Community POTW #73

[Stay Gold]

Here's a bit of a bulkier Volcarona set. (Well, bulky by Volocarona's standards)

Volcorona@Leftovers/Lum Berry
Flame Body
Bold Nature
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Speed
-Quiver Dance
-Fiery Dance/Flame Thrower/Fire Blast
-Bug Buzz
-HP Rock

The idea of this set is for Volcarona to be able to withstand some physical hits, and set up with Quiver Dance to be able to take Special attacks while gaining Speed and Special Attacks. Volcarona's ability to take physical hits is even further added to by its ability, Flame Body. Leftovers allows for some HP recovery and more sustainability, whereas Lum Berry would allow for a free Quiver Dance if an opponent tries to hit you with a status. Of course, Bug Buzz and your Fire type move of choice are obvious moves. HP Rock is possibly one of the best Hidden Powers for Volcarona, hitting pokemon such as Gyarados and fire types for super effective damage.

If you want to use this set, having a Rapid Spinner on your team is almost necessary, because stealth rock completely defeats the purpose of this set

[Soperman]

FINALLY! A GOOD POKEMON! WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE IN WEEKS D:
Ehem... Mm... Yeah, anyway, Volcarona is one of the deadliest pokemon in OU. In the sun, almost nothing can resist it. In fact, if it wasn't for that massive Stealth Rock weakness, it would probably go straight to Ubers. Gamefreak gave this pokemon everything it needs; excellent and powerful movepool, really great stats, and Quiver Dance, the ultimate Special booster. Too bad its ability isn't that great. Flame Body has a 30% chance to burn the opponent upon a direct attack. Meh.

Burn Baby Burn!
-Quiver Dance
-Bug Buzz
-Fiery Dance
-Morning Sun/Hurricane
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Atk)
4 Def/252 Sp. Atk/252 Speed
This, is Volcarona. In the Sun, after a Quiver Dance or two, this pokemon becomes such a powerhouse, you can't even imagine.
Anyway, Bug Buzz is STAB, and Fiery Dance is its unique attack. What's cool about it is that is has a chance to boost your Sp. Atk, which is nice (:. The last move is a toss up: Hurricane is powerful, but Morning Sun heals you. Only use Morning Sun in the Sun, tho, as otherwise it doesn't work too well.

Cool, so you need a spinner in your team with Volcarona. It has such a bad Stealth Rock weakness, you can't even imagine. Also, it's nice to take out Terrakion, its biggest counter. Therefore, Gliscor is an excellent partner. It can learn both Stealth Rock AND has the Defense and typing to wall Terrakion and potentially take it out :3

Counters include Terrakion, Politoed, and Kyogre. That's about it. Volcarona is so deadly in the sun, the only way to defeat is by either out-speeding it or just changing the weather. Actually, so long as it isn't raining, Volcarona can kill everything.

[Ghosts of the Forums]

FINALLY! A GOOD POKEMON! WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE IN WEEKS D:
Ehem... Mm... Yeah, anyway, Volcarona is one of the deadliest pokemon in OU. In the sun, almost nothing can resist it. In fact, if it wasn't for that massive Stealth Rock weakness, it would probably go straight to Ubers. Gamefreak gave this pokemon everything it needs; excellent and powerful movepool, really great stats, and Quiver Dance, the ultimate Special booster. Too bad its ability isn't that great. Flame Body has a 30% chance to burn the opponent upon a direct attack. Meh.

Burn Baby Burn!
-Quiver Dance
-Bug Buzz
-Fiery Dance
-Morning Sun/Hurricane
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Atk)
4 Def/252 Sp. Atk/252 Speed
This, is Volcarona. In the Sun, after a Quiver Dance or two, this pokemon becomes such a powerhouse, you can't even imagine.
Anyway, Bug Buzz is STAB, and Fiery Dance is its unique attack. What's cool about it is that is has a chance to boost your Sp. Atk, which is nice (:. The last move is a toss up: Hurricane is powerful, but Morning Sun heals you. Only use Morning Sun in the Sun, tho, as otherwise it doesn't work too well.

Cool, so you need a spinner in your team with Volcarona. It has such a bad Stealth Rock weakness, you can't even imagine. Also, it's nice to take out Terrakion, its biggest counter. Therefore, Gliscor is an excellent partner. It can learn both Stealth Rock AND has the Defense and typing to wall Terrakion and potentially take it out :3

Counters include Terrakion, Politoed, and Kyogre. That's about it. Volcarona is so deadly in the sun, the only way to defeat is by either out-speeding it or just changing the weather. Actually, so long as it isn't raining, Volcarona can kill everything.

What do you mean flame body isn't great? 30% to burn when touched is great. It screws scizor to.

[MatchMaster]

Arguably one of the best Bug-type and fire-type Pokemon for that matter. It has access to Quiver Dance, which boosts three of it's excellent stats to even higher levels, making it a powerful sweeper and harder to get past with special moves. It's only true downfall is its weakness to stealth rock and the other two entry hazards. Some might not like its low physical defense either

Blazing Bug
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance/Fire Blast
- Hidden Power Ground/Ice/Rock
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe

This set aims to abuse Volcarona's offensive capabilities to their highest. I left out the ability because either one is viable. Just make sure that if you're using Flame Body, try to switch into a predicted Mach Punch or more preferably, Bullet Punch, as Volcarona can't withstand much of a physical pounding. Bug Buzz is the main STAB, and puts dents in anything that doesn't resist is, bar possibly Chansey and Blissey. Fiery Dance is secondary STAB, and boosts 50% chance of Volcarona being able to set up while attack in just one turn. Fire Blast is an alternative, if you want immediate power, But Fiery Dance outdamages a fire blast after a boost. Quiver Dance is what should be used on any offensive set, and is the best boosting move Volcarona gets. In the last slot, Hidden power Ground dents other Fire-types, Empoleon, Tentacruel, and Qwilfish that try to wall you. Hidden Power Ice however, hits Dragonite, Salamence, and Flygon who would also wall you. If you're using a sun team, Hidden Power Rock should be used so Volcarona can have more power and still hit the first two Dragons.

