Jolteon Bolts Into Action! - with 0kamii

[0kamii]

Hey, everybody! It's 0kamii, back with another VGC analysis of an underused mon. This time, expect things to get absolutely jolting!

I've been wanting to do an Eeveelution for a while now, and ever since it was suggested that I start analyzing more competitive mons as opposed to the obscure ones, I was heavily considering doing an analysis of Glaceon. However, my heart lies with the small, Electric-Type fox that carried me through Orre multiple times, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, as well as proved to be an absolute powerhouse in the Battle Maison and the Battle Tree. That pokémon is none other than Jolteon. This guy has been the primary contender for my favorite Eevee evolution for years, only missing out on the claim because Umbreon has such a cool Shiny. But still, the amount of time and effort that I've dedicated to Jolteon, and all the battles that he's seen me through earn him a place here on my PokémonForever account. But what exactly does Jolteon bring to the table in terms of VGC? In Smogon tiers, poor poor Jolteon has been stuck in RU, being only limited to Volt Switch utility. Does that change in VGC 2017? Let's jump in and find out!

Type:

Starting off with the Lightning Pokémon's typing, Electric-Type is very good in this metagame. The main reason the Electric type is shining in this metagame, as other Electric-Types like Tapu Koko and Raichu-Alola have shown, is because they only have one weakness. Ground. Granted, Ground-Types are quite abundant in this format thanks to mons like Garchomp and Gastrodon, but luckily, Jolteon has ways around that. We'll cover that once we reach the section on iots movepool. But that's only in terms of defense. Offensively, Jolteon brings to the table many of the same things that Tapu Koko does. Jolteon, as an Electric-Type, has advantages over common VGC mons like Tapu Fini, Drifblim, Mandibuzz, Milotic, Pelipper, and the big one, Celesteela. While it may not have Fairy-Type coverage like Tapu Koko, Jolteon does come packing a few unpleasant surprises of its own. Speaking of unpleasant surprises...

Stats:

HP: 65 (125 - 172)
Attack: 65 (63 - 128)
Defense: 60 (58 - 123)
Sp. Attack: 110 (103 - 178)
Sp. Defense: 95 (90 - 161)
Speed: 130 (121 - 200)

 

I think it's safe to say that Jolteon's greatest assets are its Sp. Attack and its Speed. With a base Speed of 130, Jolteon is one of the fastest legal pokémon in the entire format, only getting outsped by Pheromosa and then it speed-ties the rest. With a base Sp. Attack of 110, Jolteon can do some damage to the opposing mons, but with its subpar defenses, it won't be taking too much damage in return. In fact, Jolteon will often get OHKOed, if my test runs were any indication. However, as always, if I thought Jolteon was a lost cause, I never would've proceeded. What Jolteon can't take in damage, it can dish back thricefold, so don't underestimate Jolteon just because it's frail. Pheromosa is about as frail as it gets, and look at all the usage it has! Anyway, maximizing Jolteon's speed is going to be a must, and the rest may as well go into Sp. Attack. With those defenses, investment in any kind of fortification would be naught. Don't bother with it, much like my next point.

Abilities:

Much like my previous analysis candidate: link here → (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Bas...ith-0kamii), Jolteon only has two abilities, and one is substantially better than the other. Jolteon's two abilities are Volt Absorb and Quick Feet. And again, like Bastiodon, I'm going to keep this short. Do not use Quick Feet. Quick Feet has this really pointless niche in boosting Jolteon's speed by 50% while it has a status condition. Trust me, Jolteon won't be sticking around long enough to take advantage of that. Even if you gave it a Flame Orb or the like, you'd be wasting an item slot and making an already frail pokémon even more vulnerable. Volt Absorb is definitely the way to go here. That way you can take Electric-Type attacks intended for targets like Fini, Celesteela, and Drifblim, without fear of taking unnecessary damage. Just be on the lookout for Earthquake predictions. Not only that, but since Volt Absorb makes Electric-Type attacks have no effect on Jolteon, you're essentially giving it an immunity it wouldn't otherwise have. Plus, it heals you. That's always good.

