Volcanion, the Steam Punk: A Speculative Analysis

Type:
Fire/Water

Base Stats
HP: 80
Attack: 110
Defense: 120
Sp. Attack: 130
Sp. Defense: 90
Speed: 70

Abilities
Water Absorb: Restores HP if hit by a Water-type move.

DISCLAIMER- ALL OF THIS IS SPECULATION. ALL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Compared to Diancie and Hoopa, Volcanion is a lot more straightforward in operation, but equally weird. The love-child of two types that have not been seen together until now, the Steam Pokémon is certain to make waves when it gets its official release, and I don't think it's any secret why. Water and Fire are both good in their own right, but combined they make one of the best offensive and defensive typings out there. The combination of STABs can hit almost the entire metagame for neutral damage, leaving room for setup, coverage, or even support moves. Defensively, Volcanion is only hit super-effectively by three types and while, yes, they are common types (Rock, Ground and Electric), the steam machine also carries many key resistances.  It gets a resistance to Bug and Fairy, a quadruple resistance to Fire, Ice, and Steel, and complete immunity to Water thanks to its great ability Water Absorb.

On top of all that, Volcanion has a movepool to die for and the stats it needs to back it up, including a new signature move called Steam Eruption. Steam Eruption is a special Water type move with the power of Hydro Pump, the effect of Scald, and 95% Accuracy rating. Pair that with an equally powerful STAB Fire Blast and you can hit almost any Pokémon you want for massive damage. Keep in mind, both of these are coming off a great 130 Sp. Attack.

Obviously, though, Volcanion is not perfect. While it has some great stats, its Speed and Special Defense aren't great (though neither are awful) and its Fire typing grants it a not-so-lovely weakness to Stealth Rock, knocking off a quarter of its HP every time it switches in. Additionally, while its STABs compliment each other nicely, bulky Water and Dragon types will still give Volcanion a run for its money. However, just based on what we've seen from information that's been released, I believe the steam-powered Pokémon will be a top tier threat. Let's take a look:

Steamroller
Volcanion
Hold Item: Lum Berry/Life Orb/Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Special Attack, 4 HP
Flame Charge
Steam Eruption
Fire Blast
Hidden Power Ice

Volcanion's sub-par Speed can be rectified with the move Flame Charge. With max investment in Speed and a boost or two, Volcanion can be a scary Pokémon to deal with. Once you have Charged, you can proceed to attempt a sweep using its high-powered STABs. Steam Eruption will be the move of choice in most cases as it not only has the same base power and PP as Fire Blast, but it actually has a higher chance to burn and higher accuracy (note that Volcanion also gets Hydro Pump but, once again, Steam Eruption has higher accuracy and a burn effect). That said, Fire Blast does give great coverage, as it hits Grass types that Steam Cannon can't, as well as hitting Steel, Bug, and Ice types for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice is for all the Dragons that have a x4 Weaknesses to Ice and resist its STABs, such as Garchomp, Dragonite, and (depending on how high Volcanion goes) Rayquaza.

I have three items listed, all of which have different uses, but work on this set. Lum Berry is to allow you to set up on a Pokémon that might poison or paralyze you, allowing you to get the jump on them; plus, it allows you to laugh in the face of Pokémon who plan on stopping your sweep with status. Leftovers is to allow more turns to set up and so you can survive more hits after, prolonging your sweep. While the other two items make setting up easier, Life Orb gives Volcanion what it needs to net those additional OHKOs. The choice is yours, and there’s no bad one.

The biggest problem this set will face is bulky Water types. This set simply does not have a way around them. Although many of them reside in lower tiers, one of the best counters to this set is a specially-defensive Jellicent with Water Absorb, who can switch into any of these attacks and cripple with Toxic, effectively forcing Volcanion out and stopping the sweep. Another Pokémon that can stop Volcanion is Slowking, who can use Regenerator, Slack Off, and its high HP and Special Defense stats to tank any hit that Volcanion can throw at it.

Physically Defensive
Volcanion
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Special Attack
Scald
Roar
Protect
Toxic/Will-o-Wisp

With a stellar 120 base Defense, a good typing and access to numerous moves that cause burns, Volcanion can pull off a physically defensive set. While Steam Eruption is a great STAB move on offensive sets, on a defensive set (while it is still viable) it is far inferior to Scald because of Scald’s higher PP. Roar is for shuffling and phasing setup sweepers who might try and setup on a defensive Pokémon like Volcanion, Protect is for scouting Choice item users, and Toxic is for wearing down all non-Steel-type opposing defensive Pokémon.

