PokéBase - Pokémon Q&A
0 votes
6,871 views

I’d like to know which of the two is better, competitively and Ingame. Please list the pros and cons of both Pokémon.

by
reopened by
Short answer: Collectively, it's Volcarona, but Chandelure has some small advantages in select areas of battle.

I'd give a full answer but I have to leave >_<
For in-game it depends on the game. For competitive it depends on the format.
I'm pretty sure Chandelure is better ingame since Larvesta generally won't evolve until after the E4. Plus, Chandelure has a faster level-up rate.
You can get a Level 35 Volcarona in B2W2 before the Elite four, but that is the only time it is good in-game. Volcarona is better Smogon-tier wise, but could vary by format.
Volcarona vs Rock types.

3 Answers

1 vote
 
Best answer

I don't know what game you're talking about, but I'm assuming you mean Generation V, so I'm going to go over Black and White and their sequels. Generally it's very hard to get a Larvesta to evolve into a Volcarona, especially if you're using it before the postgame. In Black/White it's only obtainable if you're given a Larvetsa egg from a Pokemon Ranger on Route 18, and it evolves at level 59. If you have the patience, it certainly is worth evolving it into a Volcarona, though. In Black/White 2, it's MUCH easier to get a Volcarona, as there's a level 35 one in the Relic Castle. Volcarona can learn Fly, which is very useful in the field, but this isn't a very good move at all as its Attack stat isn't good.
Alright, so Chandelure is all around easier to obtain (Lampent evolves at level 41, so you don't have to do as much levelling up) also having a higher Special Attack than Volcarona. I'd personally go with Chandelure if you're playing Black, as getting a level 1 Larvesta to 59 will take a very long time. For B2/W2 Volcarona is easier to get and probably the better option. It has better Speed than Chandelure, and one thing that I haven't mentioned is that Chandelure, being a Pokemon that evolves using a stone, can't learn many moves at all by levelling up, so you'd need to raise a Lampent to a very high level in order to get the best moves for it. But with Volcarona, it learns Fiery Dance at Level 1, meaning you just need to go to the move relearner to get a fantastic move that also boosts your highest stat half of the time.

For competitive there isn't really an objective answer either. That being said, of course there are situations where Volcarona would be a better choice than Chandelure and vice versa. They both have their pros and cons, and you need to adjust your team accordingly to which one you use. Volcarona unfortunately has a 4x Rock weakness, making it lose half of its health to Stealth Rock. You need to run a Pokemon with Rapid Spin or Defog in order to effectively run Volcarona. Chandelure also has a Stealth Rock weakness, but it isn't as prevalent as Volcarona's.
They both can perform their different sets effectively, it just depends on what generation and tier you're playing. Volcarona is more of a sweeper while Chandelure is more of a wallbreaker. You can use whatever sets you want as well, e.g. running a scarf on Chandelure because of its average speed. Anything can work if you set it up correctly, so keep that in mind. It depends on what role you want filled on your team.

by
selected by
In-game, Chandelure definitely dominates by leveling faster and being obtained earlier. :P

Competitively, Volcarona is still better despite it having a crippling Rock weakness, mostly because of Quiver Dance. Also, why would anyone use Chandelure in any format that allows Blacephalon? Volcarona fights Blacephalon or Mega Charizard for a team slot, and Chandelure is kind of useless compared to them. I say kind of mostly because Chandelure can still be used as an Infiltrator wall-breaker, but it isn't as effective as using Defog on literally any other member of your team. This is why Chandelure is in UU and not OU. :P
2 votes

I don't really play any games where either of them exist, so I guess you can look at the other answer for in-game advice. As for competitive, I think Volcarona is better than Chandelure at least in OU, Doubles OU, Monotype (on fire teams), and BSS. I don't know a format where both are allowed and Chandelure is better.

Volcarona can outspeed more things.
Volcarona is not as badly outclassed by Blacephalon.
Volcarona's bug type and bug buzz let it check dark Pokemon.
Volcarona's quiver dance is better than Chandelure's calm mind. As well as raising speed, quiver dance can also store arrows.
Volcarona can learn roost.

by
0 votes

For ingame, Chandelure. Its best moves come far earlier (Volcarona learns Fiery Dance at lvl. 100), and it's a million times easier to evolve (dusk stone, not level flipping 59). Competitively, Volcarona. You'll be lvl. 100 anyway, so its massive SpAtk beats out Chandelure. As for movesets:
Ingame:
Chandelure @ Charcoal
Modest Nature
Ability: Flame Body
•Flamethrower (STAB, burn chance)
•Toxic (If in doubt, use toxic)
•Hex (STAB, boosted if flamethrower burns or you use toxic)
•Confuse Ray (Because confusion is OP ingame)
Competitive:
Volcarona @ Charcoal
Modest Nature
Ability: Flame Body
•Fiery Dance (STAB, chance to raise SpAtk)
•Bug Buzz (STAB, best bug move)
•Quiver Dance (Calm Mind+Dragon Dance)
•Giga Drain (Coverage)

by