Hurricane Lure
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe

One of the most common ways people try to counter Volcarona is to set up rain, lowering the power of it's Fire-type moves. When rain is up, the most power Flying-type move in the game, Hurricane, gets perfect accuracy. So if the opponent brings in Politoad or sets up rain dance, they will have to deal with a 100% accurate Hurricane. Bug Buzz is still the main STAB move. Fire Blast is preferred here, so Volcarona can still have a high-powered Fire move in the rain.

Team Support
Ninetales sets up the sun for Volcarona, which it greatly enjoys. Rapid Spin users should also be used. Forretress covers Volcarona's physical weakness. Although Volcarona is rare in Ubers, Excadrill can use Rapid Spin and covers Volcarona's rock weakness.

Counters
Terrakion outspeeds Volcarona (assuming it doesn't have a hindering nature and/or no investment in speed), and OHKOs with Stone Edge, only worrying about Hidden Power Ground or Fighting. Infernape can switch into Volcarona's two main STAB moves, and also KO with Stone Edge. If Volcarona lacks Hidden Power Rock, Salamence and Dragonite can freely set up on it, not worrying about anything Volcarona throws at them.

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I'll admit, when I first saw Volcarona in the Pokedex I thought it was pretty amazing. Base 135 Sp.Atk, base 105 Sp.Def, base 100 speed, and add Quiver Dance access and a cool move in Fiery dance and you have a powerful special attacker. Also, add a good Sp.Def, Quiver Dance, Morning Sun, and Will-o-wisp together and you have a wall that can handle both ends of the spectrum.

But then I realised Volcarona's one main gigantic flaw. It's type combination. It is 4x weak to stealth rock so any defensive hopes are smashed. It also has several common weaknesses like Water and Rock, and on the offensive side of things it really really lacks type coverage. Bug and Fire together just don't give good coverage, and a single hidden power slot isn't going to cover everything that still needs to be covered. And in fact, a lot of the standard tier just walks over Volcarona due to this, as they resist both of its STAB moves. Heatran, Salamence, Terrakion, Gyarados, Tentacruel, Aerodactyl, Dragonite, they all walk over Volcarona if it lacks the right hidden power, and they all need a different one. Flash Fire Arcanine also poses quite a threat to it, being able to hit it on its weak physical defense side with Extremespeed while resisting its STABs.

Due to its type coverage issues, it is often forced out simply because it can't do anything to the foe, which enhances its Stealth Rock problem, but it also makes Fiery Dance less valuable as Volcarona has to stay in to really take advantage of Fiery Dance. And with only 50% chance of increasing your Sp.Atk, it's not that valuable compared to Overheat or Fire Blast. If you get lucky and keep on getting boosts, 3 Fiery Dances exactly equal the power of 3 Fire Blasts. Even then, 2 Fiery Dances are outdamaged by 2 Overheats, and 2 Fiery Dances only just outdamage 2 Flamethrowers and tie with 2 Heat Waves. Volcarona has to survive on the field for a significant amount of time before it really starts paying off to use Fiery Dance over conventional fire moves, and with so much getting Stone Edge these days that's easier said than done.

[Missingno. Master]

Great Mothballs Of Fire
Volcarona@Leftovers
Timid nature
Flame Body
252 Sp. Atk/252 Spd/4 HP
~Quiver Dance
~Fiery Dance
~Bug Buzz/Psychic
~Hidden Power (Dragon)

Volcarona takes the stereotype of Bug-types being generally weak and crushes it into a fine powder. Attack and Defense are its only real weak points. Special Attack? Through the roof. Special Defense? Awesome. Speed? Beautiful. Now bear in mind that all three of those stats get boosted in one turn when Volcarona uses Arceus's gift to the Bug-type, Quiver Dance. A special version of Dragon Dance with a Sp. Def boost thrown in. One use of the move and Volcarona is more ready to sweep than it already was. Next, behold this ignited insect's signature technique of Fiery Dance. A respectable 80 base power, which is nevertheless topped by Flamethrower, Heat Wave, and Fire Blast, all of which Volcarona learns. So why am I recommending this move? Because of the potential for insane overkill, that's why- each use of the move comes with a 50% chance of Volcarona's Special Attack going up by one stage. Thaaaat's right. Bug Buzz is for additional STAB, but Psychic may be preferable if you're looking for a way past that Conkeldurr. Last slot goes to HP Dragon, which sounds like an unusual choice, until you realize that together, both Fiery Dance and HP Dragon are resisted by exactly one Pokémon: Heatran.

Item helps to restore any HP lost on the setup turn or from Stealth Rock. Ability is the only one available.