This set is especially effective against Pokémon like Azumarill, as it is immune to its Water-type attacks, resists Play Rough, and can threaten it with a burn. Volcanion’s Ability plays well here, giving it a great immunity and recovery source.

While maybe slightly less effective, Volcanion can pull off a good specially defensive set, a la Heatran, that looks like this:

Specially Defensive
Volcanion
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Def, 4 Sp. Attack
Scald
Roar
Protect
Toxic/Will-o-Wisp

You'll notice it uses the same moveset listed above for the physically defensive set. This is because the max investment in Special Defense allows the Steam Pokémon to absorb special hits well, while using its naturally high Defense and Scald’s burn effect to ward off physical Pokémon. This lets it be a very effective mixed defender that focuses on taking special hits. This set is mostly viable because, while it does have a higher Defense stat, most of the moves that it resists are special. Ultimately, I suspect, both sets will be effective.

Mixed Weather Wonder
Volcanion
Hold Item: Life Orb
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Steam Eruption
Fire Blast
Solarbeam
Hidden Power Ice

Of all the sets listed here, this one might be the biggest stretch. In order to run this set, you need team support from both Groudon and Kyogre, making this set exclusive to Ubers (I suppose you could run it in Overused too, but the Drought and Drizzle-setters are far less sturdy and reliable than the two prehistoric legendaries). Typically, sun and rain can’t run on the same team because their effects counteract each other and there are not many Pokémon that benefit from both. However, this set might change that. Rain boosts Steam Eruption, sun boosts Fire Blast and allows for a one-turn Solarbeam. With access to both on the same team, this allows for some tricky mind games with your opponent. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how effective this set will be, but I might try it when Volcanion gets officially released.

Choice Specs
Volcanion
Hold Item: Choice Specs
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Steam Eruption
Overheat/Fire Blast
Sludge Wave
Hidden Power Ice

The main goal of this set is to capitalize on Volcanion's impressive base 130 Special Attack to make any Pokémon regret switching into its attacks. I won't go into Steam Eruption again - its power and utility speak for itself. Sludge Wave is for hitting Fairies for super-effective damage and generally has good coverage alongside the STABs. The choice between Overheat and Fire Blast depends on how you plan on using the Steam Pokémon. If you plan on using it as a hit-and-run attacker, Overheat is the better option, whereas Fire Blast is more consistent. Overheat is probably the better option due to that set working as a revenge killer.

Do note that with both sets, Stealth Rock will wear it down and should be kept off the field.

Volcanion has a 110 base attack, so a mixed attacking set with a Naive nature and a moveset consisting of Steam Eruption, Flare Blitz/Fire Blast, Earthquake and Hidden Power Ice would be worth considering. However, Ground-type coverage does not help Volcanion do much but get around Tentacruel, who is not a very common Pokémon. If, for some reason, Volcanion was able to get Wild Charge, the Electric-type coverage would be good for getting around many Pokémon, but that's not really an option at this point. However, on almost any set, you can run Earthquake to dissuade Electric types from switching in. Theoretically, Hidden Power Grass could be used instead of Ice to hit Water types, but without the x4 weakness it doesn't hit hard enough to be of any consequence.

Because of Volcanion's versatility, it is really hard to guess which Pokémon are hard counters to it or dangerous to it all the time. Specially defensive Jellicent with Water Absorb is about as close as they come. It is immune to its main STAB and resists the second STAB plus the best Hidden Power type. The only concern is switching into Toxic on a defensive set, which then leads to a stalemate. Gastrodon can tank any move that isn't the rare HP Grass and can Toxic it. Other bulky Water types such as Slowking, Suicune, and Milotic can all take the offensive sets well. In the Ubers game, Kyogre and Palkia can switch into any of Volcanion's moves and can scare out the Steam Pokémon with Thunder. Fast, frail Electric types like Jolteon or Mega Manectric won't enjoy switching into any of Volcanion's moves, but can revenge kill with their special Electric-type moves.

I suspect that Volcanion will become an Overused threat in no time and may make the jump to Ubers because of its great stats, fantastic movepool, and overall amazing versatility. Let me know what you think in the forums

Signing off for now,

-Alltheginjoints

Mega Sableye Confirmed! : Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Update

Mega Sableye has officially been revealed for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. As shown in the video, the mega stone is found in the new games. Sableye's gem eyes turn blood-red and it gains a huge crystal of untold(?) power. What could this mean for the little imp-like Pokémon? Let us know in the comments!

- J.