Movepool:

In the movepool department, Jolteon begins to fall behind its rival, Tapu Koko. Because of Koko's Fairy typing, it has access to numerous moves that Jolteon doesn't, such as Dazzling Gleam, Brave Bird, and Sky Drop. However, this doesn't render Jolteon nihil. While Jolteon may not have quite the same toolbox as Koko, it still has all the tools it needs to get by. Some of Jolteon's best moves are the basic ones you'd expect like Thunderbolt, Discharge, and Thunder. Personally, the Jolteon I tested was part of a rain team, so I used Thunder more than Thunderbolt, but either one works depending on the rest of the team. Discharge is excellent for spread damage, and it also has a paralysis chance. That's never a bad thing. For coverage, well...Jolteon doesn't get much. The only notable moves that Jolteon gets in terms of coverage would be Shadow Ball, for the stray Gengar, Mismagius, and Drifblim that we see, and Hidden Power. The common one I expect to see would be Ice, but anyone that's ever tried to breed for Hidden Powers know how troublesome it is. Overall however, as I said, Jolteon doesn't get much, but it still has what it needs. While it may be a predictable set, keep this in mind: you can see a tree falling, but that doesn't mean you can stop it from hitting the ground. Other notbale moves in Jolteon's arsenal are Light Screen, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Charm, and Wish.

Overall:

What's there left to say about Jolteon? I love this guy, and I really wanted to try him out to see if there was anything of value. Turns out, he's actually decent. I'd say he's amazing actually, but that might be pushing it. Heck, I push my luck every time I post one of these analyses. I'd classify Jolteon in the same category as Tommy Cooleen's Golduck. A big, fat, Greek maybe. It could work, if it has the right set-up, but isn't that the life story of every VGC mon? You know, except for mons like Garchomp that are just inherently good no matter how many times Nintendo tries to nerf them. *cough cough* Mega Garchomp *cough cough*. In the meantime, while Jolteon continues to be overshadowed by Glaceon, for some reason, I've complied a small list of partners and sets that may prove to be worth your time. I'd include damage calculations, but I don't see the point on this one. Jolteon will be OHKOed by just about everything. However, it also has the potential to OHKO a Celesteela. Koko can't do that without Electric Terrain and a Life Orb. That's what comes with a 15 base stat difference (yes, Jolteon (110) has higher Sp. Attack than Tapu Koko (95)). Here's the link to the damage calculator if you don't believe me: (https://pokemonshowdown.com/damagecalc/).

The Sets:

 

Set 1 - Choice Specs Attacker

Nature: Timid (+Speed/-Atk)
Ability: Volt Absorb
Item: Choice Specs
EVs: 4 HP/ 4 Def/ 244 Sp. Atk/ 4 Sp. Def/ 252 Speed
Moveset:
Thunder/Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Volt Switch
Hidden Power - Ice

 

The first thing you'll notice about this set is that it's virtually identical to the set found on Smogon. I promise, that was just coincidence. As it turns out, the people over there realized that Jolteon had a pretty lackluster movepool too and stuck it with the same coverage I did. I don't play the Smogon tiers; the only reason I found out that this was practically the same set is because my friend pointed it out. Again, it was just by chance. I'm not trying to plagiarize the Smogon writers, I swear. It just kind of...worked out that way. But anway, digression aside, the Thunder/Thunderbolt split depends entirely on whether you're running Jolteon with a rain team. Since that's the one I was using in testing, I would highly recommend running Jolteon with a rain setter. Very little can stand up to a Choice Specs Thunder from Jolteon. It does some serious damage. As for the other three moves, Shadow Ball is excellent against Tapu Lele. Just be weary of a retaliating Psychic. That will OHKO you, as with most things. It also does well against the infrequent Ghost-Types we see, as previously mentioned. Volt Switch is good for maintaining momentum and getting our lovable little fox out of dangerous situations, and Hidden Power - Ice can OHKO every type of Garchomp that isn't holding an Assault Vest or outspeeding it. The Assault Vest set is slowly losing popularity in favor of Choice Scarfs and Groundium Z, so I wouldn't stress about the Assault Vest too much. Just something of which to be conscious.