Scarfarona
Volcarona@Choice Scarf
Modest nature
Flame Body
252 Sp. Atk/252 Spd/4 HP
~Fiery Dance
~Bug Buzz
~Psychic
~Hidden Power (Dragon)

This set uses a Choice Scarf to handle Speed, allowing Volcarona to make the most of its naturally high Special Attack. And given that I already explained its moves in the past set, I really shouldn't have to repeat myself. Only difference is, now you can run Bug Buzz and Psychic, given that Quiver Dance is gone.

Already explained the ability, and I really hope I don't have to explain the item.


Other options:
*Volcarona learns Calm Mind, but it's thoroughly outclassed by Quiver Dance.
*If the good chance of Special Attack increase doesn't entirely outweigh the negatives of Fiery Dance, it's no problem to just replace it with Flamethrower, Heat Wave, or Fire Blast.
*Another Hidden Power type such as Ground or Fighting would provide more help against the otherwise meddlesome Heatran, but it means giving up the Dragon Fire coverage.
*SolarBeam is good if your Volcarona is being used on a Sun team, but it doesn't actually bring that much to the table in the way of coverage.
*Hurricane sounds like a decent option, but the best way to abuse it is on a Rain team. Which, if you haven't guessed by now, Volcarona wouldn't exactly do that well on. Might work if you're trying to counter an enemy rain team, though.


Abilities:
*Flame Body: When an opponent makes contact with Volcarona, there is a 30% chance that it will be burned. The only ability Volcarona currently has access to, but it's not a bad one. Volcarona needs all the help it can get as far as physical defense goes. Unfortunately, most contact moves are physical, with the nonsensical exceptions of Petal Dance and Grass Knot, and when the hell is a Volcarona ever gonna be hit with one of those moves?
*Swarm: Volcarona's Hidden Ability. Basically a Bug version of the starter-exclusive abilities. When Volcarona's HP is at 33% or lower, its Bug moves are powered up. Not yet legal, but not a big issue. Not exactly a game breaker, and this burning bug's done just fine without it thus far.

Partners:
Rapid Spin support, Magic Bounce users, anything to keep those damn Stealth Rocks the hell away from Volcarona.

Counters:
If it outspeeds a max Speed Timid Volcarona, knows a physical Rock move, and has the Attack power to back it up, it's a Volcarona counter. I'm firmly convinced that its crippling weakness to Rock is the only thing keeping Volcarona out of ubers. A successful Stealth Rock setup also blasts holes in any Volcarona, especially the scarf'd variety, which involves much switching to be successfully used.

Opinion:
Volcarona is just awesome. Cool design, cool type combo, cool signature move, just cool everything. Ironic that a Fire-type is so cool, isn't it?

Prediction for next week:
To be announced.

[ASB]

I pretty much made a full feature already, this has been sitting around on my laptop since March 13, 2011 waiting to be posted.

Volcarona, The Sun Pokémon. It is said that this flaming moth's glow was used as a substitute for the sun's light when skies were darkened by ash from an eruption. The scales on its wings are made of embers, and they scatter all over the battlefield when it flies. Only one is known to have ever appeared in the wild, but it is still able to breed with other bugs.

Overview

Volcarona is a very useful and downright awesome pokemon in general. Taking a peek at its base stats, quite a few things jump out at you. Its base Special Attack stat is 135, tied with the two best Special Attacking pokémon before Chandelure came along, Alakazam and Porygon-Z. Also, its base speed of 100 is just high enough to be considered a good sweeping speed. Even its Special Defense is wonderful, weighing in at base 105, much higher than other sweepers. Sadly, this awesome-sauce-ish-ness is all balanced out on the physical side by low Attack, Defense, and mediocre HP. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it has access to two of the best and most exclusive moves in the entire game, Quiver Dance and Fiery Dance, the latter being its signature move and the former belonging to only a few other pokemon. Quiver Dance boosts Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed (you can think of it as a Special DD with a SDef boost or a CM with a Spd boost), while Fiery Dance is a special move with 80 base power that has a 50-50 chance to raise Special Attack whenever you use it. Think about that for a second. It's like a more-powerful fire-type Charge Beam (although it only has a 50% chance of raising SAtk). Yes please. As far as other moves go, it has STAB Bug Buzz to play around with as well as other special moves like Psychic, Flamethrower, FIre Blast, Hurricane, and Heat Wave. Be warned, however, as its 4x weakness to SR makes Rapid Spin support an absolute must in competitive 6-on-6 play.

Abilities

Flame Body: Not the best ability (Flash Fire would have been wonderful), but it can still use it. Opponents are largely going to want to use physical attacks against Volc because of its high Special Defense (which is even higher after a few QDs) and its low defense. This might burn them, lowering their attack and reducing damage so you're more tanky on both sides of the spectrum (and encouraging switches which let you smuggle in a QD), but it is kinda haxxy. On top of that, you can hatch eggs twice as fast… yay? It's a great ability to have if you're a hardcore breeder, no more using a level 21 Litwick to hatch eggs.
Swarm (DW): Okay-ish, um, I guess… yeah, usually just run Flame Body unless you plan on using a SubSalac set or something like that.