Hoopa, Mischief (Mis)Managed: A Speculative Analysis

Type: Psychic/Ghost

Base Stats
HP: 80
Attack: 110
Defense: 60
Special Attack: 150
Special Defense: 130
Speed: 70


Abilities:
Magician: The Pokémon steals the held item of a Pokémon it hits with a move.

DISCLAIMER- ALL OF THIS IS SPECULATION. ALL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

“This troublemaker sends anything and everything to faraway places using its loop, which can warp space.” That's what the Pokémon Y Pokédex entry has to say about this thing. Hoopa is a strange Pokémon - not as strange as Diancie, but still bizarre. The Mischief Pokémon is blessed with some gorgeous mixed attacking stats, and because of it looks like it should be one of the most dangerous Pokémon out there. Unfortunately, that's about where the positives of Hoopa end. While it has a 150 Special Attack and a 110 Attack, it's base 70 Speed is not enough to outpace many Pokémon in a heavily offensive metagame. While it does also have an attractive 130 Special Defense, its physical Defense is nothing short of garbage, clocking in at only 60.

Its typing doesn’t make it any better, either. Hoopa is the first Psychic/Ghost type-combination and while that's interesting and unique, it does not have much utility. Its STAB combination does not offer much coverage offensively, and defensively it has a x4 weakness to two of the most common offensive types in the game - Dark and Ghost - most of which are faster than Hoopa and leave it with an unsolvable weakness to Pursuit, Sucker Punch, and Shadow Sneak. And its ability, Magician, is nearly useless in a metagame where Hoopa should be carrying its own item from the get-go.

To top it all off, its movepool leaves a lot to be desired with no ways to boost its mediocre Speed. It was given a cool-sounding signature move called Hyperspace Hole, which is an 80 base power special Psychic-type move which ignores protecting moves like Protect, Spiky Shield, and King’s Shield. Despite the awesome name, it is weaker than Psychic and has less utility than Psyshock.

In case this is unclear, I do not have high hopes for Hoopa, and unless something changes for it before it’s released to the general populace, it’s going to struggle in the standard metagame. Like last time, all of this is speculation, but here are a few ways I think Hoopa could be used competitively.

Mini-Buddha, Substitute Attacker
Hoopa
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Substitute
Shadow Ball
Psyshock
Focus Blast

Without a Substitute set up, Hoopa is Pursuit/Crunch bait for any Dark-type Pokémon that's faster than Hoopa, which, to name a few, are Tyranitar, Mandibuzz and Bisharp. However, once behind the Substitute, Hoopa is a very dangerous threat than can utilize its 150 Special Attack to lay waste to its opponents. In fact, once it is behind a Substitute, many of the previously mentioned Pokémon wouldn't dare stay in on the Mischief Pokémon for fear of being hit by the wrong end (or any end, really) of Focus Blast. Once any Dark-type Pokémon are out of the way, Hoopa can use its two STABs to take down opponents with relative ease.

The biggest problem with this set is that it does require a lot of switching and prediction, as even seemingly less dangerous Pokémon could carry a Ghost or Dark-type move to attack Hoopa once the Substitute is broken. In fact, if you cannot OHKO a counter, they pose a serious threat due to the possibility of Pursuit.

There are three Pokémon that receive “special mentions” as checks to this set. Scizor, because it does not take super effective from any of the listed moves (unless you choose to run Hidden Power Fire, for some reason) and can hit with pseudo-STAB Pursuit. Chandelure, with Infiltrator, can bypass the Substitute, outspeed Hoopa, and OHKO with a powerful Shadow Ball, although it will likely need to revenge kill unless you switch in on a predicted Focus Blast. However, the Pokémon who is most dangerous to this set is definitely the rare Infiltrator Spiritomb - with high defenses, immunity to most attacks on this set, and the ability to ignore the Substitute and Pursuit on the switch out. If you're worried about Spiritomb (which you really shouldn't be because it's rare in today's metagame), then a nice Fairy type should be good to stomach whatever it throws at Hoopa - I am partial to Magic Guard Clefable to negate burns and Toxic, but Sylveon might be the best option because of its higher Special Attack and beefy Special Defense. Scizor and Chandelure have vastly different counters, but generally speaking, Skarmory can handle one and Blissey can take the other, basically forcing them to switch out.

Perhaps the best way to support this set would be Thunder Wave support to give Hoopa an edge against otherwise faster Pokémon. A great Pokémon for this is actually Dragonite, who can use its good natural bulk, Roost, and Multiscale to spread paralysis with a support set of Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Roost and Iron Head. If not Thunder Wave, other support includes Sticky Web to slow down enemies, as well as Stealth Rock to break opposing Focus Sashes and to negate Sturdy. Shuckle can accomplish both of these feats, in addition to being fairly sturdy itself (sort of).

