[SET]
name: Sub + Petaya Berry
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Substitute
item: Petaya Berry
ability: Static
nature: Hasty
evs: 16 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Voltorb finds a niche as a cleaner on offensive teams instead of or paired with Elekid thanks to its higher Speed, allowing it to outspeed and beat Elekid. It can also function as a mid-game wallbreaker thanks to Explosion heavily damaging special walls like Dustox and Delcatty, which opens up other special attackers like Seaking and Chinchou. Thunderbolt is Voltorb's STAB move of choice, threatening common Pokemon like Seaking, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto. Hidden Power Grass is used to threaten otherwise problematic Pokemon like Chinchou and Rhyhorn, but leaves it vulnerable to Lileep. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ice can be used over Hidden Power Grass to threaten Lileep for passable damage, 2HKOing it after a Petaya Berry boost, which can be especially important due to Lileep resisting Explosion. It is also able to threaten Sunflora, Bagon, and Bayleef. However, running Hidden Power Ice means Voltorb is completely walled by Chinchou and forces it to use Explosion. It also does notably less damage to Rhyhorn, failing to OHKO it before a Petaya Berry boost. Explosion threatens Pokemon that would otherwise wall Voltorb like Dustox and Delcatty, doing 66% minimum to both and creating offensive momentum for Voltorb's teammates. Petaya Berry gives Voltorb a much-needed power boost that allows it to OHKO Pokemon like Aipom and Koffing with Thunderbolt. Substitute allows Voltorb to capitalize off of forced switches or Pokemon like Castform and Delcatty scouting Explosion with Protect while also allowing Voltorb to manually activate its Petaya Berry. 232 Speed EVs allow Voltorb to outspeed Luvdisc with the rest of its EVs going into Attack for Explosion damage. Static gives Voltorb a chance to punish contact moves from Pokemon like Aipom and Pidgeotto with paralysis.
Voltorb fits on offensive teams that love the momentum and breaking potential that Explosion gives versus special walls and its amazing Speed allowing it to beat Pokemon that otherwise do well into offensive teams like Staryu and Aipom. Special attackers like Growlithe, Elekid, and Seaking appreciate specially bulky Pokemon like Castform and Delcatty being chipped down by Explosion, opening them up to break down or clean the opposing team. Voltorb appreciates Pokemon that can handle Lileep easily like Koffing and Mankey while also appreciating Koffing's ability to use Explosion against Dustox, allowing Voltorb to clean late-game. Voltorb also appreciates Pokemon that can take priority moves from Pokemon like Pidgeotto and Taillow, as it is vulnerable to them after activating its Petaya Berry. Pokemon that create offensive momentum like Geodude, Koffing, and Baton Pass Delcatty also pair well with Voltorb to try and overwhelm the opposing team's defensive cores. Other Berry users like Croconaw, Butterfree, and Mankey can pair well with Voltorb, as they appreciate it potentially weakening special walls or heavily damaging physical walls through Explosion and Thunderbolt, respectively. Alternatively, Voltorb can capitalize off them weakening the opposing team to clean.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/plznostep.595639/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/berry.226455/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic can be used on Voltorb to help versus targets like Lileep and Chinchou; however, running Toxic makes Voltorb forego Explosion, which can negatively impact its matchup into special walls like Dustox and Delcatty.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: While they must be wary of Explosion, specially bulky Pokemon like Dustox and Delcatty can take Voltorb's attacks fairly well and force it to use Explosion, with Delcatty and Castform in particular being an issue due to them running Protect, (add comma) which can catch an Explosion from Voltorb.
**Chinchou**: If Voltorb is not running Hidden Power Grass, it is walled by Chinchou and is forced to use Explosion on it in order to break it, while Chinchou can threaten Voltorb back with any move due to Voltorb's lackluster bulk.
**Magnemite**: Magnemite resists both Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass and Ice and is able to tank Explosion relatively well while answering back with status or out-damaging it with Thunderbolt.
**Rock-types**: Voltorb struggles to break through Lileep, Nosepass, and Rhyhorn on Rain Dance sets though Explosion can take away a decent chunk of their HP, and they have no way to stop rain from being set.
