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[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 and a buff to its near-signature move, Tail Glow, Volbeat finally has a chance to function in a competitive tier found a niche in UU every tier is competitive, lol 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 set(space)up 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
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
nature: Bold
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Volbeat's
jobin 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
it passes to that receives the boosts into an offensive monster,
causing having the
near 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
boost and pass set up successfully, Thunder Wave gives it another avenue for team support, crippling faster offensive threats, while Encore
would can be used to keep set-up sweepers and Substitute abuse
rs or '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
block prevent Dragon Tail
from phazing it out and ensure safer passing , (comma) 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]
<-- cap
<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,
and likely or even harm the recipient
as well. When fac
ing down againsta 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
Special Attacking 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 of a tier where Steel-types
only 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. Porygon
-<remove hyphen>2 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
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
nature: Impish
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set champions an old school method of weather support. Rain Dance and Sunny Day
<space>being used <space>first under most conditions mean
s 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 on the switch-in
after being weakened by an attack from the opponent, such as Stone Edge from Rhyperior is a 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 sweat
weird choice of word? >.>. Encore is a rather
weak 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
nigh infinitely without a thought; however, many members of
rain or
sun teams can easily exploit
its Volbeat's weaknesses, which means getting past it is definitely not impossible.
</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>This
type variant type seems inappropriate 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
it Volbeat to do its job more than once. Blastoise works well
with 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
for as a teammate if Volbeat is used on a sun
team, as it is immune to Spikes and makes
for a
<space>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
,<comma> such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes
,<comma> 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 make Volbeat
's full utility/potential useful.
</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
in high supply abundant, the most common among those being Suicune, Zapdos, and Snorlax, none of which Volbeat can damage significantly before being forced out. Haze users
, (comma) such as Milotic
, (comma) and faster Pokemon with Prankster, such as Murkrow and Whimsicott, will also keep it at bay.
Stealth Rock and Spikes Entry hazards shorten Volbeat's life span
by and limit
s 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
viable options great options to take down either Volbeat or the Baton Pass receiver.