All in all, with some support, Hoopa's high power should prove advantageous to your team. But I suspect that's not all Hoopa can do.

Tricky Business
Hoopa
Hold Item: Life Orb
Quiet Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Special Attack, 4 Special Defense
IVs: 0 Speed
Trick Room
Shadow Ball
Psyshock
Focus Blast

Remember the Infiltrator Chandelure I talked about before? How it could switch in, outspeed, and OHKO Hoopa? Imagine your opponent’s surprise when, instead of a Substitute, you fling the Pokémon into another dimension and set up Trick Room. Being slower than most sweepers and negatively investing in Speed will allow Hoopa to “outspeed” most of the metagame under Trick Room, and utilize its massive Special Attack to the fullest. The attacking moves are the same as the last set - nothing different, but because you won't be worrying about setting up Substitutes, you can carry Life Orb to maximize damage output.

While slower than other offensive Pokémon under Trick Room, there are still a lot of slower defensive Pokémon that will move “quick” and threaten Hoopa. A great example would be Donphan, whose 50 base Speed and access to Knock Off can defeat Hoopa. Ferrothorn has the option to set up Leech Seed or attempt to hit Hoopa's low Defense with STAB Power Whip. Aegislash only fears switching into a Shadow Ball, and can use its lower Speed to KO with a Shadow Ball of its own, or use priority Shadow Sneak - they'll both do the trick.

Speaking of priority, that still exists under Trick Room. Anything that carries Shadow Sneak can hit its low Defense and x4 weakness, and other powerful priority works, too - Azumarill's Aqua Jet, Talonflame's Brave Bird, Scizor's Bullet Punch, Pinsir's Quick Attack, and again, anything that carries Sucker Punch. Mawile, sitting comfortably at 50 base Speed can use any of its powerful STABs or priority Sucker Punch. For this exact reason, Pokémon like Mawile make great teammates for Hoopa, as they become powerfully speedy Pokémon under Trick Room. If you want to run a fourth coverage move, another Pokémon such as Eviolite Dusclops that can set up Trick Room would make a good team member, though it is another Pokémon with the same weaknesses as Hoopa.

Hoopa has a 110 base attack, which is really good and would be useful for getting around powerful special walls. Or rather, it would, if Hoopa had the movepool to back it up and had any kind of useful, powerful physical move to hit with. For the most part, Psyshock is the most useful way to get around special walls, such as Blissey. You might be thinking that Hoopa gets Brick Break and you can use that to work around Tyranitar's mammoth Special Defense in Sandstorm. But even if Tyranitar is running maximum Special Defense and carrying the Assault Vest, you still do more with Focus Blast than Brick Break, and that set is VERY rare. Keep in mind, you can only score a OHKO on Tyranitar if you are carrying Life Orb and are running max Special Attack, and even then, it's not a guaranteed OHKO.

Another potential set that I did not touch upon is the option for a Choice set utilizing the three moves listed above and Trick as the fourth move. This actually has the capability to be very effective - a Choice Scarf can patch up Hoopa's mediocre speed, and with Specs it can hit harder than a truck, while Trick can cripple walls. The only reason I didn’t list it is because the other sets focus on mitigating and working around Hoopa's weakness to Pursuit and Sucker Punch. Both of these sets, while they could be very effective, make it too easy for Hoopa to be revenge killed.

Not to beat a dead Ponyta, but any powerful Pokémon (Scizor, Azumarill, Talonflame) that carries some form of priority can score a OHKO or 2HKO on Hoopa because of its low, uninvested Defense. This goes double (or rather x4) for Pokémon who carry Shadow Sneak. Priority aside, anything faster than Hoopa that carries a Dark or Ghost-type attack can be a threat to the Mischief Pokémon's Substitute set, whereas anything slower than Hoopa that carries a Dark or Ghost type attack will be a threat to the Trick Room set. Until your opponent knows which set you are running, it will be hard for them to act correctly, so it is a gamble, and nothing likes switching into attacks as powerful as Hoopa’s.

Hoopa will be a challenging Pokémon to use. Its strengths are amazing, but with the current state of the metagame it will have a hard time showcasing them because of its bizarre typing. If you give it a little team support and recognize its shortcomings, Hoopa will be a very fun and potentially fulfilling Pokémon to use.

Signing off for now,

- Alltheginjoints