**Sunny Day Users**: Given that they're initially slower than Voltorb, Sunny Day users like Grimer and Onix will replace Voltorb's rain even if they use it on the same turn as Rain Dance. Voltorb can use Taunt to stop them, but its frailty means if it predicts wrong, it risks taking significant damage, notably an OHKO in Onix's case.
name: Sub + Petaya Berry
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Substitute
item: Petaya Berry
ability: Static
nature: Hasty
evs: 16 Atk / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Voltorb finds a niche as a cleaner on offensive teams instead of or paired with Elekid thanks to its higher Speed, allowing it to outspeed and beat Elekid. It can also function as a mid-game wallbreaker thanks to Explosion heavily damaging special walls like Dustox and Delcatty, which opens up other special attackers like Seaking and Chinchou. Thunderbolt is Voltorb's STAB move of choice, threatening common Pokemon like Seaking, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto. Hidden Power Grass is used to threaten otherwise problematic Pokemon like Chinchou and Rhyhorn, but leaves it vulnerable to Lileep. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ice can be used over Hidden Power Grass to threaten Lileep for passable damage, 2HKOing it after a Petaya Berry boost, which can be especially important due to Lileep resisting Explosion. It is also able to threaten Sunflora, Bagon, and Bayleef. However, running Hidden Power Ice means Voltorb is completely walled by Chinchou and forces it to use Explosion. It also does notably less damage to Rhyhorn, failing to OHKO it before a Petaya Berry boost. Explosion threatens Pokemon that would otherwise wall Voltorb like Dustox and Delcatty, doing 66% minimum to both and creating offensive momentum for Voltorb's teammates. Petaya Berry gives Voltorb a much-needed power boost that allows it to OHKO Pokemon like Aipom and Koffing with Thunderbolt. Substitute allows Voltorb to capitalize off of forced switches or Pokemon like Castform and Delcatty scouting Explosion with Protect while also allowing Voltorb to manually activate its Petaya Berry. 232 Speed EVs allow Voltorb to outspeed Luvdisc with the rest of its EVs going into Attack for Explosion damage. Static gives Voltorb a chance to punish contact moves from Pokemon like Aipom and Pidgeotto with paralysis.
Voltorb fits on offensive teams that love the momentum and breaking potential that Explosion gives versus special walls and its amazing Speed allowing it to beat Pokemon that otherwise do well into offensive teams like Staryu and Aipom. Special attackers like Growlithe, Elekid, and Seaking appreciate specially bulky Pokemon like Castform and Delcatty being chipped down by Explosion, opening them up to break down or clean the opposing team. Voltorb appreciates Pokemon that can handle Lileep easily like Koffing and Mankey while also appreciating Koffing's ability to use Explosion against Dustox, allowing Voltorb to clean late-game. Voltorb also appreciates Pokemon that can take priority moves from Pokemon like Pidgeotto and Taillow, as it is vulnerable to them after activating its Petaya Berry. Pokemon that create offensive momentum like Geodude, Koffing, and Baton Pass Delcatty also pair well with Voltorb to try and overwhelm the opposing team's defensive cores. Other Berry users like Croconaw, Butterfree, and Mankey can pair well with Voltorb, as they appreciate it potentially weakening special walls or heavily damaging physical walls through Explosion and Thunderbolt, respectively. Alternatively, Voltorb can capitalize off them weakening the opposing team to clean.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/plznostep.595639/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/berry.226455/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic can be used on Voltorb to help versus targets like Lileep and Chinchou; however, running Toxic makes Voltorb forego Explosion, which can negatively impact its matchup into special walls like Dustox and Delcatty.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: While they must be wary of Explosion, specially bulky Pokemon like Dustox and Delcatty can take Voltorb's attacks fairly well and force it to use Explosion, with Delcatty and Castform in particular being an issue due to them running Protect, (add comma) which can catch an Explosion from Voltorb.
**Chinchou**: If Voltorb is not running Hidden Power Grass, it is walled by Chinchou and is forced to use Explosion on it in order to break it, while Chinchou can threaten Voltorb back with any move due to Voltorb's lackluster bulk.
**Magnemite**: Magnemite resists both Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass and Ice and is able to tank Explosion relatively well while answering back with status or out-damaging it with Thunderbolt.
**Rock-types**: Voltorb struggles to break through Lileep, Nosepass, and Rhyhorn on Rain Dance sets though Explosion can take away a decent chunk of their HP, and they have no way to stop rain from being set.
**Sunny Day Users**: Given that they're initially slower than Voltorb, Sunny Day users like Grimer and Onix will replace Voltorb's rain even if they use it on the same turn as Rain Dance. Voltorb can use Taunt to stop them, but its frailty means if it predicts wrong, it risks taking significant damage, notably an OHKO in Onix's case.
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