Movesets

Here Comes the Sun (Bulky Quiver Dance)

- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance / Flamethrower / Heat Wave / Fire Blast
- Rest / Morning Sun
- Bug Buzz
Item Attached: Chesto Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)

This rather experimental set makes up for Volc's lack of physical bulk, allowing it to set up twice as many QDs as an all-out sweeping set before going down. Before you yell at me, let me explain why other fire-type moves are slashed in for Fiery Dance. You might find that you can get to +6/+6/+6 from Quiver Dance before you start your sweep, in which case the attack boost from Fiery Dance is irrelevant and you can use a more powerful move instead. If you don't know what Quiver Dance is, it boosts both special stats and speed by one stage each. Yes, it's that good. ChestoRest is great on Bulky Volc, essentially giving you a free Full Restore, allowing you to double your boosting capabilities yet again. Morning Sun with Leftovers can be used instead, though you should probably run it on a sun team for best results. It can't heal status and it doesn't heal as much, but you can run it to gain leftovers recovery and multiple uses if you want. EVs and nature max out HP and Defense, the only stats that it would benefit from a boost in that it can't boost with Quiver Dance (Attack doesn't matter much).

Offensive Quiver Dance

- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ground
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

This is the "normal" set that everyone and his brother will think of with when they see Volc's stats and capabilities. It aims to get as much as possible out of each boost by maxing two of its best stats. It can switch in easily on something like Ferrothorn or Forretress to scare it out and sneak in a Quiver Dance. It'll probably only be able to get one or two in, but it should be able to sweep afterwards. Fiery Dance should be your main move here, as it boosts the power of your other moves as well, since you probably were not able to get very many QDs in due to your pathetic physical bulk. Bug Buzz is your strongest move, getting 135 base power after STAB (and a chance to lower Special Defense). Hidden Power Rock hits Flying types that would make short work of you, but Hidden Power Ground pounds Rock-types that threaten you with 4x effective STAB, easily a OHKO against you. Both hit Fire types which wall both your STABs.

Make it Rain

- Quiver Dance
- Hurricane
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP /252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)

Upon first seeing this set, you may think "why on earth would anyone put Volcarona on a rain team?" This is not an entirely unmerited response, but Volcarona still functions well on rain teams as it is able to Quiver Dance and then sweep with a fearsome Hurricane as well as its normal STAB Bug Buzz. Fire Blast is present as it can turn the opponent's weather against them when playing against sun teams- not much can stand up to a QD'd Volcarona's STAB Fire Blast, especially in the sun. Item, ability, EVs, and nature are same as Offensive QD set.

Choice

- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- HIdden Power Rock / HIdden Power Ground
- Hurricane / Psychic
Item Attached: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Ability: Flame Body
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk) / Adamant Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)

Fiery Dance is definitely your main move here if you're planning on staying in for more than one turn. It you're just gonna RK one pokemon and switch out, Bug Buzz is more powerful. Hidden Power Rock takes out Flying, Bug, Fire, and Ice types while Ground takes out Electric, Steel, Poison, Fire, and Rock. Hurricane is powerful but inaccurate, and Psychic is more accurate but less powerful and with less coverage. Specs give higher power and more sweeping potential but Scarf turns it into a revenge-killing machine, able to outspeed pokemon like +1 Dragonite.

EVs & Natures

Bulky QD
Max HP and Defense with a Bold Nature give him considerable bulkiness making it much easier to get up to +6 when combined with a recovery move. The loss in Attack from Bold doesn't matter. (In case you didn't notice, every single nature used drops Attack.)

Offensive QD
Max Special Attack and Speed with Timid lets him beat everything but Deoxys' Speed Form after one QD, and all scarfed pokémon barring Ninjask and 3/4 Deoxys forms after 2 QDs.

Rain Volc
Same as offensive QD.

Choice
Definitely max Sp. Attack and Speed, nature depends on your style and whether you're using Specs or Scarf.

Other Options

Psychic, Heat Wave, Light Screen, Solarbeam, SIlver Wind, Flamethrower, U-Turn, Harden, Overheat.
Psychic for coverage.
Heat Wave is more powerful with less accuracy, same thing with Fire Blast.
Light Screen if base 105 SDef isn't enough for you. (-_-')
Solarbeam on Sun teams for dealing with Swampert etc.
Silver Wind if you're feeling lucky.
Flamethrower is more powerful if you don't care about SAtk boosting.
If you're running a Scarf set, you might want to try U-Turn, but it's useless otherwise as you lose your buffs.
Harden for Trolls and peoples who want to try and make Volc super-bulky :P.
Overheat for use against the opponent's last pokémon or if you know you're going down.

Double and Triple Battle Options

Rage Powder makes all of your enemies aim at you, so you can shield an ally to let him set up. Still, if anything, Volc will be the one who wants a chance to set up.

Partners

Rapid Spin support is vital. If Toxic Spikes or Stealth Rock are set up, Volc doesn't even have a chance of doing as well as it could. Empoleon resists everything it's weak to (likewise with Dialga in Ubers). Ferrothorn is also a good partner as it resists two out of its three weaknesses (flying is only normally effective) and it has great Defense, which Volcarona lacks.

Countering Volcarona

Tyranitar leaves it in a very hard place as the 50% increase in SDef combined with a 4x effective STAB Stone Edge hurt a lot. Watch out for super-effective Bug Buzz though. You'll have to take Volcarona down early if you want to stand a chance. Also, lemme say something: Stealth Rock Stealth Rock Stealth Rock. If you have rocks up, this beast is completely maimed as its health is immediately dropped to 50%. Toxic Spikes lay the pain on any without rest as each turn they set up hurts them even more. Chansey with Max SDef and HP leaves Volcarona absolutely hopeless, even a +6 STAB Bug Buzz from a Timid Volc with 252 SAtk EVs will only do 40% to 47% to a max SDef+HP Eviolite Chansey. Whoa.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game.

FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game.

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game.

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game.

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game.

Black/White:
Evolve Larvesta, Relic Castle Basement (Interact)

[Missingno. Master]

Love A Lava Larva
Larvesta@Life Orb/Muscle Band
Adamant nature
Flame Body
252 tk/252 Spd/4 HP
~Flare Blitz
~Flame Charge
~Wild Charge
~Bug Bite

Try saying that three times fast, eh? So, anyway, yes. Straight into it, then. Larvesta. I've said it before and I'll say it again; no, I am not insane. If you'll bother to look Larvesta up in the Pokédex, you'll take note of its base 85 Attack. A far cry from its evolved form's Special Attack, but a decided improvement on Volcarona's paltry base 60 Attack. Now, anyone remember that one Combee set I posted back in Vespiquen week? The one with Endeavor and Tailwind, which whoever wrote that travesty of a pre-evo corner mangled into a level 1 joke set? This Larvesta is intended for use in tandem with that Combee. Combee sets it up so once you bring in Larvesta, Tailwind is in effect and the foe has one HP remaining. KO with Flame Charge to up Larvesta's Speed (so it can outspeed stuff even after Tailwind ends) and let the sweepage commence. Even if the foe switches, you're still getting off Flame Charge without being retaliated upon. Flare Blitz and Bug Bite are your STAB moves, and Wild Charge is for extra coverage.

Item powers up Larvesta's attacks. Muscle Band may be preferable, given that there will be no small amount of recoil going on. Ability's the only one available.


Other options:
*Zen Headbutt can replace Wild Charge, makes for decent coverage against Fighting-types.
*Acrobatics is usable, but doesn't have much to offer as far as coverage, and would require Larvesta to forego a non-consumable item in order to have the full effect. Larvesta kinda needs its items.
*Don't be tempted by the higher power of U-Turn. More power, yes, but all that setup will have been for naught.

Abilities:
*Flame Body: When an opponent makes contact with Larvesta, there is a 30% chance that it will be burned. The only ability Larvesta currently has access to, and not really the best option, given how bad its defenses are. Still, it's all it's got right now, so...
*Swarm: Larvesta's Hidden Ability. Basically a Bug version of the starter-exclusive abilities. When Larvesta's HP is at 33% or lower, its Bug moves are powered up. Not yet legal, which is a shame, as it might actually see more use than Flame Body. After all the Flare Blitz and Wild Charge recoil, it could power up Bug Bite.

Partners:
As stated earlier, Combee. See my relevant post in the Vespiquen PotW thread for more information.

Counters:
The timely entry of anything with Flash Fire can screw up the Flame Charge setup, which in turn screws up Larvesta. A Flash Fire Pokémon also is immune to Larvesta's strongest attack, and even if Flame Charge had previously been used successfully, it would still pose a threat to a Larvesta sweep.

Opinion:
I like Larvesta. Nice design, surprisingly good niche. Nobody really sees it coming, which only adds to the cool factor.

Prediction for next week:
Dunsparce.

[battle171]

Supporting this things...
A rapid spinner is a must, no doubt about it. It just too weak to Stealth Rock to not include it. In fact, it's going to get hit by every entry hazard in the game (all three of them). Donphan comes to mind, since not only can it remove hazards, it can set up Rocks as well.

[jeffdavid102]

This is my favorite Volc set. I use it on a rain team and it has awesome coverage. Enjoy

Volcarona (F) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hurricane
- Quiver Dance
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz/Fire Blast

HP ground can be replaced by HP water, because of the rain boost. Hurricane hits all the time and flying gem boosts the power. If you don't like a one time boost, you can use an expert belt on it. Bug Buzz is STAB. Fire Blast can be used, but remember that it will lose power in the rain.

[Vandslaux]

I don't think anybody's posted this set yet. It's amazing in the Sun, though this is the only place you should be using this.

Morning of Doom
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Bold
Flame Body
248 HP/152 Def/108 Speed
Quiver Dance
Morning Sun
Fire Blast
Bug Buzz

One Quiver Dance, not looking good. Two Quiver Dances, you're in trouble. Three Quiver Dances, you're doomed. Four or more Quiver Dances, and you might as well say GG. EVs are to outrun Scarf Latios while maintaining good physical bulk.

[Furret Master]

Overview:
Usually, moth Pokemon are absolutely terrible. Dustox, Mothim...they are all terrible in the competitive setting with minor redeeming qualities. Volcarona, however, defies this trend of terrible moths. Its family claims the unique Bug/Fire typing, which brings both good and bad qualities to it. Obviously, Stealth Rock is a terrible threat to Volcarona, as it will lose 50% of its HP upon switching in. However, Bug/Fire gives some good offensive coverage. Volcarona is a good example of a special sweeper. Not only does it have above average Sp. Attack and Speed stats, but it also gets Quiver Dance to further boost those stats. Volcarona's movepool is also fairly good, although it missed out on a couple of moves that would have helped its coverage. Volcarona's HP and Defense stats also leave something to be desired. Still, if it can set up, Volcarona can devastate an opponent's team.

