxapex can take three of your +1 HP Grounds before Toxapex can even get scared of going down. He has plenty of time to Haze away your stat changes, Toxic you, and Toxic your Landorus T if you decide to switch it in.

I know you like your Bulky Volcarona, but have you considered going with this offensive set instead?

Volcarona @ Psychium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic

This set takes care of your Toxapex (and Mega-Venusaur, Mega-Medicham, Mega Lopunny) woes, and leaves you in a much better position to sweep after a Quiver Dance. Not a lot of pokemon can withstand the damage and speed of a Quiver Danced Offensive Volcarona. Without Hidden Power Ground, you wouldn't be insta-killing fire Pokemon like Heatran, but with your previous set, you probably weren't killing them anyway, especially if they were Specially Defensive the way most Heatrans are.

If you're really set on Bulky Volcarona, have you considered using the "standard" Bulky Volcarona set instead?

Volcarona @ Buginium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz
- Roost

HP Ground in general isn't really a great move on Bulky Volcarona, considering its low power and your lack of SpA. Plus, you've already got a Landorus T, so maybe your Volcarona could benefit more from the Roost instead of HP Ground. Of course, Flamethrower is just there because it's more reliable and has more PP, but Fire Blast still works.

2. Your Lopunny is... kind of in a weird spot, actually. It has Thunder Punch for Toxapex, but won't hit hard enough to break through. It will just Haze away your Power-Up Punch bonus, and probably Toxic you as well. And as you said, it gets destroyed by Mega-Alakazam, again because of its lack of priority moves.

Have you considered replacing Mega-Lopunny with Mega-Medicham?

Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt

Medicham is a fighting type that hits as hard as +1 Mega-Lopunny, with the advantage of having Zen Headbutt to KO Toxapex, other poison types, and other fighting types. Without needing Thunder Punch, Medicham can have an extra slot for Ice Punch instead to deal with Dragon types, which your current team doesn't have a dedicated answer to. He also has Fake Out to deal free chip damage every time he switches in.

If you want to keep Mega-Lopunny for her speed tier, have you considered maybe replacing your Power-Up Punch with Fake Out?

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- Thunder Punch

Fake Out will let you chip a good chunk of HP from your targets a lot more safely than Power-Up Punch, and any Pokemon you might want to hit with Power Up Punch might just be better off getting hit by Fake Out for the flinch, followed by Return or High Jump Kick anyway. Plus, it will give you some form of offensive pressure against faster Pokemon.
____________________________________________________

That's about it. I don't mind if you completely throw away any of these suggestions by the way. It's your team, you do you!

 

[Silent Pixels]

Hi there! This is a pretty interesting team! If you're finding success with your team, then awesome!

Just a couple of things I noticed:

1. Your Volcarona set is completely walled by Toxapex, and not just in the way that Toxapex normally does. With no SpA investment, Toxapex can take three of your +1 HP Grounds before Toxapex can even get scared of going down. He has plenty of time to Haze away your stat changes, Toxic you, and Toxic your Landorus T if you decide to switch it in.

I know you like your Bulky Volcarona, but have you considered going with this offensive set instead?

Volcarona @ Psychium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic

This set takes care of your Toxapex (and Mega-Venusaur, Mega-Medicham, Mega Lopunny) woes, and leaves you in a much better position to sweep after a Quiver Dance. Not a lot of pokemon can withstand the damage and speed of a Quiver Danced Offensive Volcarona. Without Hidden Power Ground, you wouldn't be insta-killing fire Pokemon like Heatran, but with your previous set, you probably weren't killing them anyway, especially if they were Specially Defensive the way most Heatrans are.

If you're really set on Bulky Volcarona, have you considered using the "standard" Bulky Volcarona set instead?

Volcarona @ Buginium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 148 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz
- Roost

HP Ground in general isn't really a great move on Bulky Volcarona, considering its low power and your lack of SpA. Plus, you've already got a Landorus T, so maybe your Volcarona could benefit more from the Roost instead of HP Ground. Of course, Flamethrower is just there because it's more reliable and has more PP, but Fire Blast still works.

2. Your Lopunny is... kind of in a weird spot, actually. It has Thunder Punch for Toxapex, but won't hit hard enough to break through. It will just Haze away your Power-Up Punch bonus, and probably Toxic you as well. And as you said, it gets destroyed by Mega-Alakazam, again because of its lack of priority moves.

Have you considered replacing Mega-Lopunny with Mega-Medicham?

Medicham @ Medichamite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt

Medicham is a fighting type that hits as hard as +1 Mega-Lopunny, with the advantage of having Zen Headbutt to KO Toxapex, other poison types, and other fighting types. Without needing Thunder Punch, Medicham can have an extra slot for Ice Punch instead to deal with Dragon types, which your current team doesn't have a dedicated answer to. He also has Fake Out to deal free chip damage every time he switches in.

If you want to keep Mega-Lopunny for her speed tier, have you considered maybe replacing your Power-Up Punch with Fake Out?

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- Thunder Punch

Fake Out will let you chip a good chunk of HP from your targets a lot more safely than Power-Up Punch, and any Pokemon you might want to hit with Power Up Punch might just be better off getting hit by Fake Out for the flinch, followed by Return or High Jump Kick anyway. Plus, it will give you some form of offensive pressure against faster Pokemon.
____________________________________________________

That's about it. I don't mind if you completely throw away any of these suggestions by the way. It's your team, you do you!

The standard bulk set is probably a good idea since my speed doesn't matter much with the +1 or +2 from quiver dance boosts. And I don't really know bout the lop change because if lando is gone through some stupidity I did or rng, the team gets steamrolled by koko

 

[737373elj]

Hello fellow Kirby! Didn’t know that there were others around xD

I’m just replying to what you said: ‘the team gets steamrolled by Koko’. I don’t know about that, as Tangrowth seems like a solid Koko check to me, as HP Ice and even Thunder won’t KO it, whereas Koko gets hit hard by Earthquake. In desperate situations, Fake Out will stop Koko from doing anything for a turn. Koko will also be punished pretty hard by Spikes. (My calcs show that Tangrowth 2HKOes Shuca Berry Koko with Giga Drain after Spikes (3 layer), whereas Koko only 4HKOes with HP Ice and 6HKOes with Thunderbolt. Mega Lopunny even outspeeds and 2HKOes with Return, WITHOUT SPIKES. Although you have to watch out for 2HKOes yourself. Tangrowth 3HKOes with Giga Drain without Spikes.)
But you had the practical, whereas this is all theory. It just seems like it will be difficult for Koko to smash the team.