It's your time to shine, little buddy.
[Overview]
<p>Volbeat is one of many mediocre Pokemon blessed with a fantastic hidden ability. With Prankster granting it priority on all non-attacking moves, including a buff to its near-signature move, Tail Glow, Volbeat finally has a chance to function competitively by passing colossal Special Attack boosts to Pokemon that can actually use them. On the downside, it still has a very poor stat distribution and lacks the tools to prevent phazing attempts on its own, which makes a successful setup rather difficult to pull off against a well-prepared team. All things considered, Volbeat's performance is directly akin to the strength and fortitude of its teammates – don't let your guard down for a second, or you may find yourself on the losing end of a sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Bug Buzz / Substitute
move 4: Thunder Wave / Encore
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat's job in UU as a supporter is very straightforward: Tail Glow, Baton Pass, and if all else fails, paralyze things until it Volbeat faints. Little else is required of it – its mammoth +3 Special Attack boosts do all of the talking. Tail Glow turns anything that receives the boosts into an offensive monster, causing the equivalent of a Nasty Plot boost with an additional Calm Mind boost, all in one turn! This set is great at changing the flow of the battle. Volbeat can easily shift the momentum into an offensive team's favor, and can help its teammates force their way through counters. For instance, while Shaymin and Roserade are normally great switch-ins to Suicune, a +3 Ice Beam will send them packing in a hurry. In situations where Volbeat lacks a free turn to set up successfully, Thunder Wave gives it another avenue for team support, crippling faster offensive threats, while Encore can be used to keep set-up sweepers and Substitute users at bay. Bug Buzz is Volbeat's only viable attacking option, and can deal a decent chunk of damage to Pokemon that don't resist it when it's backed by a Tail Glow. Substitute can be used in place of Bug Buzz to prevent Dragon Tail from phazing it out, thus making Baton Passing easier, but it comes at the cost of making Volbeat a sitting duck for phazers that use Roar or Whirlwind.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In this case especially, a Baton Passer is only as good as it recipients. While a +3 Special Attack boost is nothing to trifle with, there are many Pokemon in the tier waiting for a chance to squash the little bug, or even harm the recipient. When facing a Victini or Darmanitan, for example, it would be wise to have a teammate that can not only take their vicious Fire-type assaults, but utilize the boosts relayed. Though unorthodox, a specially oriented Flygon equipped with Choice Scarf can easily beat both of the aforementioned threats, while its powerful Draco Meteors take advantage of the fact that Steel-types seldom roam this tier. An offensive Suicune can also take a hit from offensive Fire-types, as well as the likes of Rhyperior and Aggron, forcing them out with its STAB Water-type attacks and severely damaging potential switch-ins. Porygon2 works similarly as a bulky offensive recipient, trading in Suicune's key resistances for superior overall bulk. Xatu is another excellent choice for Volbeat to Baton Pass to, as while the defensive synergy of the duo is lacking, Xatu can bounce back most attempts to phaze or set hazards and toss around powerful boosted attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Weather Support
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Encore
move 4: U-turn
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set champions an old school method of weather support. Rain Dance and Sunny Day being used first under most conditions means that even if the firefly is unlikely to make it to the next turn, it will be a huge asset to its team by ensuring the desired field condition is up and running before it goes down. U-turn allows Volbeat to safely scout switch-ins for its teammates and get out when needed, as the last thing a rain sweeper needs is to take a hit on the switch-in after being weakened by an attack from the opponent, such as Stone Edge from Rhyperior. Thunder Wave is a great supporting move overall, and should be used on any variant of Volbeat thanks to its crippling Speed drop and the ability to make any moderately fast offensive Pokemon shiver. Encore is a rather poor option on this set, as there aren't very many moves Volbeat would want to Encore with its poor durability and lack of Leftovers recovery, but it's one of the few options the little bug possesses and can at least screw over boosting sweepers in a pinch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The only real chance the opponent has of stopping this Volbeat is with an opposing auto-weather inducer, which is admittedly a huge problem. Abomasnow might not be so quick to switch in, fearing a 2HKO from U-turn after Stealth Rock damage, but Hippopotas is completely unfazed by the little bug and can switch in without a thought; however, many members of rain or sun teams can easily exploit Volbeat's weaknesses, which means getting past it is definitely not impossible.</p>
<p>This variant of Volbeat plays a vital role on weather teams, and with its use of U-turn, entry hazards will take their toll. A Rapid Spinner is recommended in order to allow Volbeat to do its job more than once. Blastoise works well in rain teams with its Rain Dish ability, whereas Donphan and Claydol are resistant to the Rock-type moves aimed at Volbeat and the Fire-types carried on sun teams. Claydol is especially recommended as a teammate if Volbeat is used on a sun team, as it is immune to Spikes and makes a good check to Hippopotas. If one is having an especially hard time with sand teams, Toxic can replace Encore to whittle away Hippopotas's health. Support from entry hazards, such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes, can also help sway any potential weather war in your favor.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There isn't much else Volbeat can do. Thunderbolt helps it get past the many Water-type phazers of the tier, such as Milotic, Suicune, and Blastoise, and Trick can be useful in hindering walls or sweepers that trouble the team. Confuse Ray requires a lot of luck, but it helps to delay phazers and Pokemon that may threaten the Baton Pass recipient. Other than that, the options provided are the best and only ways to realize Volbeat's full potential.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There is no offensive way to prevent a Volbeat from passing its boosts without a faster priority attack or an ExtremeSpeed user waiting in the wings, but it is easy to phaze it out if Volbeat does not have Xatu as its partner. Roar and Whirlwhind users are abundant, the most common among those being Suicune, Zapdos, and Snorlax, none of which Volbeat can damage significantly before being forced out. Haze users such as Milotic and faster Pokemon with Prankster, such as Murkrow and Whimsicott, will also keep it at bay. Entry hazards shorten Volbeat's life span and limit the number of times it can switch in and set up. Another sigh of relief comes from the fact that regardless of how dangerous its teammates are, Volbeat can't pass Speed boosts. Because of this, revenge killing with Choice Scarf users and strong priority attacks from the likes of Arcanine, Bisharp, Azumarill, and Hitmontop are always great options to take down either Volbeat or the Baton Pass receiver.</p>
