Throat Spray Volcarona.
Volcarona @ Throat Spray
Ability: Swarm
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
-Endure
We all know what volc does currently, terras, sets up and sweeps with quiver dance and fiery dance or just annoys you by burning your physical checks while it once again quiver dances on you. What if instead of Fiery dance and Quiver dance as the set up moves, we instead maximised the power between volcs two main stabs?
Utilising Throat spray Volc gets a special attack increase 100% of the time, in a pinch where you need the special boost while still remaining an offensive presence, where you need to break through sub and whatnot vs annoying mons like Hydreigon. The truth is that volc at +1 is scary, volc at +2 is brutal and honestly? Realistically once you get to +3 the entire enemy team will likely fold in lategame scenarios.
Fire Blast is there to maximise damage output, the real fun of the set imo comes from bug buzz and endure. Many players these days expect volc to not even have a bug stab let alone lean into it, utilising endure Volc is guaranteed to get into Swarm range and alongside the Throat spray and quiver dance you can have a pretty realistic set up where you have a +2 special attack,+1 speed and +1spdf and swarm. Even just at +1 the Swarm+Endure combo is notable allowing volc to do things it otherwise couldn't such as always OHKO Baxcalibur ( +1 252 SpA Swarm Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Baxcalibur: 382-451 (102.9 - 121.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO) and OHKOing Curse Garg and Ironpress Garg with rocks.
+1 252 SpA Swarm Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Garganacl: 333-393 (82.4 - 97.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 SpA Swarm Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Garganacl: 262-309 (64.8 - 76.4%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
(a pretty funny calc but this also happens, +1 252 SpA Swarm Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Unaware Dondozo: 321-378 (63.6 - 75%) -- , 0 Atk Dondozo Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 260-308 (83.6 - 99%))
What this means is that with Throat spray, Non-unaware mons expecting a fiery dance who can otherwise live abilities at +1 from Volc should be scared shitless.
The Main weaknesses of this set are the fact you are forgoing boots, however at least in my experience Im seeing a strong usage in spikers vs rocks in most teams, and it isn't too hard to fit in mons like Tusk, corv and Hatt into teams who can all act as hazard support for volc, and on more offensive or HO teams that might use a dedicated hazard control lead there would be clear support for this set.
It acts as an alternative to using offensive volc under these circumstances or if you dont want to commit your volc to terra blast as a move slot potentially saving it for another teammate who is more reliant on it.