Abilities:
Flame Body: Any opponent who hits Volcarona with a contacting move has a 30% chance of being burned. This is pretty good, seeing as opponents will want to target Volcarona's weaker defense stat. Not the best ability, but it is not useless by any means. Funny note, this ability, along with Volcarona's ability to learn Fly, makes it a good Pokemon to hatch eggs with, as you cut the number of steps to hatching in half, while you can fly to Nimbasa City to check the potential of the hatched Pokemon. Pretty awesome.
Swarm (Dream World): Volcarona's Bug-type moves will get a 1.5 power multiplier when its HP falls below % of its max. It's a fairly good ability, but Flame Body can cripple a team.

Movesets:

Offensive Quiver Dance
-Quiver Dance
-Fiery Dance/ Flamethrower
-Bug Buzz
-HP Rock/ HP Ground/ HP Grass
Item: Life Orb/ Focus Sash
Ability: Flame Body/ Swarm
Nature: Timid
EVs:4 Def/ 252 Sp. Att/ 252 Speed

This is Volcarona's prime set as a sweeper. Quiver Dance boosts Volcarona's Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense, and Speed stats by one stage. This turns Volcarona into a deadly sweeper, even if only one boost is obtained. The choice of the Fire move comes down to preference. Fiery Dance is recommended because it has a 50% chance to boost Volcarona's Sp. Attack by one stage, making him more powerful. However, if you are like me and you want more initial power, Flamethrower would be an alternative. It also has more PP, which is always helpful. Bug Buzz is just good, and the chance to lower the opponent's Sp. Defense by one stage can come in handy if it goes off. The final Hidden Power type comes down to what sort of coverage you are looking for. Rock is usually the best because it hits Salamence, Dragonite, and Gyarados, while Ground hits Terrakion and Heatran. Grass is listed because it hits Water and Rock for a super-effective hit, but Rock and Ground are usually better options.

The nature is to make Volcarona as fast as possible, while the EVs are fairly obvious. The 4 in defense is to give Volcarona an odd HP stat, allowing 11 hits with Life Orb or 3 switch-ins with Stealth Rock (although you will not want to switch in if Stealth Rock is up). Speaking of Life Orb, the item will give you a power boost. However, Focus Sash can let you get at least two Quiver Dance boosts in, assuming no entry hazards or damage-weather is in effect.

Other Options:
-Volcarona can run sets for sun or rain teams, the latter being used to counter other weather teams that threaten rain teams.
-Volcarona can run a bulky Quiver Dance set with investment in HP and Defense, although the low base numbers in those stats can sometimes make this set difficult to use.

Counters:
The first and best way to deal with Volcarona is obvious: Stealth Rock. If you can keep Stealth Rock on the field, Volcarona is much, much easier to take down. Besides that, fast Pokemon that can use non-contacting, super-effective physical moves can dish out a lot of damage. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are two great examples of moves that can kill Volcarona without worrying about Flame Body. Choice Scarf Terrakion is probably one of the best Pokemon to deal with Volcarona one-on-one barring HP Ground. Conkeldurr does not fear Flame Body, and will be happy to use the burn to fuel Guts before taking Volcarona down with Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Overall, Volcarona is a really awesome Pokemon, and he can really damage the opposing team if you can keep Stealth Rock away.

[arashik]

I liek bugs :3

[philzone]

Major counter is swampert. Bulky and can know rock moves, this guy is deadly. Just needs to watch out for solarbeam. Haxorus is one I have used to counter the moth. Rock slide decimated it. Basically, any physical flying, water or rock moves destroy volcarona. And the common ones are: stone edge, rock slide, waterfall, brave bird ect. Most sets have quiver dance and this is the part where it fails. If the foe has a physical rock move, your done for. That means terrakion and tyranitar. Also, it is outsped by lots of pokemon with STAB moves against volcarona. Archeops and aerodactyl cause lots of trouble, both outspeeding the moth, and have STAB rock moves.

[Meowmeow]

Oh wow. When it comes to Pokemon that have been blessed, Volcarona has been blessed with every tool it could want, but not enough to ship it to the uber tier.
Let's break the bad news first. It has a horrendous defensive type. Switching in with Stealth Rock in play will strip Volcarona of half of its health by hitting the field. Not only that, it has weaknesses to Water, Flying, and Rock, all pretty common in the forms of Surf, Waterfall, Scald, Hurricane, Brave Bird, and Stone Edge. Not only that, Volcarona's movepool is a bit on the shallow end (though not by much). Its abilities are nothing spectacular.
Now, the good news. It has an incredible offensive type. Bug and Fire STAB takes down any Celebi, Ferrothorn, Forretress, Reuniclus, Alakazam, Latias, Latios, Scizor, or Breloom that dares show up. That list is only small compared to what Volcarona can truly take down. As stated, before, Volcarona does not have much of a movepool, but has plenty of options plus one or two more two make something happen. Volcarona's most amazing move it has is Quiver Dance, being a staple move on any and almost every set Volcarona uses. Its signiture Fiery Dance can boost Volcarona's power level to sky high levels. The best part about Quiver Dance is that it boosts Volcarona's best stats at once. Also, the bug-type lets Volcarona switch in on fighting types that don't have Stone Edge safely.
Volcarona is an amazing Pokemon, but it really needs Rapid Spin support or Stealth Rock will kill it.
Now, onto movesets:

The Moth in the Flame that doesn't Burn!
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 defense and HP, 4 speed
@: Leftovers

Quiver Dance
Morning Sun
Fiery Dance/Fire Blast
Bug Buzz

After one Quiver Dance, Volcarona becomes very scary. This set aims to accumulate multiple Quiver Dance boosts.