 

Set 2 - The Todhunter

Nature: Timid (+Speed/-Atk)
Ability: Volt Absorb
Item: Air Balloon/Focus Sash
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Sp. Atk/ 252 Speed
Moveset:
Protect
Thunderbolt/Volt Switch
Helping Hand
Hidden Power - Ice/Shadow Ball

 

As of writing this, Set 2 is purely experimental. I wouldn't recommend it quite yet, but I've seen the merit in throwing in Helping Hand. In a way, it becomes a faster, frailer version of 'Bulkanine,' which has caused my trainers trouble this format. Protect is obviously there because of utility, as is expected in Doubles. Helping Hand lets other team members boost their moves, preferrably spread moves, making it so that Jolteon can survive a turn. It can also be used as a sacrificial mon, but that rarely ever works out, so I wouldn't suggest it. Use Thunderbolt or Volt Switch depending on the rest of the team, and throw in one of Jolteon's two coverage moves just as a precaution. For now, I think Set 1 is your best bet, and I'll continue to toy around with this more strategic set until I can get it working properly. For now though, let's move into partners.

Partners:

 

 + or

 

Pick your poison here. Both of these rain setters serve Jolteon well, and I've personally had a lot of fun with both. If I had to choose though, I'd likely say to go with Pelipper over Politoed just because Pelipper gets Tailwind, which can help the rest of the team outside of Jolteon. On the other hand, Politoed does get access to Perish Song, and that's always a mind game once activated. Both partners get Scald, so there's no deliberation there. Frankly it's hard to choose. I say experiment with both and see which one suits your play style. Though I will say that choosing Pelipper guarantees that you'll be using Set 1, as Pelipper is about as frail as Jolteon and will require a Focus Sash.

 

+

 

Okay, stick with me on this. Yes, I know having two Electric-Types on the field at once is a bad idea. However, Koko-Raichu is a well-established core, so I see no reason to snub these two for that same reason. Koko's Electric Surge boosts the power of both their attack by a considerable margin, and let's them hit multiple targets for at least STAB neutral damage. Even a Life Orb Lele goes down to a neutral Electric Terrain boosted Thunder from Jolteon, and has a 62.5% chance to take it out with a Thunderbolt. That's some serious power. As with the first set though, using Koko as Jolteon's partner is a 'high risk' high reward' situation. It can go very well, or it can backfire terribly. I would say that Koko-Jolt is deep in the realm of gimmicky, so I'd stay away from it for any serious competitions. Best to play it safe there, just in case.

Conclusion:

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my latest VGC analysis of an underused mon. As I've said many times over the last few analyses, using uncommon mons is something that no one expects, and bringing something they didn't prepare for can easily throw off their game. While I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket, I would certainly say that given enough effort, any pokémon can be good in one way or another, like a Baton Passed Rampardos! Anyhow, feel free to check out the other VGC analyses I've done. These mons may just surprise you!

1) Emolga: (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Emo...ith-0kamii)
2) Alomomola: (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Alo...ith-0kamii)
3) Rampardos: (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Ram...ith-0kamii)
4) Poliwrath: (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Pol...ith-0kamii)
5) Bastiodon: (http://pokemonforever.com/Thread-VGC-Bas...ith-0kamii)

Of the five above, I'd have to say my personal favorites are Emolga and Poliwrath. Those two were the ones that surprised me the most, and I highly suggest you go check them out! Well, that's all the time I have for today. I have to go orchestrate Amethsyt 0mega's next BR giveaway, so I hope to see you all there! I look forward to all the weird and wondrous discussions we'll have in the comments, and I'll read you all soon. Battle onwards, friends!

- 0kamii