Voltorb's design may not be the most inspiring (not just a ball, but a Pokeball), but it kinda makes sense in a sort of camouflage sense. If you skip past the aesthetics, what you find is a seriously fast Pokemon (base 100 as a first evolution), but beyond this, it's anything but impressive: base 40HP, 30 attack, 50 defence and 55 in both special stats. It hits fast, but with all the raw power of a speck of dust. You get the abilities soundproof (immunity to sound based attacks like synchronoise and uproar), static (contact may cause paralysis to the foe), and the hidden ability aftermath (if Voltorb or any Pokemon with this ability is fainted by a move that makes contact, the attacker will take damage equal to 25% of its maximum HP). Honestly, aftermath may well be one of your best bets to deal damage. Soundproof is too situational, and static isn't awful, to be honest... By the way, you're a pure electric-type, so despite not being able to hit the fairly common ground-type, you can decimate the often present water-types (unless they are dual-type ground). Ground is your only weakness, but you don't get many resistances (steel, flying and electric itself).
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| It is just a pissed off Pokeball |
You know what would really work on Voltorb? Moves like spikes and other entry hazards, and of course, these are lacking from the level list. Naturally, you do get tackle to go with your terrible physical attack, you get charge (boosts special defence), eerie impulse (which drops the foe's special attack by two stages, so paired with charge could work to tank if your stats weren't so dire), and sonic boom (normal type, always does 20 damage, which means that you can whittle things down, but it's never going to save you unless you're against a Shuckle). Spark's base 65 electric damage is offset by it being physically based, though it does get a decent paralyse chance, and rollout does increasing damage per turn (with a nice boost if you defence curl before hand) but is a rock physical attack with base 30, so rather underwhelming. Screech drops the foe's defence by two stages, charge beam is a move with decent power (50), is special with 90 accuracy and has a good (70% chance) of raising your special attack by a stage.
Electroball is another electric special attack but the damage base is calculate by how much faster you are than the opponent (and since Voltorb has huge speed, then this is probably a decent idea). Swift is a normal special attack with base 60 that 'never misses', and self-destruct is a terrible idea (physical as well, so the massive base power is reduced in effect). The last move before you can evolve by level is light screen (double's the team's special defence for five turns, but can be removed by brick break, defog and is ignored by infiltrators).
Magnet rise basically lifts the Pokemon off the ground, making it immune to ground-type attacks (handy), but then you get to discharge (base 80 electric special with 100 accuracy, good chance of paralysing foes and will hit all Pokemon in double battles (including your partner, so be careful)). Three moves left in the slog fest, and one of the is explosion, so that one's rubbish, and another is gyroball, which is great for slower Pokemon, but for Voltorb it just seems dumb. The last move on offer is mirror coat, a decreased priority move that hits foes (other than dark-types) the same, as it does double the damage taken earlier in the turn if it was inflicted by a special attack.
You get the standard array of TM moves, with thunder and thunderbolt both being very tempting to pick up as strong special electric moves, really playing to your strength. With thunder, you may wish to take rain dance to boost your accuracy. You can also take toxic to make sure you do sustained damage even if you get one-shotted (your regular attacks won't be earth-shattering due to your poor offensive stats). Volt-switch is actually a nice idea, and coupled with a choice item could be a blessing: you get in fast with a base 70 electric special and then switch out of play to something that will take hits well before retribution can find you. Thunderwave also allows you to behave very badly, paralysing the foe and maybe making you last a touch longer. Double team offers increased evasiveness, which I've seen used to frustrating extremes, whilst protect is obviously decent if you're going the toxic/stall route, maybe with double team and volt switch. Wild charge really isn't worth it with base 90 physical and recoil (though it is STAB). Substitute would also work really well with stalling tactics.
With a total lack of breeding moves, the tutor is the last hope for entry hazards, but that falls flat. They do offer some decent moves such as signal beam, snore and shockwave, along with foul play as a strong physical dark move if that takes your fancy, as well as moves that were already previously on offer.
If you want to evolve to Electrode and lose your camouflage, you are rewarded with suddenly being reasonable: your speed is now a scary base 140, with 80 in both specials, 70 defence and 60HP (so some slight bulk) but the physical attack is still poor enough to ignore at 50. Same type, same abilities, same spherical shape.
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| It looks like it's watching something indecent... |
All I can really say is that you are fast, really fast. Special attack is the one to focus, but even then you're hardly a real threat, so a volt switch or toxic staller set is probably one of the better ideas for damaging things with defence. Get in there fast, and stop them. There's nothing bad here, but there are major deficiencies, with a very dull movepool covering mainly just status and electric-type attacks, no variation other than signal beam from the tutor and a couple of iffy dark moves.
(All artwork presented by Ken Sugimori, taken from the Bulbapedia image archives)
I hated when Voltorbs attacked in Gen 1.
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