Moth to a Flamethrower!
Nature: Timid/Modest
EVs: 252 sp attack and speed, 4 hp or sp defense
@: Life Orb/Leftovers

Quiver Dance
Bug Buzz
Fire Blast/Fiery Dance
Hidden Power Ground/Morning Sun/Solarbeam

An offensive Quiver Dance route. Morning Sun is used if you want multiple uses while holding Life Orb. Solarbeam should only be used on Sun teams.

Quiver Dancing in the...Rain?
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 sp attack and speed, 4 hp
@: Life Orb

Quiver Dance
Bug Buzz
Hurricane
Hidden Power Water/Fire Blast

Time to use our imagination a bit. It seems counterproductive to use Volcarona on a Rain team, but Volcarona checks the most dangerous threats to Rain teams like Celebi, Ludicolo, and others. You do the rest.

Other options:
Psychic is useless.
Flame Charge is useless.
Magnet Rise is useless.
Flamethrower is the middle ground between Fiery Dance and Fire Blast. Middle Ground does not work here.
Physical sets defeat the purpose of having Quiver Dance.

Counters:
Stealth Rock. After that, a solid STAB move should do the trick. Particularly a Physical hit. Just watch for Flame Body. Unless your equipped with Guts.

[M4zz]

Holy crap. An OU Pokemon in the POTW? I'll be editing this later.

[Rayofquazar]

What s so terrible in Flame body it is not like you will be all the time: "come on volcarona BURN! it is a nice ability which can criple somme attackers.

Sure flame body is a decent ability, but volcarona is so frail in the defensive side (physically at least) that it cannot abuse it's effect. A volcarona targeted by a decently strong enough physical attack is as good as dead!
This ability, alongside other luck based abilities like static, poison point and effect spore are best used with bulkier pokemon that can take hits well... That was all i was trying to say!

[your boss]

What's ironic is Larvesta and Volcarona, along with Ferroseed and evo can't learn attract yet they have genders. Anyway Rapid Spin support is needed hands down
Still creepy about these four not learning attract(nincada doesn't count)

[PhilosophicalPsychologica]

"Hrm, I sure hope it will be Volcarona today, because if it isn't, I'm just going to plain give up."

*looks*

0_o

Volcarona is infamous as, upon first being introduced, it was initially shunned due to the Bug/Fire Typing, but shot up quickly to OU when people realized the great destructive potential of Quiver Dance. Volcarona is easily countered, but can cause widescale destruction when it sets up enough. The traditional set is Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, Fiery Dance/Fire Blast, then either Hurricane or a Hidden Power to help counter Heatran, Terrakion, or Jellicent. Many times in the past and even just yesterday, I've gone from a total loss to a devastating win just after a few Dances. Because of this, I have taken it upon myself to create most of my first Gen 5 teams based off crazy Volcarona sets:

Choice @ Choice Specs/Scarf
4 Attack, 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Modest (+Special Attack, -Attack)/Timid (+Speed, - Special Attack)
Swarm/Flame Body
U-turn/Flamethrower
Overheat/Fire Blast
Bug Buzz
Hidden Power/Hurricane

Everyone uses Quiver Dance. Some people just aren't that patient. Dance around your counters with U-turn instead! (I am aware Stealth Rock exists; that's why you use something that can keep that clear.) Why waste a Quiver Dance and chance a Bug Buzz when you might get countered when you can just unleash a Specs-powered Overheat instead? I personally use U-turn, Overheat, and Hidden Grass Power on the one team I have Choicerona on.

SubPinch @ Salac, Petaya, Lum
4 HP, 252 SpAtk, 252 Spd, Timid
Substitute
Quiver Dance
Fiery Dance/Hidden Power
Bug Buzz

You say Swarm is worthless? I DEFY YOU! This set can be comparable to Belly Drum in that it purposely puts me at low HP to promise a frightengly strong hit; therefore your team must be built to accomodate that weakness. After a single Quiver Dance, Volcarona should be able to outspeed anything without its own Speed boost (Salac is thrown on there as insurance, but if you don't want that insurance, bring in Petaya). Quiver Dance is your basic lazer-charger, and Fiery Dance is used to bump off lower-health targets that aren't worth a Buzz. Remember: Swarm, bring your damage to overkill proportions. Sub used as a protection move and can give you a bonus boost off your berry. Aside from priority issues, Volcarona also suffers from certain counters, which must always be removed.

ChestoRest @ whaddyathink
248 HP, 4 Def, 252 SpAtk, Modest
Flame Body
Quiver Dance
Rest
Fiery Dance/Flamethrower
Bug Buzz/Hidden Power

This is the set that pulls me from a total loss. Volcarona is rather bulky in itself, but sometimes, you can't boost fast enough and have enough health remaining to sweep properly. This Pokemon, after Dancing enough, will fend off Rotom's relentless Hydro Pumps, Rest up to ideal health, then punish Rotom with extreme prejudice. This Volcarona still has issues with being outsped by Stone Edge users, even with max Speed. The main advantage to this set is to shrug off Volcarona's other weakness, Thunder Wavers and Toxic users, like nothing. I prefer Flamethrower as Fire Blast's higher power and Fiery Dance's effect, I think, are unnecessary.

Defensive @ Leftovers
248 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpDef, Bold
Flame Body
Morning Sun
WOW
Quiver Dance/Amnesia
Bug Buzz

I'm infamous for using defensive Moltres in Gen 4 OU. Well, imagine how incredible Volcarona would be had it had Lava Plume. Of course it doesn't, so here's the next best thing: Will-o-Wisp. This is bound to catch those incoming Terrakion off-guard. This set focuses on Quiver Dance's defensive properties, and the Speed boost that lets it Burn things faster, literally. With Volcarona's prolonged longevity, Flame Body also has a greater chance of being set off. Morning Sun is no Roost, but it's an acceptable healing move in sun. Low PP may be an issue, but after a few Quiver Dances, Volcarona is prime to knock out problem opponents with the unresisted BB.

Volcarona could find use on a Rain team by forgoing its Fire-STAB with Hurricane (and if you want, use Fiery Dance or Fire Blast anyway). I don't highly recommend it. Otherwise, Ninetales is a very considerable partner just to compete with Politoed's popularity. A method to deal with Stealth Rock is a given. Choice Band is an option, but Larvesta is better (due to higher Attack), and even then I don't recommend it. Larvesta does have spectacular Attack and good Speed for a Little Cupper and even the lower tiers, though. I guess you could try using Calm Mind Larvesta, but I don't recommend it. Flame Charge Larvesta could work.

Volcarona gets Safeguard to block against crippling Thunder Waves, but you might as well use Substitute. I guess it works in multibattles? You can use Magnet Rise just to troll. Other possible interests are Rage Powder and Whirlwind. Psychic works to hit non-Scarf Terrakion hard, but it has extremely limited utility otherwise so you might as well use Hidden Power. I recommend using cherubi.com and its damage calculator to double-check.

I highly recommend Volcarona usage in an Ubers team. It definitely has potential. In multi-battles, it has too many exploitable weaknesses. It has Hurricane and Heat Wave for VGC usage I guess.

[SiLverFlier]

FIRST POST EVER.

I find Volcarona one of the most powerful Pokemon I have ever used in the BW generation, simply because of its great stats. And Quiver Dance was literally made for Volcarona. +Sp Atk, +Sp Def, AND +Speed each +1?!? This borders on insane because Volcarona off the bat, is a really good Special sweeper. The boost in Sp Atk is only made even better through the boost in Speed and Sp Def to help its defenses, which are okay, but not stellar. The best Quiver Dancer of them all, beating out the other moths and butterflies.

Dance All Your Worries Away...

Nature: Modest
Ability: Flame Body
Item: Leftovers

Quiver Dance
Fiery Dance/Flamethrower/Heat Wave
Bug Buzz
Hidden power [ground or grass]/Wild Charge/ Hurricane/Morning Sun

Dance all your worries away because Volcarona will dominate. This is the set I run most often because it simply is a great sweeping set. Quiver Dance to boost Sp Atk, Sp Def, and Speed. Bug Buzz for strong bug type move. The fire type move is simply preference. I personally run Heat Wave most of the time because I do double battles quite often and I get an added possible burn infliction, but if you're not worried too much about double battling, then Fiery Dance is the best move to go with because of that 50% chance of boosting the Sp. Atk, thus making the next move even more powerful. The last move is simply a filler. With Quiver Dance already boosting your already-decent speed, Wild Charge is an interesting choice. Despite the recoil damage, you do get some water type coverage, which is one of the type Volcarona should happily avoid. Hurricane is there because of a 30% chance of confusion, and it can hit opponents while using a move like Fly, another move Volcarona should fear. Hidden Power Ground or Grass to counter Rock types which are 4x effective against Volcarona. Morning Sun to restore lost HP, plus Leftovers for turn-to-turn recovery. Basically to make Volcarona last as long as it can before it dies. Also, any physical attack coming at you due to your Sp. Def. boost has a chance of getting slapped in the face with a burn because of Flame Body, cutting their Atk. power in half. Volcarona will totally troll in this regard. Love the hax factor of Volcarona <3

EVs: basically what the majority of what everyone else is saying. Too lazy to put that here xD

Other Options:
Solar Beam: run this only if you have drought or some sunlight out to counter the waters and rocks that will most certainly kill you.
Fire Blast: Some like Fire Blast as opposed to the other ones, but Fire Blast misses at the worst times. I rather have a move that will more reliably hit than have a move that will miss occasionally, despite the nice power boost
Flare Blitz: If you want to surprise an enemy expecting a completely special sweeper. Not really recommended because Volcarona's strengths are NOT in Atk.
Rage Powder: If you want for Volcarona to be the sole target while you set up another Pokemon...people will already be targeting Volcarona first, so not really recommended. Not to mention you'll be wanting to set up Volcarona instead
Return: For a strong Normal type move with few resistances...just an option, again not recommended.

Double/Triples: Go with Heat Wave, but it's weak against Surf and Earthquake and Rock Slide...and basically all things Rock. AND ALL ENTRY HAZARDS, like Stealth Rock. Bring a Rapid spinner, or Volcarona will die really quick, and you will have no chance to set up a Quiver Dance.

Countering Volcarona: USE STEALTH ROCK. Stealth rock reduces Volcarona's HP by half, and then it becomes realy easy to beat it. Any bulky rock or water type should fair decently against Volcarona. If you don't beat Volcarona quickly, it can set up Quiver Dance, outspeed you, and then continue on to sweep your team with ease. A dangerous Pokemon that should be dealt with quickly or with a really bulky Water type...Swampert, Jellicent could both get the job done. Blissey can absorb all of Volcarona's attacks and Toxic stall with Volcarona...Just get rid of this pest quickly or your battle will be over quickly.